Chapter Two: The New Home

Morning light filtered through the woods, illuminating the cobblestone path. Fang Li stood before a weathered wooden door, carrying a simple bag.

She decided to leave Shen Yunzhou's main courtyard and find a quiet place.

The paint on the three characters "Jingchen Courtyard" on the gate was peeling off, which only made the old locust tree behind the courtyard look even more vigorous.

This was the most remote corner of the sect, a place where only punished disciples would stay temporarily in the past, but now it had become a quiet place she longed for.

When the wooden door was pushed open, the hinges creaked, startling several sparrows under the eaves.

Fang Li put down her luggage and looked around the small courtyard.

Although the three main rooms were a bit old, they looked quite sturdy. There was some moss growing in the corners of the walls, and an old well with a complete pulley was in the center of the courtyard, which saved her the trouble of fetching water every day.

"Ding! [Villain Conquest System 1.0] Daily Task Module Activated."

The mechanical voice that suddenly exploded in her mind made Fang Li frown.

This damn system has been restless ever since the day she was reborn, and now it's causing trouble again: "[Side Quest: Bow three times to the old locust tree in the courtyard, praying for a three-life destiny with Shen Yunzhou. Reward: Five low-grade spirit stones. Penalty for failure: A miniature version of the Heavenly Thunder Experience Card.]"

Fang Li is speechless(ノ#-_-)ノ

This system is getting more and more insane.

She went straight to the well to draw water, ignoring the system prompts, and scooped up a ladle of water to splash on her face. The cool touch made her mind clearer.

A predestined fate spanning three lifetimes? The entanglement in her previous life had already caused her endless suffering; in this life, let alone three lifetimes, even half a lifetime would be too much.

"Warning! Host not responding to mission! Countdown ten, nine..."

"Shut up." Fang Li hissed at the air, then picked up a broom and began sweeping the courtyard.

She moved swiftly, gathering the fallen leaves into a pile, and then found a rag to wipe the dusty window frames.

Sunlight streamed through the paper windows, casting square shadows on the floor, creating an illusion of tranquility.

But the system clearly didn't want her to have a peaceful time: "[Emergency Mission Triggered: Capture a sparrow under the eaves, name it 'Cloud Boat No. 1' and release it. Reward: One stick of Concentration Incense. Penalty for Failure: Continuous tinnitus for three hours.]"

Fang Li rolled her eyes, about to block out the annoying sound, when she saw several sparrows hopping around pecking at the grass seeds on the ground, their chirping appearance quite lively.

She suddenly remembered that in her past life, when she was always clinging to Shen Yunzhou, he often said that she was like a noisy sparrow. At that time, she thought it was affection, but now she realized that it was just an excuse to be annoyed.

"Buzz... Mission incomplete, initiating punishment preparation..."

Sure enough, a faint buzzing sound came from her ears, but Fang Li didn't care at all.

She pulled a yellowed exercise manual from her bag.

It was the "Lingxi Jue" that she had abandoned in her previous life.

My fingertips traced the rough pages, covered with dense annotations left by the elder when I first started learning.

At that time, her mind was entirely on Shen Yunzhou, and she never paid close attention. Only now does she realize that this seemingly ordinary cultivation method is actually a good classic for strengthening the foundation and nourishing the vital energy.

"Cultivate, make money, and stay away from Shen Yunzhou." Fang Li silently recited these three goals in her heart before carefully putting away the booklet.

In this world of cultivation, without cultivation, it's impossible to make a living.

Without spirit stones, elixirs and magical artifacts are all meaningless.

Just as she was packing her bags, the system suddenly emitted a string of garbled text: "[Abnormal host behavior detected... Buzz... Ultimate Mission 'Conquer Shen Yunzhou' Status: Invalid?!]"

Fang Li paused, a flash of annoyance crossing her eyes, which then turned into a cold smile.

It's been invalid for ages! Damn, how annoying!

"[Activating backup plan...buzzing...low energy...switching to 'emotional energy collection' mode...plan error...error...]"

The mechanical sound became intermittent, and finally fell completely silent.

Fang Li breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to have a moment of peace and quiet.

She put away the last item, locked the courtyard gate, and turned to walk towards the sect's mission hall.

Although low-level tasks offer meager rewards, they are safe, making them perfect for her to accumulate resources at this stage.

After passing through two corridors, you will see a pavilion with upturned eaves in front of you.

It was nearly 9 AM, and some disciples were gathered in twos and threes in the square in front of the hall, either discussing the difficulty of the mission or showing off their recent achievements.

Fang Li walked into the attic without looking to the side. The room was simply furnished, with wooden plaques hanging on the four walls, on which the task details and rewards were written in cinnabar.

She walked straight to the leftmost low-level mission area, her fingertips tracing the wooden plaques: "Collect ten Blood Clotting Grasses, reward: three low-grade spirit stones."

"Clearing the first-tier demonic beast, the Ink-Scaled Serpent, in the back mountain will reward you with five low-grade spirit stones and one antidote pill."

"Repair the stone steps of West Peak and you will be rewarded with two low-grade spirit stones and three days' meals."

Fang Li silently calculated in her mind: Blood-clotting grass grows on damp cliffs, and although it is easy to obtain, it takes a lot of time.

The venom of the black-scaled snake is not strong, but caution should be exercised when cleaning its nest.

Repairing the stone steps would take the longest and be the least cost-effective. Just as I was considering this, I heard light, slow footsteps behind me.

"Isn't this Junior Sister Fang? It's been a few days, and you actually have the leisure to take on a mission?"

Fang Li turned around and saw Su Wanqing standing behind her with two followers.

Lin Wei left, and Su Wanqing came along.

Su Wanqing was dressed in a moon-white sect robe, her hair was neatly combed, and there was a faint smile on her lips, but her eyes held a hint of mockery.

She was a prominent figure among the inner disciples, and it was said that she was very close to one of Shen Yunzhou's friends, who in her previous life often openly or secretly mocked her for being obsessed with her senior brother.

"Senior Sister Su." Fang Li nodded lightly, turning her gaze back to the wooden sign, too lazy to say anything more to her.

Su Wanqing, however, had no intention of letting her off the hook. She took two steps forward and feigned concern, saying, "I heard that Junior Sister accidentally fell into the water a while ago. Fortunately, Senior Brother found her in time and she was safe. It seems that Junior Sister is fully recovered now? But why are you only looking at these low-level missions? Could it be that falling into the water damaged your foundation and you can't even take on third-level missions anymore?"

Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for a few disciples around her to hear, and many people cast curious glances at her.

The two lackeys chimed in, "That's right, Senior Sister Su is now taking on escort missions for Foundation Establishment cultivators, Junior Sister Fang, how come you're getting worse as you get older?"

"In a way, it's a blessing in disguise. I can rest without having to endure hardship. How leisurely!"

Fang Li took down the wooden plaque used to clean up the Inkscale Serpent, turned to face Su Wanqing, and said expressionlessly, "Senior Sister Su is joking. My cultivation is low, so it is natural for me to start with basic tasks. It is better than being ambitious but incompetent, accepting tasks but failing to complete them, and losing face for the sect for no reason."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the slightly dull storage pouch at Su Wanqing's waist: "Besides, I'm dull-witted and can only do one thing well at a time, unlike Senior Sister Su, who is exceptionally intelligent and can both improve her cultivation and have the leisure to care about what missions others take on. It must be really tough for her."

These words were neither too soft nor too hard; Fang Li both pointed out her pragmatism and subtly mocked Su Wanqing for meddling in other people's business.

The disciples around them understood the implication and lowered their heads to hide their laughter.

Su Wanqing's smile froze. She hadn't expected that Fang Li, who used to argue with red eyes, would become so eloquent.

"You—" Su Wanqing's fingertips trembled slightly with anger, but she couldn't lash out. She could only force a smile and say, "Junior sister is right. I was just being nosy. But these low-level tasks are time-consuming and laborious. Junior sister, please be careful and don't let anything else happen. I'm sorry to trouble you, senior brother."

Fang Li simply waved the wooden plaque in her hand and said, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. I know what I'm doing." After saying that, she turned around and walked towards the mission registration desk, handing the wooden plaque to the elder in charge.

After the elder finished registering her, he handed her a jade slip marked with a task: "The Black Scale Serpent's Nest is located on the back mountain of the North Peak. You must return the serpent gall before sunset as proof."

"Disciple understands." Fang Li took the jade slip, turned around and left the mission hall, never once looking at Su Wanqing again.

Watching her straight back disappear through the door, Su Wanqing's fake smile vanished completely, her eyes turning so dark they seemed to drip water.

Her follower whispered, "Senior Sister, Fang Li seems like a different person after falling into the water. She even dares to speak to you like that!"

"Hmph, putting on airs." Su Wanqing snorted coldly, her gaze sweeping over the low-level mission tokens, a cold smile curving her lips: "Isn't she just trying to sneak away from Senior Brother and stand out from the crowd? I'd like to see how long she can be so smug."

Fang Li had already left the mission hall by this time.

She walked briskly towards the North Peak.

The little incident earlier did not affect her mood; on the contrary, it made her more certain that staying away from those troublemakers and focusing on herself was the right path.

The vegetation on the back of the North Peak is becoming increasingly lush, and the sounds of insects and birds can be faintly heard from the forest.

Fang Li took a deep breath, putting the system's garbled prompts and Su Wanqing's cold words to the back of her mind.

There seemed to be some movement in the bushes ahead. Her eyes narrowed, and she gripped the short sword at her waist.

The gallbladder of the Ink-Scaled Serpent was her first gain after her rebirth, and she absolutely could not afford to make any mistakes.