My System, My Wife Feng Aotian [Transmigration] - Chapter 21.2

That night, under a bright moon and sparse stars, the massive ship sailed through the cloud sea.

Apart from the Lanyang Palace disciples on duty, everyone else had retired for the night. The rogue cultivators on the deck had tacitly divided the space among themselves, meditating and regulating their breathing. These were their final moments of peace before entering the Secret Realm.

In a corner, the hunchbacked old man who had sat there all day slowly rose and asked where he could find clean drinking water.

The Lanyang Palace disciple glanced at him warily, startled by the old man’s face. He quickly averted his gaze, unwilling to look again. “When traveling, you should always prepare your own water flask,” he said. “But since you’re old and only at the Qi Condensation Stage, I’ll make an exception this once. Go to the kitchen on the lowest deck and ask there. Remember, anyone on this ship could kill you. Don’t even think about doing anything foolish!”

The old man hastily agreed, thanking him profusely before shuffling away. Once the old man was out of earshot, the disciple slowly exhaled, covering his mouth and making retching sounds.

After years of cultivation, I’ve never seen such a… disfigured face, he thought. Could he have been poisoned? Tsk tsk. If he had the money to buy a Flight Talisman to get on this ship, he should have spent it on fixing his face instead!

03 typed “sympathy” on his panel and held it up to the disciple who had been grossed out by the old man’s appearance. Then, with a blank expression, he followed Xue Bufan to see what he was up to.

Xue Bufan’s acting was exceptional, and he threw himself completely into his role. He hunched over as he walked from the deck into the cabin, his steps slowing on the final level as if waiting for someone. Before long, a figure descended the stairs: it was Xue Mengtao.

“Young Master Xue!” Xue Mengtao exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion. “I never thought you’d actually come! But how did you manage to get on board? Your Spiritual Root…”

“Hush!” Xue Bufan pressed a finger to his lips, his voice low. “Last time, with so many ears around, I couldn’t tell you. My Spiritual Root has gradually recovered! And this trip to the Secret Realm is crucial for a very important matter!”

A determined glint flashed in Xue Bufan’s eyes.

“Truly?!” Xue Mengtao cried, overwhelmed with joy and near tears.

Xue Bufan pulled her into the shadows. “This isn’t the place to talk,” he whispered. “Did you bring the item I asked you to?”

Xue Mengtao nodded, retrieving a bottle of elixirs from her Storage Ring.

“This bottle of Sustenance Pills should last you a month, Young Master.”

Xue Bufan took the Sustenance Pills and sighed wistfully. “If only things had been different… Xiaotao, thank you. The materials for refining Foundation Establishment Pills in the Chongshan Secret Realm are far superior to those found outside. I’ll secure the finest ingredients for you to aid your Foundation Establishment.”

Xue Mengtao shook her head. “Your situation is far more difficult than mine, Young Master. Please take care of yourself. I’ve heard this journey is extremely dangerous. Young Master, you—” She wanted to persuade Xue Bufan not to risk his life, but when she remembered his predicament over the Sustenance Pill, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

She had witnessed Xue Bufan’s former glory and his subsequent decline after being crippled. Her every thought had been consumed by the hope of restoring his Spiritual Root. Now that his Spiritual Root was beginning to recover, what right did she have to hinder him?

“Young Master Xue, if you need any materials, just tell me. I’ll help you find them!” Xue Mengtao said earnestly.

Xue Bufan pursed his lips and shook his head. “The Chongshan Secret Realm is incredibly perilous. Just focus on taking care of yourself.”

Xue Mengtao was taken aback and wanted to protest, but Xue Bufan raised a hand to stop her. “Your cultivation is still at the Qi Condensation Stage. The Feng Jue managed to bring you to the Chongshan Secret Realm—what ulterior motive could she have? Once you’re inside, you must be extremely cautious. Stay at the back of the group, and no matter what happens, don’t take unnecessary risks. Protecting your life should be your top priority.”

But what’s the difference between that and running away? Xue Mengtao thought. What Secret Realm isn’t dangerous? She wanted to argue, but she knew Xue Bufan was only looking out for her. She smiled and nodded. “You take care too, Young Master.”

Everything had gone smoothly so far. Xue Bufan calmed himself, patted Xue Mengtao on the shoulder, and said gently, “The walls have ears. Go now. We’ll meet again.”

The words “we’ll meet again” brought joy to Xue Mengtao’s heart. Clutching her maidenly affection, she reluctantly left.

When her footsteps had completely faded, 03 heard Xue Bufan sigh, his voice bleak.

“She never called me ‘Young Master’…”

03 tilted its head and circled Xue Bufan twice.

“But our childhood friendship was always different,” Xue Bufan continued. “Ah, never mind. I should enter the Secret Realm first…”

A disciple from the kitchen poked his head out, loudly demanding to know who was there. Xue Bufan’s voice cut off abruptly, and he shakily went downstairs to fetch water. 03 followed him closely.

Siyi emerged from the assembly hall. As she turned the corner, a pale blue figure, head lowered, collided with her. When the girl looked up to apologize, a smile still lingered on her face. But the moment their eyes met, that smile vanished, replaced by panic.

“S-Siyi… I mean, Elder Siyi, my apologies!” Xue Mengtao jumped back, hastily performing a deep bow.

Siyi blinked, her lips curving into their usual gentle smile.

“Ah, Xue Mengtao,” Siyi said, her voice soft. “I remember you’re only twenty. It’s understandable to be a little carefree in private, but you must be more cautious in public. You wouldn’t want to inadvertently offend someone you shouldn’t.”

Xue Mengtao twisted her hands together, mumbling her agreement.

“Good timing,” Siyi said, turning to lead the way. “Follow me.”

Xue Mengtao trailed behind her, ascending to the second deck of the Spirit Ship.

The second deck housed the quarters of Lanyang Palace’s Elders. Xue Mengtao had never been here before. As they approached Siyi’s room, a group of people descended the stairs. These individuals wore crimson disciple robes, exuding an extraordinary aura and brimming with spirited energy.

Xue Mengtao stole a glance upward. Among those bowing to Siyi, she noticed a strikingly beautiful disciple who appeared visibly impatient. After rising, the disciple strode away with purposeful steps.

Siyi’s expression remained unchanged as she guided Xue Mengtao inside. “The palace attendants are wearing aquamarine robes today,” she remarked casually.

Xue Mengtao quickly lowered her head. “Yes.”

******

At Lanyang Palace, Inner Gate disciples wore crimson robes embroidered with subtle patterns that varied according to their rank. Palace attendants, on the other hand, donned vibrant palace attire. Compared to other peaks, the attendants of Phoenix Perch Peak enjoyed a much larger wardrobe. Sometimes, when the Palace Mistress grew tired of the existing robes, she would order new ones to be made for them.

From this alone, Xue Mengtao had never seen a more generous master than Feng Jue. Even when she served as Xue Bufan’s personal maid at Lianshan Sect, she only thought about getting new clothes during the year-end festivities.

For cultivators, clothes and jewelry seemed unimportant; weapons, elixirs, and cultivation techniques were what truly mattered. For high-ranking cultivators, what their subordinates wore was even less important; why bother worrying about such trivial matters?

Feng Jue was different. Even in her cultivation, she insisted on doing it in style, and the same went for the palace attendants’ belongings.

Xue Mengtao lived with three other palace attendants. Sometimes she would overhear them chatting while holding new clothes or jewelry, giggling about how fortunate they were to have such a beautiful Palace Mistress. She was generous, and she wasn’t afraid of others trying to outshine her.

“That’s our Palace Mistress of Lanyang Palace—ethereal and peerless, unmatched in grace and beauty. Who in this world could ever outshine her?”

Listening quietly, Xue Mengtao wholeheartedly agreed.

She admired Xue Bufan. When he was engaged to Feng Jue, she never dared to harbor any improper thoughts. But after seeing Feng Jue in person, while feeling unworthy, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for Xue Bufan.

Such a peerlessly beautiful woman… If Xue Bufan’s spiritual root hadn’t been crippled, their marriage would have been a legendary tale. Alas, fate had other plans. Even though Xue Bufan was now an ordinary mortal with a lifespan of less than a hundred years, she still wished to stay by his side unwaveringly, until she could accompany him on his final journey.

But now that she had come to Lanyang Palace and become someone even closer to the woman Xue Bufan once was, staying unwaveringly by his side remained a foolish wish. Truly… fate toys with us.

Xue Mengtao’s thoughts churned endlessly, so absorbed that she didn’t even process what Siyi was saying. It wasn’t until Siyi stopped walking and looked at her with a smiling gaze that Xue Mengtao startled, her face flushing crimson. She hastily apologized, her lips opening and closing as she struggled to come up with an explanation.

“Not being able to lie is a good thing,” Siyi said with a smile, pointing at her. “I still think pink suits you better.”

Xue Mengtao froze, staring blankly at Siyi.

“Willow leaves arch above your brows, peach blossoms blush across your cheeks,” Siyi said. “Since your name is Mengtao, you should wear pink.”

Xue Mengtao’s gaze quietly fell downward, landing on Siyi’s pink dress. Noticing this, Siyi burst into laughter and picked up the hairpin on the table, handing it to Xue Mengtao. “I called you here specifically to give you this.”

The silver hairpin was exquisitely crafted, its origins a mystery. Three peach blossoms at its tip were so lifelike they seemed freshly plucked from a branch.

“Among the disciples from Lanyang Palace venturing into the Secret Realm, you’re new and lack a protective artifact. Wear this hairpin during the journey, and it will withstand three full-force attacks from Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators,” Siyi explained.

Xue Mengtao startled, her voice trembling with fear. “I can’t accept your gift!”

Siyi, not allowing refusal, reached out and pinned it into Xue Mengtao’s hair. She stepped back, smiling. “No wonder the Palace Mistress often makes clothes and jewelry for her attendants.”

She added, “It’s not particularly powerful; just something I made during my leisure time. If the Palace Mistress hadn’t reminded me to give you a life-saving artifact, I would have forgotten about this.”

“The Palace Mistress?” Xue Mengtao’s shock deepened. “Did Feng Jue ask you to give me a life-saving artifact?”

“Now that you’ve joined Lanyang Palace, you’re one of us. Do you really think the Palace Mistress would just stand by and watch a fellow palace member die in the Secret Realm?” Siyi teased.

Xue Mengtao’s face flushed crimson. “Thank you, Palace Mistress! Thank you, Elder Siyi!”

She knew that Siyi cultivated the Path of Artifact Refining and was highly skilled. An item like this, if sold on the open market, would likely fetch several thousand spirit stones. Yet Siyi had given it to her—a mere palace attendant without hesitation.

“If you truly want to thank me,” Siyi said with a smile, “why not tell me what you were so deeply pondering on your way here?”

Xue Mengtao hadn’t expected Siyi to still be thinking about this. Her tongue twisted as she struggled to find the right words, but then a realization struck her. “I was wondering… what kind of person someone as extraordinary as the Palace Mistress would fall in love with. What kind of man would she choose as her Dao Companion?”

Hearing this question, Siyi’s expression turned slightly complicated. She recalled Xue Bufan, who had been dumped, and suddenly understood. “I didn’t expect you to be interested in such matters,” she said deliberately. “Do you have someone in mind you’d like to introduce to the Palace Mistress?”

Xue Mengtao stumbled back in fright, waving her hands frantically. “I wouldn’t dare! Mengtao wouldn’t dare!”

Siyi’s lips curled into a smirk, her eyes flickering mischievously. “No matter. I welcome you to act as a matchmaker for the Palace Mistress. But do you know what kind of person she favors?”

She picked up a storybook from the table and offered it to Xue Mengtao.

“This is the Palace Mistress’s favorite storybook. Take it back and study it carefully. Absorb its essence.”

What does the Palace Mistress’s favored type have to do with a storybook?

Xue Mengtao, utterly bewildered, instinctively reached for the book. But the moment her fingers brushed the blue cover, Siyi snatched it back.

“Wait,” Siyi suddenly retracted her offer. “You already squander your exceptional talent by ignoring storybooks. If I let you read this, you’d only waste even more time. Forget it. Go back now, and pretend I never said any of this.”

Her talent?

Xue Mengtao didn’t dare ask.

After bowing to Siyi, she left, her mind buzzing with unanswered questions.

The moment she was gone, the air in the room suddenly thickened with tension.

Siyi turned toward the curtain veiling the inner chamber, making a graceful obeisance. “When did you arrive, Palace Mistress?” she asked with a smile.

Feng Jue stared at Siyi through the curtain, her gaze subtle as she asked in a cool voice, “Since I asked you to give Xue Mengtao the hairpin, when have I ever issued such an order?” Did the life of a mere palace attendant really require her attention?

Siyi lifted the curtain and entered, sitting across from Feng Jue with a smile. “If the Palace Mistress didn’t care about Xue Mengtao, she wouldn’t have ordered her to tend to the Fire Rock Jiao. She still possesses something the Palace Mistress needs, so it’s best to keep her alive and well.”

Feng Jue scoffed, her subtle gaze turning to confusion as she frowned. “You still care about her cultivation progress?”

Siyi replied earnestly, “Xue Mengtao is already twenty years old and in the Late-Stage Qi Condensation. She shows signs of breaking through soon. Her meticulous nature is evident in her actions—someone like her wouldn’t resort to shortcuts or cut corners in cultivation. If she breaks through in the next few years, a Foundation Establishment cultivator in her twenties would be considered a top prospect even in the Eastern Continent.”

Having reached Foundation Establishment in four years and Golden Core at age twenty-five, Feng Jue wore an expression of disdain and arrogance as she looked at Siyi.

Seeing this, Siyi teased, “You, my lady, are completely oblivious to the hardships of the common people.”

Feng Jue’s disdain deepened. Why should she bother with such trivialities? She had been destined to become the Palace Mistress of Lanyang Palace since birth. Why concern herself with the suffering of others? But when Siyi mentioned “by the book”…

A silver-white figure holding a panel popped into the proud Palace Mistress’s mind, flitting about.

That little brat has been gone all day and still hasn’t returned!

Feng Jue’s expression darkened.

“You want to take Xue Mengtao as your apprentice?” Her tone turned frosty.

Even when she valued talent, Siyi had never personally gifted anyone with one of her crafted Artifacts.

Siyi replied slowly, “The Palace Mistress should naturally surround herself with as many loyal and exceptionally talented individuals as possible.”

Feng Jue recalled 03 urging her to “steal” the women destined for Xue Bufan. 03 had claimed that any woman who could entangle the Protagonist must be both exceptionally beautiful and capable, telling her to “the more the better.”

The Palace Mistress’s expression darkened further.

Siyi found Feng Jue’s feelings toward Xue Mengtao peculiar. Clearly, Feng Jue held no regard for her, yet she had brought her into Lanyang Palace and kept her close. Though seemingly displeased with Xue Mengtao, she had never actually mistreated her.

If Feng Jue truly disliked someone, she would have burned them to ashes long ago.

To prevent Lanyang Palace’s future talent from being reduced to ashes, Siyi decided to persuade Feng Jue, hoping to improve Xue Mengtao’s standing. She said:

“Let’s put aside everything else. Since joining the palace, Xue Mengtao has been diligent and sincere. Even Fire Rock Jiao adores her. Oh, and didn’t she show great consideration for you, Palace Mistress? She was trying to find you a Dao Companion, wasn’t she?”

The last part was clearly meant as a jest, but it inadvertently hit a sore spot with Feng Jue.

“One after another, everyone wants me to find someone to ‘talk about love’ with!” Feng Jue snapped, grinding her teeth.

Siyi astutely caught the slip in her words. “Two people?” she asked. “Who’s the other one?”

Feng Jue let out a scornful snort and glared at Siyi.

Siyi pointed at herself and quickly surrendered. “Though I did mention it once, I had no intention of matchmaking for you, Palace Mistress. I know your heart lies elsewhere.”

Yes, you know, Feng Jue thought. Only you know!

With a dark expression, Feng Jue stood up, preparing to return to her chambers.

Siyi rose to see her off.

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