LABMY CH147

The system suffered severe injuries and almost perished. It was difficult for it to return to its previous state in a short time. Sharing the same origins as Shen Tingyue, it was carried by him at all times, which was more beneficial for its recovery of intelligence.

Although Shen Tingyue was annoyed by its sneaky attempts to keep records of his dark history, he would not falter on such matters. Naturally, he carried the book that served as the system’s vessel with him at all times.

At first, everything was fine. Carrying a book around did not affect Shen Tingyue in any way. However, as the system gradually recovered, its newly awakened intelligence unlocked a new function.

A function that made Shen Tingyue grit his teeth in hatred.

Shen Tingyue had once been a member of the Mortal Spirit Hall, one of the two halls under the Seal of Spirits and Cloud Traversal Sect. His name was highly renowned in the Mortal Spirit Hall.

Unlike other places, most of the people in the Mortal Spirit Hall were born after the end-of-days era. They survived either through the remnants left behind by their deceased parents or by sheer luck, barely managing to persist after the calamity. As a result, their status was the lowest among the two halls.

However, Shen Tingyue was an anomaly. He was born during the end-of-days era, possessed extraordinary talent, and pursued the path of cultivation with unwavering dedication. By the time the remaining survivors gathered their forces to construct the cloud layers of the Seal of Spirits and Cloud Traversal Sect atop the firmament, his strength was in no way inferior to those from the other hall.

Brilliant and unparalleled, he was indisputably the foremost young cultivator of the end-of-days era.

Yet such a figure had a life as fleeting as a dazzling meteor, perishing before he could fully shine.

Who would have thought that rumors would now spread that Shen Tingyue was not dead?

Old friends came to see him. Shen Tingyue omitted the details, merely telling them that he had been trapped for a hundred years and had only recently escaped by chance.

Seeing that he was reluctant to say more, the others did not press further. They spent their time reminiscing about the past at Shen Tingyue’s former residence, drinking and chatting late into the night before departing.

By the cliffside, the wind howled, and the night air grew damp. The pear blossoms, caught in the wind, fluttered down in showers of white, covering the ground like freshly fallen snow. The branches bent under the force of the gusts, and the hem of a robe peeked out from behind a tree trunk.

Sensing something, Shen Tingyue raised his eyes and asked, “Want a drink?”

The approaching figure stepped forward with a sneer. “After all these years, you’re actually still alive? What a pity.”

Shen Tingyue’s lips did not move, yet a voice strikingly similar to his own rang out from his direction. “A dragon stranded in the shallows does not…”

The newcomer, Gongyang Guang, saw Shen Tingyue suddenly shoot up from his seat. In an instant, something was hurled from his hand.

His movements were so fast that Gongyang Guang didn’t even catch what Shen Tingyue had thrown.

Gongyang Guang was shocked—such speed!

He had thought that after a hundred years, he would have surpassed Shen Tingyue. Yet, in that single instant, Shen Tingyue’s movement was so swift that Gongyang Guang couldn’t even see how he made his move. The object he threw vanished like a gust of wind, impossible to discern.

Shen Tingyue stood with his hands behind his back, exuding an air of aloof elegance. However, upon closer inspection, one could see a faint stiffness in his posture. “If I had died, wouldn’t that have been just as you wished?”

“It’s been a long time. What brings you here?”

Gongyang Guang sneered. “I heard you’re going to marry Jian Yuanbai, so of course, I came to congratulate you.”

Shen Tingyue frowned. “Marry?”

Gongyang Guang smirked. “Jian Yuanbai has been searching everywhere these past few days to exchange for the materials required for a bond contract. You didn’t know?”

“Didn’t your friends tell you?”

Shen Tingyue recalled the hesitant expressions of a few people at the gathering earlier. He furrowed his brows. “I have things to attend to. I’ll take my leave.”

He could not form a contract with Jian Yuanbai. Jian Yuanbai was a pure spirit energy entity born of the earth’s essence. His lifespan was long and would not be affected by the dwindling spiritual energy of the world. If they were to bond, Shen Tingyue would only become a burden.

“Wait!”

Gongyang Guang called out, his voice solemn. “You cannot form a soul-bound contract with Jian Yuanbai.”

“Jian Yuanbai is, at his core, nothing more than a spirit energy entity. He may seem different from us and unaffected by the decline of the world’s spiritual energy, but his lifespan is his greatest flaw.”

“He only has a thousand years to live. If you bond with him, you will share half of your lifespan with him.”

Shen Tingyue sharply turned his head. “Are you serious? How do you know this?”

Gongyang Guang said, “The Hall Master of the Mortal Spirit Hall, Gongyang Gua, is my father. He is skilled in divination and can use the entire earth as his divination board. This kind of secret… tell me, how would I not know?”

“If you truly wish to be with him, then take him as a Dao companion, but never form a soul-bound contract.”

A Dao companion contract was like a marriage certificate in the mortal world—it could be dissolved. But a soul-bound contract was completely different. Once formed, their lifespans would be shared, they would sense each other’s location and emotions, and it would be as if a brand was etched upon their very souls.

Unless one cut out their own heart, there was no way to sever the contract. And if one did—could they even survive?

Shen Tingyue gazed at him deeply and said, “Thank you.”

He had never expected that this man, who always competed with him, ridiculed him daily, and was never willing to come second to him, would be the one to warn him.

After speaking, Shen Tingyue turned to leave. But instead of heading straight to find Jian Yuanbai, he first went to the patch of wild grass by the cliff and retrieved the system he had thrown away earlier.

Shen Tingyue asked, “Why did you suddenly speak?”

The book’s cover flickered, playing back a scene from a past conversation. A voice echoed, “Rest assured, I will make sure you trample everyone beneath your feet, never allowing them to act arrogantly again.”

The influence of the screen’s playback caused the system’s intelligence to veer wildly in a strange direction.

Shen Tingyue, expressionless, tossed the book back into the weeds and sneered.

You? Help me? You embarrassed me.

This is what you call helping me?!

This system is already useless, worthless, better off thrown away.

A moment later, someone turned back and picked up the book again.

He did not stop Jian Yuanbai from searching for materials to form a contract. If he had thought it would be a burden, he would have stopped him without hesitation. But now that he understood the situation, he did not intend to interfere.

However, Shen Tingyue was not completely without action.

The once spacious yet eerily empty palace was now adorned with red silk. A tall man dressed in a grand red wedding robe filled a wine cup and handed one to the person beside him.

Shen Tingyue was also wearing a bright red wedding robe. He was naturally delicate and beautiful, and under the contrast of the red, his fair face appeared even more stunning.

Jian Yuanbai’s eyes burned as he looked at him. “Do you think it’s too simple?”

Shen Tingyue shook his head. “With you and me, it’s enough.”

He had seen the grandest occasions—each one meticulously arranged by Jian Yuanbai and placed before him time and time again. Now, it was just the two of them, with only simple red silk, and that was more than enough.

Their joy was something only they needed to witness.

Holding the wine cup, Shen Tingyue did not drink immediately. Instead, he said, “Before we drink the wedding wine, shall we form the contract first?”

Jian Yuanbai nodded and took out the materials for the contract.

Shen Tingyue’s gaze flickered. “Dao companion contract?”

“Mm.” Jian Yuanbai took his hand and placed a kiss on his fingertip. “From now on, you are truly my wife.”

Shen Tingyue drained the wedding wine in one gulp, but instead of swallowing it, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Jian Yuanbai’s.

The slightly spicy wine carried a hint of sweetness as it was passed from Shen Tingyue’s mouth to Jian Yuanbai’s. Jian Yuanbai was taken aback by his initiative, yet at the same time, he was delighted.

When their lips parted and tongues intertwined, the wine was divided between them. Shen Tingyue was unusually bold, eagerly chasing after Jian Yuanbai’s rough tongue, not letting a single drop escape the corners of their lips.

Between a Dao companion contract and an ordinary dual cultivation contract, only one material differed—Twin Soul Tears.

And it was in the wine.

To keep Jian Yuanbai from noticing anything amiss at this moment, Shen Tingyue used all his skills. By the end, his lips were swollen, his head was spinning, his face was flushed, and his ears were completely red.

He collapsed into Jian Yuanbai’s arms. Jian Yuanbai looked at him, his gaze growing darker. His thumb brushed over Shen Tingyue’s lips, wiping away the glistening moisture. His voice was hoarse. “Wife, you’re so seductive.”

“Have you been craving your husband’s innocence for a long time? So eager?”

Shen Tingyue stared at him in disbelief. This person—this person! His cheeks were flushed, his misty eyes rippling with light, making him look incredibly enchanting. That glare, far from being intimidating, was instead utterly enticing.

He wanted to retort, but the truth was, he had indeed been the one to take the initiative. He had no excuse, and so, flustered and embarrassed, he turned his head away, exposing the tips of his ears, which were burning red.

Jian Yuanbai’s gaze lingered on those red, gem-like earlobes before he instinctively lowered his head and took one into his mouth.

His lips and tongue teased, his teeth gently nipping and grinding. Shen Tingyue’s body tensed slightly, his hand clenched suddenly before slowly relaxing. His fingers crept up to Jian Yuanbai’s shoulder, grasping the fabric there and wrinkling it layer by layer.

Nervous, but silently acquiescing.

The vast blue sky, clear and cloudless, suddenly darkened with gathering storm clouds. The first drop of rain fell, scalding hot. The smooth earth trembled lightly, sensing the tempest it was about to endure.

By the pond, a golden-furred cat crouched intently. A fish surfaced to breathe, only to be struck unconscious by a sudden swipe of the cat’s paw.

The golden cat, proud of its hunt, carried the fish in its mouth and placed it in the shallow water by the pond’s edge, impatiently giving it a lick.

Its eyes gleamed with hunger, bright and insatiable. It was a cat of refinement—it had to prepare its meal properly before eating.

The little fish, trapped in the shallow water, lay helplessly belly-up, its tail flicking uneasily. But the cat’s paw held it firmly in place, pinning it down, its hidden softness discovered and invaded inch by inch.

The fish’s mouth opened and closed, desperate for water. It struggled in vain, its tender flesh tightening in resistance, trying to expel the intrusion, only for the golden cat to grow even more eager.

The clouds above grew heavier and darker. After the first drizzle, a violent storm followed. Raindrops pelted the water’s surface, startling the fish into hiding—but the one already caught had nowhere to escape. It could only gape helplessly, forced to endure the sudden onslaught.

At the brink of death, the little fish seemed to be drifting into another reality. The rain was scorching as it fell onto its body. It was trapped in a shallow pool, yet it felt as if it were drowning in an immense, burning sea.

Waves surged and crashed, and in the midst of it all, the grip on the fish—what once seemed like a cruel restraint—suddenly became an anchor, grounding it amidst the stormy chaos.

Shen Tingyue’s tear-filled eyes fluttered open. Crystal-clear tears slipped down his cheeks, leaving damp trails in their wake. His face was flushed, his skin marked with traces of his weeping.

In his daze, he felt as if he were wandering through a desert, the sun scorching overhead, making him desperately crave rain. And so, he clung even tighter, yearning for the torrential downpour.

Yet in the next instant, he was drowning beneath the rain, sinking into the deep sea. The damp sounds of water filled his ears. The ocean boiled around him, a mix of suffocating heat and unbearable humidity. He wanted to escape, to break free from the sea’s grasp. But just as he breached the surface, unseen hands dragged him back down, submerging him once again in the sweltering waves.

Layers of gauze curtains shrouded the scene within. A pale, slender hand reached out from within, its veins tinged with blue and red, joints slightly flushed. It clutched the gauze with such force that the fingertips turned white.

Shen Tingyue used it for support, staggering forward a few steps.

But his ankle was caught by a large, well-defined hand. Calloused fingertips traced over the small bone at his ankle before suddenly yanking him backward.

The fleeing goose let out a sorrowful cry, its back arching to the extreme, taut like a fully drawn bow—before slowly collapsing into a graceful arc.

Outside, the sun dipped below the horizon. After the long night, dawn slowly broke once more. The tearful, trembling man bit his lip and hoarsely cursed, only to be met with another bout of relentless thunder and rain.

“Mn…!” A short, choked sound escaped. “You… beast…”

A hand caressed his face, fingers tracing along his flushed cheeks, then down to his swollen lips, gently rubbing over them. The touch stung, and when Shen Tingyue tried to bite him, his tongue was caught and firmly kneaded.

“Will you stop or not?”

“You won’t stop,” Shen Tingyue sucked in a sharp breath, his voice hoarse with frustration. “Then, I’m going to stop breathing…!”