Shui Lianyue turned her head just in time to see Ye Xiangli rubbing the tip of her nose, her naturally delicate skin flushed with an alluring rosy tint.
Of course, Shui Lianyue only saw a fluffy crown of hair, much like an injured little beast.
"Um… Senior Sister, you're so hard."
Huh?
A giant question mark appeared over Shui Lianyue's head. It sounded as though she had said something terribly easy to misunderstand.
Right at that moment, the voice of the System echoed once more in Ye Xiangli's mind, and three tasks appeared before her eyes.
Yet upon reading the tasks, Ye Xiangli's eyes turned into dizzy spirals. Just what kind of bizarre, erratic system had she bound herself to?!
【Task One: Say to Shui Lianyue: "Senior Sister, let me feel whether the front is hard." (Completion reward: Low-grade Dharmic Treasure, Clear Water Luminous Wheel.)】
Seeing this task, Ye Xiangli blushed with shame in her heart. This was already completely perverted!
【Task Two: Hug Shui Lianyue from behind and say: "Senior Sister, my whole body is soft." (Completion reward: Thunder Spirit Root transforms into Heavenly Lightning Root.)】
Just let me go, please.
That was the only thought in Ye Xiangli's mind right now.
【Task Three: Put on a fragile posture to provoke an emotional shift in Shui Lianyue. The host looks most captivating with tear-filled eyes. (Completion reward: Dao Rhyme.)】
"03, can I decline the tasks?"
There was an unmaskable shyness in Ye Xiangli's voice. All three of these tasks were extremely difficult for her, the first two being far too strange.
As for the third, Ye Xiangli stole a cautious glance at Shui Lianyue, who remained as aloof and graceful as a snow lotus upon a high mountain.
She was well aware that Innately Sacred Beings were devoid of emotion; weeping into a tear-soaked mess in front of Shui Lianyue probably wouldn't have any effect at all.
"Yes, you can decline, oh. But the host must consider this carefully: Shui Lianyue's tribulation requires the strength to face everything.
You wouldn't want to watch the Senior Sister you adore die a miserable death at the hands of a Demonic Entity in the end, would you?
Her corpse devoured by Demonic Entities, her Nascent Soul absorbed by Demonic Entities, even the Dao flower she bloomed swallowed into their bellies, as if she had never existed between heaven and earth, leaving behind absolutely nothing."
Listening to the System's words, Ye Xiangli uncontrollably conjured up such a scene in her mind. Her face turned pale, and she shook her head in terror.
"N-No! I'll do it, I'll do it."
"Mmm-hmm, that's more like it! What a wonderful task. It raises your own strength while fostering the bond between the host and your Senior Sister.
As expected, this System is the most perfect and kind-hearted."
03's self-praise made the corners of Ye Xiangli's mouth twitch slightly. What a narcissist of a system. After some thought, Ye Xiangli chose Task Three.
"By the way, 03, what is Dao Rhyme?" Ye Xiangli asked in puzzlement.
"Dao Rhyme? That is something only an Innately Sacred Being can possess. Ordinary cultivators can elevate their cultivation and state of mind merely by casting a single glance at it."
03's explanation made Ye Xiangli understand, yet if she chose this, how was she supposed to explain possessing Dao Rhyme later on?
Could she claim that she was also an Innately Sacred Being?
Seeming to guess what Ye Xiangli was thinking, the voice of the 03 System rang out: "Don't overthink it. It's for your Senior Sister."
"But isn't Senior Sister already an Innately Sacred Being?"
"You don't understand, Host. Having even a little more gives you one more chance to change fate."
Ye Xiangli nodded knowingly. Since it was good for her Senior Sister, she gritted her teeth and accepted Task Three, and now she had to figure out a way to pull it off.
Meanwhile, Shui Lianyue simply watched quietly as Ye Xiangli wrestled with her conflicted expression. Before her own eyes were the exact same tasks Ye Xiangli was facing. This time, all three options were quite good; it all depended on how Ye Xiangli chose to handle them.
This child stood there foolishly for so long. If Shui Lianyue hadn't known she was busy selecting a task, anyone else would have thought the girl had lost her mind.
The System saw everything, but it kept mum—it simply adored watching its dazed, foolish host being easily manipulated by Shui Lianyue.
Having chosen Task Three, Ye Xiangli had already devised her counter-strategy. She lifted her head with tear-filled eyes, a trail of clear tears streaming down like spring pear blossoms glistening in the rain, evoking an instinctive pity in anyone who beheld her.
In a very soft voice, Ye Xiangli said, "Senior Sister… it hurts."
Shui Lianyue's heart was struck as if by an arrow. Her fingers unconsciously tightened into a fist—she longed to see even more…
At that moment, Ye Xiangli heard the notification of task completion ring in her head.
This made Ye Xiangli tilt her head in puzzlement. She hadn't even started her performance yet; how could it already be finished?
Slender fingers like spring scallions, a pair of flawless hands magnified in Ye Xiangli's field of vision. A cooling sensation touched the corners of her eyes as Shui Lianyue gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks.
"Are you crying out in pain before you've even begun?"
Blinking her large, bewildered eyes, Ye Xiangli stared at Shui Lianyue, feeling that the look in Shui Lianyue's eyes right now was somewhat strange. The fingertips brushing against her cheek sent faint tingles of itchiness that rippled through her entire body like fine silk threads.
"I'll work hard to overcome it. I won't let Senior Sister down!"
"I look forward to Junior Sister's performance."
Withdrawing her hand from Ye Xiangli's face, a single droplet of water rested on her fingertip—it was none other than Ye Xiangli's tear. With eyes as deep as autumn waters, Shui Lianyue brought it to her crimson lips beneath Ye Xiangli's innocent gaze.
Seeing this, Ye Xiangli's face instantly exploded in a crimson flush, a deep scarlet spreading across her whole body. She-she-she-she-she…
Shui Lianyue let out a light chuckle. "Hah, it has no particular taste. Junior Sister really is pure."
By this point, Ye Xiangli's mind was completely blank. Hearing Shui Lianyue's words, her brain failed to reboot for a long time, and she even forgot the fact that Shui Lianyue had just smiled at her.
In the end, it was Shui Lianyue who tapped a light finger against her forehead, which cleared her mind and imparted methods regarding stance-training.
Mmm, as expected, watching Ye Xiangli's tear-filled or deeply bashful appearance could genuinely stir her emotions and excite her.
To Shui Lianyue as she was now, the temptation was immense and utterly irresistible. She was starting to slowly understand the Shui Lianyue depicted in the original work.
At this moment, Ye Xiangli's eyes shimmered like rippling water, her rosy cheeks radiant as the sunset glow. She lowered her head, not daring to meet Shui Lianyue's gaze directly.
Senior Sister was acting so strange, yet she didn't dislike it at all; instead, there was a faint, lingering sense of excitement.
Ah, she really was strange herself.
No, wait, she must have been influenced by that bizarre System!
Yes, it had to be that!
Ye Xiangli tried desperately to convince herself in her heart.
Just then, the System's voice poured over her like a bucket of ice water, soaking her through and instantly extinguishing the fire blazing in her chest.
【Congratulations to the Host for completing the task. Reward: Dao Rhyme. Please select the location for the Dao Rhyme.】
Location, huh…
Subconsciously, Ye Xiangli's gaze drifted down to Shui Lianyue's feet. Her skin glowed like morning mist, her arches delicate as bamboo shoots; upon closer inspection, they were even more dazzling and tender. Ye Xiangli swallowed hard.
Right at that moment, the voice of the System echoed in her mind, causing Ye Xiangli to instinctively cover her face with her hands. The location had been set upon Shui Lianyue's feet.
At the same time, seeming to sense something, Shui Lianyue lowered her gaze to look at her own jade feet. She saw a faint radiance suffusing them, and subtle inscriptions beginning to emerge beneath her soles.
Dao Rhyme… actually right upon her own feet.
With a strange look in her eyes, Shui Lianyue glanced down at Ye Xiangli, who currently had both hands clamped over her face. What a silly child.