Kunlun Art

At the main hall of Lanruo Temple.

An Yang and Yan Chixia sat together, endlessly discussing a worn little booklet. Of course, most of the time it was Yan Chixia doing the explaining while he listened. Only when he failed to understand would he ask Yan Chixia a question.

A week had passed since he killed the Black Mountain Old Demon, and his mission had been completed for a week as well. But because he needed to learn the cultivation method, he had no intention of returning to the real world at all. Time here passed at a ratio of ten to one compared with the real world, which was undoubtedly more beneficial to his cultivation!

Besides, even if he wanted to return to the real world, he couldn't.

According to Yan Chixia, this little booklet had been passed down to him by a senior from Kunlun, and he would have to pass it down as well. An Yang could only memorize its contents; he couldn't take the booklet away.

So...

"All right, that's enough for today. I never thought you scholars would be this stupid. You're even worse than me!"

An Yang felt somewhat embarrassed. His intelligence wasn't low, but he was a modern man after all, and ancient texts were already difficult enough for him to understand. Cultivation methods were a hundred times more obscure and convoluted than ancient texts, mysterious and profound.

It seemed he needed to put some attribute points into his mental abilities.

When he returned to the loft, it wasn't dark yet, so Nie Xiaoqian didn't dare come out. He began recalling what he had learned that day.

Because of various concerns, Yan Chixia hadn't told him the name of this cultivation method. But since Yan Chixia was a Kunlun disciple, he simply called it the Kunlun Art.

Compared with the various supreme arts described in novels, this cultivation method couldn't be considered particularly profound. At the beginning, it could strengthen the body, increase and lock in one's own yang energy, and only in the later stages could one produce magical power and reach Yan Chixia's level.

At first, An Yang had been disappointed, but he later came to terms with it.

It was better than nothing.

At least he could be intimate with Nie Xiaoqian to his heart's content without worrying that she would drain away his yang energy.

He took a deep breath and pulled out his phone.

"System, assign one physical attribute point to mental ability."

"Assignment complete."

"Hiss..."

An Yang felt completely refreshed. The mental fog and headache caused by pondering the Kunlun Art vanished in an instant, leaving him with a keen sense of clarity. He could clearly feel that his comprehension, thinking, and even reaction speed had improved by a considerable amount. Many parts that had been difficult to understand suddenly became crystal clear. It was like a computer with a new CPU; programs that had previously run sluggishly suddenly became smooth.

The phone screen flashed, and the data had changed.

Chosen One: An Yang

Physical Attributes:

Constitution: 2.2

Strength: 2.1

Speed: 2

Mental Ability: 2

Unassigned Attribute Points: 1

Mastered Skills:

Mastery of Combat (Intermediate)

Firearms Mastery (Intermediate)

English Mastery (Beginner)

Military Literacy Mastery (Beginner)

Instrument Mastery (Beginner)

Unassigned Skill Points: 2

Item Abilities:

Portable Space (1 cubic meter)

Skill Stealing (Unused)

Gate of Space (Unused)

An Yang stared blankly at the phone screen.

"Hey, is this all you're capable of? Aren't the Main Gods in the novels omnipotent? Don't you have some kind of exchange system or reward points?"

"Brain-dead!"

An Yang froze.

"You don't have to be so full of personality. I was only asking."

The system fell silent for a moment, and words flickered across the screen.

"I once had all those functions, but I no longer do. If you're interested, you can create a reincarnation system. Besides, I'm not the Main God. If you're interested, you can become the Main God."

"Create a reincarnation system? What does that mean?"

An Yang's eyes widened.

"You'll understand later."

The phone screen went dark. Its usual aloofness still caught An Yang off guard.

An Yang rubbed his nose, put away his phone, and pushed open the window. As he watched Yan Chixia practice swordsmanship below, he began to think.

He currently had an item ability—Skill Stealing.

There was no doubt that Yan Chixia's abilities were not weak. Although he couldn't compare with the protagonists of many xianxia and fantasy epics, he was certainly many times stronger than the people from martial arts, wuxia, and technological worlds. Moreover, he didn't know when he would be able to enter a xianxia or fantasy world, and he would need a life-saving ability even after he did.

Therefore, Yan Chixia was the perfect choice.

However, Yan Chixia possessed quite a few abilities. This was only the first installment of the A Chinese Ghost Story trilogy, and the abilities he had displayed mainly consisted of three. Unfortunately, Sword Control Technique and Myriad Swords Return to Origin from the second and third installments had not appeared.

The first was talismans. They weren't particularly impressive and were only slightly better than those of ordinary Daoists. The second was the incantation "Heaven and Earth, Limitless, Cosmos Borrow Law," which was equivalent to a human artillery battery. The third was Sword Control Technique, which allowed him to control weapons for long-range attacks.

He was mainly considering the last two: the human artillery battery and long-range piercing attacks. One excelled at area damage, while the other specialized in single-target attacks.

Both seemed to have their own advantages. One was immensely powerful but made a great deal of noise; the other was slightly weaker but silent and inconspicuous. One required blood as a catalyst, while the other required prepared weapons. No matter how he looked at it, each had its merits.

"Sigh, indecisiveness..."

An Yang sighed and closed the window.

That night, Nie Xiaoqian appeared, and the two became intimate once again.

"Master An Yang, do you want to become a Daoist priest?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

Nie Xiaoqian lay limply in his arms. Her smooth, tender skin pressed intimately against him. Blushing, she said, "Nothing. I just thought that compared with Daoist priests who exorcise demons and uphold justice, most people would rather study for official honors."

An Yang's hand roamed over her body, playing with that soft, delicate flesh. He realized that he was falling more and more in love with this naturally alluring yet tragic and fragile female ghost—not physical infatuation, but heartfelt pity for her nature.

"I don't want to exorcise demons and uphold justice, nor do I want to study for official honors."

Nie Xiaoqian breathed out a fragrant sigh, her breathing somewhat hurried. "Then why are you still learning Daoist magic?"

An Yang smiled. "You're going to be a thousand-year-old female ghost in the future. What will I do if we have an argument and I don't know any Daoist magic?"

Nie Xiaoqian blushed and lightly thumped him. "I would never argue with you. Whatever you say goes."

"Haha, I was only joking. I want to become stronger, so I can protect you in the future."

"You're already very strong, even stronger than Big Brother Yan."

Nie Xiaoqian said this as a ripple appeared in her eyes.

An Yang embraced her and pulled the white gauze from nearby over her graceful figure. "The Qixi Festival is in a few days. I wonder if Guo Bei County will have a lantern festival?"

It was rare for him to visit ancient times, and he truly wanted to experience an ancient lantern festival properly. He could treat it as a free outing.

Nie Xiaoqian shook her head. "There used to be one, but now the imperial court is corrupt, the realm is in chaos, and bandits run rampant. Many households don't even dare open their doors at night, let alone attend the Qixi lantern festival. Even during the Lantern Festival, few people go out."

An Yang felt a little regretful. "What a pity. You can only go out at night, and I wanted to take you to see the lantern festival."

Nie Xiaoqian's eyes dimmed. "Actually, I went to a lantern festival once a long time ago, but afterward I never had the chance again. Now, even if I go out at night, I can't see anything."

"My hometown is brightly lit every night, as bright as day. Would you be willing to return with me?"

Nie Xiaoqian stared blankly for a moment. "There really is such a place in the world? Could it be Qinhuai, the place mentioned in those poems?"

"No. It's a place completely different from here. Everything there will feel brand-new to you."

Nie Xiaoqian blushed. "As the saying goes, a wife follows her husband. Although I'll never be able to marry you officially, wherever you go, I'll go too."

"Good!"

An Yang nodded. Then he abruptly pulled away the white gauze covering her and pressed himself against her again, feeling her delicate, smooth skin and impossibly soft body.

The next day, he continued studying the Kunlun Art with Yan Chixia, and only finished learning it a month later.

But perhaps he lacked the protagonist's halo, or perhaps his personality didn't mesh with Ning Caichen and Yan Chixia's as well. Although he had worked hard to build a relationship with Yan Chixia by taking advantage of his knowledge of the plot, he always felt that something was missing.

That night, Nie Xiaoqian stayed by his side. A fire burned in the main hall, casting a rosy glow over her pale skin.

An Yang hesitated before saying, "Big Brother Yan, I have to leave."

Yan Chixia froze for a moment, then drained the wine in his bowl. "I suppose so. It's time for you to go to the capital for the imperial examinations."

By the firelight, Nie Xiaoqian looked at An Yang, crystalline light flickering in her eyes. She was an intelligent woman.

An Yang continued, "I'll leave tomorrow morning."

Yan Chixia was reluctant to let him go. "The realm is overrun with villains, and the journey will be fraught with danger. Let me see you off."

An Yang shook his head. "There's no need. Xiao Qian will be with me."

Yan Chixia glared at him. "She can only come out at night. Are you planning not to travel during the day?"

An Yang was silent for a moment. "Big Brother Yan, after I leave this time, we may never see each other again."

Hearing this, Yan Chixia immediately grew sorrowful. He had always been a man who valued loyalty and was rich in emotion.

"Yes, the world is so vast. 'We'll meet again if fate allows' sounds nice, but once we part, how many chances will we really have to meet again? Little Brother An Yang, I can't bear to see you go..."

"Big Brother Yan, I can't bear to leave you either."

Nie Xiaoqian placed a hand on An Yang's shoulder and remained silent.

In truth, few things escaped her eyes. But she was the daughter of an official household, raised from childhood on the ancient teachings of the three obediences and four virtues, with her husband placed above all else. She understood what should and shouldn't be said.

When she was alive, she had been like many ancient women, hoping to find a handsome husband and spend her life devoted to him. Even if she suffered grievances, she would swallow them in silence. If he was happy, she would keep him company; if he was unhappy and struck her, she would accept it. Even if he took another woman outside, she could only swallow that pain as well. Whatever a husband wanted, his wife had to do.

Now that she was dead, many things had changed, while many others had not.

After bidding farewell to Yan Chixia, An Yang went upstairs. Although he kept reminding himself that this was only a mission world and had always restrained his feelings for Yan Chixia, the approaching separation still left him feeling empty. He had lived here for more than a month, yet he had no choice but to calm himself down.

There would be many more occasions like this in the future. He would have to get used to them.