“Mo Bai and the others… don’t let me down…”
Li An lay on a recliner inside the Number One Scholar’s Residence, muttering to himself.
Outside the window, the night was deep.
The capital’s “Sleepless City” was still brilliantly lit, and faintly, the noise of the night market drifted through the air.
But Li An felt no joy at all.
Great Qi had backfired again.
But Northern Yan… that should be fine, right?
The compensation mission was tied to his life!
If he failed it, the system would erase him outright!
He tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
These past two months had been pure torment.
He had clearly tried to ruin the country—
Yet the Sleepless City Plan had turned into a nation-strengthening masterpiece instead.
The national fortune kept climbing uncontrollably.
If not for the Northern Yan compensation mission as a fallback, he would have collapsed long ago.
“Young Master, you’ve been muttering all night.”
Hongmei leapt in through the window and spoke gently.
“Maybe… you should get some sleep?”
“Sleep my ass.”
Li An rolled over.
“Do you know what a life-or-death moment is?”
“Sigh. Forget it—you wouldn’t understand. Why is there still no news from Northern Yan?”
Hongmei fell silent.
Of course she understood.
She just didn’t understand why her master was so nervous.
Wasn’t it just about increasing Northern Yan’s national strength?
The Mohist disciples had already been sent.
The divine steel formula had been sent.
The sweet potatoes had been sent.
And the emperor of Northern Yan wasn’t stupid—he would definitely promote them nationwide.
What was there to worry about?
“Rest assured, Young Master.”
Hongmei said softly.
“According to intelligence from Blackwater Terrace, progress in Northern Yan is smooth.”
“The Emperor highly values the divine steel and sweet potatoes and has ordered nationwide promotion.”
Li An relaxed slightly.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Hongmei nodded.
“Master Mo Bai and the others have been honored as distinguished guests.”
“I heard they were even granted the title of… State Preceptor?”
Li An blinked.
State Preceptor?
Damn, that’s intense.
“And…”
Hongmei continued.
“The sweet potatoes are spreading extremely fast in Northern Yan.”
“In less than two months, grain production in several prefectures is expected to double.”
“Among the people, it’s said that an immortal sent down divine grain.”
Li An finally felt more at ease.
Sent by immortals?
Fine.
As long as Northern Yan’s strength increases.
If the people of Northern Yan knew this ‘divine grain’ had been siphoned from Great Qi by Li An…
They’d probably build him a shrine.
“What about the divine steel?” he asked.
“The formula has been implemented across Northern Yan’s smelting workshops.”
Hongmei replied.
“Their army has begun preparing to re-equip with the new weapons.”
“The increase in combat power is obvious.”
“Some generals are even requesting permission to march south and test Great Qi’s strength.”
Li An froze.
March south?
Test Great Qi?
These Northern Yan barbarians sharpen their blades and immediately want to swing them?
Probably still bitter about their last crushing defeat.
“But the Emperor suppressed the proposal.”
Hongmei added.
“He said the new technology needs time to be digested, and it’s not wise to start a war yet.”
“And…”
She hesitated.
“The Emperor seems… dissatisfied with your current situation in Great Qi.”
“How so?”
Li An blinked.
“It’s said that His Majesty is actually very pleased with your performance in Great Qi.”
Hongmei explained.
“He knows the technologies and talents were all delivered through you.”
“He remarked to Blackwater Terrace’s leadership that someone as capable as you serving as a spy in Great Qi is a waste.”
“He even said that if you’re willing to return, he would immediately grant you the title of Duke and reward you with ten thousand taels of gold. You could abandon your identity in Great Qi at once…”
Li An’s lips twitched.
A dukedom?
Ten thousand taels?
That Northern Yan emperor sure is generous.
Too bad that’s not what I want.
I want the system’s gold vault!
That’s what I can take back to the modern world!
“Young Master, should we…” Hongmei asked tentatively.
“Should we what?”
“Should you consider returning to Northern Yan?”
Li An rolled his eyes.
“Return to Northern Yan?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Forget it. Let’s not talk about that.”
He waved his hand.
Just as he was lost in thought—
Ding!
The familiar system notification sounded in his mind.
Li An jolted upright.
It’s here!
【Second cycle nearing completion】
【Calculating cycle settlement…】
【Please wait】
Li An stared at the system panel.
At this moment, he was more nervous than waiting for college entrance exam results.
Settlement.
Finally.
These two months had been torture.
He had managed to lower Great Qi’s national fortune early on—
But later, no matter what he did, it skyrocketed uncontrollably.
From over 150,000 to over 170,000.
An increase of 20,000 points.
He estimated he’d only get a pitiful few hundred taels of gold.
But thankfully, the compensation mission was the safety net.
As long as Northern Yan’s strength rose, it would offset part of the penalty.
“Please…”
“Northern Yan, don’t let me down…”
Ding!
【Cycle settlement begins】
【=============================】
【Second Cycle Mission Review】
Identity: Northern Yan spy
Public identity: Great Qi envoy / Number One Scholar
Cycle duration: 2 months
【=============================】
【Main Mission: Ruin Great Qi’s national fortune】
Initial national fortune: 152,479
Final national fortune: 172,479
Change: +20,000
Mission evaluation: Complete failure
【=============================】
Li An’s face darkened at the words “Complete failure.”
Damn it.
Even after all his sabotage attempts, it still rose by 20,000.
If he had genuinely tried to strengthen the nation, it might have pierced the heavens.
【Main mission reward/penalty calculation】
Because you acted against your stance,
For every +1 national fortune, you receive only 0.01 taels of gold.
Main mission reward: 200 taels of gold
Additional penalty: Compensation mission triggered
Li An’s heart tightened.
Two hundred taels?
Two months of work for two hundred taels?
That’s less than his salary!
But it didn’t matter.
The compensation mission was the key.
As long as that succeeded, the real profit was there.
Ding!
【Compensation mission settlement】
【=============================】
Target: Increase Northern Yan national strength by +64,479
Actual completion: +64,529
Mission evaluation: Exceeded target!
【=============================】
Li An nearly jumped up.
Exceeded!
Northern Yan increased by almost 65,000!
Even fifty points over the target!
“It worked!”
He screamed internally.
“It worked!”
【Compensation mission reward calculation】
Because the compensation mission was completed in accordance with your stance,
For every +1 Northern Yan national strength, you receive 100 taels of gold.
Compensation mission reward: 5,000 taels of gold
Five thousand taels!
Li An’s eyes widened.
That’s five hundred jin of gold.
Before reincarnation, gold was over a thousand per gram.
One jin equals 500 grams—that’s over half a million per jin.
Five thousand taels—
That’s worth at least 2.5 billion in modern currency!
An absolute fortune!
He had never seen that much money in his life!
Even if he couldn’t spend it in Great Qi, as long as it stayed in the system—
When he died and returned to the modern world—
He’d be a billionaire!
Luxury villas!
Sports cars!
Travel the world!
His hands trembled with excitement.
This was a massive win!
Even if the Great Qi mission failed, Northern Yan alone was enough for him to coast through his modern life!
No—
To coast gloriously!
He was still fantasizing when—
【Revenue summary】
Compensation mission: +5,000 taels
Main mission: +200 taels
Total this cycle: 5,200 taels of gold
Current vault balance: 5,222.395 taels of gold
Li An stared at the number, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
Just over five thousand taels.
Not quite the billionaire he had imagined, but still a decent haul.
At least it was far better than the miserable three hundred taels from the last cycle.
“Not bad…”
he muttered to himself.
“Even though Great Qi backfired again, at least Northern Yan delivered.”
“This round wasn’t a loss.”
【Second cycle settlement complete】
【Third cycle about to begin】
【Drawing identity for third cycle…】
Li An took a deep breath.
Forget it.
Isn’t it always like this?
Every time the system tricks him.
Every time his plans fall through.
But at least…
He was still alive.
The compensation mission was complete, so he wouldn’t be erased.
That was enough.
As long as he lived, there was hope.
Next cycle, he would definitely complete the mission!
Definitely make a fortune!
Ding!
【Drawing third-cycle identity…】
【Wheel spinning】
A familiar roulette wheel appeared on the system panel.
It was filled with various identities:
【Northern Yan Spy】
【Loyal Minister of Great Qi】
【Southern Zhou Undercover】
【Eastern Wu Agent】 …
Li An stared nervously at the options.
Please…
Just don’t let it be Northern Yan Spy again.
Last cycle he was a Northern Yan spy, tried to ruin the country—and instead made it stronger.
If that happened again, he would truly break down.
The wheel spun faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Li An stared without blinking.
Then—
It began to slow.
Slower.
Slower.
Finally—
It stopped on:
【Loyal Minister of Great Qi】
Li An blinked.
Loyal Minister of Great Qi?
What?
Ding!
【Congratulations, Host!】
【Third-cycle identity obtained — Loyal Minister of Great Qi!】
Cycle duration: 4 months
Mission objective: Increase Great Qi’s national fortune
Reward mechanism:
For every +1 national fortune → 100 taels of gold
Penalty mechanism:
For every −1 national fortune → 0.01 taels of gold
【Good luck~】
Li An stared blankly at the panel.
Loyal Minister?
Mission… increase national fortune?
He rubbed his eyes.
No mistake.
It really said Loyal Minister.
It really said increase national fortune.
Which meant—
This cycle he didn’t have to ruin the country?
This cycle his task was to strengthen it?
“Holy shit!”
Li An leapt up from his chair.
“This is a freebie question?!”
Before, whenever he tried to ruin the country, the national fortune only skyrocketed.
No matter how he sabotaged things, it kept rising.
And now the system wanted him to strengthen the nation?
Wasn’t that effortless?
As long as he did his job normally, national fortune would rise!
As long as he didn’t cause trouble, national fortune would rise!
Heck, maybe even if he lay flat and did nothing, it would rise!
After all—
He was a man with a “reverse constitution”!
When he tried to ruin the country, it prospered.
If he now tried to strengthen it—
Wouldn’t that make it prosper even more?!
“Hahahahaha!”
He burst out laughing.
“This time it’s stable!”
“Really stable!”
“Four months. I just have to let national fortune rise!”
“Judging by my previous track record, it should increase by at least a hundred thousand points, right?”
One hundred thousand points meant ten million taels of gold!
That was more than the previous two cycles combined!
“Young Master?”
Hearing the laughter, Hongmei peeked in through the window.
“Are you… alright?”
She looked worried.
He had just been gloomy.
Why was he suddenly laughing like a madman?
“I’m fine!”
Li An grinned broadly.
“Better than fine!”
“Fantastic!”
He paced around the room, too excited to stand still.
Hongmei grew even more concerned.
Had the Young Master been driven mad?
“Hongmei!”
Li An suddenly stopped and turned to her.
“Bring me the ‘Ruin-the-Country Notes’ I wrote before!”
“The what?”
“The notebooks titled ‘How to Empty the Treasury,’ ‘How to Aggravate Conflicts,’ ‘How to Lower Public Support’—all of them!”
“Bring them!”
Hongmei nodded and went to fetch them.
Soon she returned with a stack of papers.
Li An flipped through them briefly.
Then—
“Whoosh—”
He tossed them into the brazier.
Flames surged up, devouring the pages.
Hongmei froze.
“Young Master, what is this—”
“Don’t need them anymore.”
Li An watched the papers burn, a smile tugging at his lips.
“From today onward, this official will be a loyal minister of Great Qi.”
“What?”
Hongmei thought she misheard.
“What did you say?”
“I said—”
Li An turned around, eyes shining.
“From today onward, I will devote myself to strengthening the nation!”
“I’ll make Great Qi’s national fortune soar like a kite cut loose—”
“Straight into the sky!”
“And no one will stop me!”
Hongmei was completely stunned.
Had the Young Master…
Changed?
Weren’t they spies of Northern Yan?
Weren’t they supposed to sabotage Great Qi?
Why was he suddenly becoming a loyal minister?
“Young Master, are you…”
she began cautiously.
“Have you… changed your mind? Or…”
“Or what?”
Li An looked at her.
“Nothing.”
Hongmei lowered her head.
She had wanted to ask whether he truly intended to defect.
Whether he genuinely wanted to serve Great Qi.
But the words died in her throat.
She was from Northern Yan.
If he truly betrayed them, she should report it to Blackwater Terrace.
But…
She didn’t want to see him dealt with either.
“Hongmei.”
Li An suddenly spoke.
“Do you think I’m someone who would sincerely serve Great Qi?”
She froze.
“I…”
“You don’t have to answer.”
He waved a hand.
“Whatever I do, just watch.”
“There’s always a reason.”
“Understand?”
Hongmei nodded.
She still didn’t fully understand.
But she knew the Young Master must have his own plan.
Looking at his high-spirited expression, she felt confused.
What exactly was he thinking?
She couldn’t see through him at all.
As for Li An—
He didn’t care what Hongmei thought.
His mind was filled with gold.
Four months.
One hundred and twenty days.
With his “reverse constitution,” gaining a few hundred points of national fortune per day shouldn’t be hard, right?
He would earn back everything he had lost.
No—
He would earn far more.
With that thought, he pulled something from his sleeve.
A delicate monocle.
The reward he had drawn before:
【Eye of Omniscience】
It could reveal anyone’s core desires and weaknesses.
He had been reluctant to use it before.
But now…
“Maybe this will finally come in handy.”
He put the monocle away, a determined smile on his lips.
This time—
He would make an absolute killing.
Outside the window, Hongmei watched his confident expression and shook her head softly.
The Young Master clearly had a new plan.
She just didn’t know what it was.
Nor did she know whether this man—who seemed ready to confront a court full of scheming officials single-handedly—
Would succeed.
Discussion
Comments
0 comments so far.
Sign in to join the conversation and keep your activity tied to this account.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.