An Extraordinary Encounter Beneath the Classic Cliff

The next day, Su Luo woke up feeling refreshed.

Although there were some deviations in the plot yesterday, it was still passable overall.

This time, the system added a new feature: it would send a reminder when the plot deviated significantly.

Unlike before, where it would only notify you at the final settlement that the plot had gone off track.

A point of praise for that.

Despite his joy, Su Luo couldn't forget his task for the day.

He called over a subordinate at the late Qi Refining stage.

"You know about what happened yesterday, right?"

"Yes," the subordinate quickly lowered his head.

It was obvious that the subordinate had wanted to laugh, but being professional, he held it in.

Su Luo didn't mind because he knew that the entire city was aware of what had happened last night.

Everyone was laughing at him—how he had been publicly rejected by the Li family's young lady, how he couldn't even defeat someone who had just started Qi Refining, and how he had been instantly defeated.

His reputation was completely ruined.

In the original plot, Su Luo had harbored deep resentment toward Lin Xuan because of this, blaming him entirely for the incident while not holding Li Siyi accountable at all.

Convex (angry face emoticon)

What a simp.

But who was Su Luo now?

He couldn't care less about all that. Let them say whatever they wanted.

Do you think his peak keyboard warrior days were for nothing? His mental resilience was unmatched in the world.

Still, the plot had to move forward.

"Take some people and teach that guy who defeated me last night a lesson."

"But... isn't this a bad idea? If we act now, you'll be the prime suspect, young master."

"No buts. With my father away, I'm in charge here. Are you disobeying me?"

"No, I'll go right away." The subordinate had no choice but to comply.

Su Luo's father had gone out to help a friend these past few days, so Su Luo could act without restraint.

Today, aside from this matter, nothing else concerned him, so he could relax.

With nothing better to do, he started writing in his diary.

**[September 2nd, Sunny.]**

**[I'm in a great mood today. Thinking back to the days when I had to perfectly clear the plot, always on edge, afraid of making mistakes.]**

**[Now, it's so much better. I can just act casually and still pass. I can even reduce my own screen time. Even if there are deviations, I get timely reminders to correct them. Life is good.]**

**[Back to today, I've already sent my subordinates to teach Lin Xuan a lesson.]**

**[But what's the point? It's just a boost for him anyway.]**

**[Lin Xuan will be driven to the edge of a cliff, where he'll refuse to yield and jump off. And then comes the classic trope—the cliffside encounter.]**

**[At the bottom of the cliff, he'll find a hidden passage through a pool, leading to the cave of a senior expert. There, he'll receive a legacy, advancing directly to the mid-Qi Refining stage, along with a supreme sword technique and some miscellaneous pills.]**

**[Tsk tsk tsk, how impressive.]**

**[I'll have peace and quiet for the next couple of days while the protagonist is busy leveling up.]**

**[What else can I write about? I feel like I'm forgetting something.]**

**[Ah, right, the Moonlight Pendant. This thing is no joke.]**

**[Yesterday, Lin Xuan stood up for the Li family, and they were so pleased that they invited him to stay the night.]**

**[Eager to grow stronger, Lin Xuan immediately unsealed the Moonlight Pendant.]**

**[The moment the pendant's seal was broken, a hidden family sensed it through their special artifact, though they only got a rough location at first.]**

**[As the pendant was used, the artifact gradually pinpointed its exact location.]**

**[And then, Autumn Wind City was turned upside down, literally dug three feet deep.]**

**[The Li family was wiped out, leaving only Li Siyi alive.]**

**[This plot point is obviously setting up Lin Xuan's future revenge against this hidden family.]**

**[It's also at this point that Li Siyi, with no one left to rely on, ends up following Lin Xuan.]**

**[But that's still a ways off, so no rush.]**

**[Anyway, that's enough for today.]**

**[I can't even be bothered to scold Li Siyi anymore.]**

**[Time to go sunbathe.]**

With that, Su Luo actually went out to sunbathe.

Lying on a reclining chair, rocking back and forth, he felt completely at ease.

Just then, the system sent a notification.

**[Diary entry completed. Constitution +4, Strength +3, cultivation level increased by one stage.]**

**[Acquired special ability: "Your Strength, I Accept."]**

**[Copy the opponent's strength and enhance it onto yourself.]**

Su Luo immediately sprang up from the chair, spun 360 degrees, and landed perfectly.

He was both shocked and delighted. In just three days, he had reached the late Qi Refining stage.

At this point in the past, after being defeated by Lin Xuan and rejected in his proposal, he had only reached the mid-Qi Refining stage through a breakthrough fueled by grief.

Now, he had reached the late stage just by lazing around. The system was truly amazing.

Moreover, the special ability was incredibly powerful. For example, if the opponent's strength was 10 and his was 1, using this ability would raise his strength to 11.

Higher than the opponent's.

Of course, copying strength beyond what his body could handle could easily backfire.

And if the opponent had high agility, having higher strength wouldn't matter if he couldn't land a hit.

But against opponents of the same level, he was invincible.

This is fantastic. Why didn't I start slacking off earlier?

Su Luo lamented to himself.

......

Meanwhile, in Li Siyi's room.

She kept summoning the diary, much like a reader eagerly waiting for an update.

It's here, it's here.

As the diary updated, Li Siyi hoped to find a way to use the Moonlight Pendant.

**[......The Li family was wiped out, leaving only Li Siyi alive.]**

No, this can't be true.

Li Siyi couldn't believe it. Her family had stood strong for generations. How could they just disappear like that?

But the contents of the diary had come true before.

Was this really fate?

No, I don't believe in fate. I'm not a character in a novel.

At this moment, Li Siyi felt she needed to do something, to change something.

The first thing that came to mind was to seek out Su Luo.

He knew so much; surely, he had a solution.

But upon further thought, why would he help her?

Just thinking about Su Luo's face made her even more reluctant to approach him.

They had played together as children, but as they grew older, she had come to despise Su Luo's behavior.

Lazy, neglecting his cultivation, squandering the family fortune, gambling, flirting with anyone and everyone, regardless of age or gender...

In recent years, Su Luo had done no good deeds, only dabbling in every kind of mischief.

After much deliberation, she still had no clear plan. The only thing she was good at was cultivation.

Cultivation...

If I become strong enough, I can solve anything.

I will decide my own fate.

The more she thought about it, the more determined she became.

At this moment, Li Siyi seemed to have grown. Her resolve solidified.

In the past, she had cultivated just for the sake of it. But now, she was thinking about how to cultivate, how to use everything at her disposal to become stronger.

Of course, she still had no solution.

Li Siyi pondered, considering what advantages she currently had.

The diary was undoubtedly her greatest asset.

Su Luo, I'm sorry, but from now on, I won't miss a single word of your diary.

Then there was the Moonlight Pendant. She would find a way to learn how to use it.

But for now, there was the cliffside encounter.

I'm sorry.

Li Siyi had made up her mind to do whatever it took to grow stronger.

She immediately left the house, taking a few members of the Li family with her, to search for Lin Xuan.

......

Meanwhile, Su Luo, basking in the sun, thought it would be great if the system could offer a movie service, allowing him to revisit classic films from his past life.

That would make slacking off even better.

"Bad news, bad news, young master!"

A subordinate rushed in, disrupting Su Luo's leisurely moment.

"What's the panic? Has the sky fallen?"

"Just now, Miss Li fell off a cliff."

"Who?"

"Miss Li fell off a cliff."

Who else in Autumn Wind City could be called "Miss Li" but Li Siyi?

"How did she fall off a cliff? I told you to teach Lin Xuan a lesson. What does Li Siyi have to do with this?"

Su Luo sprang to his feet. Even after experiencing this world dozens of times, this turn of events was beyond his comprehension.

Why would Li Siyi randomly appear there?

The story goes back half an hour earlier.

The late Qi Refining subordinate, following Su Luo's orders, had taken a few men to ambush Lin Xuan.

But Lin Xuan was agile and alert. The moment he sensed danger, he fled.

During the chase, Lin Xuan sustained multiple injuries, but he still managed to escape stubbornly.

The subordinate was baffled.

He had thought it would be a quick beatdown, but Lin Xuan was surprisingly good at running.

The more they chased, the angrier he became. He was determined to catch Lin Xuan and give him a beating.

When they reached a cliff outside the city,

Lin Xuan was already covered in wounds.

The subordinate taunted, "Run! Why aren't you running now?"

"If I don't die today, you'll be the ones dying in the future."

Lin Xuan prepared to jump off the cliff, but at that moment, Li Siyi and her subordinates burst onto the scene.

Su Luo's subordinate immediately made the decision to flee.

After all, Li Siyi was someone the young master liked. If even a single strand of her hair was harmed, he might lose an arm.

The curious subordinate left but didn’t go far, hiding nearby to secretly observe.

He wanted to see if there was still a chance to continue beating up Lin Xuan after Miss Li left.

However, he noticed that Li Siyi had her subordinates take Lin Xuan away for treatment while she stayed behind.

Su Luo’s subordinate was puzzled. Why wasn’t the young lady leaving?

Then, Li Siyi jumped off the cliff.

This terrified the subordinate, who rushed over to check, but there was no trace of Li Siyi—only a bottomless abyss.

Now the subordinate was even more frightened. He wasn’t stupid; he and the others had kept their faces covered the entire time.

But if someone investigated, they could easily be identified.

Moreover, Li family’s subordinates had also seen their figures, making it even easier to trace them.

If the Li family’s young lady went missing, wouldn’t he likely be the one to take the blame?

At this thought, the subordinate broke into a cold sweat and hurried back to report to the young master.

Su Luo couldn’t believe what he heard.

Wasn’t it supposed to be Lin Xuan who jumped off the cliff? And why was Li Siyi even there?

He pondered over it. Could it be because of his slacking off yesterday?

Originally, Lin Xuan kept getting defeated but always stood back up, which was truly heroic and inspiring.

But yesterday, he instantly defeated his opponent. Wasn’t that even cooler?

Perhaps because of this, Li Siyi had grown to value Lin Xuan more.

But her jumping off the cliff was inexplicable.

No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

“Alright, you may leave. I’ll handle this matter myself.”

Though Su Luo didn’t care much about Li Siyi, her presence was still necessary.

The plot could be glossed over, but missing characters were unacceptable.

Su Luo quickly dressed up, wrapping himself in a large black robe and putting on a mask.

He rushed to the edge of the cliff and looked around but found no traces.

Without hesitation, Su Luo leaped off the cliff.

Jumping from this spot led to a pool below.

Rest assured, according to the laws of XuanHuan novels, no one would die.

Su Luo had tested this before.

After successfully reaching the bottom of the cliff, he looked around but found no sign of Li Siyi.

She wasn’t in the water either.

Could it be?

No, that place was normally hard to discover.

After swimming around the pool, he found a hidden passage and smoothly arrived at the place of Lin Xuan’s fortuitous encounter.

Sure enough, there were signs of someone having been there, with many wet footprints along the path.

Su Luo moved forward with ease.

Why was he so familiar with this?

Because he had been here before.

He had once taken all of Lin Xuan’s fortuitous encounters for himself. Although the outcome was satisfying, it didn’t work out in the end.

Now he had to start over again.

It was all rather monotonous.

At the end of the path, he found Li Siyi, covered in wounds.

Some were from the fall, while others were from the traps within the cave.

Li Siyi was sitting cross-legged, her face twisted in pain, looking very unwell.

Though he had suspected it, seeing it firsthand was still hard to accept.

The protagonist’s fortuitous encounter had been stolen by Li Siyi. What should he do? He needed answers, and fast.

This was really messing with his mind. He had been ready to coast along, so why couldn’t everyone just stick to the script?

In the past, it was him who didn’t follow the usual tropes, but now it was her turn?

Su Luo was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Still, taking away one small fortuitous encounter from the protagonist shouldn’t be a big deal, right? Probably.