Chapter 296-297 On How to Conquer System Fairies and Make Them Your Wives 296-297 |
Chen Yin woke up to the sound of birds chirping, Shen Shuanglian still asleep in his arms.
“Senior Brother, wake up, Master is calling for you—”
The door opened, and Xiang’er’s cheerful voice trailed off as she saw the two of them, naked and entangled in the bed.
Chen Yin sat up, startled, and chuckled awkwardly. “Oh, Xiang’er, you’re up early.”
Xiang’er’s lips pursed into a pout, and she glared at him.
“Senior… Brother…”
Her voice was thick with resentment.
“Can I… explain?”
“Why bother?” she snorted, turning away. “It’s your choice who you sleep with. I can’t force you. If you like sleeping with Senior Sister, then go ahead. Just don’t come looking for me.”
“Yes. Something about the Triennial Heavenly Tribulation. Hurry up and go.”
She sat down at the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and watched him with a smug look, like a wife who had just caught her husband cheating.
Chen Yin gently woke Shen Shuanglian. “I’ll go see what she wants.” He got dressed and hurried out of the room.
After he was gone, Xiang’er turned to Shen Shuanglian, who was peeking out from under the covers.
They looked at each other for a moment, then Xiang’er said, her voice filled with a playful resentment,
“…Hogging him all to yourself again.”
“I’m sorry…” Shen Shuanglian blushed. “I waited for him all night before last, but he didn’t come back until yesterday afternoon. I didn’t mean to keep him all night—”
“It’s okay, I’m not blaming you,” Xiang’er’s gaze lowered slightly, her cheeks flushing. “So… about last time… do you still want to… try it?”
They exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing between them.
“Next time, no matter who he comes to, we call the other one, okay?”
“…Okay.”
—
In the main hall of Qinglian City, Master and Qing Mei Niang were waiting.
Qing Mei Niang still seemed annoyed about his teasing from the day before, her gaze sharp and cold.
Chen Yin ignored her.
“You’re finally here? I thought you were too busy enjoying your wife’s company,” Master said, her voice laced with sarcasm.
Chen Yin coughed. “That’s not true. I can sleep in even without a wife. And you’re so relaxed, with the Triennial Heavenly Tribulation approaching. How can you even sleep?”
“Like you could sleep when you were in my arms that night.”
Master’s playful tone vanished. “Let’s talk business. What’s your plan for the Triennial Heavenly Tribulation?”
“Same as before,” Chen Yin said. “If Luo Luo can’t seal the passage, then we’ll stop them.”
“And if we can’t?”
Chen Yin was silent for a moment. “There is no ‘if’.”
Master’s eyes lowered slightly, and she chuckled. “Don’t worry too much. We have a backup plan.”
Chen Yin looked at her, his gaze searching.
He had a pretty good idea what her “backup plan” was.
“You’re not planning on sacrificing yourself again, are you?”
“It’s an option.”
“It’s not an option,” Chen Yin frowned. “Can’t you be a little more selfish? Always thinking about sacrificing yourself.”
Master just grinned at him, her usual carefree smile masking the seriousness of her words.
It was as if sending him back in time was a trivial matter, a simple solution.
…As if it wasn’t her own life she was risking.
“I won’t let that happen again,” Chen Yin said, ruffling her hair gently. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Can’t you take a joke?” she said, pouting playfully. “Don’t worry, it won’t be that bad. The Dao of Time is more versatile than you think. There are other options besides dying. And it’s just a last resort. We might not even need it. I called you here because I wanted to see how strong you are now, with two Daos.”
“You saw me fight during the last Triennial Heavenly Tribulation,” Chen Yin said, puzzled.
“You call that a fight?!”
Master’s cheeks puffed out in annoyance. “You and that silver-armored guy were fighting all over the Void, while I was stuck there, getting beaten up! I hadn’t mastered the Dao of Time yet! I want a rematch! I want to see your true strength!”
“If we fight seriously, there’s no place in the Lower Realm that can contain our power.”
“That’s why I called Qing Mei Niang.”
Master turned to the fox demon. “We’ll fight in the Void.”
Chen Yin looked at Qing Mei Niang, who snorted and said, “Don’t get any ideas. I’m only doing this because Little Ling’er asked me to.”
“Thank you, Senior Mei Niang.”
Chen Yin bowed respectfully.
Qing Mei Niang glanced at him, then opened a portal to the Void and led them through.
The main hall fell silent.
After a long while, the portal reopened, and the three of them emerged.
Master and Chen Yin were silent, their expressions unreadable.
Qing Mei Niang, however, looked at Chen Yin with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
She had known he was powerful,
But what she had just witnessed in the Void was beyond her comprehension.
…It was a battle on a completely different level.
She finally realized that she and Yu Ling were no match for him.
“So… who won?”
“She did,” Chen Yin sighed.
“You didn’t use your Third Sword. It’s a draw,” Master said.
They exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them.
Qing Mei Niang looked at them, confused by their cryptic exchange.
After the spar, Chen Yin and Master left Qing Mei Niang and went for a walk.
They strolled along a path behind the city, the air filled with the sound of birdsong and the gentle murmur of a nearby stream. Neither of them spoke.
“…I thought you were strong,” Master finally said, her voice light and teasing, “but I underestimated you. With your current strength, we might not even need to worry about the Triennial Heavenly Tribulation. You could probably handle that silver-armored general, Jiazi, even if he came personally.”
But Chen Yin’s expression remained somber.
“What’s wrong? Still sulking?” She turned to him and pinched his cheek playfully. “Don’t worry so much. We might not even need the Third Sword. Your first two swords are more than enough.”
“What if someone stronger than him comes?” Chen Yin asked quietly.
Master fell silent.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Chen Yin hadn’t lost the spar.
But even with his two most powerful swords, he couldn’t defeat Master, who wielded both the Dao of Time and the Dao of Life and Death, a combination that granted her near-immortality.
He had wanted to test the limits of his Third Sword, now that he had a suitable environment.
But he had failed.
Or rather, he had stopped halfway through.
Not because he couldn’t execute the technique,
But because the Eternal Light Sword couldn’t withstand its power.
The sword, a gift from the Immortal Venerable, had already been damaged during the last Triennial Heavenly Tribulation. Even his Second Sword, at full power, had pushed it to its limits. And after a thousand years, its energy had weakened considerably.
It could barely handle the Second Sword.
But the Third… the moment he channeled his sword intent into it, both the Void and the sword itself had begun to tremble violently.
He had a feeling that if he hadn’t stopped, the sword would have shattered.
But without the Third Sword, he felt vulnerable, his trump card gone.
Seeing his silence, Master kicked him playfully.
“Come on, cheer up! I’m here! I can handle anything!” She raised her chin proudly. “I’m omnipotent!”
Chen Yin looked at her and lifted her into his arms.
“Then can you reach my lips?”
Master flailed her short legs, trying to reach his lips, but she couldn’t.
Frustrated, she pouted and bit his wrist playfully.
“If I can’t kiss your lips, I can kiss other places.”
“That’s biting, not kissing.”
“Same difference. My lips touched you.”
Chen Yin looked down at her, her eyes fixed on his, a playful challenge in their depths.
He sighed softly. “…No matter the cost, I don’t want you to use the Dao of Time again.”
The playful glint in her eyes faded, and she turned away, her voice barely a whisper. “It’s okay. I’m used to it.”
Chen Yin flicked her forehead lightly, and she winced, rubbing the spot with her hand.
“Ow! What was that for?!”
“Don’t do that again.”
“You’re so bossy!” she protested, waving her fist playfully.
“Whatever you say.” He held her close, like a cuddly toy. “I’ll find another way.”
“What way?” she asked, curious.
“The Immortal Venerable said this sword isn’t complete. It’s not just an ordinary weapon. He hinted that it’s much more than that. And he was always very secretive about it.”
“Now that you mention it,” Master blinked, “he also asked me to take care of it, before he disappeared.”
“If he cared about it so much, then there must be something special about it.”
“But…” Chen Yin’s eyes lowered slightly.
…They didn’t have time.
The Immortal Venerable had died two thousand years ago. There were several places connected to him, but searching for clues wouldn’t be easy.
And the Triennial Heavenly Tribulation was fast approaching.
“It’s fine. Even without the Third Sword, we can still fight them,” Master said, snuggling closer, her head resting on his chest. “But… my plan for the Triennial Heavenly Tribulation is different from yours. I want to involve as many Dao Comprehending cultivators as possible… including Shen Shuanglian and Xiang’er.”
Chen Yin was silent.
“I know you’ll disagree. It’s too dangerous for them. But they’ve reached Grand Clarity and comprehended the Dao. They’re almost as strong as I was a thousand years ago. If the Upper Realm sends many of those soldiers, we won’t be able to handle them alone. Having Xiang’er and the others with us would be a great help.”
Chen Yin thought for a moment, then shook his head. “…It’s too dangerous. They can handle those bronze-armored soldiers, but they’re no match for the silver-armored ones. And we don’t know how many the Upper Realm will send this time.”
Master looked at him for a long moment, then stretched languidly.
“You might think my plan is… ruthless. The risks are far greater than the rewards for them. But… after a thousand years, perhaps this is the only thing that’s changed about me. Because… a thousand years is a long time. I’ve lost too much. I’ve become… numb. Life and death, partings and reunions… I’ve seen it all. So, to be blunt, except for Xiang’er, I don’t care if they live or die. But you… you have to survive.” Her gaze was fixed on him, her voice firm and resolute.