It Turns Out The Master's Wife Is Actually Me [GL] - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The sight of the woman in the mirror and her words of exasperation set off a tempest in Cheng Fu’s heart.

In a split second, countless theories flashed through her mind. Ultimately, these myriad thoughts converged like a thousand streams into a single ocean, solidifying into four words:

The system is broken.

She wasn’t sure exactly how the system functioned, but she was certain its operation was unstable. It was precisely this instability that had led to an outcome beyond the wavy-haired woman’s expectations what she called this thing being broken.

If a system failure had sent her here, could she leave through another malfunction?

Within the gold-embellished frame, the woman didn’t move much after speaking. she merely glanced at the empty glass on the bar and tilted her head, her curly, pale-gold hair swaying slightly with the motion.

With a long, light-pink fingernail, she casually traced a circle in the air and snapped her fingers. Come in.

A girl with short pink hair entered the room with light, almost skipping steps. She giggled and said, Sister, there have been so many glitches lately. Many planes have been invaded by an abnormal data entity… Zzt… bzzzt.

The girl’s sweet, chirpy voice instantly dissolved into static. The mirror’s image began to flicker with irregular white spots before being completely replaced by thin black and white stripes. Then, those familiar ripples spread across the surface once more.

Silence returned. Cheng Fu stared at her reflection, noticing a sharp, piercing glint in her own eyes that felt jarringly out of place with her delicate features. She twitched the corner of her mouth into a smile, which somehow radiated a strange, budding murderous intent.

Behind her, the sound of wind approached rapidly, whistling past the back of her head and sending her dark hair flying. She whipped around, the corners of her eyes tinged with a fierce, low-burning red.

Yan Li watched her calmly. Standing about ten feet apart, the two gazed at each other for a long moment before Cheng Fu lowered her head. I’m sorry. Master, I’m just in a bad mood.

Her thoughts had been in turmoil, and when she heard the movement behind her, her expression had been inadvertently sharp almost as if she were looking at an enemy. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, yet Cheng Fu found she desperately didn’t want her Master to misunderstand her. She nurtured a strange hope that she could maintain a good impression in Yan Li’s heart.

Yan Li withdrew her hand into her sleeve and said softly, It is no matter. I saw the images in the Water Mirror as well.

Cheng Fu stared at Yan Li, a flash of bewilderment appearing in her clear eyes. Her Master’s expression remained as calm and composed as ever; she didn’t seem shocked or confused by the appearance of a modern metropolis.

Given Yan Li’s familiarity with the space-time rift of the Library, she might have traversed many planes before. Cheng Fu couldn’t be sure if Yan Li had already visited her original world.

Yan Li stepped closer and tilted her head slightly toward the mirror. The karma involved in this Water Mirror is complex, and the chances to peer into it are few. The images just now should be a ’cause’ linked to your current situation, but as for what ‘effect’ they correspond to no one can know.

Her voice turned somber. I wished to glimpse your past the past from before you bore the restriction. Who would have thought luck would be against us, showing instead the connection between another and yourself. Let us return for now.

Cheng Fu’s heart shuddered. Her feet felt as heavy as lead, refusing to move.

Yan Li wanted to see the original host’s past, but Cheng Fu was not the original soul. Facing the Water Mirror, she could only see her own destiny. Before transmigrating, Cheng Fu had certainly never met that pale-gold-haired woman, so what connection could there be?

If there was a link, it was only that the system the woman mentioned was tied to her current plight.

Back at the Fifth Courtyard, Cheng Fu hurriedly washed up and collapsed onto her bed in a daze.

Having experienced too much today, her mental state had been a series of peaks and valleys, much like a roller coaster. First, she learned of the unbreakable Blood Covenant, then Yan Li offered a turning point, only for her to discover that the turning point was nothing more than a high-stakes gamble. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the original owner; she had no capital to bet and couldn’t afford to lose.

She knew very well that the images she saw in the mirror weren’t a result of bad luck. It was entirely because this body had a new soul, and could no longer reveal the previous soul’s past.

Yan Li didn’t seem to suspect her at all, nor did she seem to care whether she was the little girl from the Shark Clan who had blundered onto the ice plains alone.

Irritated, Cheng Fu grabbed the corner of her Black Phoenix feather duvet and rubbed it between her fingers before listlessly rolling over.

She should be focusing on the system glitch the woman mentioned and finding a way to exploit it to return home. Yet, her mind was filled with Yan Li’s indifferent remark: I saw it all.

She saw it, yet she didn’t question her? She didn’t feel her identity was problematic?

Would a Great Ascension peak sword cultivator someone who understood the rules of space-time rifts and had the highest insight in the Five Domains really have zero suspicion?

The more Cheng Fu thought about it, the more Yan Li’s decision to take her as a disciple seemed riddled with mysteries. Even if she had used a Karma Talisman, there had to be more to the story. No matter how miraculous a tool was, it had to follow the logic of the world; it couldn’t create something from nothing, nor could it manipulate a sword master who could peer into the Heavenly Dao.

Why exactly did her ethereal Master accept her?

Cheng Fu felt her heart pounding; she was having trouble breathing. She took a few deep breaths and suddenly realized her concern for Yan Li had truly crossed a line. She lowered her gaze, let go of the blanket, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

The room was filled with the noise of chatter and occasional girlish laughter, but Cheng Fu treated it as background noise, letting not a single word enter her ears.

Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the din, calling her name. Cheng Fu!

Cheng Fu tilted her head toward the edge of the bed. Through her peripheral vision, she saw a slender figure stepping over the threshold. Chen Qianru entered with a bright smile. Cheng Fu, the Character Testing Realm is approaching. Many people heard you’re participating and want to be on your team.

As she spoke, Chen Qianru pulled a soft, white, silk-like object from her storage pouch. Upon closer inspection, it was covered in tiny black dots and squares like mosquito legs it was a silk memorandum filled with notes.

Cheng Fu lay limp on the bed like she had no bones, not even glancing at the white silk. She muttered under her breath, I’m not going. It’s boring. I’m not in the mood.

Chen Qianru’s brows shot up, and her usually gentle tone wavered. But I’ve already signed you up. You can’t back out of the Character Testing Realm once you’ve registered.

Chen Qianru hadn’t meant to be overbearing. She had simply seen how enthusiastic Cheng Fu was about the test earlier. Knowing the deadline was tomorrow, she had acted out of kindness and signed her up this afternoon.

Cheng Fu finally sat up lazily, her eyelids and shoulders drooping, radiating a visible aura of gloom. She had none of the spirit she’d shown at noon. She looked at Chen Qianru and asked, Are the teammates all settled?

Cheng Fu didn’t mind letting Chen Qianru handle the team. She didn’t have many connections here, but Chen Qianru was different. Chen Qianru knew many top students; by recruiting them, Cheng Fu actually got the better deal. She didn’t have to waste energy finding people and only needed to meet them after evening study to finalize the list.

Seeing Cheng Fu show a bit of interest, Chen Qianru handed over the silk memo, her eyes tinged with worry. You don’t look well. Did the Sword Master scold you this afternoon?

Don’t take it too much to heart. The Sword Master is someone with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She cares most for her students. If she was strict for a moment, she didn’t mean any harm. Chen Qianru went on, her concern for Cheng Fu genuine.

Cheng Fu’s nose suddenly felt a bit prickly. She gave a muffled I know. Sword Master Yan is a good teacher.

In this entire academy, no one likely knew better than her that Yan Li was a good teacher. She was just being greedy, and she couldn’t blame anyone else for that.

She forced herself to snap out of her listlessness and reached for the silk ribbon.

The silk was covered in various names written in different handwriting. It seemed many people had flocked to Chen Qianru to join the team. Chen Qianru had resorted to letting them leave their names and basic info so she could show Cheng Fu and confirm the selection together.

Cheng Fu scanned the list and immediately saw a long string of names likely a group that wanted to join together. A group wasn’t a problem, but the name at the top was an eyesore.

Xin Yunze.

Without thinking, she twirled her fingers, manifesting a spiritual pearl pen. She reached out to cross off the entire string of names.

Bleep bleep bleep System auto-repairing. Detected host participating in non-proactive task behavior. Warning! Warning!

At the same time, Chen Qianru, standing by the bed, looked slightly shocked. These are the most suitable teammates I’ve scouted. Their roles don’t conflict; everyone can do their part.

Cheng Fu’s hand froze in mid-air. She suddenly felt there was no point in defying the system or resisting the task.

She didn’t belong to this world anyway, and her cultivation was stuck. Instead of trying to find a way to escape through a system glitch, it was better to just follow the rules, finish the tasks, and return to her original world naturally. That path had fewer variables and a lower difficulty level; she wouldn’t have to overthink or waste her efforts and emotions.

The tip of the pearl pen took a sharp turn, decisively drawing a large circle on the silk. The circle enclosed three names, led by Xin Yunze.

Chen Qianru was surprised, but Cheng Fu simply handed the silk back listlessly. She didn’t look at the rest of the names or info. She waved her hand and said, It’s them. Submit the list tomorrow. Don’t delay, or we’ll miss the deadline.