The male supporting character was actually myself.

She breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Jiang Chen whose face was slightly flushed, and considerately wiped his sweat, covered him with a blanket, and comforted him, "Don't worry, I will take responsibility for you!"

I'm definitely not the kind of fickle, womanizing woman who gets bored easily.

As long as you obediently follow me and become my man, I'll indulge your every desire. Even if you want to be an emperor, I'll find a way to conquer an empire for you!

Jiang Chen: ?_?...

I'm sorry, I forgot, the young lady is a powerful figure in a matriarchal world...

The kind of reserved demeanor that Central Plains women in this mission world would display if a strange man glanced at them too much would likely not apply to her.

The more I think about it, the more ashamed I feel of being taken advantage of.

Damn it!

I'm a modern man, why would I get angry or embarrassed if a young woman touched me a couple of times?!

Ling Xiao slowly put on his clothes. He turned his head and saw that the other person was shirtless, wrapped in a blanket, with a slightly red face and a hint of resentment in his eyes. He wondered if he had been too hasty in dressing.

Shouldn't we try to calm them down now?

“I didn’t bring any men’s clothes in this carriage, and your clothes are all tattered and covered in blood, so let’s just leave them.” She knelt down and gently covered him with a blanket, saying softly, “Lie down and rest first, then try to circulate your internal energy to heal your injuries.”

There's a market town not far ahead; once we get there, I'll buy you as many nice clothes as you want.

After a pause, Ling Xiao added, "I'll buy you whatever you want, just rest well!"

Chapter Six: Who's keeping whom is still uncertain.

Jiang Chen almost vomited blood again.

As it turns out, when it comes to matters between men and women, who comes out on top and who comes out on the bottom depends entirely on how the other person thinks.

Ling Xiao was clearly pleased that she had gotten the better deal, and even hummed a tune with an exotic flair while putting on her clothes; on the other hand, he was unable to move around and didn't even have any clothes on. He lay naked in the carriage wrapped in a blanket, looking like a girl who had been played with by bandits.

"Host, are you feeling any better now?"

The fluffy little ball hopped over to his side, and even peeked under the blanket he was wrapped in. He covered his mouth with his paw and giggled, "I read in martial arts stories that after healing with internal energy, you can immediately jump around again. Is that true?"

Tsk tsk tsk, no wonder Miss Lingxiao couldn't resist.

Your stunning beauty is truly... too alluring! Meow likes it too, hehehe~ Especially since the host is seriously injured and unable to take care of himself, he has a kind of delicate, sickly beauty..."

As the little white cat mumbled and babbled on, Jiang Chen's face grew increasingly dark.

"I must find Huo Changyun!" After a moment of silence, he took a step back, growing angrier with each thought. He sat up and roared, "I must find out the truth! I must know who was behind the massacre of my disciples and the destruction of my Hundred Flowers Valley!"

It's all the fault of the mastermind behind this!

If they hadn't framed Huo Changyun, so many people wouldn't have besieged Baihua Valley; if the subordinates in Baihua Valley hadn't been slaughtered, the original owner wouldn't have died fighting to save Huo Changyun!

If the original owner hadn't died so tragically, I wouldn't have had such a frustrating start. The culprit is the mastermind behind all of this!

"I'll tear him to pieces!"

"I will grind his bones to dust!"

…………

The sudden roar actually relieved Ling Xiao, who was driving.

Her biggest worry was that the other person would lose confidence and become despondent after being seriously injured and losing everything. The fact that he could shout it out now meant that his spirit had not been completely extinguished.

"Okay, I'll help you find Huo Changyun's whereabouts first." She lifted the curtain and handed him a water pouch. "Drink some water and rest. This is how you vent when you're unhappy."

We'll find your friend first, then look for clues to help you get revenge. As long as you're happy, I can lead you to wipe out their entire family!

I don't know much about the sects in the Central Plains. Do you remember which sects were chasing you?

Tell me which one is closest, and we'll go wipe out one faction to vent your anger!

"No need." Jiang Chen was even angrier.

He's a renowned, straight-laced doctor in the martial arts world, but after getting injured, he's being indirectly kept by someone. How can he tolerate that?

Looking angrily at the numerous wounds on his body that had already begun to scab over, he quickly deflated. He had no choice but to endure it; after all, he lacked the strength to back down.

Horcruxes are a safety net, but due to their limited control, they can only be used to kill.

Miss Lingxiao is my savior, and just now... I can't repay kindness with enmity and hurt her. The original owner's martial arts are too poor to escape. What else can I do?

The carriage bumped along the rugged mountain road. Jiang Chen could only turn his displeasure into motivation, putting all his effort into practicing his cultivation technique to try and recover as soon as possible. The little white cat was not idle either, constantly tinkering and trying to crack the locked system space.

While the two of them, along with a cat and a carriage, were leisurely traveling along the road, the protagonist, Huo Changyun, was living a very stifled life.

"Giggle giggle~"

This is a farmhouse courtyard. Next to the simple wooden house is a stack of firewood, and several free-range hens are clucking and pacing around in the grass, scratching for food.

Huo Changyun lay prone in the gap beneath the house, which was hidden by a pile of firewood, clutching the Moonflower Sword tightly in his hand. His eyes, which had been bloodshot all night, were red.

"Da da da! De er de er!"

A group of people ran past on the main road not far away; he could tell they were dressed as members of the Tianxin Sect.

It seems that the sects that united to besiege Hundred Flowers Valley are still hunting me down...

"Why, why?!" Huo Changyun clenched his right fist and gritted his teeth to suppress the raging anger in his chest as he recalled the horrific massacre of his family yesterday.

I was just recuperating at Brother Shangguan's residence, so how did I attract all this trouble?

Not only was he labeled a demon by those so-called righteous sects, but he also implicated his brother, Shangguan. His loyal guards fought to the death, and the once prosperous and peaceful Hundred Flowers Valley was reduced to ruins by burning, killing, and looting. Even his brother Shangguan...

The scene from that time flashed before his eyes again: Brother Shangguan pushed him into the bamboo basket of the zipline, which could only accommodate one person, and untied the rope, while he did his best to guard that cliff.

As the view grew increasingly distant and blurred, Shangguan Jiangchen, dressed in white and exuding elegance, fell off a cliff, covered in blood and stabbed multiple times.

"Boom!"

Huo Changyun slammed his fist into the ground with a fierce punch; he was filled with hatred!

He hated his own incompetence, for even with unparalleled swordsmanship, he was still powerless to turn the tide.

I hate that rabble who, under the guise of justice, indiscriminately kill innocent people.

He would remember the blood feud and repay it a hundredfold, a thousandfold, ten thousandfold. He vowed not to be a man until he had wiped out all the sects that had attacked him and avenged his brother Shangguan!

The sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance. Huo Changyun checked the time and decided to take a short rest there.

After resting up, I'll travel at night and find a secluded place to hide. I'll practice my newly mastered Broken Flower Sword technique until I'm completely proficient, ensuring I have the means to take revenge before returning to the martial world to wreak havoc!

Under the bright autumn sun, the horse-drawn carriage, its wheels rumbling, finally emerged from the mountains and came into view a bustling market town in the distance, brimming with the vibrant atmosphere of everyday life.

"Let's go buy you some clothes first, and then see what good food we can get." Ling Xiao turned around, lifted the curtain, and looked at Shangguan Jiangchen, who was still diligently practicing her internal energy to heal her injuries. A smile appeared on her pretty face.

He exhaled a breath of stale air and opened his eyes, only to find the other person staring unabashedly at his upper body. His face flushed slightly, and he pulled the blanket over himself, asking in return, "Weren't you all covered up before? Why aren't you hiding your face now?"

"You mean that? It's a custom on our Dragonflame Island that unmarried women can choose to cover their faces so that men who are interested in them won't judge them by their appearance and find it hard to be sincere."

Since I was a single girl before, I naturally had to wear a headscarf.

Now that I've decided you're my husband, why am I still hiding anything?"

Jiang Chen: ...

The way she said "husband" carried such a strong sense of being a demure young wife.

She's clearly a petite and delicate girl, maybe eighteen or nineteen years old at most!

Ling Xiao knew this topic was rather sensitive, so he lowered the curtain, hummed a song, and continued speeding towards the market town.

The fluffy ball that had been fiddling around let out a sigh of relief, wiped non-existent sweat from its forehead, and squatted obediently at his feet, meowing sweetly, "Host, I've once again managed to shake off the title of 'useless' through my own efforts!"

I've effectively unlocked a small portion of the locked system space, so from now on you can stop being a stifled, submissive wife!

"Ta-da!" It struck what it thought was a cool pose with its own voiceover. It scratched its fluffy, round belly a few times with its right paw, but it still found nothing. It paused for a moment, then coughed and said, "Uh... sorry, something went wrong and I can't get it out for the time being, but it will definitely work."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen's eyes lit up. "The props can be used?!"

The fluffy ball wagged its big tail and waved its paws proudly, explaining, "To be precise, we only cracked this item by exploiting a loophole; the rest of the items in the space are still untouchable."

But I can operate within the space; I can sell some inventory and turn it into money for you to spend as you please!

"With enough money, the host won't need to be kept anymore! Maybe he can even become Ling Xiao's kept man!"

Chapter Seven: Hundred Flowers Pavilion

Jiang Chen: (ー_ー)!!

I thought I could find something in the inventory, like some secret manuals or weapons, to strengthen my forces, but it didn't work.

However, something is better than nothing; with enough money, many great things can be accomplished!

"My little Bai is really awesome!" Jiang Chen didn't hold back his praise, making the little dumpling beam with joy.

Having had its fill of being praised, the little white cat, under the guidance of its host, picked and chose some high-tech everyday items such as white sugar, glassware, soap, and refined salt, and exchanged them for the yellow and white things commonly used in this world.

"Hiahia~ My host is really amazing, he can sell a bag of sugar for such a high price!"

"The money we exchanged is temporarily stored in the piggy bank. I'll give it to you when you need it, Host." Having risen from a useless item to the host's money bag, the fluffy dumpling was clearly not satisfied and continued to find ways to crack the code whenever it had a spare moment.

This town is not too far from Hundred Flowers Valley, and the original owner was very familiar with this place.

Ling Xiao looked up at the three large characters "Hua Jin Cheng" at the city gate and muttered to himself, "So this means we've left the mountains and reached the plains? This city is quite large."

“Huajincheng is the largest town in the vicinity. It has a superior geographical location and convenient transportation, serving as a hub, so it's crowded and lively.” Jiang Chen leaned forward and pointed in a direction, “Go straight into the town and turn left at the crossroads. There's a fabric shop there; I need to buy a few outfits first.”

Seeing that his injuries had almost healed and he was in good spirits, Ling Xiao happily cracked his whip, "No problem, I'll do whatever you say!"

Many daily necessities for Baihua Valley are purchased and transported from Huajin City. As the Valley Master, Shangguan Jiangchen, who often travels the world, naturally knows this very well. He quickly directed the carriage to stop in front of the store where the original owner often ordered clothes.

"Boss, bring out all the men's clothing in your shop." Ling Xiao jumped off the carriage and stepped into the shop, his words filled with boundless pride.

The little white cat peeked out nervously, its head bobbing around. "Oh no, host! This girl doesn't seem to be short of money at all. Maybe we should exchange some more. We can't lose to her in spending money just because we can't beat her in martial arts!"

Jiang Chen peeked through the curtains and said calmly, "Let her spend as much as she wants first, and I'll take care of her when she runs out of money."

Hmph, I refuse to believe I can't turn the tide!

Upon hearing that a big customer had arrived, the shop owner eagerly followed Ling Xiao around, introducing her to various styles of clothing. Before long, the shop assistant was carrying piles of matching clothes, shoes, and socks into the carriage.

Jiang Chen: ...

The girl is probably not used to the cost of living in the Central Plains. Let her go on a shopping spree first, and when she runs out of money, it will be her turn to turn things around!