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

“Something happened,” Feng Jue said, keeping her words concise. She walked toward the grand hall with 03 nestled in her palm. Along the way, she happened to look down, blinked in surprise, and lifted 03 right up to her face to study it closely.

Feng Jue asked, “What on earth are you wearing?”

03 raised a matchstick limb and tapped it against one of its round eyes, explaining, “Eyes.”

It raised the other matchstick limb. “Arms.”

It lifted the lower matchstick limbs. “Legs.”

A complete set! It was practically a miniature version of a human.

Feng Jue: “…”

Her lips twitched slightly. She suddenly raised her hand, plucked a fresh peach blossom from the ornamental pin nestled in her hair, and gently placed it atop 03’s head.

The pink blossom drifted serenely, passing straight through 03’s body and landing right back within Feng Jue’s palm.

03 tilted its circular eyes downward, staring at the flower sitting right between its two matchstick legs.

Feng Jue fell silent once again.

She lowered her hand, letting the peach blossom drift down onto the green jade tiles.

“I forgot you don’t possess a physical body,” Feng Jue murmured.

So, the fact that 03 had appeared to be cradled by her palm this entire way was simply because it was matching her pace and flying on its own.

It certainly knew how to cooperate.

After all, I am the host’s best companion and the most outstanding employee in the System Realm!

03 puffed out its chest, floating up to hover right beside Feng Jue’s shoulder as she walked forward. Before entering the grand hall, Feng Jue hesitated for a brief moment and asked, “Are you really going in looking like that?”

Won’t the others notice?

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

Hearing this answer didn’t put Feng Jue’s mind at ease at all; if anything, she found this entity even stranger. However, she didn’t have the luxury of dissecting 03’s bizarre nature right now; there were more pressing matters at hand.

Feng Jue took her seat upon the Palace Master’s throne.

The exact same hall, the exact same rows of silent, doll-like palace maids flanking her sides. The only difference was that from the previous party of guests, only two people remained, looking incredibly disheveled and heavily battered. One was the middle-aged man who had led the Lian Shan Sect delegation, and the other was a woman who had been trailing closely behind Xue Bufan.

The woman’s robes were stained with fresh blood. She knelt upon the floor, her face drenched in tears, pleading frantically toward Feng Jue, “I beg the Palace Master to save Young Master Bufan!”

Feng Jue cast a brief glance at the woman before shifting her gaze to the middle-aged man beside her, who was sighing heavily. She asked, “Speak. What happened?”

As it turned out, after the delegation from the Lian Shan Sect departed from Lanyang Palace, they had intended to make a swift, uninterrupted return to their sect. However, while passing by the Red Torrent Mountains, they encountered several cultivators fleeing from the forest who claimed that a secret treasure had manifested within the mountains. The younger, more hot-blooded cultivators among their group immediately insisted on entering the forest to hunt for the treasure.

Feng Jue arched an eyebrow, letting out a sharp mock. “The Red Torrent Mountains are a mere day’s journey from Lanyang City. If a treasure truly manifested there, why is it that the citizens within my city have heard absolutely nothing of it?”

The middle-aged man let out a massive sigh, his eyebrows knitting tightly together. He cupped his hands and admitted, “It is exactly as the Palace Master says. The secret treasure was a lie; bandits were the truth. The cultivators who claimed a treasure had appeared were merely scouts for a band of outlaws. After luring us deep into the forest, they intended to slaughter us and seize our goods!”

“I protected Young Master Bufan all the way to a mountain cliff,” the kneeling woman chimed in frantically. “During the chaotic battle, the young master was unfortunately struck by a rogue cultivator and fell off the cliff! His life or death remains unknown! There seems to be an array active at the bottom of that cliff, and with my low cultivation, I am entirely unable to probe it. I beg the Palace Master to personally step in and save my young master’s life! Even if it is only a corpse… a cor…”

Tears streamed down her face, and her voice cracked completely, rendering her unable to finish.

“Sigh!” The middle-aged man let out yet another heavy sigh, presenting a posture as though the heavens themselves were plotting his ruin, as he waited for Feng Jue to speak.

However, they waited for a long time, yet the figure on the throne not only remained silent but even tilted her head slightly, staring intently at her own—shoulder?

Feng Jue stared at 03, her gaze turning somewhat dark.

The two black circles on the silver-white cluster looked utterly innocent, suddenly morphing into two question marks to express its confusion toward Feng Jue.

What’s wrong?

Falling off a cliff, a suspected array active at the bottom… Could there really be some old master hidden inside a ring waiting down there?!

Feng Jue’s fingers clenched tightly into a fist inside her sleeve. She took a deep breath, slowly sat upright, and looked toward the middle-aged man.

Even if she chose to save him, she couldn’t simply do so easily. Otherwise, wouldn’t it make Lanyang Palace look like an easy target?

Feng Jue stated, “Though the Lian Shan Sect cannot compare to its past glory, it still retains some modicum of reputation. For these bandits to act with such complete lack of scruples, even forcing Xue Bufan off a cliff…?”

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

What reputation did the current Lian Shan Sect even have left? Across the entire sect of nearly a thousand people, there were only two Golden Core elders, and the younger generation didn’t have a single notable talent to speak of! Xue Bufan, who had carried the hopes of the entire sect, had his spiritual roots shattered and was reduced to a mere mortal, leaving nothing but pity in his wake.

Before he could speak, the kneeling woman lifted her head, fixing her tear-filled eyes on Feng Jue. She said, “Palace Master, that band of thieves was highly disciplined, and their cultivation far exceeded ours. A single strike from them heavily wounded three of our people; they didn’t resemble ordinary bandits at all. Furthermore, their objective was incredibly precise. The moment they wounded us, they immediately went straight for our storage bags. It looked as though… they were targeting the apologetic gifts bestowed by Lanyang Palace.”

“Audacious! Are you implying that Lanyang Palace dispatched those men?!” Siyi, who stood at the bottom of the dais, completely shed her usual gentle demeanor, her brows drawing together in furious anger.

Cold sweat poured down the middle-aged man’s back in an instant. He had actually harbored such suspicions in his heart during the journey back to Lanyang Palace, but he had never dared to speak them aloud. He hadn’t expected this loose-tongued girl to just blurthe them out so carelessly.

“Xiao Tao! What utter nonsense are you spouting?! Hurry and apologize to the Palace Master at once!”

The woman named Xiao Tao’s lips trembled. Cowering under the razor-sharp gaze Feng Jue swept over her, she stammered, “I am not saying the Palace Master sent them. It is simply that… the only people who knew about Lanyang Palace’s gifts were the people present in this hall. For us to experience an ambush right after leaving Lanyang Palace and arriving at the Red Torrent Mountains… the timing is far too coincidental.”

Siyi’s expression shifted, her gaze instantly sweeping toward the palace attendants flanking the hall. The two rows of elegant maids displayed looks of shock, lowering their heads even further.

“Could it not be that an internal traitor within your own Lian Shan Sect orchestrated this to steal the goods for themselves?”

Xiao Tao’s expression darkened, filled with immense grief. “It couldn’t possibly be one of us. Aside from Elder Li and myself, everyone else… even the young master fell off the cliff. If Elder Li or I were in league with those thieves, we would have fled far away by now! Why would we ever return to Lanyang Palace to seek aid?!”

It was a perfectly logical and well-reasoned argument.

03 swiftly updated the data within the Lian Shan Sect’s character profiles, logging down the names of Xiao Tao and Elder Li while adding their specific traits. As it was writing the name for Elder Li’s character portrait, the real Elder Li let out yet another massive sigh. 03 caught Feng Jue murmuring in an incredibly low, mocking tone: “To think he is actually an elder.”

03 dutifully logged its host’s assessment of Elder Li into the file. Following her lead, it directly adjusted Elder Li’s profile name to Elder Li the Sighter.

Completing this task in the blink of an eye, 03 inquired of Feng Jue, “Is the host going to take action?”

Feng Jue’s gaze locked onto 03.

03 reported, “Among the 90% of hosts who choose the rapid immortal ascension path, 90% of them choose to directly seize the protagonist’s fortuitous encounters. However, considering the time it took for these people to travel back and seek aid, the protagonist may have already encountered his fated opportunity. If the host wishes to act, please do so as swiftly as possible.”

Let’s get moving!

“…”

Seize Xue Bufan’s fated opportunity?

Feng Jue’s long eyelashes were traced with a faint golden sheen by the entering sunlight, the fire burning within her pupils growing even brighter, making her look entirely otherworldly. Under the expectant gazes of Elder Li and Xiao Tao, Feng Jue curled her lips into a disdainful smirk, asking them, “As of right now, Lanyang Palace and the Lian Shan Sect share absolutely no ties. Ever since I ascended to the throne, our two sects have never maintained relations. If you wish for me to step in, shouldn’t you present a modicum of sincerity first?”

Her words instantly placed an immense amount of pressure on the two individuals, causing beads of sweat to form on their foreheads. Elder Li, in particular, was experiencing a massive internal conflict. He already knew that a crippled Xue Bufan held absolutely no value to the sect; the apologetic gifts from Lanyang Palace were the greatest harvest of this entire trip.

But to have those gifts stolen away…

Elder Li’s mind whirled as he immediately adopted a weak, pathetic stance. “It is not that the Lian Shan Sect didn’t wish to maintain relations with Lanyang Palace, but you are well aware of our sect’s current predicament. We truly possess nothing that would be worthy of presentation… The reason our sect didn’t offer a congratulatory gift when the Palace Master ascended to the throne was simply out of fear of becoming a laughingstock. Furthermore, back then, the Palace Master and Young Master Bufan still held a marriage covenant. If the Lian Shan Sect made a fool of itself, wouldn’t it bring shame upon the Palace Master as well?”

His incredibly flawed, self-serving explanation painted the Lian Shan Sect as entirely pure and blameless, presenting the situation as though anyone who forced them to offer a proper gift was intentionally making life difficult for them. The sheer hypocrisy of his speech made Feng Jue muse in her heart: Who says the Lian Shan Sect possesses nothing worthy of display? This thick skin alone is truly a sight to behold.

Before Elder Li could even finish speaking, he cupped his hands and added, “If the Palace Master is willing to step in and help recover the gifts, the Lian Shan Sect is willing to return half of those treasures to Lanyang Palace as a token of appreciation.”

“And Young Master Bufan! I beg the Palace Master to save Young Master Bufan!” Xiao Tao chimed in immediately.

Elder Li felt a wave of irritation in his heart, forcing himself to add, “If the Palace Master recovers the young master safely, the remaining half of the gifts shall also be returned to Lanyang Palace.”

In truth, he believed Feng Jue wouldn’t be willing to step in. Xue Bufan’s arrogant cross-examination within this very hall was still fresh in everyone’s minds, and since Xue Bufan was currently a mere mortal, falling off a mountain cliff meant that his bones had likely been shattered to dust, let alone his life. What was there even left to save?

“There is no need for the gifts,” Feng Jue stated.

A gleam of triumph flashed through Elder Li’s eyes.

“But I do possess something I desire far more.” Feng Jue’s words instantly ignited a spark of hope within the tearful Xiao Tao. The maid snapped her head up, only to find the stunningly beautiful Master of Lanyang Palace staring directly at her.

Feng Jue asked, “What is your name?”

Xiao Tao stammered blankly, “Xue Mengtao. Xue is the same character as my young master’s surname. Mengtao was given to me on the day I began serving him; the young master dreamt of a vast peach blossom forest in his sleep, so he bestowed this name upon me. I am not a disciple of the Lian Shan Sect; I am merely a maidservant by the young master’s side.”

Xue Mengtao.

03 swiftly updated its files, leaning in close to Feng Jue’s ear to whisper rapidly, “Generally speaking, characters of this archetype are destined to become a member of the harem, and they always possess the trait of absolute loyalty.”

Hearing the word “harem” made Feng Jue’s eyelids twitch violently. She wanted nothing more than to pluck 03 down and hurl it beyond the horizon. However, since this woman belonged to Xue Bufan…

“I am willing to step in and save Xue Bufan. If he is already dead, I will recover his remains. In exchange, I want you to enter my Lanyang Palace. From this day forward, you shall serve by my side with absolute fidelity and never harbor a divided heart. Can you perform this?” Feng Jue demanded of Xue Mengtao.

Her words left everyone in the hall completely astonished. Siyi lifted her head to glance at Feng Jue in utter confusion, entirely unable to fathom her mistress’s intentions.

Elder Li, on the other hand, was overjoyed.

Trading a reasonably attractive maidservant for a vast collection of heavenly treasures and spiritual materials—any fool would know how to make that choice!

He immediately called out Xue Mengtao’s name, stating in a heavy tone, “Since the Palace Master has spoken, why haven’t you accepted yet?! Once you enter Lanyang Palace in the future, you must serve with the exact same dedication you showed toward the young master!”

Xue Mengtao had never imagined a day would come where she would leave Xue Bufan or the Xue family; her mind went completely blank. Elder Li leaned down toward her ear, whispering, “The resources of Lanyang Palace are something the Lian Shan Sect could never hope to match. Xiao Tao, you’ve struck an absolute goldmine!”

“A goldmine…” Xue Mengtao let out a bitter laugh in her heart. She kowtowed deeply toward Feng Jue, declaring, “As long as the Palace Master is willing to step in and aid us, Xiao Tao is willing to serve the Palace Master for the rest of her life with absolute fidelity and never harbor a divided heart!”

Feng Jue offered a lazy nod. Gesturing toward Siyi, she rose from her throne and declared, “Time is of the essence. Let us depart.”

Siyi bowed in compliance, extracting a flying magical artifact from her storage ring.

The artifact transformed into a streak of flowing light as it flew outside the hall, expanding into a massive, three-decked flying vessel. The palace attendants who had been serving within the hall filed out in an orderly fashion to board the ship.

Just as Feng Jue prepared to make her move, a silver ball of light suddenly zipped right up to the tip of her nose.

“Host, after analyzing your behavioral patterns, I finally comprehend,” 03 declared.

Feng Jue: “?”

“Some hosts choose to seize the protagonist’s fated opportunities, while others choose to steal the protagonist’s spotlight. But you, Host—you have chosen to directly steal the protagonist’s women!” The tiny lightbulb atop 03’s head began to ring with a flurry of digital dings. “By directly seizing all the women destined for the protagonist’s harem, you not only disrupt his plotline completely, but you can even select a cultivation partner from among them, killing two birds with one stone!”

03 highly approved of Feng Jue’s highly unconventional approach, offering its full encouragement. 

Host, you have chosen to take absolutely everything, whether it is rapid immortal ascension or an early marriage. In order to fully cooperate with you, I will meticulously scan and identify any women who possess the potential to become part of the protagonist’s harem. Therefore, I must clarify your operational capacity in advance.”

“Does the host have any specific preferences regarding establishing a harem? Is an ‘all-inclusive, take-all’ approach acceptable to you?”

“If you intend to take everything, shouldn’t we begin plotting out residential quarters within the palace beforehand? I believe this particular mountain peak is excellent; it sits very close to your personal palace, making future carnal relations highly convenient, thereby paving the way for bearing children…” 03 chattered away endlessly, even pulling out a map interface to display real estate layouts to Feng Jue.

Feng Jue: “…………”

“03.”

She spoke in an incredibly soft, gentle tone. “Shut up.”

*****

03 Work Log:

I offered a highly meticulous and well-reasoned suggestion to my host, but she rejected it without a single shred of consideration.

My host keeps rejecting me. I suppose I will have to think of another way.

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