By the time Shen Xin emerged from her Sea of Consciousness, Qin Weiji had already left.
Seeing no need to maintain her facade—especially since Qin Weiji had already healed her injuries—she simply got up.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she pondered: to complete her mission, she absolutely must not agree to divorce. There was no way she would go to the Matchmaking Stele. Moreover, she needed to find a way to make Qin Weiji believe she had no involvement with those other men.
Xiao Ai: [Why go through all that trouble? Just wash up, throw yourself at him, and you’ll know if it works after doing the deed.]
Shen Xin sighed helplessly, [Are you a Love Brain or just horny?]
Xiao Ai: [This is called adapting to local customs. In this 18+ world, love is made through action.]
Shen Xin: “…”
She had nothing to say.
Xiao Ai returned to the main topic: [System detection shows the target’s favorability toward the host is at -90, an increase of ten points. A random reward has been issued. We hope the host continues to work hard and complete the mission soon.]
Shen Xin was surprised, “There are rewards?”
[Of course. Every time favorability increases by ten points, you’ll receive a random small reward. Each reward is different.]
Though the favorability had gone from -100 to -90—still negative—it was progress nonetheless.
Well, he had grabbed her waist and begged for a kiss earlier, after all. Heh.
“I’ll have him sooner or later!”
Shen Xin curled her lips smugly, “So, what’s the reward?”
Xiao Ai: [This time, the reward is a Plot Modification Card. For the next plot segment, you can randomly change two words.]
Shen Xin raised an eyebrow, “What’s the next plot segment?”
As soon as she spoke, a transparent computer screen appeared before her eyes. Like someone typing, small black regular script characters materialized one by one:
‘Meanwhile, Qin Weiji arrived at the East Sea. He had come to seek a ten-thousand-year Mermaid Pearl from the Merfolk Clan to break through his cultivation and help him open the Void Gate.’
Shen Xin, “So he went to the East Sea for the Mermaid Pearl? But what is the Void Gate?”
Xiao Ai coughed twice but didn’t answer, not telling her that the Void Gate was the connection point between worlds.
The text continued: ‘The ten-thousand-year Mermaid Pearl was the Merfolk Clan’s treasure guarding the sea. Naturally, they were unwilling to give it up. Qin Weiji didn’t waste words on them. With a cold laugh and a raise of his hand, the East Sea churned, dark clouds pressed down, and the sea creatures wailed incessantly. The Merfolk Clan leader had no choice but to painfully offer up their sea-guarding treasure, the ten-thousand-year Mermaid Pearl, with both hands. Yet in his heart, he swore: For today’s humiliation, Qin Weiji will pay a hundredfold another day!’
Shen Xin shook her head and sighed, “He really is too tyrannical. He doesn’t act like a Divine Lord at all—more like a Demon.”
‘Qin Weiji clenched the Mermaid Pearl and, without lingering, turned to leave for the Matchmaking Stele. He wanted to see what method Shen Xin would come up with this time to prove herself to him.’
Shen Xin, “?”
Oh dear, the gossip had turned back on her.
Wait, so Qin Weiji never truly intended to divorce her?
He just wanted her to prove herself?
He was toying with her?
Shen Xin gritted her teeth.
That bastard, playing games, huh? Proof, huh?
Then she’d give him a proper demonstration!
Xiao Ai: [This plot segment has ended. Have you decided how to modify it, host?]
Shen Xin curved her lips into a sweet smile, “I’ve decided. Since he wants my proof, if I stage a heroic rescue, wouldn’t that be excellent proof?”
Xiao Ai: [?]
Shen Xin offered no explanation, merely raising an eyebrow as she mentally erased the two words from that plot segment and replaced them with new ones: The Merfolk Clan leader had no choice but… secretly vowing: For today’s humiliation, ‘today’ Qin Weiji must repay it a hundredfold!
Xiao Ai: […666.]
Shen Xin smirked triumphantly, then waved her hand grandly. “Let’s go. Time for a beauty to save the hero.”
Above the East Sea, fierce winds churned the waves, one colossal swell rolling over another, towering waves nearly swallowing the sky.
Layers of dark clouds blotted out all sunlight, pressing down layer by layer until they almost merged with the sea’s surface.
Qin Weiji stood firm upon the raging waves, his silver robes billowing and silver hair flying, the sea’s winds condensing into sword intent sharp enough to split the heavens.
His amber eyes coldly fixed on the Merfolk Clan before him. “What audacity, Merfolk Clan! You dare ambush this Divine Lord!”
The Merfolk Clan leader didn’t understand why it had happened either—he had originally intended to first hand over the Mermaid Pearl and seek revenge later when the opportunity arose.
But just as Qin Weiji was about to take the Mermaid Pearl, some force seemed to seize him, viciously commanding him not to give it and to make Qin Weiji suffer today!
So in that instant, he abruptly clenched the Mermaid Pearl and threw a punch at Qin Weiji.
Qin Weiji deftly dodged, but the Merfolk Clan leader didn’t stop, his mind consumed by the phrase ‘make him suffer’ as if possessed by a demon, launching into a frenzied attack.
In that moment, the sea descended into madness, the roaring waves seeming intent on tearing heaven and earth asunder.
Miraculously, the Merfolk Clan leader’s power surged a thousandfold, enabling him to fight Qin Weiji evenly, even slightly overpowering him.
Surely, it was the spirits of his Merfolk ancestors, unwilling to see their treasure fall into an outsider’s hands, who were aiding him thus.
The Merfolk Clan leader threw his head back and laughed. “Qin Weiji, I thought you were formidable, but it seems you’re nothing special. Since you’ve trespassed into my East Sea today, don’t think of leaving! This clan leader will bury you in these waters!”
With those words, torrents of magical power surged forth, crashing down upon Qin Weiji.
Qin Weiji’s sword intent intensified instantly, yet it still couldn’t fully block the Merfolk Clan leader’s strike.
To others, he appeared unmoved, but he knew—his stance had shifted almost imperceptibly, and he tasted iron in his throat.
Qin Weiji sensed something amiss: his divine power felt partially suppressed, while the Merfolk Clan leader’s power had inexplicably skyrocketed.
Gritting his teeth, he let out a cold scoff. The silver mark on his forehead glimmered, and a hint of crimson tinged his amber pupils.
[Ding]—[Corruption index rising: 10%, 15%… Divine Lord, don’t act recklessly, ahhh!]
Qin Weiji sneered, the tear mole at the corner of his eye lending his face a striking beauty that turned icy as a blade in that instant.
So what if he was corrupted? No one could slap Qin Weiji’s face and get away with it!
His sword intent sharpened a hundredfold in that moment, silver-white sword rays now threaded with streaks of blood-red.
Thunder rumbled as the sword intent tore through the ancient wilderness like a ferocious beast breaking its chains, sweeping toward the East Sea with tsunami force.
If this strike landed, not only would the Merfolk Clan leader perish—the East Sea itself might be cleaved in two.
Countless sea creatures would be slaughtered beyond reckoning, and Qin Weiji would inevitably be condemned as a Demon.
The career-focused observer could only watch helplessly, unable to intervene.
The chieftain of the Merfolk Clan watched the sea-splitting divine power unleashed by this sword strike, his mermaid tail involuntarily thrashing in panic. Though terrified, he couldn’t evade and had to brace for impact.
The other observing merfolk had already scattered in chaos, fleeing toward the ocean depths.
At this critical moment when heaven and sea seemed about to collapse, countless strands of pale golden light descended from the sky like sunlight piercing through heavy clouds, blanketing the entire East Sea.
The dark clouds dispersed, and the oppressive sea surface instantly brightened. The raging winds and towering waves abruptly stilled, leaving complete calm in their wake.
Even Qin Weiji’s fierce sword intent was significantly weakened in that instant, barely causing a ripple when it struck the sea surface.
Qin Weiji’s brow twitched slightly as he and the Merfolk chieftain simultaneously looked up toward the clouds.
Shen Xin stood atop the clouds, her crimson dress flapping fiercely in the wind, strands of black hair brushing against her cheeks.
With eyes closed and hands forming a seal before her chest, pale golden light flowed from her brow, enveloping her completely before cascading down to cover the entire East Sea surface thread by thread.
The golden radiance blurred her delicate features, yet Qin Weiji’s breath caught, his heartbeat distinctly skipping a beat.
In that same instant, the career-driven system suddenly screamed: [Blackening index skyrocketing! 25%…35%…45%!!!]
The system grumbled curses: [Damn, this woman… hell, she’s actually kinda impressive!]
She totally showed off there, wuwuwu~
(Monarch: Hah, no one can slap this Monarch’s face!
Shen Yaoyao: Oh~
Monarch: Well, except my wife.)