Mo Yuan Sword Sovereign went mad and slaughtered everyone. In the end, he was jointly executed by various sects. With guilt in their hearts, they erased this error from history.
Song Qing Shi returned to the fog, his eyes full of tears. He yearned to go back and tell Wu Huan in Mo Yuan's memory realm that he was still alive, and that he would find him in every reincarnation. However, layers of fog blocked his way, and he couldn't go back.
In his despair, he suddenly discovered a new option in Mo Yuan Sword Sovereign's magical formation: Start Over.
Without hesitation, Song Qing Shi chose to start over and plunged back into the mission world.
This time, he was determined to save both Qu Yu Rong and Wu Huan, striving for a perfect outcome!
...
Knowing the mission's objectives saved Song Qing Shi ample time. Swift as a tiger, he raided the Tianxiang Tower's treasure vault again, first pulling Wu Huan out of the dungeon. Without wasting any words, he took him over the wall, sedated him to prevent escape, and hid him in a corner. Then he rushed back to find the crying Qu Yu Rong, locked in a room. He held up a prepared wooden sign to signal his intent to rescue him.
Recently captured by Tianxiang Tower, Qu Yu Rong was unwilling to become a prostitute and spent his days crying. Seeing that someone had come to rescue him, he was overjoyed and followed without questioning who his savior was.
Song Qing Shi took him and carried Wu Huan, successfully returning to the small thatched hut using the original plan and route.
When Wu Huan woke up, Qu Yu Rong acted as the interpreter. The three communicated well through written words, avoiding any awkward misunderstandings.
This time, Song Qing Shi wasn't beaten by Wu Huan. He successfully completed the treatment and kept both of them close at hand.
Although exceedingly beautiful, Qu Yu Rong had exchanged his beauty for intellect. Not only was he dull, but he also had a reading disorder. Despite Song Qing Shi's attempts to teach him, he jumbled up even the simplest sentences, leaving words out and skipping others. After struggling for three days, he hadn't even memorized the first page, which drove him to tears and apologies.
Qu Yu Rong had a pleasant personality. Though living conditions in the wilderness were terrible, he never complained. However, he was a pampered young master from the Qu family with no skills for self-reliance. Many challenges were objective obstacles that he couldn't overcome with mere willpower.
After reluctantly eating Song Qing Shi's medicinal porridge, he experienced gastrointestinal discomfort and nearly lost his life from vomiting and diarrhea. His attempts to help with cooking led to a fire that destroyed half of the thatched hut. His organization of things turned the herbs into chaos, and attempts at chopping wood led to injuries. By night, he couldn't sleep due to the rough bedding that chafed his skin, causing him to lose weight over several days.
Qu Yu Rong was riddled with guilt, apologizing daily. He earnestly wanted to perform tasks well but ended up failing every time.
Song Qing realized he had found a "Pea Prince"...
In the original story, Qu Yurong had been mistreated by men but had always lived a pampered life. His cultivation was built upon various rare elixirs, so these problems never became apparent.
Song Qing's plan to make Qu Yurong into a top student and find his life's value in academics had failed. The only thing Qu Yurong could do well was talk to Wu Huan and help him learn to read. Resigned, Song Qing treated Qu Yurong like royalty, adopting preschool-level teaching techniques, and showered him with praise and comfort to build his confidence. He hoped to arm him with enough skills so that he would no longer be deceived by unworthy men...
He had invested great effort in Qu Yurong, eventually toughening up the young master so he was no longer so delicate.
Wu Huan was both gentle and obedient, required no extra care, and often helped with chores. He also got along well with Qu Yurong.
Song Qing had full confidence in Wu Huan's intelligence, and daily tended to his health and aided his cultivation with elixirs. On this redo mission, he wasted no time and successfully healed Wu Huan's legs and body, then prepared to gather the ingredients for an elixir to restore his sight. He was timing everything perfectly, even planning to rescue the Elder Sword Master.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan...
Qu Yurong grew increasingly dependent on Song Qing, constantly clinging and acting coquettishly. He said he never wanted to leave and wished they could be together forever.
Wu Huan was silent for a long time before he finally smiled. Gently stroking Qu Yurong's head, he softly asked, "Forever?"
Qu Yurong cheerfully answered, "Yes, I like Brother Qing."
Seeing that everyone was getting along, Song Qing felt relieved and focused on concocting medicines and earning their living expenses.
Time passed...
One day, Song Qing felt uneasy while out gathering herbs. He returned early to find Qu Yurong missing. After a quick search, he saw Wu Huan hurrying back from the riverside. He rushed forward and wrote in the palm of his hand to inquire about Qu Yurong's whereabouts.
Wu Huan calmly said, "I don't know. He said he went to the mountain to pick fruits and hasn't come back."
Song Qing felt uneasy. Just as he was about to suggest a search, a warning of mission failure flashed through his mind.
Once again, symptoms of demonic transformation appeared on his body...
Song Qing looked down in astonishment to find traces of fresh blood on the wet cuffs of Wu Huan's sleeves.
He froze, understanding everything...
"Forget about that person," Wu Huan, noticing he hadn't fully covered up his actions, grew increasingly restless and pleaded, "He annoys me. I can't stand the sound of his voice talking to you, nor you praising him, nor your attention focused on him... Every time I hear him talk to you, I feel terrible. I can't control my emotions. I like you, so much that it's unbearable. Could you please not like anyone else? Just like me?"
Song Qing suddenly realized he had overlooked something critical—Wu Huan's affection came with an intense possessiveness. He couldn't bear to share him and would ruthlessly eliminate any threat.
Qu Yurong was dead, and the mission had failed.
Song Qing gazed at the emerging mist before his eyes, tears brimming, knowing he would have to start all over again...
...
On his third try, he resolved to make drastic changes. After rescuing both individuals, he arranged for Qu Yurong to be adopted by a good family and severed their connection. However, Qu Yurong's beauty and foolishness soon attracted nefarious attention, leading to a disastrous mission failure...
On the fourth attempt, he took further precautions. After rescuing them, he placed Qu Yurong with a good family and made regular visits to fend off any potential harm. Yet Wu Huan, who was blind but perceptive, noticed Song Qing's covert rendezvous, and in his jealousy and despair, precipitated another tragedy, leading to an even more catastrophic failure...
On the fifth try, he reviewed his strategy once again. He healed Wu Huan's wounds while disguising himself as an old physician, then entrusted him to a reliable family, completely eliminating any chance of a romantic relationship between the two. He focused solely on the task involving Qu Yurong while collecting materials for an elixir to restore Wu Huan's sight. Unexpectedly, Wu Huan died shortly after, nearly driving him to the point of breakdown. He hastened to abort the mission and restart.
The sixth time...
The seventh time...
...
Song Qing had attempted the mission set by Mo Yuan Sword Master over a hundred times, failing every single one.
If he saved Wu Huan, Wu Huan would fall in love with him and eliminate any obstacle, resulting in mission failure. If he neglected Qu Yurong, the fool would wreak havoc, repeating the cycle of tragedy and failure. He even tried to put Qu Yurong into a deep sleep, saving him for later, but this did not meet the mission's criteria for happiness and was deemed a failure...
The mission had fallen into a vicious cycle.
After countless resets, Song Qing finally grasped the meaning of the term "unsolvable": Mo Yuan Sword Master's mission and the system's mission were two distinct tasks.
Mo Yuan Sword Master's task was to save Wu Huan.
The system's task was to save Qu Yurong.
These two missions were in conflict. Saving one would lead to the failure of the other. Attempting to save both would incite Wu Huan to eliminate Qu Yurong, resulting in mission failure.
Wu Huan was too clever; he didn't trust the mission and Song Qing couldn't lie to him. His love and hatred were intense, imbued with a penchant for self-destruction. If Song Qing lied or rejected his affections, it would plunge him into despair and lead to even more horrific outcomes...
Song Qing was nearly in tears, grinding his way through the various scenarios. Nevertheless, he persisted, continuously seeking new approaches to solve the unsolvable.
In the end, the magical formation of Mo Yuan Sword Master was torn apart by the immense power of Lord Feng. Song Qing was forcefully pulled out.
Within the formation, the lingering voice of Mo Yuan Sword Master told him, "The only answer to 'unsolvable' is: give up."
Struggling, Song Qing still yearned to go back: "I will never give up."
...
At the Tianwu Sect's martial arts arena, everyone had already returned from their failed missions, discussing their experiences and answers.
Everyone who entered Mo Yuan's magical formation had different identities—some high-ranking, some low. Most chose to redeem Qu Yurong, while a few altruistic souls also saved Wu Huan, handing him off to others before washing their hands of him. Yet, they all couldn't comprehend why their missions still failed even after successfully redeeming Qu Yurong.
The most frustrated of all was Yuwen Yan, the sect leader of Tianwu. Fortunate in his assigned identity, he was a prominent sect leader in possession of a high-level cultivation. He went straight to Tianxiang Tower, paid a hefty ransom for Qu Yurong, and took him in as a personal disciple. He treated him like his own son, cultivating him with elixirs, educating him in virtues and morals, and even managed to correct his sexual orientation through sheer force of will. He arranged a marriage with a woman from a reputable family, and they had two sons. Shouldn't he be at the pinnacle of happiness?
However...
Just as he was prepared to die with a smile, Qu Yurong came to him, confessing he had suffered all his life. He had a male lover but had kept their relationship secret due to his master's disapproval. His wife also had her own affairs, and their agreement was to live separate lives; the children were not his but were fathered by another man, whom he helped to cover for...
Indeed, Qu Yurong's lover was Yuwen Yan's head disciple and the sect's next leader.
The two renegade disciples knelt beside his deathbed, hands clasped together, tearfully begging for his approval.
Yuwen Yan literally coughed up blood until he died...
Upon his return to reality, he collapsed on the stone steps, utterly shattered.
Yuwen Yu completed the mission in a proper manner; although unsuccessful, he gained new insights and opened up new possibilities he had never considered before.
Song Jincheng was rather clever. Assigned the identity of a wealthy second-generation cultivator, he knew he lacked the ability to complete the task. Instead of venturing into Tianxiang Tower, he traveled extensively, enjoying the pleasures of the world. Currently, he's boasting about the beautiful people and delicious food he encountered...
Everyone had gleaned something; the discussions were fervent.
Lord Feng revealed his terrifying power, tearing the magical formation asunder and jolting everyone back to their senses. They watched the swirling red vines in the air, bewildered by the unfolding events.
Drained from his ordeals in the magical formation, Song Qing slipped into unconsciousness.
Kneeling before him, Lord Feng cautiously checked Song Qing's pulse, respiration, spiritual sea, and Dantian. All were in order. He took the young man's pale hand into his own, feeling its warmth, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then, looking at a bewildered Yuwen Yan, he coldly said, "The Summit of Immortality will compensate Tianwu Sect with a superior magical artifact."
Yuwen Yan was overjoyed and expressed his gratitude.
Tenderly cradling the unconscious youth in his arms, Lord Feng stepped over the sprawl of red vines and gently departed.