Rebirth: The Villainous Young Master in a Novel

Chapter 6: Turtle Jelly and Golden Scale Tonic

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At the same time, Song Shicheng was eagerly examining the results of his efforts.

Although he had only earned one fortune point by retaining Ye Wensheng, the most pleasant surprise was that the system’s mall had been activated!

“The character has passed the initial test, and the mall is now officially open. Please use fortune points to exchange for items, which will assist the character in completing the counterattack more smoothly!”

After tapping on the [Mall] section, three categories appeared on the virtual screen:

[Attribute Items]: Permanent attribute items.

[Skill Items]: Skill experience items.

[Consumable Items]: One-time consumables.

However, just as Song Shicheng was about to indulge his shopping desires, he was met with a slight disappointment.

He found that the number of items in the three categories was pitifully small—so few that he could count them on both hands.

“Calling this a ‘mall’? It’s not even as big as a convenience store,” Song Shicheng muttered under his breath. A pop-up window then provided an explanation: The items supplied in the mall are limited to what the character’s fortune points can afford.

Well, isn’t that just great? It turns out the mall tailors its offerings based on the character’s fortune points!

After some thought, Song Shicheng realized that the items currently available in the mall were limited to those that could be exchanged for 8 fortune points or less. Items with a higher value than 8 fortune points were completely out of his reach.

But perhaps this was for the best. At least he wouldn’t be tempted by things he couldn’t afford.

Adjusting his mindset, Song Shicheng began to study the items he could currently afford. Eventually, two items caught his interest.

One was from the [Consumable Items] category: [Turtle Jelly], exchangeable for 2 fortune points.

“It’s just turtle jelly, so why give it such a weird name?”

Song Shicheng stared at the square, semi-fluid substance on the screen, feeling both amused and exasperated. However, the item’s description provided a vivid explanation for the name: The main ingredients of Turtle Jelly are the shell of a thousand-year-old turtle and divine soil poria. The thousand-year-old turtle shell enhances the user’s aura, significantly boosting charm and authority in a short period. The divine soil poria removes impurities from the user’s body, making others feel more inclined to be friendly and affectionate toward them. It’s the ultimate tool for making friends, wooing women, and closing business deals!

“……”

A row of black lines appeared on Song Shicheng’s forehead as he recalled certain clichéd novels where the protagonist’s “turtle aura” attracted countless followers and beautiful women.

In short, consuming this [Turtle Jelly] would grant him the protagonist’s privilege—albeit temporarily.

After thoroughly ridiculing the system in his mind, Song Shicheng glanced at the other items but found them temporarily useless. He exited the category.

The [Skill Items] section was empty, indicating that even the lowest-value items required more than 8 fortune points.

The [Attribute Items] section, however, had only one item. But this single item nearly made Song Shicheng’s heart race as if he had just won the lottery!

[Golden Scale Tonic]: A secret formula passed down through generations of the Zou family, a renowned Chinese medicine family. After consumption, no matter how many times one engages in intimate activities in a single night, they will not feel fatigued. Long-term use also strengthens tendons and bones, promotes longevity, and is the ultimate tool for building a harem!

Holy cow! This is exactly what I need!

Song Shicheng had been worried about being rendered impotent by the original protagonist, Ye Tian. The appearance of this tonic in the mall seemed tailor-made for him!

That said, the keywords “Golden Scale” and “Zou family” suddenly reminded him of a certain adult novel he had read in his youth. Could this be the legendary aphrodisiac used by the protagonist?

Well, whatever. As long as it cures my condition, that’s all that matters.

Song Shicheng was about to tap the [Exchange] button with great enthusiasm, but when he saw the required fortune points, his hand froze mid-air.

Good heavens! This tiny bottle of tonic costs 8 fortune points!

Song Shicheng was immediately plunged into deep conflict. It wasn’t that he was unwilling to exchange for it, but if he spent all his meager fortune points, his future experiences might become even more miserable.

After all, with his original 7 fortune points, he had already been through hell. If he were to lose all his fortune points, he would undoubtedly become the world’s unluckiest person. He might even get hit by a meteor while walking down the street!

After staring at the screen for a long time, Song Shicheng finally lowered his head, sighed, and closed the system. Out of sight, out of mind.

Forget it. It’s not like I’m in a hurry to deal with those matters. I’ll focus on completing tasks and earning fortune points to dig myself out of this mess.

Just as he was feeling dejected, he failed to notice the door quietly opening. A graceful figure, accompanied by a faint fragrance, appeared at his bedside.

“What’s wrong? Did the fall knock the spirit out of Young Master Song?”

Hearing this teasing remark, Song Shicheng looked up and was momentarily stunned.

The woman before him was strikingly beautiful, with a delicate, heart-shaped face, exquisite features, and a meticulously tailored professional outfit. The top buttons of her blouse were undone, revealing a glimpse of her fair skin. She exuded both the charm of a modern urban woman and the poise of someone mature and capable.

Of course, Song Shicheng wasn’t stunned by her beauty. Instead, he was frantically trying to recall which female character from the novel she might be.

“Did you really hit your head that hard?” the woman teased with a playful smile, gracefully sitting down on the nearby sofa in her high-heeled crystal sandals.

“I’m fine, just a bit slow to react… By the way, did you run into my mom on your way in?” Song Shicheng cautiously probed for more information.

“I saw her, but she seemed to be in a hurry, so I didn’t get a chance to say hello.” The woman crossed her legs, rummaged through her elegant handbag, and pulled out a pack of women’s cigarettes. She lit one for herself and was about to toss one to Song Shicheng when she suddenly remembered, “Oh right, you don’t like women’s cigarettes.”

“……” Song Shicheng was speechless, but this confirmed that she wasn’t one of the novel’s heroines. After all, the heroines he had written were all morally upright and well-mannered—none of them had the bad habit of smoking.

“This is a hospital room. Isn’t this a bit inappropriate?” Song Shicheng said with a wry smile.

“Oh? I didn’t expect you to have such scruples,” the woman replied with a surprised laugh, continuing to puff on her cigarette.

“I’m just worried the doctors might lecture us when they come for rounds.” Through these exchanges, Song Shicheng had already pegged her as one of Young Master Song’s dubious friends.

Upon hearing this, the woman burst into laughter, as if she had just heard the funniest joke. She even choked on her cigarette smoke before finally saying, “Lecture? Let the entire hospital staff try lecturing me. I’d like to see who has the guts. This whole hospital belongs to my family. Who’s going to stop me from smoking?”

Wait, what? Is she Shen Guotao’s daughter?!

Hold on… I think there was such a character!

And if I recall correctly, this character was engaged to Young Master Song!