In the bathhouse, Qin Wanyuan’s pupils slightly contracted.
“Do I… desire power?”
Of course she desired power now!
If she had been just a bit stronger in her previous life, she could’ve stayed behind with Lin Que. He wouldn’t have had to shoulder everything alone, and in the end…
In this life, the moment Qin Wanyuan was reborn, she had shut herself away in seclusion, cultivating relentlessly in hopes of changing the ending through sheer force.
Unfortunately, even at the peak of her past life, she had only reached the Nascent Soul stage.
Even with the advantage of rebirth, all she could do was avoid some detours. It wasn’t nearly enough for a fundamental transformation.
At most, she could just be less of a burden on Lin Que when the demonic cultivators came.
She had considered using her memories from her previous life to seek out top-tier spiritual herbs or powerful artifacts that were about to surface in this era.
But…
Regrettably, Qin Wanyuan had never paid much attention to such things in her past life. She believed it was enough to live her own life well, never envying or caring about others’ fortuitous encounters.
So after becoming an elder’s personal disciple and living happily with Lin Que and her sister, Qin Wanyuan’s attitude toward cultivation had always been to let things take their natural course.
Her ambitions had never been lofty. She didn’t seek immortality…. only peace and happiness.
But now, after witnessing the sect’s massacre by demonic cultivators, Lin Que’s sacrifice, and the repeated suffering alongside her sister…
Qin Wanyuan had finally come to understand:
—Without power, you can’t even protect the tiniest shred of happiness.
The system’s voice rang out once more:
[Host, do you desire power?]
Though the female voice was devoid of emotion, it somehow sounded like a devil tempting her to fall.
“Yes… I desire power!” Qin Wanyuan clenched her fists and answered resolutely.
[To wear the crown is to bear its weight. Are you prepared to pay the price for power?]
“Yes! No matter what the cost, no matter how much pain I must endure, as long as it’s for their sake, I’m willing!”
Qin Wanyuan’s voice was firm, without the slightest hesitation. Yet soon after, a flicker of curiosity appeared in her eyes, and she asked,
“But… who exactly are you? And how will you make me stronger?”
[This system is the Supreme Dao Companion Cultivation System. As the name suggests, its purpose is to cultivate the host’s dao companion. The system will create a personalized growth plan based on the dao companion’s constitution, talent, and spiritual roots. Completing missions will grant attribute boosts to the dao companion, while the host will also receive rewards and system points.]
[System points can be used in the shop to exchange for items, magical treasures, and even physique modifications.]
Qin Wanyuan nodded slowly, half understanding.
“So in other words… I can make both Lin Que and myself stronger?”
[Correct.]
The system replied calmly.
[This system offers considerable improvements. Based on calculations, as long as the host follows the tasks step by step, within one year, both host and dao companion will be strong enough to survive the disaster that will strike in two years.]
As she listened, Qin Wanyuan fell into deep thought.
If the system could truly make Lin Que stronger, then even without escaping the sect, he could survive the calamity that would arrive two years from now.
[Well then, host, are you ready to bind with this system and receive your first mission?]
Though the female voice still lacked emotion, Qin Wanyuan somehow sensed a faint hint of urgency from it.
“Your offer sounds good, but… why are you helping me? What do you get out of this?”
Qin Wanyuan had been orphaned at a young age, relying on her only sister for survival.
Before joining the Sword-Seeking Sect, she had already wandered the mortal world for several years. And after the sect’s destruction, she and Qin Qian’er had spent even more time drifting through chaos and war.
Having witnessed the cruelty of the world firsthand, Qin Wanyuan was not the kind of person to believe in free lunch falling from the sky, let alone so easily trust something like a so-called “system”.
[That information is classified. Host does not have sufficient clearance to access it.]
The system’s cold, robotic voice replied.
“Then, what exactly are these tasks you keep talking about?” Qin Wanyuan narrowed her eyes, pressing the question.
Indeed… from the beginning, the system had only emphasized the benefits, constantly dangling rewards, while avoiding any mention of the actual tasks. On top of that, it had framed things in terms of “receive the task after binding”.
Didn’t that imply… that once she was bound to the system, she couldn’t back out?
[That information is classif—]
Before the system could repeat itself, Qin Wanyuan cut it off sharply.
“If you won’t tell me what the task is, I’d rather have my cultivation destroyed and be expelled from the sect. I’ll take Lin Lang and Qian’er and leave safely.”
[…Difficult woman.]
Faintly, Qin Wanyuan could swear she heard the system click its tongue in irritation.
[According to system calculations, the host’s dao companion possesses the “Empty Abyss Dao Body”. This is a constitution capable of absorbing and adapting traits from others through dual cultivation. Your first task… is to select a target to ‘develop his favorability with.’]
“So what you’re saying is…. you want me to push Lin Lang toward another woman? Absolutely not!”
Qin Wanyuan blurted out the words without thinking.
Everyone has possessiveness and Qin Wanyuan was no exception.
Even in the cultivation world, where men often took multiple wives or concubines just like in the mortal realm, she still yearned for a marriage between one man and one woman that lasted a lifetime. Lin Que had also promised her he would never take another wife or consort.
[And what then? If you don’t do this, he’ll die in two years. That is fate. After the Sword-Seeking Sect is destroyed by the demonic cultivators, the Eastern Domain will fall into prolonged chaos. You, of all people, understand how dangerous that world will be. Do you really think Lin Que won’t once again throw himself into danger to protect you and your sister?]
[So tell me, host, do you want a corpse who loves only you, or a living, breathing Lin Que?]
At that moment, something in the system seemed to shift. Its once mechanical, emotionless voice gradually took on hints of feeling….it was subtle, but undeniable.
[You don’t want your dao companion to die such a tragic death again… do you, host?]
“……”
Qin Wanyuan fell silent or perhaps it was better to say that hesitation had begun to shake her.
If Lin Que’s death truly was dictated by fate, how could she possibly defy it?
Having regressed, she couldn’t help but believe in the concept of destiny. After all, wasn’t this mysterious system likely the very thing that had enabled her to come back?
Just then, the system’s voice echoed in her mind once more:
[This system follows a principle of voluntary participation. The choice is entirely yours. Before sunrise, you may decide whether or not to bind with the system.]
[In the meantime, here’s a free hint: how’s your intimacy with your dao companion?]
“…Of course it’s good. Lin Que is… amazing.” Qin Wanyuan paused for a moment, her cheeks flushing slightly as she responded.
She and Lin Que were perfect for each other…. in both soul and body. They could instinctively meet each other’s needs, with no barriers between them.
She remembered a night, a year after becoming dao companions. Lin Que had been gazing up at the moon. His chiseled side profile was bathed in silver light, and his deep black eyes shimmered softly in the darkness…it was as gentle as flowing water.
Qin Wanyuan didn’t hold back her restless heart. She gently embraced him and kissed him. That night marked their first time.
In the years that followed, their nights remained full of passion and harmony, something Qin Wanyuan took quiet pride in.
She’d occasionally overhear gossip: stories of cultivators unable to satisfy their partners, leading to imbalance in their dao companion relationships…. and even cases where the woman strayed out of dissatisfaction. If word of such things spread, the man’s reputation would be utterly ruined.
But Lin Que? He had never had that problem.
Every union of yin and yang left Qin Wanyuan thoroughly fulfilled…. and more than that, her love for him had never once wavered because of physical matters.
Even if they did nothing at all and simply gazed at one another in silence, it brought her unmatched peace and contentment.
But then, the system’s voice rang out again. It was sharper than before.
[The system wasn’t referring to Lin Que. I was referring to you, host.]
[Host, have you truly satisfied your dao companion?]
[On those dark, quiet nights, while you rested in his arms completely content… did it ever cross your mind what Lin Que might have been thinking?]
Though the system’s voice was still devoid of emotional fluctuation, Qin Wanyuan unmistakably picked up on a faint trace of mockery.
“That’s not… It’s not like that at all!” Qin Wanyuan clenched her delicate fists, her voice rising in anger.
[If you don’t believe me, then why not test it tonight?]
“…Fine. I will try!”
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