After a round of quests, the sun was already dipping toward the west. Lu Yunqi couldn't do a single one more. Dragging his exhausted body, he stepped through the Anywhere Door and returned to his room.
He had to admit, the One-Step Town Return skill was incredibly convenient.
The moment he was back in his room, he collapsed limply onto the couch. He didn't even hear Liubao come in.
It wasn't until Liubao stepped forward and shook his arm that he was startled out of his fatigue. Sitting up, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Liubao said with a fawning grin, "Young Master, everything's been arranged. His Highness, the Sixth Prince, has already bathed and is waiting for your pleasure."
Hearing this, Lu Yunqi let out a sinister chuckle. "Spread the word: the Sixth Prince, Murong Jie, now belongs to me, the Young Master."
"Got it! Liubao will see to it right away!"
With that, Liubao turned to leave, but Lu Yunqi called him back. "Prepare a bath for me. I want to soak in some hot water."
It had been a long time since he'd done farm work, and he was truly exhausted. He was curious to know just where this idle young lord's idleness lay.
Only after sinking into the bath did Lu Yunqi feel alive again.
He was comfortable now, but he couldn't let the one who'd tormented him for nine lifetimes be comfortable too. He ordered Liubao to summon the man to attend to him.
Murong Jie wore shackles on his feet. Someone, on someone's orders, had dressed him in a sheer, translucent robe. From Lu Yunqi's angle, his chest muscles, abs, and V-line were all on full display.
Lu Yunqi let out a mocking laugh. "Oh? Couldn't find matching fabric for the pants?"
Murong Jie's sinister face betrayed no expression, his eyes still dead as still water. At this point in time, he'd already been tormented by the original owner for half a month. In previous timelines, this Sixth Prince would be dragged out and humiliated at the drop of a hat.
It wasn't that he particularly hated Murong Jie. It was more that all the princes in the palace sided with him, bowing and scraping with utmost deference. And since his father was the Nine Thousand Years, he never bothered to look any of those princes in the eye.
Only Murong Jie—perhaps born with a cold face, never flattering, never groveling—made him feel insulted. He wanted to grind him under his heel.
What he didn't know was that Murong Jie was nothing like those useless princes. He had endured hardship in secret for twenty-three years, and finally turned the tables to ascend the throne, slaughtering everyone who had ever abused him. Especially Lu Yunqi, who died the most miserably and the fastest!
At that thought, Lu Yunqi shrank back again. Having been killed by him nine times left a massive psychological scar.
He couldn't kill him himself—if he did, his mission would fail, and he'd be reduced to ashes anyway.
No matter. If he couldn't kill him, he could at least disgust him.
So he crooked a finger at Murong Jie and said, "Don't just stand there like an idiot. Come attend to your young master's bath."
Murong Jie walked over expressionlessly, reached for a towel, and began wiping him down. But Lu Yunqi said lazily, "Put some muscle into it. Didn't you eat?"
Murong Jie pressed harder, and Lu Yunqi yelped loudly, "Ah… ow ow ow! Damn it, Murong Jie, are you doing that on purpose?!"
Murong Jie stopped moving, standing there like a telephone pole.
The man was tall, handsome, with hair like a waterfall of black silk—clearly blessed with good kidneys. Just standing there, he had an otherworldly air about him.
The male lead was the male lead, after all. That fine face was worthy of a bold stroke in the annals of history.
But…
He reached out, grabbed Murong Jie's collar, and yanked him into the bathtub. With a splash, water flew everywhere, even knocking over the screen.
Murong Jie toppled onto Lu Yunqi, and Lu Yunqi craned his neck up to seal their lips together, wrapping an arm around the man's neck as he flipped over and pinned him firmly beneath him.
The sudden move caught Murong Jie off guard. He frowned and tried to resist, but Lu Yunqi threatened, "I suggest you behave, unless you want more of the same. I want to sleep with you—you should feel honored. My body isn't something just anyone gets to taste."
With that, he bit down hard on Murong Jie's lip. The man didn't even flinch, reacting like a corpse.
Lu Yunqi snorted coldly. "Boring. Are you made of wood?"
He rose, utterly disinterested, and stepped out of the tub. Glancing back at Murong Jie, still lying in the bath, he said with a hint of disdain in his voice, "What are you still lying there for? Attend to this young master's dressing!"
Murong Jie got up, his shackles clanking, climbed out of the tub, wiped the water from Lu Yunqi's body, and draped a soft silk robe over his shoulders.
Lu Yunqi, satisfied, pinched his chin and said flirtatiously, "That's a good boy. You need to understand—my father commands six hundred thousand Lu family troops. Even your father has to kowtow to mine, let alone you, an unloved prince. Come with me. I have something to tell you."
With that, he turned and led Murong Jie to the study, pointing at the back door. "This leads to your side courtyard. You can stay here normally, so I can summon you whenever I please. Don't forget—you belong to me now, and serving me well is your duty. Look at your entire imperial palace—it's like the backyard of our Lu family. Your brothers are all fighting each other to the death. Only by following me can you live a slightly more comfortable life."
Though the past ten years of suffering you endured were all my doing, as if humiliating Murong Jie were Lu Yunqi's greatest pleasure.
Murong Jie thought to himself, Very well, Lu Yunqi. I'll make you see exactly how you die.
Alarms blared from Lu Yunqi's Capture System, and the System Sprite popped up to warn him: "Master, don't take this too far! The target's Hate Value is off the charts—careful, he might just snap and kill you!"
In the past, Lu Yunqi would have been terrified and rushed to soothe the other's emotions.
But now he knew that soothing was useless. Instead, he stepped forward, grabbed the other's throat, and said coldly to Murong Jie, "What? Not convinced? I know you wish I were dead in your heart, but I love how you loathe me yet can't kill me. A single night together binds a hundred days of affection—weren't you enjoying yourself plenty when you were fucking me just now? What, already pulling out cold and heartless?"
The System Sprite was on the verge of a breakdown, frantically reminding him: "Master, master, stop provoking him! Careful you don't light a fire that burns yourself!"
But the next second, the system alarm vanished.
Lu Yunqi was stunned. It just disappeared like that?
In the past, that alarm would blare all night long, making sleep impossible. Now, with just a few words, it was gone?
Hmm, got it. Murong Jie was a damn masochist. Talking nicely to him was useless—you had to turn up the intensity. The more twisted you were, the more obedient he became!
Looking at the Hate Value stabilized at ninety-five percent in the Capture System, Lu Yunqi thought, Not bad. This is better than nine lifetimes of kneeling and kowtowing in apology for three months.
Though success only came when the Hate Value dropped below fifty percent, and getting below fifty was a pipe dream, it didn't matter—this lifetime, he had his own plans.
He shoved Murong Jie away, pushing him onto the couch, then turned and left the study.
Perhaps because he'd worked hard all day, Lu Yunqi slept especially soundly that night—so deeply that he didn't dream at all. When he opened his eyes, it was already daylight.
As soon as he sat up, a young maid brought him his toothbrush and mouthwash, along with the golden basin he habitually used to wash his hands and face. It was quite the life of luxury and indulgence.
Lu Yunqi asked, "Where's my father? Hasn't he come back yet?"
The young maid Yunhua replied, "The Nine-Thousand-Year-Old returned last night, but went back to the palace early this morning. The Emperor said he wanted to reward him—apparently he won another great victory this time."
Lu Yunqi gave a noncommittal "Oh." Yunhua asked, "Isn't the Young Lord happy for the old master?"
Lu Yunqi answered perfunctorily, "Happy. Happy."
What was there to be happy about? The greater the military merit, the faster you die. If the Lu family hadn't overshadowed the throne, and if the title of Nine-Thousand-Year-Old weren't so ostentatious, how could the Lu family have been executed to the last member?
Whatever. Rome wasn't built in a day. This emperor was too spineless, relying on his father Lu Tong to defend the realm, and granting him far too much power.
And Lu Tong doted excessively on his only son, indulging him to the point of lawlessness, with no regard for the imperial family whatsoever.
But it didn't matter—everyone died eventually. Early or late, it was all the same.
Lu Yunqi asked again, "What about Murong Jie?"
Yunhua had clearly heard about the scandal between her young lord and Murong Jie. She covered her lips with a smile and replied, "The Sixth Prince just finished his morning meal and is practicing horse stance in the courtyard."
Lu Yunqi thought to himself, That's not horse stance—he's clearly practicing his Nine-Deaths-One-Life Divine Palm. That technique requires nine years of training, and he's one year short of completing it.
If he couldn't successfully conceive his child within that year, then a year from now would be his death sentence.
At that thought, Lu Yunqi let out a hiss. He hoped last time would take. Otherwise, doing it again would really be too much for him to handle.
But… whatever. It was pretty enjoyable anyway. Worst case, they'd just do it a few more times.
Yunhua brought in the morning meal, and Lu Yunqi instructed, "I'm resting today. No one is allowed to come in and disturb me. Out!"
Yunhua acknowledged and withdrew, closing the door behind her as she left.
After eating breakfast, Lu Yunqi went behind the screen, opened the cabinet door, and stepped into Wanping Wasteland.
His body was in much better shape today. He hoped to complete a few more system tasks. Yesterday's task had gone as far as spraying herbicide. The moment he opened the system today, he heard the sound of yesterday's task reward being credited.
"Congratulations, Host, on completing Step Three of reclaiming one mu of wasteland: spraying herbicide. You have received one Planting and Sowing Drone, with a three-day usage limit. Your task points have reached thirty, and the System Market has been unlocked. Please check your System Market."
"There's actually a System Market?" Lu Yunqi was quite surprised, thinking to himself that his previous systems hadn't had a market—at most, they'd given him a points redemption shop. But then again, his previous systems had all been geared toward conquering Murong Jie. Sure enough, as long as he didn't focus his attention on men, surprises just kept coming.
Lu Yunqi opened the System Market, and the first market appeared before his eyes: the Talent Market.