At dusk, the Beast Husbands returned one after another.
Today, everyone had bountiful harvests, catching many prey, with Mo Jingxing having the most among them.
“Jingxing, you’re truly amazing.”
Chu Xuan didn’t hesitate to give him a thumbs-up and praise him, happily receiving the reward Points contributed by Mo Jingxing.
Mo Jingxing went to handle the prey, Jian Ze went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Xie Xingwen pulled Chu Xuan aside, asking her to demonstrate the sword techniques she had practiced that day.
Chu Xuan gripped the long sword, recalling the sword techniques she had learned that day, and began to practice.
Xie Xingwen stood nearby watching, occasionally correcting her movements.
“Lower your wrist, raise the sword tip, tighten your core… Stop, don’t move.”
As he spoke, Xie Xingwen stepped forward to adjust Chu Xuan’s posture.
After completing the set of movements, Chu Xuan was already drenched in sweat. Shen Lingjun brought a handkerchief to wipe her sweat.
“Female Master, you don’t need to push yourself so hard. With the few of us protecting you, no one can harm you.”
Seeing how exhausted Chu Xuan was from practicing swordsmanship, Shen Lingjun couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.
Chu Xuan said, “I can’t always rely on you all. I need to become stronger myself.”
This way, if she encountered a situation like the previous kidnapping again, she would have the ability to handle it.
“Good.” Hearing Chu Xuan’s words, Xie Xingwen praised, “You must become a female emp—”
Before the word “empress” could be uttered, a surge of electricity shot from his consciousness to his limbs, shocking Xie Xingwen until his eyes rolled back.
[Host, how many times have I told you? You can’t mention it when the female lead doesn’t know she’s going to become the female emperor. Doing so violates the plot development and will result in punishment.] The system said helplessly.
Xie Xingwen: “When will she find out she’s going to become the female emperor?”
[When the time comes for her to know, she will naturally know. In short, before the plot reaches that stage, the host must not spoil it. Otherwise, you will face electric shock punishment.]
Xie Xingwen: “…”
“Can you give me a warning before the next electric shock so I can be prepared?”
Xie Xingwen negotiated with the system. The sudden shock was truly unpleasant; a heads-up would at least let him brace for it.
[The system detects when the host is about to violate the plot and immediately administers electric shock punishment. Therefore, please think twice before speaking in the future.]
In other words, no advance warning would be given.
Xie Xingwen took a deep breath and cursed inwardly. This damned system—he’d better not catch it, or he’d tear it into pieces.
“Xie Xingwen, what’s wrong with you?”
Chu Xuan saw Xie Xingwen suddenly convulsing mid-sentence and looked at him with concern.
“Nothing.” After recovering, Xie Xingwen feigned composure and said, “The path you must walk in the future will undoubtedly be perilous. So, striving to become stronger is the right choice. Keep it up, practice well as I’ve taught you. If you master this Green Mountain Sword Technique, ordinary opponents will no longer be a match for you.”
After speaking, Xie Xingwen patted her shoulder and turned to walk toward his room.
“System, I didn’t say she’s going to become the female emperor this time. I only reminded her that the path ahead is treacherous. That doesn’t count as a violation, right?”
System: […]
Chu Xuan felt that Xie Xingwen had been spouting a bunch of nonsense she couldn’t comprehend, only finding the phrase “Green Mountain Sword Technique” vaguely familiar when she heard it.
But she didn’t dwell on it, continuing to practice her sword swings with determination.
While practicing her sword forms, Chu Xuan pondered the system’s task in her heart. If she directly invited Xie Xingwen to spend the night with her, he would certainly refuse and might even think she’d lost her mind.
She needed to devise a method to reasonably complete the task without arousing suspicion.
.
After Jian Ze finished preparing the meal, Chu Xuan sheathed her sword, washed her hands, and went to eat.
Looking at the table full of meat dishes, she thought for a moment and said, “Tomorrow I’ll go out with all of you!”
Having traded for wild vegetables at the Mutual Market yesterday indicated there were other edible plants in the mountains. Her Beast Husbands probably couldn’t recognize most of them, and Chu Xuan wanted to find other food sources herself. Eating nothing but meat every day was becoming tiresome.
Just as Jian Ze opened his mouth to object, Chu Xuan immediately added, “With you all protecting me, nothing will happen.”
“Since the Female Master wishes to go, we shall accompany her tomorrow,” said Shen Lingjun.
With Shen Lingjun’s approval, the other Beast Husbands raised no objections.
Truthfully, with them present, no wild beast in the mountains could harm Chu Xuan – they couldn’t even get close to her.
The previous refusal stemmed from an incident where Chu Xuan had used hunting as an excuse to secretly meet Cheng Xu.
That time, Cheng Xu never showed up, and she ended up kidnapped, nearly losing her life.
Hence their earlier reluctance when she proposed joining them – they feared she might be scheming to meet some shameless Male Beast behind their backs.
But through their recent time together, they’d come to recognize Chu Xuan’s genuine reformation. Thus, when she made this request now, no one opposed her.
Having obtained permission, Chu Xuan visibly brightened.
After the meal, she sat in the courtyard studying the sword manual Xie Xingwen had given her, waiting for her food to digest before resuming practice.
“Xie Xingwen, I don’t quite understand this move. Could you explain it?”
Whenever encountering difficult techniques, Chu Xuan would seek Xie Xingwen’s guidance.
“Your initial stance must be stable here, and your sword thrust quick, like this…”
Xie Xingwen demonstrated with a wooden sword.
Chu Xuan mirrored his movements, their figures weaving through the courtyard as her sword techniques transformed from clumsy to fluid.
The more she practiced, the more absorbed she became, consulting Xie Xingwen whenever puzzled. Though night deepened, Chu Xuan showed no signs of fatigue.
Seeing her dedication, Xie Xingwen felt both pleased and wistful, thinking what fine potential she possessed. Had she been born in the Cultivation World, she would undoubtedly have become a formidable sword cultivator.
During this time, Mo Jingxing brought her water and gently urged, “Female Master, perhaps you should rest now? You can continue practicing tomorrow.”
Chu Xuan smiled, “It’s fine. I feel particularly inspired today – just a while longer.”
Yet her “while longer” extended until dawn’s first light.
Xie Xingwen stayed with her until dawn, not because he didn’t want to rest, but because whenever Chu Xuan saw him about to leave, she would immediately encounter a problem requiring his guidance.
This was the first time Xie Xingwen had encountered someone as studious as Chu Xuan, and he became genuinely interested, practicing sword techniques with her until daybreak.
When the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, Chu Xuan sheathed her sword and began frantically calling for System 38 in her consciousness.
“3838, wake up! I’ve completed the mission of spending a night with Xie Xingwen. Where’s my reward? Where’s my ability?”
38: […]
What it meant by “spending a night together” was romantic intimacy, not two people clanging swords together all night long—