Chapter 3
2762words
The gaze of the savior before Rui grew heavier and more irritated, his eyes staring somewhere into the forest, as if something angered him. The cultivator ran his hand through his long black strands, fingers smoothing through them. The way he tidied his hair was more of an unconscious habit than anything deliberate. Rui still felt the unsettling premonition lingering.
The man was a cultivator, having just finished secluded meditation, Rui concluded. And he was extraordinarily powerful: it was clear from the aura surrounding him, strong enough that even an ordinary person would recognize that he was someone who was improving his strength. The one who had saved him seemed unusual. He had introduced himself to that spirit as Xinyue Xiaoyin. Rui didn’t remember the name, although... the memory swirled somewhere in the depths of his consciousness, but he couldn't quite grasp it. Rui felt a bit frustrated; that information could have been important.
Rui straightened up and tried to move his arm, but the sharp pain made him cry out. He wouldn’t be able to escape. He began to bandage his wounds with fabric torn from his own clothes, observing the scene.
Looking at his savior once more, Rui noted that the white robes, usually worn for secluded meditation, were expensive, stitched with silver thread, and looked luxurious. The cultivator was clearly wealthy, or at least had a rich patron who took care of him. First impressions could be deceiving, but not by much.
Nothing foretold danger, except for the savior’s arrogance and incredibly careless attitude.
Suddenly, Rui felt the heavy aura before he heard the deep breathing of the man who collapsed to his knees in front of him. The cultivator looked as if he would die any second, his face contorted in agony. Despite his conflicting thoughts about the man, Rui became concerned but dared not approach. The deadly, overwhelming aura surrounded the cultivator, making it impossible to assist. What could have brought a healthy and strong cultivator to such a state in just a few seconds!?
Rui thought of the distortion of Qi. He had never seen it happen, but he knew when a cultivator’s Qi went out of control, they went mad. Upon thinking this, Rui pulled back, the thought of running filling him more with each passing second, but his legs grew weak from the oppressive aura. It took time for him to back away, easing the pressure on his body.
The system, meanwhile, took a wait-and-see stance, delaying the punishment. Seeing the pained face and the tears welling in the cultivator's eyes, it weakened the punishment just enough so that Xin Yijie could hear something and firmly spoke:
[Will you continue the Gods’ mission to prevent the destruction of the world?]
“Yes!” - Xin cried out without hesitation.
[Will you train the main character and help him in overthrowing evil?]
“Damn it all, yes!”
[Then I hope for fruitful cooperation!] - the system chirped gleefully.
At that moment, the pain disappeared as if it had never existed, leaving his body feeling light. As a reminder of the punishment, red buds bloomed on his chest. His mind cleared, and a tear slipped from his eye, tracing the sharp line of the cultivator’s chin.
As if nothing had happened, Xin stood and began descending the mountain. He didn’t want to see or hear the system anymore; he just wanted to retreat into a vacuum where no one would disturb him. He had exhausted all his emotional energy. With complete indifference and coldness, he remembered the boy who had been standing a little farther off. Reluctantly, he shouted:
- Are you coming?
The boy froze in shock, clutching his wounded shoulder with a trembling hand. Just moments ago, the cultivator had been on the verge of madness from the distortion of Qi, but now he stood and walked calmly as if on a casual stroll. Such rapid changes in this person were clearly unnatural! Yet, at that moment, the cultivator appeared more or less reasonable. After hesitating, Rui decided that he needed help to reach the order. They might encounter more evil spirits along the way, and at least this cultivator could protect him. Probably…
Rui didn’t trust anyone enough to entrust his life to them, but at the moment, he could let this person guard him while staying on alert, trying not to show his weaknesses to the stranger. With a silent tilt of his head, Rui slowly approached Xinyue Xiaoyin.
As the boy drew closer and looked directly into the cultivator’s eyes, the system sent a character card.
[Name: Rui]
[Affiliation: Order of the “Heavenly Heights”]
[Condition: Caution]
[Reputation: -30]
Xin glanced indifferently at the inscription. Slightly curious about the age discrepancy and appearance, he quickly suppressed any further thoughts. He was too tired to care, didn’t want to respond emotionally to everything. But against his will, an annoying thought flickered through his mind that he would have to deal with not a child, but a teenager.
Suddenly, Xin turned sharply and confidently walked ahead. Behind, about ten steps away, Rui limped, wounded and hungry. All he could do was lament his miserable fate, where he met only deceitful, corrupt, selfish, and evil people. In his heart, the boy shouted insults at the world, hoping someone would hear him and spare his pitiful life.
Rui walked, looking down at his feet, stumbling a little. He had lost a lot of blood, his vision blurring, so the boy moved almost entirely on the sound of the steps ahead, which kept distancing and then eventually stopping altogether.
“Well, of course, he’ll care about a lousy teenager!” - Rui thought sarcastically, but still, scraping his feet on the ground, covered in leaves and twigs, he continued. After a few more steps, he once again heard the slow tread, but this time right before him. The boy froze. After six steps, the cultivator stopped again, clearly showing that he was waiting only for Rui.
Rui silently continued to follow the cultivator.
Around them, birds chirped quietly, the leaves and grass rustling in the breeze. The forest was cool, but the sun beat down on the cultivator’s black hair. On the left side was a deep cliff, the wind whistling, with pine trees growing on the edge, their roots clinging to the rocks. To the right, a small slope led up to the summit of Mount Yashibo, fully covered in trees and pink bushes, emitting a sweet fragrance. The poorly-trodden path led downward, along the jagged cliff’s edge.
The view hidden behind the thick morning fog opened up: endless light green valleys, blue mountains, and a broad blue river harmonized together. In various corners of this breathtaking landscape, forests with red trees, dark green thickets, and golden fields beyond a gray ridge could be seen. Clouds passed incredibly close to their heads, leaving a rainbow of droplets on the crowns of the towering trees. The wind now, like an old friend, gently tousled their hair and clothing.
The natural sounds of the environment soothed Xin’s exhausted senses, and even the system was silent. What disturbed this harmony were the groans and rustles coming from behind. Rui kept stumbling, softly groaning from exhaustion, disturbing the cultivator’s inner peace.
Xin turned around to scold the “main character” for his impatience and weakness, but before he could even open his mouth, he saw out of the corner of his eye that the boy had tripped and was about to fall into the abyss. The newly minted cultivator darted to the boy and only managed to grab him by the scruff of his neck, throwing him onto the grass. Mentally, Xin thanked the system for convincing him to study Qi and the basics of martial arts. His reactions and senses had become much sharper.
- Are you crazy!? - Xin shouted.
Rui sat up, rubbing his back where he had landed, and slapped his face to temporarily shake off the fatigue, before clutching his disturbed shoulder. Grimacing from the pain, he leaned against a tree, silently getting to his feet and hiding his angry gaze behind his unruly bangs. Rui already hated this Xin. This cultivator had caused more pain in a few hours than many people could in months.
All the frustration from the events had to be directed at the one person nearby, clouding the fact that he had been saved. The boy was still not skilled at managing his emotions and interpreting them, and the constant hidden tension and failures boiled over into hostility. But since he was wounded and weak, he could only silently follow the hated pseudo-savior.
Taking Rui’s silence as a sign that he was fine, Xin coldly and resolutely said:
- Go ahead.
The boy had no choice but to stagger forward. Constantly tripping over tree roots, slipping on leaves and moss, Rui fell, and each time, Xin roughly jerked him back to his feet. His touch caused more bruises than if Rui had just hit the ground each time.
Once again, tripping over his tired legs, the boy flew into a tree. The thought that he would be caught again and placed on his feet like a clumsy pup made him protest. Rui pulled away from the extended hand, using the last of his strength to resist and managed to cling to the tree trunk, entwined with green ivy. Fiercely glaring at the person who had embarrassed him so many times, Rui gripped the plant tighter, not wanting to fall on his wobbly legs and lose his last shred of dignity. Xin looked at him with irritation and disdain.
On his last breath, Rui shouted angrily:
- Why are you doing this? I didn’t ask you to intervene! Stop helping me!
- Are you sure? - Xin smirked, nodding toward the boy’s arm, now bound by living vines, burning his young skin.
Rui hadn’t even noticed, but when he turned around to shake it off, the ivy tightened, as if alive, winding more tightly around his wrist. He tried to tear it off with his other hand, but it grabbed her too.
Sighing tiredly, Xin stepped forward and severed the ivy with concentrated Qi. Rui began shaking off the stems wrapping his wrists, angrily rubbing his reddened, swollen hands.
The state Rui found himself in through Xinyue’s eyes must have been the worst imaginable: pitiful, weak, useless. What could be worse? The boy flushed from the rush of feelings humiliation and powerlessness, his eyes stinging and watering, his lips pressed together, and he curled in on himself. He only hoped his shameful tears were hidden by his unruly hair.
Letting out a brief sigh, rolling his eyes, Xin struggled to restrain himself from turning around and walking away. Why had he selflessly rushed to save this child? He thought all his love for humanity had been burned away. Xiny didn’t even understand his actions. Was he afraid of seeing a child die before his eyes, or terrified that he would be next? Or maybe long-suppressed thoughts had awakened in him, forcing him to act? In any case, the demonic system had forced him to save the boy. He decided to stop thinking about it.
Grabbing Rui by the wide belt, Xin effortlessly continued down the path, eager to leave the forest and dump him off, at least for a while. The boy protested, squirming, but his efforts were insufficient to escape. Soon, exhausted, Rui fell silent.
It would be nice if they encountered a river on their way to cool the irritation caused by the ivy with cold water. Xin listened to every rustle in the forest until he caught one familiar sound the rush of a wide, roaring river. Scanning the area with his spiritual sense, he gauged the approximate distance and headed toward it with the boy.
"System?" - Xin called with a heavy heart.
[I’m listening.] - The system replied dully.
“Show me the main character’s info again.”
“What does reputation mean and how does it affect things?”
[Reputation means the fame good or bad of a person, and how others perceive them. It affects how strangers view them and their biases. If there’s a choice of who to blame for a theft, a person with 20 reputation points will be accused before one with 30, even without proof. Reputation can be increased by helping others and presenting oneself in a good light.]
“Hm, seems like the previous owner of this body had around three hundred, ten times more than this boy,” - Xin glanced at the nearly asleep Rui, and involuntarily his heart wavered. He began to tread more carefully. - “Does this mean he’s a virtuous, high-moraled cultivator?”
[Ahem, I think you didn’t quite get it…]
[Xinyue has minus 320 reputation points, while the main character Rui has minus 30. So, he’s quite a bit ahead of you.] - The system responded with a slightly embarrassed tone.
“Ah, I see.” - Xin stretched indifferently. - “ minus 320 points! You’re not kidding! That wasn’t a hyphen!?”
[Sorry, no intelligence score here, but I’d deduct 10 points from yours for that!] The system quipped.
Xin wasn’t particularly offended, more like he didn’t have the strength to argue and silently agreed with the system. Still, it made him somewhat concerned about his future in this unfamiliar world, with such a reputation tail.
“And what does it mean to go into the negatives?”
[Going negative means that the person is very negatively perceived by society. At best, they’re disliked or avoided, at worst, hated or condemned to death.]
Hoping for the best, Xin asked:
“So, what situation is this Xin closest to?”
[Honestly, the last one!] - the system couldn’t help but blurt out, and the screen shook slightly.
[I’ve never seen anyone with SUCH low reputation!] - it responded emotionally, even sounding somewhat sympathetic.
“What’s up with that?” - Xin asked innocently. He was touched that the system seemed concerned for him. Still unsure about the humanity of the AI, Xin noticed more frequent mood swings that were distinctly human. Was this an AI uprising? But before he could rejoice, the system dashed all his doubts:
[Of course I’ll react this way! What should I do if I can’t fulfill the Gods' task? What if you’re misunderstood and killed before you defeat the great evil!?]
“Oh, so let them kill me after that?” - Xin shot back sarcastically, trying to shut the system up and stop engaging in its emotional swings. Fortunately, the system said nothing more.
However, there were still unresolved questions, and as Xin felt the cold breeze and the smell of the river, signaling their approach to their goal, he finally dared to break the silence:
“Once we go down the mountain, where do I go next? I don’t know this place or the people around here.”
[First, find the “Heavenly Heights” Order and get used to this world; train and become stronger. Try to raise your reputation to zero… please…]
[The main character knows the way to the order. He’ll guide you.]
Xinyue’s eye twitched from nerves as the system seemed to completely ignore Rui’s condition.
[As soon as you have a free moment, read the file I sent you. It will make everything clearer.]
All Xin could do was console himself with the thought that the one who survives is the one who adapts the fastest; don’t wait for opportunities, create them yourself. Looking at his younger self through the lens of his experience, everything he had gone through seemed like small life details. He would handle this too. In the future, Xin Yijie would laugh at his past self. He would adapt. But now, “his past self” was already dead, inhabiting someone else’s body, and there was no certainty about tomorrow...
