My Core is the Boss

The cemetery was deserted as always. Covered by the black sack, Wang Yuanyu gazed at Qi Yuan with undisguised appreciation and admiration. Qi Yuan seemed a little unhinged and always said bizarre, random things, but many of his lines had resonated with her.

"What's there to fear in death? I know people on both sides."

"Even sunlight dies. Shadows are its corpse."

"I don't like girls with lasting beauty because I don't have the patience to keep looking."

His words about reality and illusion, along with his attitude toward this world, had left such a deep impression on her. She only cared about real memories. Tu Kongming who?

Qi Yuan abruptly turned toward Wang Yuanyu. "You know, Ma Longhu still hasn't shown up. What if it's because he can't afford the cemetery entrance fee?"

"Pardon?"

He said as if he had figured out the final piece of the puzzle, "I should have known better than to set an entrance fee for this place. I did it to keep people away. I turned the Ma family tomb into a paid attraction with a threshold and everything. I forgot that Ma Longhu probably doesn't have any money."

Wang Yuanyu stared at him, torn between laughter and despair. She was starting to wonder if she was starting to get affected by his madness. "Mr. Qi, you're overthinking it."

And yet, she had to admit she was curious. Even the most absurd things he said somehow rang partly true to her.

Just then, Wang Niang walked toward them, obviously quite troubled. Glancing at her master, she whispered, "Young mistress, I have something to discuss with Mr. Qi in private."

The implication was clear enough. Wang Yuanyu understood and left.

Yet before Wang Niang could say anything, Qi Yuan blurted, "Right, before anything else, the entrance fee. I wake up at the crack of dawn and work till dark guarding this place. I'm owed something for my time."

This wasn’t the first time he had asked her that.

She handed the entrance fee over. "Ten drops of demon essence blood."

Qi Yuan accepted them happily.

What a shame that Ma Longhu's family consisted entirely of minor demons. Otherwise, this could've been a gold mine.

Wang Niang uttered, "Mr Qi, I have a presumptuous request. I hope you will hear me out."

She decided to approach this with courtesy before resorting to anything else. After all, in a certain sense, Bloodline Bearers were her subordinates.

Qi Yuan's attention had fixed upon something no one else would have noticed. "One... two... three. Was that a yes or a no?"

Wang Niang coughed awkwardly, turning somber. "Wang Yuanyu and Tu Kongming were destined companions across three lifetimes—"

"Why not seven lifetimes of bitter enemies?"

Wang Niang paused, then explained with profound emotions, "Wang Yuanyu is of noble birth. Tu Kongming was just a poor boy who was full of ambition. They studied together and over time, they fell in love. Then Ma Longhu appeared. He coveted the young mistress's beauty and secretly poisoned her.

"To save her, Tu Kongming went into the frozen pool beneath Glacier Valley. He lay on the ice and tried to find the Profound Tortoise. The iciness froze not only the body, but the soul as well. In the end, he managed to lure the tortoise out at the cost of an arm. He stripped its shell and refined it into medicine, ultimately bringing the young mistress back from the brink."

Clearly, she had been moved by Tu Kongming's devotion. If any man ever did something like that for her, she imagined her own heart would stir.

Qi Yuan said mournfully, "Poor little turtle. It was robbed of its home at such a young age..."

Wang Niang stared at him. Is that really what he is taking away from this story?

"The young mistress woke up and was deeply moved after she learned what Tu Kongming had done. They confessed their feelings for each other and floated along the river of love. Life was wonderful, but wonderful times never last."

Qi Yuan said with great confidence, feeling it was so obvious, "Was it because someone peed in the river?"

Wonderful times had been cut short, what else could that mean but someone contaminating the river they were floating in?

Wang Niang was utterly flabbergasted. She had to draw a deep breath before she could go on. "Ma Longhu reappeared. No one could’ve seen it coming. Moreover, he had colluded with a foreign clan. On the very day of the young mistress's wedding to Tu Kongming, Ma Longhu arrived with three thousand soldiers to seize her.

"The young mistress refused. Ma Longhu flew into a rage. If he couldn't have her, then no one would! He attacked the young mistress, but Tu Kongming blocked the blow and died. The young mistress, in her grief, took her own life to follow him."

Qi Yuan seemed blank. "Is that it? No twist? That's boring. The way scriptwriters think these days... Haa. Shouldn't Ma Longhu have been there to steal the groom? Or is there a sequel? Ma Longhu digs up Tu Kongming's bones, refines him into a walking corpse, and the two of them end up in a forced arrangement together?"

Wang Niang facepalmed, drawing yet another deep breath. "At this moment, those events are playing out again within this world. Only by retracing the steps of her previous life could the Young Mistress be revived, ultimately preventing this world from collapsing. The inner workings are far too complex for me to explain fully, but her fate must be replayed.

"And right now, there is a small problem. To this point, the young mistress has not fallen in love with Tu Kongming. This is extremely dangerous. There is little time left for her or for this world. I ask you, Mr. Qi, to put the greater picture first and set aside personal matters. For the time being, please stop meeting with the young mistress."

The old woman bowed deeply, showing her sincerity.

Qi Yuan appeared baffled. "What does this have to do with me?"

She said, resigned, "The young mistress has spent considerable time with you, I worry she may be developing feelings..."

She had to admit that Qi Yuan was absurdly handsome, though it was somewhat undermined by the nonsense coming out of his mouth. When he was quiet, he was like a perfectly fine decorative piece. To put it in somewhat dramatic terms, just sitting near him for a while was doing things to Wang Niang's thoroughly dormant constitution that she had not experienced in several thousand years.

"Haa... Being good-looking really is such a burden. Honestly, I am not even that handsome." He stretched lazily. "Still, this really isn't my fault. And besides, Wang Yuanyu doesn't seem to have feelings for me?"

He genuinely hadn't picked up on any romantic feelings from her. Otherwise, he would've noticed. What he sensed instead was admiration and easy companionship, nothing more. Qi Yuan was absolutely not the type to play coy, string someone along, or dodge responsibility.

He shook his head. "So, it’s pointless to tell me this. Wang Yuanyu not loving Tu Kongming has nothing to do with me. She may simply not like him. And while we're at it, please don't bother me with small matters like this. There are no surprises or twists. How boring."

What was a three-lifetime romance story anyway? He'd watched a far more compelling seven-lifetimes grudge match on TV.