Yun Zhen stayed on one knee with his hand pressed hard against his chest, and the pain felt like a cracked blade slowly twisting inside him. His breath came uneven, and he tried pushing himself up, but his leg refused to hold. The world spun again, and he muttered under his breath, "This body falls apart from wrong breathing ."
Yun Xue rushed to his side even though she looked annoyed at herself for doing it. She grabbed his arm to stop him from falling, her grip colder than the morning air.
"What happened to you now?" she said, her voice sharp and shaking at the edges. "You were fine a moment ago, and now you look like you're dying again. Stand up, idiot."
He tried, but his knee slipped, and he grunted as he caught himself with one hand on the stone floor.
Yun Zue leaned closer, her hair brushing against his cheek.
"Hey, look at me and say something. Don't pass out again, you'll get dragged by servants, and I won't deal with that."
He turned his head toward her slowly.
"I can hear you. I'm just dealing with something."
She frowned harder.
"What 'something' makes your eyes flicker silver?"
He opened his mouth to answer—
Then the world went silent.
Not quiet.
Silent.
The courtyard, Yun Xue, the wind—all vanished at once like someone tore them out of existence. Yun Zhen remained frozen in place while everything around him darkened. He glanced around, but there was only empty black space stretching out forever.
A cold, emotionless voice echoed through his mind:
[Divine Lust System — initialization complete.]
Symbols formed in the dark like glowing silver threads circling around him. Some twisted, some broke apart, reforming into patterns he almost recognized.
The voice spoke again, louder this time:
[Host confirmed.]
[Soul: Stabilized at 70% memory retention.]
[Body: Mortal-grade, critically damaged.]
[Meridians: 7 of 12 heavily impaired.]
[Dantian: Unstable.]
[Yang potential: Locked.]
Yun Zhen muttered, "You're telling me this now," and rubbed his forehead as if the pressure behind his eyes might burst. "I knew this body was trash, but you're really listing every flaw like you want me depressed."
[Objective: Inform the host of the suboptimal condition.]
"That's one way to say I'm broken," he said while slowly standing in the mental space, his balance steadier here than outside. "So is this what replaced my past-life cultivation?"
[Correct.]
[Host's immortal technique compatibility reduced to 0%.]
[Replacement system selected: Dual Cultivation.]
Yun Zhen blinked.
"…Dual cultivation? Of all things, you pick that?"
[Chosen for optimal recovery.]
[Host requires Yin energy for meridian repair.]
He dragged a hand down his face and muttered, "If anyone hears this, they'll think I've fallen into a pervert's cheat."
The System ignored his complaint entirely.
A bright panel appeared in front of him.
[STATUS]
Name: Yun Zhen
Age: 20
Realm: Elementary Spirit Realm — Stage 1
Physique: None
Bloodline: Mortal-grade (Potential Sealed)
Affinities: Weak Fire, Weak Qi Sense
Lust Points: 0
Yun Zhen stared at the lines for a long moment.
"This… is tragic."
[Host assessment: accurate.]
"Oh shut up," he muttered.
Another panel appeared behind it.
[BODY CONDITION]
Meridians: 7/12 damaged
Dantian: unstable
Yang energy: critically low
Nerves: fragile
Lifespan: reduced
Foundation: extremely poor
Yun Zhen let out a rough sigh.
"So I reincarnated into a corpse that didn't have the decency to finish dying."
[Correction: Host has 23% recoverable potential.]
"That's barely encouraging," he complained, rubbing the back of his neck.
Then a new panel flickered.
[Scanning for compatible Yin source…]
A long pause.
Then a faint glow.
[Yun Xue — Compatibility: 78%]
[Yin Type: Frost Yin]
[Affinity: Ice]
[Dual Cultivation Benefit: Moderate]
[Danger Level: High — emotional volatility]
Yun Zhen stared at her name and clicked his tongue softly.
"…Of course it's her."
He didn't say it with desire.
He said it like someone who had been handed a difficult assignment a second time.
The System spoke again without emotion:
[Host's meridian repair efficiency will rise 23% upon contact with compatible Yin.]
Yun Zhen muttered, "You really expect me to touch her when she wants to stab me with her eyes."
[Host survival depends on it.]
"That's not a fair answer," he groaned.
The mental space trembled, and the courtyard faded back into view.
Yun Xue's face hovered inches from his as he blinked back to the mortal world. Her brows were scrunched together, and she grabbed his sleeve harder than before.
"Finally," she muttered, "you scared me for a second."
He exhaled slowly, adjusting to the weight of the physical world again.
"Scared? You?"
She shot him a glare.
"Don't twist my words. I meant it would be annoying if you fainted again."
He stood up slowly, every movement stiff.
Yun Xue stepped closer like she expected him to topple again.
"You keep doing this," she complained, her tone sharp but her voice trembling slightly. "Your face went pale, your pulse stopped for a breath, and your eyes—your eyes turned silver."
He brushed dirt off his hands and answered, "I'm dealing with something inside me."
She stepped closer, anger rising.
"You said that last time. That's not an answer."
"That's the only answer I have right now."
She grabbed his collar suddenly and pulled him forward, her breath hitting his cheek.
"Don't play with me," she said angrily. "I grew up watching you mess everything up. If you're planning something, if you're bringing trouble to the clan, I'll stop you myself."
He stared back with calm eyes.
"You think too much about the clan."
"You think too little."
He gave a small breath, almost a laugh.
"You're worried."
"I'm not worried," she shot back immediately. "I'm annoyed."
He raised a brow.
"Annoyed enough to hold me like this?"
She froze, realizing her hand was still fisted in his collar.
She pulled away fast, cheeks warming with frustration.
"I'm making sure you're not hiding anything," she muttered quickly. "You're still… family."
He looked at her quietly.
"Family the clan never wanted."
Her face twisted—hurt, denial, pride.
"Don't say that," she said quietly. "Not like that."
"It's true," he answered with a tired tone.
She didn't argue.
Not because she agreed—
but because she had no answer.
When she finally turned away, muttering something about him needing to rest, Yun Zhen walked toward the shade of a nearby tree and sat down slowly. His chest burned from the earlier collapse, and he supported himself with both hands on the ground.
He spoke softly, "Show me the rest."
The System responded instantly.
[Host survival rate falling.]
[Yin contact required to stabilize meridians.]
[Lust Points required for long-term cultivation.]
"So you're telling me I need women to fix this body."
[Correct.]
He chuckled without humor.
"In my past life, I avoided intimacy because I didn't want attachments. Now I need it just to survive. What a joke."
[Issuing first quest.]
A glowing panel appeared.
[Lewd Quest: First Yin Contact]
Objective: Establish a minor physical Yin connection
Reward: +20 Lust Points
Penalty: Increased meridian instability (if ignored)
Yun Zhen leaned his head back against the tree trunk, eyes half closed.
"You're forcing me already," he murmured.
[Host risk of death increases by the hour.]
He smirked weakly.
"You really do have a terrible personality."
On the Partner Page, Yun Xue's name flickered again.
He stared at it for a moment.
Then he whispered, "Looks like my first path forward is the last person who'd want to help me."
Wind brushed against the leaves above him, carrying faint voices from the courtyard, but Yun Zhen stayed under the tree with the System's cold glow reflected in his eyes.
End Of Chapter 4