Honestly, Mu Ye didn't think there was anything strange about it.
As for taking advantage of someone, every task could be refused. It wasn't mandatory.
If he didn't want to pursue this heroine, he could just skip it.
Mu Ye chose option 4.
Her affection didn't drop.
He felt certain the other options would lower it, even without having to try them.
"Why?" Madam Yun asked, taken aback.
That seemed to be her question, too.
[1, To be honest, I have a unique preference (tell the truth)]
[2, I'm only carrying out Hero Shen's request (stubborn denial)]
[3, Actually... I'm somewhat interested in the Shen Family's Sea-Covering Supreme Art... (ask for it)]
[4, ...]
Huh. This option seemed pretty important.
"From the looks of it, the third option should get me the Sea-Covering Supreme Art as an extra..."
"Senior Brother Qin said the Shen Family's Sea-Covering Supreme Art was a True Martial Art for opening the torso's Divine Apertures. Even though it was only a fragment, it could still reach the fourth rank!"
Normally, choosing option 3 was the right call.
That way, he'd have a direction for his next stage of cultivation.
After all, Master Yan hadn't yet uncovered the hidden information in the two secret martial art diagrams left behind by his master. He didn't know where that Innate Qi Technique was hidden.
Even if he did find out, he'd still have to go looking for it.
In Mu Ye's view, there was a good chance this was a secret martial art that would only be revealed after he cleared the later stages.
"If I choose option 3, will her affection drop?"
Mu Ye considered it. His save was from after he left Feng Mansion.
If he chose wrong, he could always reload and try again.
Mu Ye chose option 3. Sure enough, her affection dropped, but he also got a fragment of the Sea-Covering Supreme Art.
And it dropped by quite a lot, down to 29 points.
That was a huge drop.
"No, no, no. Madam Shen's affection is way too damn hard to raise... One drop like that, and all the side quests were for nothing."
He couldn't give up on the heroine.
Mu Ye really liked her.
"I'll try answering without choosing an option. If that doesn't work, I'll pick option 3."
So Mu Ye tried coming up with his own answer, but... it was even worse than the options. Most of his answers lowered her affection.
Understanding women was just too hard.
"I'm no lady-killer. How am I supposed to know what you're thinking?"
After trying a bunch of answers, Mu Ye felt a little speechless and reloaded again.
This time, he was getting irritated. He gave up on trying to answer that stupid question and said to Madam Yun in a calm voice:
"Don't ask why. One day, you'll understand."
Yun Xian froze. She gazed into his deep eyes, as though they held the profound secrets of the world, impossible to see through.
[Yun Xian's affection increased to 49/100]
"?" Mu Ye.
Huh?
Mu Ye froze on the spot. Her affection had gone up?
By four points?
No way!
Just then, the carriage arrived at Shen Mansion.
"We've reached Shen Mansion." Mu Ye lifted the curtain, ready to slip away.
"Wait..." Madam Yun hurriedly called after him. She felt around inside her robes, then carefully took out a golden ancient parchment and gently handed it to him. "This is... the Sea-Covering Supreme Art. The second time you came to Shen Mansion, you said you were somewhat interested in it..."
"Take it and have a look..."
"?" Mu Ye.
What was with this woman?
Mu Ye was confused. Had that increase in affection come with the Sea-Covering Supreme Art, too?
What did that mean?
Mu Ye took the golden parchment. A strange power seemed to emanate from it.
[You have obtained the upper volume of the Divine Aperture True Martial Art, "Sea-Covering Supreme Art."]
He'd got it just like that?
A hidden reward for continuing the side quest?
Mu Ye was delighted. So that could happen?
With the True Martial Art in hand, Mu Ye happily logged off.
Madam Yun was the best!
He'd come back to study it tomorrow!
A good mood made for good sleep. When Mu Ye woke, even though he'd slept only an hour or two, he felt refreshed.
That was the best thing about the Foundation Building Art.
Mu Ye stepped out of the Stone House, ready to begin the day's labor, but found two disciples in the Jinshi Sect's Outer Disciple uniforms interrogating a group of menial disciples outside.
When Mu Ye came out, one of them walked over, his voice stern.
"Are you Mu Ye?"
Mu Ye nodded slightly.
"You know Chen Li, the one from that Stone House, right?"
"Have you seen him lately?"
Chen the Lame? Mu Ye nodded.
"You've seen him?" The disciple brightened. "Where is he?"
"I don't know..." Mu Ye's thoughts stirred. "May I ask why you're looking for him, Senior Brothers? I only saw him once, a month ago. I didn't pay attention to where he was. I thought he'd come back to keep mining."
"Hmph..." The disciple sneered. "Over the past month, there have been several cases of rogue cultivators draining people's blood and killing them for their treasures in Qinghe Market."
"This man is vicious by nature, a heinous brute. He especially hates female cultivators, often raping them before killing them. He's particularly fond of married women. They say he even forced himself on one in front of her husband... Truly monstrous!"
"People in Qinghe Market call him the 'Blood Lust Butcher.'"
"Uh... What does Chen the Lame have to do with this?" Mu Ye was taken aback.
"Someone identified this rogue cultivator as Chen the Lame," the disciple said. "The matter's become so serious that everyone in Qinghe Market is panicking. The Jinshi Sect sent us to deal with it."
"Who identified him?" Mu Ye asked in surprise.
"His former wife, naturally. She was unlucky enough to see him commit one of the attacks, and recognized him from behind as he fled."
"..." Mu Ye.
So that was it?
Mu Ye recalled seeing Chen the Lame standing in front of his old Stone House a while ago, staring into space.
A rogue cultivator?
Thinking back, it did seem a little strange...
"If you've seen him, tell us where he usually goes. We'll reward you with three to five Spirit Stones, depending on the circumstances," the disciple said. "Once Chen the Lame is captured and executed, the reward will be multiplied tenfold. You'll also get a Qi-cultivation manual from the Jinshi Sect, or your choice of a first-tier spirit pill."
It was an extremely generous reward.
Three to five Spirit Stones for a lead, and ten times that for capturing him: thirty to fifty. On top of that, a manual or a spirit pill of their choice.
That was a lot of value.
The Jinshi Sect was offering a reward like this, so the matter must have grown serious indeed!
Mu Ye weighed his own strength and decided to forget it.
Looking around at the excited disciples, he figured they were all thrilled, each one itching to spill everything they knew about Chen the Lame.
But most of them didn't know Chen the Lame well. Their information was as good as nothing.
Mu Ye did know a thing or two.
But...
Mu Ye shook his head.
"I don't know much, either."
"Then forget it." The disciple turned and walked away. "All of you, be careful lately. Rogue cultivators are running wild, and you menial disciples are the easiest targets."
"Also, don't spread the word that we're looking for Chen the Lame. We don't want to alert him."
Watching the two Outer Disciples walk away, Mu Ye fell into thought.
Soon, he forgot about it.
Mining, farming, day after day.
The day passed quickly.
At dusk, Mu Ye was about to head back to his Stone House when he suddenly caught a faint smell of blood.
It was coming from where Chen the Lame lived.
Mu Ye froze. Someone was there?
Could it really be Chen the Lame?
Rogue cultivator, Blood Lust Butcher... For a moment, Mu Ye hesitated.
After thinking it over, he decided to go have a look.
The door was ajar. A few steps inside, he could see someone slumped on the floor.
It was Chen the Lame. His clothes were soaked in blood, and he was panting. His face was smeared with blood, and a rank stench clung to him. He certainly looked wicked.
"Who's there?" Seemingly aware of someone approaching, he let out a growl like a savage beast.
"It's me, Mu Ye. Chen the Lame, are... are you all right?" Mu Ye called from outside.
There was a long silence before he finally answered.
"Thanks for asking. I'm fine."
Mu Ye frowned slightly. Chen the Lame looked like a rogue cultivator, but something still didn't feel right.
Mu Ye went back to his Stone House, grabbed some simple medicinal herbs, and tossed them inside Chen the Lame's place.
"I've got a few herbs here. See if they're any use... I've got things to do, so take care of yourself."
After saying that, Mu Ye returned to his Stone House and stuck a few protective talismans the original owner had left behind onto the walls.
Better safe than sorry.
Before long, though, Mu Ye heard unsteady footsteps coming out of the Stone House.
The footsteps faded into the distance...
Mu Ye shook his head, unsure what was going on.
"Whatever. Time to play the game."
"Today, it's the Sea-Covering Supreme Art! Then I'll unlock the second stage, the Seven Absolutes Imperial Map!"
Before you continue