Chapter 7: Triggering a Mission

"It's becoming more and more interesting," Ji Ciyuan's voice floated lightly, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness.

The cinnabar mark at the center of his brow burned an increasingly bewitching red, and the divine eye flickered faintly with golden light, terrifying Ling Ce into scrambling back to the corner, afraid to be caught in the young master's wrath.

Yan Jingchen snapped his jade-bone fan closed with a sharp sound, all traces of mirth vanished from his peach-blossom eyes. "Tsk... it seems we've underestimated Miss Chu."

His gaze shifted to Ji Ciyuan, and he tapped the other's shoulder with the tip of his fan, teasing, "Young Master Ji, that slap was well worth it."

"Take your filthy fan away," Ji Ciyuan glared with disgust. He loathed being touched, his innate sense of cleanliness flaring up, and he cast a cleansing spell in retaliation.

He swept a cold glance at Yan Jingchen, his red lips curling with biting sarcasm, "Young Master Yan seems so pleased—have you forgotten you’re also among the rejected?"

Yan Jingchen's smile stiffened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure, unfurling his fan and waving it nonchalantly. "Of course, I haven’t forgotten. But compared to some, at least I wasn’t slapped."

Ji Ciyuan's face darkened instantly, remembering the slap he’d received in public from Chu Yuyao. Rage surged in his heart, impossible to suppress.

To him, it was an intolerable humiliation.

That damned woman was truly something else.

Su Qinghan had remained silent throughout, his presence growing colder, his silence almost frightening. He rose, icy-white robes stirring a cold wind, and tapped the sword sheath gently against the edge of the table. The room fell silent.

"Investigate."

It was the only word he uttered before leaving.

Shangguan Yuheng's eyes flickered, a hint of contemplation passing over his gentle, jade-like face.

He sensed this matter was more complicated than it seemed.

When dissolving the contract, Chu Yuyao had declared she was rejecting them, but it had only been spoken aloud. Everyone was inside the room, no outsiders present.

If the news had truly spread, it carried a different weight and would thoroughly offend all five of them.

Chu Yuyao wasn't especially clever, but she wasn't so foolish as to let this happen.

Thus, the situation became all the more intriguing.

Thinking of a certain possibility, his expression darkened.

If someone had deliberately orchestrated this, the mind behind it was truly terrifying.

Each man left with his own thoughts, no longer in the mood for tea.

...

Celestial Dao Sect, shrouded in mist, spiritual energy drifting, majestic and grand—a scene befitting an immortal abode.

Chu Yuyao had no inkling of the five men's thoughts. After purchasing all the furniture at the sect's marketplace, she returned directly to the original owner’s residence.

Upon arrival, she found Chu Ruoyan long gone. The whole room was empty, nothing left inside but a pile of miscellaneous debris.

She frowned, intending to clean up, but after searching for a while, couldn’t find a broom.

Then it struck her—this was the cultivation world. A spell could handle it; who needed a broom?

She unceremoniously rubbed her face, and, following her memories, attempted a cleansing spell. In an instant, the messy pile on the floor vanished without a trace.

The room became bright and spotless, not even a speck of dust remaining.

She arched her brow, inwardly marveling at how convenient cultivation was—no wonder everyone yearned for it.

With her mood considerably improved, she began arranging the room. The new bed and furniture were ordinary items, but exquisitely crafted, and she added a few small mechanisms from the cultivation world, finding the process rather amusing.

After working for half a day, she finally made the room cozy and comfortable, just about to find a place to sit.

Suddenly, the system’s voice rang in her mind.

[Hehe, Host, those five men have already learned that the news of their rejection has spread. Each of their faces is darker than the last, and they've sent people to investigate.]

Chu Yuyao paused, her expression unsurprised.

The Celestial Dao Sect knew, so other places would soon learn of it. Gossip travels fastest in the cultivation world.

As for the mastermind, apart from Chu Ruoyan, she couldn’t think of anyone else.

That white lotus always feigned innocence, winning sympathy—such tricks were child's play for her.

But if the news was out, so be it. She didn’t care.

She had already rejected them—what was there to fear from others’ words?

[You really are carefree,] the system grumbled, exasperated by her indifference.

Chu Yuyao ignored it, sitting cross-legged on the bed to sort through the original owner's cultivation.

The original had five spiritual roots, at eighth layer of the Qi Refining stage, all gained through medicinal pills, never properly tempered, leaving the foundation extremely unstable.

She possessed the cultivation of eighth layer, but could barely wield any real strength—a typical showy facade.

She frowned and sighed, closing her eyes to carefully review her abilities.

This body was even worse than she’d expected.

Not only were the spiritual roots mixed and impure, but the meridians were very weak. Achieving eighth layer of Qi Refining was a miracle.

The system had hinted that this body might possess a yin-yang constitution. If true, once awakened, her cultivation speed would soar.

Her mind turned this over, and she couldn’t help but ask, "System, is there any way to awaken the yin-yang constitution?"

[Host, please explore on your own. Don’t ask me about everything.]

With that, the system feigned death, refusing to respond no matter how she threatened or coaxed.

Irritated, she changed tack. "Then is there any treasure to widen meridians or improve aptitude?"

[Ding! Host’s strong desire to become powerful detected. Limited-time quest triggered: Host must spend over twelve hours in the same room with any male lead within three days. Reward: One Ancient Chaos Lotus Seed, able to reshape spiritual roots and fuse host’s five-element roots into Ancient Chaos roots.]

The deadbeat system suddenly sprang to life, announcing a limited-time romance quest.

Chu Yuyao: "..."

She knew this mangy system was up to no good. After all, it all circled back to targeting those five troublesome men.

"Don’t give me that," she gritted her teeth, pointing to her own face. "With this face and the feat of rejecting them, the news is spreading like wildfire. You want me to spend over twelve hours in a room with one of them right now? Why not just toss me off the Execution Platform and be done with it? Is there any quest that doesn’t involve pleasing people, not even romance—a difficult challenge, anything for a reward?"

She struggled to negotiate.

[Host, this system is a romance system. All quests are naturally related to romance. Besides, high risk, high reward—if you complete the twelve-hour cohabitation quest, you’ll get the Ancient Chaos Lotus Seed~]

The system’s voice grew coaxing toward the end.

Chu Yuyao realized there was no other quest, and sighed helplessly, glancing at the male leads’ favorability panel.

Su Qinghan: -95 (disgust)
Yan Jingchen: -95 (disgust)
Ji Ciyuan: -90 (disgust)
Shangguan Yuheng: -95 (disgust)
Ye Cangming: -95 (disgust)

To spend over twelve hours in a room with men whose negative favorability was off the charts, who wished to stay ten yards away from her—this wretched system might as well feed her a handful of rat poison.

Yet the Chaos Lotus Seed tempted her too greatly—turning a useless talent into a genius, a chance to defy fate itself.