Chapter 094
Chapter 94: Punishment
But how could His Highness Prince Qi have become such a useless mess?
With his skill, last night’s skirmish should’ve been nothing. He ought to have retreated unscathed.
“Enough,” he said, waving it off, “regardless of who saved this prince, the defenses of the manor must be reinforced. The Prince Qi Manor is no street market—how can anyone come and go as they please?”
“In the future, this prince does not want to see such a thing happen again.”
“Yes, understood.”
…
Duke Ning Manor.
It was already afternoon when Yun Wan Ning awoke from her nap. Still groggy, she blinked at the window.
The sunlight was a dying ember, blood-red and sinking. Twilight had crept in.
Her heart stirred uneasily.
[Hmm? Did I sleep too deeply?]
[Why has Su Qian Xue and that system been so quiet today?]
[It’s already late, and there’s less than half a day left on that three-day timer. Why hasn’t Su Qian Xue made a move yet?]
[Could she be planning to abandon the task?]
[No no no, that can’t be right. Su Qian Xue wouldn’t just give up on a mission. I must’ve slept too soundly and missed their conversation. That’s the only explanation.]
[Sigh… Then has Su Qian Xue already completed the task?]
[Has that wretched system leveled up? Has it unlocked any terrifying functions?]
[Ugh! I should’ve just held back and not napped at noon. One nap, and I’ve completely lost track of Su Qian Xue’s task progress. What a loss…]
The more she thought about it, the more she regretted it.
Just as she was fuming, a familiar exchange suddenly echoed in her mind—Su Qian Xue and the system.
Her eyes lit up with delight.
[Oh! So I didn’t miss the main event after all?]
[What luck! I wake up just in time for Su Qian Xue’s next move.]
[Let’s see how she plans to complete this mission—and whether the system gains enough energy to evolve.]
Focusing, Yun Wan Ning closed her eyes and concentrated, intent on eavesdropping.
Inside her mind—
[Host, I’ve uploaded the Prince Qi Manor’s layout. Follow the arrow—there’s a dog hole up ahead.]
[It’s in the rear courtyard. Once you’re in, I’ll guide you. As long as you follow my instructions, you’ll avoid all the guards and find the male lead safely.]
“All right.”
Outside Prince Qi Manor—
A slim, graceful figure crept behind a large tree, glancing around furtively.
Once she confirmed the direction, she moved according to the mental arrow.
Soon, Su Qian Xue found the hidden dog hole covered in withered grass.
She squatted down and stared at it in disgust, muttering while mentally preparing herself.
“System, this hole looks filthy… all straw and mud. Could there be snakes in there?”
[…]
[Host, are you stupid? It’s the middle of winter. What snakes?!]
Embarrassed, Su Qian Xue mumbled, “Oops… I forgot snakes hibernate.”
“Then… what about rats?”
The system nearly exploded.
[Are you still planning to do the mission or not?!]
Hearing the system grind its virtual teeth, Yun Wan Ning burst into laughter.
[Hahahaha, Su Qian Xue and that system are hilarious!]
[With a host like Su Qian Xue, I bet the system’s about to collapse.]
[Still, sending a young lady through a dark, filthy dog hole… it’s not easy for her either.]
[Who would’ve thought the system’s brilliant idea for getting close to Mo Yuan Hao… is squeezing through a dog hole?! Hahaha.]
[Interesting. Truly, very interesting.]
Her laughter echoed lightly, and beside her, Yun Wan Yao couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile too.
But then a flash of light flickered through her eyes.
This mission of Su Qian Xue’s… it wouldn’t be so easily completed.
“I’ll do it!”
Completely unaware of the scheming on the other side, Su Qian Xue clenched her teeth and struck a brave pose.
She brushed aside the weeds and steeled herself to crawl through, but at that moment—
Alert!
The system’s sharp voice rang out in her head.
[Warning, danger approaching. Host, be alert!]
[Dangerous individual detected. Host, someone is closing in!]
Startled, Su Qian Xue froze.
She turned around instinctively—
Only to see a shadow drop from the sky.
A sharp pain stabbed into her neck.
Her vision blurred.
Her body crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
She had been knocked out.
[Dammit! Yun family again?! Why do they always ruin our plans?!]
[Could they really be aware of my existence now?]
[Do they know about our missions too?]
[What kind of world is this?! Why can people detect the system?!]
[This host is too useless—she can’t fight at all. Anyone can take her down. Now she’s even being watched by the Yun family… how are we supposed to complete anything?]
[Ughhhhh!!]
The moment Su Qian Xue passed out, the system utterly lost control, screaming in her mind.
Elsewhere—
Yun Wan Ning was dumbfounded.
[What?]
[Su Qian Xue got knocked out again?! By someone from the Yun family?]
[Wait, does that mean Elder Sister has someone tailing her 24/7, ready to strike the moment she moves?]
[If that’s true… Elder Sister is amazing.]
[And look—it’s already so late. Su Qian Xue’s unconscious. There’s no way she’ll complete her mission in time. Brilliant, just brilliant. Well done, Elder Sister!]
Yun Wan Yao: “…”
No, no, no. It wasn’t her. She had nothing to do with this.
Outside Prince Qi Manor—
After knocking out Su Qian Xue, Yun Wan Ye turned calmly and walked away.
Moments later, Prince Qi Manor’s guards discovered her unconscious body and reported the matter to Mo Yuan Hao.
“Your Highness,” Ting Feng reported, lowering his voice, “the guards say they found a woman passed out near the dog hole outside the manor. Uh… it’s the young miss from the Su family.”
As he said this, he bowed his head, voice almost inaudible.
That woman had pestered the prince for so long, trying every trick to seduce him. His Highness loathed her.
She’d quieted down recently, and everyone assumed she’d finally given up.
But apparently, that was just wishful thinking.
Of all places to faint, she had to do it outside a dog hole by their manor. If that wasn’t scheming something… who’d believe otherwise?
Mo Yuan Hao blinked, brows furrowing. He looked up at Ting Feng.
“What did you say?”
“Your Highness,” Ting Feng repeated, “the guards found a woman collapsed near the manor’s dog hole. Upon inspection, they recognized her as the Su family’s young miss. She has a special status, so the guards didn’t dare act without orders. They sent me to report it to Your Highness.”
“Su Qian Xue?”
“Yes.”
Mo Yuan Hao’s frown deepened.
Why was that woman near the dog hole behind his manor?
Was she really trying to sneak in through it?
Could it be… she still had feelings for him?
But during the winter banquet, she hadn’t seemed like it.
“Send word to the Grand Commandant Manor. Tell them to come retrieve her.”
“Yes.”
Blessings never come in pairs; misfortunes never walk alone.
Grand Commandant Manor.
Su Jian was carried back to the manor, his entire body drenched in blood from a vicious beating. The physician summoned to treat him hadn’t even left when yet another piece of bad news arrived: Su Qian Xue had fainted in front of Prince Qi’s residence.
In that instant, Madam Su felt the world spin beneath her feet and nearly collapsed from the shock.
Her precious daughter—why was she always so worrisome?
Just the night before last, she had been knocked unconscious and stripped of her clothing. And now, today, she had secretly snuck out of the house again, only to faint outside Prince Qi’s estate.
This was not something they could keep hidden. It was only a matter of time before the entire capital heard of it.
Madam Su could already imagine the mockery awaiting the Su family in every tea house and alley corner by morning.
Looking at Su Jian, who was bloodied from head to toe, and thinking of Su Qian Xue, whose condition remained unknown, Madam Su felt herself suffocating with dread.
She struggled to breathe, clutching her chest, and hurriedly called for the servants: “Quick! Send someone to bring back the young miss! It’s freezing out—what if she gets sick from the cold?”
The servants rushed off with a carriage and galloped through the icy night. By the time they brought Su Qian Xue home, the moon had already risen high.
Her face had turned a pale shade of blue from the cold, and her hands were like frozen stones. Madam Su wept as she ordered the servants to light more fires, scolding them through her tears for not keeping the floor heaters warm enough.
At midnight, the mission time came to an end.
Su Qian Xue’s consciousness was suddenly drawn into a chaotic spatial ability. A cold mechanical voice echoed in her ears.
[Beep. Mission time ended. Mission failed. Host, prepare for punishment.]
Startled, Su Qian Xue immediately protested: “What? There’s a punishment for not completing the task? Why didn’t you say that earlier?”
“I won’t accept it. You can’t punish me. If you do, I’ll refuse to do any more tasks from now on—ahhh!”
Before she could finish, a bolt of lightning split the air above her and struck her consciousness. The searing pain was like being shattered into countless fragments. She let out a blood-curdling scream.
The pain nearly tore her mind apart.
Her scream was so piercing that it startled Yun Wan Ning, who frowned in her sleep.
[Oh my—what in the world was that? She actually gets punished for failing a task?]
[Judging by that gut-wrenching scream, it must’ve hurt like hell. This system really is merciless.]
[Totally unprovoked… Su Qian Xue is seriously miserable.]
[Wait, no—I can’t pity her. If she succeeds in her missions, the one who suffers will be our family…]
Before she could finish the thought, the system voice sounded again in her mind.
[Beep. Punishment complete. Host, please refresh your task.]
“I’ll refresh your head! Who wants to keep doing these tasks? I quit!”
“Why are you punishing me? It’s not even my fault that I failed. You useless piece of junk didn’t help at all, but when it comes to punishment, you’re right on time!”
“You trash system, get out of my body. Go find some other host! I’m done serving you!”
Still trembling from the pain, Su Qian Xue gritted her teeth and roared into the chaos of the spatial ability.
[Oh? Don’t forget—it’s because of me that you’re still alive. Are you sure you want to unbind me?]
[If you unbind, you’ll die immediately. Think about it. It’s already been a week since the Winter Banquet. Your body’s probably rotting by now.]
Su Qian Xue: “……”
Damn it, always using that to threaten her.
Fine! She was terrified of dying!
As soon as she heard that unbinding meant death, her aggressive tone instantly deflated.
“But you never said there would be punishments for failing a task. Why didn’t you warn me earlier?”
If she had known, she would’ve taken things more seriously, trying every possible way to complete the mission. Why would she have slacked off?
[You didn’t ask.]
“…”
“You couldn’t tell me anyway? And what about my first mission? I failed that too, but there wasn’t any punishment!”
[That was your first attempt, so we gave you one free failure.]
Su Qian Xue: “…”
So that was a thing?
Fine.
“So from now on, I’ll be punished every time I fail within the deadline?”
[Yes. Host is advised to complete missions seriously. Once your failure count reaches ten, punishments will double.]
[If it reaches thirty, you will be immediately erased. For your own life, please cooperate. Thank you.]
Su Qian Xue: “…”
“Alright, I’ll take this seriously. But—can we change how we communicate?”
“You said you suspect the new female lead knows about your existence and is able to intercept our task-related conversations, always showing up at just the right time to sabotage things. I think she might be eavesdropping on us.”
“If that’s the case, we can’t keep using voice communication for task-related matters.”
[Understood. There is a text-based communication mode. Host may switch manually.]
“Great.”
Without delay, Su Qian Xue asked how to switch and changed their communication mode. This left Yun Wan Ning dumbfounded.
[Wow, no wonder she’s the female lead—her brain works so fast. After just two setbacks, she already figured out the root of her failures.]
[Tsk, now that she switched to text, can I still monitor their interactions?]
[And what about elder sister’s system? Can she still spy on them?]
[If not, elder sister won’t be able to track Su Qian Xue’s missions or movements. It’ll be much harder to sabotage her now.]
[Sigh, looks like elder sister’s mission just got harder.]
[Wait—if elder sister really did bind a system too, would she also be issued missions like this?]
[Would she be punished if she fails?]
[And if she failed thirty times, would she be erased too?]
[It’s hard to say. I’d better hurry and cultivate. If elder sister ends up facing the same problem as Su Qian Xue, I won’t be able to help and can only watch her get erased.]
[Ugh, it’s been a while and I haven’t heard a single word from Su Qian Xue or her system. Looks like I really can’t listen in anymore.]
After waiting patiently with no results, Yun Wan Ning closed her eyes and began cultivating her spiritual power.
On the other side—
Having switched from voice to text communication, Su Qian Xue followed the system’s prompt to refresh her task.
A new task soon appeared on her system panel, and she stared at it, dumbfounded.
‘Mission: Within fifteen days, approach Mo Yuan Hao, raise his affection level, and complete one act of physical intimacy.’
Notice: Current mission failure count—2. Upon reaching 10, punishment will be doubled. Host is advised to work hard.
Again? Another task involving Mo Yuan Hao?
And now there’s an “affection level” too?
What in the world was that supposed to mean?