"Could this be the reason the System sent me to help? Could this protagonist-template Li Fucheng be of use to me in the future?"
Coming to this conclusion, Jiang Beiran suddenly found the man before him much more pleasant to look at. Beside him, Fang Qiuyao's eyes welled up with tears again after hearing Li Fucheng's story. The way he and Tang Tingshuang gazed at each other made Fang Qiuyao feel their love was truly beautiful.
But remembering her senior brother's words—"Only fools and idiots believe such stories"—she forced her tears back. Jiang Beiran naturally noticed Fang Qiuyao's reaction. With an inward chuckle, he turned to Li Fucheng and asked, "So Brother Li came all this way to make a name for yourself in a foreign land and prove your worth?"
Li Fucheng clenched his fist and nodded firmly.
"Exactly! I want everyone who ever looked down on me to see me in a new light!"
"See you in a new light, huh..."
Jiang Beiran mused that this guy was, after all, the son of a Demonic Sect leader. Shouldn't he be talking about making those who scorned him pay rather than sounding like some model student? But no sooner had Li Fucheng spoken than his energy deflated, his expression falling.
"Yet I couldn't even handle those petty thugs just now. How can I talk about achieving great things? Sigh..."
Seeing Li Fucheng bring it up, Jiang Beiran seized the moment to ask, "How did you end up in conflict with those bandits, Brother Li?" Before Li Fucheng could answer, a girl behind him spoke up.
"That was all my fault..."
But Tang Tingshuang immediately shook her head.
"Sister Ni, it wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself."
"So... what exactly happened?"
Jiang Beiran asked curiously. The girl called Sister Ni glanced at Li Fucheng, and after receiving his nod, she explained, "Well, that day I passed by a field and saw some ruffians bullying an old farmer. I couldn't stand it, so I taught them a lesson.
I didn't think much of it afterward, but who knew they'd gather reinforcements to ambush us? If not for Brother Wang and your help, I would have made a terrible mistake."
"Taught them... a lesson!?"
Jiang Beiran was dumbfounded. How could they live up to their titles as Demonic Sect disciples like this? After a mental rant, he suddenly had an epiphany.
"Evil Sect origins, yet righteous deeds, kind and charitable—this is definitely a protagonist template!"
Confirming his thoughts once more, Jiang Beiran stepped forward and said to Li Fucheng, "Perhaps your father isn't as cold as you imagine, Brother Li."
"Huh?"
Li Fucheng looked baffled, unable to fathom why this Brother Wang, who had never met his father, would suddenly say such a thing. Jiang Beiran glanced at Li Fucheng and his five companions before continuing, "If I'm not mistaken, this isn't the first time you've been targeted by bandits after helping someone, is it?"
"This..."
Li Fucheng hesitated but eventually nodded.
"You're right."
"Then answer me this—is this your first time traveling so far from home?"
"Yes. We grew up in the sect on the mountain, training hard every day. We rarely left."
"So do you truly believe that your entire group, all first-time travelers, managed to journey safely from Huainan to the Northern River Region purely by your own abilities?"
The words struck Li Fucheng like lightning, making him recall many strange incidents along the way.
"Third Uncle! It must have been Third Uncle following us!"
"Huh?"
Li Fucheng's answer nearly made Jiang Beiran stumble. He had expected Li Fucheng to first suspect his father's protection, not suddenly mention an uncle.
"Who is this Third Uncle?"
Li Fucheng tilted his head at a forty-five-degree angle, gazing skyward.
"Third Uncle... is the only one in the sect who still treats me well."
After gathering his emotions, he continued, "After learning I was a cultivation failure, Father quickly gave up on me and redistributed all my cultivation resources to my siblings."
"But Third Uncle never stopped encouraging me. Not only did he teach me techniques every night, but he also fed me rare herbs to try and change my constitution. Sadly, I was too hopeless—no matter how much I practiced, I made no progress. Yet Third Uncle never scorned me. Instead, he searched everywhere for new techniques for me to try. Whenever sect members mocked me, he would stand up for me. And also, Third Uncle he..."
The more Li Fucheng spoke, the more impassioned he became, while Jiang Beiran's expression grew increasingly odd. Unable to hold back, he interrupted, "Who exactly is this Third Uncle to you? Why is he so good to you?"
"Ah?"
Caught off guard, Li Fucheng blinked.
"Third Uncle is my father's younger brother. He watched me grow up and always took care of me and my mother. Come to think of it, my mother suffered because of me too. Since I couldn't cultivate, Father grew cold toward her as well. Sigh..."
"Wait, hold on! I don't even know where to begin with this!"
The more Li Fucheng spoke, the greener Jiang Beiran imagined his sect leader father's head must be. In fact, he strongly suspected the sect leader's disdain had little to do with his son's lack of talent...
Just as Li Fucheng was about to reminisce further about how Third Uncle cared for him and his mother, three options suddenly appeared before Jiang Beiran: [Option 1: Advise Li Fucheng to carefully consider why Third Uncle treats him so well. Reward: Maha Finger Technique (Earth Grade, Mid Tier)] [Option 2: Silently continue listening.
Reward: Golden Bell Technique (Mysterious Grade, High Tier)] [Option 3: Join in praising Third Uncle as a good man. Reward: Random Basic Skill Point +1] 'Damn it!' Knowing he couldn't afford to hear more, Jiang Beiran hastily selected Option 3 and cut Li Fucheng off.
"It sounds like your Third Uncle is truly a great man."
He then mirrored Li Fucheng's forty-five-degree skyward gaze.
"Actually, I'm like you—born with a constitution unfit for cultivation. But an uncle of mine always looked after me. Without him, I probably wouldn't be alive today."
He proceeded to weave touching tales about this "uncle," all to convey one core message: uncles everywhere are like this, so don't overthink it. Only when the System notified him [Option mission complete. Reward: Poison Gu +1] did he finally relax.
But before Li Fucheng could react, Jiang Beiran's five junior sisters couldn't hold back anymore. Tears streaming down her face, Fang Qiuyao said hoarsely, "S-Senior Brother... I never knew you've suffered so much all these years."
They now understood why their formidable senior brother remained obscure in the sect—he was born with a useless constitution, incapable of cultivation. Watching Fang Qiuyao's endless tears, Jiang Beiran sighed inwardly. 'Well, all my teachings along the way were wasted.'
PS: There's another chapter tonight.
(This one's not short today!)
(End of Chapter)