MTL - The Monkey King - Chapter 732 : To fight or not to fight

Bad news: Xu Yanmiao traveled back to ancient times, but he himself is lazy and uninterested in anything but internet cybersecurity, which is useless in ancient times.Good news: He’s bound to a system.Bad news: The system is called the Gossip System, not the fortune-telling kind, but the kind that contains other people’s private information and scandals. Utterly useless.More bad news: This system is also glitchy, and the extent of the bugs is unknown.Even more bad news: This body is that of a minor official who can attend court meetings, while Xu, the time traveler… doesn’t understand the classics, can’t write with a brush, and is at risk of being exposed for cheating in the imperial exams.Xu Yanmiao: “…”Forget it, just lie low, wait to die, maybe dying quickly could lead to another time travel.…In the court, the emperor was furious about state affairs, and the courtiers trembled in fear.Xu Yanmiao pretended to listen attentively but was actually focused on browsing the Gossip System.[Wow, the emperor just took in a 16-year-old noblewoman yesterday! A beautiful addition! He’s getting stronger with age! And he was tossing and turning in bed all night but still has such a powerful voice now! Amazing!] [This noblewoman used to be the crown prince’s concubine! And the crown prince even knows how to write passionate love letters!] [Wow wow wow! The crown prince sneaked into the grandpa’s harem… hiss—got intimate while the old emperor was attending court! Do it quickly! Why isn’t there any video…] [Huh? Why is there no sound?]Xu Yanmiao cautiously raised his head and glanced around.[What happened? Why is everyone kneeling? Where’s the emperor?]—The emperor went to catch adultery in the harem.The “imperial exam cheating” bomb finally exploded.Xu Yanmiao couldn’t explain why his handwriting on the exam paper didn’t match his usual handwriting, nor could he answer why he didn’t understand the classics.The evidence prepared by the ousted crown prince of the emperor hit the nail on the head, and his personal bodyguard was ready to drag Xu Yanmiao away to the prison, awaiting execution in the autumn.Xu Yanmiao held onto the gossip that proved his innocence but was in a quandary:How do I explain the source of my information…[Say that I secretly met with the Chief Examiner, the Minister of Rites, three nights before the exam? Impossible, that night, the Minister of Rites was dressed as a woman, spent the night at the General’s Mansion, with the general…]The general’s body shook, and he interjected: “Your Majesty!!!!”“Although the evidence of exam cheating is solid, I believe there’s still something fishy about this. It should be re-investigated! Especially Xu… Xu… Xu Yanmiao’s attire is neat and tidy! Someone who cares so much about their appearance, how could they tarnish their reputation!”The crown prince, who couldn’t hear his thoughts: ??[Also, what’s with saying that the examiner faking yawning and tiredness was intentionally leaving me a gap for cheating? He spent the night before the exam in the pigsty without sleeping, how could he not be tired the next day? But, surprisingly, the Imperial Academy lecturer actually believed in pig’s milk…]The Imperial Academy lecturer’s face went pale, and he burst out: “Your Majesty!!!!”“I… I agree with the General’s words! How could Xu Lang cheat in the exam! He… he… he deliberately drank a glass of pure water before the exam, believing that only good-hearted people can use pure things, such a kind-hearted person, how could he cheat in the exam!”Thinking he had everything under control, the crown prince: ??Xu Yanmiao was deeply moved.[They’re all good people, even if their brains don’t work well, they’re trying their best to find reasons and excuses for me.] [But I really have no way to turn the tables, alas, it’s a pity that I haven’t finished watching the TV series I’ve been following. The old emperor angered the empress last night and got kicked out of the bedchamber, and now I’m going to die before seeing the ending. He seems to be planning to paint his face with ink and pretend to be a cat to cheer up the empress…]“Bang—”The old emperor slammed the table, forcibly interrupting the continuous stream of thoughts: “I believe Xu Yanmiao did not cheat in the exam! Release him, innocent!”The civil and military officials couldn’t wait to echo, fearing that if they were too slow, Xu Yanmiao might spill more gossip.“Yes yes yes! Release him innocent!”“Long live Your Majesty!”“Your Majesty, please end the court session! Let Xu Lang go home and rest! You’ve tired him out by making him stand for so long!”The crown prince: ??Did Xu Yanmiao drug them with hallucinogens or something?

Her previous life was pitiful. Soon after her birth, her father abandoned his wife and daughter for his first love and left for the city. Her mother left her at her grandmother's house, being indifferent to her suffer, and even schemed to marry her to her couin's lover. What's more, after escaping to the city, she was betrayed by her stepmother and stepsister, being stolen one of her kidneys! Without knowing the truth, she mistook them as benefactors, serving them just as a maid. She later found the truth and accidentally acquired a special space, enjoying good life for about two years before dying suddenly and inexplicably.After being reborn, she strived to avoid the pitfalls of her former life, yet was nearly overwhelmed by the truth when she discovered it.It turned out that the stepmother she hated most was actually her biological mother, and the person she most respected in her former life was actually her father.In her previous life, she had never been in love, and she was uninterested after her rebirth until she inadvertently stumbled upon love and extreme doting.In his previous life, he was also pitiable, but later became extremely wealthy. In this life, because of her, he became even more domineering.

Having been reincarnated, Shen Changqing became a member of the Great Qin's Demon-Subduing Division during an era infested with Demon Evils and rampant Strange Monsters—After slaying a Ghostly Level Fiend, his Pure Yang Technique reached Perfection!After slaying a Resentment Level Monster, his Heavenly Martial Gang Qi reached Perfection!After slaying a powerful Demon Evil, he broke through his own limits!After slaying—Years later, Shen Changqing became the Defender of the Human Clan, and all sorts of Demon Evils and Strange Monsters bowed their heads in submission!“As long as I live, the Human Clan shall not perish!”

Who’s a hero, really?Is it someone willing to risk everything for the greater good?Someone who forgives easily, no matter the wrong?Someone always ready to lend a hand when trouble shows up?Or maybe it’s the one who’d sacrifice one to save all?If that’s what makes a hero… then why do I have his power?Why am I the one with the system that was meant for him?I’m not a hero. I’m not even close.I wouldn’t throw away everything for some noble cause.I wouldn’t give up what matters to me, not my life, not my goal, just to play some role.Because I didn’t come to this world to save it.I came here as an extra, not the protagonist.I’ve read the story—Hero’s Vow.It was your typical chosen-one tale.Orphaned child, gets a cheat power, makes some friends, defeats the demon lord, yadda yadda.Predictable. Familiar. Boring, even.But then… after what happened to me…I woke up as Kai Lorne.Just a background character.A commoner with no ambition, no purpose—just an extra meant to a die a brutal death in Chapter 3.His death wasn’t even for himself. It was just there to spark the hero’s rage.But here’s the twist.I didn’t die.I got the hero’s power.I got the system.The cheat. The Narrative Override.The one thing that lets you alter the story itself. The power only the author of the said story would have.And now, I’m stuck asking myself the same question, over and over:If I’m not the hero…Then why the hell do I have his power?-----------------------------------------additional tags: Transmigration, Slice Of Life, Mana Cultivation, No-yuri, No-NTR, Genius MC, Hidden Identity and Power, Magic, Weak to Godlike, Story Alteration, Cheat system, Demons, Dragons, Beast girls, Swords, Tragedy, Grim dark.