IBHON 03

Chater 03

It seemed that Mark noticed my distraction and opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but someone beat him to it and pulled my attention back.

“Master… master, something terrible has happened!” Outside the door, the butler came running in, shouting. His voice, like rolling thunder, made me jump.

Mark turned his head in annoyance, staring seriously at the butler. The expression on his face left no doubt about his anger, and somehow the traces of tears from earlier had completely disappeared.

“What shouting! You scared my precious daughter—watch out, or I’ll chop you up and feed you to the dogs!” Mark growled. At that moment, his aura was completely different from the one he’d had while sobbing over his daughter earlier.

His voice carried a unique pressure. As soon as he spoke, the butler collapsed to the ground, unable to move. The other servants looked uneasy, though I felt nothing at all.

“P-please forgive me, Master… I-I won’t dare again. This really is a serious matter!” The butler struggled to speak from the floor. I actually felt a bit sorry for him—having such a master was truly his misfortune.

It’s not that Mark is cruel or unreasonable; he’s simply a total daughter-obsessed dad.

“What is it? Speak.” Mark withdrew his pressure, but his frown didn’t soften at all. Any wrong word from the butler seemed like it would get him chopped, though I knew deep down that Mark wouldn’t actually go through with it.

The butler wasn’t like the others. He had been with Mark since the very beginning, when Mark started from nothing, and they were almost like brothers. But… well, Mark is a daughter-obsessed dad ╮(￣⊿￣)╭

“The Spring Spirit has been found!” The butler slowly stood up from the ground, shouting with excitement.

At this, Mark was visibly displeased. He stood up from the edge of the bed (he had been sitting) and yelled at the butler: “The Spring Spirit has been found? And you come to me saying something terrible has happened? Are you itching for a beating or what?”

“No, Master, hear me out. The person with the Spring Spirit said he’s willing to give it to us directly.”

“That’s good news! Can’t you tell that yourself? You really are itching for a beating.” Mark pointed at the butler’s nose, scolding.

“N-no…” The butler looked a little frustrated. Seeing the situation, I quickly interjected: “Father… uh… Dad, maybe let Uncle Butler finish what he’s saying.”

Goosebumps all over again!!!

Hearing my words, the butler seemed surprised, but only for a moment. He then nodded in agreement.

“Alright, then finish speaking.” Mark’s expression was also unusually surprised, which left me a little bewildered.

Did I say something wrong?

Why are they all looking at me like that?

Thinking back, I suddenly realized I hadn’t made any settings for this scenario.

Could it be that my tone gave me away?

I had no clue.

But they didn’t seem intent on questioning it further. The butler returned to his story: “He’s willing to give us the Spring Spirit, but there’s a condition.”

“Good boy… daring to set conditions with the Mark family. You’ve got guts, huh? Who is this guy anyway?” Mark’s aura flared, as if he wanted to go punch him himself.

“That guy is the son of the Eastern Soul Divine Realm’s domain lord. His name is Donghun Fubuki. Taking him on isn’t easy,” the butler replied honestly. Indeed, if Mark acted rashly, it could potentially spark a war between the Middle and Eastern Divine Realms. But knowing Mark’s nature, he probably wouldn’t care.

However, for once, he actually considered the consequences. He hesitated! Though not entirely.

“His father’s son? He came back unharmed? What condition did he propose?” Mark asked, clearly curious about this Donghun Fubuki.

The butler had initially planned to speak directly, but seeing me there, he leaned over and whispered softly into Mark’s ear.

I was a little speechless. Why pay attention to me? Just say it! I’m curious too—you don’t need to worry about my feelings!

After hearing the butler, Mark’s face immediately darkened. He asked, “Where is he now?”

“He’s in the meeting hall… though I don’t know if he brought the Spring Spirit.”

“Good. Let me go meet this Donghun Fubuki, see what kind of abilities he has to dare lay hands on the thing I treasure most.” With that, Mark walked out the door without looking back. The butler followed, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

Watching Mark leave, thinking about what he said and the tone he used, a foreboding feeling spread through me.

What does a daughter-obsessed dad treasure the most?

Of course—it’s his daughter!

And… I am his daughter now.

No way…

As a writer, I immediately imagined my impending fate. I just hoped it wouldn’t come true.

Right now, all I can do is lie in bed.

This is a kind of illness—or you could say a restriction I once placed on Lin Xiaoya.

My body now contains a huge amount of elemental energy, chaotic and uncontrollable. It once maintained a delicate balance, but because Lin Xiaoya started cultivating earlier, this balance was broken.

So now I can only stay in this sickbed.

It’s not that I can’t cultivate; it’s just that my method is different from ordinary people.

According to my setting, the correct cultivation method was recently painstakingly discovered by Mark.

The method is to continuously absorb spiritual items containing strong elemental power.

Absorption follows a specific order. The first item is the Spring Spirit, full of Spring energy.

Although absorbing the Spring Spirit can restore my health, it only treats the symptoms. To truly cure myself, I need that thing.

And that thing is not easily obtained. To inherit it, I must reach the pinnacle of this world.

In the original story, did Lin Xiaoya inherit it? Of course she did. But I’m not Lin Xiaoya—I lack that innate ability.

Beyond knowing the plot and settings, I’m useless.

I feel doomed. Being in this world isn’t necessarily a blessing. If I were the male lead, it would be much better. Male leads don’t have these ridiculous restrictions, and they have a protagonist aura—they simply can’t die.

The female lead’s settings are extremely powerful, so such a restriction is understandable.

But right now, the female lead is me!

If I could go back, I’d slap myself and make sure to tell that cursed wishing spirit exactly which character I wanted to become!

Alas… there are no “ifs.”