Wei Jin strode through the darkened streets, his stern face betraying no hint of the storm raging within.
His robes fluttered in the cold wind, but he barely noticed.
The distant hum of the banquet hall faded with each hurried step he took, but the pain in his chest grew heavier, sharper, threatening to break him.
He loved Ru Shaonian. He loved her so deeply that even her indifference had not dulled his devotion.
For years, he had been content to bask in the shadow of her brilliance, convincing himself that her quiet respect was enough.
He had dreamed of a life where she would one day see him, truly see him, and find in him a love equal to his own.
But dreams were fragile things, easily shattered.
Wei Jin clenched his fists as he quickened his pace.
The soul within felt like it was being crushed slowly.
Suddenly, he felt weird; his soul seemed stirred, and he could feel something familiar—its presence faint but persistent.
His cultivation energy surged instinctively, trapping the familiar foreign entity in a cage of light.
He came to a halt in an empty alley, his stern expression hardening.
"So, you're still here," Wei Jin said, his voice low and dangerous. He tightened his grip on the spiritual cage. The soul trembled under his pressure, its shape flickering like a dying flame.
"Wait! Don't kill me! Don't kill me!" the soul cried, its voice panicked.
Wei Jin's eyes blazed with fury. "Why shouldn't I?" he demanded, with his tone sounding like thunder.
"You invaded my body! You brought me this... this curse of knowledge! My life was peaceful before you. My heart was complete. Now look at me!" His voice cracked, and he felt the tears threatening to spill.
The soul quivered, its voice rising in desperation. "Because we are the same! You saw it, didn't you? When you devoured them… Bruh, my memories! My pain! My wife—she used me, made me a fool! Just like yours is making you a fool!"
Wei Jin staggered back as if struck. His spiritual cage flickered, and the soul pushed against its confines.
"Don't deny it," the soul pressed. "You saw everything. My wife, my life... my death! And now, look at you! You're nothing but a pawn in someone else's story, just like I was!"
Wei Jin's legs gave out, and he slumped against the cold wall of the alley. His trembling hands covered his face as the memories came rushing back.
The old man's life had been ordinary but content.
They have the same name, Wei Jin.
On Earth, this other Wei Jin had been a loyal husband, a dependable provider.
For forty-three years, he had loved his wife, cherished her, and trusted her.
He had believed their life was one of quiet happiness—until his deathbed, when she confessed the truth. She had chosen him not out of love, but because he was safe. Reliable.
A man who would never stray, never challenge her ambitions.
He could even feel the pain the old soul Earthling Wei Jinwas feeling when his wife said that she has been faithful, and she never cheated. But she never loved him.
The betrayal had crushed him. And in his final moments, desperate and bitter, the old man's soul had clung to Wei Jin, the cultivator, and tried to seize his body.
But it wasn't just the old man's memories that had haunted Wei Jin.
It was the revelation that came with them. His life in this world—his role as Ru Shaonian's husband—was a cruel mirror of the old man's fate.
Wei Jin wasn't meant to be the hero of his story. He was nothing more than a stepping stone, a placeholder husband chosen not out of love but because he was safe, stable, and loyal.
His death was written in the stars—a necessary tragedy to pave the way for Ru Shaonian's reunion with her true love.
A sob escaped his lips, and he clutched his chest as if to stop the pain from tearing him apart. "Why?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Why did you show me this? Why did you ruin me?"
The soul trembled, its voice softening. "I didn't ruin you," it said. "I gave you the truth. Isn't it better to know than to live a lie?"
Wei Jin let out a bitter laugh. "Better? You think this is better? I would have given anything to remain ignorant. To live in blissful delusion, believing she loved me. Believing my life had meaning."
He looked up at the night sky, his eyes hollow. The stars seemed so far away, so unattainable, much like the love he had always sought from Ru Shaonian.
"What am I supposed to do now?" he muttered, more to himself than to the soul. "I've let her go. I've cut myself loose from her. But… what now? I have nothing. No purpose. No path forward."
The soul was silent for a moment before it spoke again, its voice tinged with sorrow. "I do have the answers but I'm not sure if you'll believe me," it admitted. "I was lost too. And I haven't tried it yet, that's why I wanna try it!"
Wei Jin scoffed, shaking his head. "What for? Rewrite my fate? My fate is to die forgotten, a minor character in someone else's story. How can I rewrite that?"
The soul hesitated. "By choosing your own story," it said finally. "Don't let their script dictate your life. You've already taken the first step by divorcing her. Now, take the next. Find your own path. Your own purpose."
Wei Jin stared at the ground, his mind swirling with doubt and despair. But somewhere, deep within him, a tiny spark flickered.
It was faint, fragile, but it was there.
Slowly, he stood, his legs unsteady. He released the spiritual cage, letting the soul dissipate into the night. He didn't have the strength to destroy it, nor the will to carry it with him any longer.
"Fine," he said, his voice hoarse. "I'll find my own path. But not for you. Not for her. For myself."
Wei Jin stood motionless, his mind a swirling storm.
The cool night air brushed against his face, yet he felt nothing but the oppressive weight of indecision.
Before him, the faint remnants of the old man's soul flickered like a dying ember, its translucent form trembling as it begged for salvation.
"Please, Wei Jin!" the soul cried out, its voice hoarse and desperate. "Help me! I can give you answers! I have a solution!"
Wei Jin scoffed, his eyes narrowing with disdain.
"A solution?" he sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're the same as me—weak, defeated, and cast aside. If you had a solution, why did your wife never love you? Why did you end up dying bitter and broken?"
The soul shivered but didn't retreat. "I… I was scared!" it admitted, its voice cracking.
"I was rich, yes, but that only made me cautious. I saw too many of my friends fall for the wrong women. Playboys who squandered their fortunes, betrayed and humiliated by their wives. I was terrified that my own wife would be the same."
Wei Jin's lips curled into a bitter smile. "And yet, despite all your wealth and precautions, she still didn't love you," he said, his tone cold.
"But she didn't cheat either!" the soul snapped back, desperation fueling its words. "If I had known the truth—that she only stayed with me because I was safe—I could have walked away! I could have started over!"
Wei Jin stared at the soul, his expression unreadable.
He didn't believe in the old man's so-called solution. How could someone who had failed so completely offer him anything of value?
Yet, deep down, he felt a strange resonance with the old man's memories.
When he had devoured the soul, he had glimpsed fragments of its desires, its regrets, its unfulfilled longing to rewrite its fate.
Suddenly, a sharp sound echoed in his mind.
Ding!
Wei Jin flinched, his eyes widening in surprise.
The host has activated the Sugar Maiden System:
Waste your cultivation resources on maidens to become the strongest.
Note:
Make sure to choose the maidens you have wasted your cultivation resources to.
The more significant they felt it, the more spiritual essences the host can obtain.
Wei Jin froze, his mind racing. "What…?" he murmured, his voice barely audible.
Before he could process the first notification, another message appeared in his mind's eye.
Ding!
Ru Shaonian felt significant value equivalent to ten spiritual essences on the cultivation resource that you wasted on her, the Hundred-Year Spirit Herb.
Note:
The Host would receive spiritual essences depending on how valuable the resources wasted on the maiden were to her.
The Host's current cultivation level is only at the Ninth stage of Mortal Cultivation, so the ten spiritual essences are the current limit.
Wei Jin's eyes widened further. "Ru Shaonian?" he whispered. His voice grew louder, tinged with disbelief. "A system? I have a system?"
The soul before him quivered, its faint glow dimming further as it struggled to maintain its form. The old man's voice broke through Wei Jin's stunned silence.
"You... You saw it, didn't you?" the soul asked, its tone a mixture of fear and hope. "You… You have a system, don't you? That's why I told you I have a solution! Systems—they're the answer! You can rewrite your fate!"
Wei Jin's mind reeled.
From the old man's devoured memories, he had learned about these so-called systems.
The old man, in his life of wealth and leisure, had spent countless hours reading novels about cultivation, systems, and the paths to power.
To Wei Jin, it had seemed like nonsense at first—a fiction that belonged to the old man's world. But now… now it was real.
A flicker of understanding crossed Wei Jin's face as he pieced it together.
The system had activated when he threw the Hundred-Year Spirit Herb to the Ru Family as compensation.
It had been wasted, in a sense, but the system had turned that waste into something tangible—spiritual essences.
He looked down at the soul, his expression hardening once again. The old man continued to beg.
"Don't kill me!" the soul pleaded. "Please! I can help you! I understand systems—I can guide you!"
Wei Jin clenched his fists, torn between contempt and curiosity. Could the soul truly see the system? Was it hiding knowledge from him? Or was it just a desperate attempt to cling to existence?
Without a word, Wei Jin raised a finger.
A faint thread of his cultivation energy spiraled out, piercing the dim light of the soul.
The soul quivered violently, letting out a weak cry.
"Stop!" the soul gasped. "What are you doing?!"
Wei Jin's voice was cold, devoid of emotion. "Injecting a trace of my energy. If you can see the system, I'll know. And if you can… I'll crush you."
The soul trembled, but its voice grew calm, almost resigned. "I can't see it," it whispered. "I can't see your system. But… I can feel it. Its presence is tied to you, not me."
Wei Jin stared at the fading light of the soul, his thoughts a chaotic tangle. If the soul couldn't see the system, then perhaps it truly had no power over it. And yet, its knowledge of systems, however limited, might still hold value.
With a sigh, Wei Jin withdrew his energy. The soul glowed faintly, stabilizing but still fragile.
"You live for now," Wei Jin said, his voice low and firm. "But don't think for a moment that I trust you. One wrong move, and I'll obliterate you."
The soul pulsed weakly, a flicker of gratitude in its faint light. "Thank you," it said, its tone humble. "I won't let you down."
Wei Jin turned away, his mind racing.
The system's notifications still echoed in his thoughts. If the Sugar Maiden System was real, then it was both a curse and a potential boon.
Wasting resources to grow stronger—it was an absurd concept.
Yet, if it meant rewriting his fate, if it meant breaking free from the role assigned to him in Ru Shaonian's story, he had no choice but to embrace it.
But first, he needed to understand it. And for that, he would need time—and perhaps, a little guidance from the soul he had chosen to spare.
"What should I do next again?" Wei Jin muttered to himself as he walked into the night.