The thought of others hearing his inner voice filled Fang Chen with a wave of awkwardness.
*After all, these were his private thoughts. How could he let anyone know?*
*To be cursing someone in his mind only for the person to hear it... How embarrassing!*
[Host, this is a restriction imposed by the Heavenly Dao. It cannot be removed. Furthermore, attempting to do so will trigger a new set of restrictions and punishments from the Heavenly Dao, which will be even more severe.]
[However, the System can help the Host control his inner voice. It can determine whether they can hear it, and which parts they can or cannot hear!]
The System explained.
"Is that all?"
Fang Chen shook his head.
*Being able to control my inner voice is actually a good thing. I can let these three women hear the thoughts that benefit me, rather than letting them hear everything.*
He also considered other uses for this ability.
*This could even be considered a "Slacking Skill"!*
*My inner voice can convey information that's inconvenient to say aloud. If they disrupt the original plot, I can't be blamed. I'm not interfering with the story, yet I can still earn Slacking Rewards.*
"For instance, when Hua Mengying obtained the Yin-Yang Divine Water, Lin Luowei must have heard my inner thoughts and gone to find it herself. Then Hua Mengying followed Lin Luowei and ended up snatching the Yin-Yang Divine Water."
In an instant, Fang Chen connected the dots regarding several plot points that had diverged from the original story.
*So all these changes happened because the three female leads can hear my inner thoughts.*
"Interesting, very interesting!"
"If they can hear my thoughts, doesn't that mean I can interfere with Xiao Yunting's affairs?"
"I can use my inner voice to inform them about certain things, prompting them to intervene in Xiao Yunting's life."
"That way, I can just slack off and keep earning Slacking Rewards."
At this thought, a smirk touched Fang Chen's lips.
*With this, can't I just play Xiao Yunting like a fiddle?*
*But wait, that won't work. After all, Xiao Yunting is still the Son of Destiny, and the plot still needs him to drive it forward for now.*
*Besides, the rewards for slacking off on the plot are incredibly generous. I can't just kill him off yet.*
*I'll keep him around to keep slacking off and reaping those rewards.*
[Respected Host, the settings are complete. You can now freely control which of your inner thoughts are heard by others!]
The System's mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
*Finally, it's sorted out. Good thing I caught this early, otherwise, who knows what unnecessary trouble it would have caused later on!*
Fang Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he had the situation under control for now, if he hadn't gained the ability to control his inner voice, many things could have leaked out.
Besides, the original female protagonists were all unique. If even one of them were completely devoted to Xiao Yunting, it would be over.
In the original story, there was one who had been devoted to Xiao Yunting from the very beginning, willing to do anything for him.
If that woman had heard his inner thoughts, he would be truly finished.
Fortunately, Fang Chen had discovered this in time.
As for Lin Luowei, Qin Linglong, and Hua Mengying, they weren't a problem for the moment.
Lin Luowei and Hua Mengying were completely uninterested in Xiao Yunting. As for Qin Linglong, Fang Chen had witnessed her change of heart.
He knew that her choice of Xiao Yunting had led to the downfall of the Great Qin Dynasty. Having learned Xiao Yunting's true identity, she would never fall for him again—in fact, she would loathe him.
*It won't be long before the Great Qin Dynasty learns about the hunt for Xiao Yunting,* Xiao Ting thought.
*And Qin Linglong knows he's obtained the Heaven-Bearing Demonic Art. Will she tell Emperor Qin?*
*Probably not. Knowing who Xiao Yunting's father is, if that news ever got out, it would definitely have a huge impact on the Great Qin Dynasty.*
*But it's hard to say. If it truly spreads, Xiao Yunting's situation will likely become even more precarious.*
Practicing the Heaven-Bearing Demonic Art was strictly forbidden by all the major factions in the Tianxuan Realm. Once this matter was exposed, Xiao Yunting would have no place to hide in the Tianxuan Realm and would be forced to flee to the Tianmo Sect.
***
In the Great Qin Dynasty, within the Imperial Palace.
After returning, Qin Linglong immediately sought out Emperor Qin.
"Royal Father, there is something I wish to ask you."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qin set down the memorial in his hand, a smile spreading across his face. "Linglong, what is it? Speak."
He doted on this daughter immensely.
"Royal Father, I've heard that the deepest part of the Sea of Ice and Fire is a Forbidden Zone. Is this true?"
Qin Linglong blinked, her expression deceptively innocent as she asked.
"Where did you hear that?"
Emperor Qin's brow furrowed slightly, but his expression quickly returned to normal.
"I heard it from others, Royal Father. In an inn in Flame City, I overheard some cultivators talking."
"They said the deepest part of the Sea of Ice and Fire is a Forbidden Zone, and that a Great Terror dwells within!"
Because she had sworn an oath before, Qin Linglong naturally wouldn't say that Fang Chen was the one who told her. So, she had no choice but to claim she'd heard it through the grapevine.
However, she only wanted to use the words "Forbidden Zone" and "Great Terror" to verify something.
Clearly, she had succeeded.
Seeing the fleeting expression on her father's face, she knew that what Fang Chen had said was likely true.
Emperor Qin took a deep breath and said, "This is indeed true. I had intended to tell you after you came of age, but I didn't expect you to have already heard about it."
He set down the memorial in his hand, rose, walked to the window, and looked out. "The deepest part of the Sea of Ice and Fire is indeed a Forbidden Zone, and it is related to our Great Zhou Dynasty."
"Once, the Ancestor Dragon Emperor of our Great Qin completely subdued the Sea of Ice and Fire. However, due to certain events, he did not fully succeed. As for what happened, no one knows—only our ancestor, the Ancestor Dragon Emperor, truly knows."
"Though it was not completely subdued, the deepest part of the Sea of Ice and Fire was severely damaged. After countless years, it has still not recovered."
"Because of this, our Great Qin Dynasty was cursed. In every generation, half of our people are destined to perish."
"Your luck is better; you were not among them," Emperor Qin said, turning to look at Qin Linglong.
"Royal Father, such a thing truly happened?"
"Is there no way for us to break this curse?" Qin Linglong asked, feigning shock.
She had known about this all along, but she acted surprised to prevent her father from becoming suspicious.
"So far, no method to break the curse has been found."
"To break this curse, only an Emperor Realm expert can do so. If either you or your royal brother reaches the Emperor Realm, perhaps this problem can be completely resolved."
"So, you have to work hard!"
Emperor Qin looked at Qin Linglong, his face full of kindness.
"Don't worry, believe in us. We will definitely solve this problem!"
Qin Linglong waved her small fist, her expression serious.
"Of course I believe in you."
Emperor Qin nodded.
Qin Linglong returned to her room.
She lay on her bed, Fang Chen's words from before replaying in her mind.
*I never expected what he said to actually be true!*
She never imagined that Fang Chen's words would perfectly match what her Royal Father had said, without a single discrepancy. In fact, Fang Chen had even been more detailed.
*Does Fang Chen really have the ability to predict the future?*
*Does this guy truly master the Great Dao of Time?*
*Since Fang Chen already knew all this, why didn't he make a move against Xiao Yunting?*
*Why keep Xiao Yunting around and ignore him completely?*
Qin Linglong's heart was filled with doubt.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)