Starting with a Family System to Become an Immortal Official-Chapter 66: Chen Yuling’s Resolve

Chen Yuling’s emerald eyes blinked owlishly.

"Wait... so if I understand you correctly..."

She shook her head out of shock.

"Mother also has a powerful constitution... just like mine? And it’s been transforming and tormenting her body with severe pain... for years?"

Li Qingmu replied with a nod.

"Indeed. It’s very likely she has endured far worse than you have. She has carried that constitution for decades longer. The cold yin flares... the meridian agony... she’s hidden it all behind that perfect smile of hers."

The words speared Chen Yuling’s heart.

Her delicate hand flew to her mouth to slap over her lips as a choked sob tore free.

Tears welled instantly.

"I can’t believe this..."

They spilled over her lashes in shimmering drops.

"I... I complain almost every day..."

She mumbled through her tear-stained fingers.

"To Mother, to Auntie Gao Yue... whining that I want to be rid of this cursed physique, that it’s ruining my life... and all this time she was suffering so much worse? I’m so selfish and insensitive... how could I not see it!?"

Her shoulders shook as the sobs grew louder.

She curled forward slightly as though the weight of her own heart was crushing her.

Li Qingmu’s expression softened.

He crouched in front of her and placed a warm hand on her trembling shoulder.

"Hey... it’s all right..."

He spoke quietly with gentle shoulder pats.

"There was no way you could have known. Your mother did an incredible job hiding it—she’s proud like that. She never wanted you to carry her burden. But if you truly want to make it up to her... let me help. Let me sleep with you. Let me harmonize your yin with my yang. That’s the only way to save you both."

Chen Yuling lifted her tear-streaked face.

For a long moment she simply stared at him.

Clearly unable to form words.

Then she let out a small, ashamed whisper.

"All this time... while you’ve been doing all those dirty things with Mother I’ve been insulting her in my mind. Calling her shameless, a wanton woman who threw away her dignity for pleasure... when really she was just... doomed by the same constitution."

She almost choked on her cries.

She was suffering and I... I judged her."

She placed a pale hand over her own chest and forced a bittersweet smile.

"We’re alike in so many ways... Mother and I."

Li Qingmu’s lips lifted into a faint smile.

"That you are."

Chen Yuling drew a shaky breath, wiped the last of her tears with the heel of her hand and looked at him again with dry eyes that shined happily.

"Alright."

She said softly but firmly.

"I accept your offer. When would be an appropriate time for you to... to... deflower me?"

Li Qingmu’s calm eyes drifted over her for the first time with true scrutiny.

Beneath the thin inner robe, faint black veins had begun to spiderweb across her porcelain skin.

The supreme yin was awakening again.

She hadn’t noticed yet.

He didn’t want her to.

He took her hand and pulled her gently to her feet.

"Maybe we should go now. To save time."

Chen Yuling nodded, still a bit dazed.

"Yes... but first I have to tell my girlfriend."

Li Qingmu exhaled like a weary old man as he dragged a palm down his face.

"We really don’t have time for—"

She jerked forward.

Small fists clenched together in front of her chest.

Her face has a mean frown but she’s still cute.

"We have to! It’s wrong to cheat!"

She refused to betray her peak sisters without at least ending things properly.

Li Qingmu gave her a flat stare and scoffed. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Have you two even had sex yet?"

Chen Yuling’s face reddened.

She whipped her head to the side.

"...No."

"Kissed?"

A smaller, more embarrassed mumble.

"...No."

"Touched each other intimately? At all?"

She rubbed her arm awkwardly and looked anywhere but at him.

"...No..."

The porch fell into abrupt, heavy silence.

Then someone snickered.

Chen Yuling snapped her gaze back to Li Qingmu.

He had one hand over his mouth.

One could tell his eyes watered painfully from having to hold back his laugh.

"Why are you trying not to laugh!?"

Chen Yuling shouted with her high-pitched voice.

He turned away to suppress the laughter more.

"Even the insufferable nuns in the monastery get more action than that..."

Chen Yuling’s cheeks puffed out in righteous fury.

She folded her arms tightly beneath her chest and turned her nose up.

"Hmph! Whatever. Unlike some people, I know how to respect others. I’m going to end things with Yi Ming properly where you like it or not."

She lifted her chin and started walking away.

Li Qingmu raised a brow.

"Where are you going?"

"To find her, obviously. Come if you want."

He sighed then jogged after her.

They spent nearly the entire day combing Fragrant Flower Peak.

First the Outer Disciple Hall.

Elder sisters there shook their heads.

Then the Scripture Pavilion.

The old librarian lady said Yi Ming hadn’t checked out a scroll in weeks.

They went everywhere and got the same answer.

No one had seen her.

Even a disappointed hall master was forced to be honest with Chen Yuling.

"She is your dao companion, isn’t she? Shouldn’t you know where she is?"

Chen Yuling had no reply.

Her lips parted, then closed.

Shame burned in her cheeks.

By late afternoon they gave up and collapsed onto a stone bench beneath a peach tree.

Yuling looked utterly defeated as she sat with elbows on her knees and face buried in her palms.

"I’m a terrible person."

She groaned lifelessly.

"I never really treated Ming’er like a girlfriend. I only asked her to be with me because... because I was lonely. With this physique, I’ll always be drawn to women. Men scare me. But I never shared my troubles with her. I just... kept her at arm’s length. If I truly loved her, I would have opened my heart."

Li Qingmu sat beside her then nodded.

"Like you finally did with me."

Chen Yuling shot him a glare.

"Must you make everything about yourself?"

He chuckled softly, stood, and offered his hand.

"Come on. There’s still time. Let’s keep looking."

She stared at his outstretched palm for a long moment then placed her hand in his.

He lifted her gently to her feet.

"Let’s go close that page of your life."

"Mmm."

Chen Yuling managed a small, grateful smile.

They searched until the sun grew tired.

Still no trace of Yi Ming.

At last, Chen Yuling sighed.

"We should probably go see Mother. Explaining that you have to sleep with both of us... that’s going to be another headache I’m not ready for."

Li Qingmu shrugged casually as he lazily cleaned his ear with a pinky.

"Oh, I already sent Gao Yue a letter this morning."

Chen Yuling’s jaw dropped.

"So fast!?"

Out of nowhere, Li Qingmu swept forward, scooped her into his arms bridal-style and leapt into the sky like a streak of golden light.

"Wh—what are you doing!?"

She yelped as her arms looped around his neck.

"We’ll get there faster this way."

Her heart pounded against his chest.

She felt the warmth of him through his robes.

A stunned second later...

She was resting her cheek against his shoulder.

"...Fine. But I’m only letting my junior brother carry me because my legs are tired."

"Uh-huh... sure."

In mere moments he descended in front of Madam Chen’s elegant chambers.

A worried Gao Yue and Chen Yuxuan were already waiting on the veranda.

The instant they landed, both women ran to them.

Gao Yue reached them first.

Her hands flew over Chen Yuling’s body to check her meridians, pulse points and temperature all while firing questions in rapid succession.

"Yuling! Did your constitution flare again?"

"Are you too hot? Too cold?"

"Any pain in your dantian? Let Auntie see—"

"AUNTIE, I’M FINE—"

Chen Yuling tried, but Gao Yue was already using plant qi to run a quick diagnostic test.

Li Qingmu stood quietly to the side as he studied a quiet Chen Yuxuan.

The madam stood a few steps back.

Her beautiful face looked pale and drawn.

Her eyes were filled with quiet anguish.

『Now that Yuling knows... she must hate me. I’m the reason she suffers this curse. I passed it to her. And now... now she’ll have to lie with a man she never wanted, all because of my bloodline. I don’t even know how to apologize or where to start. I’m a terrible mother.』

She clutched at her chest as her fingers trembled.

After a full minute of prodding, Gao Yue finally stepped back and bowed deeply to Li Qingmu.

"Thank you again, young master. You’ve done so much for these two... I truly don’t know what else to say."

Li Qingmu smiled faintly.

"It’s fine, Auntie Gao. I have to sleep with them now so I can stabilize their—"

A terrifying aura exploded from nowhere.

Space ripped open behind him.

A massive, gleaming divine axe wreathed in violet qi slashed downward with killing intent.

Li Qingmu couldn’t react.

[Ding! Official Xu Wanshan has retaliated!]

The notification almost felt like a mockery.

Then his blood sprayed out like a fountain.

His body jerked once and his eyes dimmed instantly like there was no life in them.

"TRAINER!"

"YOUNG MASTER LI!"

"JUNIOR BROTHER LI!!"

Three female voices screamed at once.

He coughed red as the axe dug deeper into his spine to crack open his chest.

Chen Yuling was overwhelmed with shock.

She couldn’t stop looking at his blood on her robes.

『No, no, no...』

Only then did she look up.

There was a figure holding the axe from behind.

"Yi-, Yi Ming!?"

Her psychotic girlfriend tilted her head gently.

"Hello, my dear."