I left the study, my mind a whirlwind of new calculations. As I walked through the family's central garden, a place of serene beauty with an ancient willow tree at its center, I saw a familiar figure standing by the weeping branches.
It was Meira Su.
She was here visiting, as she often did. She wore a light blue robe that complemented her calm demeanor. Her long hair was tied back, revealing a face of quiet beauty. She wasn't as flashy or overtly charming as her sister was described in the book, but her presence was like a calm lake. There was a strength in her stillness that Su Lian's shallow theatrics could never hope to match.
She turned as I approached, her clear eyes meeting mine. "Arya," she said, her voice soft. She noticed the lingering intensity in my expression. "Is everything alright? You look as though you carry a great weight."
Her concern was genuine. I could see it in her eyes. It was not the feigned worry Su Lian would have offered. This was real.
"Father just shared some heavy news about the family's situation," I replied, choosing my words carefully. It was the truth, but it revealed nothing of the new reality that now existed between us. "It is good to see a friendly face."
A flicker of surprise crossed her features. In the original Arya's memories, their childhood friendship had grown somewhat distant in recent years. His relentless pursuit of the Golden Core realm and the natural arrogance that came with his title as a prodigy had consumed most of his time and attention. My warm acknowledgement seemed to catch her off guard. A faint blush touched her cheeks before she composed herself.
"The Chen Family is strong," she said, her voice filled with a conviction that I knew was real. "And the Su Family will always stand with you. Do not forget that."
"I won't," I said, my gaze more intense than I intended. I was looking at a woman who, in another life, had died for the fool I now inhabited. "I will not forget that."
The moment hung in the air, charged with unspoken meaning. She gave me a small confused nod, then offered a polite farewell and departed, leaving me alone under the willow tree.
My decision was made. The marriage was a good first step, a necessary political maneuver. But an alliance, no matter how strong, was still an external power. It was a shield. To truly survive, to win, I needed a sword forged from my own strength.
I returned to the silent sanctuary of my courtyard. The world outside could wait. I sat in the lotus position in the center of my training room and called forth the mechanical interface in my mind.
[System Maker]
My plan was simple. I needed to harvest my first crop. But how to find the perfect target? There had to be a way. I focused my intent, searching the system's functions for a tool for reconnaissance. A new option materialized on the interface.
[Celestial Luck Scan (Range: 1 Kilometer). Would you like to activate?]
A cold smile touched my lips. Perfect. "Activate," I commanded in my mind.
A invisible pulse emanated from me, spreading outwards in a perfect circle. In my mind's eye, a three-dimensional map of the Chen Estate and its immediate surroundings appeared. The map was populated by countless auras of light, their colors denoting their favor from destiny. Most were faint Grey Luck, the mortal fate of servants and guards. Dotted among them were a few steady White Luck auras—the talented cultivators of the family, destined for regional significance but nothing more.
But then, my attention was violently seized by an aura so brilliant it was like a miniature sun burning within the estate's garden. It was a majestic pillar of pure Gold Luck.
Gold Luck. The mark of a protagonist, a "Favored Child of Heaven." The system tag confirmed my disbelief.
[Target Identified: Meira Su. Luck Grade: Gold].
I was stunned into silence. Meira? I knew she was strong, I knew she was fated to nearly kill Jin Hao in the original timeline. But I had assumed that was a burst of potential unlocked by a tragic final stand. I never imagined she possessed the same level of providence as a protagonist herself. A thought chilled me to the bone: the book I read, Alchemist Sovereign, was written from Jin Hao's perspective. Of course it would frame him as the sole hero. It was a biased account. This world was the reality, and in this reality, Meira was a Child of Destiny in her own right.
For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed my mind. The system's primary function was the harvest. A Golden Luck target... the rewards would be unimaginable.
I crushed the thought instantly. Why would I target her? The marriage alliance had been proposed. She was to be my wife, the future mistress of the Chen Family. Her destiny was now intertwined with mine. Her luck was the Chen Family's luck. To harm her would be to harm myself. She was an invaluable, powerful ally to be protected and bound to my side.
Pushing the shock of the revelation aside, I refocused my scan, deliberately looking past that blazing golden sun for something less complicated, something more disposable. My eyes searched for the more fleeting lights. I soon found them.
The first was a bright White Luck aura inside the main estate, not far from my courtyard. [Target Identified: Chen Yue. Luck Value: High-White. Status: Fated Supporting Character (Traitor)]. I recognized the name immediately. The maid who would sell our family's secrets. Her luck was a short-term burst tied to the rewards she would receive for her betrayal.
The second White Luck aura was in the family's martial training grounds. [Target Identified: Chen Wei. Luck Value: High-White. Status: Fated Supporting Character (Coward)]. My cousin. His luck was tied to his decision to betray the family and surrender to Jin Hao, allowing him to survive the initial massacre.
Then my focus shifted to the third and most intense White Luck aura, located just outside the estate walls, in the impoverished district that housed the city's minor sects. [Target Identified: Lin Fan. Luck Value: High-White. Status: Minor Protagonist Template (Tragic)].
Lin Fan. The name clicked instantly, dredged up from a single paragraph in Alchemist Sovereign. An outer disciple of the Falling Star Sect, a perpetually talentless orphan. In the original story, he stumbled off a cliff during a mission and miraculously landed next to a Thousand-Year-old Sun-Swallowing Lily, a treasure that could change his fate. His luck was potent but fleeting, as another disciple promptly murdered him and stole it.
He had the luck to find a treasure, but not the strength to keep it.
They were perfect. Chen Yue, Chen Wei, and Lin Fan. A traitor, a coward, and a tragic fool. Each of them possessed a fleeting burst of White Luck, a destiny meant to serve the original plot.
These three were a perfect starter pack. They represented three different flavors of short-term destiny. Chen Yue's luck was tied to an act of betrayal. Chen Wei's was tied to an act of survival. Lin Fan's was tied to a fateful encounter with a treasure.