My System, My Wife Feng Aotian [Transmigration] - Chapter 28.1

Xue Bufan: “Palace Mistress Feng?”

He hesitated, glancing at Feng Jue, then raised his voice.

“Palace Mistress Feng!”

“Shut up,” Feng Jue snapped, glaring at him coldly. “Even if your Spiritual Root hasn’t been restored, go to the Mortal Realm, find a temple, take down the bell, and hang yourself on it. The daily morning and evening bells will keep you plenty busy.”

Xue Bufan: “……”

He clamped his mouth shut.

03 followed Feng Jue forward.

The Little Megaphone, which had been held aloft earlier, now floated in front of the System, emitting firefly-like glows.

The System clasped its paws together, rubbed its claws, and waved goodbye to the Little Megaphone: “Bye, bye.”

To avoid being hung on the temple bell, I’ll have to make you disappear for a while first. 03 bid farewell to the Little Megaphone.

Feng Jue, watching from the corner of her eye, suppressed a smirk. She transmitted telepathically, “You can keep it.”

The farewell ceremony between 03 and the Little Megaphone was abruptly interrupted. Startled, the System’s three round eyes widened into perfect circles as it floated past the Little Megaphone.

“I can use the Little Megaphone?”

“Yes,” Feng Jue replied.

“Isn’t it too loud?”

“No, it’s not.”

Exclamation marks appeared above the System’s head as it glanced between the Little Megaphone and Xue Bufan. Though somewhat relieved, it realized its Little Megaphone was much louder than Xue Bufan’s voice.

Why is that? 03 wondered.

Feng Jue looked at the System, now adorned with the Little Megaphone. Behind it, Xue Bufan knelt on the ground. Seeing Feng Jue frozen again, he cautiously glanced up at her. Feng Jue’s momentary lift of spirits plummeted back to the depths.

Whether it was his disguised, grotesquely ugly face that repulsed people, or his true handsome and youthful visage, both paled in comparison to this sparkling, luminous orb.

No, there was no comparison to be made.

Feng Jue clicked her tongue, swept her sleeve, and her palm brushed past 03 as if she were gently patting its head.

“You’re cute,” she said.

With that, she lowered her head to check on Qiu Shuangshuang’s condition.

Floating in the air, 03 spun around, three question marks gradually growing larger above its head. Finally, it picked up the Little Megaphone and examined it from all angles.

This was the first time a Host had called it cute. Could it be because of the Little Megaphone?

Cute?

03 raised its matchstick-like arm and looked at it.

Cute?

03 raised its matchstick-like legs and looked.

Cute?

03 removed one of its dark eye patches and examined it.

The System’s confusion only deepened as it snapped the eye patch back into place. A brilliant golden light began to radiate from its body. Though puzzled, it recognized the lingering emotion that had been building inside—it was happiness!

A stream of musical notes emerged from the System’s head, drifting to rest on Feng Jue’s shoulder. Instinctively, it scanned the surroundings.

The music-adorned System let out a surprised “Huh?”

Feng Jue, who had been trying to detect fluctuations in Qiu Shuangshuang’s spiritual power, uttered a similar sound of bewilderment, freezing mid-motion with her hand extended.

Flames scattered across the corners of the room suddenly converged around her, casting a golden-red glow on her delicate palms.

Drifting downward, the System settled on Feng Jue’s wrist and exclaimed in surprise, “A ring!”

Feng Jue’s right ring finger now bore a plain black ring. The ring’s ancient, somber design struggled to reflect even a glimmer of firelight, identical to the one that had dragged them into the illusion earlier. The only difference was the three tiny grooves, smaller than grains of rice, etched into its surface.

Feng Jue’s thumb, index finger, and ring finger were adorned with rings of gold, red jade, and lustrous gemstones, their vibrant hues creating a stark contrast with the somber black ring on her right hand.

A bubble with an expression of disdain popped up next to Feng Jue, echoing her sentiment.

Only then did the disgust in Feng Jue’s eyes begin to fade.

“The Palace Mistress has one too?” Xue Bufan exclaimed in surprise, raising his hand to reveal an identical ring on his finger.

Feng Jue frowned. “Nothing happened after you entered? You weren’t pulled into an illusion?”

Xue Bufan shook his head, then hesitated before adding, “Actually, I did enter an illusion before being brought here. I only realized I was trapped after I emerged. That’s when I encountered the Palace Mistress and Miss Qiu.”

Feng Jue closed her eyes.

03 quickly floated over, positioning itself so Feng Jue would see it the moment she opened her eyes. It raised its small panel:

[Please keep the Host away from the Protagonist.]

Feng Jue stepped back coldly.

Xue Bufan: ?

Qiu Shuangshuang, still lying unconscious on the carpet, let out a sob and slowly regained consciousness.

Feng Jue and Xue Bufan, standing above her, looked down at her.

The floating fireball hovered behind them, casting their faces in shadow and making them unrecognizable. Still traumatized from the illusion, Qiu Shuangshuang screamed at the sight of the two shadowy figures looming over her.

Feng Jue tilted her head back and took a deep breath.

Her ears are going to be ringing all day.

03 drifted over and rubbed Feng Jue’s ears, though not physically. It felt guilty, after all, it was one of the “culprits.”

“Miss Qiu, it’s us,” Xue Bufan said, resisting the urge to cover his ears. “You were pulled into an illusion, but you’re safe now. Miss Qiu, do you have a new ring on your hand?”

Qiu Shuangshuang, still shaken, raised her hands in panic. Seeing the black ring she hadn’t noticed before, she screamed again. “Why is it that ring again?!”

Feng Jue snapped, “Your voice seems tougher than your life.”

Qiu Shuangshuang: “……”

After Feng Jue’s harsh words, Qiu Shuangshuang’s expression gradually softened, as if finally feeling a sense of relief at having escaped danger. She patted her chest and let out a shaky breath.

“I was pulled into an illusion where all my family and friends were present. I completely forgot I was still in the Secret Realm, laughing and chatting with them. But then they suddenly began to mock me, tearing me down until I felt utterly worthless. That’s when I realized—”

“Silence,” Feng Jue said coldly. “I have no interest in your adventures. There’s no need to recount every detail.”

“…Oh,” Qiu Shuangshuang said dryly, once again realizing: This is reality, alright.

Xue Bufan offered Qiu Shuangshuang a comforting smile, then glanced at the ring on his finger and said, puzzled, “It seems those who successfully escape the illusion are given this ring. But what is its purpose? And I can’t remove it.”

Feng Jue had already sensed the power within the ring—it was the same source that had dragged her and Qiu Shuangshuang here. This indicated a single, immeasurably powerful individual was behind it all. Yet she remained uncertain about their true motives and the nature of this place.

“The key is still finding a way out of here,” Xue Bufan said.

03 suggested, “Why not entrust it to the Protagonist?”

In stories, the Protagonist always encounters opportunities when they step out. At critical moments like this, such a significant responsibility should be entrusted to someone capable. Feng Jue scoffed inwardly and instructed Xue Bufan and Qiu Shuangshuang, who had just emerged from the illusion, to continue their work.

Since she wasn’t dead, she had better get to work.

Qiu Shuangshuang puffed out her cheeks, growing even more nostalgic about her days at the Autumn Water Pavilion. With her parents and senior brothers and sisters around, there had never been a need for her to do anything herself. The humiliations she’d endured since running away from home were more than she’d experienced in her entire sixteen years of life!

Seeing Qiu Shuangshuang look like she was about to cry, Xue Bufan hurriedly said, “Miss Qiu, you’ve just escaped the illusion. Why don’t you rest for a moment while I handle this?”

Qiu Shuangshuang paused, looking at Xue Bufan. The gratitude she’d felt when he rescued her from that deception resurfaced. His disfigured appearance, the result of his disguise, paled in comparison to his kindness. She opened her mouth, the word “okay” nearly slipping out, when she heard two words.

“Absolutely not.”

Palace Mistress Feng’s voice was as elegant, beautiful, and decisive as her person, leaving no room for argument.

She had moved to stand by the wall, holding a gold plume she’d retrieved from her storage pouch. Without looking up or turning around, she said, “His cultivation is a thousand miles behind yours. Who knows what might happen next? Would you entrust your life to someone with inferior cultivation?”

Xue Bufan looked embarrassed and said to Feng Jue, “Palace Mistress Feng…”

“Cut the chatter,” Feng Jue interrupted, her cold gaze sweeping over them. “How many times do I have to urge you before you’ll move those legs of yours? Or perhaps you don’t have legs, but firewood sticks instead?”

Perhaps no one could survive the sharp-tongued Palace Mistress of Lanyang Palace.

Qiu Shuangshuang silently crawled to her feet, dusting the dirt from her skirt. All traces of gratitude, melancholy, and fear vanished, leaving only a sullen determination as she resumed her search of the empty room.

I want to get out of here so badly! Qiu Shuangshuang shouted inwardly.

No, not just get out of here, but out of the Secret Realm entirely! Far away from Feng Jue!

This woman is so fierce and terrifying… waaah!

“Host is so majestic!” In the bubble above 03’s head and on the panel it held, two golden thumbs-up appeared, offering dual praise to Feng Jue.

03 gushed effusively, “Not only majestic, but every word she speaks is absolute truth, impossible to refute!”

Facts speak louder than words!

Even the Protagonist has to do as she’s told.

Feng Jue scoffed softly and sent a telepathic message to 03: “If I’m not mistaken, there’s more to this prison than meets the eye. We won’t find anything searching like this.”

03 tilted its head and glanced at the two quietly searching the room.

Feng Jue followed its gaze, a smirk curling her lips. “I just don’t want to hear them chattering away.”

Ah, so that’s it.

“The Protagonist will figure something out,” 03 said, turning to Feng Jue. “Does the Host want to wait?”

Wait? No way.

She never placed her hopes on others! Feng Jue waved the golden feather in her hand at 03.

“Alright then, I’ll cheer the Host on,” 03 said, crossing its legs. “Matchstick.”

A box of matches appeared in the bubble above its head. A slender matchstick emerged, bent down, and scraped against the box, igniting its head with a whoosh. With flames dancing atop its head, it gave Feng Jue a thumbs-up.

Offering the Host fiery encouragement.

Feng Jue: “……”

Strange creature.

But whatever.

She shook her head, holding the golden feather. Mimicking the matchstick’s action, she scraped it against the stone wall.

A Water-Ripple Array rippled across the wall, identical to the one that had absorbed Feng Jue’s previous attack. Her expression turned cold. She released her grip, and the Gold Plume floated in her palm, engulfed by flames.

As the formation activated, Xue Bufan and Qiu Shuangshuang retreated warily, their eyes fixed on Feng Jue.

Xue Bufan gasped, “Is that… the Phoenix Gold Feather?”

Feng Jue remained silent, her gaze fixed on the burning Gold Plume in her palm.

Everyone in the room could feel the intense energy surging from the Gold Plume. Cold sweat broke out on their brows as they instinctively backed away.

A sudden gust of wind stirred Feng Jue’s hair within the confined space. Her pupils reflected the flames in her palm, and sweat beaded on her forehead. The moment the Gold Plume burned completely, she abruptly raised her hand and clenched the ball of flames.

The Phoenix Projection, which 03 had witnessed countless times before, materialized, enveloping Feng Jue.

Her robes billowed in the fiery glow as she closed her eyes, resisting the formation suppressing her cultivation. She channeled all her spiritual power into her palm. 03 saw Feng Jue’s fingers tremble, seemingly unable to maintain her grip on the flames. Just as her arm began to shake uncontrollably, it heard the Host’s low shout:

“Go!”

The Phoenix spread its wings, catching the flames Feng Jue hurled at the wall. Without hesitation, it slammed into the formation.

Overwhelmed by the flames’ oppressive force, Qiu Shuangshuang’s legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, murmuring, “Such terrifying power…”

Xue Bufan, whose cultivation level was lower than hers, was still standing, though she wondered if he was wearing a protective artifact. He quickly pulled Qiu Shuangshuang to her feet, and the two of them retreated to a corner.

Only Feng Jue stood before the flames, her hands at her sides, her eyes reflecting the firelight.

The entire space suddenly shook. The Water-Ripple Array, like a spiderweb, tried to hold back the charging Phoenix. But the Phoenix’s spear was razor-sharp, carrying enough force to shatter the entire space. With a thunderous roar, it pierced through the water ripples, smashed through the wall, and charged forward, leaving a long tunnel of fire in its wake.

The person who had caused all this staggered backward, barely able to stay on their feet.

03 quickly extended its slender arms, trying to steady Feng Jue. But its arms passed right through her body, completely ineffectual. The silver System paused, then raised its arm.

“Good. The array is broken, and the spiritual energy is returning,” Feng Jue said, popping a Spirit Recovery Pill into her mouth. She glanced back at 03, which was staring at its thin arms, and raised an eyebrow.

What’s wrong? Did the fire even reach your toothpicks through the void?

03 lowered its toothpicks and gave Feng Jue a pair of thumbs-up.

“Great! Can we finally get out of here?” Qiu Shuangshuang’s face lit up, her earlier worries vanishing as she nearly jumped for joy.

Xue Bufan leaned against the wall, peering into the cave, and shook his head. “There’s still no wind. But if Palace Mistress Feng wants us to find a way out, why is she trying to break through the wall directly?”

Just as he finished speaking, Feng Jue curled her lips into a… mischievous smile.

Xue Bufan’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively took a step back.

“Of course it’s for my Lanyang Palace,” Feng Jue said, her voice languid and dripping with her usual tone. “Not for you. And of course, I have no desire to witness some sappy reunion between lovers.”

Xue Bufan was utterly bewildered.

At that moment, a small flame, no larger than a candle, appeared in the dark corridor and slowly approached. Before Xue Bufan could even ask “Who’s there?”, a familiar voice rang out.

“I never thought the Palace Mistress would be trapped in a place like this… cough cough.”

Xue Bufan was both shocked and delighted. “Xiaotao?”

The voice paused in the darkness. “Young Master Xue?” Xue Mengtao replied, equally surprised.

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