Tu Peng blinked in disbelief, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining things. It was early morning, and waking up this early wasn't a common occurrence. He and his sister, Tu Rong, had risen early to ensure they wouldn't be late today, especially since they didn't want Senior Brother Lu Sheng to end up making breakfast on his own again.
Initially, in the dim light of dawn, Tu Peng mistook the figure on the cold stone floor for someone else. But upon closer inspection, he realized with a mix of surprise and confusion that it was indeed Lu Sheng. As Tu Rong entered the room, she started giggling loudly uncontrollably.
"Quiet down! You'll get us both in trouble one day!" Tu Peng scolded his little sister, though he couldn't help but stifle a laugh himself. He couldn't understand why she had no sense of fear.
Meanwhile, Lu Sheng continued to sleep soundly, unaware of the commotion around him, letting out loud and consistent snores.
[Wake Up, Host! Wake Up!]
The Automated System attempted to rouse him, but Lu Sheng was lost in deep sleep, blissfully unaware. It was nearly time for the Daily Automation, and the system didn't want Tu Peng and Tu Rong to think their Senior Brother was sleepwalking, especially since interacting with others wasn't part of the usual Daily Automation.
Tu Peng, however, stifled his laughter and took the situation seriously as a Physician. Approaching Lu Sheng, he noticed a faint warmth emanating from Lu Sheng's skin, indicating heightened blood circulation. This seemed concerning or not, he was not sure, so he gently shook Lu Sheng to wake him up, intending to ask if he knew what happened last night to his skin.
[Yes, Tu Peng, quickly wake him up.]
Although Tu Peng could not hear the Automated System, it cheered for him.
Lu Sheng, still deep in slumber, remained undisturbed, lost in his sweet dreams. Despite shaking him harder, he continued to sleep like a lazy pig. Observing her brother's dilemma with a mix of concern and respect for their senior brother, Tu Rong hurriedly left the room.
Upon her return, Tu Rong carried a bucket of water, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"NO NO NO NO!" Tu Peng exclaimed in a panic as from his side eye he saw Tu Rong with a bucket, but it was too late. Before he could stop her, Tu Rong splashed the water onto Lu Sheng.
The water hit Lu Sheng with a forceful splash, the cold water jolting him awake as he cried out for help. His eyes flew open, wide with shock and confusion, as he stuttered and coughed, water all over the stone floor.
"What in the world..." Lu Sheng spat, blinking rapidly as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. His eyes shifted between Tu Peng and Tu Rong, confusion and anger clear on his face. Tu Peng stood before him, with a guilty expression, while Tu Rong giggled with the empty bucket still in her hands.
[Host, don't get angry. Hear me out first.]
"Don't get angry?" He interrupted Automated System words, stopping it to say more. He wanted to curse out but how could he yell out at a small girl so his anger switched to Tu Peng who was waiting for it. This was not the first time he had taken the heat for his little sister.
Lu Sheng's lips quivered, teeth gritting as he tried to form sentences and curses but nothing came out in anger, his sweet sleep was now gone, there was no point in wasting more effort. Lu Sheng's laziness saved Tu Peng from getting scolded in the early morning. Suddenly his body stood up automatically.
"What is going on?" He quickly asked the Automated System.
[Host, it's your daily routine.]
"Fine, I do not want to see the faces of these two for now." He grumbled inside, still holding onto some of the anger inside.
Seeing the senior brother Lu Sheng did not let out his anger on them Tu Peng was shocked, while Tu Rong stood there with her arms crossed, looking smug. It was as if she knew all along that Lu Sheng wouldn't scold them; she always knew that Lu Sheng was a kind senior brother.
"Did you really need to test him like that? This is not good behavior, you know that?" Tu Peng does not use his big brother's authority on Tu Rong but this was one of those rare moments. Tu Rong only flared her nose in return and left the room stomping her feet.
Lu Sheng followed his usual routine, heading outside to the washroom behind his room as directed by the daily automation. Passing by the large water basin, he caught a glimpse of his reflection and noticed a faint red hue in his eyes.
"What on earth?" He immediately recognized the unusual color, but it left him puzzled.
Moving closer to the basin, he could see his new skin color more clearly, even in the dim light of the early morning.
"WHAT THE FUCK!!!???" He yelled out with his entire anger and frustration.
"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPPENED TO MY SKINNN??" He yelled and asked the Automated System.
"What a unique way of cursing?" Tu Peng couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration for Lu Sheng's unique way and words of expressing his frustration. However, upon hearing the loud yell, he quickly made his escape to the kitchen. He figured that only good food could soothe Lu Sheng's anger, even though he didn't have the full explanation for why he was so upset.
[Host, this is the result of last night's attempt to cultivate the Nine Heavens, Nine Tribulations, Nine Incarnations cultivation method.]
"What? Oh! No no no no no! Then... then fix it! NOW!" Lu Sheng yelled inwardly.
[Host, I am not an Omnifix system; we need a proper cultivation method, and then we would have many options and ways to address many issues.]
"FUCK! What now? How am I supposed to show my face to others?" He gripped his head, determined not to leave until his skin was fixed. "I'm not going out until you fix this," he demanded. "This is all your fault!" He blamed the Automated System, again, as usual.