My Honkai: Star Rail System Arrived Early

After a dozen or so exchanges, Ji Yuan had clearly fallen into a disadvantage, already on the verge of defeat.

"Fifteen moves now, Brother Ji Yuan. Your strength is growing faster than before." Sensing that his next strike could defeat Ji Yuan, Yanqing spoke to him.

"I still have one more move."

Seeing that he was about to lose, Ji Yuan immediately decided to use the last technique he had mastered. Seizing an opportunity, he leaped into the air and slashed downward from above.

Watching Ji Yuan's swordsmanship, Yanqing was about to tell him that such a move left too many openings and was easy to counter, when he suddenly realized that Ji Yuan had locked onto him with his aura.

In the sky, Ji Yuan swung his longsword, and countless shards of ice enveloped Yanqing.

"Good!"

Yanqing shouted in delight, then broke free from Ji Yuan's restraint, swinging his sword to strike at the incoming ice crystals.

He traced graceful arcs through the air, sending the ice flying away. Still, he slipped slightly, leaving a thin cut on the back of his hand.

This was the first time he had been wounded in a fight with Ji Yuan.

Excitement showed plainly on his face.

Ji Yuan landed on the ground and sheathed his longsword. With that one swing, all the power in his body was spent; he couldn't fight any longer.

Seeing Ji Yuan come down, Yanqing ignored the wound on his arm and hurried over to say, "Brother Ji Yuan, that move of yours is truly incredible!"

Yanqing felt that he could perform the same sword technique himself. Other secret arts he could never grasp with just a glance, but this swordsmanship—once he saw it executed, he understood the source of every motion, and with a little deduction, he could replicate it.

Yanqing mused that it seemed Brother Ji Yuan had never formally studied any swordsmanship before. He had likely improvised and adapted this technique from his own observations.

Such talent—Yanqing didn't know how to describe it.

"Hmph, and you still say my swordsmanship isn't worthy of this sword?"

Even as he said this, Ji Yuan's face reddened a little.

His swordsmanship relied entirely on the system, with little to do with his own effort.

"Well... maybe a little." Yanqing scratched his head and said to Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan barely restrained the urge to give Yanqing a beating.

Of course, mainly because he couldn't win.

"Let's go. I'm heading back to sleep. If it gets dark before I return, what if I run into danger on the way?"

"Mm."

Yanqing nodded.

After a few steps, he spoke awkwardly to Ji Yuan, "Um, Brother Ji Yuan, I learned that swordsmanship you just used in one look. It's really powerful, and I've kind of stolen it. Don't worry—I swear I won't use it in front of anyone."

"No, that's not stealing at all. Yanqing, if you want to use it, use it freely."

Hearing Yanqing ask so earnestly, Ji Yuan hurriedly fled in fright.

If it had been someone else's technique, Ji Yuan might have let it slide. But this was Yanqing's own swordsmanship—Ji Yuan wasn't shameless enough to claim it.

Watching Ji Yuan run off, Yanqing couldn't help but sigh.

As expected of his big brother—truly generous in all things.

The next day, Ji Yuan went to work at the Tenbo Department again.

When he arrived, he found the place even busier than the day before.

But this time, it wasn't the Trade Officials who were bustling—it was the other staff.

What had happened now?

Ji Yuan went to his workstation and asked the Trade Official sitting next to him, "What's going on today? Why is everyone so busy?"

"They say they're investigating the Orion Trading Company. Word is they've been colluding with the Buli Ren. The Tenbo Department is checking their business records to see if there's anything shady." The Trade Official beside him replied.

After saying that, he lowered his voice and added, "I heard that once the investigation is done, the Luofu Starfaring Vessel's Cloud Knights plan to launch a devastating strike against the Orion Trading Company. Rumor has it that a batch of Cloud Knights from another star-skiff arrived recently, and they're planning to use this trading company as training for the newcomers."

At that, he looked at Ji Yuan.

"I almost forgot you're from the Yaoging Star-skiff too. I wonder if any of those new Cloud Knights are friends of yours."

Ji Yuan nodded gravely.

Of course, some of the Cloud Knights who came were from the Yaoging Star-skiff.

His younger sister, Sushang, was among those temporarily transferred to the Luofu Starfaring Vessel.

"Right off the bat, facing a war to suppress the Abundance Followers? This is extremely dangerous."

He thought to himself.

Especially since his sister had been hopeless in both letters and martial arts since childhood.

She couldn't handle her studies, and her combat skills were mediocre at best.

After being sent to boarding school for a few years, he wondered if her martial arts or academics had improved at all.

Ji Yuan was very worried about his sister's situation.

If not for knowing his mother's strict demands, he would have called her again to urge her to send Changchang back immediately.

Chapter 13: Searching for a House

"Changchang coming here is inevitable, but it'll still be a few days before she arrives. I should prepare well first, then figure out how to protect her once she gets here."

Ji Yuan thought to himself.

At this moment, he deeply resented his own lack of strength—even amidst the chaos of battle, he couldn't guarantee absolute safety.

He could only wait until his sister arrived to thoroughly check things with the system.

But speaking of his sister...

It had been a while since he last saw her. He wondered what she looked like now that she'd grown up a bit.

Ji Yuan stood up, left his workstation, and walked into the Tenbo Department.

Arriving before Yukong, the Helmsman of the Tenbo Department, Ji Yuan spoke: "Helmsman, I'd like to request a few days off."

The mature and alluring Yukong nodded: "Mm, indeed. I promised you Trade Officials a holiday yesterday. Half of them didn't show up today. Ji Yuan, how many days do you need?"

"Three or four days. I need to buy a house."

Yukong glanced at Ji Yuan and asked slowly: "Oh? Planning to settle down on the Luofu Starfaring Vessel?"

Tingyun was the future Helmsman, so Yukong naturally wanted to gather more information about Ji Yuan for her sake.

"I can't say for sure. But my sister is coming in a few days, and staying in the dormitory won't do."

"Your sister is coming too? Is she one of this batch of Cloud Knights? Alright, I understand. I'll give you seven days off. Prepare well."

"Thank you, Helmsman."

Ji Yuan expressed his gratitude to Yukong.

The work at the Tenbo Department was far better than his previous life—not only was the pay generous, but the benefits were also plentiful. When Ji Yuan needed leave, Yukong granted him even more.

Indeed, being a civil servant on the Starfaring Vessel was the way to go!

He wanted to linger near Yukong to pick up some skills, but he had no real excuse. After a few more words, Ji Yuan left.

Once he left the Tenbo Department, Ji Yuan immediately went out to find a place to buy a house.

Finding a house wasn't easy, especially since Ji Yuan wanted an absolutely safe area to live in—that made it even harder.

Arriving at Chang'le Sky, Ji Yuan told a housing agent his requirements and asked them to help him search.

The Starfaring Vessel's technology was advanced, and soon the agent found a large number of suitable properties.

Then, the agent took Ji Yuan to view the houses.

"Tingyun, you're already beautiful enough. If you keep up with the whitening and skincare, you'll make us so ashamed we'd want to die."

Qingni walked into Tingyun's home and couldn't help but tease as she saw Tingyun applying a face mask to her feet.

"I'm bored at home with nothing to do, so I'm keeping myself busy."

Tingyun pulled her feet back a little, but her mask-applying motions didn't stop at all.

"I went to the Tenbo Department today. Ji Yuan was there too."

At this, Tingyun's ears perked up, eager to listen.

Qingni shrugged: "But he only came to ask for leave. It seems his sister is coming, so he's buying a house and taking time off."

A sister?

Or a lover?

Tingyun's expression turned tense.

Seeing Tingyun's nervous look, Qingni rolled her eyes and continued: "Relax, it's his foster mother's daughter—a sister he grew up with."

"I see."

Tingyun breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, her mind began to churn with thoughts of how to meet Ji Yuan's sister.

She wondered what she liked, how to talk to her.

She'd figure it out once she arrived.

Then she asked curiously: "By the way, he just started working at the Tenbo Department. Does he have the money to buy a house?"

Should she help him?

But doing that would be way too obvious.

Moreover, Tingyun was still unclear about Ji Yuan's feelings toward her.

She liked him, and was very interested in him—especially the way he stood by her side when facing danger, that protective figure was deeply captivating to Tingyun.

Yet there was still some hesitation.

At the very least, she had no idea what Ji Yuan was thinking.

She couldn't be sure yet.

"In other novels, Fox Folk are always tricking people out of money. I've never seen one so eager to throw money away." Qingni rolled her eyes at Tingyun and then said, "Of course there is. His foster mother is a high-ranking officer on the Yaoging Star-skiff, with brilliant military achievements and very generous spoils and rewards. His biological parents also died fighting for the Yaoging Star-skiff, so the pension is extremely substantial. He's something of a little rich man, you know."

"Oh, oh."

Only then did Tingyun feel relieved.

Qingni patted Tingyun's foot and, watching her quickly pull it back, said with a smile, "Alright, you just enjoy your vacation. Once Ji Yuan finds a house, I'll let you know."

Just as Ji Yuan had expected, finding a house wouldn't be easy. He spent three or four days straight looking at several properties without finding a suitable one.

Either the location was no good—too remote, with all sorts of unsavory characters around, making it unsafe; or the rooms were too small, and Ji Yuan felt it would be too cramped living with his sister; or the surrounding environment wasn't suitable for modifications, and Ji Yuan worried about safety without installing surveillance equipment.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, Ji Yuan and the agent arrived at a house not far from Chang'le Sky.

As they walked, the agent introduced it to Ji Yuan: "Mr. Ji, this property is ideal in terms of both location and position. It's just that the price might be a bit higher."

"That's fine. If it's suitable, a higher price is only natural."

Ji Yuan nodded, indicating it didn't matter.

Wealth and possessions are external things; safety comes first.

The agent led Ji Yuan to meet the homeowner.

The homeowner asked Ji Yuan, "Are you the one looking to buy a house?"