Ok, starting now with The Scum Villain’s Self Saving System (that’s a mouthful) from MXTX.

A strong opening.

“Under much difficulty, Luo Binghe managed to turn seventeen” same

tracks

“Having read many of Zhongdian's transmigration novels, Shen Yuan had long resolved that, if one day he woke up to find himself lying in a strange place, before he understood what was happening, he definitely wouldn't giggle carefreely and say” (1/2)

“"Are you filming a movie? The props look so real; your crew's really giving their all!"” (2/2)

Why is the name of the author of “Proud Immortal Demon Way” ‘Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky’?

Also one of the reasons I waited to read this book was that I knew it was more meta than the others and thought I should understand what it was being meta of.

Oh well the cultivation novel fanboy has been transmigrated into a cultivation novel.

well, I mean, sometimes they’re just poorly written to be honest.

in unsurprising news, Scum Villain is already miles better than After.

Well yes, but the swords look cool

Not a great way to go

“Shen Qingqiu knew, this absolutely wasn't his fault, because Ning Yingying's role as a female character wasn't only to be lovable and cute, but also to dig her own grave and be a burden.”

Well damn.

The previous chapter ended with “he was naked” and this chapter opened with “he was naked from the waist up” which my partner and I agree is not the same thing.

well

I do actually find the meta aspects of this to be delightful.

weird how his favorite of the harem ladies is the one who isn’t described sexually. Nothing to see here I’m sure.

Is MXTX just fond of disaster bisexuals?

Honestly appreciating the idea that Shen’s knowledge of tropes (that the protagonist is protected by plot armor) makes it seem like he is confident in Luo Binghe, which in term makes Luo Binghe fond of him.

Like:

Is this really the time

Lol

I mean it seems like the solution is to sleep with Luo Binghe.

This is actually presented as a solution before it is summarily dismissed.

This is going to ultimately end up being the solution I think.

“Though she did have harmful intentions, everyone understood what she had even more, which was naturally, the secret yearnings of a young girl for love.”

Eh I mean sometimes those intentions can be poisonous.

In the context of the previous MXTX books I’ve read it is weird just how funny this book is.

Oh sweetie, you’re the maiden.

Shen, if you do that, you die.

gay

“Qingqiu's adaptability was as always, as great as a record-breaking dick.[1]”

Huh that probably doesn’t mean what I think it means

“erection that breaks through the horizon”

never mind, guess it does

The point system is interesting because he gets 1/10 the amount of points for hugging Binghe than he does for saving his life.

Really, the problem is that you’re concerned about the quality of his harem and not just like...jealousy

Shen, you are the maiden.

“I can't tell you that the only way to completely cure the poison is to papapa with you, right?!”

I mean you could

【 Warning! Critical quest: "The Endless Abyss and Endless Hatred, a Sky Filled with Crystal Frost and Tears of Blood," has officially started! If completion is unsuccessful, Protagonist Satisfaction Points -20000! 】

“He very selfishly wished that Luo Binghe would go down by himself. Normally people who choose to jump down cliffs themselves would always be caught on something; this way he could believe his own lies and give this scene a happy end.”

Well damn

In the continuing trend of “Shen, dear, I think you are the maiden now”

“Remember, she was Luo Binghe's harem member; she was the one who was supposed to be clawing at the ground, wailing to the heavens, but she'd actually known to come comfort her master.”

I love, and am equally confused by, the systems odd point values. Like what is this:

“Due to excessively high Degree of Heartbreak, Protagonist Satisfaction Points have been reset to zero.”

If Shang Qinghua is Airplane Shooting Towards Sky is he an author insert character ? Or literally the author?

I believe he is literally the author.

“What was your Zhongdian ID? Maybe we were old acquaintances."

Shen Qingqiu said, "Peerless Cucumber."

what

When asked about his virginity

He says, suffering.

A promising opening to a chapter.

Sure Shen

Lord Shen is so fucking thirsty: “Though he had grown up quite a bit and his aura was quite a bit different than before, Shen Qingqiu could never mistake that face, that no matter the angle could be on the cover of a romance novel!

There’s a webtoon I’m reading where they’ve replaced one of the main characters hair with like galaxies and stars and I like it as a visual device because it kind of emphasizes the rose colored glasses we sometimes see people in. This feels a bit like that.

They’re back!

Did Luo come back two years early because of Shen? Probably.

(Honestly I assume it’s not because of murderous intentions but because of concern but idk)

When Shen finds out that Binghe has actually been back a year longer but told others not to notify him and has been effectively hiding:

“Shen Qingqiu's heart was broken into tiny pieces.”

well that’s a way to be reintroduced

Binghe gives Shen blood which is nice of him because one of its features is as a sex tool.

Binghe doesn’t flirt with a future harem girl, which Shen believes is because he’s fucked up the length of time he was supposed to be stuck.

“Has Luo Binghe improved his leveling up speed at the cost of his harem master skills?”

Of course that’s the issue.

WOW SHEN IT SURE IS WEIRD THAT THE HAREM GIRL WHO IN THE ORIGINAL NOVEL ONLY USED HER WHIP AGAINST LOVE RIVALS IS USING IT ON YOU WONDER WHAT THAT MEANS

feel like Binghe just thinks Shen is mostly good but just hates that Demon parts of him and it's causing these elements of self hatred and damn

Binghe certainly spends a lot of time ripping off Shen's clothing.

Correct

“Destiny doesn't exist at all, or if it does, then it's something that should be trampled underneath my feet!"

I mean, that’s a thesis.

Well, 35% of the way in and I think our lead character (well not the staged protagonist but the scum villain) has now died twice.

“The Cang Qiong Mountain sect has definitely been united in their treatment towards outsiders: they beat up whoever mentions it. Their sect has been like that all along; they recognize family, not logic.”

So he made the scum villIain sect into a found family sect

“His body definitely should have been sent back to Qing Jing Peak to be buried with the previous Peak Lords--but the problem is, Luo Binghe refused to return the body."

Binghe...uh, dude that seems unhealthy.

Aw, but I liked the System.

I feel like the MXTX who wrote TGCF would've made the sequence of Shen resurrecting as a plant boy and climbing out of the dirt be a tad more horrifying than it is in SVSSS.

Mayhaps you shouldn’t go by the name Peerless Cucumber, Shen.

“Remembering in the original work that a young lady had shyly expressed how Luo Binghe in "that respect" is so etc.”

Guess here’s the confirmation that like all MXTX tops, Binghe is needlessly hung. (I’m assuming Binghe is the top)

Shen, baby:

Shen Qingqiu asked, "You're not scared she'll take off her clothes?"

Yayayay it’s coming back

I mean, never say never.

Ok, so Shen thinks that he's clearly a different looking dude and very well disguised and he is so clearly not that the moment Binghe seems him he nearly chokes a harem bride for bringing him a man who looks nearly identical to the original Shen.

MXTX bottoms are bad at disguises.

Sha Hualing wanted to apparently disfigure Shen who was like, hey, what if instead we just like...made me a mask?

Well, context clues would lead me to believe that Binghe has been acting like a man in mourning and that he hasn’t been gathering a proper harem.

Honestly sounds like an improvement

Shen, baby. Dear. Darling. You are finally on the same page.

And it took being literally kissed.

Hey Binghe...watcha doing

“Instead of saying it was a person, it would be better to say it was "a body...The collar had slipped below the shoulders, revealing half of a back as white as paper.”

“What was more ridiculous than finding out that the person you did everything you could to run away from during the past few years didn't even want to kill you, but wanted to do you instead?”

“hugged a corpse” is probably euphemistic for something a bit more...necroromantic, isn’t it.

Well that’s a request

Shen: *imma get laid*
brothel girls: allow me to sing you a lamentation about the great taboo love between Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe

Yep it’s necroromantic.

“No, you didn't read that wrong. He indeed rented it. Just like renting a car, flying swords could be rented as well. Moreover, the price was extremely fair and cost-effective!”

Well, it worked?

Is this...not a romance line?

Shen seems to be the only person unaware that Binghe is into him romantically/sexually. Everyone’s like “dude are you sure you want to like...give yourself to him?” And he’s like “idk why you all are saying it like that but sure.”

Which is weird because Binghe has already kissed him so he is like...overtly aware.

I mean, dude is in uncertain waters.

Kind of seems like Shen’s choices have made Binghe into a villain.

Love that the two properties I’m engaging with the most right now have good cook characters (Luo Binghe and Sui Zhou).

Need more things where men cook to show love/affection.

Aside from Hannibal? Maybe?

Airplane Shooting Towards Sky I’m being a traitor.

"The stallion novel protagonist you wrote turned into a cut-sleeve, shouldn't you be angry?"

I mean, I’m not disappointed.

"Actually leaving it full of holes is no big deal. The main issue is making it cool for the readers.”

Writing in a nutshell.

Well the System is into it

“But Luo Binghe didn't give him any more time to consider tender affection; instead, he suddenly ripped apart Shen Qingqiu's inner robe with one hand before he groped his waist, skin against skin.”

My assumption is “no” and “you will still need to use the only known cure, having sex with the protagonist.”

The power of editing dear. Kill your darlings.

Hmm yes, we are trapped in a coffin doing the awkward first steps of intimacy to (checks notes) hide from ghosts.

Well, he’s asleep so he can’t hear that.

【 YOOOOOOO~~Cool points +1000┏(┏^q^)┓~ Congratulations for obtaining the achievement "Physical Relationship Development"!!! 】

well clearly the system ships it

“Seen enough? He might as well have destroyed root and branch."

Shen Qingqiu gravely agreed. Why didn't you destroy root and branch!

Well the Old Palace Masters demise was some Annihilation shit.

Oh the euphemism of asking if someone is another’s cultivation partner.

The interesting thing that’s happened is that in the meta of the story Binghe is no longer protected by plot armor but in actuality he still is, but your brain is like “ooh but now he is at risk!”

“If he actually took it all off, Luo Binghe would likely tear down the bed and Zhuzhi-Lang along with it.”

He has to strip slowly for Binghe’s peace of mind?

Jeez this entire nudity scene is honestly a comedy of errors.

He said to Luo Binghe, "So... just then... you guys... inside... three people?"

“Just one sentence, eight words, but Shen Qingqiu still understood clearly what he was trying to imply.”

Poor Shen, always in comedic sexual sequences where his virtue is at risk.

Hmm, dumbass

Yep, real straight. The straightest. A 100% bonafide straight dude.

I don’t know what energy this is but I’m into it .

Hmmmm

“Conclusion: The female lead's roles were once again given to him, right?”

aw damn

If the comments in this bonus section were written today there would be like 10 comments about how the characters are like Wei Ying and Lan Zhan because that’s every single comment section on a cultivation novel now.

“F*** f*** f***, an on-site live broadcast of murder.”

It’s interesting that he now gets to experience the tragic backstory of his own character in technicolor.

I mean, crimes of passion usually are.

"Even if I am a little brute, then I am only Shizun's little brute. Other people can't call me that."

This is the result of Shen giving some really mixed signals.

Considering you’re also interested into him would this be daddy kink because Shen is not really kink-aware enough to know that.

What an oddly coquettish gesture

“Although he said "trained a good disciple," his tone was no different from saying "married a good husband."

Congrats Shen you married well

“In the next ten seconds, Shen Qingqiu finally witnessed first-hand what could be called a "vicious beating"...”

Damn Shizun why are you like that

I love that he’s like unlocked his characters own tragic backstory.

The System does as the System does.

“Honestly speaking, this kind of collision, where his mouth and teeth were still hurting so much that they felt numb, simply cannot be called kissing; it can only be called gnawing.”

Well it’s kissing to Binghe

Oh they immediately went from kissing to sex.

LUBRICATION MY GOOD MAN

seriously does no one in danmei understand the value of like basic preparation

tw: sexual violence

“the intestinal muscles gradually moistened, with blood and intestinal secretions smoothing the way for intercourse.”

Uh that’s not supposed to happen

Also this was evidently Shen Qingqiu's plan for an “energy transfer” which is like substantially more painful and somehow less gay than Hua Cheng kissing Xie Lian constantly for “energy” and also romance.

“Shen Qingqiu originally wanted to clear his throat, lighten up the mood and say, you didn't do anything except do your shizun, is all.”

yeah uh maybe not the time

Shen Qingqiu, as always, with exceptional and appropriate comedic timing instead vomits blood.

please System, you must save them from themselves

idk, maybe Shen Qingqiu is gay because you, Shen Yuan are gay?

oh sweetie

“If Shen Qingqiu hadn't meddled in everything, Luo Binghe most likely would have really blackened to the end, becoming the dark youth from the original work who tore people into human sticks with his bare hands and cursed the world and himself.”

so an improvement

Oh Binghe

Oh that’s the end. The last 26% is just extras/additional content, but I have now completed the core story.

well, I guess they’re adjusted

“Even the stallion novel protagonist was now a homosexual, what else could be qualified as a BUG?”

idk, Binghe kind of strikes me as disaster bi?

oh sweetie yes

he (mentally) clarifies that the kissing, touching, stripping and just like, rolling around in the sheets is all "so bad that he was in class of his own" but that like, he doesn't have a frame of reference for penetration but he's pretty sure it's not supposed to be that bad.