Lú Màn used her mind to claim the System gift package. A very traditional gift box, tied with a large pink bow, appeared out of thin air and landed lightly in her hand.
She flicked her fingertips, and the bow fell apart. In an instant, a stream of light flashed, and fragmented light spots like falling stars coalesced into a crystal-clear, cube-shaped spatial model. Beside it, a gold-embossed card also slowly emerged, its edges shimmering with a mysterious halo.
Lú Màn reached out and caught the two items. The moment she touched them, she received their information: a storage space of five cubic meters and a One-click Outfit Change skill card.
Without hesitation, Lú Màn chose to use them. The two items instantly transformed into starlight. Lú Màn concentrated and, using her mind, perceived an empty space. She attempted to store the quilt from the bed into the space. Effortlessly, the quilt on the bed vanished into the space.
Eh? I don’t need to touch it to store items?! Lú Màn closed her eyes and felt carefully. Her energy didn’t seem to be consumed, or it was consumed minimally. Instantly, joy surged through her like a tide. Lú Màn couldn’t help but turn around and smile brilliantly at the invisible Petty System.
She unsparingly lavished praise upon the Petty System. Her words flowed out like a babbling brook, filled with unfeigned delight and admiration.
The Petty System, maintaining an air of arrogance, accepted Lú Màn’s praise and, incidentally, belittled its host: "This is just a small matter. As long as you perform well, host, you can have anything you want!"
Lú Màn, of course, patted her chest and promised wholeheartedly. Then she put the gold jewelry and other items hidden in the quilt into the space, tossed the quilt back onto the bed, and tidied the room a bit, so that at least someone unfamiliar with the room wouldn’t notice anything amiss.
Yes, Lú Màn even put the fruit peels and cores she had eaten back in their original places. As long as no one touched them, they could still fool people.
Lú Màn tidied up the room and then silently recited the command to use the skill in her mind. Instantly, a 3D model of the original host appeared in her mind.
She was a gentle and classic beauty with an oval face, willow-like eyebrows, and cherry lips. Her skin was as smooth as congealed fat, her features exquisite, and her physique graceful. Her jet-black, lustrous hair was styled into an intricate bun, adorned with various beautiful hair ornaments, and she wore a classic phoenix coronet and cape-style wedding dress. Her eyes, like autumn water, were clear and bright, yet they shrewdly and playfully surveyed her surroundings.
Indeed, the original host’s appearance perfectly matched the standards of the older generation when choosing a daughter-in-law. After Lú Màn’s internal affirmation, she skipped past the model and discovered there was no option to change clothes?!
Lú Màn couldn’t believe it. She carefully studied the outfit change interface again. Oh, it turned out that before changing clothes, she had to scan a sample.
"This is easy!" Lú Màn breathed a sigh of relief. She secretly opened her universal map and selected "Cargo" for a search. A few seconds later, the movement trajectories of all living beings within the Zhāng residence were under her control!
"There’s no one at the door?" Lú Màn was surprised to find no one near the bridal chamber. Then she figured it out.
Today, personnel were already stretched thin. On top of that, a group had to be dispatched to search for the missing groom. It was still early before the wedding ceremony, so it was normal for servants near the bridal chamber to be temporarily absent.
Thus, Lú Màn smoothly slipped out of the bridal chamber. First, she found a corner and climbed onto the wall. Then, she built models of the passing young servants, maids, female guests, and male guests one by one. Afterward, she used One-click Outfit Change and disguised herself as a noble lady attending the wedding.
According to the map, she moved to another corner, used the trees for cover, and easily scaled the wall. With her head lowered, she quickly blended into the crowd of arriving guests. Here, she thanked the original host’s parents for not binding her feet!!
"Host, what are you doing? You shouldn’t be running out of the bridal chamber at a time like this. What are you doing?" the Petty System asked curiously.
"I'm handling my business, don't worry. It's all for the mission!" Lú Màn confidently assured it.
"Host, why didn't you disguise yourself as a maid or servant?" the Petty System inquired.
"If I get pulled into helping out, it'll be a disaster!" Lú Màn mingled with the crowd, then avoided it. When encountering crowds, she covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, leaned against walls/rock gardens/fruit trees, pretending to feel unwell.
"Host, why do you keep changing outfits?" the Petty System was almost dazzled by the host’s various appearances.
"I'm afraid of being remembered by people with good memories!" Lú Màn replied perfunctorily, while walking at varying paces, she frantically modeled, enriching her skill card inventory. Thank goodness, modeling didn’t cost money, nor was there a limit on the number. She had to take advantage of it before the Petty System found out!
"Host, why are you stealing things from the Zhāng family's treasury? And how did you know its location?" the Petty System shrieked in alarm.
Lú Màn happily looked at the space filled with various supplies. Then, with a hint of regret, she looked at the still-full treasury and quickly erased any traces before leaving the scene.
"Of course, it's to support the family! And, you guess!" she answered casually and hurried towards her next target.
This time, Lú Màn observed near the kitchen for a while. Disguised as a rough maid, she walked in boldly and, with swiftness and precision, slaughtered all of the Zhāng residence's only 9 live chickens!!
"Ahhh! Host, what are you doing?!" the Petty System screamed as if it were the chickens being slaughtered.
Then, unable to bear it any longer, it zapped Lú Màn. Lú Màn calmly let down her hair to cover her face, holding a bloodied cleaver in one hand and a headless rooster in the other, she walked directly in one direction.
Reaching a blind spot, she quickly changed her outfit while throwing the cleaver and the chicken into the space. Immediately after, she escaped the scene along the estimated route, leaving behind a startled and chaotic kitchen.
"System, can the space preserve freshness?" Lú Màn asked calmly, without any resentment.
"Of—course!" the Petty System felt inexplicable pressure and was a little flustered, but it responded with forced confidence.
"That's good!" Lú Màn changed into the attire of a first-rank maid and calmly entered a courtyard. She directly took a food box and walked towards the long table where the prepared banquet dishes were laid out.
Seeing her attire and demeanor, the busy people around knew she was from the host family and dared not step forward to stop her.
Lú Màn pretended to look around for a moment, then selected a few items and put them into the food box. In reality, under the cover of the food box, she secretly took a plate of each dish into the space. Then she took a few sets of bowls and chopsticks and headed directly towards the bridal chamber.
She openly returned to the bridal chamber and ate the food from the food box: Braised Pot Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Xi Shi Tofu Soup, and Four Happiness Meatballs. Afterward, she put the bowls and chopsticks back into the food box, threw it into the space, washed up with a towel from the bridal chamber, and used One-click Outfit Change to return to her bridal attire.
First, she opened the window to ventilate the room, then walked around to aid digestion. Only after being full and satisfied did Lú Màn feel inclined to coax her tool system: "Still angry?" she teased with a smile.
"Let me analyze why I killed the chicken. Let’s first discuss the origin of the groom's ceremony with a rooster!" Lú Màn asked gently. "You know there are three situations where a rooster is presented for the ceremony, right?"
"Of course, I do. First, the groom is traveling far away and cannot return. Second, the groom is seriously ill or has died. Third, the groom has not yet been born," the Petty System blurted out impatiently.
"Then tell me, which situation applies to the Zhāng family?" Lú Màn retorted unceremoniously.
"..." The Petty System couldn't answer.
"Therefore, in this situation, presenting a rooster for the ceremony is just to humiliate someone! Let's think again, as a wife being humiliated, what benefit does that bring to your mission?"
"..." The Petty System was a little dizzy.
"Husband and wife are one. If the wife is humiliated, can the husband still maintain his dignity? You call yourself a 'Virtuous Wife System.' Does a wife with a damaged reputation fall under the category of 'virtuous'?" Lú Màn continued to teach earnestly.
"You also know the original plot, so you should know what kind of person Zhāng Shàochéng is. He's a notorious rake, indulging in drinking, gambling, and womanizing. If I, as his wife, don't establish myself, how can I control him? Your goal should be to help him reach the pinnacle of his life, right? If I, as his wife, don't become assertive, where will my future be?!" Lú Màn became more excited as she spoke, gesturing animatedly towards the end.
"That... that..." The Petty System weakly raised its little hand to interrupt. "Zhāng Shàochéng, he, he's not your husband. And he doesn't womanize, he just likes to gamble."
"Don't dwell on such details. I know it's the original host's! But I'm using the original host's body now, aren't I!" Lú Màn waved her hand dismissively.
"What I mean is, the System mission requires you to assist someone else, not Zhāng Shàochéng. In other words, you are not Zhāng Shàochéng's virtuous wife!" the Petty System mustered its courage to clarify its meaning!
Lú Màn froze, almost jumping up. "No, is your program malfunctioning?! If Zhāng Shàochéng isn't the male lead, then what's the point of you issuing a mission about presenting a rooster for the ceremony?!"
The Petty System remained silent, afraid to answer. It had intended to use this mission to temper the host's temper based on the experience of its predecessors, giving her a stern warning first.