My System, My Wife Feng Aotian [Transmigration] - Chapter 25.2

Satisfied that she had secured a decent quality of life for herself within the Secret Realm, Feng Jue resumed reading her book. But after only two lines, she sensed something amiss. Looking up, she realized 03 hadn’t approached.

The silver-white System remained swinging on the swing where it had been left. As Qiu Shuangshuang walked over to retrieve Feng Jue’s clothes, then headed to the nearby river to bathe and change, the System, still holding an ice pop stick, rocked back and forth.

“Free food, lodging, and even a uniform—how could you not fall in love with this place right away?”

Suddenly brimming with hope for the mission, 03 turned to Feng Jue and asked:

“Host, have you heard of the domineering CEO falling for me? I think you have a bit of that domineering spirit in you. You’re the Domineering Palace Mistress.”

“You’re a Silver-Headed Fly,” Feng Jue said coldly.

03 floated over leisurely amidst her mocking tone, with voice carrying the wisdom of someone who had been through it all.

“Love blossoms gradually over time, through enduring companionship.”

Feng Jue closed her eyes, retrieved two boxes of Spirit Pearls from the storage ring on her left ring finger, and placed them on her lap. Expressionless, she asked 03, “Whose love are we talking about?”

Bubbles appeared above 03’s head, each containing a miniature version of itself with wide eyes and a giant exclamation mark floating above its head.

System immediately said, “We.”

“Me, and the Host.”

System raised its matchstick to its head and made a heart shape.

Feng Jue snorted softly, putting the Spirit Pearl back into her Storage Ring. She pointed at 03 across the air. “Don’t get too carried away.”

03 and the little 03 inside the bubble simultaneously raised their matchsticks to wipe the cold sweat from their heads. The difference was that System actually let out a “whoosh” of breath and released a bead of sweat.

Little 03 raised its matchstick and waved goodbye to Feng Jue.

“Tch.” Feng Jue couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.

Ever since acquiring this set of expressions, Feng Jue found 03 increasingly endearing. Even when she tried every means to pull its red strings, she still found it quite pleasing to the eye.

Perhaps because it wasn’t human.

Feng Jue mused, her smile growing wider. At least with this little thing by her side, she wouldn’t feel lonely.

“This Palace Mistress grants you a day off. Go back and buy some snacks,” Feng Jue said cheerfully.

But 03 refused.

“The Chongshan Secret Realm is dangerous. I’ll restock when the Host returns to Lanyang Palace and goes into secluded cultivation,” 03 said. “Or I don’t need to restock at all.”

It wasn’t particularly attached to the snacks and hadn’t fallen into the Main System’s consumerist trap.

Feng Jue’s tone softened as she reached out to touch the intangible presence. “I didn’t expect you to care so much about me. Thank you.”

“It’s my duty,” 03 replied, urging the Host not to be modest. “It would be even better if you were more cooperative with the mission.”

Cooperation with the mission equals cooperation with matchmaking.

The smile on Feng Jue’s face vanished instantly. She deliberately flicked her sleeve, letting the wide fabric sweep past 03.

Go ahead, flick away. As long as the Host is happy.

03 skillfully raised a matchstick.

Bye, bye.

******

Even after Qiu Shuangshuang returned from her bath, Feng Jue still hadn’t acknowledged the System.

Qiu Shuangshuang, however, called out her thanks from a distance. Watching the clothes, now too long for her, folded at the waist and secured with a belt, 03 remarked, “She’s just a little girl.”

You finally noticed, huh?

Feng Jue shot it an irritated glare.

After changing into clean clothes and receiving food, Qiu Shuangshuang’s nerves, stretched taut for the past half-month, finally settled. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Palace Mistress Feng, you’re the second person to be kind to me since I left the Autumn Water Pavilion!”

Feng Jue remained silent.

Unfazed by Feng Jue’s lack of response, Qiu Shuangshuang continued, “Back at the pavilion, everyone warned me about the treacherous outside world, but I didn’t understand why. I thought as long as I was careful, no one could deceive me. But now I realize there’s no way to guard against everything.”

“Palace Mistress Feng, you have no idea how I was tricked by a seemingly kind-hearted female cultivator into going to the Eastern Continent before entering the Chongshan Secret Realm. She pretended to be my friend, but her real goal was to steal the Jade Token I carried to enter the realm. Later, when the Jade Tokens’ value skyrocketed, she even tried to kill me and rob me! If an old Golden Core Stage cultivator hadn’t saved me, I would have died on the Eastern Continent!” Qiu Shuangshuang sighed, taking a vicious bite of her fruit.

Hearing the words “old master,” 03 repeated them as if triggered by a keyword: “Old Master.”

Feng Jue only wanted to read her novel and had no interest in listening to the Young Mistress’s adventure stories. But Qiu Shuangshuang, as if bursting with pent-up frustration, muttered, “They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. A woman with a kind face can harbor evil intentions, while an old master with a hunched back and unsightly appearance can have a kind heart. If I ever see that old master again, I’ll definitely thank him properly!”

“…”

Realizing something, Feng Jue suddenly looked up at Qiu Shuangshuang.

Seeing Feng Jue’s gaze, Qiu Shuangshuang hurriedly added, “Of course, I’m equally grateful to you, Palace Mistress Feng! I mean every word—I’ll definitely thank you properly too!”

You’d better thank me!

Feng Jue narrowed her eyes, stowing her novel in her Storage Ring. “The old master you mentioned,” she said coldly, “was he the one with the black spots on his face, a repulsive appearance, and a Golden Core Stage cultivator?”

Qiu Shuangshuang was delighted. “The Palace Mistress has met him too?”

“Yes, that’s right. Though he’s ugly, his heart—”

Before Qiu Shuangshuang could finish, Feng Jue interrupted. “You have two Jade Tokens from the Chongshan Secret Realm. Did you give one to him as a thank-you gift?”

“How did you know?” Qiu Shuangshuang asked, startled.

Feng Jue pressed on. “Did he ever demonstrate his power in front of you?”

Qiu Shuangshuang’s expression turned hesitant. Feng Jue raised an eyebrow. “Did you discover that his Golden Core Stage cultivation was a facade?”

“No! He told me himself!” Qiu Shuangshuang blurted out, then clapped her hand over her mouth. “I promised my benefactor I wouldn’t reveal this to anyone!”

Defeated, Qiu Shuangshuang hung her head. “If he hadn’t pretended to be a Golden Core Stage cultivator and forced away that female cultivator who wanted to harm me, I might never have escaped the Eastern Continent. I’m deeply grateful for saving my life, even though his true cultivation level is lower than mine.”

“He not only saved me, but also gave me a Disguise Talisman, allowing me to enter the Secret Realm safely without persecution…” Qiu Shuangshuang sighed, scratching her head. “Though once inside, I realized it wasn’t as wonderful as I’d imagined.”

Feng Jue remained silent.

A sudden realization struck her. She turned to look at 03.

03 quietly turned to look back.

“03, open the map.”

A vivid and detailed map instantly materialized in the air.

Feng Jue studied the landscape they had traversed, her frown deepening.

“Xue Bufan disguised himself and landed in the same place as me. Qiu Shuangshuang used the same method to meet me. Ling Shan, I now suspect your earlier theory was correct,” Feng Jue said. “After the Chongshan Secret Realm’s upgrade, it’s dividing everyone into different areas based on their cultivation level. But I don’t understand why this is happening. Could it be that the Chongshan Secret Realm itself has gained sentience?”

The thought sent a shiver down Feng Jue’s spine. If the Chongshan Secret Realm possessed consciousness, it would be the guardian spirit of this realm. What fate awaited cultivators who ventured here seeking Heavenly Spiritual Treasures?

She retrieved a spirit disk from her Storage Ring, slowly channeled spiritual energy into it, and closed her eyes.

After a hundred breaths, she opened her eyes and sighed in relief.

“Everyone’s life souls from Lanyang Palace are intact. No one has met with disaster yet,” she murmured. “Perhaps things aren’t as dire as I feared.”

Feng Jue flew up and landed on the top of the Jade Spirit Tree, gazing toward the distant Celestial Palace. The presence of the palace suggested that someone had lived here long ago, and perhaps everything here was intentionally created by their predecessors.

03 flew to Feng Jue’s side and said, “Since the protagonist has entered the same scenario as you, Host, you must be careful.”

Feng Jue nodded, smiling as she lowered her hand. “I’ve outwitted him once, twice, and I can outwit him ten, a hundred, a thousand times more. I’ve already given Old Madam Xue her due respect! As long as he behaves himself, there will be no conflict between us. Otherwise—hmph!”

03 tapped Feng Jue’s shoulder with two matchstick-like fingers in encouragement. “I’ll be cheering you on, Host.”

“There’s one more thing,” 03 added. “Before entering the Secret Realm, the protagonist hadn’t used the Disguise Talisman Qiu Shuangshuang mentioned, which is why he was attacked by cultivators trying to steal his Jade Token. He gave Qiu Shuangshuang a talisman, leaving himself short. He’s meticulous with his resources, so it seems the protagonist doesn’t have many Disguise Talismans left.”

Feng Jue nodded, looking at 03 with approval as she waited for it to continue speaking.

As 03 massaged Feng Jue’s shoulders, it remarked, “The Protagonist is a young prodigy, and Qiu Shuangshuang is a beautiful maiden and the Young Mistress of the Autumn Water Pavilion. Since they’ve already met, there will undoubtedly be more entanglements between them in the future.”

The diligent System raised a panel inscribed with the names of beauties and verses, solemnly stating, “Unless something unexpected happens, Qiu Shuangshuang will eventually become a member of the Protagonist’s harem. We are that unexpected factor, just like Xue Mengtao. The System recommends that the Host bring Qiu Shuangshuang back to Lanyang Palace after concluding the Chongshan Secret Realm. You should enter secluded cultivation together for two years, never leaving the Meditation Chamber during that time.”

Feng Jue, amazed at her growing patience with 03, calmly asked, “Why two years of secluded cultivation?”

03 flipped to a new page on the panel, revealing the equation: 

16 + 2 = 18.

The System’s silver voice, calm and wise, gently explained, “The System’s worldview is largely based on the scientific world, where humans reach adulthood at 18. Once Qiu Shuangshuang comes of age, you can freely pursue romance.”

“It would be even better if you could hold the wedding ceremony on the very day she comes of age,” the System added.

A massive “囍” character which means “Double Happiness” appeared on the panel, surrounded by red silk. In the corners, confetti machines rustled as they showered petals and streamers.

Feng Jue smiled.

Bubble 03’s starry eyes widened with hope.

Feng Jue continued smiling as she transferred everything from her left ring finger’s storage ring into 03’s. Her voice, soft and gentle, carried a tenderness 03 had never heard before:

“As far as I know, many people in the mortal world marry at sixteen. But if I have feelings for her, waiting two years wouldn’t matter.”

03 watched her take the items, pursing her lips.

“But not only do I have no feelings for her, I find her irritating. So, how about this?” Feng Jue’s voice softened further as she lifted a hand and tapped the spot where 03’s nose would be, below the circle.

“I’ll kill Qiu Shuangshuang first, then Xue Bufan,” she said warmly. “Let’s see if the world will be destroyed. If it isn’t, you’ll accompany me in cultivating the Ghost Dao. If it is—”

Her eyes hardened, her crimson lips curling into a smile as she said softly, “Before I die, I’ll take you down with me as my burial companion.”

“How does that sound?”

03: “…”

The panel it was holding fizzled away, the joyous Xi character vanishing instantly as the page with the most eligible women came to the forefront.

In front of Feng Jue, 03 drew a bright red line through Qiu Shuangshuang’s name.

Having done this, 03 stuffed the panel back into its body, extended a matchstick-like appendage toward Feng Jue, and said in a flat, mechanical voice, “Greetings, dear Host. I am Cheat System 03, here for you.”

“I will do everything in my power to fulfill your wishes, no matter what. Cheat System 03 will accomplish anything for its Host!”

“…Hmph.” Feng Jue lowered her hand, planting it on her hip as she tilted her head, her gaze liquid with mockery and teasing. “Are you a good little System, or just a foolish one?”

03 paused, then extended its matchstick-like appendage further, gently grasping Feng Jue’s cooperating hand as it moved to meet it, and squeezed it up and down.

“It’s true,” it said obediently. “Even though I’m not human, you’re right.”

Let’s continue to get along amicably!

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