The night was as cool as water.
The Cold Fairy, who hadn’t quite fallen asleep yet, silently stared at the scene before her—just a collection of thoughts from a certain real-life gentleman’s brain.
This thing had played several times already, and not once had it repeated.
The gate to the new world had previously been opened just a crack, but now it was gaping wide enough for Ying Bing to potentially step through at any moment…
【Beginning punishment draw for the loser…】
【Congratulations, host! The punishment drawn this time is: the winner must plant forty-nine strawberries.】
“……”
Ying Bing tightened her grip on her skirt, the previously fading image now crystal clear again.
But that childish ghost could only eat ice and didn’t even know how to plant.
If that was the punishment, didn’t that imply…
She would have to teach him?
How would she teach him?
Hand in hand?
“If only I could swap for something else…”
Ying Bing pursed her lips, muttering to herself.
【You can always swap, you know.】
“Why didn’t you say so sooner?”
【The host often complains that my system is too chatty, so since you didn’t ask, I held my tongue. Would you like to draw for punishment again and choose one this time?】
“Yes.”
【Drawing for second punishment…】
【Congratulations, host! The new punishment is: say two words to the winner.】
Two words?
Ying Bing froze. She had never seen such a simple punishment from the system before. But according to the system’s usual practices, something felt off.
But… with only two words, the possibilities were quite limited.
What outrageous thing could she say?
At that moment, the text displayed by the system stunned Ying Bing, the cold fairy suddenly appearing a bit silly.
It was hard to believe this expression would come from her.
【Husband】
She stood there, as still as a beautifully sculpted jade, seemingly losing her soul.
【Host, please choose between punishment one and punishment two.】
Ying Bing didn’t speak, or rather, she didn’t even notice the system’s reminder.
【Reminder: Please make a choice, or the system will randomly select one for you.】
“…..”
【Countdown: ten, nine, eight….】
“….”
【Three… two… one!】
【The system has automatically selected punishment for the host….】
“Hmm? What?”
Ying Bing snapped back to reality, realizing the system had already picked for her.
【The system suspects the host couldn’t let go of either option, which is why you were hesitating so long.】
【So, this time we made an exception—both punishments fulfilled!】
【Next time’s punishment will involve planting forty-nine strawberries and then calling the winner ‘husband.’】
“？？”
……
Meanwhile, in the Qianlong Fourth realm.
“I wonder if Ice Chunk has fallen asleep yet.”
Little Li lay sprawled out on his luxuriously soft feather bed, unable to find sleep.
He kept feeling itchy, as if he had been bitten by some mosquito, but didn’t he just play the role of a mosquito? What kind of mosquito was being so bold?
It couldn’t be some high-class disaster beast, right? Even among its kind, it was going after him like a wild mosquito!
So, Li Mo could only toss and turn in bed, looking like a maggot.
Suddenly, a delightful system prompt chimed in:
【Congratulations, host! Successfully invested in ‘Xie Xuan,’ helping him break free from emotional barriers and achieve self-awareness.】
【Investment feedback: Secret Silver Celestial Script Seal.】
“？？”
Ke Mo squinted his eyes, scratching his chin as he looked at the system prompt.
He had painstakingly tried to help Xie Xuan and Ying get some alone time, and thought he had messed it up. He even believed this investment was a total flop.
Unexpectedly, it had led Xie Xuan to enlightenment!
“Well, this is what you call serendipity.”
Ke Mo took out the Secret Silver Celestial Script Seal.
At this moment, the Easy Muscle Scripture had already become a rare skill, and if further deduced, it could evolve into a divine skill.
Snap—
The noble and mysterious silver tadpole characters flowed onto the pages like rivers rushing into the sea.
“What will it result in?”
Ke Mo watched as the words on the pages flowed and flickered, unable to suppress his curiosity.
The Easy Muscle Scripture had often appeared as a sacred martial art in the martial arts novels from his past life.
He loved reading novels since he was young, with martial arts tales being his greatest passion.
As a child, he had once firmly believed that the martial arts in those stories were real, even going out of his way to look for them.
Then he found out that the origins of the Easy Muscle Scripture were unclear—some said it was created by a Taoist, while others claimed it was passed down by Bodhidharma.
So honestly, he had no idea what it would evolve into.
At that moment, the light stopped flowing.
Whoosh—
As a divine skill manifesting, dark clouds gathered, the wind howled, as if the gods were weeping.
Not just Biyun Tower, but the entire outer city was swept up in a fierce wind, scattering everything around.
…..
Outside, before the map of mountains and rivers, a few figures seemed to have appeared from thin air.
“What happened?”
The one asking was an old man in a purple robe, the current emperor’s uncle, and a powerful figure in charge of the path of heavenly tribulations.
There was also an old man with a goat beard wearing a Confucian robe, one hand holding a scroll, apparently having just been reading.
And another person, exuding a terrifying murderous aura, wore a golden-black mask, making it impossible to discern his age, yet his eyes were piercing, making it hard to meet his gaze.
The old man was the head of the Imperial College, esteemed throughout the land.
The masked figure was the leader of the Sky Patrol Guards.
The three represented different factions within the imperial city: officials, noble lords, and the Sky Patrol.
“Director Qi, the map of mountains and rivers has never experienced such disturbances. You are well-learned; do you have any idea what’s going on?”
The voice from under the golden-black mask seemed to bear a metallic scratching sound.
Legend had it that besides the current emperor, no one had ever seen this Sky Patrol leader’s true face, only knowing his profound powers that once suppressed the head of the Xuanguan Sect.
“It resembles a divine object, or possibly the birth of a supreme technique. The creator is somewhere in the Imperial Capital.”
Director Qi seemed rather intrigued by the matter.
Divine objects? The Imperial Capital wasn’t a relic; over the centuries, whatever divine objects should have appeared would have already shown themselves.
So clearly, it was the latter.
“Given the number of strong figures in the Imperial Capital, geniuses popping up like bamboo shoots after rain, it’d be odd for it to manifest like this….”
“What exactly… is this technique?”
The old nobleman in the purple robe stared at the surging divine artifact, looking pensive.
They were all heads of the Xuanguan Sect, each in command of their own path.
Even if it were a divine skill, they hadn’t needed to deploy any forces.
But now, what was shaking was one of the two divine artifacts belonging to Da Yu, which made it different in nature.
“Can we find it?”
“I’m no good at the art of divination; that’s the specialty of that old witch from the Yantian Sect.”
“Then this general shall consult His Majesty.”
The voice under the golden mask sounded again:
“Shall we use the map of mountains and rivers to find the origin of this technique and… the creator?!”
Friendly reminder: If you find this book interesting, don’t forget to add it to your shelf so you don’t lose it next time!
