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Mu Jiuxiu slowly chewed on the jerky, shrugged, and tried to look dejected. "Sigh, what else can I do? My wife is gone, and my good days are over. I'll just go back to the village and find odd jobs to get by."

It was all a pipe dream; in the end, nothing came of it. Even the old ox was lost and couldn't be found. What else could be done…?

Niu Da gave his wife a look, then got up and pretended to look around the cave. While Niu Lang wasn't looking, he picked up a large rock and walked behind him, saying, "Since there's nothing left, then you can just die!"

Mu Jiuxiu was still trying to find a way to make himself look more pitiful so that Niu Da and his wife would stop pestering him and he wouldn't be unable to shake them off, but he never expected that the other party would be so unethical!

I was hit hard on the back of the head, and my mind went blank for a moment.

He reacted quickly, immediately realizing that Niu Da and his wife were planning to kill and rob him. The moment he was knocked to the ground, he struggled to get up and try to escape.

"You still want to run away?" Old Mrs. Niu thought fiercely and kicked him in the groin. Mu Jiuxiu screamed in pain and his legs went weak, causing him to fall to the ground.

Having succeeded in her attack, the old woman became even more smug and shouted, "You were so obedient when you were living off your brother and sister-in-law, but now that you've gotten rich and are living a life of pleasure with this vixen, you've forgotten all about your own flesh and blood!"

Bah! You vile, black-hearted seed! I've raised you for so many years only to have you bear this infamy. If I'd known you were so useless, I should have just thrown you into the river and drowned you..."

The more she cursed, the angrier and more hateful she became. She kicked and punched him, then grabbed a burning firewood stick and smashed it over his head, yelling, "Go to hell!"

Niu Da frantically hurled stones at Niulang's head and body, his face contorted with rage as blood splattered across his skin.

At first, Mu Jiuxiu was able to let out painful howls and struggle in an attempt to save himself;

The breathing gradually weakened, the shouts faded, and finally, the flickering firelight in the cave illuminated the blood-soaked ground.

The person on the ground, covered in blood and with an unrecognizable face, remained motionless. In the quiet cave, only the heavy breathing of a blood-stained couple could be heard.

A fierce wind howled and a sudden downpour fell from the sky, the sound of the rushing rain washing away and obscuring the hustle and bustle of the world.

For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if the entire world trembled and shook slightly. Apart from the gods and powerful beings who noticed it, it had no effect on the mortal world; people simply mistook it for the sound of thunder.

"What happened?" Daoist Chiling sat up from the kang, calculated with his fingers, and his face was solemn. "The fake cowherd is dead? This wandering ghost is truly strange. If he was capable, he was killed easily; if he was not capable, how come the heavens and earth shook the moment his soul left?"

He was completely baffled, and the other gods couldn't understand it either; they only knew that the tremor originated from the mortal realm.

Although it wasn't as earth-shattering as the birth of the stone monkey back then, it still caused a tremor in the heavens and earth. However, upon closer inspection, nothing could be calculated, as if the one who caused the tremor had already transcended the Three Realms.

Since they weren't here, no one soon stopped investigating the reason. The gods and big shots were all busy with their own duties, so who had time to gossip?

"Holy shit!" Mu Jiuxiu's head was buzzing, and he was even a little unsteady on his feet when he stood in front of the mirror.

The pain of being crushed to death was so maddening that he couldn't recover for a while after leaving the mirror world. Once the discomfort subsided, he stared blankly at a line of large characters on the mirror: "Mission Failed, Chosen One Has Fallen Unexpectedly, Mirror World Enters Free Development State. Cannot be edited or entered again until the Mirror World is fully operational."

"Beep beep beep! Task completion rate less than 10%, task failed." The machine between the two mirrors emitted a low alarm sound, "The three-day newbie protection period has expired, and the shop owner has not completed the newbie task. The current score is zero."

Please carefully read and understand the requirements, and write a satisfactory story for your performance. Please note—the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meeting on the Magpie Bridge has been tested and is deemed not to conform to mainstream values, thus receiving a one-star rating. There will be no penalty during the newbie protection period. Shop owners are encouraged to continue creating five-star stories that promote positive values ​​and earn points.

Mu Jiuxiu: ψ(｀?')ψ

Holy crap! There's even a rating system? Why wasn't that mentioned when I entered my story?!

Are you deliberately setting a trap for law enforcement?

He was so angry that his head was practically steaming, and he could only helplessly watch the locked mirror world.

Who knows how long this thing will develop on its own? If the wait is too long and you need to deduct points to "pay rent," you'll be in trouble if you don't have any points left. You'll have to pay for it with your lifespan!

There are also pretty puppet maid girls; you have to pay them a salary to keep them...

"This is a real headache!" Mu Jiuxiu's first attempt at writing, directing, and acting failed, and he plopped down in front of the mirror, lost in thought.

It turns out that even with the world background, various unexpected events can still occur, leading to mission failure. For the next story, I must consider all the possibilities and write a lengthy autobiography of over 100,000 words, ideally including details of what I ate for every meal to avoid going astray!

As he hung his head and sighed, the fog in the mirror lifted, revealing a bright and clear morning after a night of storm.

The Taoist priest of Chiling deduced the secrets of heaven and discovered that there was restlessness everywhere, as if something big was about to happen.

As mortals, we can only try to stay out of trouble and avoid getting involved in conflicts. Helping ordinary people to slay demons and monsters is also a way to accumulate good karma.

The Cowherd died in the cave without anyone knowing. The Cowherd and his wife searched the package and found only a dozen taels of silver, a large bag of silk thread, and some dried meat and sesame cakes that the Cowherd had left over.

The harvest was far from what they had imagined, but there was no turning back once the arrow was released. The couple decided to burn down the traces in the cave and the cowherd's body, and then carried the silk thread and the loose silver to find a way down the mountain to go home.

Anyway, he managed to scrape together less than twenty taels of silver, which was still a small fortune, enough to buy a few more acres of land and another cow.

However, the happy couple, Niu Da and his wife, disappeared into the deep, uninhabited mountains and forests, and no one ever saw them again. That night, the three remaining members of the Niu family in Taoyuan Village vanished without a trace.

Whether they left or met with misfortune in the deep mountains, they were never seen alive or dead, and there has been no news of them since.

Not long after, a momentous event occurred on Mount Hua, thousands of miles away—a young man wielding the Pangu Axe split Mount Hua in two, releasing the suppressing talisman and freeing the Third Holy Mother, Yang Chan.

Erlang Shen, the True Lord Yang Jian, failed to suppress the rebellion himself and voluntarily apologized to the Jade Emperor.

In the end, Erlang Shen was punished; the Jade Emperor decreed that the Third Holy Mother Yang Chan be stripped of her immortal bones and removed from her immortal position, so that the three of them could be reunited and enjoy the remaining decades of their lifespan before falling into reincarnation and becoming no different from mortals.

Some time later, the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang took on three capable disciples and set off to the Western Paradise to retrieve Buddhist scriptures.

Other than that, the journey was fraught with difficulties and dangers, and it was destined to be anything but peaceful. However, at Huoyun Cave in Kusongjian, Haoshan, we encountered an arrogant and powerful Holy Infant King who blocked our way. After consulting with a number of gods, we somehow ended up praying to the Bodhisattva.

Guanyin Bodhisattva first used Li Tianwang's Heavenly Gang Blade to trap Red Boy, and then used the hidden golden hoop to forcibly bring him into the Buddhist sect and make him her personal attendant, Sudhana.

This story has been widely circulated, but no one knows the infighting and power struggles involved.

After that, the Heavenly Court became completely quiet, and the gods did their jobs without spreading any more messy rumors.

Jiang Chen was in Peach Blossom Mountain and had no idea what had happened in the Heavenly Court. He only overheard a few words two months later when the Queen Mother of the West led heavenly soldiers and generals to pick up the Weaver Girl. She said that the Heavenly Court was going to severely punish those who tried to disrupt the court and taint the bloodline.

After the magpie spirit was identified, Erlang Shen beat it on the spot, causing its soul to be scattered and its body to die completely.

The old ox was slashed by the heavenly soldiers and generals. The ox's body fell to the ground with a thud, but the soul of the Golden Ox Star Lord floated out from it. He was bound by a soul-binding rope and taken back to the Heavenly Court for interrogation and processing.

"Thank you, Jiang Chen. We'll meet again someday." The Weaver Girl took the celestial robe she had found from the heavenly general and put it on. In an instant, she transformed into the radiant, noble, and elegant Seventh Princess. She and her sisters stood together to thank their saviors, then waved goodbye and flew back to the Heavenly Palace on the clouds she had woven herself.

A gentle breeze rustled through the quiet mountains and forests. In the land of fairies, there was neither the laughter of the Weaver Girl nor the squeaking and fussing of the little white cat. The days grew longer and more tedious.

On this day, as Jiang Chen gazed at the sky filled with wispy white clouds, he felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.

"What are you looking at? Missing her?" Master Chiling chuckled, carrying a bag of wild fruits. "Don't worry, you two are destined to be together and will definitely be able to rekindle your romance."

However, don't count on it in this life. You've been appointed as the local deity of Peach Blossom Mountain, so you have to do your job diligently. You can only wait until you leave this world and transcend the Three Realms..."

Jiang Chen sensed something was amiss, but before he could press for details, he heard a childish scream, "Host, I've missed you so much!"

The next second, the fluffy, solid ball of fur slammed into my arms, nuzzling and licking meowing, "Waaah... The Heavenly Realm is just too big, and that big white dog is such a crazy dog, running around everywhere like crazy. I thought I would never see my host again!"

"Master, may I speak with you in private?" He smiled helplessly, gestured for the master to come inside, and casually stroked the cute, soft kitten.

Although I haven't been in the mirror world for very long, I do miss the little guy since he's not around.

"A while ago, there was a stormy night, and the heavens and earth seemed to be in turmoil. Fortunately, everything is moving in a positive direction and has not had a major impact on the human world." Master Chiling sat in his chair, stroking his beard and smiling at Jiang Chen's face. "You deserve much of the credit for this!"

"Oh? Is it because I helped the Seventh Princess?"

"Yes and no." The other person smiled, nodded and then shook their head. "Your merit is not just stopping the fake Cowherd and his gang from imprisoning the Weaver Girl in an attempt to change the heavenly laws and cause drastic changes in the rules of heaven and earth and the collapse of human ethics. You have great merit that can save the world."

The fluffy ball immediately perked up, "Even the mirror world has bugs? Then he must be amazing, meow."

"It's a pity that the Jade Emperor conferred the titles of gods too quickly. I haven't had time to take a good look at you yet. Since your divine status has been determined, I am too ignorant to see your destiny. However, with all the merits of the Earth God, you will surely turn misfortune into good fortune and have all your wishes fulfilled!" The Red Ridge Taoist stroked his beard and chuckled.

Jiang Chen: ...

Well, I was hoping you could take a good look at it and give me some pointers on how to open the route map, but that one sentence completely ruined that.

What's the point of a bug if it can't tell fortunes?

The other party picked up his teacup and sipped his tea. “The Earth God has a treasure on him that is shining brightly. Hehehe… I’ve been eyeing it for a long time and I’m really envious. I waited until all the heavenly soldiers and generals and the gods had left for a while before I came to bother you. Could you take it out and let me see it?”

treasure? !

Jiang Chen frowned. How did you know I have a precious baby?

How could you tell that? Bug is truly gifted!

"A treasure?" The little white cat's ears perked up, and its deep blue eyes gleamed with greed. "Host, what treasure have you gotten this time? Did Sister Weaver give it to you?"

"Is this what the Taoist priest is talking about?" He took out the crystal paperweight from his spatial storage.

Master Chiling's eyes gleamed as he nodded emphatically, carefully taking the object and examining it intently for a moment before his brows furrowed even more deeply. "This object is truly wondrous! Not only can it contain a whole world, but it can also house a soul, and even contains the power of the Heavenly Dao, allowing one to glimpse the secrets of heaven! However..."

He hesitated for a moment, as if unsure, and said softly, "Even the celestial realm shouldn't have such exquisite and wondrous things scattered outside."

"Lord Earth, please keep this safe. Your offerings are still in their early stages and your spiritual cultivation is far too weak. If those with ulterior motives find out, it could cause quite a stir."

Well, this time the bug didn't manage to calculate for itself, but it did help solve the mystery of this little thing.

According to what the bug said, it really did leak from inside the main system.

"Taoist Master, please tell me how to use this thing?"

"May I ask, where did you find this magical artifact, Earth God? And what was its purpose?"

Jiang Chen recalled the unpleasant process of writing the self-criticism and tentatively asked, "In a room in a non-human world, it was just used as a paperweight at the time."

Master Chiling: (ー_ー)!!

Using such a treasure as a paperweight is truly... a terrible waste!

"This object has recognized you as its master. It is very easy to use and does not require any specific incantation to activate. Just hold it in your hand and think about what you want to say, and you will naturally be able to glimpse a bit of the secrets of heaven."

Unexpectedly, the method of use was so simple. Jiang Chen took it and silently activated it in his mind. Suddenly, the crystal paperweight emitted a colorful light, somewhat like a magic projector, and suddenly projected a light screen in mid-air.

Above the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother sat majestically, with many well-known celestial beings standing on either side below, such as Laozi, Li Jing (the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King), Erlang Shen, the Seven Sisters of the Weaver Girl, and a host of female immortals. The spirit of the Golden Bull Star Lord knelt in the hall, head bowed, without uttering a sound.

"Lord Taurus, you say you were unwilling to be banished to the mortal realm, believing you had not committed any grave crimes, so you plotted to imprison the Seventh Princess, the Weaver Girl, and give her to the poor, lazy Cowherd as his wife. You even wanted her to give birth to a mortal child to prove that celestial beings and mortals had committed adultery, so that I would force you to amend the Heavenly Laws to absolve you of your sins?" The Jade Emperor coldly snorted and asked, "When you were banished to the mortal realm, your divine consciousness was sealed by heavenly soldiers and generals. How did you regain your senses?"

Bound and kneeling, Taurus Star Lord insisted, "The magpie spirit coveted the celestial energy of the heavens and wanted to take shortcuts. She found me, gave me a magic pill to restore her consciousness, and asked me to come up with a way for her to sneak into the heavens to absorb the celestial energy so that she could cultivate and achieve success as soon as possible."

"Oh? A mere magpie spirit in the mortal realm possesses such cunning and methods, and even an elixir capable of awakening your divine consciousness. You still dare to say that you have no other accomplices behind you?!" Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, glared at him with an imposing yet stern expression.

Lao Jun stood still, seemingly indifferent to the matter.

Erlang Zhenjun remained silent. Ever since the Third Holy Mother Yang Chan escaped from Mount Hua, had her immortal bones removed and her divine title stripped, and received his punishment before the Jade Emperor, he had become increasingly ruthless and rarely spoke. He must have been in a bad mood.

Five hundred years ago, that monkey wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace and harmed Laozi's Tushita Palace, kicking the alchemy furnace down to the mortal world. The elixirs refined in the furnace at that time also rolled all over the ground and fell to earth.

The magpie spirit gained sentience and attained enlightenment after consuming one of the pills, and it never took the remaining one.

Later, after learning about my whereabouts, in order to get more rewards, they gave me their treasured elixir, which not only restored my consciousness but also some of my magical power. Coincidentally, the place where I was reincarnated in the mortal world, Peach Blossom Village, was not far from the Jade Lotus Pond.

First, there was the kindness of the magpie spirit who awakened her; then, she wanted to repay the kindness of the cowherd who raised her body.

Firstly, he plotted to amend the Heavenly Laws to absolve himself of his crimes and return to Heaven;

Secondly, after the Queen Mother of the West rescued the Weaver Girl, she would certainly not want to part with the child she had given birth to. The magpie spirit would then have a reason to lead its clan to carry the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd's child close to the heavenly realm.

Thirdly, helping the poor, bachelor Cowherd find a celestial beauty as a wife and having children would be a way of repaying his kindness.

"Heh, Taurus Star Lord, you still haven't changed your old habit of being generous with other people's money." Erlang Shen sneered. "You were demoted to the mortal world because of your generosity, which caused many innocent women to suffer as wives of poor and lazy men. The Jade Emperor punished you by making you an ox for eternity, but you still don't repent."