Chapter 151: I Was Wrong, I Shouldn’t Have Said These Things to You
Chapter 151: Chapter 151: I Was Wrong, I Shouldn’t Have Said These Things to You
Cui Lingyao blinked, forcing a dry smile. "What’s wrong?"
On her first mission in Great Yue, she and the System not only revered this Great Emperor renowned in history, but they also took the task of winning him over with the utmost seriousness.
A man this formidable was bound to be incredibly perceptive. To avoid revealing anything, Cui Lingyao had made a pact with the System: any notifications, be it an increase in progress points or other urgent matters, had to wait until she was alone.
For the past few years, this was how they had always operated.
But just now, the System, in its haste to resurrect her, had actually communicated with her directly right in front of Xie Jinbai.
Although their entire conversation took place in her mind, where Xie Jinbai couldn’t hear, from his perspective, her sudden, eager joy must have seemed utterly baffling.
Now, meeting his scrutinizing gaze, Cui Lingyao felt her back go rigid.
’Her last trump card was the System. He couldn’t have seen through that too, could he?’
’Could a native of this ancient era really possess such...’
The tension on her face was too obvious. The look in Xie Jinbai’s eyes subconsciously softened, and he smiled at her. "Don’t be afraid, Yaoyao. I will never hurt you. Whatever you want, just tell me."
Everything he had, he would give to her.
And what he didn’t have, he would seize for her, even if he had to steal it.
The only exception was having a child with another woman.
His smile was gentle, but Cui Lingyao only felt her blood run cold.
She was utterly terrified of his perceptiveness.
’He had figured out nearly all her secrets. Standing before him, she felt the raw embarrassment of being completely exposed, with nowhere to hide.’
Her guilt and panic gave way, finally transforming into the humiliated anger of being found out.
And humiliation often breeds rage.
Cui Lingyao tried to hold it back, but in the end, she couldn’t stop herself. Covering her face, she shrieked at him as if on the verge of a breakdown, "You can’t be this clever!"
Seeing through everything just makes other people feel pressured and afraid.
’Who wants to sleep next to a walking lie detector?!’
The moment she finished speaking, the System’s voice sounded in her mind: "System Energy is ready. We should go."
Cui Lingyao was already in a panic. She felt that if she said just a few more words, the man before her would completely figure out every last one of her secrets.
Hearing that it was time to go, she nodded eagerly.
Stunned by her outburst, Xie Jinbai looked up just in time to see her spiritual form turning transparent. He panicked instantly.
"What’s happening to you?"
He lunged forward to embrace her but met only empty air. He staggered, nearly collapsing, and an unnatural flush crept across his deathly pale face. His voice was frantic. "I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said those things. Don’t go... don’t go..."
Cui Lingyao’s spiritual form was enveloped in System Energy. Seeing his state, she wanted to explain.
But the System was ruthlessly efficient. In the blink of an eye, her vision began to blur.
In a flash, she had vanished from the spot.
There was nothing Xie Jinbai could do to stop it.
He couldn’t even touch her.
He could only watch helplessly as she vanished into thin air.
His entire body stood frozen, save for his pupils, which trembled erratically.
After a long silence, a despairing roar ripped through the room.
It was like the mournful cry of a wild beast.
The two trusted aides on guard outside the door exchanged a look, seeing the shared horror in each other’s eyes.
No one dared to disturb him.
Even Liu Rong waited until the roaring inside had abruptly stopped. Fearing the worst, he steeled himself and knocked on the door.
When no response came after a long moment, he cast all decorum aside. He kicked the door open and rushed in, only to find his majestic and imposing master collapsed in a pathetic heap on the floor.
He was unconscious.
Blood was slowly oozing from the hole in his chest.
He... he had harmed himself.
This man, so decisive and ruthless, a man who could command a mighty army without batting an eye, had harmed himself.
He had seemed perfectly fine just that day. A few of the advisors had even privately breathed a sigh of relief.
How...?
Liu Rong’s legs gave out in terror. He scrambled over, fumbling to check for a pulse in the man’s neck. When he felt a faint beat, he screamed wildly, "Get the two army physicians over here! Now!"
The scene descended into utter chaos.
Cui Lingyao was completely unaware.
She was enveloped in a warm current of System Energy. After a familiar sensation of falling, she regained consciousness.
’How strange. She had actually become familiar with the sensation of a soul entering a body, to the point where she felt no discomfort at all.’
The System also mused, "Your soul’s resilience is comparable to that of some Cultivators from the Cultivation World."
After all, who else has had the great fortune to be nourished by it time and time again?
Cui Lingyao ignored this remark.
Her heart felt tight with anxiety. She was worried about what was happening back in Pingzhou.
’Given how obsessive that man was, there was no telling what he might think after her sudden departure.’
’He wouldn’t think she’d run for the hills and left this world for good now that he’d seen all her cards, would he?’
’She had to get Li Yong to send a letter by the fastest horse immediately.’
With this in mind, Cui Lingyao tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy, her limbs were stiff, and she couldn’t move a muscle.
She asked anxiously, "Why can’t I wake up?"
"Well, you have been dead for three years," the System replied. "Those treasures could only keep your body from decaying, but once life force is gone, it’s gone. Now that your soul has returned to the body, you can’t just start running and jumping immediately."
The System had already inspected the body, and its tone was unhurried and self-assured. "Don’t worry, I already anticipated this. I’ll perform a full-body restoration now. I guarantee when you use it, you’ll feel light and healthy. Even if there were any minor ailments, I’ll have cured them for you."
This body came from the Marquis Mansion and married into the Royal Family as the principal wife. She had always lived a pampered and privileged life; no one had ever even made her angry. The only danger she’d ever faced was that one time she fell into the water.
But Xie Jinbai had pulled her out the moment she fell in.
In short, the body couldn’t have been healthier.
It was countless times better than Pei Shuyao’s body, with its ruptured intestines and torn stomach.
The System wouldn’t need to expend much effort to repair it.
But it was starving right now, its reserves far from abundant.
Therefore, it was being stingy with its help.
Trickles of energy, as fine as silk threads, began to slowly circulate within Cui Lingyao’s body.
It was so faint that the progress was exceptionally slow.
Cui Lingyao waited patiently for a while before she couldn’t help but ask, "About how long will it take for me to wake up?"
The System did a quick calculation. "Half a month, probably."
"..." Cui Lingyao was silent for a moment. "Can’t you be more generous and speed things up a bit? I’m in a real hurry."
"And you’re rushing me! Do you have any idea how scarce energy is?" the System’s voice was filled with anguish.
It was about to faint from starvation.
The last mission, starting from zero, was so difficult, yet we completed it smoothly. Who would have thought that this time, when all you needed to do was have a child, the host would just suddenly drop dead?
Resurrecting her would squeeze it dry of what little energy it had left.
"If you have another ’accident,’ I’ll be completely out of tricks."
’If she died again, they would just disappear together.’
The System’s voice had grown noticeably fainter, laced with the weakness of utter exhaustion.
Cui Lingyao felt a pang of guilt. "I’ve dragged you into this. I’m sorry."
"Forget it. It’s not your fault," the System said. "You were right. Being around Emperor Qianyuan is bound to be dangerous. You didn’t want to die, either."
Especially not a painful death from having your insides torn apart.