Chapter 361-362 On How to Conquer System Fairies and Make Them Your Wives 361-362 |
Mount Buqi.
The small wooden hut at the foot of the mountain was still clean and well-maintained, as if someone visited regularly.
Chen Yin sat cross-legged before the graves, Master kneeling beside him, lighting incense.
“Friends,” she said, her voice calm and steady, her gaze fixed on the tombstones, “after this parting, perhaps we shall never meet again. I embark on a long and arduous journey, and I swear, I will not rest until I have avenged you.”
Her words were sincere, a solemn vow spoken not just to the dead, but also to herself.
Chen Yin chuckled softly.
“What’s so funny?”
“I was just thinking… if Luo Xiaoxiao and Hu Li heard you speaking so formally, they would laugh at you.”
“They wouldn’t dare,” she said, waving her small fist playfully. “But we won’t be meeting them in the afterlife.”
“Do you believe in reincarnation?” she blinked at him, her eyes curious.
Chen Yin shook his head. “I didn’t, before. But it doesn’t matter. Those who meet on the mountain path will meet again, eventually. Wherever we are.” He smiled faintly.
Master looked at him, then reached out and ruffled his hair gently.
“Anything you’ll miss?”
“Not really,” Chen Yin thought for a moment, then added with a grin, “although… I wouldn’t mind experiencing a… group activity… before I leave.”
“Aren’t Xiang’er and I enough for you?”
“The more, the merrier.”
“I’m not sure you can handle it,” she chuckled.
Chen Yin smiled and turned back to the graves, his gaze lingering on the tombstones, a wave of sadness washing over him.
…The Yu Alliance, a bittersweet memory that would forever remain etched in their hearts.
The faces of his friends, their laughter, their cheerful greetings of “Big Sister,” still echoed in his ears.
He didn’t believe in fate, but sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder…
…What if I could have saved them? What if I could see them again… just once…
He wouldn’t let his guilt paralyze him, but it still haunted him, a recurring nightmare, the memory of Si Qing’s unrequited love, her sacrifice…
Master, sensing his sadness, snuggled against him, her head resting on his chest.
“You said it yourself,” she whispered, “those who meet on the mountain path will meet again.”
“I don’t even believe that myself,” he chuckled wryly.
“You will,” she said, her eyes sparkling, “they’re waiting for us, somewhere.”
Chen Yin nodded slowly.
“Let’s go,” Master stood up and brushed the dust from her dress. “Let’s buy some things in town. Tonight… is our last night in the mortal realm. Let’s enjoy it.”
“About my… suggestion…” Chen Yin said hesitantly.
“I wholeheartedly approve,” she rolled her eyes playfully. “I’m even more excited than you are.”
“Then… everyone?”
“After we’re done shopping, you go to Yanxia Province, and I’ll go to the Mist Spirit Sect. Send a message to Luo Luo. And let’s invite Qing Mei Niang and the Grand Witch too! It’ll be a slumber party!”
“They… won’t agree…”
“If they don’t, we’ll just drug them!”
They exchanged smiles, their eyes filled with a shared sense of anticipation and mischief.
Sword Maiden, standing behind them, tilted her head slightly, confused.
“You’re coming too?” Chen Yin asked.
“I don’t understand why sleeping together is so enjoyable. Is it more fun than practicing swordsmanship?”
“You’ll have to try it and see.”
In the bustling market town below Mount Buqi, Chen Yin and Master bought food and wine, filling several storage rings. Although Chen Yin had access to countless fine wines through the System Shop, Master had suddenly expressed a desire for mortal wine.
As dusk fell, and the streets filled with people enjoying their evening stroll, vendors hawking their snacks and treats, the air filled with the sweet scent of candied fruits and pastries, Master stretched languidly. “It’s been a while since I’ve visited a mortal market. It’s nice. Let’s live like this when we return from the Upper Realm.”
“Okay—” Chen Yin suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his gaze fixed on a group of children playing in the street.
“What’s wrong?” Master asked, turning to him, curious.
Three children, two boys and a girl.
One boy was sturdy and energetic, the other slightly chubby and cheerful.
The girl, her hair tied in two buns, her cheeks rosy and round, her eyes wide and bright, was undeniably cute.
“Qingqing, you still haven’t told us who you’re going to marry,” the energetic boy said, his face flushed. “Marry me! I’m strong! I can protect you from anyone!”
“You’re just a musclehead,” the chubby boy retorted, rolling his eyes, then turning to the girl with a playful grin. “Marry me, Qingqing! I’ll buy you all the sweets and pretty things you want!”
The girl giggled and stuck her tongue out at them. “I’m not marrying either of you! Sister Hua said girls should only marry someone they love! Otherwise, it’s better to be alone, like her!”
The boys looked at each other, confused. “Then who do you like?”
“The one I like…” the girl said, her eyes twinkling mischievously, “…is gentle and kind, good at cooking and chores, knows how to make girls happy, and is a skilled swordsman, the best in the world! And he has to have a beautiful smile!”
Master, seeing Chen Yin’s stunned silence, his gaze fixed on the little girl, asked, “What’s wrong?”
He didn’t answer.
He suddenly felt a lump in his throat, a bittersweet ache in his chest.
Around the little girl’s neck,
Hung a small, worn pendant.
…Those who meet on the mountain path will meet again.
“…It’s nothing,” he said, rubbing his eyes, forcing a smile.
“Let’s go.”
“We have a night to enjoy.”
The night was lively, but not as chaotic as Chen Yin had imagined.
Qing Mei Niang, who had been dragged into their “slumber party,” couldn’t handle it and ran away crying when she saw Master drunkenly cuddling with Chen Yin.
The Grand Witch, Bi Luo, although she had agreed to participate, was surprisingly shy and nervous, trying to escape until Nan Xiaoxiang and Master, with a little… persuasion, finally got her into bed.
Sword Maiden, however, was easily swayed by the promise of ten high-quality swords per day for a month.
Nan Xiaoxiang and Bi Luo, Qingying and Luo Luo, Yu Xiang and Shen Shuanglian, Master and Sword Maiden…
Chen Yin finally fulfilled his dream of a grand harem night.
Although the one who seemed to enjoy it the most was Master. She had spent the entire night with a lecherous grin on her face, “inspecting” each of the girls with a predatory gleam in her eyes.
Chen Yin almost wondered if she was the one who had benefited the most from this arrangement.
The next morning, while everyone was still asleep, Chen Yin quietly left Mount Yu with Master and Luo Luo.
Atop Mount Buqi, Qing Mei Niang, her usual playful demeanor gone, her expression serious, said, “If you’re ready, I’ll open the passage. I must warn you, I’ve never seen anyone besides Luo Luo and myself travel through the Void. I can’t guarantee you won’t be separated. If you are, be careful. The Upper Realm is not as forgiving as the Lower Realm.”
Chen Yin and Master exchanged a look and smiled. “You seem worried about us, Senior.”
“I don’t care if you die,” Qing Mei Niang glared at him, “but if Little Ling’er and Luo Luo get hurt because of you, I’ll never forgive you!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”
Qing Mei Niang snorted and, with a wave of her hand, opened a fissure in the sky, the familiar yet also terrifying dimensional passage reappearing before them, traces of ice and frost still clinging to its edges.
“Let’s go,” Chen Yin said, his voice calm and steady.
He took Master and Luo Luo’s hands, and they stepped into the Void.
As the fissure closed behind them, Qing Mei Niang’s playful demeanor vanished, her eyes filled with a mixture of worry and resignation.
“…Come back alive,” she whispered.
The Void was a vast and desolate expanse of darkness, countless continents, like specks of dust, floating in the nothingness, each one a world of its own, connected by chains, as if holding something back, something ancient and powerful.
Half a month later. Desolate Origin Realm.
A bustling market at the gates of a city, the air filled with the shouts of vendors and the chatter of the crowd.
A group of people were gathered around a notice board, their voices hushed and excited.
“Another concubine… Master Huo is insatiable,” someone said.
“Which family is he targeting this time? There aren’t many left in the city.”
“I heard it’s an ‘outsider’ this time. Poor girl.”
“Why is he making such a big deal about it this time? I heard the news has even reached the westernmost city.”
“Maybe she’s exceptionally beautiful?”
“No one has seen her. But if Master Huo is interested, she must be quite the beauty.”
“Excuse me,” a man in a wide-brimmed hat, accompanied by a young woman, approached the group. “Does this Master Huo… often take concubines?”
The person he addressed, seeing their unfamiliar faces, looked at them curiously. “You’re not from around here? You don’t even know Master Huo? I suggest you leave. With your sister’s looks, you might attract unwanted attention.”
“We’re just passing through,” the man said, “we heard that Master Huo throws a lavish banquet every time he takes a new concubine. We were hoping to… join the festivities.”
“That’s true,” the man nodded, “he’s always showing off. Some of his concubines are forgotten the next day, but the banquets are always extravagant. But if you want to join, make sure your sister wears a veil. Master Huo has… connections to the cultivation world. If he takes an interest in her, you won’t be able to protect her.”
The man nodded gratefully.
After the crowd dispersed, the man and the young woman remained, their gazes fixed on the notice.
The announcement of a grand banquet, celebrating the addition of a new concubine, “Luo Qiaoqiao.”
Chen Yin sighed. “…That girl… always causing trouble. Ascending without telling anyone…”
“Don’t be angry, Young Master,” Luo Luo giggled, “Sister Qiaoqiao probably just wanted to make sure you could find her.”
“What if this Master Huo is more powerful than she is? She’ll be in danger!”
“Sister Qiaoqiao is not reckless. She handled the aftermath of the Triennial Heavenly Tribulation. She’s not as naive as she seems.”
Chen Yin knew she was right. Luo Qiaoqiao, despite her impulsive nature, was intelligent and resourceful. She was known as a prodigy, on par with Shen Shuanglian, the “Frost Moon Sword Immortal”.
He suspected she had deliberately caused a commotion to attract his attention.
And he had been right.
He and Master had been separated during their journey through the Void, only Luo Luo, with her ability to traverse the Void freely, remaining by his side. He wasn’t worried about Master; she could take care of herself.
After learning a bit about the Upper Realm, he had started searching for them. Even in this distant city, he had heard rumors of a wealthy man obsessed with taking concubines, who was about to add another “outsider” to his collection. “Outsider” was the term used in the Upper Realm for those from other realms.
The Upper Realm was far vaster than the Lower Realm, each realm larger and more complex, but otherwise similar. There were mortals, cultivators, and immortals.
There were three major realms in the Upper Realm:
Desolate Origin, Endless Dust, and Abyssal Gaze.
According to Luo Luo, these realms were separated by barriers, similar to the one between the Upper and Lower Realms, and the dimensional passages were the only way to travel between them. The passage from their world led to the Desolate Origin Realm.
Those who ascended, or those who traveled from other realms, were often treated with suspicion and hostility. And the Desolate Origin Realm was particularly hostile towards ascended cultivators from the Lower Realm, who were hunted down by the Dao Venerable’s forces, forced to become his servants or imprisoned. So most outsiders kept a low profile.
“That girl… causing such a commotion…” Chen Yin sighed. “If her identity is revealed, she’ll be in trouble.”
“Then let’s go find her, Young Master,” Luo Luo said.
Chen Yin nodded. “There’s no other choice.”
Huo Manor.
Luo Qiaoqiao, dressed in a red robe, sat at her vanity, carefully applying makeup, her movements precise and elegant, a cheerful tune escaping her lips. She seemed to be in a good mood.
“Miss Luo, your dress is ready,” a servant announced from the doorway.
“Just leave it there,” she said casually, her gaze still fixed on the mirror.
She didn’t seem to notice the figure that had entered the room silently.
“Aren’t you going to try it on, Miss Luo?”
“What’s the rush?” she said, still applying her makeup, “it doesn’t matter if it fits or not. I’ll be trying it on… when you arrive.”
Chen Yin sighed, his voice filled with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. “You knew I was coming?”
“You’re late,” she said, turning to him, her brow furrowed slightly, a playful pout on her lips. “I thought you would rush over the moment you heard I had ascended. I’ve been waiting for half a month! Don’t you care about me at all?”
Her familiar teasing reassured him.
…She’s still the same impulsive Luo Qiaoqiao.
“You little devil…” he said, his voice a playful growl as he pinched her cheek, making her squeal. “Don’t ever do that again.”
She was about to retort, but seeing the genuine concern in his eyes, she lowered her head, her voice softening.
“I-I understand…”