Chapter 36: Rumors of Misfortune
The corridor gradually returned to silence.
Xie Rong remained standing where he was, his gaze lingering on the direction Shen Taotao had disappeared.
Not long after, footsteps approached from behind.
"Young Master." Mo Yan stopped a few steps away before bowing respectfully.
Xie Rong did not turn around, "Speak."
"Should this subordinate continue following Young Madam?" Mo Yan asked.
There was only a brief pause before Xie Rong answered, "Continue."
Mo Yan nodded, "As before, this subordinate will remain hidden unless Young Madam is in danger."
"Mm.." Xie Rong finally turned around, "Remember... No matter where she goes... Do not let anyone harm her."
Mo Yan immediately lowered his head, "This subordinate understands."
Only after Mo Yan’s figure completely disappeared did the courtyard return to silence.
At that moment, a familiar mechanical voice echoed inside Xie Rong’s mind.
[Host.]
A translucent screen slowly unfolded before him.
[Target Favorability has decreased.]
Current Favorability: 10
Previous Favorability: 25
Change: -15
Xie Rong merely glanced at it, "Do you need to repeat something I already know?"
The system remained silent for a brief moment.
[Host spent considerable effort increasing the target’s favorability.]
[This morning, Target Favorability increased from 10 to 25.]
[Congratulations.]
Xie Rong frowned slightly, "What is there to congratulate?"
The next notification appeared almost immediately.
[Host has successfully returned it to its original value.]
Xie Rong scoffed in disbelief before letting out a quiet breath, "I never knew a system could be so sharp-tongued."
[Negative.]
[This system is merely stating facts.]
[Furthermore, this system does not possess a tongue.]
Xie Rong took a deep and long breath, feeling that continuing the conversation would only lower his intelligence.
After a brief silence, he glanced at the translucent screen once more.
"So..." His voice remained calm, "What exactly can I achieve with ten?"
The system responded without the slightest delay.
[Host.]
[Current Favorability has returned to its original value.]
Xie Rong’s brows twitched ever so slightly as he didn’t quite catch the meaning, "I asked what I can do with ten."
[Answer unchanged.]
[Host currently possesses the same Favorability as before this morning.]
Another silence followed.
For the first time in a year... Xie Rong genuinely wanted to know if it was possible to strangle a system. Unfortunately, it did not possess a neck either.
After a few seconds, he looked at the screen again, "So... Can it still increase?"
The system answered almost instantly.
[Affirmative.]
Xie Rong gave a faint nod. "Good."
Another notification slowly appeared.
[However.]
[Based on Host’s recent performance, this system recommends maintaining the current value first.]
Xie Rong’s brows twitched, "What do you mean?"
[Host successfully decreased the target’s Favorability by fifteen points with a single sentence.]
[This system currently lacks confidence in Host’s communication abilities.]
Xie Rong’s fingers unconsciously tightened behind his back. After a brief silence, he spoke in a low voice, "You should understand why I said those words."
The system responded almost instantly.
[This system does not understand.]
Xie Rong frowned, "You know very well... my eyes..." His gaze instinctively shifted downward.
Beneath the black blindfold, his right eye quietly remained fixed upon the translucent screen. Unlike his left eye, the iris was no longer the deep black he once remembered.
Instead... It had become an unnatural sapphire blue. A color that did not belong to this world.
When Shen Taotao reached for his blindfold earlier, he had remained outwardly composed. Only he knew that, at that very moment, his heart had nearly leaped into his throat.
Had the blindfold slipped a little further...
Had she seen his right eye...
There would have been no explanation. For an entire year, he had carefully concealed that secret and it should remain as a secret.
Then, another notification quietly appeared.
[Host’s explanation accepted.]
[However, hurting the target emotionally was not among the recommended solutions.]
Xie Rong looked at the words for a long while.
Finally, he raised a hand and dismissed the screen, continuing this conversation was clearly a waste of time.
Just as Xie Rong was about to return to his room, a burst of hurried voices echoed from the front courtyard.
"I heard Madam Liu say it herself."
"Lower your voice!"
"But everyone is already talking about it."
Xie Rong’s footsteps gradually came to a halt. Not far away, several servants had gathered together, their voices intentionally lowered.
"Young Master was perfectly fine before the wedding... Yet ever since the Young Madam entered the residence..."
One servant cautiously glanced around before whispering,
"Do you remember, a day before the wedding day? Young Master was nearly assassinated that night... And now, he has been poisoned during the return visit."
Another servant immediately nodded, "I also heard Madam Liu say... perhaps the Young Madam’s fate is simply too inauspicious. Otherwise, why would misfortune continue to befall Young Master one after another?"
The moment those words fell, the servants immediately noticed Xie Rong standing not far away. Their faces instantly turned pale.
"You... Young Master!"
With a thud, every one of them dropped to their knees. The courtyard fell deathly silent.
Not a single servant dared to raise their head. Cold sweat instantly soaked their backs.
They had merely repeated what they had heard, yet being caught by the person involved was enough to make their legs tremble uncontrollably.
Xie Rong’s expression remained unreadable.
His gaze slowly swept across the kneeling servants before he spoke in an indifferent voice.
"Who started the rumor?"
The question was calm. Yet it weighed heavily upon everyone’s hearts and no one dared to answer.
After what felt like an eternity, one servant finally gathered enough courage to speak.
"T-This servant... does not know." He swallowed nervously before continuing, "It was only said that..." His voice grew quieter and quieter, "After the Young Master returned from the Shen Residence, Madam Liu went to see Old Madam."
The servant hesitated before forcing himself to continue, "Madam Liu said... ever since the Young Madam entered the Xie Residence, misfortune has followed one after another."
"She suggested..." The servant’s forehead nearly touched the ground, "That the Young Madam undergo a purification ritual to dispel the ill fortune surrounding the residence."
Xie Rong’s expression remained unchanged. Only the air around him seemed to grow noticeably colder.
The servant swallowed nervously before continuing.
"Old Madam did not agree immediately. But..." She hesitated for a moment. Although she was reluctant to repeat the rumors circulating throughout the residence, she had no choice but to answer truthfully. "This servant heard that Madam Liu has already invited a renowned Taoist priest."
"He is expected to arrive at the Xie Residence tomorrow night."