peers

"See you tomorrow morning." Qi Yuan waved to Mu Qinghuai and stepped into her room to rest.

"Goodnight, Qi Yuan," Mu Qinghuai said with a smile.

Qi Yuan's body stiffened for a moment, then she quickened her pace, entered the room, and swiftly closed the door.

This feeling is so strange.

The waiter pointed with one finger and said, "Please follow me, sir."

Mu Qinghuai, following behind the waiter, suddenly called out to him: "Waiter. Here is the money for a month's accommodation. I'll settle it. Keep the change. If the girl traveling with me asks, just say that a grandmaster has checked into the inn and generously treated everyone to food and lodging."

He took out a bag of silver coins and handed it to the waiter, who accepted the bag with a flattered expression, saying, "Okay, okay."

Mu Qinghuai found his room and pushed the door open to enter.

*

"Go to your mother's place, right?" Qiu Yi ran into the inn, panting, and almost fell to the ground while leaning against the wall.

[BE System]: That's right. The protagonist is resting at this inn. Please do not work with negative emotions, otherwise you will be punished with electric shock.

Qiu Yi's face paled, and she wearily walked to a chair and sat down: "System, what is the mission?"

[BE System]: Prevents the protagonist from exorcising evil. Causes a rift between the male and female protagonists.

"How is this possible! I applied to report this to headquarters. This is part of the original main storyline, and it's not something I can change!" Qiu Yi said emotionally.

[BE System] coldly replied: Protest invalid. Does the host still wish to return? According to your reported personal information, this is the last world you will remain in.

Qiu Yi lowered her head, trembling all over, tears welling up in her eyes: "...Received."

The waiter had just finished serving Mu Qinghuai when he came downstairs and saw Qiuyi slumped over the table.

"There are still guests so late." The waiter rubbed his hands together and walked over: "Sir, would you like to eat or stay in a room? If you're eating, hurry up, the inn is about to close."

Qiu Yi wiped away her tears and said in a muffled voice, "Housing."

The waiter said, "Alright! Please follow me."

"System...can I communicate with the protagonist directly?" Qiu Yi lay on the bed, staring straight at the ceiling.

[BE System]: Yes. There won't be many restrictions during the mission completion process. As long as the story ends in a BE, the host can return to their own world.

Return to your own world.

Qiu Yi rolled over and lay face down on the bed, tears streaming down her face again, wetting her pillow.

She really, really misses home.

She has traveled through many worlds and completed many missions. She herself doesn't know how long she has been away from her original world.

Qiu Yi longs to see her real-life relatives and friends, but she doesn't know how her parents are doing now.

Her parents must have become quite haggard after being in a vegetative state for so long.

The next day was overcast; the sky was gray and seemed ready to rain at any moment. We couldn't go to the courtyard.

"morning."

"morning!"

Qi Yuan sat at the table listlessly, with little appetite.

"The sun shouldn't be out for the next few days. Perhaps we should think about how to improve the lives of ordinary people?" Mu Qinghuai toyed with the teacup in his hand.

“Then we must see this through to the end. If what we do can only protect them for the time being, everything will return to normal after we leave the Zhu family,” Qi Yuan replied.

“We can start with the person in charge of the Zhu family!” the two said in unison.

A bowl wobbled and rolled to Qi Yuan's feet. Following the trajectory of the bowl, Qi Yuan saw a girl dressed in thick clothes, acting suspiciously.

The moment the girl met her gaze, she collapsed to the ground.

Qi Yuan was taken aback, then strode forward to help her up, asking, "Is something the matter?"

"I...I have admired you, Fairy Qiyuan, for a long time! I once...I even tried to join the Silver Bamboo Sect because I wanted to follow in your footsteps, but...but the Silver Bamboo Sect does not recruit mortals without spiritual roots. Later, I found out that you came to the Zhu family, so I found this inn!" Qiuyi dared not look at Qiyuan and stammered.

"Admire...admire me?" Qi Yuan was also surprised.

It's unbelievable that there are people who actually admire her and even go to great lengths to follow her.

Those disciples who used to say they admired her always wished they could stay as far away from her as possible. She seemed indifferent, but she was still sad inside.

Although Qi Yuan had no expression, her face suddenly turned red, and she said dryly, "Just call me by my name, we are of the same generation."

This was Qiu Yi's first attempt to interact with the protagonist since starting her quick transmigration journey, so she was inevitably a little nervous and stammered, "I...I'm willing to help you...no, you."

Mu Qinghuai looked at Qi Yuan and teased, "Qi Yuan, this is your follower. Whatever you want to say, I'll listen to you."

Deep down, he didn't want Qi Yuan to agree; he was enough for her!

“No. It’s too dangerous here. I don’t know how you, a mere mortal, got here. I can take you to a safe place and send you there after this is over,” Qi Yuan said seriously, her brows furrowed.

"Please! I can't use spiritual power because I don't have spiritual roots, but I can learn some self-defense techniques. I heard that you want to help the people here, and I can also help you come up with ideas! My dream since I was a child is to help those in need and uphold justice! Even if I only have a little bit of power, I want to do my best to help you!" Qiu Yi said with great sincerity.

Seeing her firm attitude, Qi Yuan sighed and placed a protective layer around her: "What's your name? You have good ambitions."

She didn't want to dampen the autumn's enthusiasm. Instead, she wanted to let the girl experience the joy of helping others.

Qi Yuan was also intimidated by Qiu Yi's words because she wanted to become that kind of person.

It's a pity this girl doesn't have spiritual roots; she's a promising talent, otherwise she would definitely become a chivalrous and righteous cultivator in the future.

"Autumn's Breeze." He pronounced "Autumn's Breeze" clearly and accurately.

"Praying for a Mandarin Duck".

“Mu…Zhu Fu”.

“You can stay with us for a few days to get a feel for things. I will ensure your safety, but you must obey and go back when the time is up,” Qi Yuan said seriously. “But I believe you can definitely become that kind of person.”

"These are life-saving talismans; they can save your life in an emergency." Mu Qinghuai casually took out a few talismans; he had plenty of these.

"Thanks."

Qi Yuan also took out a few items from her storage bag: "With this protective layer, I think you need to learn how to attack even more. Just defending won't work. These are weapons that can launch direct impacts, and they're suitable for you."

"Thank you, Qi Yuan! You're such a kind person!" Qiu Yi was flattered and inexplicably moved; all these gifts, big and small, were for her.

[BE System]: The host's character setting is determined by the host's language. The host should maintain an attitude of reverence and gratitude, and should not be too intimate with the protagonist, nor should the host call the protagonist by name. A repeat offense will result in electric shock punishment.

"Didn't you say there wouldn't be too many restrictions?!" Qiu Yi gritted her teeth and repeated, "Fairy Qi, thank you!"

"You really don't need to call me that..."

"Fairy Qi is Fairy Qi! That will never change in my heart!"

Qi Yuan: ………

Call her whatever she wants.

*

[Assist System]: Congratulations, host! You've completed another side quest! Points awarded!

Chun Ting was still on his way to the Zhu family, and said smugly, "That's right! Don't you know who I am! System, check the next mission node."

[Assist System] exclaimed in alarm: Oh no! The plot has taken a huge turn, and the data at headquarters is completely messed up!

Chunting: Why?

[Assist System]: Host, headquarters has given you a challenging task: 1. Correct plot deviations; 2. Reverse the story's ending. Completing the task will earn you a points gift pack. You're definitely the best transmigrator of the year! Go for it!

"The championship is mine for the taking! I've been on the list for two years straight, and I can't be out of the running this time! So what if there's a plot twist? Watch me handle it. System, speed things up, I want to get to the Zhu family as soon as possible!" Chun Ting was very confident in his abilities.

[Assist System]: OK! Completing the tasks in this chapter will grant you a cheat code, allowing you to "teleport to a location." You can teleport to any place you want anytime—isn't that just like having a cheat code?!

"That's all I'm going to teach you. You're very smart." Qi Yuan was amazed by Qiu Yi's learning ability; she could learn so many moves so quickly.

Qiu Yi knelt on one knee and said sincerely, "Thank you, Fairy Qi. It is Qiu Yi's blessing to be able to travel with you."

Knowing she couldn't argue with her, Qi Yuan rubbed her temples and said, "With your abilities, you have a bright future ahead of you."

When she mentioned spiritual roots, she thought of the sparrow flower, which could grant mortals immortal spiritual roots. However, this flower only blooms once every two hundred years, grows in extremely cold places, and is extremely rare. She just happened to know how to pick it.

"Waiter, where is the Zhu family head's office?" Mu Qinghuai asked.

He didn't forget to blink his bright eyes and turn back to explain to Qi Yuan, "I left the Zhu family when I was eight years old, and it's been more than eight years since I returned to my hometown."

Qiuyi couldn't help but mentally criticize the male lead: Stop pretending to be young. The persona you've created for yourself is younger than Qiyuan's. What a scheming boy.

As expected, she received a warning from the system.

The waiter was a little surprised. These people didn't look like locals, yet they wanted to find the head of the family.

However, the waiter still pointed out the way to them through the window: "See that street? There's a tall building at the very end, the very bustling one."

Thank you.

How ironic! The common people live in dilapidated houses, while the head of the household enjoys a life of luxury. Qi Yuan felt nauseous.

When they arrived at the building the waiter had mentioned, there were several men guarding the entrance, but it was also clear that a group of cultivators about the same age as Qi Yuan were about to go in.

The group of cultivators were dressed in the sect robes of the Water Spirit Sect, and their status seemed quite high; they were probably either direct disciples or inner disciples.

"Let us in! I am your personal disciple!" the leading woman roared.

The gatekeeper remained motionless.

Someone from the Water Spirit Sect spotted Qi Yuan and immediately pointed at her, exclaiming, "Holy crap, look! Isn't that Qi Yuan, the eldest disciple of the Silver Bamboo Sect?!"

Hearing the sound, everyone looked over and focused their attention on Qi Yuan. Even those who had never seen her disciple before understood what was going on when they saw her personal disciple's robes.

Amidst the chorus of "Hello, senior sisters," a male voice stood out.

"What a coincidence. According to the seniority of the Eight Sects, Junior Sister Qi should call me Senior Brother," Ye Ting said provocatively.

The man who spoke was tall and slender with fair skin, clear and defined features, and a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth beneath his high nose.

Qi Yuan also recognized this person. A long time ago, Ye Ting had been inexplicably picking on her and always getting along with her.

Ye Ting is the senior disciple of the Water Spirit Sect. Although the Water Spirit Sect belonged to the Silver Bamboo Sect in earlier years, they have since separated. Moreover, he has more seniority than her and joined the sect earlier.

The Silver Bamboo Sect does not rank disciples by age. For example, Qi Yuan is only 17 years old, younger than many disciples in the sect, yet she is still ranked as the senior sister.

He and Qi Yuan's second junior brother, Ye Hanyun, are half-brothers. It is rumored that because of the discord between the brothers, Ye Ting joined the Water Spirit Sect when it parted ways with the Silver Bamboo Sect in order to avoid him, and became the senior brother of the Water Spirit Sect.

Qi Yuan frowned slightly and said coldly, "Greetings, Senior Brother."