Jiu Yue and Nangong Xun were not direct senior-junior siblings in their martial sect. Jiu Yue's master and Nangong Xun's father had shared a life-and-death bond, but while Jiu Yue's master lived a free-spirited, unrestrained life, Nangong Xun's father harbored a noble dream—to provide a home for wandering heroes.
Thus, the world gained one nameless master and one secluded mountain manor.
When Jiu Yue was eight, she accompanied her master on a visit to his old friend. There, she sparred with the young Nangong Xun and, through sheer skill, knocked out one of his teeth. From then on, Nangong Xun addressed her as "senior sister."
Later, when Jiu Yue's master passed away, Nangong Manor's lord rushed to her side. Together, they arranged the funeral, after which he extended an invitation for her to stay.
But Jiu Yue refused…
Now, staring at the silver hairpin on the table, Nangong Xun's face lit up with realization. "So, you came down the mountain to search for your family?"
Jiu Yue propped her chin on her hand and nodded.
"Did you find them?" he asked again.
After a brief hesitation, she nodded once more. "Unless something unexpected happens… I suppose I have."
She wasn’t entirely sure about the situation in Great Yan… but truthfully, Jiu Yue wasn’t optimistic.
Two princesses had met misfortune in Tianqi, yet Great Yan remained eerily silent—something was clearly amiss.
And this mission… Surely they wouldn’t just send someone off for a political marriage without reason, would they?
"..." Nangong Xun, however, was utterly bewildered. "Could something unexpected happen?"
"Hard to say." Jiu Yue stood, cradling the dog in her arms, her smile carefree. "But even if it does, there’s nothing to fear."
As she adjusted her bamboo hat, Nangong Xun sensed their parting was near. He rose to see her off, but she stopped him.
"Tomorrow, I leave for Great Yan." She lifted the brim of her hat and grinned at him. "If I rise to greatness, don’t forget me!"
Nangong Xun froze for a moment, watching as she disappeared into the courtyard with the dog in her arms.
Great Yan…
So, she was from Great Yan.
…
Though Jiu Yue hadn’t explicitly mentioned it, the Mute Girl could tell from her movements that she was injured and shouldn’t exert herself. So, she bought a carriage.
Mid-quality, spacious enough to hold plenty of supplies.
At dawn the next day, they set off.
While the Mute Girl handled the reins outside, Jiu Yue lay inside, studying the newly purchased map.
Great Yan and Tianqi were neighboring countries, with Great Yan lying to the northwest and Tianqi to the southeast.
For years, the two nations had maintained peaceful relations, and a trade route had opened between them. The road was frequented by merchants from both lands, so the journey should be relatively safe.
The only downside was the distance.
They’d likely be on the road for ten days to half a month.
As Jiu Yue calculated the time, she suddenly remembered her largely absent system. She focused her thoughts, summoning it in her mind.
"Why are you so quiet?" Jiu Yue asked, puzzled.
She’d nearly forgotten her system had returned!
The system seemed half-dead, its mechanical voice tinged with unmistakable melancholy. "...What else can I do besides stay quiet?"
Jiu Yue: "..."
Jiu Yue: "Uh… want to discuss the mission?"
The system instantly triggered at the keyword and, without warning, started sobbing again, its voice glitching.
"What’s there to discuss… wuu… you didn’t even leave Prince Ping’s body intact… how are we supposed to complete the mission now… wuu…"
"You’re saying the mission can’t be done?"
"Of course… wuu… unless you want to arrange a ghost marriage?"
"..." Jiu Yue’s face twisted. "I’m not that insane."
The system sighed. "Even if you were, ghost marriages aren’t part of our genre."
Jiu Yue perked up slightly. "What genre are we in?"
The system glitched before replying, "Historical tragic romance."
Jiu Yue: "..."
She couldn’t help but recall the original host’s experiences, then connect them to the marriage mission—meaning, after being hunted by Prince Ping, the original host would return to her homeland, only to be forced into a political marriage with him.
And then, after much suffering, a grand reunion… What a perfect tragic romance!
Jiu Yue clapped sarcastically. "Who wrote this script? Why didn’t you drag the writer in here to fix this mess?"
The system pouted, correcting her nonsense. "To be precise, this is a virtual world, not a script."
"Who created it?"
"The Main System."
"...Then you should’ve dragged the Main System in to clean this up." Jiu Yue rolled her eyes.
The system immediately shrieked, "Don’t disrespect the Main System!"
Jiu Yue’s lips twitched, and she dropped the pointless debate. Steering the conversation back, she asked, "So, since Prince Ping is dead and the mission lacks its target, will we be judged as failures?"
The system wilted further, despondent. "Yes."
"What happens if we fail?"
"We get erased." The system’s voice was heavy. "Including me."
Jiu Yue, however, raised an eyebrow. "Is there a countdown before erasure?"
"What are you imagining? The moment the mission is judged a failure, we’ll be—" The system’s rant cut off abruptly as it realized something. "Huh… we haven’t actually been judged as failures yet!"
Jiu Yue stroked her chin, eyes gleaming. "So, the key to the mission… still lies with me!"
Or rather, with "Jiu Yue."
A tragic romance, by definition, revolved around the love-hate dynamic between the female and male leads. And when the original host died, the system had immediately bound itself to her to salvage the situation…
Jiu Yue pressed further, "In this world, are there other systems and hosts besides us?"
The system shook its nonexistent head. "Of course not. Each virtual world only allows one pair."
Jiu Yue smirked.
Perfect! That meant Prince Ping’s death wouldn’t lead to another system attaching a new soul to his body.
Prince Ping was truly gone.
It also meant he was no longer this world’s male lead.
Jiu Yue suddenly saw a glimmer of hope, and the system, sensing her thoughts, brightened as well.
"Maybe you’re right!" The system’s mechanical voice regained some liveliness. "But where do we find a new mission target now?"
Jiu Yue shook her head, unbothered.
"Let’s assess the situation once we reach Great Yan."
Since the mission involved a political marriage, the right candidate would eventually appear. They just had to wait for the new male lead to come to them!
The only question was… which nation would Great Yan arrange the marriage with?
