Chapter 1: Reborn to pamper his wife? Whose wife? The protagonist's!
Qing Chen, who woke up with a start from his bed, quickly gathered his thoughts. Had he undergone Rebirth?
No, to be precise, he had already undergone Rebirth eighteen years ago. It was just that, for some unknown reason, his memories from his previous life suddenly awakened today.
In this life, just like his previous life on Blue Star, he had the same name. However, unlike his ordinary life before, Qing Chen was reborn into a Xuanhuan world called the Heavenly Profound Continent.
Here, powerful cultivators, upon reaching the Peak, could split the heavens and rend the earth with just a flick of a finger. In a single thought, they could even slaughter millions!
Qing Chen, despite possessing considerable Cultivation talent, was a profligate son, born into the Great Han Dynasty's Prime Minister's family. From a young age, he lived a life of luxury and was arrogant and overbearing.
His father, Qing Xiong, was beneath only one person and above ten thousand in the Great Han Dynasty?
No, Qing Xiong was ostensibly beneath one person and above ten thousand, but in reality, he shared power equally with the Great Han Emperor.
Many important matters of the court required Qing Xiong's opinion first.
More than half of the powerful officials in the imperial court had pledged allegiance to Qing Xiong.
It was precisely because of this that a saying circulated within the Great Han Dynasty: as long as Qing Xiong willed it, he could change the world at any time.
"Hiss..." After understanding all of this, Qing Chen couldn't help but gasp, feeling incredibly puzzled. "As a protagonist, isn't this background a bit too strong?"
Although it was his first time being a protagonist, Qing Chen had read countless novels on Blue Star in his previous life and was intimately familiar with the trope of a 'waste' rising to power.
With his excellent Cultivation talent and this background, it certainly didn't look like the script for a 'waste's' counterattack.
"Could it be that I got the wrong script?"
Just as Qing Chen was racking his brain, a mechanical, emotionless voice echoed in his mind:
"[Name: Qing Chen, Age: 18, Gender: Male... Identity information is being verified...]"
"System?!"
Confirming it wasn't a hallucination or auditory illusion, Qing Chen nearly couldn't suppress his voice.
A System, that was the standard Golden Finger for a novel's protagonist!
"It really is a protagonist's script, isn't it...?"
"Exceptional talent, coupled with a Prime Minister's background, and a System—isn't this a guaranteed win?"
Qing Chen never imagined that such an incredible stroke of luck would befall him.
As he was rejoicing, the voice in his mind sounded again:
"[Identity information verified! Invincible Wife-Pampering System is binding...]"
"Invincible... Wife-Pampering System?"
Qing Chen could certainly understand 'invincible,' but what exactly did 'wife-pampering' mean?
Before he could react, the System's voice rang out again: "[Invincible Wife-Pampering System successfully bound!]"
"[New mission issued. Do you wish to view it?]"
Facing the blue virtual panel that only he could see, Qing Chen raised his hand, hesitated, but still clicked the "[View]" button.
"[Mission 1: Within three days, marry the protagonist's beloved, the Heavenly Mandate Empress: Han Qingyue!]"
"[Mission Reward: Undying and Imperishable Body! Description: Upon acquisition, the protagonist will be eternally Undying and Imperishable, existing forever between heaven and earth! No power can eliminate your existence!]"
"Undying and Imperishable! Just by marrying a heroine who belongs to me, I get such a huge reward?" Qing Chen nearly dropped his jaw.
He truly hadn't expected the System to be so generous right from the start.
It's settled! This is truly settled!
Closing the mission interface, Qing Chen casually clicked into his personal attribute panel, wanting to see basic information, such as his talent quality.
"[Name: Qing Chen]"
"[Age: 18]"
"[Gender: Male]"
...
His gaze swept over this most basic of information. Just as Qing Chen's eyes landed on the 'Talent' section, before he could look closer, his sight immediately returned to the previous layer.
"[Identity]"
It clearly stated: Villain.
"..." Qing Chen.
This truly made Qing Chen a little unable to hold himself together.
"I'm... a villain?" It took him a long time to process it.
He even suspected he was seeing things.
He repeatedly confirmed it several times; it was indeed 'Villain,' no mistake.
On second thought, if that were truly the case, then this talent and this background indeed made sense.
"Damn it! Of all the identities to be reborn into, even a passerby would be fine, but it had to be a villain!" Qing Chen was utterly speechless.
Having read so many novels, Qing Chen had never seen a villain who could survive under the hands of those heaven-defying protagonists.
He had clearly gotten a death-trap script!
What was even more fatal was that this System actually wanted him to marry the protagonist's woman, the Heavenly Mandate Empress...
Qing Chen could almost see two figures, one black and one white, beckoning him towards a door called 'Life and Death,' inviting him to cross over.
"No! I absolutely cannot be this villain, and I absolutely cannot follow the script's arrangements!"
Having finally obtained a chance at Rebirth and escaped a life of drudgery, Qing Chen didn't want to kick the bucket after only enjoying a few days.
Who knew if he would get another chance at Rebirth after this death?
He thought that he only needed to try his best to avoid contact with the protagonist, and everyone and everything related to the protagonist.
As for the System mission? He wouldn't accept it; there was no penalty anyway.
"Han Qingyue..."
Upon mentioning this name, a figure of unparalleled beauty couldn't help but appear in Qing Chen's mind. As the Prime Minister's son and a profligate, it was inevitable that he would come into contact with Han Qingyue, who was known as the Great Han's foremost beauty.
Before Qing Chen awakened his memories from his previous life, he had long coveted Han Qingyue. He had even asked his father, the Prime Minister, to find a way to persuade the Emperor to marry his daughter to him.
Apparently... it actually happened!
As his memories became clearer and his past life's memories gradually adapted to this body, Qing Chen recalled that his father had readily agreed after learning of his idea.
Afterward, under continuous internal and external pressure, he truly convinced the Great Han Emperor to agree to issue an imperial decree, bestowing marriage between himself and Han Qingyue.
"Damn it! No, I have to find a way to break off the engagement!"
"Hiss! Or, get married first, obtain the Undying and Imperishable Body, and then write a divorce letter to sever ties?"
On one hand, Qing Chen desperately wanted the Undying and Imperishable Body. On the other hand, he worried that on the wedding day, the protagonist would show up and cut him down with a sword before he could obtain the Undying and Imperishable Body.
Annoyed, very annoyed, he was caught in a dilemma.
It felt like marrying was wrong, and not marrying was also wrong.
Moreover, how to convince his father, Qing Xiong, who was determined to become part of the imperial family, to give up this marriage was also a huge problem.
One moment, Qing Chen was celebrating his lucky Rebirth and a good script; the next, he was suffering from an unbearable headache.
All those good things were ruined by this identity as a villain.
Speechless, just very speechless!
Just as Qing Chen was filled with mixed emotions, wavering, and unsure what to do,
He tentatively asked the System, "System, can you reveal some information about the protagonist of this world?"
As the saying goes, 'know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.'
Qing Chen plotted to first understand the other party, then formulate a plan.
The System quickly responded, opening an information panel.
"[Name: Xiao Feng]"
"[Gender: Male]"
...
He still skipped over this largely worthless information and continued to look down.
"[Identity: Heavenly Mandate Protagonist]"
"[Golden Finger: Thirty-Year Seclusion Sign-in Invincible System]"
Seclusion Sign-in System?
Seclusion??
Thirty years????