19: Chapter 19 Yan Ling Ji Kneels Down and Calls Him Master

Inside the room, the candlelight flickered, casting swaying red shadows.

Yan Lingji floated in mid-air, her pair of peach-blossom eyes seemingly capable of stealing one's soul.

She leaned forward, and through the slit of her illusory cheongsam, glimpses of spring radiance were visible, her face almost pressing against Lu Chen's.

“Senior, Great Emperor~”

Her voice was soft and seductive, carrying a literal hook:

“Teaching a disciple is so boring. That little girl looks clumsy; how could she be as attentive as me? I am a Peak Half-Saint and an emperor grade Alchemist. I want to be an accessory by your side!”

Lu Chen pulled his neck back, a look of disgust on his face.

Why were the Golden Fingers these days all failing to follow the standard script?

What happened to the highly respected old Seniors? Why was this one a cold, mature woman with ulterior motives?

This was clearly a workplace veteran trying to take a shortcut.

“Stop.”

Lu Chen raised his hand, halting her movement as she continued to rub up against him.

“Don't give me that nonsense. I don't need an accessory. My legs are heavy enough; I can't carry any more weight.”

Lu Chen raised his hand, pressing a single finger against Yan Lingji's illusory forehead just as it was about to reach his face.

The touch was slightly cool, like a piece of fine soft jade.

“You need to understand the situation.”

Lu Chen pushed her back, his tone lazy as if he were picking out cabbages at a vegetable market:

“I am assigning you a job right now, not asking for your opinion.”

“My Xiaoyao Peak does not support idle people, nor does it support idle souls.”

Yan Lingji wasn't annoyed at being pushed away; instead, she spun gracefully in the air, the high-slit hem of her cheongsam fluttering and stirring up a seductive red mist.

She steadied herself, her peach-blossom eyes gazing at Lu Chen with a watery look. Her voice was charming to the bone, yet it held the shrewdness of a Jianghu veteran.

“Senior, let's not beat around the bush.”

“I've looked at that girl Leng Qingqiu. Although her talent is acceptable, trying to train her would be a massive project consuming both heart and soul.”

“Even though I am a remnant soul, I am still a Peak Half-Saint Alchemist. You want me to be her nanny? That's not just overkill; it's a complete waste of natural talent.”

At this point, Yan Lingji puffed out her chest, looking completely justified.

“Following you is different.”

“You are a Great Emperor. Just the scraps falling from between your fingers would be enough to benefit me endlessly. As long as I serve you well, I can reconstruct my golden body and return to my Peak.”

“Even a fool can do that math.”

Lu Chen was amused.

Good grief, this remnant soul was quite the sophisticated egoist.

“You want to follow me?”

Lu Chen looked at her with a half-smile.

“Then tell me, why would I, a Great Emperor, want a Half-Saint who only has a soul left?”

“To warm my bed? Your body is cold.”

“To fight? I'm stronger than you.”

“Alchemy? If I want a Medicinal Pill, do I even need to refine it? Someone would offer it to me the moment I reached out.”

With every word Lu Chen spoke, Yan Lingji's expression stiffened further.

Though it stung, it was all the truth.

Before a Great Emperor, the capital she was so proud of was indeed worth nothing.

Yan Lingji bit her red lips, a flash of unwillingness in her eyes.

She didn't want to let go of this thick thigh.

Just as she was racking her brain to come up with some 'special skill,' the long-absent electronic voice suddenly rang in Lu Chen's mind.

“Ding!”

“Detected that the host is facing a 'talent recruitment' problem. The Salted Fish + Raising System has issued a limited-time side quest.”

“Quest Name: [The Great Emperor's Hands-off Manager Plan]”

“Quest Description: As a Salted Fish Great Emperor with dreams, how can you personally teach disciples? Please subdue Yan Lingji and make her the 'Xiaoyao Peak All-purpose Manager,' responsible for teaching disciples and handling chores.”

“Quest Reward: [Nine-Leaf Heavenly Heart Lotus] ×1, [Jade Body of a Fallen Fairy (pure immortal body)] ×1.”

System, are you a roundworm in my stomach?

Whatever I need, you provide?

The Nine-Leaf Heavenly Heart Lotus was a holy medicine for reconstructing the Divine Soul.

And that 'Fairy Jade Body'—one could tell by the name it was a Physical Body material prepared for this female ghost.

With these two items, never mind making Yan Lingji a manager, even if he made her a cleaning lady, she would probably be so happy she'd cry tears of joy.

A smile appeared at the corner of Lu Chen's mouth.

It was this very smile that made Yan Lingji opposite him shiver for no reason.

She felt like she was being preyed upon?

“Since you are so sincere.”

Lu Chen slowly sat up, his fingers rhythmically tapping the edge of the bed.

“I suppose I can give you a chance.”

Yan Lingji's eyes lit up. “Please speak, Senior!”

“I indeed lack someone to handle chores.”

Lu Chen said indifferently, “You've seen my disciples; every single one of them is a handful. I'm too lazy to manage them and too lazy to teach them.”

“If you are willing to take the position of 'Xiaoyao Peak Head Manager' and train the disciples for me, while handling the affairs of the Peak...”

Lu Chen paused, his gaze meeting Yan Lingji's directly.

“Not only will I ensure you don't die, but I can also help you reconstruct your Physical Body at any time.”

Hearing this, the light in Yan Lingji's eyes dimmed slightly.

A standard workplace empty promise.

She had survived in the cultivation world for tens of thousands of years; her ears were calloused from hearing such empty checks.

“Senior...”

Yan Lingji gave a bitter smile, her tone laced with helplessness. “This promise is too heavy. Reconstructing a Physical Body—how could it be easy?”

“For an ordinary body, Possession would suffice, but I, Yan Lingji, cultivate the Red Lotus Emperor Fire. An ordinary mortal frame simply cannot carry my Divine Soul; it would be burned to ash the moment I entered.”

“To contain me, I would need the legendary 'Nine-Leaf Heavenly Heart Lotus' as a catalyst and a 'pure immortal body' as a foundation.”

“Both of these are supreme treasures of heaven and earth. Now that Spiritual Qi in the Human Realm is depleted, even Great Emperors would fight to the death for them.”

Although Yan Lingji wanted to cling to a thick thigh, she wasn't stupid.

Treasures of this level—even for a Great Emperor—couldn't possibly be given away casually to a remnant soul they just met.

However.

The next second.

Lu Chen looked at her as if she were an idiot.

“That's it?”

He curled his lip, his expression as if to say, 'Do you even hear the nonsense you're spouting?'

“Nine-Leaf Heavenly Heart Lotus? pure immortal body?”

Lu Chen flipped his wrist.

In his palm, a light flashed.

A lotus flower, crystal clear throughout with nine leaves, each vein flowing with golden divine radiance, appeared out of thin air.

With the appearance of this lotus, the air in the entire bedroom instantly became incredibly fresh. Just taking a breath of the escaping fragrance made Yan Lingji feel that her illusory Divine Soul had stabilized significantly!

“This...”

Yan Lingji's eyes widened, her soul body trembling violently, her voice changing pitch.

“The Nine-Leaf Heavenly Heart Lotus!”

Before she could recover from the shock.

Lu Chen casually reached into the Void Realm with his other hand.

He pulled out a ball of soft white light. Within that light, one could vaguely see the outline of a flawless female body, emitting a heart-palpitatingly pure aura.

“Boom!”

These two divine objects, which only existed in legends and which she didn't even dare dream of, were currently being held casually in this man's hands.

Yan Lingji felt her worldview shatter into pieces that couldn't be put back together.

What kind of family background was this? What kind of top-tier spendthrift was he?

This wasn't just a thick thigh; this was a pillar that held up the heavens!

“Thud!”

Without any hesitation.

She didn't even care about her so-called Half-Saint dignity anymore.

Yan Lingji knelt directly in mid-air, performing a standard five-point prostration towards Lu Chen.

“Master!”

“From this day forth, Yan Lingji belongs to you!”

“Forget being a manager; even if you make me a dog, I'll bark without hesitation!”

“As long as you bestow this body... no, these Materials upon me!”

Lu Chen looked at the mature woman in the red dress kneeling before him, her eyes so fervent she looked like she wanted to swallow him whole, and nodded in satisfaction.

Wasn't she now firmly in his grasp?

System products are always high-quality products.

This round of getting something for nothing was a massive profit.