The mist hadn't quite finished swallowing Shen Jue's silhouette before Nan Si's entire posture shifted.
One moment, she was the picture of a dazed, porcelain doll leaning against the window frame;
The next, her spine straightened as she shifted her attention from windows.
Her vacant eyes sharpened into two brilliant, bright stars.
'Baby, spill it!' she commanded internally, her mental voice buzzing with the frantic energy of a hamster on caffeine.
'Has Jue Jue started the Blood Reversal yet? And tell me there's a fix for that weakness phase—I am not letting my pretty husband become a sitting duck for some "Destined Couple" with a hero complex.'
A soft chime echoed in her mind, accompanied by a flickering holographic panel that only she could see.
[Ding! Scanning... Partial data unlocked at Level 2. Host, the situation is... spicy.
Yes, the fragment has begun the early stages.
He's currently suppressing the internal backfire with common herbs, but the full "power-up" hits in a few weeks.
The first total weakness cycle? One month away. As for the fix... that's locked behind Level 3. However!]
Baby's tone shifted into something suspiciously like a used-car salesman's.
[I can offer a shortcut.
Side Mission: "The Ultimate Wifey Catnip."
Raise Shen Jue's affection to 40 before he returns from town.
Reward: One major plot secret regarding the technique. Do you accept, or are we feeling lazy today?]
'Generosity from a system? It's a Christmas miracle,' Nan Si smirked, pumping her fist discreetly.
'Easy peasy. He's already at 24 points just by looking at me. By the time he gets back, he won't know what hit him.'
She skipped toward the kitchen, her movements light and mischievous.
The cottage was humble—dusty shelves, a temperamental stove, and a lingering scent of old paper—but to Nan Si, it was the warmest place.
She began rummaging through their meager supplies. Her soul recoiled at the idea of labor-intensive cooking.
But she knew the tropes: the way to a villainous prince's heart was through his stomach (and a healthy dose of "accidental" charm) in drama's.
She began to brew a simple congee, but it wasn't just rice and water.
From her sleeve, she produced a handful of wild, fragrant herbs.
To a casual observer, they looked like weeds she'd "innocently" plucked while chasing a butterfly yesterday.
In reality, they were potent stamina boosters she recognized from her previous world.
When she and Jue Jue had travelled in rain forest and the knowledge of theirs tribe—the perfect subtle aid for a man whose meridians were currently screaming under the pressure of forbidden cultivation.
[Ding! Side mission accepted. Affection +2 for the initiative. Current: 26. Host, keep that energy—you're cooking with gas now!]
Meanwhile, In the bustling market of the nearby town, Shen Jue was a man of two worlds.
To the bookstore owner, he was a silent, hardworking scholar delivering impeccable transcriptions.
But as he walked through the stalls, his eyes were constantly scanning the crowd for the distinctive gold-thread embroidery of Imperial spies.
The Emperor and his time-traveling consort—were tightening their net.
The pressure of the Blood Reversal flickered in his chest, a cold, biting ache that signaled his coming vulnerability. He needed to be heartless. He needed to be a ghost.
And yet, as he passed a stall selling bright silken wares, he stopped.
His eyes fell on a ribbon of the deepest crimson—the color of a heart's blood, or perhaps the color of a certain girl's laughter.
Without a word, he bought it. Then, he stopped at a street vendor, purchasing a stick of glittering, sugar-coated candied haws.
She likes sweet things, he thought, his jaw tightening. Why am I thinking about what she likes?
While he was conflicted if he should buy or not.
Outside, the forest wasn't nearly as cheerful.
Shadow One crouched in the thick underbrush, his black robes making him a literal hole in the light.
In his gloved hand, he gripped a small jade vial. It contained a slow-acting poison, a tasteless venom that would mimic the symptoms of a "simpleton" accidentally eating a toxic berry.
"For the dynasty," he hissed through his mask. "The Young Master cannot have a heart. If he will not prune this weed, I will do it for him."
He crept toward the cottage, his movements a whisper against the damp earth.
He reached the door, his hand moving toward the latch, intending to slip the poison into the water jar near the entrance.
Inside, Nan Si was humming a modern pop tune off-key, stirring the pot with a wooden spoon.
Suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. The air in the room shifted—a tiny, cold draft that didn't belong to the wind.
'Intruder?' Her eyes lost their warmth, narrowing into icy slits for a split second. 'Baby, is that the shadow guard?'
[Ding! Threat detected. Shadow One is at the door. Host, remember: you're a "fool," not a ninja!]
Nan Si adjusted her mask in a heartbeat.
She cracked the door open just an inch, peeking out with the wide, curious eyes of a startled puppy.
Shadow One froze mid-motion, his hand inches from the wood.
"Um... A black bug?" Nan Si tilted her head, her voice a lilting, melodic chirp. "Husband say... lock door. You... lost? You want congee?"
Shadow One's eyes narrowed behind his mask.
The girl was looking right at him, but her expression was so vacant, so utterly moronic, that he felt a surge of disdain.
It would be so easy to silence her. He didn't want to wait for the poison.
His hand shot forward, intending to clamp over her mouth and drag her into the trees.
But Nan Si was faster.
Feigning a clumsy, terrified stumble, she brought her heel down with bone-shattering force onto his instep.
As he let out a muffled gasp of agony, she followed up with a brutal knee to his groin—a masterpiece of modern self-defense she has learnt.
While she hit him she smirked at baby, 'Look...I can do self defense even without being a ninja.'
While Baby just snorted as he refocused his attention on cooking show.
"Ah! Big bug! Scary bug!" she shrieked, bolting back inside and slamming the heavy oak door.
The heavy bolt clicked into place just as Shadow One hit the porch, doubled over and wheezing in silent, high-pitched fury.
He pounded on the door once, a dull thud of frustration, but he could hear the Young Master's distant approach through the trees.
Cursing under his breath, he vanished back into the canopy.
Nan Si leaned against the door, her chest heaving as she giggled silently into her palms.
'Baby, did you see that? That's at least ten cool points for me. My knee has a date with destiny.'
[Ding! Emergency affection boost for "protecting the nest." Current: 35.
Mission 80% complete!
Warning: Shadow One's "Blackening Value" is rising. He's persistent, Host. Watch your back.]
While they were talking, Shen Jue reached the cottage, but the moment his foot touched the porch, his body went rigid.
His nose, sharpened by years of survival, caught a faint, metallic scent. Poison.
He looked down at the threshold. A tiny, nearly invisible splatter of clear liquid had dried near the doorframe.
His eyes darkened until they were pits of obsidian. He knelt, touching the wood, then smelling his fingertip.
Shadow One.
The fury that erupted in him was unlike anything he'd felt with panic.
It wasn't just the cold anger of a prince; it was the primal, scorched-earth rage of a man whose only sanctuary had been defile.
But before he could process his thoughts, the door swung open.
"Husband!"
Nan Si launched herself at him before he could even step inside. She buried her face in his chest, her small hands clutching his robes.
He felt her trembling—this time, it wasn't an act. The adrenaline of the encounter with the shadow guard was finally fading, leaving her genuinely shaken.
"Pretty Husband! You're back! Si Si was scared..." she whimpered, her voice muffled by his chest.
Shen Jue's arms wrapped around her with a force that was almost bruising.
He didn't care about the scrolls or the herbs. He only cared that she was breathing.
"What happened?" he rasped, his voice sounding like grinding stones.
Nan Si looked up, her eyes watery and large. "Bad people came... a black bug man. He tried to catch Si Si! But I was brave! I beat him... I kicked the bug! Then he ran away!"
As he listened to her fragmented, "childish" explanation, Shen Jue's heart tightened so painfully he almost gasped.
He looked at the door, then back at her innocent, tear-streaked face.
A shadow guard—his own man—had dared to raise a hand against the only light in his world.
[Warning! Warning!] Baby's voice screamed in Nan Si's head.
[Host, Shen Jue's 'Darkness Value' is spiking! He's going into a 'World-Destroying' state! If he blacks out now, he'll slaughter the whole village!]
Indeed, Shen Jue's eyes had lost their human luster.
They were turning a terrifying, deep crimson—the first sign of the Blood Reversal being triggered by pure, unadulterated rage.
The air in the room began to vibrate.
[Ding! Affection reaching 57!
Darkness Value: 90!
Host, do something! Kiss him! Feed him! Distract him before he levels the mountain!]
Nan Si realized she'd overplayed the "scared" card. She had to ground him, and fast.
"Husband! Look!" she chirped, suddenly breaking the heavy silence with a forced, bright cheer.
She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the table. "I made... yummy soup! For strong, strong you! Si Si worked so hard, even the pot got angry and bubbled!"
She pushed him into the wooden chair and placed a bowl of the herb-infused congee in front of him.
With exaggerated clumsiness, she began to blow on a spoonful, her eyes sparkling with feigned excitement.
"Husband, try! It smells very very tasty!!"
The mention of the "tasty" and her domestic, bustling energy acted like a splash of cold water on Shen Jue's darkening soul.
The crimson in his eyes receded, replaced by a profound, aching tenderness.
He looked at the bowl, then at her. She had been terrified, yet her first thought was to cook for him?
He took a bite. The herbs—the stamina boosters she'd hidden—hit his system instantly, soothing the jagged edges of his meridians.
As Shen Jue ate, he felt a warmth spread through his chest that had nothing to do with the temperature of the soup.
[Ding! Mission complete!
Affection: 65.
Darkness Value: 75 (Stabilized).
Reward Unlocked: Plot Secret.]
[Secret: The Moonflower Essence needed to fix the Blood Reversal is found in the Capital's Black Market. It will later be taken by heroine who thought it's just a pretty tea ingredient and got an ally through it.]
Nan Si beamed inwardly. 'Mine now, sister. Thanks for the tip.'
Shen Jue reached into his sleeve, pulling out the crimson ribbon.
His fingers were still shaking slightly from the panic he has felt at thought of he losing her as he gathered her hair.
"You were brave, Si Si," he whispered, his voice low and thick with an unspoken vow.
He tied the ribbon with a steady hand, his touch lingering on the nape of her neck. "I will never let the 'bugs' come back. I promise."
He produced the stick of candied haws, holding it out to her like coaxing a little child.
But Nan Si's eyes lit up—real joy this time.
She took a big, sticky bite, her cheeks bulging like a squirrel's.
"So sweet!" she muffled, leaning her head against his shoulder.
Shen Jue watched her eat, his eyes darkening with a different kind of intensity.
He looked at the door, his mind already marking Shadow One for a death so slow the gods would weep.
But for now, in the glow of the small candle, he just wanted to watch his "simple" wife smile.
Outside, hidden in the dark, Shadow One clutched his poison vial, his groin still throbbing and his heart full of spite.