[Immortal Venerable], [Untouchable Flower on the High Peak], [Ethereal and Cold], [Aloof], [Ascetic], [White Moonlight], [Heaven’s Chosen], [Eternal Light of the Cultivation World], [Cold-Blooded].  

Wait.  

[Cold-Blooded]?  

Wasn’t this tag missing earlier?  

Shen Qixi looked again, and Rong Xueci’s tags reverted to [Immortal Venerable], [Untouchable Flower on the High Peak], [Ethereal and Cold]… [Eternal Light of the Cultivation World].  

No [Cold-Blooded].  

Was Rong Xueci ever associated with cold-bloodedness?  

Shen Qixi fell into thought.  

Cold-bloodedness leaned toward cruelty.  

Strange—why did this tag appear and then vanish so suddenly?  

In Shen Qixi’s memory, and in the eyes of the world, Immortal Venerable Rong Xueci should have nothing to do with cold-blooded cruelty.  

Below, Rong Xueci arrived at the source of the distress call within the secret realm.  

Two cultivators from other sects were entangled in vines, their faces twisted in pain and despair. Their bodies were lacerated by the thorns on the vines, blood seeping through their torn sect uniforms.  

When Rong Xueci appeared, they struggled to wave, continuing their desperate cries, “Help! Save us!”  

A surge of powerful light flickered in Rong Xueci’s hand as a sharp longsword wreathed in pale golden flames materialized.  

He tilted his head slightly.  

Then, with a swift horizontal slash, his blade cleaved through the two pleading figures!  

Rong Xueci watched expressionlessly as the two were severed—only for their bodies to transform into writhing vines.  

“Help!”  

“Save… us… (garbled noise)…”  

The vines mimicked the voices of the dead.  

Rong Xueci frowned, displeased.  

This demonic beast had temporarily separated him from his wife—utterly unforgivable.  

His spiritual power annihilated it, golden flames engulfing the brambles.  

As he turned to leave, his expression abruptly shifted.  

“No…” A low, suppressed gasp escaped Rong Xueci’s throat.  

His slender, pale hand pressed against his face.  

Between his fingers, his dark pupils dilated into vertical, beast-like slits of molten gold.  

Behind him, a fluffy white cat’s tail gradually materialized.  

“The Temptation Demon Factor?” His voice dripped with icy menace, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.  

His temples throbbed, his hair rapidly bleaching snow-white.  

The feline transformation he had barely suppressed was now resurfacing under the influence of the Temptation Demon Factor—a substance extracted from the Spirit Cat Clan, inherently potent against their kind.  

Rong Xueci glanced upward, wary of his wife noticing his change. He quickly retreated, casting a concealment spell to mask his aura.  

For now, meeting her was impossible.  

Rong Xueci’s brow furrowed.  

“……”  

Shen Qixi waited for Rong Xueci’s return.  

The distance between them wasn’t great, so she could observe his actions.  

When the pleading figures revealed themselves as demonic beasts, her heart lurched—a stark reminder of how terrifying the creatures of the cultivation world could be.  

She silently took mental notes.  

Had another cultivator stumbled into this vine-laid trap, they might’ve suffered injuries before escaping.  

But since it was Rong Xueci dealing with the beast, the matter was effortlessly resolved.  

Just as Shen Qixi expected him to return, his aura suddenly vanished.  

Her grip tightened.  

She didn’t want anything to happen to him.  

A moment later, Rong Xueci’s voice, steady and composed, reached her ears via spiritual transmission:  

“Madame, I’ve detected something unusual here and need to investigate further.”  

“Stay where you are and wait for me.”  

“I won’t be long.”  

Before Shen Qixi could respond, his voice faded.  

From then on, even if she wanted to contact him, she had no means to do so.

Rong Xueci had used spiritual energy to contact her, meaning communication artifacts were ineffective.

Now that she couldn’t track his whereabouts or reach him on her own, she had completely lost contact with her husband.

The sudden disappearance left Shen Qixi unsettled.

He’s strong. Nothing will happen to him. She took a deep breath.

But… how long would she have to wait?

[Host.]

[I’m back.]

After a while, the system’s voice echoed in Shen Qixi’s mind.

This only confirmed that Rong Xueci had truly moved far beyond her range—otherwise, the system wouldn’t dare show itself.

[Host, did your husband give you any trouble earlier?] The system asked with concern.

For once, Shen Qixi felt a flicker of warmth.

Honestly, no one had ever worried about that before.

In the cultivation world, everyone believed Rong Xueci marrying her was already an act of grace.

Having caught him in what might have been a lie, Shen Qixi’s emotions were complicated—but without solid proof, complaining to the system was pointless.

“No,” she finally replied.

By conventional standards, Rong Xueci was a gentle, considerate husband.

That was also one reason she had never dared—or wanted—to question their marriage.

“By the way, system.” Shen Qixi hesitated before asking, “Can a person’s tags change?”

[Of course!]

The system answered matter-of-factly.

[A character’s traits at the beginning and end of their arc aren’t always the same. Some development in between is perfectly normal.]

That sounded like a gradual, long-term transformation.

“What if it changed for just a moment, then reverted?” Shen Qixi pressed.

[Huh?] The system seemed puzzled.

[That shouldn’t be possible.]

Shen Qixi smiled faintly. “Then maybe I misread it.”

[No, no!]

[It might’ve been a minor glitch in the tagging mechanism while I was away. I’ll fix it later—don’t worry.]

“Also… do you know what Rong Xueci is doing now? When will he return?”

[Rong Xueci is this world’s protagonist. I can’t probe too deeply, or the world’s creator might notice.] The system sounded apologetic.

Considering Shen Qixi was a native—and the doomed, devoted wife from the original plot—it added:

[Host, you don’t need to worry about your husband. Essentially, this dungeon’s mishap exists to give the protagonist a chance to shine—to swoop in and save everyone.]

[In this world, the protagonist is invincible. He’ll definitely return safely to fetch you.]

“I know he’s strong.” Shen Qixi’s voice was soft, her smile not reaching her eyes, her heart strangely hollow.

It suddenly struck her—even if Rong Xueci never chose to kill his wife to prove his Dao, did she really want to stay with him, the world’s most powerful cultivator?

Had she ever truly been happy with him?

She opened the system panel and checked her level.

LV.8

At LV.10, she could finally build her foundation. With the 100% Universal Breakthrough Pill, she could fulfill her century-long dream of advancing beyond Qi Refinement.

“Are there any side quests available now?” she asked.

[Sorry, no.]

“None at all?”

[Mhm. When the male lead is present, the entire dungeon’s fortune revolves around him.]

With Rong Xueci here, everyone else became a side character.

She, too, could only play the role of his wife.

Shen Qixi lowered her head. “So if I want to level up, I just have to wait?”

[Host, you can do daily quests!]

[The EXP from daily quests is more than enough for leveling up before LV.10!]