Love from the Male Protagonist’s Harem

Chapter 47-Backstage

Translated by Snowfall77

When Xia Ge had raced her way to Danfeng’s field of furnaces, she hadn’t really held out much hope.  She’d originally decided the best plan would be using an unclaimed furnace and refining her dan, thus directly proving that she was worthy of being a Danfeng inner disciple.  The formalities could be worried about after that.

But to her complete shock, she’d actually heard her name being called.  Unfortunately she’d overdone her {ghost and shadow} speed and couldn’t stop in time.  And that was how she’d ended up making an airborne spectacle of herself, a big awkward black ball coming out of nowhere.

At least she’d landed her 360 degree somersault with some grace.  Pay no attention to the fact that her wound was torn open and bleeding.

……really, it didn’t hurt at all.

Besides, so what if she was embarrassed, so what if her wound had reopened……that could all be dealt with later.

Right she had something more important to focus on.

She could still keep her promise.

Seeing the lady in red and white sitting all dignified on the platform, seeing a gawking Ye Ze standing beside her, Xia Ge couldn’t help her bright smile.

——There was hope for an old age pension yet!

Happy times!

“Xia Wuyin, the 88th outer disciple of Danfeng’s 556th generation, paying his respects to Senior Sister!”

The young lady on the platform was completely composed, her pale porcelain-like face unreadable and her voice ice-cold: “Find your place and ready yourself.”

“Yes!”

Straightening her back, Xia Ge’s eyes swept across the field, quickly finding furnace No. 124.

It seemed Senior Sister had done the registration for her……

It really……

For the first time Xia Ge felt the happiness that came of holding onto that young lady’s thigh.

Making her way to furnace No. 124, Xia Ge felt like a worn-out sack.  Her limbs were heavy and her wound was a dull ache, making it plain that her body was not in a good state.

When she stood in front of her furnace, she sensed someone looking at her.  Casting a sideways glance, she saw a boy in hemp clothes standing at the furnace next to hers.

The boy wore a red ribbon, staring straight ahead with pitch-black eyes.  Expression harsh, his aura screamed ‘do not approach.’

Xia Ge was standing to his right and quickly realized that he wasn’t the one looking at her.  It was the girl on the boy’s left that was unabashedly staring at Xia Ge.

The staring girl did look very familiar, but Xia Ge couldn’t place where she’d seen the girl before.

As their eyes met, the other girl showed no shyness, radiating righteous self-confidence instead.

Giving no expression, Xia Ge withdrew her gaze.

{little puppet……}

System: [Hmm?]

Xia Ge’s tone was profound: {am i brimming with fabulous sickly beauty right now?  like am i especially attractive in a morbid kind of way?}

System: [……]

If only the system had hands……it’d slap Xia Ge’s big head back to reality so fast……

A moment later, the staring girl called: “……you, hello.”  A brief hesitation, and then more loudly: “……aren’t you Xia Ge?”

Abruptly turning her head, Xia Ge stared back at the girl: “!!!?”

Fuck, where the hell did you come from?!  Knowing my real name?!  Are you a living person or a ghost?!

Mao Qing slightly pursed her lips: “I remember you.  So I guess your name is actually Xia Wuyin.”

Seeing Xia Ge’s still shocked expression, Mao Qing suddenly felt a little insulted.  She stomped a foot in annoyance: “Don’t you remember me?!  I’m……Chang Lu……”

Going pale with fright, Xia Ge blurted: “Fuck, you’re Chang Lu?!!  That dan gave you a sex change?!”

Incredible!

Mao Qing’s young face turned bright red: “I’m not Chang Lu!!  My name is Mao Qing!  I……”

Seeing Xia Ge’s blank expression, Mao Qing took a deep breath: “I am……in any case, even if you don’t remember, thank you!”

Mao Qing wrung her lapel as she said that last part, looking rather awkward.

After searching through her memories of what’d happened with Chang Lu, Xia Ge finally recognized Mao Qing: “Oh……it’s you.”

Huo Bai, blank-faced and sandwiched between the two conversers, took materials out of his sleeve and placed them atop of his table.

A few seconds later, he realized he’d taken out something unnecessary and hastily tucked it back in his sleeve.

But not before Xia Ge inadvertently caught a glimpse of it.

Mao Qing, still pursing her lips, asked: “You’re here to do the entry examination too?  Doesn’t Senior Sister favor you?  If you’re that outstanding, why are you here?”

Xia Ge snapped back to her senses: {what did she just say?}

The system answered coldly: [Host, She Praised You For Your Excellence.]

Gobsmacked, Xia Ge rejoined: {say that again?!  what’s the matter with you, little puppet?!  have i lost too much blood?  is it your voice malfunctioning or is it my ears?}

The system practiced restraint: [Host, She Said That You Are Outstanding.]

Xia Ge: {yeah, i’m going to need you to say that again.  can you just repeat all those words one more time?  little puppet, i think maybe you need to upgrade your sound system, cause i can barely hear you.}

System: [Host Is Trash.  How About That?  Did You Hear Me That Time?]

Xia Ge coughed like she’d heard nothing, muttering to herself: “Ah, I am pretty awesome.  But a talent like me belongs in the limelight——”

Lowering her voice even more, Xia Ge continued to convince herself: “That’s right, a truly excellent person should be center stage, not backstage.”

System: [……]  What bullshit!  You couldn’t even get yourself registered, someone had to do it for you……so how the fuck do you belong center stage?!

Oh, you’re a talent all right.

At being a fucking crossdressing bullshitter.

Meanwhile, Mao Qing was declaring: “But I don’t care how outstanding you are, for this entry examination I will be first!”

Xia Ge smirked: “Too bad, I also plan to place first——I guess this means we’re adversaries now, Miss Mao.”

Huo Bai, stuck in the middle: “……”

“Prepare your materials!  The examination is about to begin!”
The voice of the Danfeng disciple on the platform rang out, solemn and clear.  Xia Ge turned her gaze back to her furnace and composed herself.  Slowly taking out the materials Senior Sister had given her from her silver ring, Xia Ge placed them on the small table, where there was also a small scale and a few other miscellaneous liandan tools.  Using the scale, Xia Ge checked her materials one by one, making sure everything was in order.  And at first Xia Ge was able to focus, but then a dizzy spell hit her.  Her fingers trembled and her vision went askew.

Xia Ge shook her head and put the material down.  Bracing herself with both hands on the table, she closed her eyes, waiting for the vertigo to pass.

As for Mao Qing, her mood was a little complicated as she was doing her own weighing.  On one hand, Xia Ge was her competitor, but on the other hand, Xia Ge was also Mao Qing’s life-saving benefactor.  Stealing a quick glance, Mao Qing was surprised to see that Xia Ge’s complexion was very pale and his eyes were closed.

No……that face had always been pale.  It was the cold sweat beading on his forehead that indicated something was wrong.

Mao Qing thought about who had paid for her medical expenses that time, who had made Chang Lu kneel before Danfeng disciples.  And her concern trumped her competitive spirit: “……hey, all you alright?  You don’t look too good.”

Feeling a little better, Xia Ge opened her eyes at Mao Qing’s query.

Xia Ge: “Please don’t disturb me, I was absorbing of the lingqi of heaven and earth.”

System: [……]

Huo Bai: “……”

Feeling that she’d just inadvertently fed someone’s oversized ego, Mao Qing’s expression went blank and she uttered a quiet: “Oh.”  She turned her head, ground her teeth, and went back to her weighing, not knowing why she was so angry.

Refining a Bigu dan didn’t exactly require heaven and earth lingqi, what a load of bullshit!  What kind of high-level dan do you think you’re going to make?!  Not going to happen!

Naturally, Xia Ge wasn’t feeling at all spiritually enlightened at the moment.

Well, her head was spinning, but that was from too much blood loss……

Seeing double, she finally managed to finish weighing her materials.

It didn’t matter if she was numb to the pain, the overexertion, the reopened wound, and the vertigo from blood loss were all taking their toll.

She’d made it in time for the examination, yet the situation was still……not good.

{hey, little puppet……do i have any points left?}

System: [No, You Spent Your Last 10 Points On The Potential Gun.]

A dizzy Xia Ge: {too bad, that was some good stuff……if i could just give myself another hit……}

System: [What You Need To Do Is Clear Your Head.  The Potential Gun Is Not Something To Be Used All The Time.  And If You Did Overdraw Your Potential, You Would Be Putting Unimaginable Pressure On Your Body.  Using It When You Were Within The 3 Days Given By Your Xue Bigu Dan Was One Thing.  However Using It Now, In Your Current State, Would Be Suicide.]

Who was looking for death?  Zhao Si?

Xia Ge instinctively murmured: “Who’s Zhao Si?  Nicholas Zhao Si?  My real name is Lei Feng……”

System: [……]

Taking a few seconds to realize what she’d just said, Xia Ge amended: “Ai, no……my name is Xia Wuyin.”

""

System: [Maybe You Should Withdraw Or Find A Way To Delay, Cause Your State Right Now Is A Bit……Dangerous.]

Xia Ge’s heart was almost touched: {is little puppet worried for me?}

The system opted for brutal honesty: [I’m Worried That You’ll Blow Up Your Furnace And Bring Disaster To The Fish Pond.]

Xia Ge promised herself that she’d find a way to feed her trash system to the dogs.

“Ha, excellent geniuses like myself don’t blow up furnaces.”

Flinging her head back, Xia Ge stared up at the sky and tried to think.  When that didn’t work, she peered at the boy next to her.

“……hey.”  Xia Ge called out, “What’s your name?”

Clenching the fists hidden in his sleeves, the boy glanced at Xia Ge, a cryptic expression on his face: “Huo Bai.”

“Huh……you look familiar,” Xia Ge muttered, “I feel like I know you from somewhere.”

System: [Host, This Method Of Starting A Conversation Has Been Outdated Since Forever.  Have You No Shame?]

Xia Ge: {little puppet, where’s your shame? how you could claim i’m outdated?  i’m originally from a far more technologically advanced era, aren’t i?  therefore my conversation starter is way ahead of the times……}

System: [……]

So you are trying to hit on someone right now?!
Not even Xia Ge believed her words to her little puppet, however, for the sake of humanism and self-defense, she had to at least try.

{in all seriousness……he really does feel familiar.}  Xia Ge silently explained.

Huo Bai then gave Xia Ge another quick look: “You must be mistaken.  I’m a disciple recruited from an outside village.  I’m not an outer disciple, this is my first time being here.”

“Haha.”  Xia Ge scratched her head, “Alright, nevermind, I have a hard time remembering people, I mean……um, can you give me one of those pieces of candy you have in your sleeve?  No, I mean let me borrow a piece and I’ll pay you back later.”

Mao Qing: “……”

System: [……]

Damn, how you do know he has candy stashed in his sleeves?!

Huo Bai instantaneously blushed: “I don’t have any!”

Xia Ge’s expression was deadly serious: “Yes, you do.  I saw them when you were taking out your materials.  Candies from the Jinjiang sweets shop down the mountain.  Peppermint flavor!

System: [……]