"Wait! If any one of us somehow manage to pass the trials you established, can we request something of you?", asked Zero out of the blue.

"Hmm? Yes, of course! Those who pass automatically become my subordinates, and I will always treat them with the utmost care, therefore they can request anything from me as long as it isn't too outrageous. By the way, just because I cannot leave this place, doesn't mean my underlings can't either. Although I say 'subordinates' I really only mean those whom I'll summon in times of need, so you can just wander around and go anywhere you want for the time being."

"Alright", nodded Zero as determination flashed through his eyes. He was going to cure his sister no matter what. Screw the life and death trials! As long as there's an opportunity to save her, he wouldn't hesitate to grab it.

"FengFe--- Junior Brother Liu, don't you dare go too far!", grumbled Shi LanHua as she gave him that 'I know what you're up to' look.

"I promise that I won't, and I'm sorry..." that this is the one thing I cannot do...

"Hmph! You'd better remember that promise!", pouted Shi LanHua.

Zero's heart softened at the sight of his beloved sister being so childish again. In this world, as long as his sister was by his side, he could endure anything, even death itself. Death... Ah, he was probably going to die soon, wasn't he? According to the script, he only had 6 and a half years to live. While that may seem like a lot, it truly wasn't enough...

At the thought of this, his heart hurt like hell. He didn't want to leave. His sister would be sad if he died, right? Even though Chu Qiu and Nie Yuan were a little annoying with their "lord this, lord that" everyday, they were still his precious friends. What would happen to those companions he made in town? 

'No... I don't want to leave..!'

[Host, you have to follow the script, or your soul will get obliterated. So if you leave or don't leave, there's basically no difference. This is why I told you not to get too attached to a world, or else host wouldn't want to leave anymore. As your system, it is my job to ensure that complete your mission.]

'Complete my ass! Would there still be any point in living if I can't do so in happiness?'

[... I'm sorry host. This system really doesn't want to do this either, but your life is mine. As soon as you die, I, who am bound to you, will also have to self destruct.]

'W-What? You didn't tell me that!'

[I didn't want host's mentality to be affected by such trivial matters... BooHoo... This little one doesn't want this either! But what can I do? If only we could make use of the plot holes, if any...]

'Plot holes? Does that mean I can like... Find myself a replacement?'

[Hmm? Theoretically, yes. I mean, as long as we manage to get the end result, which is having Nan XiSheng dominate this world, then everything's good. But how can things be that easy? For every story, we need a villain, or at least a problem to solve! Plus, things have already gotten to this point and the protagonist hates you a lot because you nearly killed him... Huh? Why is his hate bar still so low?]

'Okokok, I don't need to know any of that crap. I just want to know, is it possible to transfer the role of [Villain] onto another character?'

[Yes?]

'Is that so~ Hehehe'

[H-Host... you're kind of scaring me... Please don't laugh... it's really scary]

'... Shut up'

[T^T]

"Alright everyone! The first trial is a test of your mental strength. The trial of inner demons is one that many fail at because they are unable to deal with their greatest fears. Many people may think that they are able to deal with anything in this world because they are strong, but sometimes, the scariest things in life aren't those that we see as a threat, it's those that we cannot see.

The test that I am presenting to you is an inner demon test, which is to say that I will be bringing out your deepest and darkest fears. If you are able to defeat them, then you qualify for the second round; however, if you falter or become overwhelmed by the inner demon itself, then..." the woman made a slicing throat gesture, indicating that they'll die.

"You will be going one by one, so, who wants to go first?"

No one moved.

"Come on, if you no one comes up then I will be choosing myself!"

Still, no one moved.

"Geh, no fun! Alright then I'll be choosing", she said as she looked at each one of them carefully, "How about.... you!"

Everyone looked at where she pointed and saw that it was Zhang Jing, who had a look of despair written over her face.

Seeing that she had no choice but to comply, Zhang Jing shakily walked over to the beautiful woman. 

"Alright dear, are you ready?"

"Y-Yes miss!"

"Don't worry about it. Just calm yourself down. The more nervous you get, the more powerful your inner demon would be."

With that, she waved her hand and Zhang Jing was put inside a transparent confined space. Everyone else outside could only watch as she undergoes the test, but not interfere.

They saw that there was a black miasma that appeared in front of the feeble girl, then it morphed into the shape of a... pig?

The moment she saw this pig, Zhang Jing's eyes widened and she started to bawl.

"Wuwuwu! My little ZhuZhu! You've finally decided to come back to mommy!"

"Oink"

"Yes, I love you too"

"Oink, oink"

"Mhm, don't worry, I'll never treat you badly ever again!"

"Oink"

"You'll go home with me?"

"Oink"

"Thank god! Let's go home ZhuZhu!"

"Oink, oink, oink!"

"What?! You don't want to go with me? I'm sorry for turning you into roasted pork, okay?"

?!?!?!?!?!

Everyone, including the mysterious woman, had a baffled expression on their faces.

"So... her inner demon is a... pig?"

No one said anything, nor had anything to say.

This was truly the most bizarre inner demons trial they've ever seen.

Others would have love rivals, dead family, enemies, or even just those who they fear as their worst nightmares, but the girl in front of them is scared of a pig...

No words could express what they were feeling right now... But if there had to be one, then perhaps somewhere along the lines of 'constipated'.

After who knows how long, Zhang Jing and her pig seemed to have come to a consent, and it dissipated. Then the barrier around her dissipated and everyone stepped up to congratulate her victory. As for the contents of it.. cough.. let's not talk about that.

Surprisingly, the next person to go up was Yang Zhelan, and his inner demon turned out to be... Zero!

Although it was quite the surprise, the result wasn't completely shocking. After all, everyone under the heavens knows that Yang Zhelan is crazy when it comes to courting Shi LanHua, while Zero, her "companion", is fighting him for her.

Of course, Yang Zhelan, like the brute he is, straight up punched a hole in his stomach, which caused the inner demon to die with an insta-kill.

Next up was Chu Qiu, then Nie Yuan, then Zhou Fu, and finally it came to Shi LanHua.

She took a deep breath, and then, it began.

In front of her laid something unexpected. 

It was a slightly younger version of Zero, who was covered in bloody gashes and injuries, one arm was torn off, and he laid there with lifeless eyes.

Zero, who was watching this scene occur, trembled. He remembered this scene. It was during the war, when one of his wings and arms got torn off. He was severely injured, and if not for his quick wits and help of the spiritual beasts, he would never have survived this.

Similarly, Shi LanHua stared at this in a daze. 

"F-FengFeng?"

There was no reply.

"C-Come on! Hey, what's going on? You're such a strong person, you said you'd protect me forever, right? Please... stand up!"

She looked like she couldn't take it anymore and started sobbing. The bright and kind girl, who never showed any weakness before, is now holding a bloody corpse with tears streaming down her face and her immense grief was reflected in her eyes for everyone to see.

"I never wanted to see this ever again... At least, this is just an inner demon trial.", as she said those words, the 'Zero' in front of her dissipated and she stood up, calmness gradually returning into her eyes. Although it broke her heart to see this, Shi LanHua was not stupid. These events are ones that occurred many years ago. Isn't Zero alive and kicking right now? That's all that matters. The one and only thing she could never get rid of was the guilt which had plagued her for years, the fact that she failed as an older sister, the fact that she couldn't protect her one and only beloved younger brother. She ever really cared much for her other siblings, since all they ever do everyday was fight over the position of the heir to the throne. However, Zero was different. 

Born from the diluted bloodlines of a pureblooded phoenix and some unknown woman, he was bullied from a young age. But Lady Liu, the woman who gave birth to him, never had any thoughts of gaining the favor of the king of phoenixes, whereas she just lived her life in peace. She always had this dazed look on her face, which made her look dazzling.

Shi LanHua loved it. She loved how Lady Liu would always care for her more so than her own birth mother, as she was always thinking of ways to curry favor with the emperor.

She also loved her only son, Zero. He was very adorable. In fact, the moment he was born, she secretly made a vow that she would protect her little brother forever.

When Lady Liu died, she felt her whole world collapsing, and it was during those mournful days that Zero would always reach out to her and cheer her up with a big smile.

A kid who isn't even 4 already lost his mom, but he still worried about her more than he did so about himself.

The gesture may not have seemed like much, but to Shi LanHua, it meant the whole world. 

No one knows how much she cried that day, but when morning arrived, she swore to never let Zero experience the darkness of this world.

Sadly, things may not go as planned sometimes. Shi LanHua was simply too young, and even with her title as a 'genius', she could not prevent all the harassment that went flying towards Zero.

She felt so powerless, but she couldn't give up.

No matter what, she must protect him, even if it meant giving up her own life.

So when she saw her dearest little brother in a near-death state, she almost went crazy with sorrow and rage.

Thankfully, Zero was nursed back to his peak condition and woke up, but she would still experience constant nightmares of that day.

She could no longer be so weak.

She was the older sibling, so she should protect her younger one.

No matter the price.

----------

When the figure emerged from the trial, she had a clearer look in her eyes as she looked more dazzling than ever.

Although everyone had questions about her inner demons, they all knew now was not the right time to ask about it.

Yang Zhelan was feeling a bit down, knowing that the most important person in his love's heart was actually that damnable love rival. What was so good about him? He had a crappy attitude, always bullies others, and never once cared for anyone other than himself. Zhelan really felt stifled within, but had nowhere to vent his feelings.

As always, Nan XiSheng carried a curious and contemplating expression on his face, and he cautiously peeked at Zero, who was in a daze.

Unknowingly, his hatred bar decreased a little once again while he was pondering over matters regarding Zero.

"You, boy, the one in a trance, it's your turn."

Nan XiSheng suddenly jolted and looked up at the woman who was pointing at him.

"Sorry", he said.

Then, he walked up to the stage.

Surprisingly, his inner demons weren't Zero, but instead, it was darkness. Being all alone with no one, no company, just him. Like it had been back in the slums, fighting for food everyday, just hoping to eat one  more bit. Fighting to live.

'I'm past all that', he thought as he stood up and walked straight out of the formation.

"... Alllrrigghhttt.... Uhm, so the last person may go up now."

The moment he stepped into the confined space, the area around him transformed into total darkness.

Within that darkness, came a figure, one he was very familiar with. The figure was coated in blood, with a hole in her stomach and one of her eyes had been dug out of her socket.

"LanHua", he whispered.

"My dearest FengFeng, how could you leave me all alone?"

"..."

"You were supposed to protect me, but look at me! I'm wounded and my perfect body is destroyed!"

"..."

"I thought you were better than that! It's so painful, it hurts so much... this is all your fault!"

"Yes, yes, it's my fault", he finally replied calmly.

"Don't you feel any remorse? Looking at my sorry figure? You know what, I'll forgive you because I am so nice. Let us die together, that way, we'll always be with each other, like we promised, right?"

"..."

"Come on, does your love for me really only amount to so much?", the inner demon sneered.

---

Outside the formation

"No! Don't do it!", yelled Shi LanHua.

"What is going on? What promise...?", asked Yang Zhelan.

"We promised to stay together forever, way back then, but I'd never think that... the damned inner demon would use that against him!"

Yang Zhelan looked a little sorrowful once she said that.

'She seems to love him very much... Should I just give up..? No! You can't give up! Even if you're fighting a losing battle, never give up until the last second!', he debated internally.

---

Zero just looked at the sorry figure in front of him and honestly couldn't find any similarities between that and his beloved sister.

'This is supposed to be an inner demon test?', he questioned.

They were siblings for gods sake. He knows all the habits of his lovely sister, and he knows that she, who has the kindest heart in the world, would sacrifice herself for him. Even if he begged her, she would never let him die, let alone ask him to do so.

"Haaahh...", he sighed, clearly disappointed at the capability of this so called 'inner demon'. He came here to act out his part of the script, but when he heard of the test this mysterious woman was going to give, he had high hopes in it, as he thought that they could help in tempering himself. Zero took another look at the inner demon in front of him and thought, 'What is this plaything?'

The inner demon who's capability was being questioned: "..."

（╯TДT)╯ ╧╧

Then, he just turned around and walked straight out of the formation like Nan XiSheng did.

?!?!?!?!

Were inner demon tests so easy to pass these days?

"Wow~ I seemed to have gotten very strong people this time! I'm really looked forward to the next round!", cheered the woman.

But all of a sudden, she looked towards the sky and saw that it was getting dark, so she suggested, "Actually, nevermind. How about I bring you little ones to my house and we'll wait until tomorrow to continue the trials?"

All of them nodded without hesitation and they were exhausted and definitely needed to replenish their energy.

When they arrived at her so called 'house' they once again received the shock of a lifetime.

Heck.. how can this even be called a house?! It's practically a palace!

In front of them laid a two story mansion that looked as if it cost at least tens of millions of dollars to purchase.

"Welcome! I'm a bit embarrassed since it's my first time in a while letting strangers in, so help yourself! You will be sharing rooms, so please do find a partner."

Sharing rooms? In this big ass place? You've got to be kidding me! It's able to fit at least three times the people we have here right now!

Yang Zhelan's eyes shone like stars as he yelled, "I call dibs on LanHua!"

Before Zero could retort, the woman already stepped in and said, "No way. I don't want my place to be filled with sounds of people making out. Find another person to room with. Oh that is, unless you're not into women, but into men instead."

Both Shi LanHua and Yang Zhelan's face turned as red as a strawberry at her bluntness, and eventually, Shi LanHua went with Zhang Jing, while Yang Zhelan went to Zhou Fu.

Naturally, Chu Qiu and Nie Yuan both wanted to be in the same room as their lord, but due to all the ruckus they caused when fighting over that position, they were forcefully paired up by the mysterious woman.

In the end, Zero and Nan XiSheng were placed together.

'What is this feeling of deja vu?!', they both thought.

"One last thing before you go to your rooms, I don't want you smelling like horse sh*t when I see you again tomorrow, so the hot springs are in the back. Go take a dip, got it?"

"Okay"

"Good, see you tomorrow. By the way, one of the rooms only has a single bed, since one of them accidentally broke, so the two who get that room will have to make do with it."

The pairs went to their respective rooms, which were located on the second floor. Accordingly, Zero and Nan XiSheng also arrive in their room, which was the furthest from the stairs as everyone already ran into theirs.

After he opened the door and looked inside, he was pleasantly surprised that it gave off a very refreshing vibe, and even included a balcony!

But when he looked more carefully, Zero's face darkened. 

That's right. They were the 'unlucky' individuals who just happened to get the room with only one bed.

Zero felt like cursing. Wasn't he supposed to be lucky? 

Then how damned was his luck to be as bad as not only become the roommate of the protagonist, but also have to wind up sharing a bed with him? (Author: Fufufu~ Well, I wouldn't say that making some early preparations to moving in with your future hubby would be considered as unlucky~)

Beside him, Nan XiSheng also carried the same expression on his face.

Thankfully, the bed was at least king sized, so they could sleep without disturbing the other.

"Tsk... I'm just going to go take a bath. Suit yourself", said Zero as he got back into his acting mode.

He went to the changing room, only to find that all the other dudes were there as well, including Nan XiSheng who was quietly following behind him.

'Whatever'

[Host! Congratulations! I just went to check and wanted to tell you that your mission is 68% complete! Cheers! We can do this!]

'Mmm, alright. Just a little more to go, eh?'

[Host, you have a creepy smile on again... this system wants to ask host to please refrain from smiling]

'... Get Lost!'

"Liu Feng! You're so slow. How long does it take for you to take off some clothes. Are you getting in or not?! I don't even understand why my dear LanHua would like someone like you...", came Yang Zhelan's voice from behind him.

"Shut up, you're just jealous that she likes me more than you.", replied Zero with an arrogant smirk while thinking, 'Hmph! Of course she loves me more! I'm her most beloved little brother after all!'

"You..!"

"Alright, stop arguing. Lor--Junior Brother Liu, we'll be going in first, okay?", said Chu Qiu in attempt to cool down the situation.

"I'll be there soon", Zero stated.

After everyone left, Zero took off his robes and tied a towel around his waist. He seemed to have passed a mirror and coincidentally saw the multiple scars on his back from being whipped back then. Whipped with fire, choked in water, stabbed with needles, beat up with metal rods, what kind of torture hadn't he been subjected to?

But he endured. He endured it all because he knew that one day, everything would be over and he can live together with his dearest sister. Even if the happiness wouldn't last long because of his damnable villain system, he still wants to treasure those days. So he endured.

Zero took one last look at his ugly, disfigured back, then sighed and left.