NOVEL WEB Chapter 7:
(Xiaoqing -> Xiao Qing)
Chapter 7: My Betrothed Is Nie Xiaoqian?:
Nie Xiaoqian?
Su Mo was momentarily stunned.
Wasn’t this the female lead from “A Chinese Ghost Story”? Not only had she not turned into a ghost, but now she was set to be his fiancée?
How would this simulation develop next?
If Nie Xiaoqian became his wife in this simulated life, then what about Bai Suzhen?
However, Su Mo quickly recalled—
Based on past experiences, no matter what happened, the bound romance partner would always develop feelings for his character through a series of bizarre coincidences.
This time should be no different.
With that thought, Su Mo continued watching the unfolding events.
At this moment, three options appeared before him.
[Faced with your parents’ proposal, what do you choose?]
[Option 1]: Accept Nie Xiaoqian as your betrothed, fulfilling your parents’ wishes and giving them a grandson soon.
[Option 2]: Refuse your parents’ request, declaring that you intend to devote your life to Buddhism and dedicate yourself to slaying demons.
[Option 3]: Bring Xiao Qing before your parents and claim she is your wife, marrying her on the spot and inviting Fahai to officiate the wedding.
…
Su Mo carefully analyzed the options.
The first choice followed a normal storyline—he was curious to see what Nie Xiaoqian looked like. After all, in various films and dramas, she had always been portrayed by top-tier beauties.
Trusting “Fate of Love” to have an impeccable taste in aesthetics, he was eager to see what Nie Xiaoqian would look like here.
The second choice felt too dull.
Devoting myself to Buddhist studies? Spending my days slaying demons?
If that’s all this game has to offer, why am I even playing “Fate of Love”?!
Su Mo immediately dismissed it.
The third choice was pure suicide—like a mouse licking a cat’s nose for fun.
Inviting Fahai to officiate his wedding with Xiao Qing?
That was asking to die.
Fahai was a rigid monk who couldn’t tolerate even a speck of dust in his eyes.
If Su Mo really married Xiao Qing, not only would Xiao Qing be captured, but his own powers might be completely sealed off.
After thorough consideration—
Su Mo chose the first option.
…
[You agree to marry Nie Xiaoqian, and the Su residence is filled with joy, preparing for your wedding.]
[News of this quickly reaches Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing. When Bai Suzhen learns that you used Xiao Qing as a “training tool,” taking her virgin essence, she is filled with rage.]
[The two discuss how to take revenge on you during your wedding by abducting the bride.]
[Soon, your family selects an auspicious date, and the wedding preparations proceed smoothly.]
[On the wedding day, Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing disguise themselves as guests, sneaking into the household, ready to abduct Nie Xiaoqian from the bridal chamber after the ceremony.]
[However, a disaster strikes.]
[A group of sedan chair bearers rushes over, reporting a shocking incident.]
[While crossing a bridge, a sudden strange wind blew past, sending Nie Xiaoqian’s bridal sedan plummeting into the Black River below.]
[The bearers searched for a long time but could not retrieve her body.]
[The Black River was deep and rapid—by now, she had most likely been swept downstream.]
[Everyone present was left in shock.
**[No one could have anticipated such a calamity—**a disaster that seemed like fate itself intervening.]
[Your father, Su Donglai, sends out numerous constables to search for her, and you personally join the effort.]
**[However, despite extensive efforts, Nie Xiaoqian is never found—as if she had vanished into thin air.]
…
Su Mo sighed in disappointment.
Damn.
He hadn’t even seen Nie Xiaoqian yet, and now she was gone.
Could it be that “Fate of Love” had some kind of predestined system?
In “A Chinese Ghost Story”, Nie Xiaoqian had died young and become a ghost.
There was no record of her getting married before death—so was the simulation simply correcting her fate?
What a shame…
Su Mo shook his head.
It seemed Nie Xiaoqian was fated to never be seen in this playthrough.
Given how “Fate of Love” operates, she probably wouldn’t show up in future simulations either—after all, she wasn’t a married woman, and this game never assigns romance partners who aren’t already wives.
At this moment, the simulation continued unfolding.
…
[With Nie Xiaoqian gone, your wedding is called off.]
[Your parents have no choice but to find a new match for you.]
[However, after this event, rumors start spreading like wildfire.]
[The word on the street is that because you were once a monk, your fate has been cursed to “bring misfortune to your wife”—anyone who marries you will meet a tragic end.]
[Naturally, this rumor was spread by Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing.]
[Since they couldn’t steal your bride, they decided to ruin your reputation instead.]
[Because of these rumors, even though your father holds a high-ranking position as Zhejiang’s Transport Commissioner, most respectable families refuse to marry their daughters to you.]
[The only ones still willing… are from humble, low-status families.]
[Seeing this, you tell your parents that you have no interest in getting married for the time being.]
[Your parents respect your wishes and drop the matter.]
[However, your father, Su Donglai, hopes that you will take the imperial examinations.]
[Three years as a Tongsheng, three years as a Xiucai, three years as a Juren—]
[Once you become a Juren, you can enter officialdom.]
[With your father’s connections, there’s a good chance you could become a magistrate before the age of fifty.]
[At this moment, you must choose—]
[Option 1]: Accept your father’s proposal, devote yourself to the imperial examinations, and bring honor to your family.
[Option 2]: Reject the offer, telling him you have no interest in officialdom and only wish to live freely.
[Option 3]: Reject the offer, but demonstrate your supernatural powers before your parents, revealing that you have already achieved profound cultivation.
…
Su Mo pondered the three options carefully.
This time, he wanted to try something different.
The last two options would lead to the same predictable path—staying in Hangzhou, helping the weak and slaying demons, with little variation in the storyline.
The first choice, however, could lead to an entirely new direction.
…
[You accept your father’s proposal and begin preparing for the imperial exams.]
[Su Donglai is overjoyed by your decision. That night, he gets drunk for the first time in years, only waking up at noon the next day.]
[You abandon your Buddhist studies and martial arts training to focus on the Four Books and Five Classics at a private residence your father arranged for you near West Lake.]
[Thanks to your exceptional intelligence and prior knowledge of Buddhist scriptures, you grasp Confucian classics effortlessly, completing months’ worth of study in just a few days.]
[After personally testing your knowledge, Su Donglai confirms that you have the potential to become a top scholar. He believes that, given enough time, you could eventually achieve the rank of Jinshi.]
[On the fifth day of your studies, Wang Er suddenly arrives.]
[He tells you that, with Fahai’s help, his duck feathers are now completely gone.]
[However, he also brings a message from Fahai.]
[Worldly wealth and power are like reflections in water—beautiful, yet fleeting.]
[To be reborn as a human is rare, and to hear the Dharma is even rarer.]
[If you do not set forth on the path of cultivation now, you may lose this chance for eternity.]