A Broken Heart Still Beats.

Chapter XXIII

"Holy shit!" Shang Qinghua exclaimed, propping himself up on the blanket Shen Yuan had set out for him while the others manipulated the leaves around him. Circulating the qi within the barrage of hundreds of redwood leaves that spun around him, sharpened into a barrage of knives as each individual followed the gentle and controlled movement of his hand. "I know I didn't write much for the original Shen Shi, but I never imagined the world would take something like that into its own hands!"

"Did you ever even have a plan as to how Shen Shi would have been Shen Jiu's and Yue Qi's younger brother?" Shen Yuan chuckled, no longer surprised by the trainwreck that Proud Immortal Demon Way had been. It honestly should have been something he questioned sooner. Seven and eight years of difference between them, but both of his brothers had grown up together since they were quite young. "Me being a plant baby makes even more sense than a random child just popping into existence as their brother purely for a sad backstory."

"Shen Shi was just meant to be a burner character, someone to hurt purely for the sake of Shen Jiu's blackening. I didn't think that far." Shang Qinghua shrugged, lying on his stomach as he watched Shen Yuan control the leaves, each step he took within the eye of the tornado causing the grass beneath his feet to grow. "Has the system said anything to you lately?"

Shen Yuan groaned at that, striking out with his hand, and sighing when he heard the leaves lodge themselves into the stump of the tree in front of him. He crossed his arms and nodded, thinking about it for a moment, and that annoying blue screen flashed before his face, the only clear thing he could make out in his blurred vision of hazy colors.

[This System welcomes back User after his long break! (^ｖ^)]

Shen Yuan rolled his eyes, scrolling past the welcoming banner as he clicked on the notifications, grumbling at the sight of so many.

[New item unlocked! Hui Qu! Lustrous Song! +50 B-Points!]

[New status unlocked! "Head Disciple, future Ling Shou Peak Lord!" +100 B-Points!]

[Danger! Danger! Warning, unknown subject up ahead!]

[Congratulations on solving a plot hole! +50 B-Points!]

[User is suffering critical damage. Would User like this System's assistance?]

[Congratulations! User has unlocked new plot point! "Frenemies? Do Frenemies Cradle Each Other?" +200 B-Points!]

[New status unlocked! "Son of Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu!" New plot point unlocked! "A Flower Blooms Best Near The Mountain And In The Auttum!" +300 B-Points!]

[Congratulations! New plot point unlocked! "The Love Of Soulmates Will Transcend Lifetimes!" +200 B-Points!]

"Gah!" Shen Yuan groaned, scrolling down until he reached the end of them. "What's with these ridiculous names!? The love of soulmates...a flower blooms...what corny nonsense is this!?"

[This System tries its best to produce cool names! User should be more gracious! (¬､¬)]

"Gracious!?" Shen Yuan screeched, eyebrow twitching from annoyance. "I should just block you out completely forever! Who should be gracious here?"

Shang Qinghua laughed at the exchange, shaking his head as he said. "There is no reasoning with that thing, trust me, I've nearly ripped my hair out trying."

Shen Yuan grumbled further, swatting at the screen before mumbling, "Are there any other assignments we need to be aware of?"

[The only assignments that User has is, "Fallen Emperor? No More!" User must help Tianlang-Jun escape to complete. "From A Disciple To A Lord!" User must ascend to the position of Ling Shou Peak Lord to complete. Total of 300 B-Points when both are completed!]