The next morning.
Dawnlight filtered through the sheer curtains into the bedchamber, where Su Muwan wriggled under the blankets like a silkworm cocoon.
Suddenly, she bolted upright.
The shark-patterned hood of her pajamas hung askew, revealing a rebellious tuft of bedhead.
She blinked groggily for a moment before patting the space beside her.
The lingering warmth confirmed Qin Luo had returned.
Then—
"Qin Luoooo—!!"
Her drawn-out shout met no response.
Puffing her cheeks, she grumbled, "How dare that measly Qin Luo skip waking me up!"
Barefoot on the carpet, she shuffled into shark slippers and scurried out.
As she pushed open the chamber doors, the courtyard’s spiritual mist still swirled.
Rubbing her eyes, Su Muwan stumbled forward until a familiar voice called from the pavilion:
"Awake at last, Young Mistress?"
Qin Luo sat by the stone table, teapot in hand.
Amid the mist, a golden stream poured from the spout, scattering glimmering droplets into the cup.
"Qin Luo!"
Instantly alert, Su Muwan dashed over and threw herself into his arms.
Sniff sniff—sniff sniff—sniff sniff—
Ahhh, that long-missed Qin Luo scent!!
Inhale inhale inhale—!!
"What’re you doing?" she asked.
Qin Luo smiled. "Making morning tea."
"Morning tea?"
Glancing down, she saw the stone table laden not just with snacks but also a cup of tea radiating golden light.
The leaves unfurled like gilded butterfly wings.
"This is…?"
Curious, Su Muwan poked the cup’s rim, her fingertip catching a sparkle. "Why’s the tea gold?"
Qin Luo cleared his throat. "Picked it last night."
He slid the cup toward her. "Try it?"
Su Muwan lifted the cup for a sip—then her eyes lit up. "Sweet!"
She tipped her head back and gulped it down.
Just then—
"Master, no!!"
Xiaobai’s voice exploded in panic.
The silver-haired girl had rushed over to play but froze at the sight.
Those leaves… weren’t they from the Tree of Destiny?!
You can’t just brew those into tea!!
"Overdosing on Destiny Leaves causes qi explosion—!"
Before she finished, Su Muwan had already drained the last drop.
Licking her lips, she thrust the empty cup at Qin Luo. "Another!"
Xiaobai stood rigid, stunned.
Wait—
No side effects?!
That cup alone contained the equivalent of ten leaves—a treasure others would fight over.
And yet…
Xiaobai gaped. As expected of my master!
But how did Qin Luo even get so many leaves? That stingy tree never shares!
Meanwhile, Qin Luo refilled the cup without hesitation.
For others, this would be poison.
For Su Muwan? More like medicine.
Silently activating his celestial vision, he watched.
The inky threads of villainous fate coiled around Su Muwan now dissolved under golden light, transforming into pristine strands of fortune.
Perfect.
Qin Luo nodded in satisfaction. The leaves of the Destiny Tree were essentially capable of steadily purging the antagonist's aura from Su Muwan's body.
It seemed he’d have to make sure the young mistress drank several cups of tea every day from now on.
However.
Qin Luo recalled that Su Muwan wasn’t particularly fond of tea, so he’d probably have to turn it into milk tea before serving it to her.
Additionally.
Qin Luo glanced at the faded Destiny Leaves in the teapot. Though most of their potency had been absorbed by Su Muwan, there was still some residual energy left.
He could collect them and toss them to the cafeteria to brew in large vats. Even heavily diluted, the effects would undoubtedly surpass ordinary cultivation tools.
Hmm, he’d name it ‘Spirit Tea.’
Just then—
“Huh?”
Su Muwan suddenly clutched her chest and set down her teacup.
She rubbed the spot over her heart. “It feels warm…”
This sensation was…
The next second—
Boom!
The Primordial Frost Essence within her body surged out on its own, unfurling behind her like the resplendent tail feathers of a peacock.
A powerful energy current erupted continuously from Su Muwan’s body.
Qin Luo blinked in surprise.
Was this…
A breakthrough?
“Late-stage Sovereign Realm!”
Xiaobai’s voice trembled. “M-Master, don’t you feel any discomfort?”
To absorb so many Destiny Leaves at once and then leap multiple levels straight to the late-stage Sovereign Realm—
Good heavens!!
Master, you’re just as outrageous as you were back in the day!!
“Hmm?”
Su Muwan tilted her head. “I’m just a little hungry.”
With that, she grabbed the box of pastries Qin Luo had left on the table and popped three or four osmanthus cakes into her mouth.
Qin Luo couldn’t help but chuckle and ruffle her hair.
For ordinary cultivators, such a massive dose of Destiny Leaves would be akin to poison. But for Su Muwan, it was the perfect remedy to counteract her antagonist’s aura.
“Qin Luo.”
Su Muwan suddenly leaned in, peering curiously into his eyes. “You’ve been out these past few days just to get this for me?”
“This stuff must be incredibly valuable. Who would willingly trade it to you?”
“You didn’t… sneak out in the middle of the night to steal it, did you?”
Qin Luo maintained a straight face and smiled. “Young Mistress, what are you thinking? I picked them openly.”
“I just asked for a little extra, and they handed me a whole handful.”
Xiaobai rolled her eyes so hard they nearly fell out of her head.
If the Destiny Tree could talk, it would’ve cursed him out eight hundred times by now.
Su Muwan nodded, relieved that Qin Luo hadn’t ventured into any dangerous places for her sake.
Suddenly—
“Ah, right!”
Su Muwan slammed her palm on the stone table and shot to her feet, startling Qin Luo.
He frowned. “Young Mistress, what’s wrong?”
“No! It’s just—!”
Su Muwan seemed to recall something, puffing her cheeks indignantly as she gestured wildly. “Last night, I dreamed I turned into some big villain and got chased down by a bunch of cultivators!”
“Those cultivators kept yelling ‘poisoner!’ at me in the dream, accusing me of poisoning their wine and wiping out their sacred realm!”
“So infuriating!”
“Someone must be spreading rumors about me again!!”
“Qin Luo, who do you think it is? Can you divine it? Find them, and I’ll make sure they’re ground to dust!”
Qin Luo’s hand twitched, and his eye twitched along with it.
“You’ve probably been reading too many novels lately, Young Mistress.”
He feigned calm and swiftly changed the subject. “How about another cup of tea to settle your nerves?”
“Yes!”
Watching Su Muwan happily sip her tea, Qin Luo sighed in relief.
An easily soothed young mistress—utterly adorable, no matter what!
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
mance] After transmigrating for eighteen years, Lin Qi lived as an utterly ordinary herbalist in the countryside. One day, he kindly brought home a sickly, beautiful girl covered in blood. They married in a flash and began their blissful, intimate life together. Right then, his long-delayed system finally activated. [Warning! Host detected in contact with the "Crimson Calamity," the world-ending witch!] Lin Qi looked at the adorable wife currently curled in his arms, who couldn't even open a jar lid and trembled at the sight of a mouse. Lin Qi: "System, are you insane? This is clearly just a weak and delicate sickly girl!" Thus, Lin Qi treated the system as a "Contrast System," where taking care of his wife made him stronger. Combing his wife's hair rewarded him with [Free Attribute Points]. Taking his wife out for sunshine rewarded him with [Forbidden Spell: Arcane Explosion]. Lin Qi: "This soft life tastes so good!" ... Yet, in the eyes of outsiders: The strongest Beastkin Assassin: "That man dissected a Beast King with a common skinning knife! That was a show of force towards the powerful!" The Holy Son of the Radiant Church: "I infiltrated his home as a tutor, but he had me babysit the children... He must have seen through my disguise!" The World-Ending Witch, Felucia: "I hid all the way in the countryside. How is it that the husband I married on a whim is stronger than I was at my peak?"
