Just what could make a man in his early twenties abstain from women for three years?
...No, that's not right.
He hadn't touched men either.
The chatty system muttered to itself, truly unable to understand.
But how would Cui Lingyao know why?
However, since the system had come to her, it clearly thought she was the cause.
Cui Lingyao thought for a moment before hazarding a guess. "Well, his Love Value for me was maxed out, so he must have had some feelings for me. Plus, I was killed by his concubine, so he feels guilty and has temporarily sworn off women?"
She had experienced firsthand just how lustful that man was.
Forget three years of abstinence.
From the day she married him, aside from the few days each month when she was indisposed and he was forced to endure, he rarely let her rest.
He was like a wolf that had tasted meat and refused to let go.
The memory of her last night before leaving surfaced, and a wave of resistance washed over Cui Lingyao. "Anyway, he's still young. If you wait patiently for another couple of years, he probably won't be able to stand it himself."
If it hadn't personally witnessed Xie Jinbai's death-warmed-over state, the system might have actually believed her.
It huffed under its breath. [If we keep waiting, he's just going to end up dying without an heir again, no doubt about it.]
Cui Lingyao froze. "I remember he has a concubine."
[Oh, her? It's doubtful she's ever even touched the hem of Xie Jinbai's clothes,]
The system said, [After you died, he seemed normal on the surface, but he hasn't done a single normal thing. He repeatedly requested to be sent to the battlefield. He was a general holding the commander's seal, yet he insisted on leading the charge and killing enemies himself. He's had countless near-death experiences, treating his own life as if it were worthless.]
[This time, he was shot through the chest with an arrow on the battlefield. If this system hadn't intervened, he would have died!]
It was this incident that made it realize: Xie Jinbai had absolutely no will to live.
He had the very look of someone destined to die young and without an heir.
If he was allowed to continue like this, the man who was supposed to become Emperor Qianyuan in the history books would probably kick the bucket before ever ascending the throne.
That was unacceptable. The foreign powers were already growing stronger, and not one of his brothers was particularly capable. If he died prematurely and another Prince took the throne, not only would the era of chaos be unavoidable, it might even arrive sooner.
Three years ago, when it sent Cui Lingyao back, the system was already starving. It had consumed too much energy. If it hadn't been certain that Xie Jinbai had absolutely no intention of producing an heir, it wouldn't have resolved to expend more energy to come to this world and ask its original host for help.
A mission that was supposedly complete had hit a snag. Staring at its dwindling energy reserves, the system felt a little dejected.
It really couldn't understand.
Maxing out the conquest value meant it was a steadfast, true love. That was undeniable.
But men of the Human Clan didn't really have a concept of chastity. True love shouldn't stop him from procreating with other women.
How did it have to run into such an oddball?
Feeling like it had suffered a loss it couldn't even complain about, the system's voice was listless. [He clearly took a concubine while you were alive. Why did he start acting chaste as a saint the moment you died?]
Cui Lingyao: "..."
She was curious too.
But right now, what she wanted to know more was...
"You just said there's a mission that needs my 'after-sales service'... is it to continue pursuing Xie Jinbai?"
[Nope,]
The system, having learned its lesson, said, [This time, the mission will only be a success when you make sure Xie Jinbai has an heir of his own.]
An heir...
Cui Lingyao's desperate will to live faltered for a second. "...I'm not having his children."
'I have to go home. How can I leave my own flesh and blood behind in the Otherworld?'
Three years ago, when the system first approached her, the mission had been for her to bear Xie Jinbai's child.
But she had refused.
Cui Lingyao's parents had died when she was young, and she had no blood relatives left in the world.
She couldn't accept giving birth in the Otherworld, only to be separated from her child forever.
At the time, the system couldn't find another host whose soul wasn't rejected by Great Yue, so it had made a concession.
The mission changed from bearing Xie Jinbai's child to pursuing him, teaching him about love between a man and a woman, and letting him get a taste of it so he would become addicted to the fairer sex.
According to the system's understanding of men from the Human Clan, once a man couldn't give up women, there would naturally be no shortage of children.
In the end, Cui Lingyao successfully completed the mission and returned.
And now, the same task was presented to her once more, and she still wanted to refuse.
The system spoke first. [The requirement is only that Xie Jinbai must have his own child. It's not required that you, the host, personally give birth. You can totally figure out a way to have another woman do it.]
Let another woman do it...
Cui Lingyao's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Then she heard the system continue to entice her: [You managed to max out his conquest value. Is there anything you can't do?]
The system, having witnessed Xie Jinbai's three years of silent madness, finally understood the weight behind the historical verdict: "no wife, no concubines, and died without an heir."
Its admiration for Cui Lingyao, the one person who had managed to win him over, had reached the point of worship.
Just then, Lu Chen, who was crouching by the bed, looked up. His eyes, glistening with moisture, gazed at the girl on the bed, filled with the desperation of someone at a dead end. "Yaoyao, is there really no other way?"
The doctors had all given her a death sentence.
'Am I really going to lose my sister?'
Cui Lingyao pressed her lips together, lost in thought.
'Make Xie Jinbai have his own child.'
'This mission isn't actually that difficult.'
'Setting aside Xie Jinbai's noble status, his handsome, chiseled face alone would ensure there was no shortage of women wanting to bear his children.'
'Especially that aloof, noble indifference, as if nothing in the world mattered to him. For a long time, Cui Lingyao had found that incredibly compelling.'
'However, having a child isn't something a woman can do alone.'
'That man...'
After all, they had been husband and wife for three years. Cui Lingyao understood Xie Jinbai to some extent.
He really didn't seem to care for beauty. No matter how gorgeous a woman stood before him, it was like casting flirtatious glances at a blind man.
The only reason she'd managed to catch his eye was probably timing. She had appeared when he was young, before his heart had turned completely to ice, and that's how she secured a place for herself.
As for Li Wanrong?
'Who knows what he was planning?'
'It didn't seem like he was actually attracted to her.'
'Under these circumstances, what could she possibly do to make Xie Jinbai have a child with another woman?'
Cui Lingyao thought for a while but couldn't come up with a viable plan.
But soon, she stopped overthinking it.
No matter the method, this mission was a matter of life and death. She had to accept it.
If she could spend ten years in Great Yue pursuing Xie Jinbai for the sake of her brother's leg...
...then what was so difficult about going again to make Xie Jinbai have a child, this time for her own life?
With her life on the line, Cui Lingyao made up her mind in an instant. "I accept this mission."
The system wasn't surprised. It reminded her:
[My energy is low right now, so I can't control the time in your world like last time. When your soul goes to Great Yue, your body here will fall into a deep sleep. However many years you spend in Great Yue is how many years you'll be asleep here. Since the situation is special, you can explain a little to your family.]
Explain a little...
Previously, the system had forbidden her from revealing anything about the mission, so Cui Lingyao had never breathed a word of it to anyone.
Now that it was allowing her to explain...
A flicker of light in her eyes, Cui Lingyao reached out to the near-breakdown Lu Chen by her bed. Her tone was serious. "Brother, I have something to tell you."
The siblings were close and shared a tacit understanding. Hearing her words, Lu Chen did his best to suppress his emotions. He squeezed her hand, his voice hoarse. "Go on, I'm listening."
The system's arrival had made Cui Lingyao's body feel much better, and her speech became clearer. "That elixir I gave you before, I got it through a fortuitous encounter. Now, the same kind of opportunity has come again. I'm going to see if I can get another one. That way, I won't have to die."
Hearing his sister could be saved, Lu Chen's expression immediately became agitated. "Where do you get it? I'll get it for you."
Cui Lingyao shook her head. "This is something I have to do myself. No one can help. It's just... a bit more troublesome this time."
She instructed him, "In a little while, I'm going to fall asleep. No matter what happens, don't worry about me, but you must take good care of my body. I might not wake up for a very, very long time."
The meaning behind her words was clear at a glance.
Lu Chen had his suspicions before, but hearing this now still shocked him. He only cared about one thing.
"Could something go wrong?"
"I don't know."
Cui Lingyao wasn't lying. She truly had no guarantee that she could complete the mission successfully.
Unaware of the hidden truth, Lu Chen could only assume her journey would be fraught with immense danger. He then thought about the elixir he had taken, with no idea how much she must have suffered to obtain it, and a lump formed in his throat.
He wrapped his arms around the girl lying weakly on the bed, pulling her into an embrace. His voice choked with emotion. "Then promise me you'll come back."
"Okay," Cui Lingyao sniffled. "I will definitely come back."
She wouldn't stay in a world that wasn't her own.