PWV: Ch8

The Protagonist Is in the Right Position to Get Along With the Villain

Chapter 8

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Hello everyone) I will be picking up the translation of this novel from this point onwards. Please note that I’m just learning Chinese and am not in any way proficient in it. This is something I decided to do to get better at Chinese.
Note: I’m currently editing these older chapters so there might be inconsistencies (terminology etc) with the newer chapters.

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“…” Li Jinzhi looked at Ye Die’er, who unhurriedly came over, and felt his knees^[1] hurt a lot. Who told him that there were nearly a thousand people in the hall? How did the female lead see him at first glance? Could it be that it’s the protagonist’s halo shining?! 

“Hello, can I sit here?” Ye Die’er’s voice was cold as her delicate finger pointed at the praying mat beside Li Jinzhi.

Li Jinzhi glanced at the wide expanse of vacant praying mats around him and nodded, “Naturally, there is no one around.” Because it was too remote and no one wanted to sit here, Li Jinzhi was quite eye-catchingly alone^[2].

Ye Die’er was not pretentious. After she had sat down in a cross-legged position, she turned her head and said to Li Jinzhi, “I have not seen you since we entered the sect.” 

Looking at Qing Mu who was walking towards them, Li Jinzhi replied indifferently, ”Secluded Cultivation.” Staying away from the female lead and being aloof was the strategy Li Jinzhi decided on as soon as he arrived in this world.

When Ye Die’er saw the other’s flat expression, she nodded, and closed her eyes. Instead, Qing Mu walked in front of Li Jinzhi and bowed slightly, “Shidi.” After the greeting, he walked to the praying mat next to Li Jinzhi. He inclined his head and said with regret, “Since the last time we have seen each other, this Shixiong had received a notice from an Ice System Elder to take you along to see him. However, when I tried to find you, you were already in seclusion. I don’t know if the Elder would still be willing to accept a disciple at this time.”

Li Jinzhi glanced at Ye Die’er to his right and Qing Mu to his left. He didn’t understand why he was caught in the middle. Qing Mu Shixiong, your goddess was to the right, thank you.

“No matter. Heavens determine our fate, no need to force it.” Li Jinzhi lowered his eyes and said, “Many thanks, Shixiong.”

 Qing Mu did not anticipate that the other person would be so optimistic. In a daze, he raised his eyebrows and smiled, “Shidi is so open-minded, it makes this Shixiong feel ashamed.^[3]” There was a faint trace of praise in his eyes. He would make friends with this Shidi. After he had guided the other on several cultivation questions, he suddenly recalled something and whispered in his ear, “Shidi, this Shixiong heard some gossip yesterday that has something to do with Shidi’s brother.”

“Is it related to me?” Li Jinzhi couldn’t help but be curious after seeing the other being so mysterious.

“It really has something to do with you. I had heard about this matter, but only remembered it today when I saw you.” Qing Mu nodded. “Yesterday, I heard from my Shidi, who was with me in the Pill room, that The Arctic^[4] city’s shu-son^[5], Li Jinzhi, received a great benefit from the elders of the clan and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.”

“…” Li Jinzhi was a little dumbfounded, and couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “What benefit? Why wasn’t I aware of this matter?”

Qing Mu was speechless, his curious expression froze on his face. “This… did Shidi not obtain any benefits?” Even though he asked, the disbelief was painted all over his face. “The rumors were very realistic. It is said that you have only been cultivating for one month before you entered the sect. And now… ” Sensing the energy around Li Jinzhi, he continued, “Shidi’s in the fourth layer of Qi Refining stage, correct? ” 

“Jinzhi is a shu-son and has never been favored. First, there is the clan Patriarch’s di-son^[6], and secondly, there is my di-elder brother; neither could my spiritual roots be regarded as the best. This benefit, it would never be my turn to gain.” Li Jinzhi forced out a bitter smile. “As for the cultivation base, I can only sense the ice attribute energy. “

“Hss! Don’t tell me you have Heavenly…^[7]” Qing Mu was stunned. Immediately after, his expression became solemn, and he hesitantly said, “If it’s the case, then it is not possible… Then, could it be that you have provoked someone? This rumor spread all over the place just yesterday. It is important to look out for the people who would come to seize this nonexistent treasure.”

“…” Naturally, Li Jinzhi knew who was the most likely to stab him in the back. He hasn’t been here for more than a month, not even setting a foot outside^[8]. Who else could it be apart from his good older brother?!

When he was about to say something, he saw the three brothers of the Li clan’s main family walking towards him—

“Oh, isn’t this our Shushu’s^[9] son?” Li Jinqi, the clan Patriarch’s di-son, said condescendingly, “I haven’t seen you in for more than a month, your cultivation base has improved a lot.” He turned to Qing Mu and Ye Die’er, “Qing Mu Shixiong, Die’er Shijie.” Ye Die’er became a Shijie after being accepted as a direct disciple of an Elder.

Qing Mu and Ye Die’er nodded faintly without saying a word.

Li Jinzhi calmly said, “After I had been in seclusion for more than a month, naturally, I have made some breakthroughs.”

Li Jinren, a shu-son, said in a weird manner, “Tut, who knows what the benefit is!”

Li Jinzhi silently looked at the expressions of the three people in front of him and his heart was clear, “If I, Jinzhi, receive any good benefits, naturally I’d give them completely to the older brothers of the main house. Why would I swallow them privately?” His expression became even more indifferent, “Isn’t the purpose of a side branch to help the main family? How dare the guest act as a host?^[10]”

Those three saw Li Jinzhi’s calm expression and couldn’t help but feel a little dazed. When they learned that the other party received a benefit from the elders, they were really jealous.

A clan like theirs paid the most attention to the lineage of direct descendants. The elders themselves were also members of the main family. If one ignored the many direct descendants of the main family, how could they send any treasure to the offspring of the branch family, and to a shu-son at that? Stop joking, okay?

Although the other person’s spiritual roots were good, the Patriarch’s di-son was also a dual spiritual root. This reason was simply groundless.

But the other party’s cultivation has advanced this rapidly…

Li Jinzhi saw the others’ hesitant expressions and his smile deepened. He patiently guided^[11], “Jinzhi knows that the three cousins’ purpose in coming is that rumor, but Jinzhi has been in seclusion since arriving to the sect. Is there a way for the venerable clan Patriarch to have given Jinzhi a treasure right then? Whether the clan Patriarch or the Elders have given Jinzhi a treasure is another matter. However, if there was such a thing, how could the family’s secret leak out? Apart from the three cousins ​​who arrived, there is only my older brother who is in the Outer Sect. If the scandal was not spread by the three cousins, only he had the opportunity to do so. But he is merely a di-son of a side branch—” he left it at that so as not to overdo it^[12].

As expected, after listening to Li Jinzhi’s words, the three brothers of the main family showed a dazed expression. Li Jinqi muttered to himself, frowned and looked up, “We will ask our father about this matter. But, what is going on with your cultivation? Last time I saw you, you were Qi Refining second layer, right?”

“Cousin has also seen Jinzhi’s spiritual roots during the testing. The Wood Spiritual Root gave off a messy and scattered light; the Wood spiritual energy could hardly be sensed.” Li Jinzhi’s expression was very respectful, meeting the standard of a shu-son of a secondary branch, not showing even a hint of jealousy, “Jinzhi would keep in mind his own identity and, in the future, with these accomplishments in cultivation, would naturally concentrate on assisting the main family’s di-elder brother, so that our clan would be prosperous for generations.” It would be a wonder if that happens.

Li Jinqi’s jealousy over the first part of the sentence was not yet fully formed when he was moved by the second part. In particular, the other party specifically referred to himself as a shu-son, which made his thoughts very pliable.

In the clan Patriarch’s family, the relationship between the di- and shu-sons was not harmonious. In recent years, the father has preferred concubines. If the party received the support of this branch family’s pseudo Heavenly Spiritual Root, he would be a bit more confident at the least—

“Remember what you said today.” Li Jinqi’s complexion was now a lot better. Soon afterwards, he snorted and left. On the contrary, the expression of the master’s shu-son, Li Jinren, was extremely dark. When he looked back at Li Jinzhi, his eyes were a little gloomy.

Li Jinzhi stared at the backs of the three people, and the deferential look on his face slowly faded.

“Tsk, Shidi was actually not confused when facing death.” The expression in Qing Mu’s eyes was complicated. “In addition to protecting yourself, you still had the energy to target the other party.”

Ye Die’er said faintly, “If you have any difficulties, come find me.”

Li Jinzhi nodded with an indifferent expression towards those two and offered his thanks, but the fingers hidden inside the sleeves of his robe were clenched into fists till the jonts turned white. Withe enough strength, one would not have to worry about being stabbed in the back by such people!

As long as the stregth was enough!

At this time, Elder Li stepped onto the empty platform. The main hall became silent in an instant. All that was left was the sound of the old man’s murmuring sermon.

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On the praying mat at the edge of the hall, a feminine-looking man wearing an Inner Sect disciple’s robe was looking sideways. In his eyes, there were only three people. The young man in the middle had a solemn expression, black hair bound with a red ribbon and jade-white skin, with a drop of color in his vermillion lips. His eyes were closed, he sat upright and listened attentively to the lecture.

“Is it him?” The man silently transmitted.

Another person’s voice rang out in his head. “It is him. Several of the Li clan members had passed by just now. Presumably, the rumors are mostly true.” After a pause, the voice once again took on a more eager tone. “In one month advancing two layers in a row, moreover this child’s realm is stable. If I can get this thing, this bottleneck at the tenth layer, perhaps I would not have to be worried anymore.”

“Whether the rumor is true or not, I will get it for you if you want it.” The tone of the sound transmission was gentle. “It’s just a disciple with no combat experience, but we need to find an opportunity…”

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Abruptly, Li Jinzhi opened his eyes and vigilantly glanced around. All the disciples had their eyes closed and were comprehending the lecture. Only a feminine-looking man turned his head away.

The gaze cast on him just a moment ago was a little scary; as if a cold, poisonous snake was coveting something.

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A cultivator’s life was very monotonous. Day after day, like a loop, Li Jinzhi comprehended the Great Dao in the morning, then meditated in the evening. Later, he found that almost an entire year has passed since he entered the Ice Faith sect, and his cultivation has also progressed to the eighth layer of Qi Refining.

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Edited by: FireAries

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• [1] 膝盖 – (Internet slang) to kneel down (in admiration);
• [2] 一枝独秀 – lit. only one branch of the tree is thriving (idiom); fig. to be in a league of one’s own; outstanding;
• [3] 自愧不如 – ashamed of being inferior (idiom); to feel inferior to others;
• [4] 极域城 – before: Polar city;
• [5] 庶子 – Shu-son,  son of a concubine;
• [6] 嫡子 – Di-son, son of first wife;
• [7] “难道你是天……” – this is an unfinished sentence, so from my limited understanding of Chinese and the context I think this means ”heavenly spiritual root”;
• [8] 足不出户 – lit. not putting a foot outside; to stay at home;
• [9] 叔叔 – Dad’s younger brother;
• [10] 反客为主 – lit. the guest acts as host (idiom); fig. to turn from passive to active behavior;
• [11] 循循善诱 – to guide patiently and systematically (idiom);
• [12] 点到为止 – to touch on sth and leave it there / to take care not to overdo sth.

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