Bab 12: New partners
As Yuan promised, the three girls each received a quest notification.
[Quest Complete: Become Yuan's Partners]
[Reward: Martial Spirit of Your Choice]
They read through the notifications with intrigue, a list of potential Martial Spirits appearing before them. However, they decided to choose their rewards later, focusing on the present task.
"For now, take this," Yuan said, pulling out three small, glimmering pills. "These pills cleanse your bloodline and improve your innate talent," he explained, handing one to each of them.
"But be warned," he added with a serious tone, "it's incredibly painful. The longer you endure, the stronger you'll become."
The girls exchanged glances, their resolve shaken slightly by his words.
"How painful?" Bo Saixi asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
Yuan met her gaze with a faint smirk. "Enough to make a Titled Douluo cry," he replied, his voice calm but firm.
The weight of his statement settled over them as they stared at the pills in their hands. Despite the ominous warning, their determination didn't falter. Taking a deep breath, they prepared themselves for the challenge ahead.
"Let's see who can endure the longest," Zhang Mei said with a smirk, her competitive spirit flaring.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," Yuan remarked, leaning back with an amused expression, eager to see how they would handle the test.
"Should we eat it in front of you?" Bibi Dong asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
Yuan chuckled, leaning back casually. "Sure, if you're keen on letting me see your bodies," he teased with a smirk.
The three glared at him, their faces flushed with embarrassment and annoyance.
"I mean," Yuan clarified, holding up a hand in mock surrender, "the pill will burn through your clothes. It's best to take it in your rooms."
After a moment of hesitation, they nodded in agreement.
"Then where will we find you once we're done?" Zhang Mei asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and a hint of irritation.
Yuan gave them his address with a nonchalant wave. "Come tomorrow morning after washing away the fatigue from taking the pill," he said.
The three girls nodded once more before turning and leaving the restaurant.
As they stepped outside, the cool air brushing against their faces, they exchanged uncertain glances.
"So, what do you think now?" Bo Saixi asked, breaking the silence.
"About him or the pill?" Zhang Mei countered with a smirk, her competitive nature showing even in casual conversation.
Bibi Dong, who had remained quiet until now, sighed and looked at the pill in her hand. "I don't know about him yet," she said thoughtfully, "but if this pill can truly enhance our talents, it's worth enduring whatever pain it brings."
Bo Saixi rolled her eyes and said, "Of course, I'm talking about him. Yuan doesn't care what we are or what our talents are unless you're precious Xiaogang." Her tone was sharp as she turned, walking a few steps ahead of them.
"He's just going through a hard period," Liu Erlong replied defensively, though her voice lacked conviction. Bibi Dong, walking alongside her, remained silent but visibly thoughtful.
"Hard period or not," Bo Saixi said, glancing back at them as they entered the inn, "you've told me enough about him to see his flaws clearly. When we first met, you said he was some great mentor, the so-called invincible master of theory. And yet, here we are, he didn't even looked at us?"
Liu Erlong sighed, sinking into one of the chairs in their shared room. "You don't understand. When he finds out that you are all great, he'll—"
"He'll what? Become a better person overnight?" Bo Saixi interrupted with a scoff. "The so-called invincible master of theory didn't even realize your martial spirit was a flawed imitation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. And Bibi Dong? He didn't notice her potential as the Pope of the continent's largest organization?"
Bibi Dong's eyes flickered, her face betraying her thoughts. "Coincidence, perhaps," she murmured.
"Coincidence?" Bo Saixi pressed. "It's not a coincidence, Bibi. He's just an opportunist, he used both of you." She crossed her arms, her tone cooling slightly. "We've all been pawns in the hands of gods at some point. The Sea God's influence on me? Gone. The Rakshasa God's grip on you? Gone. For the first time, we're free to think clearly."
Liu Erlong frowned, looking up at her companions. "And what about me? I'm just a lovesick fool to you two?"
Bo Saixi hesitated, softening her tone. "You were blinded by love, Liu Erlong. But now, you can see things more clearly too, can't you?"
Bibi Dong nodded slowly. "The picture is clearer than before. Perhaps we've been looking in the wrong direction all along."
Silence fell between them as they contemplated the weight of Bo Saixi's words. Each of them knew that their pasts, their choices, and even their loyalties were being redefined by the present. For the first time, they began to see the flaws in the systems they had once revered.
"Unlike them, this Supreme Wife System has given us a choice," Bo Saixi said as she looked at the two women before her.
"And I don't care if I have to be Yuan's wife for it," she continued, her tone resolute. "He... or whatever he is destined to be, at least he isn't forcing us. He's giving us a choice."
Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, but not from fear—it was from the weight of her own realization. "A choice that I didn't have before. For years, I was nothing but a prisoner on that godforsaken island. I never questioned anything, because I couldn't. My own body, my own thoughts—they were nothing but a slave to a god I used to worship."
She clenched her fists, her frustration evident. "A god who saw me as nothing more than a pawn in the end."
She took a deep breath, her voice steadying as she continued, "Now that I'm free, I don't care. You two, being the love-brains you always were, might not see it yet—but I've made up my mind."
Turning sharply, she walked to the door. "I'm leaving," she said, her voice cold but determined.
Without waiting for a reply, she left the room, heading to her own quarters. Once there, she sat on the bed, staring at the pill in her hand.
After a moment, she swallowed it, bracing herself for whatever came next. For the first time in years, she felt truly in control of her own destiny.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone