Xue Mengtao stared up at the massive text in the sky, her gaze struggling to pull away from those bold characters as she asked her friend, “Is this also one of our Luanyang Palace disciples’ wonderful virtues?”

“Hiss!!”

Mu Rong grabbed Xue Mengtao’s wrist and took off running, shouting, “Run! Those living devils from the Enforcement Hall are coming to arrest people!”

Xue Mengtao found herself being dragged through the crowd, completely bewildered. She looked back to see several beams of light shooting out from the direction of Luanyang Palace, heading straight for the city—and among them was a spiritual energy signature she recognized all too well.

“Master……” Xue Mengtao had barely gotten two words out when the disciple badge at her waist began glowing and buzzing.

Mu Rong’s entire body went rigid. “This is bad!”

Before she could finish speaking, a spiritual cage descended from above, trapping them both inside.

The pedestrians nearby first looked shocked, then burst into laughter, pointing at the two trapped figures and saying things like “caught red-handed” and “it’s rare to see so many people arrested at once.” Unlike the cheerful atmosphere of the onlookers, Mu Rong looked mortified, randomly pointing in a direction and saying to the approaching Enforcement Hall disciple, “They started it!”

The Enforcement Hall disciple casually swung the whip in his hand, grinning as he said, “Can’t control others, can only control you. Junior sisters, shall we?”

The spiritual cage transformed into chains binding both of them. Mu Rong followed the enforcement disciple with her head hung low in defeat, while Xue Mengtao looked down at the chains around her body. Surrounded by the laughter of onlookers, her face turned red with embarrassment, feeling like she’d brought shame to her master.

Just then, she spotted Siyi standing by the street. Siyi was laughing and talking with someone, her beautiful eyes flowing with expression as she looked toward Xue Mengtao. Their gazes met, and Siyi nodded slightly.

Xue Mengtao’s heart settled, though her shame deepened. She decided to self-impose seven days of additional training when she returned.

At the street corner, Siyi smiled at her companion. “Thank you for your hard work, Elder Liu.”

Elder Liu looked at the massive text still hanging in the sky and said, “The words are true, but being so arrogant before the Competition might make us a target. And there’s the matter of that spiritual energy……”

Siyi was also puzzled by the unfamiliar spiritual signature—it came from a Nascent Soul cultivator who wasn’t from Luanyang Palace. She lowered her voice. “Could someone be doing this deliberately?” To make Luanyang Palace the target of everyone’s hostility?

Elder Liu shook his head, raising his hand to disperse the silvery-white text in the sky. He laughed. “Deliberate or not, hard to say. But judging by this person’s tone, they’ve got the spirit of our Luanyang Palace! Haha!”

Meanwhile, the person with “Luanyang Palace spirit” stood before the Palace Lord, engaging in some serious self-reflection.

“I should have used that phrase you taught me before.” I said. “That one sounds outdated.”

Seraphine crossed her arms. “Which phrase?”

I straightened up, putting on an expression of disdain and arrogance that made Seraphine’s eyes widen in surprise. She looked like she wanted to reach out and pinch my face to see what was wrong with it.

With my chin raised high, I said haughtily, “How does Luanyang Palace conduct its affairs? Do we need you people to teach us? What are you, anyway!”

Seraphine: “……”

I flicked my sleeves and lifted my chin even higher, continuing with supreme arrogance: “If the Crimson Thunder Sword Sect is so excellent, why don’t they ascend to heaven immediately and become a divine sect? Why bother being a mortal sect on earth!”

I finished my performance and happily lowered my chin, looking at Seraphine with bright, expectant eyes.

“I remembered everything!” I beamed with an innocent, harmless smile, demonstrating that I was a diligent system who applied what I learned—even as a human!

Seraphine: “………”

I noticed that not only was Seraphine not pleased with my academic progress, but her expression had darkened considerably. Her eyes were even drifting toward my hips with what looked like a strong urge to deliver some corrective action. The flowers in my bubble immediately turned into blood-red exclamation points!

Had I done something wrong?

I glanced around uncertainly and saw people throughout the city crying out in alarm as disciples wearing Luanyang Palace uniforms were being tied up and dragged away.

Echo: “……”

Okay, that was definitely wrong.

“Seraphine.” My voice suddenly became serious as I called her name.

Seraphine’s gaze fell on Echo’s face, observing how her serious expression made she look even more coldly aloof.

Unmoved, Seraphine simply said “Mm.” giving Echo one last chance to save herself. “Speak.”

I struggled, pulling out a map that showed two dots—one large and one small, one red and one silver—representing the two of us. The map depicted the Chongshan Secret Realm. I held up my sword, pointing at the map as I spoke.

“Right Here, you promised I would be the Young Lady of Luanyang Palace.”

Seraphine’s lips twitched upward before she quickly suppressed the expression, biting her tongue and maintaining a cool facade. “Mm.”

The map in front of us rapidly shifted to another location, zooming in on a lake where a silver-white little orb was crying to an injured woman.

Oh no, Echo’s even drawn a picture to make sure I don’t forget? Seraphine stopped biting her tongue and started biting her lip instead, her naturally upturned eyes accumulating an alluring charm as she gazed at Echo.

I suddenly paused, saying “wait a moment” quickly scanning Seraphine’s appearance and filing the image in my data storage before resuming my serious expression.

“Here, you told me that if I acted willfully in the palace, you definitely wouldn’t punish me.”

Echo really does remember everything clearly. Seraphine’s lips finally curved into a smile as she looked at Echo warmly.

I smiled back, then heard her say, “But I remember you also said that if rules are established, they must be enforced. If someone does wrong, they must be punished.”

I murmured, “Stunned.”

Seraphine was using the system’s own words against the human me! But I wasn’t giving up. I argued, “Echo didn’t do anything wrong.”

I was just refuting those humans! Acting willfully didn’t necessarily mean acting wrongly.

After making my case, I patted myself on the back, feeling that even as a human, I remained a logical and reasonable system.

Seraphine’s smile deepened as she nodded, seeming convinced by Echo’s argument. She said gently, “Alright, I promise that if you act willfully in the palace, I definitely won’t punish you.”

I immediately gave her a thumbs up.

But then Seraphine suddenly leaned closer, lifting her hand to cup Echo’s chin and turn her head to the side. She guided Echo to look at the city’s lights and bustling streets, this prosperous human world, as she whispered near Echo’s ear with a lazy tone full of gentle laughter, as if talking to herself, “But this is Luanyang City, not Luanyang Palace.”

Acting willfully in the city meant accepting the city’s rules and punishments—what did that have to do with Luanyang Palace? It was just that since Luanyang Palace made the city’s rules, breaking them meant accepting Luanyang Palace’s discipline!

I froze like I’d been hit with a virus. “……Dumbfounded.”

“Hahaha!” Seraphine laughed heartily, reaching out to pinch and squeeze Echo’s face, molding her disbelief into a pitiful expression.

I raised one hand to grip her wrist, lowering my lashes as I looked at her laughing face, and said softly, “Please favor your own people and protect me, Seraphine.”

At least don’t hit me. I don’t want it to hurt.

Seraphine’s eyes reflected Echo’s face as her palm, now captured by her grip, opened to press against her cheek. The skin of her palm was smooth and warm, irresistibly pleasant to touch. Her fingers traced upward along my face, and when her knuckle brushed against my eyelashes, I instinctively closed my eyes.

Seraphine’s eyes reflected Echo’s face. The hand whose wrist was being held opened, pressing against Echo’s face. The palm’s skin was delicate and soft, irresistibly touchable. Seraphine’s fingers traced along Echo’s cheek upward, the knuckles brushing against Echo’s eyelashes, making Echo instinctively close their eyes.

Seraphine asked with a smile, “Who is the people?”

I quickly replied, “Echo is the people.”

Because I’m the people, you can favor your own people.

Seraphine laughed heartily, gripping Echo’s wrist in return. “Fine, I can do that. Let me think about how to protect Echo.” Her smiling gaze fell on Echo’s hand.

I followed Seraphine’s line of sight to look at the ring on my left hand.

Sudden realization.

I immediately removed the ring and pulled Seraphine’s hand over, placing this ring that had never spent a full night on my finger back onto hers. Seraphine lifted her hand, admiring it with appreciation.

I clapped. “Beautiful.”

“Mmm……” Seraphine considered this, smiling. “Someone bribed me, so I’ll be lenient. Not only that, but considering this is your first time in the city, tomorrow I’ll send you to observe at the Enforcement Hall so you can see what can and cannot be done.”

Good, good, I’ll go!

I relaxed and said, “Let’s go together tomorrow.”

Seraphine answered without hesitation, “With tonight’s festivities in the city, and with your golden words of wisdom, tomorrow these people will definitely come to the palace demanding explanations. As Palace Lord, I need to handle the situation personally and can’t go with you.”

Seraphine won’t be going?

Exclamation points appeared above my head again.

They looked at each other, both thinking of the same thing.

Seraphine asked hesitantly, “Speaking of which…… now that you’re human, do you still have to follow your previous rules?”

Systems cannot be more than one hundred meters away from their host.

I put away my bubble and said, “Let’s test it.”

Seraphine nodded, and they walked down from the Immortal Viewing Platform to stand among the crowd. The veiled hats had a concealing effect—the people around us seemed unable to see them, laughing and going about their business.

I let go of Seraphine’s hand. “I’m starting now.”

“Please proceed.” Seraphine said.

I turned my back to Seraphine and began walking forward. Each step was about a meter, and I counted as I walked.

“One, two, three……”

In the crowd, Echo grew more and more distant, her clear voice drowning in the cacophony of voices, like a lone patch of snow on a branch that no one noticed. Seraphine felt something stir in her heart and used her spiritual energy to capture Echo’s voice.

“……Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred.”

Across the sea of people, Echo turned around and smiled at her.

The light gauze of Echo’s veiled hat was blown by the wind, covering those bright eyes. As Seraphine watched Echo lift her leg, a sudden thought struck her: If there’s no distance limitation, from now on the sky and sea would be vast and open. Echo could go wherever she wanted, no longer needing to stay by my side constantly.

Seraphine’s heart suddenly tightened. Before Seraphine could understand where this nervous feeling came from, Echo called out from the far end of the crowd, “One hundred and one.”

My blue boot touched the ground.

No warnings. No pop-up windows.

I looked down at my feet in surprise. “Huh?”

Seraphine’s smile gradually faded as she touched her heart, hearing Echo call her name. She quickly looked up to see Echo running toward her from the other side of the crowd, appearing before her in the blink of an eye.

I curved my lips upward and grasped her wrist.

“Seraphine, I’ll go to the Enforcement Hall tomorrow! Please wait for me at home—I’ll bring you back a gift.” I pulled Seraphine along, saying happily, “This is wonderful! If it’s like this, I can help you with so many more things!”

“Mission execution will be much more convenient too!”

Mission.

Seraphine lowered her gaze to look at their joined hands, smiling as she gradually tightened Echo’s grip on her hand.

“Good.”

[Author’s Note]:

Thank you all so much for your support! I’ll keep working hard!