Chronicles of Heaven's Chosen - Chapter 43

Cui He was dead.

And before his death, his Awakening Value had somehow reached 50.

Yuan Yao’s gaze rested on his body, an indescribable feeling stirring in her heart.

Gongshan Yongyuan and Zhang Zhengchu were both stunned by Cui He’s death.

Before they could recover, Yuan Yao’s voice rang out.

“You’re next.”

Zhang Zhengchu’s heart lurched. He looked up into Yuan Yao’s indifferent eyes and swallowed several times in fear.

He began recounting the wrongs he had committed in the past. Whether from fear or shame, he stammered his way through the entire confession.

None of his misdeeds had been especially heinous.

More precisely, he had never been the mastermind. He had always been an accomplice.

From the outset, Zhang Zhengchu reflected on his actions earnestly. He promised never to do such rotten things again and begged Yuan Yao for a chance to turn over a new leaf.

【Target Zhang Zhengchu’s Awakening Value has reached 35.】

Yuan Yao looked at him. “You haven’t reflected deeply enough. Think harder.”

Discomfort crossed Zhang Zhengchu’s face.

That still wasn’t deep enough?

He dropped to his knees, pressed his forehead to the ground, and forced himself to sob as he repented.

Fifteen minutes later—

“Not enough.”

An hour later—

“Not enough.”

Four hours later, Zhang Zhengchu felt as if he had cried every tear he would ever shed. His voice had gone hoarse.

Then the voice of a demon sounded once more.

“Not enough.”

Zhang Zhengchu nearly broke down. He looked at Yuan Yao as if she were some depraved fiend.

Dawn had already broken.

He lifted his tear-streaked, utterly haggard face. “I’ve reflected on every wrong I’ve ever committed. I’ve even sworn never to do any of them again. What more do you want from me?”

Yuan Yao did not know why his Awakening Value refused to rise to 50. Either he was hiding some wrongdoing, or something else was at work.

She stroked her chin and thought seriously for a moment.

“Reflect.”

At that one word, Zhang Zhengchu almost lost his mind.

Suddenly, something occurred to him. He blurted out, “Last night, we ran into Xiao Lingwei of the Xiaoyao Sect. I… I once wanted to kill her because three years ago, during the Grand Sect Tournament, I confessed my feelings to her, and she rejected me in front of everyone.”

“She made me lose face. After that, my fellow disciples mocked me mercilessly and called me Xiao Lingwei’s lapdog. So… so I wanted to kill her and wipe away the humiliation.”

The moment Yuan Yao heard this, she dropped her solemn act.

“What kind of twisted thinking is that?! You chose to confess in public. Did it never occur to you that she might reject you? You colossal idiot!”

Zhang Zhengchu froze. He had never expected such a strong reaction from her.

He quickly came to his senses and hastened to repent.

“I never should’ve had such a vile thought!” Now that he truly considered it, he realized how stupid he had been. Even if he could kill Xiao Lingwei, there would be only one road left for him—a road to death!

If Immortal Lord Qianshan and the Xiaoyao Sect learned of it, they would never let him go!

The more he thought, the more frightened he became.

Why had he confessed to Xiao Lingwei in public back then?

It was as though his judgment had been clouded by lard, leaving him blind to reality! What kind of person was Xiao Lingwei? And what kind of person was he?

How could she possibly have liked him? How could she ever have accepted his confession? And where had he found the nerve to make a public spectacle of himself?!

As Zhang Zhengchu kept thinking, he clutched his head in both hands.

“How could I have been so stupid?!”

“I was wrong!”

At that moment, System 250’s voice sounded.

【Target Zhang Zhengchu’s Awakening Value has reached 50. Character information unlocked: Devoted Supporting Male Character No. 187, Zhang Zhengchu. After the vicious supporting female character Xiao Lingwei rejected him in public, he came to hate her. In the original plot, he would later fall in love with the female lead, Lu Xiangxiang, at first sight and willingly become her pawn against Xiao Lingwei.】

Character information had been unlocked?!

Yuan Yao’s expression shifted as she listened.

Her gaze fell on Zhang Zhengchu’s charred, tear-streaked face.

He was actually a devoted supporting male character?!

And number 187, at that!

He even ranked higher than her Youngest Senior Brother, Ying Wuji!

Remembering Second Senior Sister’s fate in the original plot, Yuan Yao pursed her lips.

“Do you know who I am?”

Zhang Zhengchu and Gongshan Yongyuan stared blankly.

She suddenly gave a soft laugh. “I am Xiao Lingwei’s junior sister—Yuan Yao!”

Their eyes widened in horror.

“You… you…”

Yuan Yao folded her arms and sneered. “If you want to live, then swear this oath: From this day onward, I, so-and-so, shall remain loyal to Yuan Yao and the Xiaoyao Sect. I will never betray or harm Yuan Yao or the Xiaoyao Sect! Should I break this oath, inner demons shall haunt me, cultivation deviation shall consume me, my cultivation shall crumble, and heavenly lightning shall strike me down!”

Zhang Zhengchu and Gongshan Yongyuan exchanged a glance. Both hesitated.

“What? You don’t want to swear?” Yuan Yao deliberately lowered her voice.

“We’ll swear! We’ll swear!”

They immediately raised their hands and recited the oath together.

Yuan Yao nodded in satisfaction.

“Very good.”

“If you ever dare insult my Second Senior Sister again, I’ll draw my sword and stab, stab, stab you to death!” She unsheathed her sword and made several mock thrusts at their chests.

Both men stopped breathing for a moment.

They begged for mercy at once. “We won’t! We would never dare!”

Yuan Yao dispelled the formations.

She was just about to leave when she noticed the two of them following close behind.

The instant she turned around, they dropped to their knees with two heavy thuds.

The corner of Yuan Yao’s mouth twitched. “…There’s no need for such ceremony.”

After a pause, she added, “You may go.”

Zhang Zhengchu cautiously asked, “Boss Yuan… We’ve already sworn loyalty to you and the Xiaoyao Sect. Shouldn’t we follow you?”

Yuan Yao waved them off. “There’s no need. Go wherever you were going.”

Gongshan Yongyuan suddenly seemed to realize something. He glanced around carefully, then lowered his voice.

“Boss, do you mean… you want us to return to the Chongxu Sect as spies?”

“…” Yuan Yao said, “Don’t overthink it.”

Zhang Zhengchu chimed in, “Boss, we understand completely!”

Before Yuan Yao could say another word, the two ran off, moving with exaggerated furtiveness.

Yuan Yao stared after them. “?”

What exactly had they understood?

Then she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to ask which way Second Senior Sister had gone.

Yuan Yao felt a pang of annoyance.

Now she could only take things one step at a time.

She needed to hurry and win over more targets to extend her life!

Yuan Yao immediately set off. After walking for some time without spotting a single person, she decided she needed to run.

And run she did.

She ran all the way to the mouth of a valley, where she came face-to-face with five vicious-looking itinerant cultivators.

Yuan Yao stopped at once, her eyes lighting up as she looked at them.

The five itinerant cultivators’ eyes lit up when they saw her too.