You Are the Mute [Comprehensive Martial Arts] - Chapter 4

For Qiao Yiying, transmigrating wasn’t all that bad—except for the fact that she couldn’t speak freely. That was a bit frustrating. Sigh. As she mulled it over, her thoughts drifted to her family, and her expression instantly turned desolate.

Truth be told, Qiao Yiying had grown up surrounded by love. Her parents adored her, and her grandparents—both maternal and paternal—doted on her endlessly. Logically, her life should have been one of those seemingly predictable, mundane existences—but happy and peaceful, which was already a rare blessing.

After all, most people’s lives are filled with dissatisfaction. A boring yet foreseeable life is already something to be cherished.

The six elders in her family loved her to the bone. Her maternal grandmother had been keeping a growth journal for her since before she was even born, every entry brimming with affection. Her grandfather, a skilled carpenter, personally crafted toys for her—his little wooden cars were even better than the ones sold in stores.

Her paternal grandmother sewed her all sorts of tiny clothes, carefully selecting fabrics to ensure they wouldn’t irritate her delicate skin. From a young age, she had always been the most dazzling little one in any crowd. Meanwhile, her grandfather served as her private tutor, tailoring lessons to her interests so she’d never grow bored.

Her parents, on the other hand, were a bit unreliable—after all, they too had grown up spoiled by their own parents and were somewhat immature when it came to raising a child. But with both sets of grandparents helping out, the worst that happened was them getting scolded for letting Qiao Yiying eat too much ice cream or forgetting to change her clothes after playing with water guns.

Qiao Yiying didn’t just grow up loved—she was practically drowning in it. Though her family was only moderately well-off, nowhere near the extravagantly wealthy, she was happier and freer than anyone else. The words “sunny” and “cheerful” might as well have been coined just for her.

On top of that, her family loved chatting with her, so she naturally grew into a lively, talkative little chatterbox. Even her more introverted classmates, who had initially been overwhelmed by her chatter, eventually warmed up to her—drawn in by her infectious energy.

Who wouldn’t love a bright, vivacious little sunbeam? Being friends with her meant basking in that warmth—who could resist?

But this peaceful, uneventful life was shattered one day in the most clichéd way possible—a car accident. Nearly two hundred people die in traffic accidents across the country every day, but it’s just a statistic—until it happens to someone you know.

And for Qiao Yiying, that statistic included her family.

It happened during her freshman year of college. Her parents had taken her grandparents—both sets—to a countryside retreat for the weekend. Though they missed her dearly now that she was away at university, they didn’t let their lives revolve entirely around her. They still knew how to enjoy themselves.

The six of them often went out on weekends—sometimes all together, sometimes separately, sometimes just as couples. In short, they lived well.

They’d never had any mishaps before—until this one unlucky trip. On the highway, they encountered a drowsy tanker truck driver. Even though the Qiao family’s six-seater was a sturdy vehicle, it was no match for a tanker truck.

Moreover, the oil tanker had leaked, and in the massive explosion, all six members of the Qiao family were obliterated without a trace—the same went for the driver.

In an instant, Qiao Yiying’s life was turned upside down, and she completely broke down. She once considered following her family in death but remembering their teachings—to cherish herself—and fearing their disapproval, she chose to keep living.

Perhaps, given enough time, Qiao Yiying could have emerged from this grief, gradually rebuilding her life while carrying her family’s love and expectations forward. But while she was still drowning in sorrow, someone decided to take advantage of her.

Qiao Yiying was beautiful—not just ordinarily so. She had inherited all the best features from her parents, and whenever she walked through a crowd, heads would turn. When she was younger, some had even wanted her to become a child star. But she disliked the idea, and the Qiao family never forced her, so she never debuted—as long as she was happy, that was enough.

Now that her entire family was gone, some saw Qiao Yiying’s striking beauty and assumed she was weak-willed, plotting to drag her down. A woman like her—pure background, educated, gentle—once properly “trained,” would be a valuable asset in their hands.

Thus, temptations came one after another.

Qiao Yiying despised these schemes and ignored them entirely. But she wasn’t foolish—she knew people were scheming against her. Before she could figure out how to retaliate, someone pushed her from behind, nearly sending her into the path of a high-speed train.

If not for the system, she would have died for sure. In that moment, she even thought it might be better—she could reunite with her family. But the system whisked her away through time, and gradually, she no longer wished for death.

Though Qiao Yiying’s desire to return wasn’t as strong as the system’s, the thought of leaving her revenge unfulfilled gnawed at her. If she ever made it back, she would settle the score! Damn those idiots who thought she was an easy target—once she returned, she’d crush them!

If only she could go back—back to when her parents, grandparents, and even her maternal grandparents were still alive. Tears welled in Qiao Yiying’s eyes.

“Ding!” The system came online.

“Qiaoqiao, you want to return to a specific moment? Of course! As long as we have enough energy, I can take you back.” Though it often went dormant for ages due to energy shortages, the system still cared deeply about its host.

After all, if the host self-destructed, it would be doomed too—of course, it paid attention. Plus, having appeared earlier, it still had a sliver of energy left to sense Qiao Yiying’s intense emotions, which was how it knew. So, it logged back in.

“You’re serious?” Qiao Yiying shot to her feet. “I can go back to a fixed point in time?”

“Of course. The system never lies to its host.”

“I want to return to the day before my family’s accident. Can I?”

“Certainly. But we’ll need enough energy.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take the mission seriously and definitely won’t hold anyone back.” Qiao Yiying had just been caught up in the heat of the moment and hadn’t realized her conversation with the system was happening in her mind. Now that she’d calmed down a bit, she noticed her mouth was only opening and closing without making any sound. What was going on?

“Host, you’ve used up all your chances for today!!!” The system let out a sharp, piercing scream. “Don’t speak in front of people anymore—you only get three chances!”

“Wait, no, I didn’t speak in front of anyone.” Qiao Yiying was completely baffled. “I used one chance to tell Chu Liuxiang’s fortune, and that’s it.”

“You just spoke twice—not fortune-telling, and in front of someone! That’s two chances!” The system felt like its data was about to go haywire. It had finally figured out what the host wanted and managed to motivate her, only for her to be unable to continue the mission today. What system wouldn’t have scrambled data in this situation?

Which system was as unlucky as it was?

Qiao Yiying suddenly turned her gaze toward the back hall—Luyi! She tapped the table with her Jade Flute.

No reaction.

Hah, wasn’t no reaction the biggest reaction of all? Qiao Yiying sneered. Just moments ago, she’d thought hiring Luyi was a good idea, but now that she’d discovered something was off about her, it was downright infuriating.

“System, let’s go.”

“Huh? Go where?”

“To the capital.” Qiao Yiying strode out, Jade Flute in hand. “The capital is where the winds of change gather. There’ll definitely be more people wanting their fortunes told, and more influential figures too. By then, my ‘Fame Across the Land’ progress bar might even get a push forward.”

“Got it.” As long as it benefited the mission, the system wouldn’t refuse. “But are you just leaving like this? Not taking anything with you?”

“What would I take? No need. I don’t want any of that.” Qiao Yiying laughed. “My money and valuables are all stored with you. As for clothes and such—out with the old, in with the new. If they’re gone, they’re gone.”

Rather than getting tangled up with Luyi here, it was better to just leave. Besides, she was only taking the Jade Flute with her—no one would expect her to be leaving Jiangnan for good. After all, who would set out on a journey without even bringing luggage?

But too bad—she was exactly that kind of person. The moment Qiao Yiying stepped outside, she headed straight for the escort agency. The chief escort there had once escaped death thanks to a fortune she’d told—she was his benefactor. As long as she offered to let him repay the favor, he would surely arrange for her safe and discreet passage to the capital.

Of course, Qiao Yiying wasn’t foolish enough to recklessly trust just anyone. She had already divined the chief escort’s character and knew he was a righteous man before daring to approach him. But most importantly, if anyone tried to mess with her, they’d be in for a world of misfortune thanks to the system’s backlash.

Since she demanded an immediate departure, within a quarter of an hour, Qiao Yiying was seated in a carriage, leaving the city gates behind as the convoy headed for the capital. Sitting in the carriage, she toyed with her Jade Flute, filled with an unprecedented drive.

She would complete this mission and return to that day—no matter what!

Meanwhile, when Luyi realized Qiao Yiying had left and hadn’t returned for a long time, she immediately knew something was wrong—she must have run away. If she lost Miss Qiao, her master would kill her!

Her originally rosy complexion turned pale in an instant. Luyi didn’t dare to resent her master, so she began to hate Qiao Yiying instead. If she hadn’t run away, she wouldn’t have been punished by her master.