A Young Maiden's Surprise
"You're awake?"
Opening his eyes again in a groggy haze, Qin Yi found himself in a room furnished in an antique style.
He lay on a rectangular bed that looked as though it was made of red sandalwood.
Standing beside the bed was the young maiden he had seen earlier. Seated beside her was a middle-aged man holding silver needles, looking as though he had just finished administering acupuncture.
Without a doubt, Qin Yi himself had been the patient.
"Where is this?"
There was no need to ask. This had to be the young maiden's home.
But to Qin Yi, whether this was her home or anywhere else, it was all unfamiliar. One could even say this entire world was unfamiliar to him.
"This is the Famous Sword Sect," the young maiden answered.
Qin Yi looked at her again and actually saw a translucent, teardrop-shaped description box floating above her head.
[Affection: 60!] (Reasons: 20 for saving her life, 40 because the host has refined, handsome features, no less attractive than Senior Brother Hua Yunfeng.)
Tsk!
Qin Yi sighed inwardly. Sure enough, wherever one went, having a handsome face made things easier.
"Young man, where are you from?" the middle-aged man suddenly asked.
He put away his silver needles at an unhurried pace.
His expression was as still as an ancient well, his words gentle. In bearing, he resembled a modest, cultured scholar.
"I..."
Since he had transmigrated here in person rather than having his soul possess someone, Qin Yi knew absolutely nothing about this world.
But he figured that, wherever this was, the world was vast. If he named some random place, they might not know it anyway.
"Actually, I came back from overseas."
"Overseas?" the middle-aged scholar said. "Could your ancestors have been from the Central Continent?"
Qin Yi knew nothing about any Central Continent, but going along with him now was probably the right choice. "Yes. My ancestors fled overseas to escape the turmoil back then. After several generations, they no longer wanted their descendants to remain frogs at the bottom of a well. So, when my generation came along, they sent me back to our homeland to broaden my horizons."
The middle-aged scholar nodded thoughtfully. "A century ago, the Central Continent was indeed in an age of turmoil. Your ancestors' wandering overseas was a choice born of necessity."
With that, he stood up. "Thank you for saving my daughter's life. Our Famous Sword Sect always repays a kindness. Young man, if there is anything you want, feel free to say it."
Qin Yi currently had no idea what sort of sect the Famous Sword Sect was, or whether it was powerful.
But since the Stealing Love System had already activated and issued a mission, he certainly had to carry it out.
And to carry out that mission, staying in the Famous Sword Sect would naturally be best.
"May I stay in the Famous Sword Sect?" Qin Yi asked tentatively.
"Oh? Stay here?" The middle-aged scholar smiled faintly. "Why do you want to stay?"
Qin Yi could only spin a tale. "I once heard of the Famous Sword Sect's great name from my elders. Now that chance has brought me here, if I could stay, perhaps I could fulfill the wishes of my father and forefathers."
He had just said that he had returned from overseas to see the world. This carried the wishes of generations of his ancestors.
Seeing how solemnly he spoke, the middle-aged scholar felt that, even setting aside the fact that this youth had saved his daughter, his sincerity alone made letting him stay no problem.
"Since that is what you want, you may stay on Emerald Bamboo Peak. However, you can also stay for a few days before making your choice. Once you decide to remain, you will have to obey the Famous Sword Sect's rules from then on."
"Thank you."
"There is nothing wrong with your body. Your Qi and Blood are merely too heavily congested. Now that you are awake, walk around more. Once the Blood Qi disperses, you will naturally be fine."
After speaking, the middle-aged scholar handed Qin Yi a small bottle, then gave the young maiden an instruction and left the room.
Only after the middle-aged scholar left did the young maiden grow lively. "Hey, what's your name?"
"Qin Yi. And yours, miss?"
Qin Yi studied the girl before him. Beneath her slender, moth-wing brows were two large eyes with clearly defined whites and dark pupils, like crystal grapes. Two shallow dimples could often be seen on her tender, fair little face.
She was sixteen or seventeen, in the bloom of youth, with a graceful figure, slender and lovely.
"My name is Gu Yiyi. Oh, right, how did you suddenly fall out of the sky earlier?"
Gu Yiyi had been curious about this all along. She had originally thought Qin Yi must be a cultivator, but after they returned and her father examined him, she discovered that this youth was merely an ordinary person.
Still, that day, it really had been thanks to Qin Yi falling from the sky and crushing that two-meter-tall brute to death. Otherwise, whether she lived or died would have been hard to say.
"Oh, I was returning from overseas on a falcon. We ran into fierce winds in the sky, and I lost my seat and fell off. Helping you was purely an accident."
"So that's what happened."
Smiling, Gu Yiyi suddenly asked, "Can you stand up now? My father said you should get up and walk around to disperse your Qi and Blood."
"I should be able to."
Qin Yi tried getting out of bed. When his feet touched the floor, he felt no discomfort. After standing up, he actually felt refreshed and clearheaded.
He did not know whether it was the system's doing or the effect of her father's acupuncture.
"I'll take you outside for a walk."
"All right."
Following the girl out of the room and around the west wing's doorway, he emerged into a large courtyard with a spacious martial training ground.
At that moment, thirty-six people sat scattered across the training ground like stars in the sky and pieces on a game board.
They sat cross-legged, breathing in and out. Streams of air visibly formed around their bodies, cloudlike and illusory, separating and merging as though forming taiji patterns.
It really is a world where you can cultivate.
At the sight, excitement surged through Qin Yi's heart, and he wished he could immediately start learning to cultivate himself.
After all, once he cultivated, how free and unfettered would it be to ride the clouds and mists and fly upon a sword?
But I have a system. Cultivation shouldn't be difficult, right?
Immediately, he called to the system in his mind.
The moment he called, a gentle female voice sounded from deep within his mind: [Mission: Earn Gu Yiyi's affection. Does the host accept? 90 points meets the target; 100 points is the full amount.]
(If accepted, half the reward may be claimed in advance. Time limit: half a month. If the mission fails, the reward will be reclaimed.)
There's something this good?
Claim half the reward in advance?
"Look, that stone is our Emerald Bamboo Peak's Dao Comprehension Stone. When each disciple of Emerald Bamboo Peak first begins cultivating the Dao, they find their opportunity to enter the path by touching this stone."
The path of cultivating the Dao was one of defying heaven.
This opportunity was immensely important.
Those who failed to find it would remain mortals all their lives, living in mediocrity.
Those who found it could become that golden-scaled carp, encountering wind and cloud and suddenly transforming into a dragon.
"May I touch it?" Qin Yi followed the girl to the Dao Comprehension Stone.
The girl nodded. "Of course. My father already said that if you're willing to stay, you'll be one of Emerald Bamboo Peak's people. Anyone who belongs to Emerald Bamboo Peak is eligible to use the Dao Comprehension Stone to enter the Dao."
Excitement stirring within him, Qin Yi looked at the enormous black stone, shaped like a giant immortal peach, and reached out with both hands to touch it.
At the same time, he answered the system's question in his mind-[I accept!]
The instant he replied with those words, a streak of golden light, like a startled swan in flight, shot straight from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head...
The young maiden stared at him in astonishment, her tender pink mouth opening enormously despite herself.