Chapter 5: Pitiful Lottery

Zuan: "???" For some reason, he felt the system's voice was a bit gloating.

He suddenly noticed some small print next to the steel wool ball on the screen. He leaned in stubbornly to examine it."Rich Woman's Pleasure Ball - Description: Legend has it that this item can give rich women immense pleasure and satisfaction, but at the cost of unbearable pain for delicate 'ducks' (male escorts). A clever 'duck' then invented this item as a substitute.Effect: When used, any pain caused by a woman wealthier than you will be transformed into pleasure. Note: This does not reduce damage, but it can lock your last drop of blood when a wealthy woman inflicts a fatal wound.Do you wish to store it in your inventory? You can retrieve and use it by pressing Q with your will."

What a rip-off! Looking at the real steel wool ball in his hand, Zuan nearly dropped it. What's the point of this thing? Its effect is so useless and niche, with so many restrictions. I'm not going to be a 'duck'; when would I ever use this?

Zuan, with a dark expression, shoved the steel wool ball back into his inventory. He then went back to change the water and wash his face. Still uneasy, he made sure to return and wash his hands several times. Only then did he press for the third draw.

The cursor continued to spin. Zuan stared intently: "Please don't be Space, please don't be Q..." Finally, the cursor landed on the "B" key. The cold voice echoed in his ears: "Congratulations on drawing 'Dagger with Poison'!"

Zuan: "???" He nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. This keyboard was utterly absurd; what kind of random things was it drawing? Only when he saw the black-hilted dagger on the screen did he realize his misunderstanding."Dagger with Poison - Description: Once, someone, confident of victory, subconsciously licked it and immediately died. Their last words before dying were 'The dagger has poison.' Usage instructions: This is a cursed dagger. As long as it causes a wound, the injured person will die instantly."

Zuan finally felt a little relieved. Although the name was a bit... odd, if used well, it was no less than a divine artifact. The biggest problem, however, was whether he could actually wound his enemies. Having witnessed Xue'er and Chu Chuyan's abilities earlier, he knew that if it came to a real fight, he probably couldn't even get close to them, let alone inflict a wound. Hmm, I need to be low-key. Sneak attacks are key. If Wei Xiaobao could win seven girls with a dagger back then, with this divine artifact, I, Zuan, can easily get seventy. Huh, if I get wounded by this dagger, will I die too? Looking at the gleaming dagger in his hand, Zuan felt an urge to cut his finger and test it. However, he eventually dismissed the idea of trying it out himself; it was too suicidal.

Zuan hurriedly tried to initiate the next draw, but no matter how he pressed, the drawing system didn't respond. Only a message on the screen indicated "Insufficient Rage Value." "Isn't it easy to get Rage Value?" Thinking of that girl, Xue'er, Zuan stroked his chin and chuckled maniacally. Huh, laughing like this makes me sound like a villain. Thinking of Xue'er, he also recalled the embarrassing experience from that night. His face twitched involuntarily, and the joy of winning the lottery instantly dissipated. The immediate priority was how to restore his "little brother." Wait, was that "Phoenix Nirvana Scripture" just swallowed by the keyboard? Zuan's face instantly turned pale. Was he really going to become Sima Qian (a eunuch)?

He hurriedly checked the keyboard and found that only the F2 key was still lit. He pressed it, and the screen displayed: "Do you wish to cultivate the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture'?" Zuan instantly went from worry to joy. Could he achieve max level with a single click using this keyboard? A secret manual from an unknown land—it sounded incredibly powerful. Wouldn't he be able to walk unhindered in this world? He quickly pressed "Yes." Specks of golden light flew out from F2 and spread throughout his body, giving him a warm and extremely comfortable feeling.

"Level 999 in one go! Level 999 in one go!" Zuan silently chanted. A moment later, the golden light faded. He abruptly opened his eyes, feeling the air sweeter and the world around him subtly different. He then channeled his cultivation and punched a nearby rock. "Ow, ow, ow, ow..." Zuan clutched his fist, tears almost streaming down. It was no different from before... No, there was a slight difference: his skin now seemed to have nine incredibly intricate inscribed arrays, each hollow and distributed around his body, connected by lines. Soon, those inscribed arrays receded into his skin and slowly disappeared. Zuan instantly panicked. Then, he saw the inscribed arrays before his eyes again, as if through introspection.

"What exactly are these arrays?" Zuan noticed some golden substance inside the bottommost array. He recalled the mysterious old man's description of this cultivation method's characteristics, then looked at his somewhat bloody fist, and suddenly realized: This wretched cultivation method really does require getting beaten to improve one's cultivation.

With his rich gaming experience from his previous life, he quickly understood that the keyboard had simplified and visualized the cultivation process. As long as he filled the golden substance in these nine arrays, he should be able to level up. And this golden substance, apparently, could only be obtained by getting beaten. For the happiness of his lower body... *cough*, for the happiness of his latter half of life, he had to cultivate this method, no matter how "wretched" it was. Zuan gritted his teeth and punched the wall again. Although it still hurt this time, the golden substance in the array barely increased. Zuan looked at both of his fists and roughly understood what was happening. Unlike the first punch, this one was made with his conscious intent, and his body's subconscious protected itself by retracting some of the force. Naturally, the effect wasn't as good as the first time. Self-abuse won't work. It seems he'll have to find someone else to hit him. But who? Damn it, the more he thought about it, the more wretched he felt.

As he was feeling irritable, he suddenly noticed a mouse scurrying out to forage near his feet. A surge of anger rose within him. Being a son-in-law was truly pathetic; not only was his living space dilapidated, but there were even mice. He instantly kicked the mouse out the window. Just as he was marveling at his footwork, comparable to the national football team, his room door was suddenly kicked open.

"Did you throw this mouse?" A crisp voice rang out as a girl appeared at the doorway. She was slender and petite, with red lips and white teeth, thin pink lips, shoulder-length short hair, and a slanted fringe slightly covering her eyes. If not for the mouse she was still clutching in her hand, Zuan would have exclaimed, "What a cute and beautiful girl!"

Watching the mouse squeal and struggle in her hand, Zuan warned, "Be careful, the mouse might bite you." "I'm not afraid of this thing," the girl said. As soon as she finished speaking, she squeezed. The mouse shrieked once and then went limp. Zuan swallowed. Was this even a woman?

The girl casually tossed the mouse's corpse away, wiped her hands indifferently, and then glared at him with a frosty expression: "I don't know what Big Sister was thinking, bringing you back and not punishing you." Zuan was about to ask about the chewing sounds coming from outside when her words startled him: "Big Sister?" Only then did he notice a slight resemblance between her brows and Chu Chuyan, though she was much younger. It seemed she was Chu Huanzhao, the second young miss of the Chu family. Over time, his memories had slowly merged with those of this body, and many past fragments had come back to him. He just couldn't understand why the second young miss had such an unpleasant name. The girl before him was dressed head-to-toe in tight leather, which accentuated her slender waist and shapely backside. Coupled with the small leather whip hanging at her waist, she looked exactly like a little firecracker, completely different from her sister's ice-cold demeanor. He wondered how two siblings born of the same mother could be so strikingly different.

"Where are your dog eyes looking?" Chu Huanzhao was already very displeased with him, and now seeing his eyes darting around, she found him even more annoying. Rage Value from Chu Huanzhao: 10!

Zuan noticed the Rage Value on the keyboard had become "10" and was overjoyed. This little girl had quite a temper! It would be a disservice to his conscience not to seize this opportunity to earn more Rage Value. His eyes darted around as a plan formed in his mind: "I've always had a question I couldn't figure out. Your elder sister is called Chuyan; what a beautiful name! Why did they give you such an unpleasant name as Huanzhao?" Rage Value from Chu Huanzhao: 666!

Zuan was startled. This Rage Value was simply too exaggerated. Chu Huanzhao's eyes reddened, and her small face flushed crimson. "Pah! Chuyan? That's the name she changed herself! Her original name was Zhaodi!" Zhaodi? Thinking of his cheap wife, with her ethereal, transcendent fairy-like aura in her white robes, having such a rustic name, Zuan's expression became strange. Zhaodi, Huanzhao... Wait, I remember the heir of the mansion was called Youzhao...

"Are you laughing at me?" Chu Huanzhao's words interrupted his thoughts. "No, no," Zuan quickly denied, feeling the flames flickering in her eyes. "By the way, why don't you change your name?" Rage Value from Chu Huanzhao: 199! "I wanted to change it, but Father and Mother wouldn't allow it, and Big Sister forbade it too. Hmph, she changed her own name and then didn't care about anyone else's fate!" The girl recalled the scenes of being mocked by friends and academy classmates since childhood, and a look of indignation filled her face.

"Wait a minute!" Chu Huanzhao suddenly realized. "Don't try to get chummy with me, young master. I came here to settle accounts for last night!" Zuan was happily counting the Rage Value he had obtained. He had already collected 875 points, enough for 8 draws. This time, he absolutely couldn't draw any more of those strange items. Hearing her, he subconsciously replied, "What happened last night must have been a misunderstanding." "You climbed onto my bed; what kind of misunderstanding could there be?" Chu Huanzhao sneered repeatedly. Rage Value from Chu Huanzhao: 10!

Huh, why is the Rage Value so low? It just shows how deep her resentment for her name is. Zuan spread his hands: "Then why didn't you stop me at the time? Or call for help?" "I..." A faint blush instantly flashed across Chu Huanzhao's fair cheeks. "I don't know what happened. I think I fell asleep." "I was also drunk at the time, and I don't know why I ended up in your room. There must be something fishy going on," Zuan said, no longer caring about Rage Value. The immediate priority was to appease this young miss. He didn't know if she had martial arts skills, and people her age often acted without discretion. What if she accidentally killed him? Where would he go to seek justice? "Are you implying that *I* brought you into my room?" Chu Huanzhao sneered. "As they say, wine is the matchmaker of lust. You, being drunk, went nowhere else but to my room. This proves you've harbored ill intentions towards this young miss all along."

Zuan gazed at her flat chest and sighed deeply: "You're still a child. How could I have any thoughts about you? If I had any intentions, I'd be running to your sister's room instead." Chu Huanzhao instantly bristled. "I've clearly grown up! I can even occasionally help the family manage its properties! You, on the other hand, are a good-for-nothing who just freeloads at home! How dare you lecture me?" Rage Value from Chu Huanzhao: 99!

Zuan secretly chuckled. Indeed, no matter the world, newly grown adolescents hate nothing more than being treated like children. "Look at your fierce, intimidating appearance. What man would dare marry you in the future? Women should act like women: do needlework, learn to be virtuous and gentle," Zuan said earnestly, his eyes full of 'affection.' "Be good. Your brother-in-law is doing this for your own good." Although he was somewhat worried about being beaten to death, seeing the rage value skyrocketing, he found it difficult to stop. "Argh!" Chu Huanzhao felt like she was going crazy. This scoundrel, who knew what was wrong with him, was actually lecturing her like an elder? Rage Value from Chu Huanzhao: 333333...

Seeing the numbers on the Rage Value panel soaring, Zuan nearly burst out laughing. This little girl was indeed easy to provoke. If it were his ice-cold wife, it probably wouldn't be so easy. "Are you really eager to hit me now? Don't forget, I'm your brother-in-law. Bullying an elder might just bring down divine retribution." It was as if he could see smoke rising from the girl's head. Zuan felt a bit guilty, wondering if he was pushing her too far. But then he thought, it wouldn't be a big deal to let her hit him once. With her small arms and legs, being punched in the chest by such a pretty girl's little fists probably wouldn't be too dangerous. He might even seize the opportunity to break through that cultivation method. Rage Value from Chu Huanzhao: 55!

Before Zuan could even be happy, a powerful force struck his chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the bed. Chu Huanzhao retracted her fist and snorted disdainfully: "I thought you had some skill, provoking me like that. Hmph, what a weakling!"