Murong Laotian asked him with a serious tone, "Young Man, what do we have to do?"
Li Tao knew his strategy was a success so he said, "I want to marry Miss Murong as my wife for the technique to work."
Grandpa Murong had expected it, but still laid out his conditions, "We can do that but you need to promise a few conditions first."
"First, You will never betray her or make her sad."
"Second, You must not take any other girl as your concubine or girlfriend after you marry Qing'er."
"Third, You must stand your promise about the technique before having any physical relationship with my granddaughter."
"Fourth..."
Both Murong Qing and Li Tao choked when they heard the third condition.
Her face turned red as a peach while Li Tao was scratching the backside of his head, acting all silly.
He straightened his back and said in a sincere tone, "Grandpa, I will take care of Miss Murong for the rest of my life and never fail her at any point in life."
Grandpa Murong stroked his beard feeling satisfied with his promise while Murong Qing and Aunt Ling both muttered, "Shameless," at the same time when he addressed Murong Laotian as 'Grandpa'.
"Ok, I will visit your house tomorrow to talk about marriage matters with your parents." With that, the discussion ended, and everyone ate in silence.
Grandpa Murong asked a few questions at times but it was mostly casual trivia about the Fortune City.
Li Tao answered all these questions to the best of his ability.
Soon the lunch was over and everyone parted. Li Tao thanked Grandpa Murong and Miss Murong one last time before leaving.
....
__________________________
[Ding! Mission Issued]
[Mission: Please seek approval of the Host's parents for the marriage.]
[Reward: 1,000 points.]
[Penalty: The System will randomly remove a portion of the host's physical attributes.]
Note: Points can be used to do anything.
_________________________
[System Strain +1%]
[Current Strain: 8%]
________________________
He returned home in the evening. Li Tian returned early today after hearing his son was ill.
They were waiting for him in the living room, there were a few gifts placed around them. These were meant to be used for the proposal that was canceled today.
"Son, How are you feeling now?" Song Mei took his hand and asked him while she sat him down beside her.
"I am okay Mom, better than ever." He said with a smile.
"Why are you so early home, Dad?" he asked Li Tian.
Li Tian who was silent till this moment got up and took a stick from the hands of the servant standing behind him. He swung it a few times in the air to check its flexibility and looked towards Li Tao.
Li Tao felt goosebumps standing all over his body and kneeled to him while holding his ears, "I am sorry Dad." he cried.
Li Tian was not faced. He gave him a side glance and asked, "What did you do wrong?"
"I found myself a marriage partner behind your back," he confessed.
It was Song Mei and Li Tian's turn to feel the goosebumps this time. They thought they heard wrong so Song Mei asked her son again, "What did you say? Did you visit Lin Bingxue behind our back and successfully propose?"
Li Tian stared at him in amazement, looking for answers.
"No, Mom and Dad, I did not meet Lin Bingxue. I don't like her anymo..."
*smack* Li Tian swung the stick in his hand to beat this dog son of his.
"What did you say?!!" Even Song Mei was angry this time.
"Did you wrong that girl? Is this the love you have been talking about day and night?!!" Li Tian continued swinging his cane while his voice kept rising.
*smack smack smack*
Li Tao was feeling the blows really well now, this was no drill. His dad was not kidding anymore.
He kneeled and said, "Please listen, I can still quibble... I mean, I can still explain." he tried to convince.
Li Tian roared, "Explain" but kept swinging the cane.
Li Tao said, "Mom and Dad, Lin Bingxue is already engaged. She purposely stayed silent to take advantage of our family. I went out to confirm this."
The stick in his hand paused when he heard it.
Song Mei was covering her face with her hands, shocked by the sudden reversal of this situation.
Li Tao got up and told the lies about him confirming the engagement and the truth about him falling in love with a girl and meeting her family.
"Son, you are not marrying this girl because of revenge right? Marriage is an important decision." Song Mei asked in concern. She thought he decided all this in anger.
Li Tian shook his read and explained.
Li Tao saw that the situation was stabilized so he drafted a small lie about him receiving an inheritance of a sage in his dreams. He could see what normal humans can't. He decided to marry her based on this power.
_____________________________
[System Notice]
[Host is fabricating high-level origin explanation]
[System Strain +2%]
[Current Strain: 10%]
____________________________
He asked them to trust him and meet the elders tomorrow.
Towards the end, he said, "Dad, Do not look down on her when they arrive. We might be one of the Big Four, but it is still us who are marrying above our standing."
Li Tian was amazed by this fact. He thought his son chose a pretty girl, turns out their background is not simple.
Both parents took this matter seriously and worked hard to make preparations for tomorrow.
______________
[Ding! Mission Complete.]
[1,000 points are rewarded.]
[The Host can use these points freely. The System recommends waiting till marriage before using them.]
___________________________
Li Tao ignored the notification and personally went out with his Mom to buy gifts for the Murong family. He knew they could not impress them in any way but sincerity was required.
...
Next day,
The whole villa was decorated like a wedding house. Servants were running here and there making sure everything was in place.
The family of three was well dressed waiting for Li Tian's brother and his family to join them.
They arrived at 10 am, Li Tao greeted his cousin Li Jing, Uncle Li Cheng, and Aunt. Then, they welcomed them inside.
Li Cheng and others were surprised by the sudden news so they asked their respective counterparts for more information.
Li Jing was a tomboy who dressed like a dude. She considered herself as their son and was raised like one.
She crossed her arm over his shoulder and teased, "Our Xiao Tao has finally grown up. He is going to marry soon. It's been only so long since I would beat you to the ground and you begged me to let go." she reminded while flicking the tear that was never there on the edge of her eyes.
"Be serious." Aunt smacked the back of her head and asked her to behave.
"So what made you think, she is the one?" she asked her nephew.
"She is considerate and also pretty." Li Tao replied in a shy voice.
"How pretty?" His cousin asked.
"Prettier than any woman I have seen in my life.... outside this house." Li Tao declared proudly.
Everyone was amazed by the fact.
Her cousin asked the stupid question, "Even better than that Lin Bingxue?"
Li Tao's face showed anger for a second but returned to normal.
"100 times better than her. Also, do not take that name in the family from now on. Not even as a joke." he said.
Soon, it was agreed time of arrival. Mother and Aunt checked everything once again while male members went to the gate to welcome the Murong Family members.
A long line of cars arrived near the villa, they were custom-made Audi A8Ls followed by 3 Rolls Royce and last were a few LC300s.
10 cars parked in front of the villa, giving off the vibe of some dignitaries visiting their relatives.
Everyone was tense because they were meeting each other for the first time. Even Li Tao has only met Grandpa Murong and Murong Qing.
Bodyguards wearing black formal suits got down from accompanying cars and opened the doors of the Rolls Royce cars in the middle.
An extremely handsome man and woman got down from the first car along with Murong Qing.
Today she was dressed in a Red Tang Suit with golden threads embroidered in a phoenix pattern on it. She looked extremely heroic like a character from a fantasy drama.
Other members were dressed in traditional dresses as well. Men in robes and women in well-matched Cheongsams.
Li Tao stepped forward and greeted everyone with respect.
Some nodded to him while some ignored him and looked at the house.
Li Tao knew that most of them were practitioners who looked down on their low status. After all, this world was ruled by strength.
Murong Leitian (Father Murong) was a half-step Transcendent practitioner who could look down on the world when it came to power.
Li Tian on the other hand was just a half-step grandmaster.
___________________________________________
[System Notice]
[Strain Mechanism Explanation Unlocked]
Neo fell silent for a moment.
For the first time since entering this world, he began reviewing his own state.
[System Grade: White]
[Current Strain: 10%]
Strain… was not just a number.
It was the cost of interfering with a world that did not belong to him.
Every world had its own balance.
Every "Son of Destiny" was protected by invisible laws.
And Neo… was an outsider trying to tamper with it.
--------------------------------------
[What causes Strain?]
• Interfering with key destiny events
• Providing assistance beyond system grade
• Scanning or influencing high-level entities
• Altering fate paths of key individuals
--------------------------------------
[What happens when Strain increases?]
At low levels, nothing noticeable.
At moderate levels, errors begin to appear.
At high levels…
The world starts pushing back.
--------------------------------------
[Threshold Effects]
10% → Minor delay in system response
25% → Reduced accuracy in abilities
50% → Partial restriction of system functions
75% → Forced shutdown of non-essential features
90% → System instability (risk of detachment)
100% → System collapse or forced exit from world
--------------------------------------
Neo paused.
"…Tch."
This was supposed to be an easy, low-level world.
Yet within a single day, the strain had already reached 10%.
That meant only one thing—
This world… was no longer normal.
--------------------------------------
[Warning]
[Host and System are now partially bound to world backlash]
[Reckless interference will accelerate Strain accumulation]
--------------------------------------
Neo's thoughts grew heavier.
For the first time, he realized—
Being a "System" wasn't just about giving cheats.
It was about surviving the consequences of using them.
"…Don't screw this up, kid."