Chapter 357-358 On How to Conquer System Fairies and Make Them Your Wives 357-358 |
Half a month later, at Xiaoxiang Clinic…
The clinic was bustling with activity, as usual, a long queue of patients waiting patiently for their turn to see the renowned Physician Nan.
She often worked late into the night, only stopping when the last patient had been seen.
Fortunately, she had help now.
As the clinic was closing for the night, Nan Xiaoxiang stretched wearily and took a sip of the tea Lian’er had just brewed for her.
“Your tea-making skills have improved, Lian’er.”
“Heehee,” Lian’er beamed, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.
Beside her, Qingying was staring intently at Nan Xiaoxiang, her gaze unwavering.
Nan Xiaoxiang, feeling slightly uncomfortable under her scrutiny, finally put down her teacup. “Qingying, you’ve been staring at me all day. Is there something on my face?”
“Comprehended the Dao?”
Nan Xiaoxiang paused, then chuckled softly. “Perhaps. I’ve been feeling… different lately. More focused, more attuned… My mind is clearer, my senses sharper. So this… is what you cultivators call ‘comprehending the Dao’?”
“I don’t understand,” Qingying frowned. “But you haven’t cultivated. Can you comprehend the Dao without cultivating?”
“Of course you can,” a casual voice said from nearby.
Bi Luo, idly flipping through a medical text as she added herbs to a cauldron, said, her voice calm and steady, “Skill nearing the Dao. All paths lead to the same destination. This woman has dedicated her life to medicine. And after resolving her inner demons half a month ago, it’s not surprising that she comprehended the Dao. In fact, if she were a cultivator, she would be one of the fastest to achieve it.”
Qingying pouted, her frustration evident. “…Why am I still stuck? I can’t seem to grasp it, no matter how hard I try…”
Nan Xiaoxiang smiled gently. “Don’t worry, Qingying. Comprehending the Dao is a natural process. It can’t be forced. Perhaps one day, it will come to you naturally.”
Qingying nodded, but she still looked a bit glum.
“Add two fewer sprigs of fuling. It’s too cold,” Nan Xiaoxiang said, turning to Bi Luo.
Bi Luo frowned. “What?! You think I’m your assistant now? A little extra fuling won’t hurt anyone.”
“Now that the Wu Xuan Cave is gone, where else are you going to go?” Nan Xiaoxiang teased, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
“Are you kidding me? I’m a Grand Clarity Realm cultivator! I can go wherever I want!” She glared at Nan Xiaoxiang. “I’ll just take Lian’er and leave! Then you can deal with all these patients yourself!”
“What if Lian’er doesn’t want to leave?”
“Then I’ll kidnap her!”
“What if Chen Yin doesn’t want you to?”
“What does he have to do with this?” Bi Luo’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“We need a bed warmer,” Nan Xiaoxiang said with a sly smile.
Bi Luo glared at her for a moment, then, unable to resist the bait, she jumped out of the bath and lunged at Nan Xiaoxiang playfully.
“You little vixen! I’ll kill you!”
Just then, the door opened, and Chen Yin entered.
“You’re back?” Nan Xiaoxiang’s eyes lit up. “Dinner is almost ready. I’ll have them heat it up—ah!”
Before she could finish her sentence, Chen Yin had collapsed against her, his body heavy and limp.
Nan Xiaoxiang, startled, held him up, her hand gently stroking his hair. “What’s wrong?”
“These Chosen Ones… they’re all teenagers with god complexes,” he groaned, his voice filled with exhaustion, “they all think they’re invincible! I’m not just collecting Heavenly Dao Fragments, I’m also providing… therapy. It’s exhausting!”
Everyone chuckled, even Bi Luo, who seemed to be enjoying his misery.
“Still laughing?” Chen Yin glared at her. “Just wait till tonight. You’ll be warming the bed, and if it’s not warm enough…”
Bi Luo didn’t wait for him to finish his threat. She turned and ran away.
After devouring his dinner, Chen Yin took a long bath, then went to Nan Xiaoxiang’s room.
She was sitting at her desk, her long black hair cascading down her back, a medical text open before her, the candlelight illuminating her face.
“How does it feel to have comprehended the Dao?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder, inhaling the sweet fragrance of her hair.
“It… doesn’t feel that different,” she said, her eyelashes fluttering slightly in the candlelight, her voice soft and gentle, “it wasn’t as difficult as I thought. It just… happened.”
“You’re the first person to comprehend the Dao without cultivating.”
He pulled her closer. “When are you going to start cultivating?”
Now that she had comprehended the Dao, all she needed to do was restore her damaged meridians, and her cultivation would progress naturally.
“Not yet,” she said.
“I’ll start when I’m too old to maintain my youthful appearance without cultivation.”
Chen Yin chuckled, surprised by her answer. “I thought you would wait until you reached the peak of your medical skills. So it’s about… vanity?”
“I don’t want to be an old woman when I’m with you,” she said, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Chen Yin smiled and kissed her cheek, the candlelight flickering, the night still young.
“So… no wedding then?” he asked. “Aren’t you… disappointed? Don’t girls dream of their wedding day?”
“It’s just a ritual. I don’t like… complicated things. A private ceremony is more… intimate. Unless… you’re afraid of… commitment?”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” Chen Yin chuckled.
“You’re afraid I’ll become old and ugly, and you’ll leave me.”
“Do you think I would?”
“No,” she said softly, her eyes lowering slightly, “but I’m not a cultivator yet. I’m just an ordinary mortal woman. Mortal love… it’s not about grand gestures or dramatic sacrifices. It’s about… the simple things. Sharing meals, spending time together… are you… willing to share that with me?”
Chen Yin gently lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed.
“…Of course.”
Time passed, and six months later…
Mist Spirit Sect.
Shen Shuanglian returned to her residence after a long and tiring day of managing the sect’s affairs. She had intended to go straight to bed, but she saw someone sitting in her room, sipping tea.
“…Were you waiting for me?” she asked, walking past him and starting to undress. “You could have come to the main hall.”
“I didn’t want to disturb you,” Chen Yin said, putting down his teacup and looking at her with a curious smile. “You knew I was coming, didn’t you? You don’t seem surprised.”
Shen Shuanglian paused as she was undressing, then continued, her voice calm and steady. “Master Yu Ling sent a message through the Ten Thousand Fragrance Pavilion. She said there haven’t been any new Chosen Ones in the past six months.”
“…So it’s over?”
“Probably,” Chen Yin nodded. “We’ve collected one hundred and eight Heavenly Dao Fragments. And there haven’t been any new ones in the past six months. It seems that’s the limit for this world.”
Shen Shuanglian didn’t look at him as she removed her Daoist robes, revealing a lacy, silver undergarment. She then changed into a light blue nightgown, her movements graceful and unhurried, as if he wasn’t even there.
As she sat at her vanity, brushing her long hair, he came up behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her.
“…Do you know why I’m here?”
Shen Shuanglian’s eyes lowered slightly.
“…Yes.”
She had known he would be leaving soon, his mission in the Lower Realm complete.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
“I can—” she began, her voice filled with a sudden urgency, but he gently placed a finger on her lips, silencing her.
He leaned down and kissed her softly, then chuckled. “Look at you… all grown up now.”
Shen Shuanglian looked at him, her eyes questioning.
“You’re the most stubborn person I know. Once you set your mind on something, nothing can stop you. I know you’ll want to come with me to the Upper Realm. But I have to tell you this. I don’t want you to come with me.”
“Why?” she asked, her voice filled with a sudden panic, her hand gripping his tightly. “Because I haven’t mastered two Daos? Because I can’t protect myself? Just give me some time, I can—”
“Two Daos aren’t enough,” he interrupted her, shaking his head gently. “That’s not why I don’t want you to come. If I could, I would go alone. I wouldn’t take any of you. But I know,” he chuckled wryly, “if I left without telling you, you would just follow me. And that would only make things more complicated.”
Especially Master.
If she found out he had left without her, she would hunt him down to the ends of the earth.
And he didn’t know what awaited them in the Upper Realm. He couldn’t risk it.
Shen Shuanglian seemed to understand.
She leaned against him, her head resting on his chest, her silence heavy with unspoken emotions.
“I don’t want to lie to you,” he continued, his voice soft and gentle, “time flows differently in the Upper Realm. Even if I don’t stay there for long, I don’t know how much time will pass here. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to come back.”
He had told her everything.
The choice was hers.
Shen Shuanglian didn’t speak, just leaned against him, her eyes downcast. “Am I… really that useless? I always want to help you, but I’m always… just a burden. If I could master two Daos, like Master Yu Ling… then maybe I could be of some use to you…”
Seeing the conflict in her eyes, Chen Yin gently stroked her hair. “You haven’t changed. Still so hard on yourself. Both in this life and the last.”
She was about to protest when he silenced her with a kiss, his lips pressing against hers, a soft, tender kiss that made her heart race.
He pulled away, his eyes searching hers. “Can you… grant me a small request tonight?”
“What is it?”
“There’s an outfit I want you to wear. I found it in the System Shop a few days ago.”
A while later…
“This…” Shen Shuanglian stood before the mirror, her cheeks flushed, her hands fidgeting nervously with the hem of her skirt.
She hadn’t expected him to ask her to wear a high school uniform, a JK uniform.
She had worn similar outfits before, but this one… it was almost identical to her own high school uniform from her previous life.
A white, button-down shirt with a tie, and a dark pleated skirt. The tie rested against her ample breasts, the skirt hugging her slender waist, her long, smooth legs exposed. She had even tied her hair back in a ponytail, just like she had in high school.
“How… do I look?” she asked shyly.
Normally, Chen Yin would have pounced on her, his hands exploring her body, his lips seeking hers.
But this time, he just sat there, watching her with a soft smile.
“…Beautiful,” he whispered. “Did any boys confess to you in high school?”
“A few,” she mumbled, “but… there were so many things happening back then… I didn’t have time for… relationships.”
“They had no idea,” he said, pulling her into his arms, his voice low and husky, “that our little Shuang’er would become such a powerful and elegant Sect Master.”
Shen Shuanglian looked up at him, her eyes meeting his.
“We didn’t know either,” he continued, “that we would be reborn in this world. And we don’t know what will happen in the Upper Realm. The future is always uncertain. There’s no point in worrying. Perhaps it won’t be as bad as we think. Perhaps I’ll be back soon.”
Shen Shuanglian listened quietly, then said, her voice hesitant, “I’ll… think about it.”
“There’s no rush. We don’t have to leave immediately.”
He smiled and stroked her hair gently, his hand then moving lower, his touch sending shivers down her spine.
Shen Shuanglian’s cheeks flushed.
“So… do you want to… see me in this outfit tonight?”
“Of course. You look so innocent and pure… it makes me want to… trample and defile you,” he whispered, his voice husky.
“…Don’t say such embarrassing things.”