Transmigrated as the Cultivation World's Heartthrob - Senior Brother Just Wants to Slack Off - Chapter 4

Tang Yu coughed violently, dry-heaving as he tried to spit out the pill, but it was useless.

What the hell did this psycho just make me swallow? Could it be poison?

As if reading his mind, Sang Jingli said, “Relax. It’s just a pill that might keep you from dying. In a little while, Fu Qingyin will come with reinforcements to save you.”

Sang Jingli lifted his hand slightly, forcing Tang Yu to tilt his face up as well. “By then, you know what to do, right?”

“Y-Yeah… I know…” Tang Yu could feel the pill spreading warmth inside him. The pain from his wounds and fractured arm did ease up a bit, so it really was a painkiller.

Hah… So, you beat me half to death and then throw me a bone? You think giving me a painkiller is enough to make me work for you?

Pfft~ Bastard! Keep dreaming! Once I get rescued, there’s no way in hell I’m going to be your inside man!

Before, I just wanted to escape the plot. But now? Now, I just want to get back and help my little junior brother, the real protagonist, end this sadistic bastard as soon as possible!

Satisfied with Tang Yu’s response, Sang Jingli flicked his fingers, and Tang Yu slipped off. He felt a sudden lightness as a surge of spiritual power supported him, lowering him to the ground.

“Stay here and wait for Fu Qingyin to save you. Don’t try anything stupid.”

With that, Tang Yu heard the iron cage closing behind him. Then, silence.

“…Venerable Lord? Are you still there?” Tang Yu cautiously called out, but there was no response. Only then did he reach up and yank off the blindfold wrapped around his eyes. Looking down at himself, he found that while the pain had lessened, his body was a complete mess.

Scars and welts criss crossed his skin, his wrists and neck bore deep marks from the chains, and his left arm, still broken, just dangled limply.

Tang Yu let out a bitter laugh and slumped onto the ground. “This is so f*cking ridiculous!”

[System: Endure, and the storm will pass. Take a step back, and the seas will calm.]

??? Wait… did I just hear that? “Who? Who just spoke?!”

[System: Host, I am your cute and charming system. You can call me Pao Xiaohui.]

Tang Yu: …

After a few seconds of silence, he exploded in his head.

“So I’m cannon fodder, huh?! I have a system, huh?! Where the hell were you when I was getting my ass kicked?! Just watching for fun?! That wasn’t me hallucinating earlier, was it?! You were already here when Shi Yunyi showed up, weren’t you?! If I hadn’t dragged myself out of that mess, I’d already be dead, wouldn’t I?! I’ve been on the verge of getting offed TWICE and you’re telling me to ‘endure?!’ Take a step back, my ass! The only thing that happens when you take a step back is getting screwed even harder! If I have a system, why did I have to suffer through all of that?! And why the hell aren’t you helping me?!”

[System: …]

[System: It’s Pao Xiaohui, not cannon fodder…]

“I don’t care if you’re Pao Xiaohui or Pao Dahuai, you better start explaining yourself RIGHT NOW!” Tang Yu was fuming.

[System: Apologies, Host. Pao Xiaohui is still just a baby. I have social anxiety, so I couldn’t talk to you while others were around.]

Tang Yu: “Wait… they can hear you?”

[System: Nope! Pao Xiaohui is inside your head. Only you can hear me.]

Tang Yu, …”THEN WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU SO SHY FOR?!” He was about to lose it. “I was just heading home from work, and somehow I got sucked into this stupid novel?! Who do I even complain to about this?! And what kind of crap plot is this?! That damned Demon Lord?! What the hell is going on?! I want to go home! I WANT TO GO HOME!”

[System: That’s not possible right now. Your real body is still in the ICU. You can only return after completing your mission.]

Tang Yu finally calmed down. “…I can actually go back?”

[System: Of course! Our novel-traveling agency is 100% fair and honest!]

Tang Yu wasn’t convinced. They threw him into a book without consent, what kind of “honesty” was that? This had “scam” written all over it.

“What’s the mission? And what happens if I fail?” he asked directly.

[System: The mission is for you to figure out. If you fail, your memory will be erased, and you’ll become a permanent NPC in this novel. You’ll never be able to go back.]

Tang Yu, …USELESS. RAGE. ACTIVATED.

“What do you mean I have to figure it out myself?! How the hell am I supposed to do a mission I don’t even know about?! This is human trafficking! A scam! A full-blown kidnapping!”

Tang Yu was shaking with fury. He barely moved, but the pain in his broken arm still made him grit his teeth.

[System: Host, you’re too aggressive. Please calm down.]

Tang Yu took a deep breath, trying to convince himself. Don’t get mad. Don’t get mad. Anger only feeds the devil… But the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. His arm hurt like hell, too.

“Hey, Pao Xiaohui! Do you have any healing items? Something that can instantly fix me up?”

[System: That service is not available.]

“Then, can I ask, what’s the point of having a system like you?”

Tang Yu could feel his rage bar maxing out. Even while covered in injuries, if this system had a physical form, he would have punched it to death by now.

[System: To chat with you! To keep you company! To make sure you’re never lonely!]

“GET LOST!” Tang Yu was trembling with anger. Through gritted teeth, he hissed, “Before I completely lose my temper!”

[System: Ooooh~ And what can you do if you get mad? You can’t hit me anyway~ Nyeh-nyeh-nyeh~]

Tang Yu, …This system is infuriating.

After a bit more nonsense, Pao Xiaohui finally shut up and logged off. Once it was gone, Tang Yu started piecing things together. So far, the mission was unclear, but it was definitely connected to the protagonist of this novel.

The main characters were: the male lead, Shi Yunyi, his master, Fu Qingyin, and that damned villain, Sang Jingli

Not to mention Shi Yunyi’s ridiculous harem. After thinking it through, Tang Yu came to a realization. Since Shi Yunyi was the protagonist, the mission was probably to help or protect him in some way.

His in-story role was a cannon fodder senior brother who died saving Shi Yunyi. Chances were, his mission was to assist, rescue, or support the male lead.

Which meant… he had no choice but to return to Tianqing Sword Sect. If he wanted to go home, he had to play along. The problem was, now that he had saved Shi Yunyi, he was on Sang Jingli’s hit list.

Which meant his only option was to stick to the male lead, and officially become his number one bootlicker. But that also meant becoming a prime target for Shi Yunyi’s obsessive harem.

Tang Yu groaned. He REALLY didn’t want to get caught up in this mess.