This resounding slap seemed imbued with the force of a thunderbolt. Not only did it instantly swell Gu Tiantian's delicate face, but the simp standing beside her was also blown backward by the sheer might of the impact.
Gu Tiantian and the simp's bodies traced an arc through the air, looking just like two stones hurled into the distance.
In the end, the two of them crashed heavily onto the ground with a dull thud.
"Junior Sister!"
"Junior Sister!"
The simps let out panicked howls.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
A massive White-Haired Ape with powerful muscles pounded the ground fiercely with its fists.
"Eldest Senior Brother, why is there a monster here?!"
The simps retreated frantically, only then remembering Eldest Senior Brother.
"Eldest Senior Brother, why didn't you warn us?"
"Exactly!"
"I told you just now that there was a monster, but you all just kept crowding around Junior Sister and refused to budge." Fei Qingsu spread his hands.
At the time, all the simps had been swarming around Gu Tiantian, looking as though they would gladly let her whip them with a riding crop. Who among them could possibly have listened to a single word Fei Qingsu said?
A few sensible simps knew they were only reaping what they sowed, so they kept their opinions to themselves.
However, a few brainless simps actually took issue with Fei Qingsu.
"Then Eldest Senior Brother, you should have stood in front of us!"
"You're supposed to protect us!"
Simp Number Three and Simp Number Four glared at Fei Qingsu.
"Junior Brothers, I am the team leader, and my only responsibility is to ensure your safety. It is not my job to solve every single monster we encounter; otherwise, what did you even come to this secret realm for?" As Fei Qingsu spoke, his sleeves fluttered, and his longsword subtly lured the White-Haired Ape toward those two simps.
Fei Qingsu was not a kind and benevolent soul. Before entering the Quick Transmigration Bureau, he had been a thorough and unadulterated villain.
Young people nowadays were far too reckless. Back in the day, Fei Qingsu would have shattered their bones directly.
Having spent so long cultivating his mind and calming his nature, he had almost forgotten that he used to be a villain.
On the other side, Gu Tiantian felt as though her spine was about to break, the pain all over her body stabbing like needles.
"Junior Sister..." The simp who had suffered alongside her hurriedly fed spiritual pills to himself and Gu Tiantian.
Gu Tiantian's hand brushed against the ground, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a golden orb.
What is that?
Go get it!
Go on... it's yours!
These summoning voices echoed in Gu Tiantian's mind, and she immediately placed her hand upon the golden orb.
Suddenly, a brilliant radiance burst forth.
A golden halo rose from Gu Tiantian's body and began to spread outward, rapidly expanding until it reached the White-Haired Ape.
Meanwhile, the fierce punch hurtling toward the faces of Simp Number Three and Simp Number Four suddenly froze in mid-air!
The White-Haired Ape's movements were instantly locked in place!
[At this plot point, Gu Tiantian contracts her first spiritual beast with Jiang Wu's help, and this spiritual beast will become her right-hand man.] The System helpfully explained.
Fei Qingsu laughed inwardly. With him here, how could he possibly let the female protagonist succeed in forming the contract?
Back then, in the original plot, the original host had desperately exerted his magical power to restrict the White-Haired Ape's movements in order to help Gu Tiantian, sustaining internal injuries from overexerting his spiritual energy.
Yet after Gu Tiantian hypocritically offered her thanks and promised to use spiritual herbs to help the original host recover, she ended up hoarding numerous immortal-grade herbs upon leaving the secret realm, refusing to give a single one to him.
She truly was a stingy and miserly female protagonist, all talk and no substance.
"Eldest Senior Brother, help me!" Gu Tiantian cried out.
The White-Haired Ape showed signs of movement.
Fei Qingsu formed a spell with both hands, transforming his magic into chains that bound the White-Haired Ape.
Seeing this, Gu Tiantian sneered inwardly. *Hmph, Eldest Senior Brother still loves me after all; he must have been playing hard to get earlier.*
She calmed her mind and began establishing a contract with the White-Haired Ape.
Fei Qingsu let out a weak voice and looked at the simps: "I can't manage this alone. You need to help too."
The simps rushed to join in, sending multicolored streams of magic connecting to the White-Haired Ape.
An uncontrollable smile crept onto Gu Tiantian's face.
The contract was about to be completed.
She truly was the child of Heaven's Will.
At that moment, Fei Qingsu's expression remained unchanged, but secretly, he instantly reduced the strength of his spell.
Seizing the opportunity, the White-Haired Ape raised its hand, intending to give Fei Qingsu a resounding slap as well. However, bullies always pick on the softest targets.
With a single slap, it sent the other simps flying through the air.
A mouthful of blood spewed from Gu Tiantian's lips.
"The contract..."
Fei Qingsu: The contract backlash has hit.
Gu Tiantian's body began to tremble violently, swaying more and more like a candle flame flickering in the wind. Unable to hold on any longer, she pitched forward and fell flat on the ground, plunging into a deep slumber.
[Plot Deviation Value is at twenty percent.]
[Female protagonist halo effect reduced to sixty-five percent.]
The plot had been altered by Fei Qingsu once again.
Fei Qingsu gazed down at the ground.
Both the female protagonist and the simps had fallen asleep.
"Sigh, I suppose I, the Eldest Senior Brother, have to clean up this mess. I really am far too kind," Fei Qingsu shook his head.
He dragged the figures across the ground as if they were sacks of pork.
Gu Tiantian's head bumped against a small stone, which Fei Qingsu completely ignored.
After dragging them all into a pile, he walked over and delivered a few heavy thumps to each of their heads to ensure they remained in a deep slumber.
Just to be safe, Fei Qingsu even had the System find a sleeping potion for everyone to ingest.
Finally, he set up a defensive array and a concealment array to make sure they wouldn't be discovered by anyone.
With that done, Fei Qingsu waved a hand, feeling full of heroic ambition:
[System, let's go snatch the female protagonist's opportunities!]
In the original plot, this trial greatly enhanced the female protagonist's strength, and she secured a wealth of benefits.
[Antenna Grass, six o'clock direction, two hundred meters away. You need to evade the pursuit of its companion spiritual beast.]
Fei Qingsu listened to the guidance with great satisfaction.
Three minutes later.
Hand that over, Antenna Grass—it's mine!
[Echo Pearl, straight ahead, forty meters down in the pool. You need to use a Sang-yin fruit to summon the pearl...]
The System was remarkably reliable.
The host was exceptionally efficient.
Fei Qingsu placed the Echo Pearl into the deepest compartment of his storage ring and slapped a lock on it for good measure.
[Ice Mountain Snow Lotus...]
Ice Mountain Snow Lotus—mine!
[Yellow Treasure Beast...]
The Yellow Treasure Beast—an exceptional helper for the female protagonist in treasure-hunting, and crucially important.
Fei Qingsu looked at the oddly shaped Yellow Treasure Beast. "Little fellow, come with me and you'll eat well and live in luxury."
It attempted to flee.
Fei Qingsu flicked it on the forehead.
The Yellow Treasure Beast promptly passed out.
"Start the contract."
Suddenly, a rumble of thunder split the sky, and a bolt of lightning came crashing down, its target unmistakable.
[Host, Heavenly Dao wants to stop you.] The System was just about to mobilize its own energy to block Heavenly Dao's attack.
"Hmm."
Fei Qingsu raised his gaze and snapped his fingers.
The menacing bolt of lightning turned tail and vanished as if it had encountered a ferocious tiger.
System: ...
Fei Qingsu looked down. There was a scratch on his fingertip, showing signs of spreading.
The next moment, the scratch vanished.
The Heavenly Dao of this realm wasn't very strong—certainly not as strong as the one in his home realm.
Besides, Fei Qingsu caught a whiff of a scent, and it was a very familiar one.
It was precisely the scent of a declining Heavenly Dao.
A few minutes later.
"Contract established."
Fei Qingsu: Well, well, well—the female protagonist's opportunities, I'm taking all of them!