Chapter 363-364 On How to Conquer System Fairies and Make Them Your Wives 363-364 |
“You’re really brave,” Chen Yin said, lying on the bed and stretching lazily. “This is still his territory. Aren’t you worried about being discovered as an outsider?”
“I’m not that stupid,” Luo Qiaoqiao retorted. “I’ve already checked. This place is mostly mortals, and there are very few cultivators. That Grand Clarity cultivator in Huo Manor is the strongest here. So I wasn’t worried about being discovered.”
“So you’ve turned this place into your playground?”
“Of course!” She clapped her hands. “Come in.”
A portly, sleazy-looking man scuttled into the room, his face plastered with a servile smile. “What can I do for you, my lady?”
“Did you dismiss those concubines, like I told you?”
“Y-yes, my lady,” Master Huo said, bowing deeply. “I gave them all the money and sent them away.”
“Good. I’m thirsty. Bring me some good wine.”
Master Huo hurried away, and soon, servants arrived with jars of wine.
“What?” Luo Qiaoqiao frowned, her eyes narrowed playfully. “Someone stood me up so many times and never took me drinking. Can’t you even fulfill this small request of mine?”
Chen Yin chuckled, hearing the playful resentment in her voice, and opened a jar of wine. “Fine, I’ll drink with you until you’re satisfied.”
Luo Qiaoqiao smiled and gently traced his chin with her finger, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “That’s more like it.”
They drank, jar after jar, Luo Luo even emerging from the Void to join them for a few cups. But the little fox’s tolerance was low, and she soon fell asleep in Chen Yin’s arms, her cheeks flushed, a silly grin on her face.
Luo Qiaoqiao, however, continued drinking, matching Chen Yin cup for cup, just like they had on the day they first met, when they had drunk an entire tavern dry.
As the warmth of the wine spread through her body, she loosened her robe, revealing her shoulders and the lacy straps of her undergarment, then leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder.
Chen Yin, familiar with her drunken antics, knew she wouldn’t get sick, so he didn’t stop her.
“Chen Yin, are you… angry?” she asked suddenly, her voice soft and hesitant.
He turned to her and saw a flicker of vulnerability in her eyes, a hint of sadness in her usually playful gaze.
“About what?”
“About me… running away… ascending without telling you…”
“Of course, I’m angry,” he said, his voice serious, “what if you had gotten into trouble? I would have blamed myself forever.”
“…I’m sorry,” she whispered, nuzzling his shoulder gently.
“I knew you wouldn’t let me come if I asked. I just… I didn’t want to be useless.”
Chen Yin understood.
Luo Qiaoqiao was proud and competitive, always striving to be the best.
But she knew she couldn’t compare to Yu Ling, not in strength, nor in his affections.
And she couldn’t accept that.
“I don’t want to hide behind you, just watching,” she said, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, “I want to be useful… So… even though it seemed impulsive, I was careful. I investigated this place, I made sure it was safe, I eliminated any potential threats…” She looked at him, her eyes pleading for his understanding.
Chen Yin, seeing her vulnerable state, couldn’t be angry. He pinched her cheek gently. “It’s okay. I understand.”
He had known from the beginning that she was stubborn and competitive, unwilling to admit defeat.
“You know,” he said softly, “I’m not as… traditional as you think. I like you, Luo Qiaoqiao. Not just as… a conquest.”
“Is there a difference?” she blinked at him, her eyes curious.
“Of course. If I just wanted you to be mine, I wouldn’t care about who you are. I would just mold you into the woman I want you to be. I would demand your obedience, your submission, and I would be angry if you disobeyed. But I know you’re not like that. You have your own thoughts, your own feelings, your own will. And I love you for it. I accept you, flaws and all, just like you accept me.”
Love is a two-way street.
He didn’t want to control her, to change her, to make her into something she wasn’t. He loved her for who she was, the girl who had risked everything to join Shen Li, the girl who had faced the Triennial Heavenly Tribulation by his side.
“So,” he said with a smile, “do you think I prefer a docile and obedient doll who does everything I say… or the ‘Silk-Robe Fairy’, the one who kissed me so boldly in that tavern, the one who watched me leave that snowy night, the one who loves fiercely and lives without regrets?”
Luo Qiaoqiao looked at him, her gaze intense.
“Is there something on my face?” he asked, slightly flustered by her scrutiny.
“I didn’t know you were so good with words,” she said, her voice soft and husky.
“…I wasn’t trying to… seduce you.”
“But I liked it.” She leaned closer and kissed him, her lips soft and warm against his.
He tasted the familiar sweetness of her lips, the warmth of her tongue, and he let himself be lost in the moment, his arms tightening around her.
When she finally pulled away, her eyes were filled with a smoldering desire.
“…Don’t do anything… rash,” he said, suddenly nervous.
“Are you afraid?” she whispered, her breath warm against his ear.
“Luo Luo is sleeping in my arms.”
“Then…” she whispered, her voice a seductive purr, “let’s see how much… self-control… you have. Try not to wake her.”
Abyssal Gaze Realm.
An ancient and elegant estate, perched atop a floating island, surrounded by fragrant flowers and exotic plants, spirit deer and celestial birds roaming freely through its courtyards, the air thick with spiritual energy.
Inside a tastefully decorated study, Yu Ling sat at a table, idly playing with the lid of her teacup, her brow furrowed in impatience.
After a while, she slammed the lid down on the table.
“Hey!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the quiet room. “Your master said he wanted to see me! It’s been half an hour! I don’t have all day! If he doesn’t show up soon, I’m leaving!”
Two servant girls knelt outside the door, trembling, their heads bowed. “P-please wait a little longer, Miss. Master and Mistress will be here soon…” one of them stammered.
“Who’s ‘Miss’?! Are you blind?!” Yu Ling snapped, irritated by the title. It felt like they were already assuming she belonged here.
She had only been in the Upper Realm for a day when she was approached by a group of people who treated her with an almost reverent respect, calling her “Miss” and escorting her to this estate. She had assumed it was a misunderstanding. She was just a lowly cultivator from the Lower Realm; she couldn’t possibly be some “Miss” from the Upper Realm. But she hadn’t wanted to cause a scene, so she had agreed to come, hoping to clear up the misunderstanding quickly.
But the longer she waited, the more uneasy she felt, a strange sense of… wrongness settling over her.
She just wanted to leave.
“Mistress!” a servant girl suddenly exclaimed from outside, her voice filled with surprise.
A beautiful woman, her clothes elegant and refined, her demeanor regal, hurried into the room. Seeing Yu Ling, her eyes filled with tears. “…Ling’er?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
Yu Ling glared at her. “Who are you? How do you know my name?”
“I… I’m your mother!” The woman rushed towards her, her hands reaching out, her voice choked with emotion. “After all these years… I’ve finally found you!”
Yu Ling almost laughed.
What a clichéd and ridiculous scenario.
She didn’t believe it for a second. She pulled her hand away, her brow furrowed. “I don’t know if you’ve lost your mind from grief, but I’m not your daughter. Stop this nonsense. I’m leaving.”
She turned to go, but then she stopped.
“I know you resent me, my child, but you can’t deny this.”
Yu Ling turned around slowly, her eyes fixed on the flowers in the woman’s hand, her breath hitching in her throat.
…Mist Yu flowers.
The flowers Chen Yin had given her a thousand years ago,
Flowers that only bloomed on Mount Yu.
“…Impossible,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“There’s nothing impossible, my child.” The woman walked towards her, her tears flowing freely, her hand gently stroking Yu Ling’s hair. “These flowers… they’re not from this world. Your brother created them. Their only purpose… is for us to recognize you, if you ever came home.”
Yu Ling looked up at her, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Give me some time, my child, please. Losing you… it was the biggest mistake of my life. I’ve never forgiven myself. Now that you’re back… let me make it up to you.”
Just then, a man rushed into the room, his voice filled with excitement. “Ling’er is back? Ling’er is back?” Seeing her, he burst into tears and rushed towards her, his arms outstretched. “My child… you’re… you’re really—”
He stopped abruptly, Yu Ling’s sword pointed at his throat, her eyes cold and distant, devoid of any warmth or recognition.
“I told you,” she said, her voice low and menacing,
“I’m not your daughter.”
“I’ve been an orphan since the day I was born.”
“I don’t have parents. And I don’t need them.”
“…Get out.”
The man and woman froze, their expressions turning from joy to a bitter disappointment.
“…Of course… you must resent us… You’ve suffered so much, alone in the Lower Realm…”
“It’s our fault…”
“It’s alright,” the woman wiped her tears and forced a smile, “you’re home now. No one will hurt you anymore. We’re the Yu family, the most powerful family in the Abyssal Gaze Realm. We’ll give you everything you deserve.”
“Spare me the flowery words,” Yu Ling scoffed, “I don’t care about your ‘powerful family’. Just tell me if you have a Dao Venerable in your family, and I might be… persuaded to stay.”
The man and woman exchanged a look, then they chuckled.
“You’re right, my child.”
“Your brother, Yu Yuan, is the Dao Venerable of the Abyssal Gaze Realm. The Qian Yuan Dao Venerable.”
Yu Ling’s mocking smile froze on her face.
“…I see,” Luo Qiaoqiao said, nestled in Chen Yin’s arms, as he recounted the events of the past few weeks. Luo Luo, still asleep, lay beside them, the three of them looking like a small, happy family.
“Master Yu Ling isn’t with you?”
“No, but she’ll be fine. She’s strong enough to take care of herself. This area is quite remote. There aren’t many cultivators here, let alone members of the Dao Venerable’s forces.”
“How much do you know about the Dao Venerable?” Chen Yin asked.
“From what I’ve gathered, those who serve the Dao Venerable are highly respected figures in the Desolate Origin Realm,” Luo Qiaoqiao explained. “The Dao Venerable of this realm is the Solitary Dao Venerable. His Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches Palace is the most powerful force here. Even the lowest-ranking Bronze Soldiers are at the Grand Clarity Realm. And the Silver Generals and above are all Immortals. But their numbers are limited. There are only sixty members. And they only recruit new members when someone dies.”
“And that Jiazi you killed…”
Just from the name, Chen Yin knew he had killed someone important. But it was even more significant than he had thought.
“He was the Dao Venerable’s most trusted subordinate, second only to him in power. Anyone who reaches the Dao Realm is a true monster, capable of reshaping the world.”
“He wasn’t that strong,” Chen Yin said casually. “He couldn’t even withstand my Second Sword. This Upper Realm… it’s not as scary as I thought.”
At least, the only real threats were the Dao Venerables.
“Maybe you’re just… that strong?” Luo Qiaoqiao pinched his ear playfully. “I just ascended, and I’m too scared to go anywhere near the more populated areas. This is the only place I feel safe.”
“That’s because you ran away,” Chen Yin retorted.
“I’m still stronger than you.”
“Oh really? Want to spar?”
“Bring it on!”
She pulled the blankets over herself, even waking Luo Luo, who was still sleepy. “I’ll see how you walk tomorrow!” She glared at him playfully.
Chen Yin: “?”
So she meant a different kind of spar.
The Yu family was the most powerful family in the Abyssal Gaze Realm, mainly because their son, Yu Yuan, had become the Qian Yuan Dao Venerable at a young age. They also had a daughter, born shortly before Yu Yuan’s ascension, who had been swept away by a dimensional current during his breakthrough, either dying in the Void or ending up in some unknown Lower Realm. Despite their grief, Yu Yuan couldn’t interfere with the Lower Realm, so he created a unique flower, the Mist Yu flower, named after his lost sister, and imbued it with his power of the Dao of Causality, sending it to her through the threads of fate, so that one day, they might be reunited.
“…That is the missing piece of your destiny,” Liu Xiangyun, Yu Ling’s mother, said, holding her hand gently, her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry, my child. I know you’ve suffered so much. Tell me everything.”
Yu Ling remained silent, her head lowered, her mind a chaotic jumble of emotions.
She hated this.
She had never felt so desperate to see Chen Yin, as if only his presence could calm the storm raging within her heart.
Chen Yin, she thought, her jaw clenching,
Where are you?