Chapter 2 First Encounter on Jinjiang (Part 2)

Liu Yuan's face also turned red: "Young master, where has our proper gentleman ever been to such a place? Asking me is like asking a pointless question!"

Qi Mu took a breath. "How about... you go and find out?"

Liu Yuan's face instantly turned terrified: "Young master, please spare me! How could I dare go to a place like that? If people find out, I'll be dead."

Qi Mu: "I didn't tell you to go there. You stay outside and keep an eye on things from a distance."

Liu Yuan was filled with fear and trepidation. He thought to himself, "If the master knew that I was paying attention to those things, wouldn't he think that I would lead the young master astray? He would not be able to vent his anger without killing me."

He said with a sob in his voice, "Young master, I dare not."

Qi Mu sighed in disappointment: "You don't even dare to look from the outside? What a waste. Fine, go outside and keep quiet. Don't let anyone talk about me bringing someone back, and especially don't mention her background."

Liu Yuan patted his chest and assured him that he was good at this.

As he left the house, Qi Mu thought with a headache that if she had really been tricked into escaping there, then this was a time when things were getting tense, and he estimated that a large number of people would be coming out to look for her. With her figure, she was definitely not an ordinary opera singer. Who knows who she would be trained and sent to? If she were an ordinary one, it would be fine, and it would be good if she were lost and searched for for several days. But she was outstanding in appearance, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that she was one in a million. In this case, who knows how long it would take to find her.

His brows were furrowed. If people found out that he, a young master from a prominent family, had brought back a woman of unknown identity, he would probably be forced to kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment, and she would be dragged out and exposed to the bad guys.

Unconsciously, the scales in his heart tipped slightly toward her. What a lovely young woman, whose life had been full of twists and turns and who had finally escaped, how could she fall into such a miserable state again?

The next day, Yao Sisi felt much better. Since she was actually fine, she couldn't pretend to be sick. She had come here to take the spiritual spring, so she didn't have time to waste arguing.

"What identity should I fabricate to stay?"

This is too difficult. Let alone in the conservative times of ancient times, even in modern times, it would be difficult for a man to leave a woman at home, right? But the spirit spring is in their house, not far from here. Losing such a convenient connection will make it much more troublesome to get back in.

A short while later, a young man who looked like a servant arrived. Yao Sisi had seen this man yesterday; he was the one who served the young master.

Liu Yuan bowed in his usual manner: "Is the young lady all better now? What are your plans for the future? My young master said that if the young lady has nowhere to go for the time being, she can do some work in the courtyard. It is not appropriate to keep idle people in the manor."

Yao Sisi's eyes lit up. This was like a pillow being handed to her when she was sleepy. She could stay for the time being.

"Is there anything I can do? I know how to..."

Seeing that she hesitated, Liu Yuan automatically assumed that she was unable to express the things she knew that were not presentable, and said understandingly, "The young lady just needs to follow Gardener Li to water and prune the flowers in the yard."

Unlike the other dirty and tiring jobs, Liu Yuan had carefully assigned her tasks.

Yao Sisi said, "Thank you. Was the young master who visited me yesterday the owner of this house?"

Liu Yuan solemnly warned, "This property belongs to my young master. He returned to his old residence yesterday. This young lady is not from the same world as my young master, so please behave yourself."

"..." Yao Sisi: "???"

After Liu Yuan left, Yao Sisi complained to the artifact spirit, "Although I know that servant doesn't know I'm from another world, he got two things right in one sentence: I'm definitely not from the same world as his young master, and I have no intention of staying put..."

The spirit clicked its tongue in amazement: "Even a servant is this powerful? Master, your mission is going to be difficult!"

Yao Sisi was working with a flower hoe. It was impossible for her to become a gardener, she could never be a gardener in her life. She couldn't just sit and wait for her fate. Her primary task was to learn the common knowledge of this era and then find a way to get closer to her target mission.

On the other side, although Qi Mu did not go to the private residence, he was not idle either. He took the time to visit Wangyue Tower. Wangyue Tower was certainly not the kind of place where male prostitutes and singers would seduce women, but Yichun Tower, which was opposite Wangyue Tower, was that kind of place.

This was the only place he could find with a "view" after searching through all the brothels and entertainment venues in the city.

As the name suggests, Wangyue Tower is naturally very high, and the banquets here are very lively. Noble ladies often go up to the tower to host banquets, so his presence at this occasion is perfectly normal and no one can find fault with him.

Qi Mu sat in the private room with the window half open, secretly observing the situation in the building opposite. That building was quite noisy at night; it was a three-story building, and on the second-floor corridor, people were beckoning passersby with handkerchiefs. He saw several male prostitutes with their faces covered in white powder, swaying their hips and sticking out their buttocks as they walked, and he didn't know what they wanted to do.

Male prostitutes are common, but female actors are rare. He looked through the windows of the building and vaguely saw some women, but he couldn't tell whether they were ladies out having fun or female actors being oppressed inside.

Their clothes weren't as revealing as one might expect, so what about the woman in the side courtyard?

Qi Mu was completely baffled. He came full of confidence but left full of doubt, wasting an entire night without figuring anything out.

Yao Sisi's identity remains a mystery to him for the time being, and he doesn't want to send someone to inquire about it. As for asking her directly, it would be like reopening old wounds. The matter seems to have reached a stalemate.

Yao Sisi didn't make much progress either. She spent half the day watering the flowerbeds, only encountering servants who were tidying up the yard. They weren't familiar with her and all secretly glanced at her with curious eyes. But once she got closer and tried to ask her something, they all lowered their heads and obediently continued working, looking completely unmoved.

Does she have no way of understanding the situation if she doesn't speak?

That day, Yao Sisi asked the housekeeper in the courtyard for help and borrowed a few books.

The housekeeper had been instructed by Liu Yuan that she could grant her requests as long as they were not excessive, and that she should report on the person's situation at any time.

Yao Sisi had just picked out a few books to read when Qi Mu found out about it.

Learning to read and write is a skill that requires long-term study. In ancient times, it would take several years to systematically learn to read and write, and that was only at a relatively basic stage.

Qi Muxin asked, "How long has she been studying? Does she have any special talents?"

Once his curiosity was piqued, he couldn't help but want to know, at least what books she was reading!

When Yao Sisi took the books, no one could do anything to her, but when she returned them, all the books ended up on Qi Mu's desk.

"The Cultural Relics of the People," "The Records of Mountains and Rivers," and "Travels in the Southern Rivers"—why are they all books on this topic?" It's hard for him not to think about it!

Her signs... really suggest she was abducted here. Looking at these... does she have thoughts of escaping?

Logically, he could have reported the rescue to the authorities. He had considered it at first, but the person's memory was muddled, which made it difficult to report to the authorities and could even lead to him being falsely accused by the bad guys.

On the other hand, Yao Sisi has been adapting to life step by step. During the day, she diligently pretends to be a gardener, and whenever she has free time, she reads books. The results are gratifying. She discovers that the world has some magical colors nowadays.

This is not a simple ancient society, but one with low magic attributes. Not only are there ordinary people living there, but there are also martial artists, who are very popular and can wield an energy called Xuan Qi.

It is precisely because of the peculiarities of this world that the spiritual spring she needs exists. But thinking about it, it's easy to understand that good things are good things no matter where they are; let alone obtaining them, even seeing them is difficult.

She summoned the spirit of the artifact and said, "I want to try a different approach. I'll cultivate and improve myself to join Qi Mu's family. That way, I'll have a chance to access the spiritual spring and use it for myself. Compared to things like marriage fraud, relying on strength is the right thing to do!"

The artifact spirit's cold, electronic voice rang out: "Master, don't you have enough time? It's not even ten years away from the collapse of the space. Besides, cultivation is a slow process, and who knows how long it will take to achieve success and gain trust. Moreover, the spiritual spring is their core secret; why would they let you get it so easily?"

Yao Sisi just listened to what it said and decided that she should make the decision herself. Otherwise, what would it be like to be controlled by a spirit?

"Tsk, so you're letting your master sell his body? I think that's a dirty trick."

The spirit said, "Sigh, great things don't concern themselves with trifles. Besides, Master, you have such rich experience in love. How could a mere innocent young man be a match for you?"

Yao Sisi's face darkened: "Shut up!"

Although she wanted to obtain the spiritual spring, she would not compromise herself and planned to abandon the method of the artifact spirit.

After her investigation, she learned that the martial artists in this space held a very high status, and those who cultivated the Immortal Condensation Technique were the most prominent among them. The fact that this technique was named the Immortal Technique showed the high expectations placed upon it.

Now, in people's eyes, she's nothing more than a down-on-her-luck person with amnesia. How could she possibly earn respect from others? If she doesn't even have basic respect, how can she possibly accomplish anything great?

As for living off a woman? Sorry, she has amazing teeth.

In the following days, Yao Sisi focused on cultivation. She could feel streams of energy flowing through her meridians. This energy was different from the Xuan Qi that most people used. Instead, it was the Immortal Spiritual Qi that she obtained by transforming Xuan Qi through space. Immortal Spiritual Qi was much purer than Xuan Qi.

***

Qi Mu hadn't come to his private residence, Lin Cui Courtyard, for many days. Firstly, he had been very busy lately, and secondly, he was trying to control himself and didn't want to keep thinking about her. He even felt that she might have been trained in the art of seduction, and that he had been influenced by the seductive power that she had unintentionally released.

Perhaps this is a fundamental human flaw: it's easier to accept when problems are attributed to others.

Fortunately, Yao Sisi was unconscious when she transmigrated; otherwise, people wouldn't have thought it was an unintentional charm spell, but rather a deliberate one, and might have accused her of some crime.

Yao Sisi was unaware of the complex feelings she held for the person she was targeting; she didn't have many thoughts about him.

She only enjoys days when her blood is pumping, and challenges and adventures go hand in hand – that's what's truly exciting!

This is not the thinking of a normal person.

In a harmonious society, all she can do is date and have fun. Nobody says you have to go through procedures to date, right?

But as she talked, she gradually lost interest in it, feeling that the boys she met were all a bit lacking. She was puzzled as to why, but couldn't find the answer.

Since losing interest in men, her life had become even more boring. Perhaps God took pity on her, for an incredible opportunity struck her, granting her a spiritual spring space. From then on, her colorless life, which had been as black, white, and gray as ever, was suddenly stained with color.

The scene shifts, and after more than ten days of cultivation, he has successfully drawn Qi into his body. The transformed immortal spiritual energy automatically circulates in his meridians, a warm current flows through his entire body, and his dantian, which was originally empty, now has a vortex of spiritual energy. He is also much more energetic than before.

She observed the changes in herself. Her eyes, which had been somewhat nearsighted, seemed to have improved, and she could see things very clearly. Her hearing had also become much more sensitive.

She stood up and stretched, feeling full of energy. Even her legs, which used to go numb easily when she meditated, were fine now. It was just a pity she couldn't find someone to spar with.

I wonder if the young master of the Yunxi family is also a cultivator?

Hmm, it's probably because she's had enough of dating and is starting to react negatively. While other girls get shy around handsome guys, she just wants to find someone to fight and test her skills...

Unable to find anyone to practice with, she quietly sneaked into the space and rummaged through the dilapidated hut. She found a basic spellbook in a broken box; she didn't know what it was made of, but it felt quite comfortable to the touch.

While she was studying, she was thinking about what kind of magic she should learn. But when she opened the book, she realized that she had just started to draw qi into her body and that the energy stored in her dantian was too little to support the use of magic.

She stuffed the books back into the box; if she couldn't use them now, she'd wait until later.

With nothing else to do, she went to the master's study to search, but there was very little information about the Yunxi family. She didn't know if it was intentional or for some other reason.

Just as she was pondering these things, the notification set by the artifact spirit sounded: "Master, the target is approaching!"

A note from the author:

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To avoid any misunderstanding, I'd like to add that the female lead had no intention of stealing anything from others.

If you have any questions, feel free to read the rest of the text!