Chapter 3: Master, Don’t Look Back—I’m Your Wife

If you asked Chu Huaizhou how he felt right now, he’d say it was complicated.
He thought nothing could be more absurd than stumbling into a stroke of luck and transmigrating into a game he’d played.
But today proved him wrong.

At first, Chu Huaizhou thought today would be ordinary.
Wake up as usual, teach his disciples as usual, and coast on the “Disciple Cultivation Stage Ten-Thousand-Fold Return” system he awakened after reaching Golden Core.

He never imagined waking up to learn he’d conquered the cultivation world, becoming the strongest cultivator alive.
No one on the continent could match him.
Elders he’d clashed with were long dealt with.
Sect leaders and masters he once looked up to?
Now, even if he called them old farts, they wouldn’t dare get mad.

The little fox he’d raised as a pet had become a Great Vehicle stage Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, ruling half the demon realm.
His three disciples had each reached Great Vehicle stage, left the sect to found their own, and stood above all but him.

After the shock and disorientation, Chu Huaizhou felt a wave of melancholy.
It was like gaining a peerless treasure, ready to make a name for himself, only to find the entire martial world already bowed to him.

It was hard to process.
Even harder was…

Chu Huaizhou subtly glanced at Leng Qingqiu beside him.
His eldest disciple had changed way too much.

He remembered—no, long ago—finding Leng Qingqiu in a slum.
At fifteen, she was curled up in a pile of rotten vegetables, her body so covered in festering wounds her original skin tone was unrecognizable.
She’d bitten through three teeth rather than accept his offered medicine, her dark eyes burning with the defiance of a trapped beast, as if letting her guard down would plunge her into eternal ruin.
Like a lonely, unwanted stray kitten, she stirred his compassion, prompting him to take her as a disciple.

The system had gone wild, popping up windows about her immense talent and future potential, so he took her in.
But even as his disciple, Leng Qingqiu kept her heart closed, fearing further harm.
She was cold and distant to everyone, barely acknowledging anyone.
She buried herself in cultivation, often returning covered in wounds, her sky-blue robes stained with fresh blood, hiding so he wouldn’t notice.

He’d always wait on her path back, forcing her to let him heal her.
She’d act like it was a burden, her face cold as she said:
“Master… you don’t need to heal me. I’ll recover soon.”

A classic ice-cold beauty who hid her pain, refusing to trouble others.
So why was she now… so gentle, virtuous, and open?

Her appearance had changed drastically too, likely due to a special cultivation technique.
Her hair had turned white, her pupils blue.
Her features, always hinting at beauty, had blossomed into something otherworldly.
Her skin glowed like jade, her brows like distant mountains, her nose high yet delicate, her lips like cherry blossoms in March.
She was like a lotus blooming in snow—ethereal yet with a hint of indescribable allure.

Her snow-white hair was woven into a fluffy braid, lazily draped over her shoulder.
Tiny ice-crystal ornaments adorned the ends, swaying with her movements.
The gentle hairstyle somehow gave her a wife-like softness, contrasting with her icy aura.

Her sky-blue dress hugged her graceful figure, cinched at the waist with a white belt embroidered with blue snowflakes.
A layer of white gauze, thin as cicada wings, floated around her, half-hiding, half-revealing her form.
Only up close could you glimpse her delicate curves, like flowers in mist, adding a hazy allure.

Looking down, her slender, creamy calves and delicate ankles trembled slightly.
Wait—why were they trembling?

Unlike Leng Qingqiu’s dangerous thoughts, Bai Li was frantic, her nine tails whirling like a fan, her front paws stomping on Chu Huaizhou’s shoulder.
“What happened, meow? You always bounced back stronger after failed tribulations, meow! Why’s it like this now, meow?”

She hopped off, her pink paw pads anxiously grabbing the Nine-Turns Rosy Marrow True Dew he clutched.
“Quick… drink this, meow! Maybe it’ll fix you, meow!”

But before Chu Huaizhou could drink, Leng Qingqiu acted first.
She grabbed Bai Li by the scruff like a kitten and headed outside.

“Wah, meow! Leng Qingqiu, what are you doing to me, meow?! I may not beat the human, but you think I can’t take you… meow!”

Leng Qingqiu ignored her.
At the door, she waved her hand without a trace of spiritual fluctuation.
Chu Huaizhou watched Bai Li shoot off like a white comet, her voice echoing through the mountains.
“Leng Qingqiu! I’m not done with you!”
“Not done with you!”
“With you!”
“Done!”
“Meow!!!”

Bai Li was clearly furious at being tossed, but Chu Huaizhou was powerless to retrieve her.
At his early Golden Core strength, he couldn’t match that speed.

Now he truly believed his disciple was at Great Vehicle stage.
A casual flick had such power.
Terrifying.

Why did Leng Qingqiu throw Bai Li out?

According to the game’s description, if his memory loss and cultivation drop were due to a heavenly tribulation, the Nine-Turns Rosy Marrow True Dew could theoretically reverse it.
If so, he’d love to reclaim his strength from surviving 100 tribulations.
Sure, he’d miss the journey, but reaching the end and looking back wasn’t a bad deal.

Seeing Bai Li gone, Leng Qingqiu nodded slightly, closed the door, and sealed their private world.
She set up nine defensive and illusion arrays—Heavenly Palace Array, Formless Ice Domain Array, Ice Pivot Curse Array, Void Snow Burial Array, and more.

Chu Huaizhou, with his low cultivation, couldn’t sense them, only feeling the temperature drop.
He rubbed his hands, wanting to ask why she threw Bai Li out and stopped him from drinking the legendary healing liquid.

But Leng Qingqiu, anticipating his question, spoke first.
“Master… I want you to recover more than anyone, but the Nine-Turns Rosy Marrow True Dew, while powerful, can’t cure your condition.”

“Don’t worry, Master. I’ll find a way to restore you.”

Her words were sincere.
Chu Huaizhou had faced 100 heavenly tribulations.
No cultivator in millennia had reached Tribulation Crossing, let alone faced its trials.
He’d shouldered tribulations meant for eons.

As his eldest disciple, Leng Qingqiu had witnessed every one.
If anyone understood tribulation power besides Chu Huaizhou, it was her.

Her earlier probe confirmed his meridians were intact, his spiritual root normal, with no trace of tribulation damage.
He was healthier than after his easiest tribulations.
His memory loss likely had another cause.

Her eyes sharpened.
If she found who did this to her master, she’d tear them apart, ensuring their soul never found peace!

But for now, she’d savor this alone time with Master.
“Well… no rush. I’m fine, and we can investigate my cultivation loss slowly. Your safety comes first.”

“Whoever did this must be well-prepared. Rushing in might get us outplayed.”

Leng Qingqiu placed her hands gently before her abdomen, stepping toward him with graceful steps.
“Yes, I’ll heed your words, Master. But… there’s something you’ve forgotten that I must remind you of.”

“Hm? What’s that?”

“Well…”

In a flash, before Chu Huaizhou could react, a fragrant breeze hit his nose, followed by a soft sensation enveloping him.
Looking down, he met Leng Qingqiu’s affectionate phoenix eyes.

He instinctively tried to push her away, but dark blue ice chains had somehow bound his wrists and ankles, leaving him immobile!

He could only watch as his eldest disciple had her way in his arms.
“Master… no, Huaizhou, you may not remember, but we’ve long been dao companions.”

Chu Huaizhou: ??? You call this dao companions?