Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

[…sizzle…sizzle…]

[Wait, wait, wait! ...Host, have you ever thought about this question?]

007's voice rang out again, but this time it was less mechanical and more like a wave of "confusion".

The heroes you admire, such as Shang Yang who moved a log to establish trust, Bai Qi who fought the Battle of Changping, and Li Bing who built a dam to ensure the safety of the people… are remembered by posterity because they were born in the 'best of times,' or because… they did their best in their respective 'eras'?

Zhou Wenqing's eyelashes trembled slightly, but she never opened her eyes.

Admittedly, there's a saying that heroes are made by the times.

But if Shang Yang had lived during the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, Bai Qi during the reign of Emperor Wu, or Li Bing had encountered the Grand Canal of the Sui and Tang dynasties… would they have remained just ordinary people?

007's voice was soft, yet every word was clear.

Will it shine again in another way, on another stage?

The wind carried moisture onto Zhou Wenqing's face, but he didn't move.

His eyes remained closed, but the fingertips of his hand resting on his knees unconsciously curled slightly before returning to calm.

History has never been a fragile, delicate thread, host.

007's tone gradually softened, even taking on a subtle but undeniable gentleness.

It is an ocean, where every drop of water has its place, and every surge of tide contributes to its vastness.

You worry that your intervention will drown out a few drops of water that should be sparkling—but have you considered that the wind you bring might make the entire tide surge even more magnificent?

Those truly brilliant souls will not sink into the abyss simply because the waves are a little stronger.

007 paused, then continued, "They will only ride the new wave, reaching... perhaps a shore you've never even imagined."

And most importantly—

007's voice took on a human-like cunning, as if he were a boy, and he winked playfully.

You've already flapped your wings, haven't you? Even if it's tiny, you understand the butterfly effect better than I do. Deceiving yourself is not a good idea, you know.

Rather than letting that tiny ripple spread into an unknown vortex, it's better to—

Grip the oar tightly, and try... to become that soothing wind, the wind that billows the sails and guides the ship's course...

At this moment, Zhou Wenqing's breath suddenly stopped for a second.

His eyes were still closed, but his tense shoulders and back relaxed slightly in the night breeze.

"So, host," System 007's voice returned to its usual steady, mechanical tone.

Please allow me to ask one more time—

Would you like to try and become that raging wind?

The water roared below the cliff, and starlight flickered through the gaps in the clouds.

And that figure sitting on the edge of the cliff, almost blending into the night, finally, very slowly, very slowly...

He opened his eyes.

"007." Zhou Wenqing's voice was a little hoarse: "You really are a learning machine, you learn... pretty fast."

He paused, his gaze focusing on the starlight in the sky. The light reflected in his dark eyes, like a small cluster of sparks ignited.

"007, I agree." He took a deep breath, the cool night air penetrating his lungs, but it only made his mind clearer.

"I do."

[Command received, host confirms binding.]

007's lively voice disappeared, and the system's voice instantly lost all its anthropomorphic fluctuations, reverting to a pure, stable, and almost grand mechanical sound.

Loading core protocols...

[Generating a unique task...]

[Ding Ding! 】

[The only main quest for the Strongest Advisor System has been released—]

[He assisted the King of Qin, saving the dynasty from collapse after only two generations and ushering in a more perfect and prosperous era.]

[Task Description: Utilize your wisdom, knowledge, and system support to assist the current ruler, avoid known regrets, fill historical gaps, and leave a more brilliant and splendid mark on the annals of history, surpassing predetermined paths.]

[Mission Time Limit: Before the host's natural lifespan ends.]

[Mission Difficulty: Epic]

[Good luck, host.]

Zhou Wenqing stood there, feeling the mechanical "binding" sound ringing in his mind. After a moment, he chuckled softly, with a hint of self-mockery and relief.

"To assist the King of Qin... in creating an even more perfect and prosperous era?" he repeated in a low voice.

"This burden... is truly heavy."

For a long time, Zhou Wenqing stood still, without moving.

After another burst of noise, 007 asked cautiously.

[Host, why aren't you going back? Is there some other concern you have?]

"……etc."

Zhou Wenqing carefully moved his legs, then squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, his face expressionless.

"My legs are numb, I can't stand up."

【…】

He stood there for a while, then shakily leaned against the cliff behind him, slowly propping himself up, gritting his teeth and waiting for the tingling, mosaic-like sensation to slowly subside.

"Achoo!"

Perhaps it was from the mountain wind blowing for too long, Zhou Wenqing rubbed his itchy nose, then touched his forehead, which felt a little hot, and his body felt weak and he couldn't help but tremble slightly.

He mentally "knocked" on his newly bound partner, somewhat speechless.

"Speaking of 007, you've assigned me such a grand mission, shouldn't you first ensure the employees are in good physical condition? At least so they don't have heart attacks or collapse at the slightest breeze, right?"

【ah!】

007 let out a human-like exclamation.

[Host, how did you know you could 'touch' me? I didn't tell you how to use the operating system interface.]

"You're in my world of consciousness, so I can't 'mess with' you however I want? This isn't something you can just think about and do, do I need you to teach me?" Zhou Wenqing said irritably.

007 was shocked; the data stream was momentarily disrupted—it seemed to have bound itself to an extraordinary host, its intuition was frighteningly sharp!

Then, it couldn't help but feel a little proud. As expected of its 007 host, it definitely didn't choose the wrong person!

"Enough of that, let's focus on improving my physical fitness first," Zhou Wenqing urged.

He used to think he could just make do for a few days and then leave, so he could tolerate his sickly state. But now he's going to be working on his career for a long time, and he really can't stand seeing his frail body, which is prone to heart problems and looks like it could collapse in the wind.

No matter what, in her previous life she was a fine young man who could climb rocks with his bare hands and swim across rapids. What's with this frail and delicate appearance now?

"It's not that bad, is it...?" 007 said weakly.

"hehe!"

[Ding ding! 007 already explained this before~]

007's flat electronic voice tried its best to sound aggrieved.

This system is auxiliary and does not have a separate 'reward module'.

"Is this considered a reward?" Zhou Wenqing was almost laughing in anger.

"Isn't this basic equipment that your system should provide to its employees? I've never heard of a process designer having to bring their own keyboard! Isn't there any other way?"

In these chaotic times of war, scholars still valued the Six Arts of a Gentleman. But looking at him now, so weak and helpless, he'd probably be slapped to death by some random bandit if he went out the door.

[Ding! Sorry, host, regarding this matter... the system is indeed powerless to help.]

007's voice sounded somewhat ashamed.

[Rules are rules. Unless you, the host, insist on training yourself, the system cannot directly interfere with your physical enhancement...]

It paused for a moment, seemingly trying to make amends, and its tone became exceptionally solicitous:

[However! We have plenty of ways to improve your health in our database! Simply activate learning mode to immerse yourself in the process, and you'll even have a dedicated system coach to correct your movements one-on-one!]

What type of exercise do you prefer? For health and wellness, there's Baduanjin, Tai Chi, Wuqinxi...

[The Yi Jin Jing and Duan Gu techniques are a bit difficult, but you can start with the basics, such as the Yi Jin Jing, the Eight Vajra Exercises, and the Marrow Washing Classic...]

If you really want to learn some practical self-defense techniques, there are also introductory tutorials on basic grappling and military combat techniques!

[Even the popular radio calisthenics, fitness exercises, and beginner yoga... if the host wants to learn, we have accompanying high-definition videos and movement breakdowns! Which one would you like to try first?]

As Zhou Wenqing listened to 007 rattle off a long list of names like reciting a menu, he felt dizzy, the veins in his forehead throbbed even more, and his head felt even more sluggish than before.

"Stop, stop, we'll talk about it later... later."

He leaned against the cold rock wall with one hand and rubbed his temples with the other, weakly stopping the system's "enthusiastic sales pitch."

After a long while, the noisy electronic sounds finally subsided, and a mountain breeze blew, which helped clear his muddled mind a little.

Wait a minute... Zhou Wenqing suddenly felt something was wrong.

What did 007 say during his self-introduction? The strongest... Wang Zuo System?

That's it?

The more he looked at it, the more he felt that this thing didn't seem like a proper system to assist a monarch and manage the world, but rather more like... those "knowledge payment" peddlers who would grab anyone and desperately try to sell courses, spouting nonsense.

Its reliability... seems to have dropped significantly again.

This system is so unreliable, sometimes reliable and sometimes unreliable. Zhou Wenqing was speechless.