My Host Only Marries the Strong

[Goal: Use human language techniques]

[Status: Applied]

[Goal: Use “Venerable Jing” title to show respect]

[Status: Applied]

Execution Results—

Echo rubbed her fingers where Seraphine had pinched her hard, mentally announcing the verdict: This system is about to get beaten up!

Seraphine’s chest heaved as she bowed to Jingxing, forcing a smile. “Lingren grew up isolated from the world with little human contact. She’s always spoken without thinking. Please forgive her nonsensical rambling and don’t take it to heart.”

“Xi Lingren.” When Seraphine turned to Echo, her tone dropped several degrees cooler. “Apologize to Elder Uncle.”

Echo quickly said, “Sorry!”

The system was just loyally expressing her honest opinion!

Apparently my language skills still needed work. I hadn’t used words like ‘death’ or ‘passing away’ but the effect was still poor.

Such bold attempts and spectacular failures! After three seconds of self-reflection, Echo said humbly, “I apologize. To compensate you, I can play chess with you—my chess skills are excellent. You won’t be able to beat me.”

Seraphine closed her eyes, her voice slightly weak. “Lingren……”

Oh!

“Sorry, I meant I’m not strong enough to defeat you in combat, but I could win against you at chess,” Echo said enthusiastically. “Want to try?”

Seraphine didn’t even want to say Echo’s name anymore. She told Jingxing dryly, “She does have some skill at chess.”

The other disciples at Luanyang Palace took detours when they saw her approaching with a chess board. Error just played dead.

How was that not a form of acknowledgment?

Exactly, exactly.

Very skilled indeed. Echo gave a thumbs up.

“Click.” Jingxing placed a stone on the board and laughed heartily. “No matter. All people are different—she has a childlike heart and pure thoughts. That’s truly rare.”

See, he’s not angry! He even praised me! Echo turned to smile at Seraphine. Seraphine pursed her lips and stared at Echo: Wipe that smug look off your face. A few polite words and you actually believe them? Put that thumbs up down right now!

Echo quickly hid her hands behind her back.

Jingxing watched their interaction with a gentle smile. “Very well. After we finish discussing important matters, if you’re not in a hurry to return, you’re welcome to stay and play a game with me. The academy has few disciples and they’re all focused on cultivation. It’s difficult to find anyone willing to play chess with me. If you’re willing, I should be thanking you instead.”

See, he wants to thank me! Echo kept her hands hidden behind her back, eyes sparkling as she looked at Seraphine. Seraphine glanced at Echo and said warmly to Jingxing, “Thank you for your kindness, Elder Uncle. Lingren has an impulsive personality—please be understanding if she offends you in the future.”

Jingxing smiled and nodded, gesturing for them to sit.

Setting aside pleasantries, Seraphine sat up straight and told Jingxing about the suspected soul remnant possessing XueBufan. “Three years ago, during the broken engagement incident, Xue Bufan came to Luanyang Palace with LianshanSect disciples. On their way back, they were ambushed by White Water Sect disciples and he fell off a cliff. He must have discovered the soul remnant at the bottom.”

Seraphine continued, “Before coming to Luanyang Palace, Xue Bufan’s spiritual veins were completely severed and his consciousness sea destroyed. But when we encountered him in the Chongshan Secret Realm, not only were his spiritual veins restored, he claimed to possess the soul remnant of Chongshan Immortal Venerable, saying the immortal had healed his veins.”

Jingxing’s smile gradually faded as he frowned. “Chongshan Immortal Venerable?”

“Yes, but we met the mountain guardian spirit in the immortal palace, and it said Chongshan Immortal Venerable had long since ascended. It wasn’t as Xue Bufan claimed—that the ascension went wrong and the immortal’s soul shattered. Moreover, Xi Lingren is also an inheritor of Chongshan Immortal Palace—yet this so-called Chongshan Immortal Venerable’s spiritual consciousness has never once appeared to her.”

Echo nodded. Yes, yes—definitely a villain.

Seraphine pressed her lips together and also told Jingxing about the mirage beast and its so-called new master. After pondering for a moment, Jingxing extended his palm toward Echo. “Where is the soul fragment from the Twin Dragon Secret Realm?”

Echo hesitated. “Do you need it?” It was safer in my system storage.

Jingxing smiled slightly. “Though I cannot destroy the demon’s soul, a mere soul fragment cannot harm me. If the demon’s soul and the fragment possessing Xue Bufan are from the same person, there must be a connection between them.”

“Elder Uncle wants to draw it out?” Seraphine asked.

Jingxing nodded.

Echo thought for a moment, then suddenly stood up and pulled Seraphine aside. “We should move away from you. I need to protect Seraphine.”

Seraphine was speechless, crossing her arms and standing behind Echo as she suddenly raised her hand and tossed a jade box toward Jingxing.

Jingxing lifted his hand, and the box immediately opened. A black ring fell out, held motionless in midair by his spiritual energy. A black soul fragment emerged—shapeless and faceless, like a torn piece of black cloth from a ragged cloak, emitting a hoarse voice. Read complete versıon only at novęlfire.net

“Kill… kill them all…… everyone must die!”

Echo patted herself down, searching. Nine Heavens, Nine Heavens.

Seraphine looked down and retrieved a translucent long sword from her storage ring, pressing it into Echo’s hands.

Ah! So it was with Seraphine—how wonderful! Echo gripped Nine Heavens, spinning the sword in a flourish before drawing it and pointing it at the black soul fragment.

“With me here, it won’t dare attack you,” Jingxing said quietly, moving his finger to make the spirit-controlled fragment float over to his chess board. “This is only a piece of Zhan Ye’s fragmented soul. I don’t know how many parts he divided his soul into, but separated fragments have weakened power and damaged intelligence.”

He finished speaking and smiled at the soul fragment. “Demon, do you still remember me?”

The soul remnant flickered like a candle flame, looking toward Jingxing and emitting a hoarse, broken voice.

Seraphine watched the fragment intently—her first time seeing such a thing, her eyes full of curiosity.

Meanwhile, Echo found herself with nothing to do and boredly twirled Nine Heavens in sword flowers.

Soul remnants? I’ve seen plenty of those. This type of setup was familiar too.

The trapped soul fragment seemed to recognize Jingxing, breathing heavily and saying in a low, raspy voice, “Kill Jingxing, kill—”

Jingxing coldly raised his hand, flinging it into the air while simultaneously releasing his spiritual control.

At the same time, in a corner room of the academy dormitories, Xue Bufan was awakened from meditation by a mental transmission. He quickly asked, “Master, what’s happening? You seem so urgent?”

The soul whispered, “My fragment has appeared—right here in the Insight Academy Palace!”

Here?

Xue Bufan sprang up in surprise, grabbing his sword and stepping outside. He flew to a high vantage point overlooking the grounds. “Master, you can sense it? Where?”

The fragment seemed wary and didn’t leave the storage ring, saying impatiently, “Somewhere nearby. Find itquickly!”

Xue Bufan thought perhaps this fragment was the one from the Twin Dragon Secret Realm that some cultivator had accidentally obtained and brought to the academy. After saying “Yes,” he looked toward the dormitory buildings.

If it was a new academy disciple, they should be in their rooms—

Before he could finish surveying the academy grounds, he suddenly saw a black shadow leap into the sky. The consciousness hidden in his storage ring shrieked, “The fragment!” At the same moment, a sword light appeared.

An extremely clear, bright, elegant sword light.

Xue Bufan’s pupils contracted as he shouted, “Senior Sister, stop!”

Back in Jingxing’s courtyard, the released soul fragment hesitated suspiciously, hovering motionless in the air. Seeing it wasn’t moving, Echo thought she’d help it along—hence the scene above.

The fragment in midair sneered coldly, erupting in golden light that blocked the incoming sword strike.

Seeing Xue Bufan racing toward them, Seraphine’s lips curved upward. “Well done.” She said quietly.

Echo beamed happily.

Seraphine praised me!

In that case, Nine Heavens sang with clear, light notes, emitting silver-white radiance as Echo struck again at the airborne fragment. Xue Bufan cried out in panic, “Senior Sister, that’s Master’s soul fragment!”

But Echo’s sword light was already flying forth. Sure enough, even Jingxing couldn’t break through the protective formation—her early Soul Transformation attacks posed no threat to it whatsoever.

The silver-white light dissipated against the golden barrier.

Alas.

Echo spun another sword flower and sighed in disappointment.

The system failed to accomplish her task.

“Master!” Xue Bufan called to the fragment.

The fragment suddenly turned and lunged toward Xue Bufan.

Xue Bufan startled, realizing the fragment was trying to possess him!

“Fool!”

The consciousness in Xue Bufan’s storage ring cursed, having seen through this ploy. Anxiously writhing within the ring, it recognized this was a trap designed specifically for it.

In that flash of lightning-quick movement, Jingxing acted. He casually lifted a finger, and the spiritual consciousness charging toward Xue Bufan froze in midair, just one step away from him.

The fragment opened its mouth wide, its incomplete, faceless shadow seeming to show a cruel smile as itemitted hoarse laughter toward Xue Bufan.

“Mas…… Master?” Xue Bufan stared in shock, looking between the fragment and Jingxing sitting in the courtyard. “Venerable, what is this?”

In the silence, Seraphine spoke. She looked up, her beautiful eyes cold as she stared at Xue Bufan’s bewildered, panicked face with mockery. “Fellow Daoist Xue, I’ve always wondered—having personally received inheritance from ChongshanImmortal Palace, how exactly did you mistake this mass of black filth for Chongshan Immortal Venerable?”

“Were your eyes destroyed along with your spiritual roots back then?”

Echo nodded and added, “In most stories, characters who are black, ugly, and speak in harsh, unpleasant voices are the villains!”

“Hahaha!” Echo laughed warmly and cheerfully in the serious atmosphere.

Seraphine: “……”

“Shut up!”

Echo quickly covered her mouth.

Xue Bufan, standing just a step away from the fragment, stared with wide, shocked, and confused eyes. Meanwhile, in his storage ring, the presence he’d always regarded as his savior urgently transmitted, “What are you waiting for! Grab the fragment and run!”

“Don’t listen to their nonsense! You know what attitude these two have always had toward you, and how I’ve treated you. They’ve always held grudges against you and want to persecute you!” the fragment roared. “Act now!”

At this moment, Jingxing said, “Xue Bufan, let the consciousness in your ring come out to see me.”

The consciousness transmitting to Xue Bufan immediately fell silent. Xue Bufan’s ears went quiet, but he was already drenched in cold sweat, looking down like a puppet at the ring on his thumb.

The plain black ring looked utterly ordinary, but Xue Bufan still remembered how surprised and excited he’d been when the consciousness in the ring first told him it could help repair his spiritual roots, back when hewas desperate in that cave.

“Xue Bufan,” Jingxing said slowly. “Do you know who this fragment is?”

Xue Bufan murmured, “I have no idea…… Master?”

After Jingxing spoke, the soul that had been silent seemed to have vanished, making no sound at all. Jingxing calmly lifted the jade box from the ground. On it, two crossed arms with elongated fingers formed a peacock design, with human eyes carved into the peacock’s eye spots.

Jingxing said quietly, “Xue Bufan, the peacock is the divine bird of the Nine Heavens Divine Sect. This emblem is their symbol. The master you thought saved you from danger and gave you new life isn’t Chongshan Immortal Venerable, but the escaped leader of the Nine Heavens Divine Sect from that ancient war—a fragment of the demon Zhan Ye’s soul remnant!”

“Ha.” A heavy breath escaped Xue Bufan’s throat. His vision went black and he fell directly from the sky, landing pale-faced and kneeling in the courtyard, shaking like a leaf.

“Nine Heavens Sect…… demon….…” Xue Bufan stared blankly at the ring on his thumb, shouting, “Master…… ZhanYe?”

The fragment in the ring gave him no response. Xue Bufan cried out in shocked anger, “Who exactly are you!”

“If you’re a Nine Heavens Sect demon, why did you help me!”

Echo covered her mouth and rolled her eyes. Seraphine immediately pressed down on Echo’s head.

Don’t speak.

Oh!

Echo sheathed Nine Heavens and pulled out a bag of sunflower seeds from her storage ring. Since I couldn’t talk, surely I could eat snacks! This was the perfect time for some munching.

She offered a handful of seeds to Seraphine.

Please eat, please eat.

Seraphine’s face darkened, so she simply took Echo’s hand.

With only one hand available, I couldn’t hold the seed shells properly. As a civilized and well-mannered little system, Echo put the sunflower seeds back in her storage ring and fished out a piece of candy instead, quickly popping it into her mouth.

She raised her head and gazed solemnly ahead, even furrowing her brows slightly, her cool features displaying an appropriately serious expression.

Her left cheek bulged out.

After a while, the candy rolled to the right side, making her right cheek bulge.

“……”

Seraphine decided to tie up both Echo’s hands next time. She glanced at Jingxing, not wanting Echo to leave a bad impression on him. In this world, Jingxing was truly the only person she could consider an elder.

The Ink-Trace Venerable simply watched Xue Bufan, having remained seated in his stone chair throughout. Seeing XueBufan progress from panic to confusion to anger, even despair, he sighed softly.

“If you don’t believe us, why not have the fragment in your ring come out and confront you directly?” Jingxing said. “Hand over the ring.”

His gentle voice struck Xue Bufan like a heavy hammer, knocking his soul clean out of his body. He stared blankly as he removed the ring and tossed it forward.

The ring rolled across the ground. The academy paths were ordinary brick and stone, worn smooth by countless footsteps and held fast by packed earth.

The black ring rolled forward without any fanfare, finally striking the leg of a table used for drying books with a soft clinkbefore wobbling to a stop.

The candy in Echo’s mouth rolled from right back to left as her eyes showed a hint of contemplation.

Just when everyone thought the consciousness in the ring would play dead until Jingxing intervened, low laughter echoed through the air—hoarse and grating.

The soul fragment suddenly shot out from the ring, surging toward the suspended remnant under Jingxing’s control.