Don’t Pick Up Boyfriends From the Trash Bin Chapter Ch153.1 - System vs. System (3.1): Mermaid, black snake, son of luck

Chapter Ch153.1 - System vs. System (3.1): Mermaid, black snake, son of luck

Translator: kiribold
editors: sarah, yoantlers
Before Chi Xiaochi could open his eyes, he was knocked senseless by the ice water suddenly pouring over his head.
…His shoulders shook, but he forced himself to be steady and didn’t move.
He narrowed his eyes to observe his surroundings quietly.
The host in this world was dressed in a plain white tunic, and around his neck was a snake-tooth necklace strung with a black string. He was holding the lotus mudra pose, sitting and meditating under a waterfall, his white shirt drenched by the water, sticking to his skin.
The surrounding vegetation was still covered with unmelted snow and ice, and the new growth was only a tender yellow color.
The waterfall had just thawed, and there were thin pieces of ice falling on his shoulders and black hair.
Chi Xiaochi’s first impression of this new body was: iron head.
Fortunately, the original owner’s body was really strong, probably because he was used to this degree of impact and didn’t suffer. Instead, he distinctly felt his spiritual energy increasing between breathing and exhaling, and there wasn’t the feeling of being out of breath.
A white deer drank at the edge of the stream, momentarily glanced at him, then vigorously leaped into the forest and disappeared without a trace.
Placed beside the small pool was a set of plain, light blue clothes: the complimentary long robe, wide belt, and hair tie were neatly arranged, and a valuable green jade pendant sat on top.
Observing this situation, Chi Xiaochi already had a general picture in his mind. He recalled the literary unit of Chinese class in primary and middle school and recited, “Our late Emperor Liu had ascended to heaven amid his great agenda.” Chi Xiaochi looked at the display screen in front of him.
At first glance, he felt a little strange.
At second glance, he felt that he was hallucinating.
After the third look confirmed it, he thought that the Lord God was determined to screw him over, like he didn’t even want him to maintain a basic level of decency.
The blue bar displaying the regret value was no more and no less than 100% inflation, a total of 200.
Chi Xiaochi said, “Liu-laoshi, look, your boss is shameless.”
Because of the issue with the ring, 061 had waged a cold war with Chi Xiaochi for a few days.
The so-called micro cold war meant he still read books to him, cut fruit for him, and chatted with him, but rarely took the initiative to speak first.
…It could be said that his temper tantrum was also very mild.
He let out an “Mn,” first to calm Chi Xiaochi’s emotions, then took a look at this world’s plotline, and was surprised after reading for a while.
He said, “Xiaochi, look at the world’s plotline.”
No one was around, making it the perfect time to read this world’s plot. Chi Xiaochi felt self-satisfied after scolding the Lord God. Not moving too slowly, after clicking on the world’s plotline, a large amount of information instantly flooded his mind.
In ancient times, there were mermaids inhabiting the East China Sea. They wept tears of pearls, weaved yarn into silk, and had gentle temperaments. Living in the deep sea far away from the world, only crews who crossed the ocean at night would occasionally hear a line or two of ethereal mermaid songs.
The host wasn’t a human being, but a merman from the East China Sea.
When he was young, a group of depraved people greedy for precious mermaid pearls somehow discovered the habitat of this merman. The little merman witnessed his parents’ tragic death to protect their son. He followed his parent’s deathbed instructions to hide temporarily in their other residence, an island reef. But he unexpectedly crashed into a fishing net halfway and his tail was caught in barbs, tearing deeply into his flesh. He suffered severe injuries and fainted from the pain.
When he woke up again, he was held in someone’s arms.
The little merman was in so much pain that he couldn’t open his eyes. He could only smell the faint cool scent of pine needles on that person’s body, as well as the bloody and medicinal smell on himself.
He could only judge that the one hugging him wasn’t from the group of monsters who were hunting him and that the embrace was very warm.
It seemed that he noticed the little thing bundled in his arms was awake. The man lowered his head and said in a pure and lively youthful voice, “Awake?”
…The voice also sounded nice.
“Shh.” Without waiting for the little merman to speak, the young man lowered his voice and said, “When entering the mountain gate later, don’t act rashly. I secretly fished you out. If Shifu knows about it, I’ll have to eat bamboo whips.”
The little merman didn’t know why he brought him back, thinking he would skin him and eat his flesh. The little merman was so frightened that he trembled, and the tip of his tail weakly slapped the boy’s arm twice. But it was so painful to move that he lost his strength. He buried his face in the boy’s shoulder, shivering.
The young man hugged him closer and touched his dark cloud-like hair. “Don’t be a crybaby, or I’ll laugh at you.”
The young man’s surname was Yan. His name was Yan Jinhua, and he was the second disciple under the great sword cultivation sect, Jingxu Chiyun Peak. This person was recognized among his fellow disciples as playful and unmotivated to cultivate. His natural physique was a pure water spiritual root, so he was favored by Chi Yunzi and was accepted as a disciple. Who would have thought his development would be entirely ordinary, and the spectators gradually disappeared.
Everyone said that Yan Jinhua was a waste.
But the little mermaid didn’t think so.
In his mind, Yan Jinhua was the best person in the world.
Yan Jinhua raised the homeless little merman in Yuguang Pool, the cultivation ground that belonged to him behind the mountain.
He named it Yuguang Pool as it was located under a spiritual spring waterfall, suitable for his survival.
Yan Jinhua said to the little merman hiding under the reef at the bottom of the pool, who refused to come out, “Hey, let me give you a name.”
…The little merman didn’t speak.
“Or do you already have a name?”
The little merman stuck his head out, two small hands wrapped in gauze supported the edge of a rock, and silently swayed his tail.
Yan Jinhua raised his eyebrows, took off his clothes, and jumped into the water.
The little merman was so frightened that he fell headfirst back into the spring and dove under the waterfall with a whoosh.
Yan Jinhua wiped the water droplets from his face and roared with laughter.
When he was first brought back by Yan Jinhua, he often hid at the bottom of the pool and refused to see anyone like this.
At the start, Yan Jinhua came every day, and the little merman avoided him each time, refusing to let him get too close. As long as he had the slightest intention to get close, the little merman would be the first to slip away without a trace.
His tail was severely wounded.
The fishing net was abnormally dangerous, with so many barbs that it almost pierced through half of his tail. Yan Jinhua had to forcibly catch him ashore every time, uncovering the messily torn scales and smearing him with medicinal powder.
About a month later, the nearly healed little merman suddenly discovered that this person came less often, sometimes every other day, sometimes only coming once every four or five days.
He began to lay on the shore for a long time, stretching his neck out, waiting for the man to come.
Because he had no one else to talk to.
It wasn’t until Yan Jinhua also ignored him that the young merman slowly realized that he didn’t have any friends or family.
Fortunately, Yan Jinhua didn’t completely abandon him and would always bring him some delicious spiritual fruits to eat.
But he didn’t tease the little merman like he used to, as if he had already lost interest in him.
The little merman laid on the reef and thought anguishedly, why doesn’t he come and catch me?
A few days later, Yan Jinhua returned, cradling a small black cat in his arms that looked pampered.
The little merman slowly swam a lap in the water but found that Yan Jinhua didn’t even look at him at all and only hugged the black cat, combing its fur and coaxing it.
He swam another large lap, deliberately using his tail to slap the water and splash droplets.
Yan Jinhua hugged the little black cat and kissed it. The little black cat let out a sharp meow to express its unwillingness and then waved its paws to scratch.
Yan Jinhua easily dodged, not minding it at all. He raised the little black cat high and called its name with a smile, “Silly cat, bite me, come and bite me.”
The little black cat meowed a few times angrily, then refused to pay attention to Yan Jinhua no matter how much he teased.
Yan Jinhua overplayed his hand and painstakingly tried to tease the little black cat into opening its mouth again. The little merman mustered up the courage to swim to the edge of the spiritual spring, opened his mouth, and said in a small voice, “…Meow.”
Yan Jinhua was startled after finding the source of the sound.
He asked, “Are you speaking?”
The little merman wanted to find a home for himself and make Yan Jinhua like him, so he looked up at Yan Jinhua. “Meow meow meow.”
Yan Jinhua put the little black cat aside and came to the edge of the spring. His hands squeezed the little merman’s face and his eyes curved into crescents. “You can talk. I thought you were mute.”
Yan Jinhua’s grip wasn’t light, and the little merman’s face was pinched red. But he obediently kept still, only his slightly pointed ears twitching gently like a small animal.
Since then, the little merman who wasn’t mute at all called Yan Jinhua “Yan-da ge.”
He was reserved by nature and rarely spoke, but his mermaid blood made his voice very pleasant to the ear, and every “da ge” was clear and tranquil, moving people’s hearts.
He knew that Yan Jinhua had his own affairs and knew that he liked to travel and play around. Hence, he obediently waited in Yuguang Pool, practicing according to the secret manual Yan Jinhua gave him, waiting for him to return.
He wasn’t really a monster; his spiritual root was pure, and his talent was extraordinary. In addition, he was nourished every day by the spiritual energy in Yuguang Pool. He grew up day by day and diligently worked to transform his legs.
He didn’t want just to be a pet. He wanted to grow up quickly, enough to protect his Yan-da ge.
Kindness must be reciprocated, and revenge must be repaid. This was the ancestral proverb of the mermaid clan.
But while he was working hard to cultivate, an uninvited guest appeared near Yuguang Pool.
A little black snake about the same age as him.
Like the little merman, he was also picked up by his Yan-da ge while seriously injured.
When the little merman first saw him, the little merman was amazed by his beauty.
He was about half a foot long with a slender body densely stacked with black scales that refracted the sunlight iridescently.
The little merman had seen sea snakes before, and they were naturally quite beautiful, but not a single one was this beautiful.
…it’s just that he was somewhat detestable.
Since discovering the little merman, the little black snake came here to play with him every day.
The little black snake climbed to the edge of the shore. “Hey, little fish.”
The little merman opened his eyes. “What’s the matter?”
Yan Jinhua was afraid that the little merman would be bored, so he brought many books for him to read, increasing the little merman’s cold and clear scholarly air.
All in all, this was a well-mannered fish.
The little black snake said, “Come out and play with me.”
The little merman said, “I’m sorry, but I need to cultivate.”
The little black snake replied, “Cultivating is boring. Come out and follow me, I’ll steal the old mountain master’s wine. I heard it’s the best wine, reputed for being as intoxicating as gold. I didn’t forget about you, aren’t I generous?”
The little merman ignored him, closed his eyes, and concentrated on chanting.
The little black snake snorted and swam along the water, wrapping around the little merman’s arm softly to gently press his forehead against the little merman’s chin, forcing him to raise his chin slightly.
This was the charm technique he learned from his seniors before. It was uneventful around here, so he used it on the little merman. “Accompany me.”
The little merman closed his eyes and made a sword formation with one hand, his expression cold. “Troublesome.”
The little black snake, “…”
The little black snake was a thick-skinned person. He was deflated after his first time using a charm technique, but he preferred running to the little merman even more.
After the little merman adapted to the environment, he stopped acting like a spoiled child and always composed himself as an adult.
At the age of 17, he learned to suppress the merman aura on his body and transformed his legs to walk ashore.
The little black snake relied on his natural aptitude. Although not very hardworking, he also successfully took a human form early.
The little black snake appeared like a 17-year-old boy, holding a pipe that he stole from who knows where and stuffing it with nixia grass that could be found everywhere in the valley. He ignited the pipe with fire, took a deep breath, and bonelessly leaned against the budding willow tree. “Little fish, you can walk on land. Come with me.”
The little merman asked, “To where?”
The little black snake said, “Don’t you think it’s boring to stay here?”
The little merman frowned. “It was Yan-da ge who rescued us. We should know how to be grateful and repay his kindness.”
The little black snake laughed. “Why? He rescued you once, so you sold yourself to him?”
The little merman knew that he and the little black snake were not on the same page and gently explained, “This is kindness, and it should be rewarded. Why talk about transactions?”
The little black snake snorted. “Pedantic.”
He took something out from his chest and threw it into the arms of the little merman.
It was a small, snow-white snake tooth decorated on a black rope, which looked refined.
“I prepared a gift to celebrate you finally learning how to walk after being out of the womb for so long.” The little black snake crossed his arms and said, “It hurt to pull it out, so cherish it for me.”
The little merman smiled and handed him a bracelet made out of the scales on his tail. “Thank you.”
He already knew that the little black snake was wild and untamed, and sooner or later, there would be such a day.
Sure enough, the little black snake disappeared in the mountains not long after.
When Yan Jinhua returned, he searched all over Yuguang Pool but couldn’t find the little black snake. He asked the little merman about the whereabouts of the black snake, and the little merman answered truthfully that he didn’t know.
Yan Jinhua sighed lamentably and muttered, “Aiya, what a pity, I lost a little brother.”
The loss of the little black snake made him depressed for a while, but after a time, he cheered up and turned to the little merman. “Hey, do you want to be my little disciple?”
The Jingxu Sword Meeting, held once every 30 years, would be in March.
This sword meeting was a ceremony for Jingxu Peak to recruit and select new disciples, and it was also a trial for all the disciples in the mountain.
Jingxu Peak was more than one mountain. The mountains and rivers belonging to it were endless. There was an ancient sword buried in it. It had no name and was called ‘the sword in the stone’, coexisting with an odd thousand-year-old stone, leaving only a section of the hilt outside. According to legend, the first Jingxu Peak Mountain Master’s cultivation partner carried a Daoist companion sword, and there was a spirit in it. The large winged array set by the first Mountain Master also protected it.
The seven layers of the grand formation guarding the mountain were infinitely mysterious, and each layer was full of danger. The deeper the layer, the higher the score. Whoever reached the sword in the stone was the proper winner. If one could pull the sword in the rock out and get the blade to recognize its master, they would be anointed as the next Mountain Master.
But it was just an agreed-upon convention.
After all, for thousands of years, no one could pull out the sword in the stone, not even the current Mountain Master, Chi Yunzi.
Yan Jinhua intended to use the Jingxu Sword Meeting to let the little merman cross the Ming road and officially become his little disciple.
It was precisely what the little merman wanted.
He very much hoped to help Yan Jinhua, so this was also a significant opportunity for him.
On the day of the sword meeting, Yan Jinhua dressed the little merman mundanely, trying not to attract the attention of others. But he was still nervous, raising his hand to grab the sleeve of his Yan-da ge, trembling imperceptibly.
Yan Jinhua laughed frivolously at him. “You’re so scared? Then you have to stay close to me, don’t be kidnapped by any suspicious people.”
The little merman mumbled, “…won’t happen.” His legs trembled as he spoke.
He unconsciously looked up at Yan Jinhua again, trying to get inspiration and strength from his Yan-da ge.
Some disciples noticed the little merman beside Yan Jinhua and teased, “Yan-shixiong, the sword ceremony hasn’t started yet, and you’ve already chosen an apprentice?”
Yan Jinhua smiled and said, “What, I can’t?”
A younger male disciple raised the corner of his lips, his words hostile. “Just don’t pick another perpetually injured one.”
Hearing this, the little merman’s fingers clutching Yan Jinhua’s sleeves tightened slightly.
When the sword ceremony started, the little merman, who had quietly practiced swordsmanship for a long time, knocked down two disciples sent by an immortal cultivator family, inciting everyone’s surprised amazement.
Kiribold: This chapter is a whopping 9.5k 字 and 6.5k words, so I had to split it into two for my sanity.
Sarah: I can already see the abuse coming from a mile away. Be strong little merman ;w;