My System, My Wife Feng Aotian [Transmigration] - Chapter 34.1

The captured System is doomed to become a ghost.

03 perched on a shelf, facing the wall, two matchstick-like legs dangling beside its spherical body, its dark, ringed eyes fixed straight ahead.

It began counting: “One… two…”

The 03 Ball emitted a soft, glowing light, its cool, mature voice echoing through the library’s ink-scented air. Feng Jue crossed her arms, watching 03. Beneath her feet, the Qilin wagged its tail and slipped under her skirt.

Feng Jue: “……”

Hmph.

Before 03 could reach ten, the great bell at the top of the Library Pavilion rang out. Hearing Feng Jue call, 03 hurried over.

The Thunder Qilin emerged, carrying the still-dead Fire Rock Jiao Dragon in its mouth, and placed Lingshi at Feng Jue’s feet. It wagged its tail and said to 03, lingering affectionately, “My master’s trials are over. The Immortal Palace will soon close, and I must return to my slumber and cultivation until the day I seek you out again.”

“In the next century, if you have the chance to visit the Chongshan Secret Realm again, don’t forget to come see me!”

03 flew down to the Little Thunder Qilin, shook its hand, and said solemnly, “I will. I’ve marked it on my calendar.”

“But I think Feng Jue will ascend before you. Let’s aim for this century. When that happens, I’ll… umm, I’ll…”

System and Qilin looked up at the human cultivator, whose smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Feng Jue’s lips curved into a smile, her stunningly beautiful face hovering close to the two small figures. The vermilion flower ornament between her brows shone as bright as fire.

“Wait a moment,” Feng Jue said with a smile to Thunder Qilin. She tightened her grip on System’s hand and transmitted her voice telepathically:

“Say a proper goodbye to your friend and put that rebellious spirit of yours away!”

What rebellious spirit?

03 didn’t understand, but he obeyed nonetheless.

The two friends parted with lingering reluctance.

The peal of bells echoed long and lingering through the clouds.

The barrier that had surrounded the entire Chongshan Immortal Palace, making it visible yet unattainable to all, dissipated. The Ladder to Immortality, which had connected the palace to the mortal realm, suddenly shattered, its stone fragments cascading down.

The cultivators who had been scheming to seize this opportunity to ascend the palace scattered in panic, scrambling to evade the falling debris.

When they looked up again, the Immortal Palace had vanished without a trace. Only the blazing sun hung in the azure sky above the majestic mountains. It was as if the palace and its inheritance had been nothing more than an illusory dream.

The three individuals, spat out by the dream, were teleported to a dense forest.

Qiu Shuangshuang stared blankly, pointing at the sky, then at herself, then at the two figures before her. “Immortal Palace… me… you two… Huh? What?”

What had happened?

Why was she here?

Feng Jue raised her hand with cool detachment, using the motion of adjusting her hairpin to discreetly tuck 03 into her sleeve.

03 clutched Feng Jue’s wrist.

“Miss Qiu!” Xue Bufan exclaimed, his face splitting into a wide smile—still as ugly as ever, but now radiating vitality, spirit, and fighting spirit.

He looked even more terrifying than before.

Xue Bufan turned, bowed deeply to Feng Jue, and said softly, “Senior Sister Apprentice.”

The terror in Feng Jue’s eyes solidified. She abruptly stepped back, her hand fumbling in her sleeve, gripping the 03 Ball tightly.

Why didn’t you mention this? Xue Bufan also received an Inheritance?! Senior Sister Apprentice?!

03 clutched Feng Jue’s wrist, the Bubble System frozen in shock.

I didn’t know.

I didn’t expect the Chongshan Immortal Venerable to ultimately pass the Inheritance to Xue Bufan. The original plot is proving hard to alter. 03’s dark circles under its eyes stared at Feng Jue’s wrist, the Bubble System’s expression turning anxious.

Stare, stare.

Overwhelmed by nervousness, 03 couldn’t resist pulling out an ice pop stick from its backpack and biting it while staring at Feng Jue’s wrist.

Xue Bufan remained bowed, addressing Feng Jue, “I know you possess extraordinary talent, Senior Sister Apprentice—graceful and wise, with abilities surpassing others. Master said that whoever completed the trials before me must have been you.”

Feng Jue pressed her lips together, her emotions wavering between acceptance and denial. If she didn’t acknowledge it—Qiu Shuangshuang hadn’t even reached the Third Trial, and with only three people in total, who else could have passed the test? But if she did acknowledge it—

Wait.

Feng Jue raised an eyebrow and asked Xue Bufan, “You recognize Chongshan Immortal Venerable as your master, so what about your connection to Lianshan Sect?”

Xue Bufan replied, “When my spiritual root was crippled, the master who had taught me since childhood severed our master-disciple bond. Now, apart from my current master, I have no other master-disciple relationships.”

He smiled wryly and added, “Even my father and the others…” He chuckled and stopped short of elaborating on the Xue Family’s shortcomings.

Qiu Shuangshuang covered her mouth with her hand, looking at Xue Bufan with sympathy. “You poor thing.”

Xue Bufan continued to smile.

Feng Jue remained impassive, her gaze subtly sweeping over the ring on Xue Bufan’s hand. Her thoughts flowed, and she fell into deep contemplation.

“Senior Sister Apprentice?” Xue Bufan hesitated, glancing at Feng Jue. After a moment’s thought, he apologized, “Back at Lanyang Palace, I was disheartened and said many offensive things. It was all my fault. As for what happened after we entered the Secret Realm—”

At this point, Xue Bufan paused, his gaze vacant for a moment. When he regained his composure, he said, overwhelmed with shame, “It was my greed that got the better of me. Please, Senior Sister Apprentice, scold me as you see fit. I won’t argue. We are fellow disciples now, bound to watch over and support each other. I hope you will forgive my earlier rudeness.”

For a split second, Feng Jue desperately wanted to pull the 03 Ball from her sleeve and fling it at Xue Bufan’s face, telling him that the true guardian of their watchful support was this very ball!

But she restrained herself.

Enduring small frustrations prevents great disasters.

The origins of the 03 Ball must remain secret. How could she expose it in public, especially now, when Xue Bufan’s ring contained some entity—whether human or spectral—whose nature remained unknown?

Xue Bufan claimed it was the Spiritual Consciousness of Chongshan Immortal Venerable, but why hadn’t it emerged to greet his other disciples? And who was Shen’s new master, the one intent on destroying everyone? Was this entity related to the consciousness fragment in the ring?

Given Chongshan Immortal Venerable’s nature, he would never take the life of a cultivator who failed the first trial. But Shen’s new master was ruthless and cruel. How could Feng Jue risk revealing the existence of the 03 Ball?

Feng Jue sneered inwardly.

“Enough,” she said, waving her hand impatiently. “The fact that the Chongshan Immortal Venerable’s inheritance has fallen into our hands must remain a secret. Anyone from Lanyang Palace who wants to challenge me should consider their own capabilities first, but your life—”

This is the protagonist.

Feng Jue’s expression turned frosty. “Whether you live or die, it’s your choice.”

If he really dies, out of respect for 03, I won’t have fireworks set off at the mountain gate to celebrate.

Setting them off in the city, however, might be appropriate—sharing the joy with the people.

But with Xue Bufan’s stubbornly persistent life, I wonder if the fireworks craftsmen in the city can even cash Lanyang Palace’s payment.

Xue Bufan, who had been listening to the admonishment, looked utterly bewildered.

Qiu Shuangshuang immediately raised her hand and swore solemnly, “Both of you are my benefactors! I absolutely won’t reveal anything about the inheritance!”

Feng Jue looked at Qiu Shuangshuang. The young woman’s face was beaming with excitement, showing no trace of disappointment over missing the opportunity. Feng Jue lowered her lashes, her fingers unconsciously stroking 03 as she said coldly, “Then swear the oath.”

Qiu Shuangshuang scratched her head, sighing in disappointment that Feng Jue didn’t trust her. But remembering how her own carelessness nearly got her killed, she hastily swore an oath in front of Feng Jue and Xue Bufan. When she lowered her hand, she thought everything was settled. However, Feng Jue raised an eyebrow, her clear eyes shifting to Xue Bufan.

He needs to swear too?

Seeing the warning in Feng Jue’s eyes—that she would kill him if he refused—he quickly swore an oath to the Heavenly Dao, vowing never to reveal Feng Jue’s acquisition of the Inheritance to anyone.

Feng Jue said approvingly, “The oath has been sworn. I actually wouldn’t mind if you told anyone.”

This was the first time Xue Bufan had heard such a gentle tone from Feng Jue. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he murmured, “Senior Sister Apprentice is joking.”

“Heh.” Feng Jue scoffed coldly.

With some time remaining before the Secret Realm closed and the barriers between areas having vanished after the trials, the cultivators were free to explore. Feng Jue still had her promise to escort Qiu Shuangshuang, so the three parted ways.

“Go,” Feng Jue said coldly to Xue Bufan. Yet even then, Qiu Shuangshuang clung tighter to her wrist. Suppressing the urge to punch the girl, Feng Jue warned Xue Bufan in her senior sister’s voice, “And you—rein in that fickle, flirtatious nature of yours!”

Embarrassing your Master is one thing, but don’t disgrace 03.

Since you’ve accepted the Chongshan Immortal Venerable’s inheritance and acknowledged the master-disciple bond, as the host of 03, Feng Jue doesn’t want the day to come when Xue Bufan returns with a string of women, calling her “Senior Sister Apprentice.”

Just thinking about that scene gives Feng Jue a headache.

Beside them, Qiu Shuangshuang heard the words “fickle and promiscuous” and thought she must have misheard. She rubbed her ears, but Palace Master Feng’s resolute tone left her stunned. Palace Master Feng wasn’t one to speak recklessly, so—her gaze shifted to Xue Bufan, who was equally astonished, and her expression grew peculiar.

Though young, Qiu Shuangshuang could tell Palace Master Feng disliked Young Master Xue. She didn’t know their past entanglements, but Palace Master Feng wasn’t given to careless remarks. Could it be…

Qiu Shuangshuang froze, then quietly edged closer to Feng Jue.

“Fickle and promiscuous?” Xue Bufan’s face was etched with shock. He raised a finger at himself, stammering, “Senior Sister, I…”

Before he could explain, Feng Jue flicked her sleeve, frowned, and snapped impatiently, “Hurry up and get lost!”

Xue Bufan was speechless. He fled.

He made his way cautiously, evading nearby cultivators, slipping into the mountains as effortlessly as a fish into the sea.

Once safe, he excitedly spoke to the Spiritual Consciousness within the ring, “Master, the illusion you left during the trial was truly as you described—utterly graceful and extraordinary!”

The Spiritual Consciousness remained silent for a long moment before breaking into a shrill, piercing laughter.

Xue Bufan, accustomed to its mercurial moods, said, “It’s a pity there was no trace of your Spiritual Consciousness in the Secret Realm, nor in the Immortal Palace.”

The Spiritual Consciousness snapped, “Why would I hide my consciousness in such an obvious place?”

“Right,” Xue Bufan quickly soothed it. Once the consciousness had calmed, he gently continued, “I just didn’t expect you to have chosen two heirs for your inheritance!”

“The trials I set only select the most talented young cultivators, those who align with my sword path!” the Spiritual Consciousness retorted. “Few ever reach the final stage. I just never imagined…”

For millennia, countless human cultivators had climbed the Ladder to Immortality, slain Thunder Beast Phantoms, and studied the ancient texts. Yet none had ever reached this point.

Tens of thousands of books, all rejected at the gate. This year, only three people reached the final stage, yet two managed to pass! That girl Feng Jue even finished ahead of Xue Bufan! What prodigious talent!

This… truly filled him with—jealousy!

The Spiritual Consciousness churned within the ring, seething with fury.

What enraged him even more was that the life-saving item he’d obtained from the Treasure Pavilion after failing the trial years ago—after all this time—had ultimately benefited the disciple of the Chongshan Immortal Venerable! How laughable! Utterly laughable!

Heaven had truly betrayed him!

Xue Bufan was explaining how he planned to apologize and make amends to Feng Jue for his past offenses when he suddenly stopped hearing the Spiritual Consciousness’s voice. He glanced at the ring with suspicion, frowned, and hesitantly called out, “Master?”

“Hmph!” the Spiritual Consciousness scoffed. “Feng Jue stands above you all. How could she possibly deign to accept your gift? The best apology would be to keep your distance! She finds you utterly distasteful!”

A wisp of mist drifted from the Spiritual Consciousness, fixing its gaze on a hunched old man walking nearby. Its face twisted as it waited for the old man to gather all the Spiritual Consciousness fragments…

Master’s words were harsh, but Xue Bufan had to admit he was right. “Master,” he said, “once we leave the Secret Realm, I’ll go to the Nanyang Continent and search for the fragments of your Spiritual Consciousness you left there. Once the two fragments of your consciousness merge, you won’t be so irritable. Then I’ll find an opportunity for you to meet Senior Sister Apprentice.”

Master had warned him that their enemies were still alive and that he must never reveal his existence. Since he was their master, Xue Bufan couldn’t let him teach only one disciple. However, Palace Master Feng was proud and arrogant, while the Spiritual Consciousness Fragment’s temperament was volatile and his words sharp. If he brought them together now, their sect might fall apart.

Hearing this, the Spiritual Consciousness roared angrily, “You dare call me irritable!”

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