My System, My Wife Feng Aotian [Transmigration] - Chapter 6

“Something’s happened,” Feng Jue said concisely, carrying 03 toward the grand hall. Mid-stride, she casually glanced down, paused, then held 03 up to examine it.

“What is this?” Feng Jue asked.

03 held up a matchstick and placed it on the circle, explaining, “Eyes.”

Holding up another matchstick, it said, “Arms.”

Lifting the matchstick, it added, “Legs.”

“Complete! It’s practically a miniature human!”

Feng Jue: “……”

Her lips moved slightly, and suddenly she reached into her hair, plucked a peach blossom from the hairpin, and placed it atop 03’s head.

The pink blossom drifted slowly downward, passing through 03’s body and landing in Feng Jue’s palm.

03’s circle-shaped eyes looked downward at the flower between the two matchsticks.

Feng Jue fell silent again.

She lowered her hand, and the peach blossom drifted onto the turquoise jade bricks.

“I forgot you don’t have a physical form,” Feng Jue said.

So all this time, when she had been carrying 03 as if it were tangible, it had actually been flying on its own.

Quite the cooperative companion, after all.

After all, it was the Host’s best partner, and the System Realm’s most outstanding employee!

03 puffed out its chest and floated to Feng Jue’s shoulder, following her forward. Before entering the grand hall, Feng Jue hesitated and asked, “Are you going in like that?”

“Won’t anyone notice?”

“Only the Host can see me,” 03 assured Feng Jue.

Instead of feeling reassured, Feng Jue found this even stranger. But there were more pressing matters at hand than investigating 03’s peculiarities.

Feng Jue settled into the Palace Mistress’s seat.

The same seat, the same silent attendants flanking it like wooden puppets—everything looked identical. The only difference was that the group of guests from her previous visit had dwindled to just two battered survivors. One was the middle-aged man who had led the Lianshan Sect delegation, and the other was the woman who had been accompanying Xue Bufan.

The woman, her clothes stained with blood, knelt on the floor, her face streaked with tears as she pleaded with Feng Jue, “Palace Mistress, please save Young Master Bufan!”

Feng Jue glanced at the woman, then her gaze shifted to the middle-aged man beside her, who was sighing repeatedly. “Speak,” she said. “What happened?”

It turned out that after leaving Lanyang Palace, the Lianshan Sect group had intended to return to their sect without delay. However, as they passed Hongjiao Mountain, they heard from fleeing cultivators that a Secret Treasure had appeared there. The younger, more impulsive members of their group immediately demanded to enter the mountain in search of the treasure.

Feng Jue raised an eyebrow, scoffing. “Hongjiao Mountain is a day’s journey from Lanyang City. If there were any treasure, why hasn’t anyone in the city ever heard of it?”

The middle-aged man sighed heavily, his brows nearly meeting in a frown. He clasped his hands and said, “As the Palace Mistress says, the Secret Treasure is a lie, and the bandits are real. The cultivator who claimed the treasure had reappeared was their scheme to lure us into the mountains and rob us!”

The kneeling woman spoke urgently, her voice trembling. “I protected Young Master Bufan all the way to the cliff. During the battle, the bandits knocked him off the cliff! I don’t know if he’s alive or dead! There seems to be some kind of formation below the cliff; my cultivation level can’t detect it. I beg the Palace Mistress to intervene and save my young master’s life! Even if it’s just his corpse, his—”

Tears streamed down her face, her voice choking on the words.

“Sigh!” The middle-aged man sighed again, looking as if heaven itself had conspired against him, and waited for Feng Jue to speak.

But after a long silence, the figure on the throne didn’t speak. Instead, she tilted her head, staring at the woman’s shoulder.

Feng Jue stared at 03, her gaze heavy.

The two black circles on the silver-white ball looked utterly innocent, transforming into question marks as they expressed their confusion to Feng Jue.

What’s wrong?

Falling off a cliff, seemingly triggered by an array… Could there really be an old man hidden in the cliff, guarding a ring?!

Feng Jue’s fingers, hidden in her sleeve, clenched into a fist. She took a deep breath, slowly sat up, and looked at the middle-aged man.

Even if we rescue him, we can’t do it easily. That would make Lanyang Palace seem too easy to push around!

Feng Jue said, “Though the Lianshan Sect may not live up to its former glory, it still retains some reputation. How dare they act with such brazen disregard, forcing Xue Bufan to jump off a cliff?”

The middle-aged man’s expression grew even more bitter.

What reputation could the Lianshan Sect possibly have now? A sect with nearly a thousand members, yet only two Golden Core Stage elders! The younger generation lacks even a single noteworthy talent! Xue Bufan, who carried the sect’s hopes, suffered a Shattered Spiritual Root and became an ordinary mortal. All that’s left is pity.

She remained silent, but the woman kneeling beside her looked up at Feng Jue, her tear-filled eyes pleading. “Palace Mistress,” she said, “those bandits were highly trained, their cultivation surpassing ours. They injured three of us in their first strike—this wasn’t an ordinary robbery. They knew exactly what they wanted, targeting our storage pouches immediately after the attack. It looks like… they were after Lanyang Palace’s compensation.”

“Insolent! Are you suggesting Lanyang Palace sent these people?” Siyi, who had been attending at the foot of the steps, abandoned her usual gentle demeanor, her brow furrowing in anger.

Cold sweat dripped from the middle-aged man’s forehead. He’d harbored this suspicion on the way to Lanyang Palace but never dared voice it. Now this outspoken girl had blurted it out.

“Xiaotao! What nonsense! Quickly apologize to the Palace Mistress!”

Xiaotao’s lips trembled. Under Feng Jue’s stern gaze, she stammered, “I didn’t say the Palace Mistress sent them. I only know about Lanyang Palace’s compensation…”

“It’s just too much of a coincidence,” Siyi said. “The timing—from our departure from Lanyang Palace to our encounter with bandits on Hongjiao Mountain… it’s just too perfect.”

Siyi’s expression darkened as she glanced sharply at the palace attendants on either side. The two rows of attendants, their faces as vibrant as flowers, looked astonished, their heads dipping even lower.

“Could it be that there’s a traitor within your Lianshan Sect, someone embezzling funds?” Siyi demanded.

Xiaotao’s face paled. “That’s impossible,” she said sorrowfully. “Apart from Elder Li and me, no one else could have done it. Even the Young Master fell off the mountain. If Elder Li or I were colluding with the bandits, we would have fled long ago. Why would we come to Lanyang Palace for help?”

Her argument was reasonable and well-founded.

03 updated the Lianshan Sect’s personnel files, adding Xiaotao and Elder Li’s names and noting their characteristics. As 03 entered Elder Li’s name into his profile, the real Elder Li was sighing. Hearing this, Feng Jue scoffed under her breath, “Still an elder, huh?”

03 faithfully recorded the Host’s assessment of Elder Li and, as a joke, changed his name in the system to “Li the Sigher.”

The task was completed in the blink of an eye. 03 asked Feng Jue, “Will the Host take action?”

Feng Jue’s gaze settled on 03.

03 explained, “Among the 90% of Hosts who choose the quick path to immortality, 90% attempt to seize the Protagonist’s opportunities. However, considering the time it takes for them to seek help, the Protagonist may have already encountered his chance. If the Host wishes to act, it must be quickly.”

Move!

“…”

Seize Xue Bufan’s opportunity?

Feng Jue’s long lashes were highlighted with a golden hue by the sunlight, while the fire in her eyes burned even brighter, making her seem almost otherworldly. Under the expectant gazes of Elder Li and Xiaotao, Feng Jue curled her lip disdainfully. “Now that Lanyang Palace and Lianshan Sect have severed ties, and there’s been no contact between our sects since my ascension, shouldn’t you show some sincerity if you want me to act?”

Her words visibly weighed heavily on the pair, sweat beading on their foreheads. Elder Li, in particular, was torn between his conscience and desire. With Young Master Bufan crippled and no longer valuable, Lanyang Palace’s compensation was the greatest gain of this journey.

But the compensation gift had been stolen…

Elder Li quickly changed tack, feigning humility. “The Lianshan Sect isn’t opposed to interacting with Lanyang Palace. You know our situation—there’s simply nothing we can offer that’s worthy. When the Palace Mistress ascended to her position, we refrained from sending a congratulatory gift to avoid ridicule. Besides, with the engagement between the Palace Mistress and Young Master Bufan still intact, wouldn’t any embarrassment to our sect reflect poorly on her?”

His flimsy explanation painted the Lianshan Sect as blameless, implying that anyone who expected a gift was deliberately making things difficult. Feng Jue inwardly scoffed: Who says the Lianshan Sect has nothing to offer? This shamelessness alone is a spectacle worth witnessing.

Before Elder Li could finish, he cupped his hands and added, “If the Palace Mistress agrees to help retrieve the compensation gift, the Lianshan Sect will return half of it in its original form.”

“And Young Master Bufan!” Xiaotao interjected urgently. “Please, Palace Mistress, save Young Master Bufan!”

Elder Li, growing impatient, reluctantly continued, “If the Palace Mistress rescues the Young Master, we will return the remaining half of the compensation gift to Lanyang Palace.”

However, Feng Jue doubted she would intervene. The memory of Xue Bufan’s interrogation in the palace still echoed in her mind. Now that he was merely a mortal, having fallen off the cliff, his bones were likely shattered beyond recognition. What was there to save?

“There’s no need for compensation,” Feng Jue said.

A gleam of smug satisfaction flashed in Elder Li’s eyes.

“But I want something else.” Feng Jue’s words brought hope to Xiaotao, whose tears had just begun to subside. She snapped her head up, only to find the Palace Mistress of Lanyang Palace, a woman of breathtaking beauty, gazing down at her.

“What’s your name?” Feng Jue asked.

Xiaotao stammered, “Xue Mengtao. ‘Xue’ is for the Young Master, and ‘Mengtao’ means ‘Dreaming Peach Grove.’ The Young Master dreamed of a peach grove the day I became his servant, so he named me thus. I’m not a disciple of the Lianshan Sect; I’m just a servant by his side.”

Xue Mengtao.

03 swiftly updated its data and whispered into Feng Jue’s ear, “Typically, characters like this become part of the harem, possessing unwavering loyalty.”

Hearing the word “harem” made Feng Jue’s eyelid twitch. She wanted to rip 03 apart and hurl it into the void, but since this girl belonged to Xue Bufan…

“I’m willing to rescue Xue Bufan,” Feng Jue said to Xue Mengtao. “If he’s already dead, I’ll bring back his remains. In exchange, you must enter Lanyang Palace and serve me faithfully, without any divided loyalties. Can you do this?”

Her words stunned the crowd. Siyi looked up at Feng Jue in confusion, unsure of her intentions.

Elder Li, however, looked delighted.

A pretty servant girl and half a heavenly spirit treasure? Even a fool knew which to choose!

He immediately called out Xue Mengtao’s name, his voice stern. “Since the Palace Mistress has spoken, why haven’t you agreed? Once you’re at Lanyang Palace, you must serve me with the same devotion you showed the Young Master!”

Xue Mengtao had never imagined leaving Xue Bufan or the Chu Family. Her mind went blank.

Elder Li leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Lanyang Palace’s resources far surpass those of Lianshan Sect. Xiaotao, you’ve hit the jackpot!”

“Hit the jackpot…” Xue Mengtao thought bitterly, bowing deeply to Feng Jue. “If the Palace Mistress is willing to help, Xiaotao will serve you faithfully for the rest of her life, without any divided loyalties!”

Feng Jue nodded lazily at Siyi, then stood up and said, “No time to waste. Let’s go.”

Siyi bowed deeply and retrieved a flying artifact from her Storage Ring.

The artifact transformed into a streak of light that shot out of the hall, materializing into a three-decked ship. The palace attendants waiting inside the hall streamed out to board it.

As Feng Jue prepared to leave, a silver orb suddenly pressed against her nose.

“Host, after analyzing your actions, I understand now,” 03 said.

Feng Jue: “?”

“Some hosts steal the protagonist’s opportunities, some steal the protagonist’s spotlight, but you, Host, have chosen to steal the protagonist’s women!” The little light bulb on top of 03’s head buzzed rapidly. “By snatching up all the women in the protagonist’s harem, you not only disrupt the protagonist’s storyline, but you also get to pick a Dao Companion from the harem itself—a two-for-one deal!”

03 admired Feng Jue’s unconventional approach and encouraged her, “The Host has chosen both rapid immortality and early marriage. To support you, I’ll carefully evaluate potential women for the Protagonist’s harem. Therefore, I need to know your limits in advance.”

“Do you have any reservations about opening a harem? Would you accept anyone who comes your way?”

“If you want everything, shouldn’t we plan storage space within the palace first? This mountain peak seems ideal—it’s close to your palace, convenient for future physical exchanges, and perfect for preparing for children…” 03 chattered incessantly, even pulling up a map to show Feng Jue potential housing options.

Feng Jue: “………………”

“03,” she said softly, “shut up.”

Support My System, My Wife Feng Aotian [Transmigration]