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Speaking of, Bai Lianhua feels that Yang Chongyin was being overly humble when saying he shouldn’t expect much for the environment of the residence.
It’s small, but it’s elegant. Perhaps he’s just not that high maintenance, but he feels that this is quite the amazing place for a temporary stay. The antagonist sure is rich to be able to rent out some place like this at a whim. Compared to him who could only save up his money and live in a tavern, oh, it’s maddening alright.
The system decides to joke, “then why not just ask the antagonist to be your sugar daddy? I’m sure Yang Chongyin would be quite willing.”
Bai Lianhua “…” No no no, I’m actually just some low maintenance nobody that feels better in poverty, really.
It’s getting late, so after settling down briefly, Bai Lianhua takes Yang Chongyin with him to look for some good dinner. If nothing else, at least he’d investigated the eateries around the place. He’s definitely a better foodie than the locals here.
——Alright, he admits it. His purse being so thinned out is the most important reason among the bunch.
Yang Chongyin decides to stop Bai Lianhua who’s excitedly sharpening his appetite while shaking his head. He tells him there’s a tidied up kitchen in the residence with all the equipment one might need. There’s already ingredients there too.
Bai Lianhua feels like asking him, but indirectly, “… what do you plan to do with that?”
So what if there’s a kitchen? Did you think that I could cook? Did you think that you could cook?
We’re just two guys that have never been in the kitchen, you know.
In fact, not just them, but this is mostly the same for all them disciples of the sect, since the sect had servants that handled food, everyone else was only in charge of acting out their role of being fake diviners with an immortal-like aura.
Especially the antagonist. Even if we took a step back and assumed the sect had everyone cooking in turn… Yang Chongyin is the State Oracle to-be. It would take a madman to have him approach an earthen stove. The master and elder would much rather Yang Chongyin spend his time on training, for which he shouldn’t even feel any other emotion. Of course they would forbid him from handling such trivialities.
So, time for two people who doesn’t know the first thing about cooking to cook? Is the result even going to be edible at the very least?
Yang Chongyin smiles though, saying, “do I have the honour of having you sample my cooking?” as he heads towards the kitchen with Bai Lianhua in tow.
Bai Lianhua is slightly surprised to find out that Yang Chongyin seems serious.
The system sounds like it’s bored already, “just wait and see, host. This system believes that if the antagonist dares say so he’d definitely be capable to a certain degree.”
Besides, the antagonist would never allow himself to fail in front of the host, would he?
As if proving its premonitions right, Yang Chongyin’s clearly trained movements make Bai Lianhua widen his eyes.
The system expresses its awe, “look at these smooth, professional moves. Yang Chongyin must have practised in secret for many years.”
Bai Lianhua can’t help but start picturing it hearing the system… So, the antagonist that’s rarely seen outside and so is treated to be high and mysterious is actually bending his knees at the stove learning to cook? Why does it feel inexplicably cute?
He shakes his head to throw all these nonsensical thoughts out. He also steps up as he would feel embarrassed just standing there and looking, as he wants to assist Yang Chongyin in cooking… Though you can imagine that someone who can even fail to use hi-tech cooking machinery properly would have quite the unfruitful time trying to wrestle with an earthen stove from ages past with complex operations.
Bai Lianhua doesn’t want to mess up, so he could only help Yang Chongyin wash vegetables. It has no technical expertise required whatsoever, so it’s doable for him.
Yang Chongyin can’t help but smile on looking at him washing vegetables with clumsy hands, “to be honest, I’ve always wanted to do this; in the sect, we’ve always been restrained and it wasn’t possible.”
It’s quite well known that Bai Lianhua is a glutton… When Bai Lianhua was punished for him, and he saw how his waist shrunk in size when he came out, he couldn’t help but wish that he could make something he love and feed him back to his happy, jolly self.
“Thankfully we can realise that now.”
He can feed Bai Lianhua every day from now on.
It’s really true it’s often quite specially attractive when someone who wouldn’t normally smile smiles. Plus, Yang Chongyin is completely relaxed right now, and his whole appearance just screams gentleness. Even Bai Lianhua who’s developed antibodies against antagonists has to admit that Yang Chongyin looked seriously handsome right now.
The final product he made is also delicious-looking. With an expectant look, Yang Chongyin watched on the side as Bai Lianhua tried every dish and kept nodding to indicate how good he thought Yang Chongyin’s cooking was.
From start to finish, Bai Lianhua felt that this meal of his was quite dreamlike.
Even if he was there to watch the whole process, but thinking back, Yang Chongyin who brings with him a saintly aura really feels out of place being associated with such mundane things as cooking by a stove… This is quite the different feeling from Shi Cangyuan before who also had his cooking skills mastered.
When he thinks about how this is Yang Chongyin’s cooking, he feels a bit complicated. Add to that the soft gaze with which Yang Chongyin kept bathing him in admiring his eating stance, it feels even more complicated.
The system is speechless, “emm… Host, is that all you’re thinking about?”
Has its host again successfully dodged the point of all this?
This is practically the important plot element of the high-born flower willingly lowering itself to walk off its high platform and throw itself into the mundane world for you. Why else would people like to tease these emotionless icebergs if not for the difference in appearance that is produced when they are plucked off their high horses?
It’s true that Yang Chongyin genuinely wanted to feed its host, but it is also undeniable that he must have also wanted this for him to feel the thrill of conquering a difficult target…
If it were any fickle player here instead they’d probably be ecstatically drowning themselves in the feeling of achievement now… It seems the antagonist’s efforts would be going to waste this time.
Its host doesn’t seem to feel pompous or amused at all, or enjoying that sense of manipulating others. Of course, it doesn’t appear scummy at all looking like this, but just feeling surprised at the contrasting sides of the antagonist while not thinking at all about what the implications of this he might have wanted him to feel would be actually goes back to sounding scummy.
But it’s not something he can be scolded for…
Sigh. It’s not the antagonist’s fault. It’s host who is being difficult here.
The system says powerlessly, “host, just wait and see. As long as you like it, no matter how odd it seems, the antagonist would definitely train that skill to absolute mastery.”
“Believe me.”
…
This way of living continues for half a month.
It can be said that since arriving in the hamlet, Yang Chongyin has done nothing but following him about, seemingly prepared to follow him to the ends of the world.
As it turned out, that searching for artefact thing is just an excuse the antagonist used for coming here.
The system counters his point, “not necessarily… Yang Chongyin decided to look for you specifically, so perhaps host you’re the mythical artefact blessed by the Heavens?”
Bai Lianhua “…” Jeez, no thanks.
Though Yang Chongyin just following him around is clearly not a good permanent solution either.
Especially when Yang Chongyin is quite patient and has appeared the same way all throughout this time. He’s not persuasive like the antagonists in previous worlds. It feels like both softball and hardball tactics would fail on him, and Bai Lianhua sadly realises that he seems to be unable to progress at all.
That young man from before was quite the helpful lad. Since he thought he’d been enlightened by Yang Chongyin that one time, he actually dragged his aunties and in-laws here to contribute to Bai Lianhua’s business, of course, by heading directly for Yang Chongyin’s divination.
He doesn’t seem troubled either, and examines them all indifferently. Then he would give all the payment to Bai Lianhua.
The system mocked him saying how the antagonist is earning their keep and they sure have a homely-lovey live together.
But he didn’t return to this world… to spend his time hanging out with the antagonist?
It’s still fine for now, and the dynasty still has enough leeway here. If the situation continues while he continues to delay, Bai Lianhua feels like something might happen to the world. Perhaps it might still fall into chaos and warfare.
It might be better to preemptively put a stop to all that.
When he thinks about his reason for returning, he decides to pose Yang Chongyin with his question for probing him, “shixiong, you feel it right? The heavenly fortune seems to be destabilising.”
Considered in tandem with this world’s antagonist, Yang Chongyin’s identity, and in tandem with the dynasty heading downhill past its peak right now, that the problem lies with the dynasty’s fortune is the most natural guess… Otherwise there’s no point to the system trying to get him to soothe the antagonist in order to save the world.
He doesn’t believe that Yang Chongyin, the State Oracle, would know nothing about it. The only question is to what degree did Yang Chongyin play a role in all this.
Is he perhaps even the one that masterminded all this?
It doesn’t seem like it though, at least, it’s not like how he actively diminished the fortune in the original timeline. Currently, while the situation is bad, it doesn’t seem like it’s actively being hindered.
Yang Chongyin stops what he’s doing and quietly stares at Bai Lianhua for a short while before saying, “yes, I can feel it. So?”
Bai Lianhua is a bit nervous. He lowers his head so that he doesn’t have to look at his expression, “then is… shixiong the one that did this?”
Yang Chongyin’s answer is surprising, “no.”
While Bai Lianhua is surprised, he can’t help but start suspecting if his diligence the first time he transmigrated to this world was all for naught.
Yang Chongyin then continues, “I just did nothing.”
“If it were up to the Heavens, the rightful successor was the fifth prince… Currently, it’s the original nineteenth prince on the throne.”
“I said nothing when the old emperor was choosing his successor on the deathbed.”
——Be just and fair, divining the lines of fate for each imperial prince as an outsider, and choosing a virtuous prince for the new emperor to-be in cooperation with the emperor is one of the most important jobs of the State Oracle.
Yet, while he was the State Oracle, he decided not to advise the old emperor when he asked that the fifth prince is destined to be a sagacious emperor. He just watched coldly as the old emperor chose the kid he most loved.
So Bai Lianhua realises what’s happened… If the emperor’s changed, of course the dynasty’s fate would also change.
Especially since this ex-nineteenth prince turned emperor is weak, ineffectual and easily swayed. The situation is going to worsen, of course.
Bai Lianhua takes a deep breath, “so shixiong, you…”
Yang Chongyin finishes his sentence, “looked on as the national fortune diminished, yes?”
“Yet since they told me I shouldn’t have emotions, then that of course includes loyalty to the dynasty. Why should I care if the dynasty prospers or not?”
Is loyalty not a type of emotion?
“It should be obvious there won’t be such contradicting benefits as both sanding off my emotions with a grinder so that I can be of use to them while expecting me to be endlessly thankful and loyal for that matter.”
“Does Bai shidi think I did wrong?”
TL’s notes: To be honest, I’m with Yang Chongyin here. As far as systems of governance are concerned, democracies mean the good and the bad are averaged out into quite the average, sometimes ineffective government, but at least it’s stable or has a clear trend to read. Absolute governments like these should be allowed to fail precisely because it is highly dependant on the capabilities and the morals of the one in charge. Without checks and balances, or with the check and balance at the whim of a human’s will like the post of State Oracle, sure, it can be amazing when the stars align, but it will also definitely end up much worse than more advanced forms of government eventually. Let the rotten dynasty end.
Oriental Rabbit 
I totally agree with ML. You can’t take off al his emotions and everything that makes him human and expect him to take decisions with humanity’s best interest in mind. It doesn’t work like that.
Also, TL, I personally don’t think democracy is the best type of government either. It only adds up numbers and works for the ‘majority’ of those who did vote, completely ignoring the minority. But the minority does exist. And they’re all humans, just like the majority. Nevermind that are lots of situations where some people are not allowed to vote. Then there’s ‘false advertising’ , where the candidates lie about who they are, what they plan to do and how they’ll listen to the people. Let’s not forget that, in some countries, there are poor places where the candidates use everyday goods to ‘bribe’ their voters. All in all, democracy isn’t the best either since all it does is count who has the most votes.
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Really, Why he should to concern for dynasty future? They forced him be oracle and brake his life. This is too dishonesty. In previous world he, at least, can fulfill his past dream, he liked mecha. But he never wanted to be oracle and stay alone, even lose his family.
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