Engagement!!!
Hearing those words all of a sudden, Ye Ruoshui shot upright, nearly bumping her head into Xiao Minghuang’s chin.
Her eyes were wide and round, filled with disbelief.
Seeing Ye Ruoshui’s utterly shocked expression, Xiao Minghuang’s heart started pounding for no reason, a wave of panic rising inside her.
“Let me explain, it’s not what you think!”
Ye Ruoshui was trembling all over, the light in her eyes gradually fading to a dull gray, her whole demeanor full of despair, as if she was deeply sorry just for being alive.
Seeing this, Xiao Minghuang quickly shook her shoulders, calling out repeatedly, “Ruoshui, what’s wrong?!”
Ye Ruoshui spoke slowly, her voice lifeless, like someone gravely wounded, giving her final words.
“After I’m gone, Your Highness and that woman, you must be happy together…”
Xiao Minghuang hurried to explain, “Ruoshui, you’ve got it all wrong.
In my heart, you’re the most important person to me.
How could I ever let you leave?”
A faint glimmer suddenly appeared in Ye Ruoshui’s hopeless eyes.
She looked up at Xiao Minghuang, but then lowered her head again.
“Don’t lie to me, Your Highness.
Just let me be alone for a while.
I should get used to days without you…”
Xiao Minghuang took Ye Ruoshui’s delicate, boneless hand and pressed it to her own chest, speaking each word with utmost sincerity, “Every word I say is true, not a single lie.
If you still don’t believe me, Ruoshui…”
As she spoke, Xiao Minghuang raised her right hand, five fingers pointed to the sky, her expression solemn.
“I, Xiao Minghuang, swear here and now: Ye Ruoshui is the most important person in my heart.
If I ever deceive her, may I be struck by five bolts of—”
Before she could finish, Ye Ruoshui suddenly placed her small hand over Xiao Minghuang’s lips.
“Don’t say it.
I believe you.”
Feeling the soft warmth on her lips, Xiao Minghuang couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
She’d always thought this little girl Ye Ruoshui was soft and sweet, but she never expected her to have such a temper.
Looks like she’d have to be careful in the future, and not make the little girl angry.
Xiao Minghuang reached out to rub Ye Ruoshui’s soft hair, pulling the girl’s warm, delicate body into her arms, holding her tightly against her chest.
“Tonight, I’ll hold you while we sleep, okay?”
“Okay…”
Ye Ruoshui collapsed into Xiao Minghuang’s embrace, mumbling softly.
The two girls nestled together like that.
In the quiet camp, the campfire gradually died down, and everything fell silent, leaving only the gentle sound of the wind, telling a lonely, peaceful melody.
But not far from them, in another tent, a pair of ears perked up, catching every word of their conversation.
…
In the dark forest, a big and a little girl leaned against each other, resting on a huge rock.
Xiao Minghuang held Ye Ruoshui’s soft, delicate body.
Seeing the sweet smile on the little girl’s sleeping face, she couldn’t help but smile warmly herself.
But cultivation couldn’t be neglected.
“System, has my compensation arrived yet?”
[Ding!]
[Detected…]
[Congratulations, host, you’ve triggered five times…]
After accepting the spirit medicine returned by the system, Xiao Minghuang felt a bit disappointed.
The previous compensations had all been high multipliers, at least a hundred times, but this time it was only five times—really a lot less.
Xiao Minghuang seriously suspected this was the system’s trick: giving her high multipliers at first, then dropping them after the initial period.
It was a lot like some of the gacha games she’d played in her previous life.
Xiao Minghuang steadied herself, pushed away those odd thoughts, and started checking her remaining resources.
But just then—
The system’s voice sounded in her mind again.
[Ding]
[Ding! Host has met the gift-giving requirement, unlocking the second contractor slot!]
[Mission triggered: Bind a second contractor, must be the same gender as host.]
[Mission reward: The first gift to the second contractor will definitely trigger a ten-thousand-times compensation, and the final reward will be doubled again!]
Ten-thousand-times compensation? Doubled again?
Xiao Minghuang was confused.
If it was already guaranteed to be ten-thousand-times, wouldn’t doubling it make it twenty-thousand-times? Why did the system have to add “final reward doubled” on top of that?
“System, explain in detail what ‘final reward doubled’ means.”
[Ding! Final reward doubled means that when the host receives the compensation, the reward will be doubled again based on what is received.
This probability is calculated independently and is not affected by the compensation multiplier.]
After the system’s explanation, Xiao Minghuang more or less understood.
The gift compensation multiplier and the final reward multiplier were calculated separately and didn’t affect each other, so she’d get both rewards stacked.
In other words, no matter how many times the critical hit multiplier triggered, she’d only get one compensation, but now she could get two.
After figuring out the system’s function, Xiao Minghuang started to feel conflicted.
The system made it clear: she had to bind a second contractor to get the mission reward.
But in her current situation, where was she supposed to find a second contractor?
Once a contractor was bound, the contract couldn’t be broken unless the contractor died, so she had to make sure the person was trustworthy.
And this person had to be reliable, not someone with bad intentions, and couldn’t go their separate ways in the future.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to get compensation from giving gifts.
Originally, Xiao Minghuang planned to find an honest, obedient girl from the common folk, raise her from a young age, and build a bond.
But right now, she was far away in Beiyang City and didn’t have time for that.
After a day of travel and a fierce battle with the evil cultivator at night, Xiao Minghuang was already exhausted.
Unknowingly, she fell asleep to the sound of the wind.
…
The next morning.
Xiao Minghuang woke up early.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw that little girl Ye Ruoshui, who at some point had undone her collar and was pressing her little face tightly against Xiao Minghuang’s full, soft chest, a sweet smile on her face.
“Mmm… so soft… big white buns… so tasty…”
Ye Ruoshui mumbled in her sleep, not behaving at all.
She turned her head and buried her face in that soft mound, then took a bite.
“Ah!”
The next moment.
Ye Ruoshui landed hard on the ground, opening her eyes in confusion, looking around blankly, as if she had no idea what just happened.
Xiao Minghuang tightened her collar, her pretty face a little red, trying to act natural as she said calmly, “It’s morning.
We should get going.”
Ye Ruoshui got up from the ground, still confused, but obediently started packing up.
Ye Ruoshui opened the tent and saw Lin Wanqiu, already dressed and about to come out.
After a night’s rest, Lin Wanqiu had heavy dark circles under her eyes, looking troubled and listless, completely worn out.
Ye Ruoshui frowned but didn’t think much of it, guessing maybe the woman just wasn’t used to sleeping in a new place.
“Miss Lin, did you not sleep well last night?”
“I’m fine…”
Lin Wanqiu forced a smile, but there was no joy on her face.
Her mind was a mess, and she wasn’t in the mood to chat with Ye Ruoshui, so she just set off on her own.
Watching her back, Ye Ruoshui didn’t think much of it and started packing up.
Before long, everything was packed neatly into the storage bag.
The three of them set off toward Beiyang City.
At first, Xiao Minghuang planned to explore the forest a bit longer, hoping to find some opportunities.
But after three days of searching, she found nothing and had no choice but to give up and head for Beiyang City.
