Tu Tianba knitted his brows, feeling a bit conflicted.

The booklet conjured by the inner demon indeed possessed prophetic power. With a slight flick of a spell, he had arrived at the Zhaoyou Valley described in the book in just a few breaths, and indeed found the damned immortal lord lying unconscious by the riverbank.

According to what the clever inner demon had said, the contents of the book could roughly be understood as “the trajectory this world was supposed to follow.” But now, two variables had cropped up.

First was the healer described in the book who took advantage of someone in dire straits…

Just a moment ago, the inner demon had panicked, babbling about “scanning” and “detecting” before crying out in dismay that this endangered world was severely damaged. As a result, the character data for the “scumbag ex-husband” couldn’t completely overwrite his original profile, leaving the host no choice but to take the field under a bare-bones alias.

The second variable was Tu Tianba himself—the demonic overlord who was supposed to die beneath the damned immortal lord’s blade right in the opening chapter.

Not only had Tu Tianba survived, his cultivation had even advanced a stage. In the entire cultivation world, an opponent would likely be hard to find. After all, Mahayana-stage cultivators had been virtually nonexistent for thousands of years. Besides, his divine soul was fused with an evil artifact, making him exceptionally durable.

Didn’t you see that even the heavenly lightning tribulation failed to strike him dead?

The damned immortal lord’s sword had snapped in half, yet not even a scar remained on his own body.

Instead, he had ended up with two extra inner demons.

Tu Tianba secretly dubbed these two peculiar inner demons the “Clever Inner Demon” and the “Dull Inner Demon.” The Clever Inner Demon was glib and silver-tongued, every word striking right at what he wanted to hear, though in essence, its intentions were no different from the Dull Inner Demon’s preaching about “saving the world”…

Both were trying to cajole him into playing the role of the healer in the book.

And both were trying to stop him from delivering the fatal blow to this damned immortal lord.

Regarding this situation, Tu Tianba had a slight suspicion of his own.

Perhaps the emergence of these two special inner demons was not merely due to his breakthrough in cultivation, nor were they born solely from his own yearning to regain peace and quiet. It might also be just as that damned immortal lord had said—

The Heavenly Dao of this world had sensed a catastrophe that would destroy the realm. Seeing that so many righteous cultivators had failed to slay him, it seized the opportunity during the heavenly lightning tribulation to cram a wisp of consciousness into his head.

This consciousness had blended into his inner demons, dangling incentives to coax him into playing the healer, guiding the world to develop along its predetermined future. Once the deed was done, he would be able to regain a flesh-and-blood body. But when that time came, would he, as Tu Tianba, truly get what he desired?

Looking at that booklet, the damned immortal lord was likely the true Chosen One.

Headache.

Using his brain gave him such a headache.

As for the damned immortal lord’s claim that he might destroy the world, Tu Tianba believed it without a shadow of a doubt.

If he truly found no way to cure his “affliction,” he might indeed lose the last shred of his patience and heed the daily urgings of his inner demons—slaughtering every living being he laid eyes on until not a single soul remained in this world.

Over the past three hundred years, Tu Tianba had no idea how he had endured it. Describing it with the idiom “each day drags like a year” meant that, by proper conversion, hadn’t he already suffered through tens of thousands of years of torment?

At this thought, lingering dread gripped Tu Tianba’s heart.

…Better to just play along with the tasks assigned by the inner demon for now.

If anything went awry, it wouldn’t be too late to dig it out and destroy it.

As long as it proved useful, it was a good inner demon!

He wasn’t picky!

However, earlier when he listened to the Clever Inner Demon speak with such plausible eloquence, Tu Tianba had also felt that forcing this damned immortal lord to live beneath him, walking on eggshells and reading his every expression, would be utterly exhilarating to imagine. But at that time, he was only focused on the thrill of it, while simultaneously nauseated by the prospect of having to call his mortal enemy “wife”…

The emphasis was on enemy, not man.

So much so that only now did it hit him—

This enemy of his was a genuine, bona fide man.

Curse it all.

He must have slapped himself too hard earlier.

For that split second, he had completely forgotten that he didn’t fancy men at all!

Although Tu Tianba had stepped onto the Dao over three hundred years ago, and by all rights should have severed all ties with his past life and mortal entanglements, he was different from ordinary cultivators. He still retained his old mortal values and sentiments, believing from the bottom of his heart that taking a wife was one of the grandest milestones in life.

Once upon a time, he had even dreamed of marrying a gentle, virtuous, and lovely wife in the future.

Such a beautiful fantasy had actually been sullied by this damned immortal lord.

Naturally, Tu Tianba mentally tallied another score against the man.

Seeing that the host had been silent for so long, the white orb of light inside the system space glanced at the progress bar that was on the verge of filling up. It immediately pinched its voice into a sweet, electronic chime to urge him on: “Host, there’s only the last half-sentence left for the first task, you know! I didn’t expect the Host to be so efficient—as expected of my Host~”

…A bit panicked, actually.

The host’s mental state was genuinely concerning.

Therefore, it had better prioritize ensuring the role-playing task was successfully completed first.

Conveniently, the host was originally a native of this book’s world, so there was no issue of being separated across two worlds from the protagonist after finishing the task. Furthermore, although a cultivation world was fraught with mortal perils, it also represented opportunity; later on, it could just find a way to make the host forfeit ownership of the task rewards.

N001, you can do this!

The white orb of light puffed out its chest, cheering itself on.

The very next second.

It heard the host say to it,

“These upcoming tasks aren’t going to make me sleep with this damned immortal lord, are they?”

“Because I won’t do it.”

The white orb of light: “…”

It glanced at the second task displayed on the small light screen beside it:

[Task: The Host successfully coaxes the protagonist, Nie Wuhui, into agreeing to dual cultivation, and after completing the first session of dual cultivation, speaks the key marital vow. Time Limit: Five years.]

…Don’t panic. Keep steady.

N001, you can do this!!

The white orb of light cheered itself on once more, inquiring in a lively, sweet tone: “Does the Host have any reservations? This system will definitely brainstorm and strategize for the Host~”

“Because I’m not a cut-sleeve,” Tu Tianba replied as if stating the most obvious fact in the world. “Although I haven’t taken a wife or found a cultivation partner, I’m nothing like those demonic cultivators who suck people’s vital essence dry. I am a clean-living, self-respecting, decent demonic cultivator.”

Well, the main reason was actually…

Whenever a living, breathing soul came near him, he had to exhaust all his strength just to suppress the overwhelming urge to slaughter them. Where would he find the mood for romance?

And so, he had dragged on in a half-dead state, missing out on it entirely.

Tu Tianba felt genuine sorrow for himself.

Right after that, he heard the Clever Inner Demon ask in return:

“Then has the Host ever fancied a woman?”

Tu Tianba thought about it: “No.”

The Clever Inner Demon continued to press: “Then has the Host ever fancied a man?”

Tu Tianba answered frankly: “Naturally not, either.”

“Then if the Host has never liked a woman, nor ever liked a man, how can you be so certain that you aren’t a cut-sleeve?” the Clever Inner Demon argued smoothly. “Actually, everyone has a Brokeback Mountain in their heart, you know! It’s just that you haven’t discovered it yet, Host.”

Tu Tianba asked curiously: “What is this ‘Brokeback Mountain’?”

Inside the system space.

“It means that you, Host, might very well be a cut-sleeve, only you don’t know it yourself…” the white orb of light replied readily. “So only after the Host experiences it firsthand and confirms that you truly cannot harbor even a shred of romantic affection for a man can you say you aren’t a cut-sleeve, right?”

Tu Tianba thought it over carefully. It did seem to make some sense.

“Ngh… cough…”

Communicating with the inner demon via telepathy had taken only an instant.

Tu Tianba gathered his thoughts, his eyes refocusing on the man lying flat on the boulder. His own hand was still prying the man’s jaw open; those two pale, bloodless lips were parted wide, yet the cheeks had flushed with a faint pink from the coughing fit.

The corners of his eyes showed the same delicate flush.

Amid the coughing, a little bit of the medicinal liquid Tu Tianba had forced down his throat choked back out.

These droplets trailed down the corner of the man’s mouth, slowly sliding toward the web between Tu Tianba’s thumb and index finger, making him look extraordinarily disheveled and frail.

In particular, whether the man’s hair crown had been shattered during the heavenly lightning or washed away by the river after tumbling into the valley, his ink-black long hair now cascaded loosely across his body. A few drenched strands clung to his pale skin across his forehead, and the lock behind his ear curled in a slight wave…

Tu Tianba curled his lip in secret.

He had to admit, this damned immortal lord’s skin and bones were indeed top-tier.

…Of course, he himself was quite fine as well!

Withdrawing his hand, and taking advantage of the fact that the other had just awakened from unconsciousness with his wits still scrambled, Tu Tianba grabbed the damned immortal lord’s sleeve in disgust. He wiped his fingers—slick with medicinal fluid and saliva—against the fabric twice, while reciting in a flat, wooden monotone:

“Wife, you’re awake.”

The moment the words fell.

A crisp ding rang out by his ear.

The inner demon notified him that the first task had been effortlessly completed, and the booklet had unlocked its second chapter.

Afterward, the inner demon added that since the damned immortal lord was the Chosen One of Heaven, he might also be able to see this book depicting the future of the cultivation world—the inner demon’s original term had been “the original webnovel”—and warned him to keep it strictly confidential.

Tu Tianba acknowledged this, intending to read through the book later.

Just then, a gust of chilly wind swept past.

Drenched to the bone, the white-robed man shuddered involuntarily.

Tu Tianba channeled true qi into his eyes and saw clearly that the spiritual energy within the man’s body had been entirely absorbed by the pills he had just shoved down his throat, leaving not a scrap behind to mend his damaged heart meridians.

At this moment, the man was probably no different from a mere mortal.

Right then.

Tu Tianba suddenly heard a slightly hoarse voice:

“…What… what did you just say?”

Compared to the righteous, icy aura the man had exuded during their initial encounter in that small mountain hollow, as well as the effortless composure in his every gesture, Tu Tianba now met a pair of eyes set in a gorgeous face that looked somewhat vacant. The man’s expression was frozen, as if he were doubting his own ears.

Inside the system space.

The white orb of light leaned close to the light screen, watching the host repeat himself in a manner even more robotic than an actual bot:

“Wife, you’re awake.”

The white-robed man was stunned for quite a while before asking again, “What wife?”

Without bothering to conceal his disgust, Tu Tianba curled his lip and replied:

“…You are my wife.”

Blegh.

The white-robed man looked thoroughly bewildered. Having lost his memories while retaining his subconscious instincts, he immediately retorted: “But I am a man. How could I…?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Tu Tianba put his newly acquired knowledge to use, tossing out:

“Normal. Because you’re a cut-sleeve, only you don’t remember it right now.”

The white-robed man’s expression grew even more lost, as though trying to recall something.

Limp and weak all over, moving so much as a finger was an ordeal, to say nothing of sitting up. He had no choice but to remain lying flat, looking up at the black-robed youth perched on the edge of the boulder, and asked with immense hesitation:

“Why can’t I remember anything?”

Tu Tianba blinked his round, almond-shaped eyes. Habitually propping his chin in his hand, his palm squished the flesh of his left cheek upward, making it look rather plump:

“Because you have amnesia.”

The white-robed man: “…Oh.”

The two stared at each other, eyes wide, sinking into a long silence.

The white-robed man asked again: “Why do I have amnesia?”

Irritated by the questioning, Tu Tianba snapped back in an unfriendly tone:

“How should I know! You were the one looking for trouble in the first place, alright?!”

The white orb of light: “…”

Aaaah! Just give me a normal host!

Even someone with the surname Shi would do!

Tu Tianba had no inkling of the wailing and despair currently consuming his Clever Inner Demon. Growing irritated as he spoke, he dropped his hand, turned his torso fully toward the man lying flat, and snorted coldly: “In short, ending up in this state is entirely your own doing.”

“It’s all your fault!”

This Venerable One will definitely retaliate ruthlessly.

Hearing this, the man fell into deep thought.

Yet he truly could not remember a single thing. Opening his eyes, there was only this fire-breathing youth by his side.

The youth looked to be only sixteen or seventeen, with features still tender and youthful, yet he brazenly called him “wife” with every breath, carrying the air of someone throwing a tantrum at him.

For some reason, an inexplicable intuition welled up inside the man—

It seemed what the other said was actually true…

A moment later.

Tu Tianba saw the man slightly knit his brows. He weakly raised a limp hand, resting his icy fingertips against Tu Tianba’s plump cheek, and asked softly:

“…Did I hit you there?”

“I apologize. I remember nothing.”

“Does it hurt?”