Chapter 177: Child of Destiny

Chapter 177 Child of Destiny

What kind of blessed life is this?

This isn’t a butler—it’s practically living the high life.

Putting themselves in his shoes felt exhilarating, but after their brief excitement, the staff remembered that the one enjoying this was an enemy of Tianlanxing.

Honestly, watching him escape scot-free,

they’d much rather see the butler get exposed, forced to take desperate measures to save himself by attacking the spoiled brat’s family, ending in a lose-lose situation where no one comes out on top.

Now that’s the kind of drama that would be truly satisfying.

“If only we weren’t worried about the specifics of the Transform ability leaking out, giving outsiders a heads-up. If Sheng Qingquan uses it later, people might see through it and ruin the effect. Otherwise, I’d seriously suggest sending a tip-off to the rich playboy’s family!” one staff member couldn’t help but sigh.

Tell me about it!

Still, there’d be chances in the future. They could still send the tip-off—just to a different target.

Instead of the rich playboy’s family, why not send it to the butler?

Let the butler think the rich playboy’s family had uncovered its secret ability and were preparing to eliminate it.

That way, to protect itself, the butler would have no choice but to strike first!

Now that’s what I call satisfaction!

Write that down—this is how they’d do it later.

They all sighed in satisfaction, some opening the fridge, others digging into snack boxes, finally in the mood to relax.

“After Transforming, not only would DNA tests fail to identify them as the same person, but everything else would too.”

“Take the butler, for example. The rich playboy’s family could trust it to take the spoiled brat out alone, not just because of its fighting prowess and usual display of loyalty, but more importantly—there was a contract between them.”

“If the butler broke the contract unilaterally, it would suffer backlash, severe enough to even be fatal.”

“A pyrrhic victory—who’d be stupid enough to do that without deep-seated hatred?”

“The butler had a promising career ahead—it wasn’t worth it for some spoiled brat.”

“More critically, after the backlash, the rich playboy’s family could use the contract to track the butler’s location and hunt it down.”

“In other words, under normal circumstances, if the butler acted, it could easily kill the spoiled brat—but afterward, it would have no escape. It’d absolutely be captured by the family and buried alongside the spoiled brat.”

“This contractual safeguard was the biggest reason the rich playboy’s family dared to entrust the spoiled brat to it.”

“Of course, there were also benefits involved. They’d promised the butler a promotion and raise upon return, freeing it from playing nanny.”

“It was only after considering every angle that the family were so confident.”

“But they never expected the butler to have this ability. Once it Transformed, it wasn’t just its body that changed.”

“The contract you signed with Butler Version 1—what does that have to do with me, Butler Version 2?”

“If we’re not even the same person, why would the contract still apply?”

“The butler was fearless—what it least worried about was getting chased.”

"Holy crap, this skill is insanely useful! I thought I already held it in high regard before, but turns out I still severely underestimated it!" someone exclaimed in amazement.

"This means you can freely enter contracts with people, gain their trust to reap benefits first, then breach the contract—zero backlash or consequences."

"In some ways, this skill is even more powerful than all the abilities Sheng Qingquan previously obtained."

"Just think about the potential profits involved here."

For a moment, everyone started brainstorming crazy ideas.

Sheng Qingquan was also very satisfied.

"If I dive into interstellar politics and cause chaos, I could still get away clean."

"Though, I need to make sure it's truly undetectable first."

Sheng Qingquan activated his ability, and his handsome face instantly became ordinary. His originally well-proportioned physique bulged like a water-soaked sponge, his tall stature shortened. Looking in the mirror, he saw a jacked bruiser dude reflected back—totally unrecognizable from his original appearance.

Maintaining this form, Sheng Qingquan contacted the Liaison to regain access rights to the research institute.

"After all, with a changed appearance—fingerprints, irises, everything altered—an unrecorded stranger suddenly showing up at the institute would be way sketchy."

"The institute would definitely go into lockdown."

"I don't want guns pointed at me."

"This is incredible! If you hadn't told us who you were, no matter how wildly we speculated, we'd never connect it to you. Not a single tell—perfect cover."

The researchers collected Sheng Qingquan's blood, hair, and other biological samples.

"They're completely two different people."

If not for Sheng Qingquan's authentication markers, even after seeing the results, they wouldn't have believed it. Or rather, precisely because they saw the results, they became convinced this medium-height jacked bruiser dude before them couldn't possibly be Sheng Qingquan.

But the inner voices they heard forced them to admit—the person standing before them truly wasn't a stranger. Not some random person the staff dragged in from the streets to mess with them.

This was the real deal.

"Beyond scientific methods," said a canine-blooded hybrid, his nose twitching, "even the scent is entirely different."

Another cultivator closed his eyes, meditating deeply before stating: "The qi signature is wrong too."

Though Sheng Qingquan's power dwarfed his, when Sheng Qingquan wasn't deliberately concealing himself, he could sense the other's qi. Yet now, with Sheng Qingquan still not hiding himself, while he could indeed pick up on their qi as always...

This qi...

"To my senses, what stands before me is an unfamiliar, powerful cultivator."

"If we met elsewhere, I'd think Tianlanxing had spawned another Foundation Establishment Master." Even without news of anyone going through their tribulation, he wouldn't associate this with Sheng Qingquan—just assume the other had powerful backing, undergoing tribulation privately without public announcement.

They just kept it under wraps.

In short, the effect was off-the-charts effective. Sheng Qingquan headed home, thoroughly pleased.

Everyone was naturally happy for him.

However, that very same day, a resident sneakily knocked on a staffer's door.

"Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to meddle."

"But, no matter how powerful the shapeshifting ability is, if his thoughts can still be heard, what’s the point of changing his looks?"

"This ability is basically nerfed. Shouldn’t someone warn him?"

"Otherwise, what if one day he uses this skill outside, thinking he can leave safely, only to get busted, hurt, or worse? Without any warning, that would be such a crappy way to go!" The resident said anxiously.

He had lain in bed, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, until he couldn’t sleep at all.

He couldn’t even wait until the next day—he bolted up and went straight to the staffers.

He hoped they could find a solution, or at least let Sheng Qingquan know that this skill wasn’t as effective on him as it was on the butler.

After all, he came with a built-in tell.

This was the resident’s concern for Sheng Qingquan. The staffers only thought it was sweet—how could they think he was being nosy?

The staffers patiently explained, "Those who bear hostility toward Sheng Qingquan can’t hear his inner thoughts."

The resident knew this, but Sheng Qingquan had completely changed his appearance. Hostility toward "Sheng Qingquan" didn’t necessarily mean hostility toward "the new Sheng Qingquan."

Didn’t that mean enemies could still hear Sheng Qingquan’s thoughts?

"After all this time, we’ve gained a clearer understanding of the rules governing the inner voice."

"Actually, aside from those hostile toward Sheng Qingquan, those he is wary of also can’t hear his thoughts."

It was kinda weird. When Sheng Qingquan’s vigilance was particularly high, no one could hear his inner voice.

Though his thoughts were leaked, this leakage—aside from somewhat violating his privacy—provided him with solid protection in other aspects.

"So what you’re worried about won’t happen." Otherwise, they would have long since found a way to lock this ability down.

It’d suck for such a powerful skill to go unused, but Sheng Qingquan’s safety was more important.

No matter how regrettable, it was still better than him using it and getting screwed.

If that was the case, then there was no problem. The resident left feeling better. This time, as soon as he lay down, he wasn’t out like a light.

Not even two days later, another apocalypse hit.

Sheng Qingquan stared at the novel in front of him and flipped it open.

"Huh? Who’s this ‘chosen one’?"

"Seriously, is she lucky or cursed?"

"I never noticed before how messed up Mao Ziqi’s life was."

"She just seemed like a regular café owner."

"Her coffee smelled amazing and tasted even better!"

Just his whole take on Mao Ziqi.

Sheng Qingquan wasn’t much of a coffee person; he preferred tea. However, when tea lost its kick from overuse, he would occasionally switch to coffee.

When he was crunching at work, Sheng Qingquan always ordered coffee from the same place.

It was the kind of coffee even non-coffee drinkers could get behind.

Since he always ordered through delivery apps, he had never met the owner.

It wasn’t until after discovering the peculiarities of Unit 2 in Baojing Community and going through the official records that he realized Mao Ziqi, who lived in the same building, was the owner of that coffee shop.

"She didn’t used to be this unlucky!"

Mao Ziqi’s hand trembled as she held the coffee beans. Just how bad was her luck gonna get for Sheng Qingquan to keep sighing like this?

At first, when Sheng Qingquan praised her skills, Mao Ziqi had felt pretty pleased with herself.

Thinking that she couldn’t go to the shop today anyway, she decided to polish up that new drink idea.

She planned to make it and let the neighbors taste-test it—a way to return the favor for Sheng Qingquan’s compliment.

But now, Mao Ziqi put the coffee bean jar back in place. She totally lost her mojo.

"Mao Ziqi’s family hit a rough patch and needed a large sum of money. As an only child with a close relationship with her parents, she couldn’t just sit this one out. Her coffee shop was doing well, and her income was actually quite good."

"But a few years ago, she had bought a house—paid cash upfront."

"The money she earned in recent years was plowed back into growing the business. She had just opened a new branch, so there was no way she could scrape that much together on short notice."

"To cover the shortfall, she’d either have to sell the house or sell off the shop to withdraw funds."

Truly unlucky.

Mao Ziqi immediately reached for her phone to ask her parents about the situation at home.

How could they suddenly need so much money? Had they been conned, or was it worse?

If it was a scam, that would be one thing—but what if one of her parents had a serious illness that even med-tech couldn’t fix?

Her stomach knotted tighter with each thought.

"Just when she was short on money, the lottery ticket she bought in a low moment ended up winning."

"The prize was decent—enough to cover the family’s financial shortfall."

"Now she wouldn’t have to choose between losing her home or her business."

"Mother Mao had fallen ill. Med-tech was useless against it, and ordinary doctors couldn’t cure it either—she’d need to go under in a med-pod."

She really was sick!

Mao Ziqi’s fingers shook as she typed, wondering if they’d already caught it.

Or had they found out but kept it from her to avoid worrying her?

For a moment, any luck she’d felt evaporated.

Her fingers froze over the keys, so she dialed the number instead, as the phone rang, waiting for her parents to answer.

The beeping sound from the phone, one after another, hammered against her chest. Mao Ziqi was crushed under the weight of it, her heartbeat uncomfortably erratic.

She could only desperately reassure herself: "It’ll be okay. Didn’t Sheng Qingquan say it? I’m jinxed but blessed."

"Before, when I needed money, I won the lottery. Now, Mom getting sick is the unlucky part, so next must come the luck."

"So Mom’s illness must be fine."

Because for her, only her mother being alive and well would count as true luck.

"If left untreated, this illness could kill. But treatment slots for the med-pods are so hard to come by."

"Mao Ziqi pulled every string she could and managed to secure a slot, but she was way down the waitlist."

"Just as she worried day and night, fearing her mother might not make it in time, and even considered whether to selfishly call in favors to see if it would work—several new med-pods were rolled out. The hospital where Mao Ziqi’s mother was waiting happened to receive one more."

"With an additional med-pod, they could process patients faster."

"Originally, Mao Ziqi’s mother might not have made it in time, but now she could receive treatment just in time."

"Oh thank god." Mao Ziqi collapsed to the floor, drained. She didn’t care about the cold floor—right now, she just felt overwhelming gratitude.

Thank heavens!

Otherwise, she truly wouldn’t have known what to do.

"Mao Ziqi’s cultivation hit a wall for a long time. Watching those around her advance one after another, she was the only one left behind. Though she tried hard to tell herself not to rush, to take it slow—"

"As long as she honed her skills enough, success would come naturally one day."

"But during her cultivation, she still couldn’t help feeling somewhat impatient. Compared to before, she had become way more antsy."

"She never realized the issue, so she failed to adjust her state in time."

"Finally, during one cultivation session, it backfired."

"Just as Mao Ziqi was about to get injured—an injury that could either knock her back a realm or erase all her progress—"

"Starting over would mean wasting immense time and effort on recovery and retraining, not to mention—"

"The mental blocks it could leave. Breaking through again in the future would become even harder."

"A single misstep could even lead to a heart-devil taking root."

"The fallout would haunt her forever."

"At that very moment, it clicked, and she shattered the bottleneck in an instant."

"What had been impossible no matter how hard she tried now flowed smoothly beyond belief, gradually reaching perfection. Every problem resolved itself."

"Not only did she avoid injury, but she even broke through to the next minor realm."

"Moreover, she gained insights that would greatly benefit her future cultivation."

"Mao Ziqi was an alchemist. Aside from cultivation, she also researched and meticulously refined pills."

"The practice pills she made were sent to professional institutions—if deemed usable, they were sold; if harmful to humans, they were sold as combat toxins. The absolute duds got trashed."

"That day, she brought her freshly brewed elixirs and was about to get them tested. But before heading out, she decided to drop by the café first."

"The café was slammed that day, and the staff were overwhelmed. Mao Ziqi rolled up her sleeves and jumped in to help."

"Who knew the chocolate chips at the counter had run out? While searching for stock, a staff member accidentally mistook the elixirs Mao Ziqi had placed in the drawer for chocolate chips and added them to a drink."

"Didn’t I lock the drawer?" Mao Ziqi wondered.

But she just left her keys lying on the counter. If the staff were in a hurry and didn’t have time to ask her—or if they did ask, but she was too busy grinding coffee to hear—then it wasn’t impossible for them to open the drawer themselves.

Still, chocolate chips and elixirs look nothing alike, right?

Or had she screwed up again? Were the elixirs she brewed so dark and misshapen that they resembled chocolate chips?

Mao Ziqi kicked herself. "I can’t be lazy and use ziplock bags for elixirs anymore."

Mostly because the medicine she brewed couldn’t even be considered real elixirs. With such little value, they weren’t worth storing in a fancy jade vial.

She just needed a temporary container to take the elixirs for testing, after which they’d be sold on the spot. The whole process wouldn’t take more than two hours—no need to overthink it.

So she’d gotten used to using kitchen double-seal bags. They cost about a dollar each—not exactly chump change.

"If I’d bothered using a small porcelain vial, even if the staff opened the drawer, they wouldn’t have mixed them up."

"And I shouldn’t leave my keys out in the open—I should keep them on me."

"Too bad my past self didn’t realize any of this."

Luckily, she could still course-correct now.

"If a customer ate the elixirs and took a turn, even if Mao Ziqi didn’t end up bankrupt from compensation, she’d still be held responsible for such an incident at the shop."

"The reputation she’d painstakingly built over time could very well be gone in a flash."

"But just then, the customer who had mistakenly taken the elixirs, after suffering discomfort, suddenly felt light and refreshed. They discovered that the old injuries from pushing too hard had mostly healed."

"The remaining minor issues would likely resolve on their own with time."

"So instead of holding the café accountable, the customer not only dropped the idea of pursuing blame but also put in an order on the spot with Mao Ziqi for more elixirs. They even asked that, if similar elixirs passed inspection in the future, they’d like priority to purchase some..."

"Man, talk about a silver lining. I’ve truly witnessed it now."

"This is what they mean by a silver lining—no one could embody it more perfectly than her!"

"And all these things happened within a single month."

Sheng Qingquan marveled.

The others were stunned too. Her life was such a rollercoaster—if you called her unlucky, she always managed to turn danger into safety like a protagonist.

But if you called her lucky, what normal person would encounter so many incidents in such a short time?

One after another, just counting casually, there were over a dozen.

An ordinary person might not even experience one in a whole year, yet she went through all of them in a month. What kind of jinx was haunting her? Was she the reincarnation of misfortune itself?

Bad luck didn’t even strike like this.

"Maybe I should go to the temple and pray?" Mao Ziqi muttered to herself.

On the other end of the phone, Mama Mao grew even more anxious: "This isn't even your birth sign's unlucky year! How are you this unlucky?"

Originally, Mama Mao hadn't planned to go to the hospital for a checkup, but now she was scared. She took the initiative to suggest going to the hospital.

Just because the home diagnostic device showed no issues didn’t necessarily mean everything was fine. Maybe it just couldn't detect the problem.

It was better to go to the hospital and let a doctor check her out to be safe.

"Is Mao Ziqi's situation really so special?"

"Many people have encountered similar situations. But most brush it off."

"Not only do they not stay vigilant, some even brag about it like it's some cool story, believing that since they survived great danger, good luck must be coming their way."

"Coming out unharmed after so much—talk about lucky!"

"They think they're heaven's favorites. Otherwise, how could they go through all that without harm? Some even find their lives improving."

"They think they're the main characters. Surely, a seat among the Foundation Establishment Masters awaits them in the future."

"I'm at a loss for words..."

"And they're still not worried?" someone asked, baffled.

Once or twice could be coincidence, but three or four times?

"If it were me, after the second run of bad luck, I’d report it and ask for help. Someone must be targeting me!" a staff member said, putting themselves in their shoes.

Tao Qingmiao sighed. "Actually, it’s understandable. Because every time misfortune strikes, it never truly harms them."

"The knife comes down, but it never cuts them. Not only does it stop just in time, but sometimes the wielder turns around and gives them candy afterward."

"Always a close call. Not only is there no harm, sometimes there are even benefits. Of course they don't question it."

"But if, every time, they were genuinely hurt or suffered losses, the situation would be completely different."

"Police stations and special departments would probably be flooded with reports."

"Destiny's darlings?"

"That’s not the case."

"Right, you don't get destiny's favorites in bulk."

"With so many children, how could the heavens play favorites with all of them?"

"Every time they face calamity, without even trying, they effortlessly overcome it and even gain rewards."

"Getting rewarded for doing nothing—sounds wonderful."

"But everything comes at a price."

"Within a month, or at most half a year, these so-called lucky ones, when encountering disaster again—fully expecting to breeze through unscathed and reap benefits once more—end up dead, every single one of them."

"Not a single survivor."

"Fate’s gifts were reclaimed. Their luck dried up completely."