No Way

Qin Muye woke to pain. He was conscious, but couldn't even summon the strength to open his eyes.

Every muscle was stiff as a board. His body felt like it was about to fall apart, and someone was forcing something into him.

Wave after wave of scorching heat surged into his body.

Wasn't I in the ICU after that drunk driver crashed into me?

Did I transmigrate?

Where the hell have I ended up?

Could this be Bharat?

Qin Muye panicked a little, but soon realized that the waves of heat seemed to be pouring in through his back. The moment they entered his body, they rushed through every limb and bone, driving away the sensation of impending death.

From his jumbled memories, he knew this thing was called true essence.

He breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't something else.

In a daze, a voice sounded from behind him.

"Hang on!"

"Think about your parents!"

"Think about your future!"

The woman's voice was lovely, but filled with anxiety.

He didn't know how long passed. At last, the sensation of impending death faded, and Qin Muye sank into a deep sleep.

His sleep was restless and shallow. Amid the muddle of his thoughts, he managed to piece together most of his memories from this life.

He was still called Qin Muye. His father was the Marquis of Southern Suppression of Great Gan, Grand Marshal of Barbarian Expulsion, and Protector-General and Military Commissioner of Southern Peace. For more than a decade, he had guarded the border with over a hundred thousand elite troops, keeping the southern barbarians and demons thoroughly in check.

Qin Muye had stayed in the Capital City in his father's place. Though his position was rather delicate, he had been living comfortably enough.

Before he'd passed out, he'd been composing poems and trading verses aboard the Prime Minister's son's Flower Boat.

So how had he fainted?

And how had he ended up in this state?

The way his body had stiffened just now was strange, a little like rigor mortis. There was a good chance he'd already died once.

Even with a new soul taking over, without the woman's help, he would almost certainly have died for good.

Qin Muye rubbed his head and struggled to sit up.

Looking around, he saw that he was in a mountain cave. Rain pattered outside, striking the trees and leaves. A fire burned brightly within, keeping the mountain chill at bay as it roasted a fragrant chicken that made his stomach growl.

Beneath him lay a bed of dry grass with a faint earthy smell.

A black dress, thick and warm, covered him.

"You're awake?"

At the cave entrance, a woman holding wild fruit looked at him with delighted surprise.

She was beautiful, wearing nothing but a thin undergarment. Since the rain had soaked it, the fabric clung to her skin, almost transparent, perfectly outlining her voluptuous figure.

Qin Muye felt a little dizzy looking at her. He hadn't expected his rescuer to be so beautiful and kind-hearted.

But the sight didn't last long. The woman quickly took off her wet undergarment and hung it on a wooden rack beside the fire. Wearing only her underclothes, she went back to tending the chicken.

In the firelight, her fair skin gleamed so brightly that Qin Muye could hardly keep his eyes open.

What a dazzling display of humanity!

He hastily looked away and cupped his hands toward her. "Thank you for saving my life, miss!"

"When you see injustice, you draw your blade to help. It's only right."

The woman seemed entirely unbothered by her state of undress. She set the wild fruit beside his bed of grass, then picked up the roasted chicken and came to sit beside him, smiling. "Eat up. Afterward, get some more sleep. Your body should recover."

As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly, her generous neckline on the verge of spilling out.

The roast chicken smelled delicious, making his mouth water.

The roast chicken looked plump and delicious, making his mouth water too.

Qin Muye shivered and instinctively scooted backward. Something about the chicken didn't feel right.

The woman's smile vanished. With a metallic clang, she somehow produced a dagger. Her voice turned icy. "Eat!"

Qin Muye: "..."

So she really wasn't a kind soul.

He'd made up his mind from the start that this woman was his savior.

But only a formidable person could abduct the Heir to the Marquis of Southern Suppression from the Capital City. How powerful would she have to be to steal him away and save him? And why would someone that strong flaunt her charms before a useless man like him for no reason?

At that moment, the woman held the roast chicken in one hand and the dagger in the other.

Qin Muye had never been threatened like this before. Anger surged through him, and he snapped:

"Fine, I'll eat!"

The chicken was delicious, with a rich aroma of medicinal herbs.

It would fill his stomach and satisfy his craving, but the trick hidden inside left Qin Muye deeply uneasy.

He had no way to fight back, so he ate while retaliating by sneaking a few extra glances at the woman.

But when he looked at her head, his vision suddenly wavered. A screen had appeared above it.

[Main Fate: Thread-Puppet]: Body made a puppet, vengeance the strings; she would be controlled by others for her entire life.

[Fate Rank]: Fourth Grade (336/640)

[Annotation]: Manipulated by others, she would incite the Marquis of Southern Suppression to rebel, then use the blood essence of his closest kin to kill him. But her accomplices would betray her, causing her plan to fail and her whereabouts to be exposed. She would die with a rain of arrows through her heart, while her entire clan was slaughtered.

[Hint]: When fate fluctuation exceeds 500, you can obtain the fate skill Thread-Crafter.

Was this his cheat?

He froze for a moment, but before he could think it over, he heard the woman's displeased voice.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Huh?"

Qin Muye touched the corner of his mouth. Sure enough, it was curling upward.

When a man stared at a beautiful woman without restraint, something was bound to rise.

He simply lifted the corners of his mouth higher, letting his smile turn mysterious.

Never mind whether he had a plan. Better to look mysterious first!

Sure enough.

His smile made the woman even more irritated. She repeated, "What are you smiling at?"

Qin Muye: "..."

How the hell should I know what I'm smiling at?

He said nothing, maintaining his mysterious smile as his thoughts raced.

The woman had been anxious when she saved him, clearly not wanting him to die. Yet the original owner had died anyway, and in a way that left his soul scattered. The screen also said his accomplices had betrayed him and caused his mission to fail. So had his own accomplices killed him?

The woman's patience ran out. She pressed the dagger against his neck, her tone turning menacing. "Tell me! What are you smiling at?"

Qin Muye took a deep breath and answered calmly, "My smile is, of course, a way of thanking you. Your companions may have nearly killed me, but you truly did save my life. No one can deny that.

"Saving my life is a great kindness.

"If there's something you want, just say so. I, Qin, will do everything I can to cooperate."

The woman's gaze shifted. She hadn't expected him to figure out so much in such a short time. Not only had he stayed calm, he was even trying to sow discord.

The chill in her eyes eased a little. "What if I want your life?"

Qin Muye smiled. "I just died once. This life was yours to begin with. If you want it, how could I refuse? But I have a question. I hope you'll clear it up for me!"

"Speak!"

"Abducting someone from the Capital City isn't something one person can manage. Your companions must be capable. I don't know why you saved me, but your companions must know. If that's the case, why would they..."

"Are you trying to drive a wedge between us?"

The woman cut him off. "After that, are you planning to trick me into sparing you?"

Qin Muye hadn't expected her to catch on so quickly, but he wasn't embarrassed. "You could call it driving a wedge, or you could call it a reasonable guess. Someone wants to harm me, and someone wants to harm you. I'm standing up for you while trying to find myself a way to survive. What's wrong with that?"

"Do you think there's any chance you'll live?"

"How would I know if I don't try?"

"Fair enough!"

The woman suddenly changed the subject. "You've been saying you want to thank me, but you've gone this long without asking my name. How sincere can you be?"

Qin Muye smiled apologetically. "You're right. That was rude of me. May I ask your name?"

A trace of mockery appeared at the corner of the woman's mouth. "Bai Yuji! Bai, like the Bai in the Nanzhao royal family!"

Qin Muye: "..."

His heart sank, and cold sweat instantly broke out across his back.

Eight years ago, at Emperor Gan's command, the Marquis of Southern Suppression, Qin Kaijiang, had put down a Nanzhao rebellion and wiped out the Bai royal family.

Oh no. A blood feud that had wiped out her clan!

What was the point of trying to drive a wedge now?

His thoughts raced. "So you're going to kill me and blame the court, forcing my father to lead his army in rebellion?"

"You're not stupid."

"My father has plenty of sons. If one heir dies, he can just make another son his heir. You don't actually think he'd be foolish enough to—"

"If one of his other sons died, he might not rebel. But if it's you, he definitely will!"

"Why?"

"Back then, when Qin Kaijiang slaughtered my royal family, he was gravely wounded and on the brink of death. Only marrow from a close relative could save him, but all his sons were young and frail. You alone steeled yourself, gorged on food and medicine, and gained dozens of pounds to strengthen your body so you could give him your marrow and save him.

"Though your talent fell afterward and you faded into the crowd, you were made heir because of it. The more than a hundred thousand soldiers of the Yi-Expelling Army regard you as their young general. If we can prove the court killed you, it's only a matter of time before Qin Kaijiang rebels. If he doesn't, he can't settle his army's hearts!

"Am I wrong, young general?"

"..."

Qin Muye felt his balls ache. This woman had done an incredibly thorough background check!

The former Qin Muye had been a little twisted in character, but what he'd done was undeniably heroic. Everyone in the Yi-Expelling Army admired him for it.

So... was he definitely going to die today?

Bai Yuji grew worked up. "I admire your filial act, but the slaughter of my clan is a blood feud that cannot be shared beneath the heavens, so..."

"So you want to kill me. I can understand—"

"So I'm going to have your child!"

"Huh?"

Qin Muye froze. That sudden sharp turn had left him reeling.

Bai Yuji smiled with a touch of madness. "I'll refine the fetus in my womb to nourish a Gu, which can kill three generations of direct kin. Once Qin Kaijiang has thrown Gan Kingdom into chaos, I'll kill him, then take my own life at your grave to atone."

Qin Muye couldn't hold back. "You crazy woman..."

Bai Yuji took off her underclothes and cupped Qin Muye's face in both hands, making sure he was looking at her.

He couldn't tell whether her body was stiff with excitement at the prospect of revenge or with shame at revealing herself before him.

Her voice trembled. "Am I beautiful?"

Qin Muye felt a burning heat in his lower abdomen.

That roast chicken from earlier—

It could turn a man into a roast duck!

His whole body grew restless. "I always tell the truth. Setting aside our family feud, you're completely my type."

Bai Yuji looked pleased, but after feeling around for a while, she couldn't help growing angry. "Then why isn't your body..."

Qin Muye flashed a crooked grin. "The marrow extraction damaged my vital essence. Surprise! I'm completely impotent!"

Bai Yuji: "???"