Can a System Have Bad Intentions? - Chapter 16

Lu Tang told the story of what happened after she was kidnapped in complete detail.

Of course, she left out the parts where she twice recognized a father and once fought for food.

After Lu Tang finished speaking, Lu Shuqing stared at her, wide-eyed and astonished. “So, you’re saying the bandit leader is actually very handsome?”

Lu Tang: ! She rolled her eyes at Lu Shuqing and said disdainfully, “Are you out of your mind from seeing too many men?”

Lu Shuqing immediately raised her hand and gave Lu Tang a slap on the head. “How do you talk to your sister? No manners!”

Lu Tang covered her head. “Is it my fault? You ignore the big scandal with the county magistrate and only ask me about the bandit leader’s looks!”

Lu Shuqing raised her hand and gave her another practiced slap. “No matter how heinous the county magistrate is, that’s none of my business. But if we miss out on a good-looking man, we might never get another chance to admire his beauty! Handsome men are meant to be appreciated!”

Lu Tang: !

Madam Qiao, who had traveled far and wide managing business with Old Master Qiao in her younger years, even though she had settled into a more domestic role in recent years, quickly grasped the situation while the siblings bickered.

“So, the bandit took you to Zhao Village and let you observe the interrogation. He treated you respectfully from beginning to end. His purpose was simple, to send me a message through you.”

Lu Tang and Lu Shuqing immediately became serious and looked at Madam Qiao.

“A message?” Lu Tang was puzzled.

Madam Qiao explained, “They wanted me to know about Magistrate Zhao in advance!”

Officials and merchants were often intertwined. The bigger the business, the more entangled it became with the officialdom. The bandit wanted to warn the Qiao family in advance so they wouldn’t get implicated when something happened to Magistrate Zhao.

Upon hearing this, Lu Tang quickly understood.

“But Mother, why would they warn our family? Do you know the bandit leader?”

“I haven’t even seen what he looks like,” Madam Qiao said with a smile, patting Lu Tang’s head. “Alright, it’s been a long day. Shuqing and I have to go to the inn early tomorrow to check the accounts, so everyone should rest.”

Lu Tang quickly said, “I want to go too, Mother!”

Madam Qiao replied, “You should rest at home for a couple of days. The day after tomorrow, your sister will teach you how to read the accounts. You can come along once you’ve learned.”

Lu Tang had no choice but to agree.

Initially, she wanted to ask about Yue’er’s situation but then thought that her mother and sister were probably too busy rescuing her to investigate Yue’er. So, she didn’t ask.

Lying in her comfortable bed at home, Lu Tang couldn’t fall asleep.

Qin Mo had demanded 30,000 taels of silver, knowing her family couldn’t come up with such a large sum at once and her mother would have to ask Magistrate Zhao. Was he counting on that, or was she overthinking?

Since her mother said Qin Mo was using her to send a message, did that mean she wasn’t overthinking?

Qin Mo’s exorbitant demand was likely to force Magistrate Zhao to pay, giving Qin Mo substantial evidence of Zhao’s wrongdoing.

“Stop thinking about it. Your limited intellect isn’t enough to ponder such complex issues. Give up,” the annoying system suddenly spoke.

“Let’s do something fun. How about drawing a prize?” Lu Tang had completed the “Meal Eater” task and earned a reward.

But remembering the last prize she drew, Lu Tang shuddered. “Can’t I just get a reward directly?”

“Of course, you can. So, do you choose a tangible reward instead of drawing a prize this time?”

Lu Tang felt something was off with the system’s wording.

Knowing it wasn’t up to any good, she directly said, “Tangible reward.”

“It’s not that you’re too lazy to think. It’s that thinking won’t help you understand. Please recognize your own limitations.”

Lu Tang: ! “Why does it keep taunting me?”

As she spoke, something appeared in her hand under the covers.

Lu Tang quickly pulled out her arm and saw a cube-like object in her hand.

“What is this?”

“An Identity Detector.”

Lu Tang: ! If she weren’t awake, she’d think she had a robotic cat instead of a system.

Uh… Does a robotic cat count as the ancestor of system stories?!

The thought flashed through her mind as she examined the detector. “How do I use it?”

“It can only be used once and will disappear afterward. Place it above a suspicious person’s head, and it will reveal their identity.”

Lu Tang’s eyes lit up. “Only I can hear the voice?”

“Questions like this can be minimized to reduce wear on your mouth and make you look less foolish.”

Ignoring the system’s sarcasm, Lu Tang asked, “If I don’t use it, will it disappear?”

“Of course. Good things have a shelf life. It’s valid for ten hours. If you don’t use it within ten hours, the reward will expire, and a punishment task will be triggered.”

Lu Tang was so angry that she sat up.

Ten hours? Twenty hours!

Since it was late at night, she couldn’t use it now. So, if she didn’t use it by tomorrow afternoon, she’d be punished?

She earned the reward herself but would be punished if she didn’t use it!

What the heck?

“Can’t handle it?”

“I love seeing you flustered and helpless. Ha ha ha ha~” the system laughed in a cold mechanical voice.

Lu Tang nearly threw the detector out of anger but didn’t dare.

She was scared.

What if it triggered another punishment?

Fuming, Lu Tang fell asleep in a huff.

The next morning, when she got up, her mother and sister had already left.

After breakfast, she decided to try her luck and use the detector. As she walked to the front yard, she saw Lu Deren.

It seemed like he was waiting for Lu Tang. When he saw her, his initially worried face softened, and he covered his mouth, coughing.

“Little Tang, your father was so worried when you were kidnapped by the bandits. He fainted from anger and concern. Yesterday, when your mother and sister went to get you, your father was still unconscious. Otherwise, I would have gone to get you. Don’t blame me.

Come here and let your father take a good look at you.”

As he spoke, tears welled up in Lu Deren’s eyes, and he coughed as if he were too weak to stand.

The moment Lu Deren started coughing, Lu Tang quickly covered her mouth with her sleeve and dashed out. “Stop talking. Turn around. Don’t spread your illness to me!”

Leaving him with that, Lu Tang fled the scene.

Lu Deren’s face turned blue with anger, nearly fainting for real.

As Lu Tang ran out the door, she bumped into Liang Cheng, who was about to enter. Her nose hit his shoulder, making her tear up from the pain. “Liang Cheng, you jerk!”