EHW Ch69

Extra Story 1 · The Late System (Part 2)

Gu Fangzhi and Pei Xin looked at each other.

Before the system could speak, Gu Fangzhi quickly reached out and covered Pei Xin’s mouth.
“Don’t listen to him, he’s just a child. Doesn’t even know how to count properly. He’s joking.”

Pei Xin: “……”

System: 【……】

After a moment of silence, it replied: 【Such wishes violate our guidelines. Whether it’s three or ten thousand, even… in our employee manual, it’s clearly stated that this counts as bug exploitation.】

Gu Fangzhi wasn’t surprised. He nodded calmly. “Got it.”

System: 【Congratulations, player! You’ve reached a bad ending – sadly, hit by a truck, sadly, died.】

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

He awkwardly reloaded the save file.

Both Pei Xin and the system tactfully said nothing. The Hall of Mental Cultivation was filled with a deafening, benevolent silence.

Gu Fangzhi coughed lightly and asked, “Is there a limit to the number of wishes? If it’s not urgent, can we discuss first?”

System: 【Of course!】
System: 【This is an important matter, discussion is indeed necessary!】

Gu Fangzhi said, “Then you can’t eavesdrop.”

System: 【Understood! I won’t listen! Call my name when you’re done. While I wait, I’ll go sing, la la la la】

The singing voice gradually drifted away.

When they could no longer hear it, Gu Fangzhi plopped down on a chair.

He tugged Pei Xin’s sleeve. “Your Majesty, what kind of wish do you think we should ask for?”

“No rush,” Pei Xin said. “Before that, I want to know what this ‘game world’ it spoke of means.”

“The place I live, is it a game? Like a sandbox? And then where did Teacher come from?”

Pei Xin fixed his eyes on him. “Why didn’t Teacher ever tell Me about this?”

There was a trace of wounded confusion in his voice.

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

Great. The system’s arrival caused a family crisis.

He slid his hand down from Pei Xin’s sleeve to intertwine their fingers, giving them a small shake.

Why hadn’t he said it before?

First, there was no manual for the system. Gu Fangzhi feared revealing his origin might trigger some restriction or true Bad Ending. If he ended up neither alive nor dead, that’d be the end.

Second, it wasn’t important.

Even without knowing his identity, Pei Xin already understood the kind of person he was.

The one standing before him was his true self.

Home wasn’t some fixed point in the air. Gu Fangzhi had long lost his family in his previous life. It was only after transmigrating that he’d felt warmth again.

He liked this world, the Gu brothers, Snowball, Song Jingzhou, Qin Xuan, Ye Bao, Yang Luhai… and Pei Xin.

As long as everyone was together and content, that was what mattered.

Third, and very importantly, if Pei Xin found out he was from another world, wouldn’t that mean he could never pretend to be the older one again?

Ah, the joy of acting superior… once tasted, you can’t stop.

When Pei Xin heard his reasoning, he sighed.

Then he reached out, pinched Gu Fangzhi’s cheeks, and pulled.

“Teacher… in My eyes, you’ve long lost your dignity as an Imperial Mentor… and you still think you can fool Me? Stop treating Me like a child!”

“Ah, ow ow ow! I get it! Small hands, please let go, your teacher’s back hurts!”

Pei Xin: “……”

He let go, still frowning.

But when he remembered how Gu Fangzhi had shyly lowered his lashes earlier and whispered, “I think of this place as home,” his expression softened again.

Pei Xin’s emotions went up and down like waves, anger, joy, sorrow, all tangled together, before finally condensing into one line: “Father, let’s decide the three wishes first.”

Gu Fangzhi: “?”

Whoa, Father? That was a big promotion.

***
The two huddled together for a long time, whispering, dipping fingers in tea to scribble notes on the table.

By the time dusk fell, Eunuch Yang Luhai cautiously called from outside, asking if they wanted dinner. Only then did the two finally stop.

“Let’s settle with this,” Gu Fangzhi said. “Later, Your Majesty, remember to play along. If you can’t say the lines, at least look pitiful.”

“I understand.”

Gu Fangzhi took a breath and looked upward. “System, system, are you there? You can come back now.”

System: 【La la la】
The singing voice returned, growing closer: 【Host, have you finished your discussion? What are your wishes?】

Gu Fangzhi smiled gently. “Before making a wish, I have a few questions.”

System: 【Of course! Ask away!】

Gu Fangzhi: “You said I’ve already completed my mission. Will my system be taken back? The one that lets me save progress.”

System: 【Of course, , not.】

Its digital tone sounded shocked. 【That would be like not paying a pension after retirement!】

Gu Fangzhi was relieved.

He continued: “How many people can a host bind at most?”

System: 【Depends on the length of their names. Too long and not even one fits.】

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

What, is this written on paper?

He asked again, “Then can I still add a few more people?”

System: 【Unfortunately, no. The space is full. Sorry!】

Gu Fangzhi wasn’t surprised. He even comforted the crestfallen system. “It’s fine.”

System: 【Do you have any other questions, Host?】

“No questions,” Gu Fangzhi said, “but something to say.”

System: 【What is it?】

“The three wishes are too few. You said this was a major system error. So let’s make it ten.”

System: 【Host, I can offer alternative compensation. Gold and silver, do you like those?】

“……” Gu Fangzhi ground his molars.

“I. Don’t. Want. Gold. I want wishes.”

System: 【But that’s against policy! Three wishes are already top-level compensation!】

Gu Fangzhi didn’t answer immediately. He tilted his head, propped his chin on his hand, gazed down at a melancholy forty-five-degree angle, giving the system a heartbreakingly beautiful side profile.

Then he asked, “Do you even understand what your so-called ‘major system error’ means?”

A faint buzz of confusion came from the system.

Gu Fangzhi began:

“The moment I arrived, I nearly got beheaded.”

“Again and again.”

“I was almost kicked to death by a horse.”

“And that one time, during a snowstorm, I was cold and sleepy. Just as I dozed off, your system decided I was too sleepy and gave me a Bad Ending, forcing me to restart.”

“Do you know what I went through all this time?”

“…Forget me.”

System: 【……This…】

Gu Fangzhi stood beside Pei Xin with a heartbroken expression.

“Do you realize how much he suffered from all this? This poor child hasn’t had a single good night’s sleep all year. He wakes up in the middle of the night standing at attention, sometimes starts eating his brush mid-sentence, and now half the court thinks he stutters!”

As instructed earlier, Pei Xin lowered his head and perfectly played the part of a man abandoned in the pouring rain.

System: 【……】

Truly too pitiful.

It relented: 【Then… then… five wishes!】

Gu Fangzhi sighed sadly. “It was a cold, rainy night…”

System: 【……Six! No more!!】

Gu Fangzhi lamented, “Thunder roared, the north wind wailed…”

System: 【Seven!! That’s the limit! Seriously!!】

Gu Fangzhi’s smile bloomed like spring. “Deal.”

System: 【Then, what are your wishes?】
Truth be told, it was starting to feel curious about what he would ask for.

But before Gu Fangzhi could speak, Pei Xin did.

He said, “Teacher’s system may allow saving and rewinding, avoiding death and aging, but it’s confined to a single, fixed timeline.”

Pei Xin asked, “That could get boring. Could we visit the past or the future?”

System: 【Yes.】

It agreed instantly, as if expecting this question.

【Each time you achieve a new ending or a Happy Ending, you’ll earn a paid vacation trip, one per ending.】

Gu Fangzhi: “Just one? You know, it was raining hard, my heart was cold, and His Majesty’s heart had already shattered into pieces…”

He went on dramatically, trying to move the system’s circuits through pity.

But no matter how he coaxed, the system refused to budge, until finally, cornered, it muttered that vacations could stack and be saved up for later.

System: 【Phew, I’m exhausted. Host, what’s your second wish?】

Gu Fangzhi exchanged a look with Pei Xin.

He asked, “You said no one else can be added to my bound list. But can certain people keep their memories from before a save reload?”

System: 【Technically, yes. But even then, it won’t be like the Little Tyra- uh, Pei Xin, who remembers every reload. At most, after achieving a Happy Ending, they’ll retain memories into the next round.】

Pei Xin said, “That already sounds like a blessing.”

A dragon, quietly envious.

System: 【Who do you want to retain memories, Host?】

Of course, the Gu brothers; Snowball too. And Qin Xuan, Ye Bao, Song Jingzhou, Yang Luhai…

Gu Fangzhi said, “Not many, just seven or eight people and one dog.”

System: …

So many.jpg

System: 【Host, you know ‘Emperor of the Great Qi’ is just a small indie game. The more people who remember, the more memory it consumes, it might lag or even crash!】

Gu Fangzhi caught the implication. “You mean…”

System: 【I mean… this counts as another wish!】

Gu Fangzhi and Pei Xin looked at each other.

They had already predicted the system wouldn’t agree easily, and had mentally prepared to spend three wishes on this.

Pei Xin raised a brow; Gu Fangzhi winked back.

Putting on a pitiful expression, Gu Fangzhi sighed. “Alright, fine.”

System: 【Then you have three wishes left. What’s the fourth?】

Pei Xin said, “That spell… that magic, let Me play with it.”

System: “Eh?” 【That’s all? Actually, I can unbind you. You wouldn’t have to suffer so much anymore.】

Pei Xin pursed his lips.

Gu Fangzhi had said the same earlier.

Not being bound would free him from torment, and yet, deep down, Pei Xin didn’t want that. It felt like this bond was the red thread connecting them. He didn’t want it cut.

Ah… maybe he liked the suffering.

Pei Xin said firmly, “No need. Just lend it to Me.”

System: 【Uhh… fine.】

Gu Fangzhi sighed softly.

He wasn’t exactly attached to the system, nor afraid of Pei Xin’s revenge, but his heart still fluttered nervously.

Even before the transfer, he already fully understood how Pei Xin felt every time he opened his eyes, half terrified, half resigned.

System: 【Alright, next is the fifth wish.】

“The game should have a shop system, right? Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to buy extra save slots.”

Gu Fangzhi asked, “Can you open it for me? There are quite a few things I’d like to buy.”

System: 【Yes, it exists. But the items are rather expensive. Most of them are things like military manuals, smelting formulas, and wound medicine. From your era, there are only small things like tissues or pens, nothing larger.】

The system asked considerately: 【Would you like me to open the shop↑?】

Gu Fangzhi hesitated for a moment, then said, “Open it!”

System: 【Mmm. okay!】

Gu Fangzhi then said, “For the sixth wish, heal my eldest brother’s hand.”

System: 【It can be done.】

【But not in this current round; events here are already fixed. The repair can only begin in the next cycle.】

That was already good enough. Gu Fangzhi felt a weight lift from his chest.

The system’s tone lightened, sounding almost cheerful now that it was nearly done:
【And now, the final wish.】

Pei Xin said, “We haven’t decided on that last wish yet.”

System: 【That’s fine. You can call me again once you’ve decided. I’ll just…】

“Actually, I’ve decided,” Gu Fangzhi interrupted, cutting off both Pei Xin and the system.

Pei Xin looked at him in surprise.

They’d agreed earlier to save one wish for later use.
So if Gu Fangzhi suddenly changed his mind, there must be a reason. Pei Xin raised his brows, waiting.

Then he heard Gu Fangzhi ask softly, “He can’t sleep well and keeps having nightmares. Can that be cured?”

Pei Xin froze.

He said, “…I’m fine. It’s been much better lately. Teacher doesn’t have to waste a wish on something so small…”

Gu Fangzhi placed a hand on top of Pei Xin’s.

Since they’d started sleeping in the same bed, Pei Xin’s insomnia and nightmares had indeed improved, but he still sometimes woke in the middle of the night.

The imperial physicians said it would heal in time. But…

Gu Fangzhi’s warm, gentle palm rested over Pei Xin’s hand.

He smiled. “How is that a small matter? Be good, and listen.”

Pei Xin stared at him, dazed, feeling his heart melt into ripples.

System: 【It can be done. Are you sure?】

Gu Fangzhi’s answer was firm, without hesitation: “Of course.”

Pei Xin suddenly wanted to kiss him again, not the deep, passionate kind, but a loud, joyful kiss on the forehead or cheek.

He also wanted to hug him, not tightly enough to crush, but just to wrap an arm around his waist, lift him off the ground, and spin him once in the air.

System: 【All done. Six wishes used. Host can check the rewards in the user center↑.】

System: 【Then I’ll be off! If you encounter any bugs or emergencies, you can contact me via the user center email! Bye!】

The system hummed a cheerful tune as it drifted away.

When its voice finally faded, Gu Fangzhi opened the save interface again.

This time, it looked completely different.

Under the title 《Emperor of Great Qi》, aside from the usual Save and Load buttons in the lower left, two new icons had appeared in the upper right corner.

The one on the left was the Shop icon. Opening it revealed an impressive selection, categorized neatly, from daily necessities to books, education, even real estate.

Only the currency looked strange: a looping symbol, like a Möbius ring, nothing like any currency Gu Fangzhi knew.

When he tapped it, a note popped up: This is “Load Coin.”

He tested it.

Pei Xin, curious, leaned over. “Teacher, what do you see?”

Ah, he’d forgotten to explain. How embarrassing.

The balance changed from 0 to 1, meaning he earned 1 coin every time he loaded a save.

A pack of tissues cost 150 coins. Indeed expensive, but at least it no longer required spending gold. Gu Fangzhi felt oddly relieved.

The icon beside the shop was the User Center.

When he opened it, he saw his profile:

Host: Gu Fangzhi, Pei Xin

Bound System: No.002 (Email Available)

Remaining Transfer Attempts: 1 (For Internal Use)

Target of Strategy: [Blank]

BE Endings Achieved: 133

HE Endings Achieved: 0

Memory-Retention Users: 0 (Manual Addition Required)

Vacation Count: 0

He immediately added Gu Yunchuan, Gu Huaiyu, Manman, and the others to the Memory-Retention list.

When he exited the main page, he actually felt refreshed, clear-headed and light.

He exhaled and smiled at Pei Xin. “Now this is a real cracked version.”

Pei Xin asked, “So when can I try it too?”

Gu Fangzhi shuddered. “When I’m ready, alright?”

Pei Xin asked, “And when will Teacher be ready?”

“Sev- ”

“Seven days later?”

Gu Fangzhi mumbled, “Seventy years later.”

Pei Xin chuckled. “Haha, Teacher is so humorous.”

Gu Fangzhi pinched his own philtrum hard.

He took a deep breath. “Or… how about now?”

Pei Xin thought for a moment. “That works too.”

He was about to ask if there were any instructions when suddenly his vision went dark.

When he opened his eyes again, he was surrounded by a golden space, like an isolated world.

In the bottom left corner were the words Save Game. Tapping them opened four neatly labeled save slots.

He casually saved into an empty slot. The image on the screen replaced the real world before him.

Even though Gu Fangzhi had described it before, seeing it himself still filled Pei Xin with awe.

It was… incredible.

And alongside awe came fear.

If someone else had this system,
someone smarter than Gu Fangzhi, the world would descend into chaos.

Someone more ambitious, also chaos.

Someone less intelligent, still chaos.

Even Pei Xin himself, if he’d had this back when he fought wars or first ascended the throne, he wasn’t sure what he might have done.

In Gu Fangzhi’s hands, however, it was just right.

He breathed out a quiet sigh and opened the Load screen.

As he reached for the most recent save, he suddenly frowned.

The translucent interface allowed him to see both the system and the real world beneath it.

He could see Gu Fangzhi sitting at the table, holding a teacup, perfectly still.

Pei Xin reached out to touch him, and actually felt his fingers.

He pressed down lightly; the teacup tilted against Gu Fangzhi’s lips, spilling tea that ran down his wrist and into his sleeve.

Pei Xin grabbed a cloth to wipe it, his brows furrowing deeper.

He was a mature man.
A mature man should never take advantage of someone who can’t move.

And certainly, he must never kiss someone who can’t move.

But… however… still…

Something possessed him, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Gu Fangzhi’s cheek.

Usually, he kissed too hard, afraid Gu Fangzhi might treat him like a child.
This time, the kiss was feather-light, soft, trailing from cheek to mouth.

He brushed his nose against Gu Fangzhi’s, then captured his lips, tongue teasing them open, coaxing, tasting, forgetting entirely that he’d only meant to steal one chaste kiss.

Pei Xin murmured Gu Fangzhi’s name, and that sound jolted him awake.

He sprang upright and slammed the Load button.

Pei Xin straightened his face, pretending composure. “Teacher, I’ve already, ”

But Gu Fangzhi suddenly bent over, clutching his stomach.

Pei Xin blinked. “Teacher, are you unwell?”

He hurried over, only to see Gu Fangzhi’s ears burning red.

Gu Fangzhi stammered, “You, damn brat!”

Pei Xin, normally clever, had somehow lost all sense just now.

But since he could perceive Gu Fangzhi’s save, it meant, after Gu Fangzhi lent him the system, Gu Fangzhi also retained his memories from when Pei Xin loaded the save.

In other words, he knew about the kiss.

He’d felt nothing at the time, frozen and immobile… but when Pei Xin reloaded, every sensation came flooding back,

every touch, every kiss.

The memory surged through his body, heat pooling low in his abdomen.

Gu Fangzhi covered his stomach, hiding his face, biting down to suppress the sound that almost escaped his throat.

The feeling was so overwhelming that he rasped hoarsely, “You damn brat!”

Pei Xin immediately understood why he was reacting like that, and blushed too.

But as the saying goes: if the other person’s more embarrassed, you’re not embarrassed anymore.

Pei Xin reached out, pinched Gu Fangzhi’s flushed ear, and said with a smile,
“Teacher, how about… we try again later?”

Gu Fangzhi didn’t even think. “No no no no no no no no no no no, !”

Gu Fangzhi: “?”

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

Great. Instead of learning good things, Pei Xin had learned how to use Load Game to shut him up.

Gu Fangzhi, furious, clamped his mouth shut, snatched the teacup from the table, and drank.
One gulp, two, three, four-

Pei Xin asked, “Is it good?”

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

Wonderful. He didn’t even like tea anymore.

Watching Gu Fangzhi’s thoroughly flustered expression, Pei Xin’s lips curled upward.

Ah, how satisfying for a dragon’s heart.