The 3rd chapter of the novel is titled "Favor Points" in English, and 《好感》 in Chinese. It was published in volume 1 by Seven Seas (December 14, 2021), and in volume TBA by Pinsin Studio (September 15, 2022) in Chinese.
It contains original web novel serialization chapters 14-20.
Summary
- Vulgar Settings
- "So to get rid of the poison I have to xxx with the protagonist?! Isn't there another way?!"
- Dream Demon's Script
- Took the Wrong Script
- "I don't want the female protagonist's script, thanks."
- Took the Wrong Script 2
- "I still don't want it, thank you."
- Carry On Grandpa
- "Can't you just let my soul take a break!? Having to say this character's horrible and long line, while..."
- Repeated Teachings
- "Building up this teacher's prestige"
- Difficult Mission
- "It will come when it comes, can't keep running forever"
Recap
Web Novel Chapters Included
note - This is temporary until the references are properly updated and the full chapter synopsis is made, to ensure that the references on unedited character pages are not rendered fully broken until then. This is an exact copy paste of the preexisting Web Novel Chapters 14-20 pages.
Web Novel Chapter 14
Shen Qingqiu awoke a few days after the demon invasion to Ming Fan, bringing him a tray and Luo Binghe lingering in the doorway. Upon seeing him away, Ming Fan broke down in sobs while also trying to shoo off Luo Binghe, who he says has refused to leave the doorway for days. Ming Fan runs off to get Liu Qingge, Yue Qingyuan, and Mu Qingfang, leaving Luo Binghe awkwardly in the doorway.
After Shen Qingqiu beckoned Luo Binghe in, the boy fell to his knees and begged for forgiveness for his foolishness up until now, how he didn’t understand Shen Qingqiu’s efforts and care, and how he'd dedicate himself to serving Shen Qingqiu with all his heart from now on. Apparently, he forgave all of Shen Qingqiu’s past abuses and assumed that his master really did care about him before now. Shen Qingqiu didn’t understand the course of Luo Binghe’s thoughts.
Pretending that he understood what was going on, Shen Qingqiu had Luo Binghe stand up, and asked if the boy had anything else to say. The final thing Luo Binghe wanted to ask was if Shen Qingqiu was hungry, which he was, so Luo Binghe ran off to the kitchen. He had been remaking a serving of congee, and when Shen Qingqiu ate it, he was blown away. Qing Jing Peak tended towards fresh, light, and bland foods. Luo Binghe’s congee, meanwhile, was so good that Shen Qingqiu wanted to weep. Mentally, he notes that Luo Binghe’s skills were his foremost lady-killing technique in the original novel, one that only a few key harem members in the original work got to eat. He also notes that the line Luo Binghe used to offer him different food every day was one that the original protagonist would use to entice women to bed him.
❝ Even more shocking was that line ah, that line. This line, “I’ll do this for you everyday, with variations,” wasn’t that what Luo Binghe had used to coax several spoiled young ladies into willingly and ecstatically entering the harem?❞
― Shen Qingqiu
Shen Qingqiu dwells on this for a moment with a strange expression, which worries Luo Binghe. After praising it some more in his mind, Shen Qingqiu says out loud that he likes it very much and wants Luo Binghe to cook for him from now on. Luo Binghe brightens from this approval so much that Shen Qingqiu itches to pat his head again before he is sent away.
Shortly afterwards, Yue Qingyuan, Mu Qingfang, and Liu Qingge showed up to Shen Qingqiu, pretending to read a philosophical book on Daoism. Yue Qingyuan worries over him, and Mu Qingfang takes another look at him. Shen Qingqiu asks how bad it is, to which Liu Qingge comments that it’s called Without a Cure for an obvious reason.
Upon hearing that he definitely did have Without a Cure, Shen Qingqiu reflected on the poison’s presence in the original novel. There, during the Immortal Alliance Conference, a shimei from a different sect (later revealed to be Qin Wanyue) was hit with Without a Cure in order to save the male lead (who she had met two hours before). There is a mythical thousand year old flower there (one of the hundreds in the novel) that Luo Binghe was sure could cure her, so they journeyed for three days to find it, bonding and fighting monsters along the way.
When they found it, Luo Binghe gave it to a dying Qin Wanyue, but the poison wasn’t cured. Thinking she was going to die and not wanting her life to be in vain, she forced herself onto a half-reluctant Luo Binghe. The poison was naturally cured when Luo Binghe absorbed it during their intercourse, where it was then destroyed by his heavenly demon blood. In fact, he also absorbed the nutrients from the ancient flower she ate and thus had a level up in his martial abilities!
Web Novel Chapter 15
While Shen Qingqiu was dwelling on Proud Immortal Demon Way, he managed to not hear the other peak lords calling for him repeatedly. Once he focused again, he was given Mu Qingfang's treatment prescription, along with a warning that his qi will occasionally stagnate and there may be other abnormalities. At this, the other peak lords expect him to freak out, but Shen Qingqiu is just satisfied that a scum villain like him could be poisoned and live.
Yue Qingyuan blamed himself for the poisoning, claiming he should have stayed on the mountain. Shen Qingqiu hurried to insist that the Immortal Alliance Conference meeting was important and that it was the demons who were at fault, knowing that Yue Qingyuan would never leave the mountain again if he didn’t make that clear. Mu Qingfang then jumped in and claimed the blame was his for not realizing there was an invasion and having too few skills to cure Shen Qingqiu. At that, Shen Qingqiu tried to take the blame again, and they devolved into a comical three-way back and forth of apologizing and blame-taking.
After they exhausted themselves, Liu Qingge pointed out that this has to stay a secret restricted to just the peak lords. Yue Qingyuan asked if this would hinder Shen Qingqiu’s peak lord abilities. Shen Qingqiu insists he is satisfied, acknowledging inwardly that the original Shen Qingqiu would see this as the sect leader undermining his authority. After discussing the details of the Demon Invasion, Mu Qingfang and Yue Qingyuan leave, and Liu Qingge stays behind.
When it’s the two of them, Liu Qingge points out how Shen Qingqiu is acting so odd that he’d seem possessed if not for the lack of ghostly qi, and how strange it is that he saved a no-name disciple. To dodge the question a bit, he called Ming Fan for tea and insisted that Luo Binghe is only nameless for now. When Liu Qingge pushed back against this, Shen Qingqiu worried that Liu Qingge may become an obstacle for Luo Binghe later and get defeated. From this, he urges Liu Qingge to offer Luo Binghe support and guidance.
Having delivered tea and overheard this praise, Ming Fan stormed off to find Luo Binghe, hit him with verbal abuse, and issued a series of pointless hard commands, insisting that he can sleep on the kitchen floor if the woodshed is full. Luo Binghe, still thinking the bullying was part of his training based on his interactions with Shen Qingqiu, wasn’t embittered by this interaction at all. Since he went to start the chores without complaint, Ming Fan got no satisfaction and stormed off while cursing how he had caught Shen Qingqiu’s eye and must have bewitched him. Luo Binghe overheard these mutterings and felt a strength in his heart starting to bud and become stronger.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingqiu spends the rest of the day greeting Peak Lords, who visit to offer gifts of condolences for him having been the sole representative of the older generation during the invasion. Even if they were on the mountain and realized there was an invasion, Sha Hualing's demons had cut the Rainbow Bridges and erected a barrier around Qiong Ding Peak, so they couldn’t arrive to help. That night, Shen Qingqiu went to bed satisfied, looking forward to a peaceful night of sleep.
Instead, he wakes up four hours later to what The System describes as “a world within a dream realm.” and soon enough, Luo Binghe stumbles across him and dashes to him like a chick to a mother hen. With that, Shen Qingqiu recognizes the scenario that he’s in and tells Luo Binghe that they are within Luo Binghe’s dream realm.
Web Novel Chapter 16
Shen Qingqiu explains to Luo Binghe that the dream realm is being affected by a demon, as evidenced by the borders churning with demonic qi. Luo Binghe curses how demons are poisonous, and Shen Qingqiu smiles and says that perhaps their intentions are the opposite. Luo Binghe thinks he might be teasing, but Shen Qingqiu is being honest. He’s aware that Sha Hualing is the one tampering with things due to her yearning for love. He notes that demons are inclined to viciously bully their crushes and would only accept them if they failed to die. Shen Qingqiu states that they must devise a solution and dispel the barrier so they don’t get trapped here forever.
They start to walk, and Shen Qingqiu starts to argue with The System. The System announces that this is the “The ‘Dream Demon’ Meng Mo's Barrier" mission, and Shen Qingqiu will lose 10, 000 points if he fails. After complaining about the potential point loss, he asks if the System is having a bug. He notes that it’s supposed to be Ning Yingying, Luo Binghe’s most trusted confidant, here to cozy up to him, unravel his complexes, and use love to help him defeat his inner demons. The System affirms that it does not have a bug.
As Shen Qingqiu inwardly panics about this new honor, Luo Binghe asks what’s wrong, and they have a short exchange that ends in Luo Binghe insisting he won’t drag Shen Qingqiu down again. Shen Qingqiu inwardly complains about this situation, not warning to confront the terrifying Meng Mo, protect Luo Binghe, and offer free therapy. While he complains, they keep walking through the eerie landscape. Suddenly, buildings emerge from within the cloud layers, where there aren’t guards and the people are faceless.
Upon seeing this, Luo Binghe asks what’s going on, and Shen Qingqiu ignores his panicking terror to take up “the duty of being an expository encyclopedia.” He explains how the dream realm is illusory and how the people there are illusions. With how complex these illusions are, he reveals that this can only be the work of Meng Mo, the Dream Demon and “Portable Grandfather” mentor to Luo Binghe in the original novel.
After that reveal, Luo Binghe spots some illusions that have faces, and they follow them to a group of youths harassing a figure on the ground. Shen Qingqiu reveals that they can see their faces since Meng Mo awakened the memories of their faces from Luo Binghe’s memories. At this, Luo Binghe stops listening, his inner demons having struck. He watches the figures hit and abuse a reflection of his child self, his head feeling like it was splitting open. He finds himself unable to look away, so Shen Qingqiu steps in to say:
❝ Pull yourself together. It’s only an illusion.❞
― Shen Qingqiu
Web Novel Chapter 17
Before Luo Binghe can escape the grips of the first illusion, the scene changes to that of Luo Binghe’s Unnamed Washerwoman mother. She’s a haggard old woman lying on a bed, sick, who Luo Binghe urges to lay down and rest until he can give her medicine. She mentions how her appetite is waning, but how she wishes she had a taste of the white congee that the house’s young master threw out. Dream reflection Luo Binghe promises to get some and runs off, while actual Luo Binghe gets dragged further into his own inner demons.
At this point, Shen Qingqiu notes how important it is to not attack figments of the dream realm, since it’d be like attacking your own brain. Attacking too many of them could send the person whose mind it is into a coma.
The dreamscape changed erratically around them, flashing images of Luo Binghe’s traumatic memories around them without pause. The only way to pause the nightmares would be to untangle the problems in one's heart, but Luo Binghe wasn’t able to do that on his own. When Shen Qingqiu tried to snap him out of it, Luo Binghe unconsciously blasted him with an incredibly powerful spiritual blast to the lower abdomen. After hitting Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe’s mind cleared, and he questioned why Shen Qingqiu didn’t reflect it back.
Shen Qingqiu calls him foolish and insists that the point is to ensure that he is not injured. Luo Binghe wallowed in self-blame and misery, and Shen Qingqiu insisted that his cultivation was strong enough to tank multiple blows from Luo Binghe. After insisting that the demon was the one at fault, not Luo Binghe, the boy’s thoughts shift, and his spirit is full of resolute conviction. Luo Binghe insists that he definitely won’t let this thing happen again, and he says it with enough conviction (while ignoring their social barriers and not referring to himself as “this disciple”) that Shen Qingqiu feels a sense of safety. At that, he is filled with complex emotions, remembering that this man will kill him one day and how this conviction should be fueled by a female lead and not him.
❝ Was the System…laying all the emotional labor associated with the female lead’s role…on Shen Qingqiu?❞
Web Novel Chapter 18
Shen Qingqiu, still weak from the attack, pats Luo Binghe on the head and insists that he’ll stay by his side and protect Luo Binghe even if he cannot become strong. He mentally notes that it’d be better for Luo Binghe to remain as a delicate white lotus forever, to keep him by his side, and to take care of him. Shen Qingqiu was saying his simple thoughts, but Luo Binghe was struck to the core. No one had ever straightforwardly promised to protect him like this before, let alone show through their actions that they were willing to back that promise up.
After their exchange, Shen Qingqiu tells Luo Binghe to help him up, but before he can, a voice sounds from out of nowhere to point out how impressive it is for a boy to break through “this elder’s” barrier.
Meng Mo appears, and Luo Binghe resolves to give it his all to allow Shen Qingqiu to survive if the elder demon decides to attack. Meng Mo instructs Luo Binghe to come to him, and Shen Qingqiu, in a teasing mood, pushes him to reply. To that end, Luo Binghe insists that Shen Qingqiu was the one whose strength broke the barrier, which Meng Mo hmphed at. It’s Luo Binghe’s dream realm, so it had to be him who broke the barrier, although neither Meng Mo nor Shen Qingqiu point this out.
Meng Mo notes wanting to talk to Luo Binghe without witnesses and, just like in Proud Immortal Demon Way, puts Luo Binghe’s companion to sleep. In the original novel, that was Ning Yingying, but in this case, that was Shen Qingqiu.
Finally giving his voice a direction, Meng Mo questions why Luo Binghe won’t just let him get rid of his abusive master, to which Luo Binghe vehemently refuses, since Shen Qingqiu is his honored master who believed in him. The demon elder had only randomly skimmed some of Luo Binghe’s memories and didn’t want to unravel the whole deal with Shen Qingqiu, so he complimented how Luo Binghe values loyalty and bonds, then changed the subject to the suppressed demonic energy he could feel in Luo Binghe’s body. Meng Mo notes how it’s possible that a demon elder, even more illustrious than himself, may have sealed something in his body.
Luo Binghe was shocked to learn that something in his body was related to demons, and he declared that the Demon Realm was full of evils that had harmed his master, so he could not associate with them. After griping about how much Luo Binghe talks about his master, Meng Mo predicts that Luo Binghe wants to ask him how to remove the demonic energy from his body, which he admits he can’t do since he can’t even clearly see what’s in Luo Binghe’s body. Instead, he implies he is willing to teach Luo Binghe how to suppress it, which the boy understands to mean learning demonic cultivation.
There were many power-related benefits to demonic cultivation, allowing one to stand above the masses, which Meng Mo relates to Luo Binghe to try to convince him to agree. For a moment, Luo Binghe is swayed by the idea of becoming the strongest, but he rejects the idea, not knowing if it would make Shen Qingqiu angry or depressed and not wanting to find out.
After Luo Binghe refused, Meng Mo still insisted, leading to Luo Binghe questioning why he kept asking. Meng Mo insisted that most people would beg for a chance to learn his knowledge, to which Luo Binghe put on a harmless smile and slowly asked if the reason was because he was unwilling to let his knowledge vanish without a successor. Meng Mo was caught.
Web Novel Chapter 19
After Luo Binghe correctly guesses that Meng Mo is weakened and looking for a successor, the demon insists that this is an opportunity that Luo Binghe can’t pass up on. He had been residing within a demonic artifact cultivating, but was unloaded onto Luo Binghe when Sha Hualing used the device as a weapon against him. However, he sensed great demonic potential within Luo Binghe, refused to pass up on the chance to have such a great host, and was willing to do anything from pester to threaten to get Luo Binghe to agree.
When Meng Mo tries to threaten Luo Binghe into thinking it through, he makes the mistake of threatening Shen Qingqiu as well. At that, Luo Binghe says that Meng Mo can say anything he wants, but if he harms Shen Qingqiu, then their agreement is void. Meng Mo is stunned and terrorized by his presence, never having lost to anyone in terms of presence before. Then he laughs, declares that Luo Binghe has quite the temper, and ejects him from the Dream Realm. Luo Binghe wakes up in the woodshed, drenched in sweat.
At the same time, Shen Qingqiu also woke up. Despite Meng Mo showing Ning Yingying happy childhood memories in Proud Immortal Demon Way, Shen Qingqiu instead got nightmares. The final part of the nightmare was him, stuck as the limbless, tongueless Shen Qingqiu from Proud Immortal Demon Way, suspended in the air by a ring around his waist. After an unknown amount of time, a figure with an icy presence entered the room. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t clearly see his face, but he knew very well that it was Luo Binghe.
After a brief System interaction, Luo Binghe arrived at the bamboo house to check on Shen Qingqiu, who didn’t even want to look at him after his nightmare. Shen Qingqiu insists he’s fine, despite still fighting to suppress his fear, and Luo Binghe was able to tell that his expression was odd since he wasn’t looking at him straight on. Shen Qingqiu quickly adjusted his attitude, remembering he was a teacher, and examined Luo Binghe, insisting he still go get a checkup the next day despite not finding any anomalies. After getting examined, Luo Binghe tentatively asked if all demons were wicked and needed to be exterminated.
After deliberating and seeing Luo Binghe’s forcibly calm face, Shen Qingqiu insisted that humans can be good or bad, so naturally, demons can be good or bad, and said not to put too much weight on race. At this, Luo Binghe asked if that means the heavens don’t find those with demonic connections intolerable. Shen Qingqiu insisted that nothing is intolerable to the heavens, or else the heavens wouldn’t let them exist.
At this speech, Luo Binghe was overwhelmed with the drive to get stronger so he would never be powerless and so he could protect Shen Qingqiu. Shen Qingqiu, meanwhile, dwelled on how demonic conflicts were common across many genres of fiction and how this had affected Luo Binghe and the vengeance he wanted to take on the world for the pain that he suffered. Shen Qingqiu hoped his words would mean Luo Binghe didn’t blame himself or his heritage for the hatred he faced in the future. Shen Qingqiu finishes off his speech by saying that demons are naturally gifted with demonic strength, and using it for the common good couldn’t be anything else but good. He then exposits for a bit to himself how much stronger demons are and how only their sparse numbers are keeping them from colonizing the Human Realm.
Exhausted by the night’s events, he waves Luo Binghe off and dismisses him, but before Luo Binghe could get very far, Shen Qingqiu called him back.
Web Novel Chapter 20
Shen Qingqiu stopped Luo Binghe in order to ask why he turned right, as opposed to the left where the dorms and the woodshed were. Luo Binghe admitted that he wanted to prepare Shen Qingqiu’s breakfast ahead of time. After a moment of debate, his consciousness won out over his stomach, and he insisted that Luo Binghe go back to sleep. Shen Qingqiu wondered for a bit if Luo Binghe was still sleeping in the woodshed, but instead of asking, he simply told Luo Binghe to pack his things and report to the Bamboo House, and that he could move into the side room starting tomorrow. He was so caught up in scheming how to get Luo Binghe to do his cooking and cleaning easier that he failed to see his reaction and was thus unprepared when Luo Binghe pounced on him.
Luo Binghe hugged him tightly around the neck, calling out “shizun” over and over. Having never been full-body hugged around the neck like this, Shen Qingqiu floundered over where to put his hand before coming to pet hair and admonishing him for how this must look since Luo Binghe is no longer a child. Hearing that, Luo Binghe reluctantly pulled himself away and admitted he overstepped, though he also realized at that moment just how sickly Shen Qingqiu looked from not having rested. He reluctantly said goodbye and took a detour to the kitchens, and Shen Qingqiu got 50 more protagonist satisfaction points from The System.
The next day, Luo Binghe gave a delicious breakfast to Shen Qingqiu, received affectionate praise in return, and moved in later that evening. Ming Fan and the other disciples on Qing Jing Peak were filled with jealousy, resentment, and shock over snooping on these events. When Luo Binghe went to bed that night, it was on a real bed for the first time, and he felt floaty about sleeping in the same house as Shen Qingqiu. Meng Mo didn’t show up that night, but he did a few days later. Meng Mo asks for Luo Binghe's choice, and after Luo Binghe agrees, the elder demon declares that today will be the beginning of his meteoric rise. However, Luo Binghe said he had one more request, and Meng Mo rushed him so that Luo Binghe could become his apprentice faster. It turns out that Luo Binghe's request was that he didn’t want to officially recognize a master who wasn’t Shen Qingqiu. Meng Mo said that he wouldn’t demand it and that it was fine, though he was filled with rage at how he came out of this with an awful deal.
Appearances
Locations
- Qing Jing Peak
- Qian Cao Peak (Mentioned)
- Dream Realm
Gallery
The wiki has 3 files from the 3rd chapter of The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System:
References
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