Chapter 37: Wu Clan’s Tin Man

I won't say something redundant like 'Life is a series of choices and nonsense', but it really was.

There was a gamble in what you got. That was true for everyone. Only… what you did with it mattered.

When I connected to Wu Tong's nervous system and made my Data System go down to his Qi Centre, all I saw was a honest child's worries. He was seriously thinking 'Am I the baddy?' now?

What a mess this was…

But since he was so innocent at heart, there was no reason for me to hold back in corrupting his mind.

Thus, I created a virus made of Divine Data.

It flowed down to his unstable Qi Centre, then acted as a Trojan horse that carried sustenance.

Since the heavier Internal Qi was much more instinctually driven, it didn't find eating up the corrupted Divine Data to stabilise itself much of a problem. Allowing me to bypass his mental blocks.

From there, I wrote a certain program into the Data being sent. My intent was to make him hallucinate.

Give him a long 'dream' that'd change him forever.

In there, every decision he'd make would eventually lead him to his demise at the hands of his trusted.

The target: 'Elder Du'.

I'd also added some false memories of myself in there as a Demon he'd meet at the end of his life.

A few seconds passed since she grabbed his head.

Wu Tong suddenly started squirming. Shaking violently once he'd awoken from his nightmare.

One that lasted a long time within him, but only a moment for those who saw him from the outside.

Once I was done, we returned to our positions.

I watched as the tin man's eyes regained some clarity after some time, but he held his stomach.

Looking like he'd just been stabbed recently.

"Huh? What happened to me? Why? Where?" His words a bit nonsensical, but I knew his thoughts.

He was likely wondering how he had survived.

I didn't want to use Narration to check exactly what he felt, but it was easy to tell even without that.

Hope rekindled in his eyes.

[What is he thinking?]

Since my minion was confused, I tried to break it down simply… The things that I 'programmed'.

"He just saw- No, this 'Wu Tong' character has just experienced a life full of regrets. He likely believes he has traveled to the past." It was quite the sophisticated hallucination. I hope it's used well.

"Also, don't worry about 'her'. She has been watching you two for a while." Minion #1 was surprised to hear that Minion #2, Xiao Man, could patiently wait instead of interrupting this meeting.

There was no way she didn't recognise his uniform.

Xiao Yin easily figured out where she was hiding when I hinted a direction. It didn't matter right now.

Her real focus should be on the eyes of the individual being awoken from his long nightmare.

"…You're that woman from-" Wu Tong stopped himself from speaking, but it was too late.

She had already figured out that though this was a moment for her, it must have been a while for him.

"Are you feeling alright?" She tested him out.

"I'm… fine. Don't worry. I just experienced an Inner Demon by accident." This tin man was a natural liar.

Wu Tong naturally used a truth to cover up an even bigger truth. Much better than hiding it with lies.

Rather than asking something else, Xiao Yin decided to retreat in order to observe him more.

She waved and was about to leave.

"Wait." Wu Tong stopped her,

Xiao Yin was a bit confused on why he'd stopped her like this. She looked at the hand on her wrist.

"Can you let go?" Her intimidating pressure made him realise he'd been too rushed to stop her leave.

He quickly released his grip.

"Do you have a place to stay?" If this came out of any other, one would've thought he was trying her.

"I still have a house." (Xiao Yin)

"I'm guessing it was on a loan." (Wu Tong)

"Even if it was, you shouldn't be asking." There was a limit hers, and his words were crossing a line.

"I'll pay off your loan, so live with me." There was a strange kindness in his eyes that prevailed fears.

It's not something he would've offered earlier.

I suddenly realised this tin man was now taking the initiative to create a change in his life at this point.

But wasn't it too late?

"I'm good…" Xiao Yin declined with an understandingly guarded look on her face.

I had no choice, saying: "Accept it."

Even though it could've revealed Xiao Man was alive and well, this minion of mine carried my will.

The mother reluctantly changed her words to: "I'm good with this arrangement. Can I bring another?"

Wu Tong looked at her in confusion.

It wasn't long before she brought in front of him the current Xiao Man. A beauty unlike earlier.

"This is my other daughter, she's also called Xiao Man." Xiao Yin held her hand to bring her forward.

The face was really familiar, but it was different enough to indicate that she was really a sister.

The only thing that put Wu Tong off was the familiar look in her eyes. A thing he dismissed.

He was only confused about her existence because he probably didn't see Xiao Man in his fake future.

Wu Tong likely figured this wasn't the past he knew. Considering the one he dreamt as 'real'.

While what he was seeing was a part of the past he never knew, or was just becoming more aware of.

Such a silly guy.

He truly believed he was a time regressor now.

Since this was a good time to do it, I started to install my System into this new minion of mine.

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Using the virus remnants that was left in his dantian, I easily made a route like other minions.

But he seemed to outwardly show no change.

I appeared before him like a terrifying shadow of the dead. An ominous presence within him.

"What are you planning now?" I asked, while the once naive and inexperienced tin man responded:

[I want to save her.]

With that message came an extract of his memories that came from his manipulated dream.

A screen next to the message showed that my first minion had been captured because she was 'weak'.

Getting sold off as a human cauldron (sex slave).

To stop that from happening, he was offering his own home to personally protect the two women.

For they were weak girls.

At least, that's what my little tin minion believed.

It was something Xiao Man was about to cuss at him over, but was stopped by me and her mother.

We couldn't let her ruin this opportunity…

Getting closer to a genuine Sect would help our plans and improve their livelihood, which meant I could more easily progress to my own goal. The thing we didn't expect was what we would see.

The two beautiful adult woman covered their faces walked behind Wu Tong… to a dilapidated ruin.

No, I mean a 'home'.

It looked like being a part of the Wu Clan had given him permission to live in a fairly decent location.

The only thing wrong with it was the appearance.

After opening the door, Wu Tong naturally lead them into a shabby home for a minimalistic type.

Only keeping the necessities.

Wu Tong saw their reaction and looked back at his room. He coughed, then tried making an excuse.

"Actually, I was just unpacking my things and was about to decorate the place." He quickly left the medium-sized apartment that was large enough for a five-man family to live. His face was interesting.

"What are you blushing for?" I asked.

Wu Tong, acting like a long-time acquaintance, had decided to fill up his wardrobe and vary his taste.

He seemed embarrassed by his lack of accommodation despite having the money for it.

What did this guy eat all day? Potatoes?

Actually, I didn't want to know about it.

The more pressing issue revealed itself the moment he had awoken from his illusionary future.

Which was…

"Hey, are you ignoring me? You fucking DARE ignore ME?" I got up off my seat and squinted.

[Yes.]

*Crash* I broke a table, but managed to calm myself down and regain some of my composure.

"Aren't you curious about me?" I sat back while trying to regain a mysterious atmosphere on me.

[No.]

His simple replies seemed to end any and all conversations. I felt like forcing him confront me.

But I also knew doing that would make him faint.

If that happened now, a lot of troubles could accompany it. Someone might find my System.

"Why aren't you curious?" On the other hand, I couldn't let this go. His responses annoyed me.

[Don't care. If you want something, then I'll give what you want. Only if it doesn't affect me at all.]

"I'll bury your ass six-feet under, bastard!" (Adam)

[Why…?]

"It was a damn figure of speech." (Adam)

[Oh…] The first message made me feel like he'd understood, but: [What's a figure o' speech?]

SON OF A BITCH.

I couldn't be bothered getting angry over this at some point. Especially when I noticed others.

It wasn't east to hide something from a tight-knit community, and people had saw a certain scene.

A man dressed in the Northblade Sect guard outfit bringing two beautiful unknown woman back home.

Since he lived right near a regular Inn, there were even more looks being directed towards this guy.

"Don't you have some explaining to do to the people you know?" I asked with a weird look on me.

Since my System had its own branch of five senses adjusted onto it, I'd heard what they were saying:

"Isn't that Wu Tong?" (Villager A)

"I can't believe he's finally bringing girls home. As a chivalrous man myself… I'm jealous!" (Villager B)

"This could be a misunderstanding." (Villager C)

"Right. They could be warming his bed with Fire Arts used by immortal fairies instead." (Villager B)

"Do we have any proof? I feel like I've seen the two before though." Villager A thought more carefully.

"Yeah, right! If girls like that were everywhere, I'd go make a room at a brothel." More bickering ensued after this. Villager B seemed to really think this tin man had brought them over with money.

Yeah… Like this couldn't go wrong in the future.

A group of thug-like guys were already thinking of approaching the Xiao family with various 'offers'.

All because this guy so casually lead them through a crowded street without thinking of anything else.

[Explain what?]

This bastard of a tin man seemed to innocently believe bringing two hot strangers home wouldn't make any fuss. He was completely oblivious to the looks people he knew had given him for a while.

Fuck it. I'm gonna let this be…

I guess it was better to see the show this bastard would make. Trouble would be approaching soon.

He was the only one who didn't know it.

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