Ch 16: Those who wronged me are now begging me for mercy

Don’t Touch Me

System: “What the heck is this weird turtle!”

Rong Ziyin studied the turtle for a moment and added, “It’s not just an ordinary turtle, it’s an old turtle.”

Gossip Golden Turtle’s Resistance +2000

So this turtle can hear Rong Ziyin’s internal conversation with the system!

Rong Ziyin, sensing something, quickly checked the turtle’s attributes.

SR: Gossip Golden Turtle, scientifically known as Cuora trifasciata, a highly valuable and extremely rare species. It is a favorite of the God of Wealth. The golden shell represents wealth, and its long life has made it calm and extremely wise. In this world, there is nothing it doesn’t know, and keeping it around can bring wealth and prosperity.

System: “Whoa, whoa! This turtle is really useful! Ask it something, quickly!”

The system originally meant for Rong Ziyin to ask about ways to make money.

But after staring at the Golden Turtle for a while, Rong Ziyin asked, “When will I become rich?”

Golden Turtle: “…”

So hard to answer?

Rong Ziyin thought for a moment and asked another question, “When will I draw another SSR?”

Golden Turtle: “…”

Still don’t know? Rong Ziyin didn’t want to make things difficult for it, so he asked a less pressing question: “Do you know tomorrow night’s winning lottery numbers?”

“…” The Golden Turtle went completely silent, turning its back to Rong Ziyin and retreating its head and limbs into its shell.

At the same time, Rong Ziyin received a system notification: Golden Turtle’s Despair +1000

Rong Ziyin sighed and patted the turtle’s shell, “If you don’t know, you don’t know. At your age, too much emotional fluctuation isn’t good for your health.”

Golden Turtle’s Despair +1000

System: “Master, please, just say less!”

Rong Ziyin: “Okay.”

He then took out the basket of salted duck eggs and salted fish and began packing them neatly into the basket.

Rong Ziyin is someone who tends to be a bit too serious. In the past, when there were fewer things, the system thought he was one of those rare, clean, and meticulous men who liked everything in order. But now, with 299 salted duck eggs and salted fish, the system was beginning to see his true nature.

The basket of salted duck eggs was fine—there’s only so much you can do with eggs. But those salted fish? It was too much!

Over fifty fish lined up like they were in formation, with over a hundred dead fish eyes staring right at you—it was enough to make anyone uncomfortable.

Seeing the Golden Turtle, which had been emotionally devastated by Rong Ziyin’s barrage of questions, now sulking in its shell, the system cautiously suggested, “Master, shouldn’t you consider the feelings of other living beings in the room?”

Rong Ziyin thought about it, “Well, since I’ve already taken out the eggs and fish, should I just put it back in the system space?”

System: “I think that’s a good idea.” But just before Rong Ziyin was about to store it away, the system suggested, “Maybe you should give it a pat before putting it away? They say it brings wealth.”

Rong Ziyin agreed that it made sense. He crouched down beside the Golden Turtle and asked it politely.

Rong Ziyin: “Can I give you a pat?”

Golden Turtle: “Get lost! Don’t touch me!”

Resistance +2000

System: …

In the end, Rong Ziyin didn’t force the turtle and let it enter the storage space on its own.

Rong Ziyin: “Logically speaking, a golden turtle like this wouldn’t enjoy being kept in a confined space.”

The system thought to itself, please have some self-awareness; don’t you know why it’s upset?

However, Rong Ziyin truly didn’t understand, and not only that, he also didn’t intend to keep the golden turtle.

The system was completely shocked upon realizing Rong Ziyin’s plan!

It couldn’t comprehend what Rong Ziyin was thinking.

After all, in today’s market, golden turtles are among the most valuable pets. Due to their reputation for bringing wealth, many business owners who believe in feng shui are eager to keep one.

Given that this turtle Rong Ziyin had drawn was in excellent condition and quite old, it was virtually priceless—someone might pay tens of thousands for it.

Sure, Rong Ziyin and this turtle didn’t get along, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t just keep it in the system’s storage space.

Rong Ziyin: “No, keeping a turtle like this isn’t good for its health. Without sunlight for long periods, it could become weak and die prematurely. Besides, it seems to dislike me, so it probably wouldn’t bring much wealth anyway.”

System: “How about we sell it?”

Items drawn from the heavenly system can be sold. With Rong Ziyin’s bad luck and the turtle’s avoidance, they clearly weren’t meant to coexist.

It’s well-known in feng shui that creatures like koi and turtles have specific meanings. Forcing them to stay together despite incompatibility can lead to negative consequences.

So the best solution for Rong Ziyin might be to sell the turtle.

Plus, this turtle came from the heavens, so the system would fill in its origins, preventing any suspicion or trouble for Rong Ziyin.

But Rong Ziyin disagreed. First, golden turtles require special care from their owners; they’re not easy to keep. This one is a nationally protected species.

Even if sold to someone with a proper license, it would still be irregular. In some sense, it would still be illegal.

In Rong Ziyin’s view, crossing the legal line, even with the heavenly system’s intervention, is not without flaws. While it might fool those who aren’t paying attention, anyone who scrutinizes the situation could find a loophole.

More importantly, the value of this golden turtle is too high. It’s not like ordinary gold or jewels that can circulate normally; it’s a rare treasure that many would covet. After the initial excitement, trouble would surely follow.

Rong Ziyin understood that, given the mysterious debt he’s dealing with, he absolutely couldn’t afford to invite more problems.

So, if the bowl isn’t big enough, there’s no point in craving more food. Keeping a low profile is much better than drawing attention.

Even though the heavenly system might patch up any issues, Rong Ziyin wanted to be fully prepared—just in case someone noticed something.

Precious possessions bring their own troubles. Rong Ziyin needed to be cautious and act prudently.

System: “So what do we do?”

After hearing Rong Ziyin’s thoughts, the system was also worried. It had been so excited earlier that it forgot about Rong Ziyin’s situation.

Indeed, “precious possessions bring their own troubles”—it sounds cowardly, but it’s the harsh reality for ordinary people.

Life isn’t a dream filled with superheroes who can do anything. If Rong Ziyin stood out too much, the most likely outcome would be him ending up in a research lab.

With another host, the system might not care about these details, but not with Rong Ziyin—he was a realist with terrible luck. Anyone else could gamble on luck, but not Rong Ziyin!

The system’s mood dropped significantly.

Rong Ziyin, however, remained calm: “It’s okay. I’ll look into nearby areas in Yanjing that might be suitable for it. I’ll let it choose whether it wants to go to a zoo or a wildlife reserve.”

System: “A zoo???”

Rong Ziyin: “Yes! When in doubt, isn’t it best to hand it over to the state?”

Even though it was an SR-grade prize after 500 draws, Rong Ziyin figured it should at least be put to good use.

In China, turning in a protected animal typically comes with a reward, probably around ten thousand yuan. If that’s the case, then he’d have most of the money needed to publish his paper. As for the rest, well, there were still salted eggs and salted fish to sell!

Plus, once the system unlocks the exchange feature and all N-grade items can be used freely with coins, Rong Ziyin would have even more options. Building a solid foundation is more important than anything, so Rong Ziyin never rushes.

The system thought he made sense and finally relaxed. But there were still 600,000 more coins to gather!

So it urged Rong Ziyin, “You should go finish that post on Zhihu. That way, you can earn more coins!”

Rong Ziyin was puzzled for a moment, “But I already finished it. What else is there to write?”

System: “???? There’s no ending!”

“What happened to the rich kid?”

“Did the academic ace succeed in turning things around?”

“You didn’t answer any of those!”

“Of course I didn’t write them!” Rong Ziyin replied confidently. “Because those things haven’t happened yet, I don’t know how they’ll turn out!”

“Damn! You’re going to get killed for this!” Thinking of all the resentment points from people waiting for an ending, the system lit a candle for Rong Ziyin.

“Probably not,” Rong Ziyin remained optimistic.

He opened Zhihu and was immediately bombarded by messages urging him to update.

“Please, teacher, update!”

“Woo woo woo, I’ve been refreshing all afternoon! What happened to that academic ace in the end? Did he marry a rich, beautiful woman in the village, become the new wealthy elite, and take down that rich kid?”

“Cliffhangers with no resolution are unforgivable! Whether you want to be a literary eunuch, it’s up to you!”

Along with these threats, the system dutifully reported the increasing resentment points.

So, everyone wanted to know what he did after being sent to the countryside?

Rong Ziyin thought back to his day and earnestly provided an answer to those waiting for a conclusion.

“After returning to the village, I treated ducks and led a team to capture runaway wild boars.”

System: …

The system felt Rong Ziyin was beyond help. But Rong Ziyin believed there was nothing wrong with what he wrote. After all, that’s exactly what he did after returning!

And considering his experience today with capturing wild boars and verifying their behavior, Rong Ziyin even started a new article titled “How to Tame Runaway Wild Boars.”

Satisfied with his work, Rong Ziyin washed up and went to bed.

He had many things to do the next day, and it was already late.

However, what Rong Ziyin didn’t know was that after he fell asleep, those who had been waiting for an update on Zhihu were furious.

What on earth is this!!!

Where’s the promised revenge arc?

When they saw the new article “How to Tame Runaway Wild Boars,” the readers, who had been eagerly waiting for the conclusion, felt like reaching through the internet to strangle Rong Ziyin.

Leaving a story hanging at the climax and then returning with a half-hearted ending?

It’s like meeting a stunningly beautiful lady on the street who subtly hints at a one-night stand. After a romantic dinner, sharing a bottle of wine, and some passionate kissing, you get ready for a steamy shower together, only to find out that under her skirt, she’s more well-endowed than you.

And just when you’re about to accept your fate, you discover that both of you drank fake wine, and now neither of you can get it up.

Immediately, these readers, feeling utterly betrayed by Rong Ziyin, began furiously ranting in the comments of his post.

So, the next morning, when Rong Ziyin woke up, he was surprised to find that his coin count had increased by 400,000 and was still steadily rising.

User XX’s Anger +1000
User XX’s Anger +459
User XXX’s Anger +333
User XXX’s Anger +778

There was even a familiar name, User Li Gongde, who was clearly the head of the Veterinary Department at the Agricultural University. Rong Ziyin never imagined that this middle-aged, balding man, who usually seemed like a serious old-school academic, would log on to Zhihu at midnight to read gossip.

Rong Ziyin vaguely felt like he had discovered a dangerous secret.

But he only paused for a moment before getting up to start his day.

First, he needed to deliver the salted fish and eggs to the small diner owners, and then he’d take the golden turtle to the forestry bureau.

Yesterday, after Rong Ziyin provided several possible destinations near Yanjing, the golden turtle had chosen the Yanjing Wildlife Park.

System: “Why that place?”

Golden Turtle: “There are more visitors, making it easier to accumulate merit.”

Rong Ziyin, recalling the turtle’s initial appearance with its thought bubble, couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t it really because you want to hear more gossip?”

“…” The golden turtle was silent for a moment before finally losing its patience and saying, “Please just send me away. If you do, I’ll forever consider you a father figure!”

Golden Turtle’s Resistance +2000

So, under the golden turtle’s urging, Rong Ziyin brought it to the forestry bureau at 9:30 AM, just as they were opening for business.

The forestry bureau leader didn’t ask many questions. When Rong Ziyin simply said he “found it by the roadside,” the leader immediately filled in the gaps with his own assumptions.

Given that a group of poachers had escaped during the wild boar incident yesterday, and considering they were capable of poaching wild boars, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were involved with the golden turtle as well.

A golden turtle of this size was extremely valuable!

Yet, Rong Ziyin resisted the temptation to keep it for himself. The leader thought to himself, “If he isn’t just overly rigid, then he must be someone who understands how to bide his time.”

Smart people always find their opportunities.

The leader gave Rong Ziyin an approving look and added, “As for your reward, we’ll discuss it with the wildlife authorities and then issue it to you.”

“Thank you, sir.” Rong Ziyin didn’t press for details and planned to return to the village after finishing the paperwork.

Before leaving, the system urged Rong Ziyin to say a final goodbye to the golden turtle.

The system was deeply concerned, “Golden turtles are said to bring wealth. If it dislikes you so much, won’t that affect your reward?”

Rong Ziyin: “Should I talk to it again?”

The golden turtle immediately retracted its head into its shell in refusal.

“Get lost, get lost, get lost! I wish you a lifetime of wealth and prosperity.”

Resistance +3000

Seeing the sincerity in the golden turtle’s blessing, Rong Ziyin and the system left the forestry bureau. When he returned to the village, he was surprised to find the small diner owners waiting at his door with a middle-aged man dressed in a suit.

The man eagerly approached Rong Ziyin, shaking his hand and praising his skills. He introduced himself as a descendant of an imperial chef, on a countryside research trip.

But Rong Ziyin clearly saw the thought bubble above his head labeled “Professional Conman, Online Scammer.”

Meanwhile, the system’s “Thunderstrike” skill activated, revealing four black dots on the man, and, understanding that Rong Ziyin might not recognize human illnesses, the system thoughtfully labeled each one.

Fatty liver, high blood pressure, and… athlete’s foot and corns.

🍉🫐🍇🍒🥝