System Punishment

The night was deep and quiet.

The bright silver moon was half-covered by dark clouds.

An Yi tossed and turned in bed...

Unable to sleep!

Yes, he was lying there alone.

The "Romance Master" mission had only a few minutes left, and there was no way he could complete it. He could only wait for the punishment!

Though Shen Muxuan was naive, cute, and easy to push around,

An Yi wasn’t some beast driven by his lower instincts. How could he possibly do something like that to Shen Muxuan!

It was like seeing a Lamborghini on the side of the road. Wanting it and trying to steal it were two entirely different things.

An Yi had used his moral integrity to preserve his chastity.

Now, he was about to face the system's punishment.

On the system control panel, the countdown for the "Romance Master" mission was clearly displayed.

"Ding! The 'Romance Master' mission is about to close! Host, please complete it as soon as possible!"

An Yi swallowed hard, his face pale and devoid of color. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his cheeks.

The nightmare-like punishment was coming!

"Countdown: 10, 9, 8... 3, 2, 1! Mission closed!"

The moment he heard the mission close, An Yi felt his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of his chest.

"Ding! Host An Yi, you have failed to complete the mission. The system will now issue punishment!"

As soon as the system notification sounded,

A bone-chilling pain surged through his body.

"Damn it!"

He let out a loud cry.

An Yi trembled like a shrimp curled up in bed, cold sweat pouring from his body.

He wasn’t physically injured, but the intense pain was overwhelming!

It was unbearable!

An Yi clutched his head as the headache made his consciousness begin to blur.

Gradually,

An Yi lost consciousness...

The sky was dominated by a blood-red crescent moon.

Dark clouds churned around the blood moon, and faint thunder could be heard.

A towering bronze pagoda, like a pillar supporting heaven and earth, stretched endlessly into the depths of the clouds, its peak obscured by the dark clouds.

Evil energy—rampant evil energy!

Inside the pagoda, all kinds of heinous, ferocious criminals were imprisoned.

Green-faced, fanged demons, ugly and brutal beastmen, dismembered corpse demons... all sorts of horrifying creatures were locked within the tower.

Piercing, spine-chilling screams echoed continuously.

The overwhelming evil and resentment made the tower feel like hell itself.

Yet, these heinous criminals were unusually terrified of the shadowy figures before them!

An Yi stood amidst it all, watching as the cloaked, faceless shadows wielded scythes and began a massacre!

One after another, familiar figures rushed forward, shielding him with their bodies, blocking the blood-stained scythes of the cloaked shadows.

Blood flowed freely, flesh was torn apart, turning the tower of sin into a slaughterhouse!

An indescribable sense of desolation and sorrow filled his chest.

"Young master, don’t look back. Go to the top of the pagoda, run! Run as far as you can!"

An elderly man with black patterns covering his face gazed at him. In the final moment before death, his fierce expression softened into a kind smile.

Then, a massive scythe appeared above him and slashed down mercilessly...

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

"Damn it, all of you, stop!"

Tears streamed down An Yi’s face as he let out an angry roar.

Suddenly, An Yi opened his eyes, gasping for breath.

A dream.

It had just been a dream.

An Yi felt utterly drained and let out a sigh of relief. His body was drenched in sweat.

"You’re awake?"

A light, melodious voice sounded beside him.

An Yi looked up from his low angle, staring at Shen Muxuan’s stunning face, and was momentarily stunned.

Waking from the dream, he realized he was lying on something warm and soft, with a faint, pleasant scent.

Was this... a lap pillow!?

An Yi suddenly came to his senses and quickly sat up.

Seeing Shen Muxuan sitting on his bed, An Yi stammered,

"You, you... why are you in my room?"

Only then did he notice that Shen Muxuan was dressed very lightly.

A simple red bellyband and undergarments barely covered her, and her long, straight, fair legs were practically an invitation to sin!

Had he really been lying on those just now?

Shen Muxuan said seriously, "I was meditating earlier and heard you shouting. The noise was loud, so I came in to check on you."

"Put some clothes on first!"

An Yi’s face flushed, his eyes darting away as he grabbed his jacket from the bedside and draped it over Shen Muxuan’s shoulders.

Her figure was already incredibly striking, and her beauty was unparalleled. Combined with her revealing outfit, it was practically a crime!

Even a monk who had secluded himself for thirty years wouldn’t be able to resist.

"Oh."

Shen Muxuan put on the jacket and asked curiously, "Were you having a nightmare just now?"

"Uh, yeah."

An Yi responded somewhat sluggishly, only answering after a pause.

The system punishment this time had been unbearably painful. Even a death row inmate probably didn’t suffer this much.

It had literally knocked him out from the pain.

His head was still throbbing, and his mind wasn’t entirely clear. He hoped there wouldn’t be any lasting effects.

Stupid system!

Useless and full of trouble!

Shen Muxuan asked, "What kind of nightmare was so painful? You were... crying just now."

"Crying? No way. A strong man like me doesn’t cry."

An Yi laughed and reached up to touch his face. Damn it, there were tear stains. He really had cried!

"Having nightmares is normal. I’ve been watching too many horror movies, haha. Just don’t spread this around, especially to Aunt Zhou. Once she knows, the whole neighborhood will hear about it."

An Yi awkwardly laughed, trying to change the subject.

Shen Muxuan looked like an innocent child, "What’s a horror movie?"

"It’s like a movie or TV show," An Yi explained.

"What’s a movie or TV show?"

"..."

An Yi’s mouth twitched.

Was this girl from another world? How could she not know anything?

"I heard from Aunt Zhou that you lost your memory. You can’t remember anything from sixteen years ago. That’s so sad," Shen Muxuan said, looking at An Yi with sympathy.

Lost memory...

An Yi’s lips curled into an unnatural smile.

That was the story he had told the landlady back then.

"Maybe I can help you recover your lost memories."

Shen Muxuan spoke seriously, pressing her finger to An Yi’s forehead.

A cool sensation washed over him.

But Shen Muxuan’s expression quickly turned grim.

An Yi quickly grabbed her hand, "No, I think it’s fine the way it is. I’m happy with my life now."

He wasn’t sick! He didn’t need treatment!

"I think I saw something terrifying."

Shen Muxuan said with concern.

"What did you see?"

An Yi tensed up, his expression uneasy.

This girl was full of mysteries. Maybe she really did know something.

Shen Muxuan shook her head, "I can’t explain it... Um, you’re hurting me."

Only then did An Yi realize he was gripping Shen Muxuan’s delicate hand tightly.

He quickly let go, "Sorry, I didn’t mean to."

Shen Muxuan smiled, "My abilities are limited. I might not be able to help you."

An Yi waved at her with a smile, "It’s fine. It’s late, you should get some rest. I have class tomorrow and need to get up early. Goodnight."

"Okay, goodnight."

Shen Muxuan put down his jacket and bid him farewell with a serene smile.

*Bang!*

Hearing the door close, An Yi let out a slight sigh of relief.

Living under the same roof like this wasn’t sustainable. Otherwise... he might run out of nutrients!

Gazing at the silver moon outside the window,

An Yi felt a sense of longing, a faint bitterness on his lips.

Though it wasn’t the same world, the moon looked so similar...

"Ding! System notification: The 'Romance Master' mission was not completed. The mission will continue indefinitely!"

"Damn it! Not again!"