System, You Didn't Say the Villain Can Read Minds! - Chapter 54

Chapter 54

◎Suppressing Inner Thoughts Isn’t Simple?◎

It was another sunny morning.

The bright but not scorching sunlight penetrated the cave, disturbing Mo Jiu’s dream.

Mo Jiu woke up.

She was surprised that she could fall asleep sitting up, and subconsciously turned her head to look.

Yun Wenzhou’s sleeping posture had changed, but she was still in a deep sleep, not yet awake.

Mo Jiu secretly sighed in relief. Before Yun Wenzhou woke up, she asked the System for a clean set of clothes and changed out of her ragged ones.

She no longer wore the uniform of the Moon Splendor Immortal Sect, but changed into a long robe with a black base and gold patterns.

She simply styled her hair, half fixed with a hairpin, and half naturally flowing.

She took out a bronze mirror and rubbed the lotus mark on her forehead with her fingertip, but it didn’t rub off.

She had thought it was makeup, but it seemed to be a birthmark?

Mo Jiu: What is this?

System: Your forehead mark? The Host once told us to put an otherwise useless mark on your body, and then we could stuff any setting into it. For example—the reason you can control the physical bodies of cultivators at the same realm is because you have the bloodline of the Flower God. The Flower God can control all the plants in the world. His union with a human gave you the power to control all living beings in the world.

Mo Jiu: Spinning stories is truly capricious…

Mo Jiu suspected that the pre-amnesia version of herself was a charlatan who specialized in lies, the kind who would wander the streets wearing sunglasses and tell fortunes for passersby.

Just then, a soft groan came from behind her.

Mo Jiu immediately went to Yun Wenzhou’s side so that she would see her first thing upon waking up.

Yun Wenzhou opened her eyes and saw Mo Jiu first. A look of pleasure flashed across her lips, but she quickly remembered something, pursed her lips, and stifled her smile.

After a moment, she tentatively asked: “Is A-Jiu not angry with Xiao Zhou anymore?”

“When was I ever angry with you?” Mo Jiu reached out and ruffled the hair over Yun Wenzhou’s forehead. “It’s you, are you satisfied now?”

Yun Wenzhou’s face turned red, and she seemed to want to say something but held back.

She had firmly remembered the entire process from yesterday.

She had said she would remember the pleasure and the humiliation Mo Jiu granted her.

She remembered.

Both the excruciating pain that traveled all the way to her toes and the extreme ecstasy that almost devoured her consciousness.

She vaguely remembered being a complete mess before fainting yesterday, but now, as her fingers trailed down her chest, everywhere they touched was clean and refreshed. There was no strange odor in the cave, but a faint, pleasant fragrance.

“Did A-Jiu clean me up?” Yun Wenzhou asked tentatively.

“The trouble I caused must naturally be cleaned up by me,” Mo Jiu chuckled.

Yun Wenzhou’s face became even redder. She wanted to speak twice but couldn’t even manage a single syllable.

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore.” Mo Jiu reached out and pinched Yun Wenzhou’s nose. “I need to return to the Moon Splendor Immortal Sect. Will you accompany me, or wait for me here?”

“Accompany you.” Yun Wenzhou made her choice without hesitation. “Wherever A-Jiu goes, I will go. I must stay by A-Jiu’s side.”

“Just as I expected.” Mo Jiu tossed a clean set of clothes to her. It was the same black-based, gold-patterned style as hers. “Put these on, and then we’ll depart.”

Mo Jiu returned to the Moon Splendor Immortal Sect.

Unlike the script, the Moon Splendor Immortal Sect had not become a ruin. A small group of cultivators remained here, attempting to rebuild.

This suited Mo Jiu’s intentions perfectly.

She ignored those cultivators and proceeded to summon the black Soul Guiding Banner, gathering all the wandering souls on these mountain peaks into the banner.

She deliberately showed her face, allowing nearby cultivators to see her clearly and recognize her.

She deliberately leaked Sha energy to incite their suspicion and terror.

Yun Wenzhou noticed that she was doing it on purpose. Although perplexed, she never spoke up to question her.

After collecting the souls, Mo Jiu returned the way she came: “Alright, let’s go.”

That way, everything is foolproof.

Yun Wenzhou heard her inner voice, hesitated to speak, and finally only said one word: “Okay.”

The cultivation world wasn’t small, but it wasn’t vast either.

There were only a few places with abundant spiritual energy, and only a few famous immortal sects. They interacted closely, and news traveled fast.

Within a few days, the news that “the Grand Elder of the Moon Splendor Immortal Sect, dissatisfied with the Sect Leader, colluded with the True Yang Sect, launched a night attack on the Moon Splendor Immortal Sect, ultimately causing heavy casualties to both sects’ cultivators, and used their souls to create a Soul Guiding Banner” spread everywhere.

Mo Jiu was very satisfied with this result, while Yun Wenzhou was furious upon hearing it.

“That’s not what happened at all!”

“A-Jiu, do you want me to kill all those gossips?” Yun Wenzhou asked Mo Jiu.

“Don’t,” Mo Jiu immediately wrapped her arm around Yun Wenzhou’s waist, holding her captive in her embrace to prevent her from running off.

“I just love seeing them fear us, hate us, yet be unable to defeat us,” Mo Jiu whispered in Yun Wenzhou’s ear. “Darling, since you’ve fallen into the Demonic Path, don’t you want to achieve the prestige of a Demonic Venerable and awe the entire cultivation world?”

“A-Jiu wants that…?” Yun Wenzhou was slightly surprised.

In her eyes, Mo Jiu didn’t seem like the type to pursue such things.

However, as long as it was what A-Jiu wanted, she would do her best to fulfill it.

Besides, it was quite interesting, wasn’t it?

“What does A-Jiu want Xiao Zhou to do?” Yun Wenzhou asked.

“No rush. I’ll tell you once I’ve decided.”

Mo Jiu hadn’t yet received the System’s next guidance, sensing that the protagonist’s side hadn’t been fully established yet.

However, the villain’s ultimate goal was to become the Demonic Venerable, so she could prepare Yun Wenzhou psychologically first.

“By the way, besides this rumor, what other news did you gather?” Mo Jiu asked curiously.

She embraced Yun Wenzhou from behind, resting her head affectionately on her shoulder, her posture and tone both languid.

Her voice vibrated against Yun Wenzhou’s eardrum, causing Yun Wenzhou’s ears to flush slightly, but her voice was steady: “It’s nothing but some sect attacking another to seize limited spiritual energy resources. Whether it’s humans or animals, the reasons for fighting are always the same. Mortals fight for food and land, while cultivators fight for cultivation and opportunities.”

“Aha, you see things quite clearly,” Mo Jiu looked at Yun Wenzhou with renewed appreciation. She had thought her wife was so entirely focused on her that she couldn’t spare a thought for the outside world.

“…That’s just human nature.”

Yun Wenzhou had listened to too many inner thoughts and found the entire world boring. Only the person currently embracing her attracted her from the inside out.

Mo Jiu was certainly not some morally pure saint. She also had emotions and desires.

But she addressed matters objectively, never taking her frustration out on others. She respected her beloved, and even her dirtiest dreams were not without beauty and romance.

She certainly had secrets, but even her secrets were open and honest, not for selfish desire, but only to realize a beautiful vision.

Yun Wenzhou could always see through Mo Jiu’s eyes a world where everyone was as gentle and kind as Mo Jiu.

But such a world…

Could never exist in reality.

Her own existence alone cast a shadow over this beautiful dream.

Yun Wenzhou sighed and closed her eyes: “Also, there’s a ridiculous rumor.”

“What rumor?”

“Both in the mortal world and the cultivation world, there’s a rumor circulating recently—that if you encounter misfortune, praying to the Four Seasons Goddesses is more effective than praying to any other god or Buddha.”

Mo Jiu’s relaxed smile froze when she heard this.

Four Seasons Goddesses… Four Seasons Goddess…

What’s going on? Wasn’t this the setting from the last world? It’s the setting of this world just by changing the word order?

Hey, the script plagiarism rate is way too high!

Although she still remembered the setting, Mo Jiu still feigned ignorance and asked Yun Wenzhou: “Four Seasons Goddesses? Is this one god or four gods? What happens after you pray to them?”

“Four goddesses,” Yun Wenzhou replied. “The four seasons refer to the four periods of the day, and the names of the four goddesses are—Dawn, Midday Sun, Dusk, and Star-Moon.”

Mo Jiu didn’t speak, waiting for Yun Wenzhou to continue.

Yun Wenzhou continued as requested: “The Dawn Goddess is the God of Harvest. Praying to Her increases the yield of crops or vegetables compared to previous years. If one raises chickens, ducks, cattle, or sheep, their survival rate will also greatly increase.”

“The Midday Sun Goddess is the God of Hunting. Praying to Her makes the body light during a hunt, as if possessed by a ferocious beast. If a cultivator prays to Her, they can burst forth with multiplied power in battle, allowing the weak to defeat the strong.”

“The Dusk Goddess is the God of Examinations. Praying to Her makes studying twice as effective, and one’s thinking is more active during exams, making it easier to pass and gain official titles.”

“The Star-Moon Goddess is the God of Healing. Praying to Her speeds up recovery from both illness and injury.”

“Interesting.” Mo Jiu mused over the information Yun Wenzhou had gathered while recalling the setting of the last world.

The names of the four goddesses were the same in both worlds.

But their functions had undergone a subtle change.

She recalled that in the last world, Dawn represented new life, Midday Sun was the God of War, Dusk satisfied desire, and Star-Moon meant recovery.

Star-Moon hadn’t changed much, and Dawn and Midday Sun were justifiable—plant new life is still new life, and fighting beasts is still fighting.

But what was with Dusk?

What did imperial examinations have to do with indulgence?

Is it because passing the exams is also a form of satisfying desire?

It seemed that was the only way to explain it.

Mo Jiu: Little Sun, is there any meaning behind this rumor?

Mo Jiu decided to ask the System.

The System remained silent for a while before replying: I’m not entirely sure either. The script didn’t mention this. Perhaps because the protagonist and antagonist are the same in every world, and there are many similarities in the plot, a strange overlap occurred when generating these non-essential settings.

System: In any case, this doesn’t affect the main plot, so the Host doesn’t need to worry about it!

Mo Jiu: Alright.

Although she replied this way, Mo Jiu was still a little concerned.

Considering the similarity between Star-Moon and Moon Star River, she felt that the setting of the Four Seasons Goddesses hadn’t appeared for no reason.

Was the world she created trying to hint at something?

If the Midday Sun Goddess was truly hinting at Ye Lan, would she and Yun Wenzhou also have a part in it?

She was Dawn, and Yun Wenzhou was Dusk?

Yun Wenzhou passing imperial examinations… She couldn’t imagine that picture at all.

Forget it, I’ll think about it later. Maybe a similar setting will appear in the next world? I wonder what subtle changes will occur then.

Mo Jiu and Yun Wenzhou cultivated in the cave on the mountainside for another half month.

Mo Jiu cultivated Sha and refined souls; Yun Wenzhou cultivated the Demonic Path.

Both of their realms were already very high, so their cultivation progress was slow.

However, there was another reason for Yun Wenzhou’s slow progress: “I should be at the Demonic Nascent Soul stage now? What’s the next realm after Demonic Nascent Soul?”

Yes, as a lone demon who had never encountered any other demons, Yun Wenzhou didn’t know how to cultivate next.

When her partner had a question, she naturally had to resolve it.

Mo Jiu immediately discussed customizing a memory jade slip with the System and presented it to Yun Wenzhou. It recorded all the realms of both immortal and demonic cultivation.

The first five realms of immortal cultivation were: Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation.

The first five realms of demonic cultivation were: Qi Devouring, Vein Shaping, Sha Core, Demonic Nascent Soul, and Blood God.

Starting from the sixth realm, immortal and demonic paths merged, and the realms were the same: Void Refinement, Body Integration, and Grand Ascension.

Finally, immortal cultivators reached the Tribulation Transcending stage and ascended, while demonic cultivators reached the True Demon stage and fell into the Demonic Domain.

According to the description in the jade slip, the only difference between ascending to the Immortal Realm and falling into the Demonic Domain seemed to be whether one passed the selection process of the Heavenly Dao.

In this sense, demons were Immortals who hadn’t been tested by the Heavenly Dao.

The analogy was perhaps the difference between a police officer legally carrying a gun and a private individual illegally carrying a weapon.

“Demonic cultivation doesn’t require being struck by lightning, how nice. Why can’t I fall into the Demonic Path?” Mo Jiu felt a little jealous of Yun Wenzhou after reading it.

[Although bullying the heavenly lightning is interesting, being suppressed by the Heavenly Dao is very frustrating. Why should the Heavenly Dao decide if I can become an Immortal?]

Yun Wenzhou: “…”

I’m also very curious why A-Jiu can’t fall into the Demonic Path. Is the Heavenly Dao a masochist?

This is the first time I’ve seen a cultivator who can still cultivate the Immortal Path despite not caring about the Heavenly Dao at all…

The System coughed in Mo Jiu’s mind: Perhaps Yun Wenzhou’s fall into the Demonic Path is a plot necessity, or perhaps… Host, do you remember the ‘City of Hope’ and the ‘Ability Users Alliance’ from the last world? In your eyes, what was the difference between those two survivor settlements?

Mo Jiu thought for a moment: Order and chaos.

She immediately realized: Immortal and Demonic, do they represent order and chaos, respectively?

System: I don’t know, but if the Host made this setting because of that, then as long as the Host still yearns for a world with order, you will never fall into the Demonic Path.

Mo Jiu: Hmm, then it seems there’s no hope.

Who would yearn for a world without order… besides criminals and gamblers.

Thinking this way, her Xiao Zhou had indeed always been making high-stakes gambles.

This won’t do. Small gambling is fun, but big gambling is harmful.

But Yun Wenzhou’s stake had always been herself, and the prize was Mo Jiu.

Mo Jiu raised her hand and stroked Yun Wenzhou’s hair: “Don’t think too much. Cultivate the Demonic Path the same way you cultivated the Immortal Path, or not cultivating at all is fine too.”

Anyway, I’m here. Next, it’s my turn to protect you.

Yun Wenzhou smiled and gave an “Mm.”

Half a month later, Mo Jiu finally received the long-awaited guidance from the System.

The System’s first sentence was: Ye Lan has been reborn in fire and will return to the Moon Splendor Immortal Sect soon to investigate the truth.

The second sentence: Host, go and slaughter the Eternal Serenity City, and let the entire cultivation world tremble in your shadow!

Mo Jiu: What’s wrong with Eternal Serenity City? Why should I slaughter it?

System: I can’t reveal too much to you. You can go and investigate yourself… Oh, you can use the reason from the script—Eternal Serenity City is a city built at the entrance to the Demonic Domain. Demonic energy permeates the city, making demonic cultivation twice as effective there. As for why you need to slaughter the entire city, you’ll have to investigate that yourself.

Mo Jiu: Why do I have to investigate myself?

Mo Jiu didn’t want to be lazy; it was just… she found it very strange.

Since their goal was for everyone to survive until the end of the script, wouldn’t the more they knew about the script, the greater their chance of winning?

Half a month ago, Mo Jiu tried to get spoilers from the System, but the System refused, saying the time wasn’t right, and knowing it beforehand would be useless.

The time was indeed not right then, so Mo Jiu didn’t think too much about it.

But now, what was the meaning of acting like a riddle even when the time was right?

Mo Jiu: Give me a reason why I must investigate myself. Don’t try to fob me off with ridiculous reasons like to enhance immersion.

System: …

Mo Jiu: If you’re afraid I’ll let something slip, you don’t have to be. What you’ve revealed to me before is already enough for me to slip up.

System: …

Mo Jiu: Unless inner thoughts can also be leaked…

System: …

Mo Jiu: …Wait a minute, didn’t you remind me that someone can read my mind?

Mo Jiu wasn’t entirely sure… but she vaguely remembered the System indeed reminding her that even if she didn’t speak out loud, a certain entity could hear her inner thoughts, but the System would do its best to protect her.

So, was the System not telling her in order to reduce the risk of information leakage and lessen the pressure of protecting her?

Mo Jiu tentatively asked: Have you been protecting my inner thoughts from leaking? And is this power limited? Will it run out?

System: …Yes. Alas, the Host is truly clever. So—please investigate the truth of Eternal Serenity City yourself first. If you truly cannot find a reason to slaughter Eternal Serenity City, I will then appropriately provide you with some information.

System: Also, please try not to chat with me when you don’t need to, because as long as one is human, inner thoughts will continuously be generated. A prolonged cessation of inner thoughts will also arouse suspicion.

Mo Jiu: I see… You could have told me sooner. Suppressing inner thoughts isn’t simple? From now on, whenever I don’t want to expose any information, I’ll just frantically praise Yun Wenzhou in my mind!

System: …

Xiao Zhou’s looks are unrivaled! Xiao Zhou’s figure is peerless! Xiao Zhou’s personality is unmatched! Xiao Zhou is the love of my life! Ahhh, it’s so great to have Xiao Zhou by my side!

Mo Jiu: How’s that? That entity definitely can’t hear a thing now!

System: …Mm.

Mo Jiu felt she was truly ingenious and gloated in her mind, not noticing Yun Wenzhou nearby, who raised a hand to cover her mouth and nose, her entire face flushed.

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