Modu, in a secluded private tea house with an elegant ambiance.
The air was filled with the rich aroma of tea, intertwined with the rustling of bamboo in the wind outside the window, forming a tranquil and far-reaching melody.
However, in this tranquility, the two people at opposite ends of the tea table were in a silent standoff.
Miss Jiang had traded her usual flamboyant fiery red for a black cheongsam today.
This cheongsam perfectly accentuated her graceful figure, and the black attire, paired with her red hair, added a touch of understated elegance to her inherent pride.
She personally poured a cup of tea for Mr. Lu, her movements fluid and practiced, clearly guided by a master.
This was her initiative, an attempt to reclaim some control in this game of chess.
"Mr. Lu," Miss Jiang said, setting down the teapot, her proud phoenix eyes meeting the man's gaze directly, "Let's be straightforward. I won't beat around the bush."
"The divine phoenix blood amber, the Phoenix Nurturing Sutra."
"Either of these items is enough to command a hefty price."
"Yet, you gave them to me as if they were two ordinary objects, casually discarded."
She paused, her voice carrying a hint of tension and probing that even she hadn't noticed.
"What exactly do you want from me?"
Mr. Lu picked up the teacup but did not drink, instead gently caressing the warm rim with his fingertips.
His gaze seemed to fall on the clear tea, yet also seemed to penetrate it, seeing something far deeper.
He chuckled softly, a laugh that, to Miss Jiang, was laden with meaning.
"Miss Jiang, you seem to have misunderstood something."
"What?" Miss Jiang's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"I am not making a transaction with you."
Mr. Lu raised his eyes, his deep gaze calmly fixed on her, yet it made her feel a hundred times more terrifying pressure than when facing her family's ancestors.
"I am... informing you all."
"Informing us?"
Miss Jiang's voice unconsciously rose a notch.
"Yes."
Mr. Lu set down the teacup and leaned slightly forward, the invisible pressure making Miss Jiang's breath catch.
"You should be very clear why the Jiang Family has emerged."
"The so-called Golden Great Era, isn't it?"
"The Jiang Family's so-called foundation is merely a small boat that could capsize at any moment in the face of the subsequent tidal wave."
"I am giving you a ticket."
"A ticket that will allow your Jiang Family to survive, stand taller, and see further... a ticket."
His voice was not loud, yet it thoroughly dissected the reality behind Miss Jiang's, and even the entire Jiang Family's, pride... A transaction is based on the equality of both parties.
What he was doing at this moment was more like charity, a command.
Miss Jiang's face turned somewhat pale, her knuckles slightly white from clenching.
Everything she prided herself on was so insignificant in this man's eyes?
"Why?"
She practically gritted her teeth, squeezing out these three words from her throat.
"Just because..."
Mr. Lu's lips curved into a cruel yet charming arc, "...I understand your own value better than you do."
"You..."
Miss Jiang was about to retort but then realized, powerlessly, that she had no capital to refute him.
The Phoenix Nurturing Sutra was still in her hands... and her original intention for coming here wasn't to discuss this. Why had it turned into her representing the entire Jiang Family in negotiations?
The more she tried to see through this man, the deeper she fell.
Amidst this tense atmosphere, in a corner of the tea house, a woman wearing large sunglasses and a black mask, completely wrapped up, was secretly pointing her phone camera at them.
Photo after photo was silently saved.
In the photos, Miss Jiang was only a silhouette; almost all of them featured Mr. Lu!
The woman quickly finished taking pictures, put away her phone, and her eyes behind the sunglasses gleamed with excitement... Modu University, Library.
Xiao Fan was sitting in a corner, pretending to read, but in reality, he had maximized the panel of the [Myriad Attribute Collection System].
In his eyes, the library at this moment was no longer an ocean of knowledge, but a rich mine waiting to be harvested!
White or green light orbs continuously appeared above the heads of the studious scholars.
["Academic God" dropped attribute: Intelligence +2. Do you want to collect it?]
["Postgraduate Exam King" dropped attribute: Concentration +5. Do you want to collect it?]
["Financial Genius" dropped attribute: Business Acumen +1. Do you want to collect it?]
"Collect! Collect all of them!"
Xiao Fan roared in his heart, greedily absorbing these attribute light orbs one by one into his body.
Cool sensations surged into his brain, making him feel that his thoughts had become clearer than ever before.
His heart was filled with venomous glee.
"Miss Jiang! You bitch! You don't appreciate kindness!"
"Three hundred million in diamonds, and you didn't even spare them a glance!"
"And that bastard surnamed Lu! Did he buy you off with a broken book? You two dogs, just you wait!"
"Although I can't beat you now, as long as I can collect attributes, I will sooner or later step on all of you!"
"When that time comes, I will make you, Miss Jiang, kneel on the ground and beg me to accept that diamond!"
He was immersed in his own world of fantasy, imagining scenes of future dominance.
However, at this very moment!
"Ugh!"
A terrifying, churning sensation surged from his lower abdomen, rushing upwards!
The feeling came so fiercely, so... unstoppable!
"No... no way..."
Xiao Fan's face instantly turned green!
He felt his body was brewing an unprecedented, terrifying... biological explosion!
Ever since the last punishment, this sequela had remained...
"Holy shit!"
He no longer cared about his image, abruptly springing up from his seat, clutching his stomach, clenching his legs, and in an extremely contorted posture, frantically rushed towards the library's restroom!
His exaggerated movements instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the entire study area.
"What's that guy doing? Did he take the wrong medicine?"
"Looking at him, he's probably going to let it out right here, isn't he? So disgusting!"
"Stay away from him, don't get splashed!"
The surrounding whispers pierced Xiao Fan's ears like steel needles.
[Contempt +100!]
[Disgust +200!]
[Mockery +50!]
Countless attribute light orbs carrying negative emotions exploded frantically behind him!
During this period, most of the attributes he had accumulated were these negative ones.
A few more, and perhaps he could activate some negative rewards. If he couldn't be a great hero, being a demon lord wouldn't be bad either.
However, at this moment, Xiao Fan didn't even have the thought of collecting them!
His brain, his body, all his will, were completely dominated by the primordial force that was about to erupt!
"Bang!"
He kicked open the restroom door, stumbled and crawled into a cubicle, and in the very last second, liberated himself!
Boom—!!!
The sound and momentum of that instant were like a mountain flood bursting, the earth collapsing!
The entire restroom trembled!
And at this very moment, in his mind, the cold system prompt, filled with strong mockery, sounded at an inopportune time.
[Ding! Detected that the host has triggered a "biochemical crisis" in a public place, causing severe pollution to the surrounding environment!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a new title: "Walking Biochemical Weapon"!]
[Title effect: When you have an upset stomach, the deterrent power of your excrement increases by 200%!]
[Punishment sequelae activated: Intermittent spray, will be triggered 1-3 times randomly every day. Please be prepared to rush to the battlefield at any time!]
"Pfft—!"
Seeing this prompt, Xiao Fan was so angry that he almost spat out a mouthful of old blood along with... that!
Intermittent spray?!
One to three times a day?!
Is this even letting people live?!
Even a demon lord wouldn't have something like this, would he?
There's a Pooperman in 4399; is he going to become a Poop Demon King now?
Meanwhile, in the tea house, a completely different and wonderful melody echoed in Mr. Lu's mind.
[Ding! Detected that the sub-system host triggered the intermittent spray punishment and obtained a mockery-type title, triggering a hundredfold return!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a special skill: "Words Become Law" (Curse Edition)!]
[Skill effect: You can apply a weak negative curse to a designated target, such as: choking on water, tripping on flat ground, acute gastroenteritis at a critical moment, etc...]
Although this skill was not powerful, it was extremely insulting.
It was practically... a tailor-made toy for Xiao Fan.
He looked at Miss Jiang, whose expression was constantly changing, and spoke again, his voice calm but carrying an undeniable resolve.
"Miss Jiang, what have you decided?"
"Or, do you not represent the Jiang Family?"
"If that's the case, then go back and discuss it."
"The ticket has been given to you. I await your reply."
With that, he stood up, no longer sparing Miss Jiang a glance, turned, and leisurely departed.
Leaving Miss Jiang alone, sitting in her original spot, holding that cup of tea, her expression extremely complex.
She knew that from today onwards, her and the Jiang Family's destiny seemed to be slipping out of control.
On the other side, Xiao Fan stayed in the restroom for a full half an hour before emerging with wobbly legs.
After the pain and shame subsided, a twisted sense of pleasure once again surged from the depths of his soul.
He opened the system panel, looking at the title [Walking Biochemical Weapon] and the attribute points of contempt and mockery he had desperately collected at the last moment.
A sinister yet satisfied smile slowly spread across his face.
Better to have something than nothing. Pain! Humiliation! All will become nourishment for my strength!
Laugh at me all you want!
One day, I will make all of you know what a true "biochemical crisis" is!