Chapter 5: Look but Don't Touch

With the most important person back in her life, Miao Ling's joy was hard to contain. She threw herself into the young man's embrace, her slender shoulders trembling uncontrollably as she choked out, "Young Master, wu wu wu..."

Feeling the warmth of Miao Ling's soft, boneless body pressed against him and the fragrance of her hair in his nose, Chen Shen couldn't help but wrap his arms around her slender waist.

Goodness, it's really as smooth as congealed fat and as soft as silk!

Fortunately, this guy can't do anything now, otherwise... with such a beautiful and charming maid throwing herself at him, he would have a hard time holding back!

"Cough, cough, this isn't a place to linger, Young Master. What do you think we should do with these two?"

Fushun's weathered voice finally dispelled Chen Shen's thoughts of further action.

He chuckled, reluctantly releasing Miao Ling's body, and said seriously, "Let their bodies lie in the wilderness; hungry wild beasts will take care of them. If we bury these two villains, it would only raise suspicion."

"After all, the master behind these lackeys is very troublesome. Before I have enough strength, I need to keep a low profile."

The old steward's eyes sparkled, "Why has Young Master suddenly become so smart and bold?"

Although he didn't know the reason, this change was for the better, so he respectfully bowed, "Young Master is absolutely right!"

Chen Shen smiled but remained silent, secretly vowing, "The deaths of these two villains are just the first step! An eye for an eye! I will make the master behind them pay with blood, sooner or later!"

...

Before leaving, Chen Shen thoroughly searched the sleeves of the two tyrannical villains, but the results were somewhat disappointing: "These two are really poor. All their possessions combined are only seventeen gold coins and a few dozen silver coins."

In the Xuanling Continent, one gold coin equals one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin equals one hundred copper coins.

The seventeen gold coins Chen Shen had obtained could be converted into 170,000 copper coins, a huge sum for ordinary people, enough to support a family for three to five years.

However, for martial artists cultivating Xuan Qi, this amount of money was rather meager, barely enough to buy a few low-grade ordinary pills.

After collecting the spoils, Chen Shen straightened up and clapped his hands, "Done! Let's go home!"

He hadn't forgotten the task assigned by the system spirit.

As long as he left the coffin and returned to his family's residence in Jiulong City, he could open the space bag of the system character.

In the future, any items he obtained could be directly thrown into the space bag—

No fear of theft, no fear of robbery, light to carry, and with ample capacity, what a great thing!

"What? Go, go home?"

Fushun and Miao Ling almost simultaneously questioned.

The young man was startled by their reactions, and his foot, which had already stepped out, hung in mid-air.

He turned his head stiffly, half-laughing and half-crying, "I just said we're going home. Is it really that shocking?"

The old servant Fushun hurriedly bowed and apologized, "Young Master, you were startled! The old servant just wanted to remind you that you have been exiled to Jiulong City by the clan."

"The clan rules clearly state that exiled clan members cannot return to the capital without the approval of the clan leader and a majority of the elders."

"Whoever dares to defy this will be considered an enemy of the entire clan, and could be expelled or even executed on the spot!"

Hearing this, Chen Shen smiled, "You misunderstood. When did I say I was going back to the capital? My home is in Jiulong City."

"My home in Jiulong City has you and Ling'er. All my closest people are there. Why would I go anywhere else?"

The old servant's weathered face lit up with a childlike smile, "The old servant is truly honored! Good, good, good, let's go home."

On the way, Chen Shen was mostly silent, as he was busy studying the semi-transparent game interface visible only to him.

This was the interface of the invincible system, which could be opened, closed, or operated with just a thought, making it very convenient.

"Huh? Found something good, double experience! Ha ha, this is a shortcut to quick leveling up!" Chen Shen was elated.

"Ding! Activating one hour of double experience requires 5,000 gold coins. Insufficient funds, cannot activate."

"Then can I at least use the shop function? In the last life, when I tested this game, I saw many strange and wonderful items in the shop!" The young man was once again excited.

"Ding! Activating the shop function requires 100,000 gold coins. Insufficient funds, activation failed."

"Lottery! Haha, the prizes here are varied, including powerful cultivation techniques, cool skills, and even divine pets and mounts. I must try my luck!"

"Ding! Activating one lottery spin requires 5,000,000 gold coins. Insufficient funds, cannot activate."

...

On the way, Chen Shen encountered many rejections, to the point where he felt uncomfortable every time he heard the word "funds"!

"Damn, is this a game system or a wealthy landlord? All he talks about is money!" The young man cursed inwardly.

So many system functions, but without money, they were just for show, which was really frustrating...

Seeing her young master with a worried look, Miao Ling asked cautiously, "Young Master, is there something troubling you? Can you tell Ling'er?"

The thoughtful concern of the pretty maid warmed Chen Shen's heart.

He laughed heartily and whispered in Miao Ling's ear, "I've been thinking, why was I so foolish before? I have such a beautiful and gentle woman by my side, yet I didn't confess earlier! If I keep hiding my feelings, what if you're taken away by another man one day? I would regret it for the rest of my life."

"Young Master, you... are so bad, I won't talk to you anymore!" Miao Ling blushed and deliberately fell a few steps behind, too embarrassed to walk close to him.

"Ha ha ha."

Chen Shen felt elated: "Not bad at all. Just arriving in the Xuanling Continent, I already have a pure and charming maid who truly cares for me, and a grandfather-like elder who is very concerned. Compared to my last life, perhaps my life in this world is more meaningful?"

"In this world where the strong rule and the weak are like ants, to protect the people around me, I must be strong! The invincible system is my tool to reach the pinnacle of strength. The most urgent task is to find a way to earn money. Without money, all these powerful functions of the invincible system are useless, which is too regrettable."

Thus, he pondered as he walked, racking his brain, but even as he saw the city gates in the distance, he couldn't come up with a brilliant idea.

"Whatever, there's always a way when you reach the mountain. Let's complete the system's task of returning home first!"

The young man made up his mind, gazing into the distance, and saw a stone and earth wall about half a mile away.

As they got closer, they could see the three weathered characters carved on the city gate: Jiulong City.