Transmigrated As A Cannon Fodder Sacrifice, I Tricked An Evil God Into Becoming My Live-In Husband - Chapter 20

After enduring the crowd’s enthusiastic greetings, Zheng Qiuyu practically fled back to the Listening Rain Pavilion.

The moment she stepped through the courtyard gate, the last of her forced composure crumbled.

Her vision went black, her body went limp, and she collapsed toward the ground.

Sister!

Lin Yue’er, who had been watching her closely, reacted swiftly, catching her before she fell. Her hand landed on Zheng Qiuyu’s arm, which felt burning hot.

You have a fever?!

Zheng Qiuyu leaned against Yue’er’s shoulder, too weak to even open her eyes. In a barely audible voice, she struggled to utter a few words

Don’t make a scene… Help me… see my… foolish husband…

Supported by Yue’er, Zheng Qiuyu walked to the Cold Jade Bed and gazed at the sleeping man lying there.

Between Zhuohuo’s blazing eyebrows, the aura of savage destruction seemed to have intensified. Even in his unconscious state, he radiated a presence that made one hesitate to approach.

Zheng Qiuyu reached out, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Gently, she placed the Soul-Nourishing Jade between Zhuohuo’s eyebrows.

The moment the jade touched his skin, it erupted in a brilliant light.

A gentle white light flowed like water, slowly seeping into Zhuohuo’s body through his furrowed brow.

Miraculously, his tightly knit eyebrows relaxed slightly.

The heart-stoppingly violent aura that had been emanating from him also subsided somewhat.

Zheng Qiuyu’s heart finally settled back into her chest.

In her mind, the System’s voice chimed in at the opportune moment.

Divine Soul Stability +3%

It’s working!

Zheng Qiuyu’s eyes lit up.

But the very next second, the System’s warning tone doused her with a bucket of cold water.

Warning Core Divine Source depleted. Requires Dragon Saliva Grass, infused with Primordial Dragon Qi, as a medicinal catalyst. Otherwise, the Soul-Nourishing Jade can only delay the collapse, not address the root cause.

The flicker of hope that had just ignited was instantly extinguished.

A temporary fix, not a cure.

These five words weighed on Zheng Qiuyu like five towering mountains, suffocating her.

She sought out Zhang Xuan again.

Dragon Saliva Grass?

Zhang Xuan’s face darkened considerably.

Great Master Zheng, this… this will be difficult.

Dragon Saliva Grass is the Ten Thousand Beasts Valley’s most treasured artifact, guarded by the Golden-Eyed Lion King, whose strength rivals that of a Late Golden Core cultivator.

Moreover, Ten Thousand Beasts Valley is a Forbidden Zone of the Azure Cloud Sect. No one can enter without the approval of at least half the Elder Council.

Zheng Qiuyu’s heart sank.

The Elder Council.

She remembered Elder Wang, who had shown her nothing but hostility.

Things were indeed more complicated than she had imagined.

But there was no turning back.

The next day, all the Azure Cloud Sect’s high-ranking members gathered for the Sect’s Regular Meeting.

Zheng Qiuyu stood at the center of the main hall, the focus of every gaze.

Forcing herself to remain calm, she stated her request.

…Therefore, this junior humbly requests the Elders’ permission to enter Ten Thousand Beasts Valley and gather Dragon Saliva Grass.

Before her words had even fully faded,

Bang!

A thunderous crash shook the hall, rattling the pillars and beams.

Elder Wang slammed his fist on the table and shot to his feet. His spiritual pressure surged outward, a Golden Core cultivator’s oppressive aura bearing down on Zheng Qiuyu.

His face contorted with fury, his finger jabbing inches from her face.

Impudence!

A woman of unknown origins, barely given an inch, now demands a mile!

First, she seized the best Cave Abode, then injured my poor nephew, and now she dares covet the Sect’s Forbidden Zone’s most precious treasure!

What are you really after?!

The atmosphere in the grand hall instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Seeing the silence, Elder Wang’s voice grew sharper, filled with inflammatory rhetoric.

Everyone, she’s been deceiving you all!

That so-called husband of hers is nothing but a world-destroying demon! She’s using the Azure Cloud Sect’s resources to nurture a fiend!

We’re inviting a wolf into our home!

He swept his gaze across the hall and proposed a vicious wager.

You want to go to Ten Thousand Beasts Valley? Fine!

But the Sect will provide no assistance whatsoever! If you die in there, you’ll deserve it!

And if you miraculously survive, your husband must submit to a Soul-Searching Examination by Pill Peak to prove his innocence!

Soul-Searching Examination.

The moment those four words were uttered, even Elder Li and Zhang Xuan, who had supported Zheng Qiuyu, paled.

It was the ultimate insult to a cultivator, and the slightest misstep could leave one a mindless husk.

Everyone believed Zheng Qiuyu was doomed.

Yet, cornered, Zheng Qiuyu smiled.

Her laughter was soft, yet it echoed clearly throughout the hall.

A cold, clear voice rang out.

Elder Wang is right.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Facing the sympathetic and gloating gazes of the cultivators, she threw out a term unfamiliar to all of them.

I don’t see this as a deliberate challenge.

I see it as… my husband’s first ‘KPI Assessment’.

Kay… Pee… Aye? An Elder stroked his beard, stammering the unfamiliar syllables, his face a mask of confusion.

What is that?

The crowd exchanged puzzled glances, utterly baffled.

Zheng Qiuyu calmly explained.

Key Performance Indicator. In simpler terms, it’s a measure of critical performance metrics.

If you want to know whether he’s worth your investment, you need to assess his potential, right?

This mission to retrieve the herb from Ten Thousand Beasts Valley is his opportunity to demonstrate that potential.

This line of reasoning was utterly novel.

The Elders, who had lived for centuries, were stunned by this unprecedented theory.

Zheng Qiuyu turned to Elders Li and Zhang, her supporters, and began painting a vision.

Consider this, Elders.

If I, a mere mortal woman with no martial prowess, can return safely from Ten Thousand Beasts Valley, what does that prove?

This proves that even in his slumber, he possesses the divine power to protect me!

It’s the best evidence that he will be able to safeguard the entire Azure Cloud Sect in the future!

Then, she turned her gaze to Elder Wang, her aura intensifying.

A god who can empower his believers to roam freely through the Forbidden Zone even in his sleep…

…versus an ordinary genius who requires the Sect to exhaust all its resources to save him…

Which offers a higher return on investment?

Elders, you are all wise individuals who have lived for centuries. Surely you can calculate this simple equation?

Return on investment.

The phrase struck their hearts like a heavy hammer.

Cultivation was, at its core, the ultimate investment.

Investing resources, time, and wagering everything on the possibility of ascension.

Zheng Qiuyu’s words directly targeted their most fundamental interests.

She had succeeded.

She had cleverly reframed a certain-death mission into a potential assessment project for the Sect’s divine son-in-law.

She had transformed her personal crisis into a high-stakes gamble for the Sect’s future.

Horrifyingly sharp glints erupted in the eyes of Zhang Xuan and Elder Li.

They were clearly completely convinced by this investment return theory.

Elder Wang choked, his face turning crimson as if someone had grabbed him by the throat.

After struggling for a long moment, he finally forced a sentence through gritted teeth

That sounds better than a song!

He sneered, his eyes venomous.

The Golden-Eyed Lion King won’t fall for your empty promises!

It only understands the language of fists!

I’d like to see how a mere Qi Refinement Stage Three cultivator like you plans to demonstrate your ‘husband’s’ divine might under the claws of a Demon King comparable to a Late Golden Core expert!