Chapter 89 | I'm Trash, But My Alt Characters Are Overpowered

“Senior Brother Koi!”

Hearing Xu Ziyi address Yan Pingsheng this way, Zhuang Xun asked in surprise, “Senior Sister Xu, why do you call me that?”

Xu Ziyi covered her mouth and giggled, “Senior Brother Yan, you don't know? Everyone outside is calling you a koi now. They say you're blessed with immense luck and can pick up precious treasures whenever you want.”

“Ah, so that's it. I've only had a bit of good luck over the past few days. How could I possibly deserve to be called a koi?”

Xu Ziyi smiled and said, “Isn't having good luck exactly what makes you a koi? You're being too modest, Senior Brother Yan. I've heard all about your glorious deeds recently. From now on, whenever I go out, I'll have to pray to you first.”

Praying doesn't count unless they build me a golden statue first, Zhuang Xun thought.

Zhuang Xun smiled helplessly. “Senior Sister Xu, those are just exaggerated rumors from others. Please don't tease me.”

“Senior Brother Koi,” Chen Qing'er, who had a quiet and gentle look, also giggled from the side.

“Senior Sister Chen, even you are making fun of me.”

“Hahaha—”

Despite Yan Pingsheng's protests, Xu Ziyi and Chen Qing'er knew that this tall, imposing man was actually very gentle and not truly angry. They continued to call him “Senior Brother Koi” with every breath.

After the three of them chatted for a while, Zhuang Xun parted ways with them. On his way back, he ran into Han Shaoliang.

“Yo! The koi of our Posuo Courtyard!” Han Shaoliang's eyes lit up. He waved and ran over quickly.

“Junior Brother Koi, quick, take a look for me. How is my financial luck today?” He raised an eyebrow.

Zhuang Xun smiled helplessly. “Senior Brother Han, I'm not a fortune teller.”

“It's fine, I trust you,” Han Shaoliang said expectantly. “Do you think I'll win tonight? What will the outcome be?”

Out of ten fingers, you'll lose eleven, Zhuang Xun thought.

Zhuang Xun said, “Senior Brother Han, all I can say is that nine out of ten gamblers lose.”

“Ah?! I understand!” Han Shaoliang gasped in horror.

He quickly said goodbye to Yan Pingsheng and ran toward a courtyard. Pushing open the door, he burst in under the puzzled gazes of three people sitting around a stone table and announced:

“Old Hong, you guys go ahead and play tonight. I'm not going.”

The three around the stone table looked at each other. One of them stood up and asked, “Old Han, why is that? Didn't you just say before you left that you were feeling lucky today and were going to clean them out tonight?”

Han Shaoliang said with utmost seriousness, “I ran into the Koi just now when I went out. Junior Brother Koi said that today is not a good day for me to gamble.”

...

Yu Manor.

The dim candlelight illuminated half of Yu Wuyong's face as he pursed his lips, sniffled, stared wide-eyed, and frowned.

He remained silent for a long time before finally putting pen to paper and writing the first characters:

“In the first year of the Yujing Era, Bai Yujing burst onto the scene.”

“On that day, the sun rose and never set again...”

“On that day, a crimson light swirled around the room, illuminating it entirely. On that day, purple qi filled the heavens, lingering for a long time. On that day, auspicious sounds descended from the sky, bringing wisdom to thousands of miles...”

“As the saying goes, when one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. This is even more true when an immortal descends to the mortal world. Even the most ordinary villagers from Bai Yujing's hometown are blessed by his fortune, possessing immense luck...”

...

Inside the Linjia Courtyard.

Wang Hou felt incredibly anxious as he recalled the rumors he had heard about Xue Shiyu actively recruiting people to go up the mountain.

Should I go? Or should I not?

But if I go, will it be dangerous? I've only just become a martial artist. But if I don't go, will I miss out on a great opportunity? I heard that the people who went up the mountain with Xue Shiyu made at least a few hundred taels. Brother Yan is so lucky that he made even more...

Also, if I go, will Brother Yan look after me? He probably will, right? We're friends. But then again, Brother Yan doesn't seem that close to me, so maybe he won't? After all, with these kinds of things, and with Brother Yan having so many friends, what if he barely pays attention to me? I don't really dare to go alone...

Wang Hou agonized over it for a long time before deciding to let Yan Pingsheng help him make the choice.

He wrote “Go” and “Don't Go” on two separate pieces of paper, then pointed at them rhythmically as he chanted: “Whichever one Brother Yan chooses, I'll choose.”

He unfolded the paper he ended up pointing at. The words “Don't Go” were written on it.

Don't go... So, should I go or not? Should I do it again? But then would it lose its magic? Forget it, Brother Yan has great luck, so I'll just listen to his decision... After worrying a bit longer, Wang Hou finally made up his mind and let out a sigh of relief.

At the same time, the news of Yan Pingsheng possessing immense luck spread to the ears of the commoners in the Outer Court.

Thus, Yan Pingsheng's animal friends in the Outer Court gathered together, conceiving the idea of going up to the upper realm to find him.

Unfortunately, the division between immortals and mortals was vast. Mortals could not ascend to the immortal realm, so they were ultimately unable to see Yan Pingsheng.

Perhaps only when Zhuang Xun had a sudden whim to go down for a private inspection would these commoners have the fortune of meeting him.

...

Inside Yan Pingsheng's small courtyard.

Zhuang Xun had purchased a large amount of resources and had kept Yan Pingsheng indoors for several days.

He hadn't thought much of it at first, but now things seemed to have blown out of proportion. The rumors about Yan Pingsheng's luck had become increasingly mystical as they were passed from person to person.

Going out as Yan Pingsheng now was exactly like going out as Bai Yujing; he became the center of attention wherever he went.

It was actually even more exaggerated than with Bai Yujing.

Because Yan Pingsheng lacked that awe-inspiring aura of Bai Yujing that made people hesitate to get too close—as if breathing the same air as Chief Disciple Bai was a sin.

Of course, that was just what they thought in their hearts. Who wouldn't want to take a few extra breaths of immortal qi when they actually saw Chief Disciple Bai?

On the other hand, although Yan Pingsheng had a fierce and powerful build, his face was that of a standard, good-natured fellow. Coupled with his plain looks, he felt highly approachable and friendly. His face completely overshadowed his physique, instantly dispelling any intimidation that a muscle-bound hunk might otherwise project.

Thus, even though Yan Pingsheng stood nearly 1.9 meters tall, with shoulders broad enough to race horses on and arms sturdy enough for people to stand on, everyone still felt he was very easy to get along with. Combined with his reputation as a “human koi,” he couldn't walk more than a few steps down the street now without someone coming over to introduce themselves.

Zhuang Xun had already lost track of how many friends he had made during this period.

“I'll just keep a low profile for a while. Once the hype dies down, they'll naturally stop,” Zhuang Xun muttered.

Zhuang Xun was glad he had another clone. Otherwise, if both clones found it difficult to go outside, he would die of boredom in a world without phones or computers.

However, staying indoors for the past few days hadn't been without its rewards. He had almost completely digested the gains from his mountain expeditions over the past month.

Particularly with the help of that Blood-Tempering Grass to purify his blood qi, he didn't have to worry about being unable to digest too much precious meat. During this period, Yan Pingsheng's martial arts had progressed by leaps and bounds.

—Late-Stage Ninth Rank!

Once he finished shaping the remaining martial physique in his left arm, Yan Pingsheng's martial arts would reach the peak of the Ninth Rank. After tempering his blood qi and refining his realm for a bit longer, he would be able to step into the Early-Stage Eighth Rank!