The System text flickered across Theo's vision:
On the road to the Jade Void Palace, you clash with Chong Heihu. This man is a Jiejiao disciple—cultivation not to be underestimated. Proceed with caution.
Theo went a bit numb.
He'd read a mountain of Fengshen-era tales in his last life; anyone famous with real feats, he remembered. But Chong Heihu… who the heck was that chicken-scratch nobody again?
What did he even do?
Of course Theo knew the name existed—but for the life of him he couldn't attach a single highlight reel to it. The man basically cameoed in the Investiture and then vanished off the stage.
And that… somehow mapped to Malfoy?
…Wait.
A guy who does nothing of import, shows face during the Conferred Gods calamity, then fades?
Theo's eyes narrowed, a thoughtful look blooming.
That actually sounded exactly like something Draco Malfoy would pull.
In the original timeline, House Malfoy picked a side—but when the real fighting came, they were condiment-level. Aside from contributing a manor, a wand, and a last-minute wobble before the war, their "achievements" were… background.
So the System matched there?
Bits clicked. Right—Chong Heihu was nominally Jiejiao, but he spotted the writing on the wall early and started eyeing the nearest exit. When the chance came, he flipped, got himself a fief… and then clocked in without working, letting others bleed for the cause. He still couldn't dodge the calamity and took a number on the God-Roll, but thanks to his earlier manoeuvring—and a tidy chunk of territory—he ended up with a lofty title: South Yue Hengshan's Star-Bearing Emperor.
The more Theo recalled, the more his grin crooked.
Yep. That was Malfoy's energy.
"My bad, System," he thought. "Your eye's deadly accurate."
He shelved the analysis and checked what actually mattered: the rewards tied to "Chong Heihu."
Acquaintance with Chong Heihu → Reward: Twin-Axe Chain(Ambidexterity buff; especially strong when wielding twin axes).
Theo's mouth tilted.
"Mid," he judged.
What use were axes to him? At best the ambidexterity might help with potion-stirring and delicate alchemy work. Otherwise? Meh. Not even a single Conqueror's Staff–tier perk like Hagrid's stick arts.
Close Friend with Chong Heihu → Reward: Flying Tiger Tactics(With specific medicinals, armour, and weapons, train a 3,000-strong Flying Tiger Corps; a top-tier army in the Conferred Gods era. A full cohort can contend with immortals and gods!).
On paper, great. In reality? Money pit.
Special broths, bespoke arms, rune-plated armour—he could smell the spirit-qi bill from here. Even if he scrounged up resources and recruits, the upkeep alone would devour him. He didn't have spare qi for Five-Colour Stones, never mind feeding three thousand supersoldiers.
Chicken rib: too costly to chew, too wasteful to spit.
Only the last line lit him up:
Life-and-Death Bond with Chong Heihu → Reward: Iron-Beak Roc Breeding Method(cultivate rocs of shocking speed; one peck, impossible to guard).
Now that sang. Paired with his Beast-Raising Aptitude, this could be violent. His owl Hermes could even be line-bred toward an iron-beak archetype…
Then came the fine print:
Due to Chong Heihu's selfish, self-serving nature, a genuine life-and-death bond cannot be reached by normal means.
Likewise, because he flatters the strong and bullies the weak, "mortal enemies" status via normal pressure rarely reaches "to-the-death."
Theo stared.
So the one reward he actually wanted was gated behind an impossible tier?
Unless…
"Normal means" won't do.
The System appended a note, prim as a lecturer:
"Chong Heihu is a fence-sitter: fears power, scorns virtue. If you only show kindness, he'll treat you as a tool—never a true bond. If you only suppress him, the moment he thinks you're overwhelming, he'll curry favour and never let enmity harden to 'to-the-death.'
Two viable routes exist:
First build a close friendship, then abruptly betray him to potentially trigger 'mortal enemies'.
Or the reverse—first press the relationship into bitter enmity, then extend a calculated olive branch to potentially trigger a life-and-death bond."
Theo blinked… then snorted.
"You could've led with that," he thought.
So Malfoy's basically a tsundere masochist: pamper him and he struts; smack him and he remembers your name.
Which route first?
He didn't get long to ponder. Malfoy had already drifted into the exact canon squabble with Harry and Ron—this time dragging Hermione into the blast radius.
"If I were you, Potter," Draco drawled, "I'd be very careful who I mixed with. Spend time with Weasleys… Hagrid… or certain low-born, dubious types, and you'll wind up just like your parents—"
Chairs scraped. Harry and Ron shot to their feet.
Ron went crimson from hair to chin. "Say that again?"
Hermione had gone paper-pale, fury bright in eyes brimming with tears. First day out and this was the rudest person she'd ever met.
Theo exhaled. Decision made.
Didn't need strategy after all.
Draco flicked his cuff. "Oh? Want to fight, do you?"
Crabbe and Goyle loomed to either side like bookends.
Theo spoke, voice calm but edged in frost.
"Yeah, I'm starting to feel like someone needs to correct a spoiled child."
Then he glanced at the boy closest to the door and smiled a little.
"Harry, mind doing me a favour? Close the compartment door."
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