Eastern Fantasy: My Twin Sugar Mommies and Cheats are 100 Years Late! Chapter 2.
The Yan Clan—boasting a Seventh Layer Nascent Soul Patriarch and even more formidable ancestors in secluded cultivation—was counted among the One Prosperous Palace, Five Great Clans, and Nine Flourishing Sects of the Righteous Flame Dynasty.
Given such a pedigree, one could only imagine the staggering power, influence, and wealth they commanded. If the clan's higher-ups ever discovered that a direct descendant—regardless of his lack of talent—had to depend on the meager earnings of a self-recruited maid for food, clothing, and the maintenance of his courtyard, their faces would surely turn a kaleidoscope of embarrassed colors.
A pity, then, that Yan Anle was blissfully unaware. Even if he had known of the neglect, he likely wouldn't have made a fuss; he simply would have sought a way to earn his own keep. This was precisely why Dou E refused to lift his blindfold.
That night, she prepared a variety of fish dishes, much to Yan Anle's delight. Anything that swam in the sea was a delicacy to him. Dou E seated herself opposite him and joined in. Although her Second Layer Foundation Establishment cultivation base allowed her to go weeks without sustenance, she made it a point to share dinner with him every day.
As they ate, they engaged in the usual small talk. Yan Anle lived vicariously through her, constantly probing for news of the outside world. It had been decades since he had last stepped beyond the clan's walls. He had stopped leaving the courtyard entirely once his mother recalled the guards assigned to him. Without them, even roaming the clan's grounds was a perilous endeavor for a mortal.
"Eh? Such a thing actually happened?" Yan Anle was genuinely stunned, as he often was by the antics of cultivators. "Is the head of that Elder Lei of the Hundred Flowers Sect full of murky water? How could she accept such a ridiculous bet?"
"Young Master, you must understand—the senior who proposed the bet only has the cultivation of a Ninth Layer Foundation Establishment. He said so himself." Dou E moistened her lips with a sip of mild wine. "Elder Xuan, on the other hand, as an Elder of one of the Nine Flourishing Sects, is likely no weaker than the Middle Layers of the Core Formation Realm. She might even be a shoe-in to the Nascent Soul stage. No matter how that senior trains over the next ten years, no matter the Spirit Root he has, how can he possibly cross that gap? It is a fool's dream—like a pear farmer trying to shoot the sun from the sky. Ten years from today will be the day of his death. Even given twenty or thirty years, the outcome would remain the same."
Yan Anle mulled this over. Unless that fellow has an 'OP Protagonist' halo or a system that lets him level up by killing monsters, he should probably go ahead and pick out a coffin.
He sighed and dipped another piece of fish into the savory broth before bringing it to his mouth. As he chewed, savoring the rich flavor with his eyes closed, he was suddenly interrupted by a distinct, bell-like chime.
"Ping! Congratulations, Lord! You have been chosen as the new user!" "Bliss Palace Lord System is binding, please wait a moment…!"
"Cough! Cough! Gah…!" Yan Anle choked.
His heart hammered against his ribs like a galloping warhorse.
What had he just heard? Had listening to the drama of the cultivation world finally driven him to delirium?
His eyes snapped open. Hovering in the air before him was a translucent, pink triangular window. At the center of the screen, a tracker ticked upward in stark black text:
[9%… 23%… 40%… 52%…]
"Young Master!" A worried Dou E immediately poured him a cup of water.
"Thank you, Dou E," he gasped, greedily accepting the cup to soothe his throat. He shut his eyes tight, inhaling and exhaling in a rhythmic pattern to steady his nerves. When he looked again, the percentage growth had slowed.
[85%… 86%… 88%…]
Slowed down or not, that is a system status window! He was internally jubilant, his lips curving into an involuntary smile. The Transmigration Goddess finally remembered her humble believer!
"Young Master…" Dou E probed carefully. "What has gotten you so excited all of a sudden?"
Her voice snapped him out of his trance, though he couldn't quite mask the thrill in his eyes.
"Ah, it's nothing… truly nothing. I just recalled a funny passage from a storybook." The gray-haired man picked up a choice piece of roasted fish and placed it on her plate. "Hehe, here. Eat. Your waist is so tiny I feel as though I could snap it in two with one hand."
The maid was stunned into silence. A mortal wants to snap a Foundation Establishment cultivator in two with one hand? Young Master, has that story about the bet influenced your sanity? This is not good!
Despite her concern, she nodded with a soft "Mm" and ate the roasted fish, all while silently observing his face—a chaotic mix of four parts angst, four parts excitement, and two parts terror.
Unbeknownst to Yan Anle, his maid's Divine Consciousness was currently scanning him from head to toe. She checked him a dozen times, but her brows only furrowed deeper; she found no curses, no illusion spells, and no physical ailments.
What storybook could possibly be so exciting that it riles him up like this? she wondered.
Meanwhile, the counter reached its climax:
[97%… 98%… 99%…]
"Ping! Congratulations, Lord! The System has almost completely bound to you. Just one more step remains."
Step? What step? Yan Anle asked frantically. He felt like a nervous spouse waiting for a surgeon to step out of the operating room.
"To confirm the compatibility of the system with the Lord, I am programmed to issue a Confirmation Test before finalizing the binding process."
Yan Anle's brow creased. What kind of test?
"Do not worry, my Lord. The test will be generated based on your current situation and will not be too difficult to pass."
His anxiety eased slightly. Fine then. Hit me.
"Yes, Lord. Generating test… Test has been generated. Please take a look."
The counter vanished, replaced by a new interface:
...
Task Title: The First Step of the Palace Lord
Task Type: Confirmation Test
Details: Confess your romantic interest to your loyal maid and caregiver, Dou E.
Time Left: 14 Minutes, 57 Seconds...
Reward: First-grade Spirit Root.
Penalty: System shall unbind and search for a new Palace Lord.
...
Yan Anle read the text once, then twice, then a third time, praying his eyes were deceiving him. By the eighth read-through, he could no longer hide from the truth.
He cussed out loud: "What the hell?!"