He waved me off.
“You have to go now.
I have things to do.”
He said it while returning to his seat.
I bowed, then left the room.
At the entrance, a maid approached me.
“Greetings, Young Master,” she said with a bow.
“Hmm.” I walked past her.
She hurried after me.
“I am your new personal maid,” she said, a bit of a smile in her voice.
I paused and looked at her properly.
“What do you mean?”
“According to the Patriarch’s instructions, from now on I am your maid.
To serve you with my life.”
I looked at her again, then smirked and walked away.
She followed, always staying a step behind me.
“When am I going to meet Elder Mo Xuan to begin my training?” I said evenly.
“Early morning tomorrow.
And the Young Master shouldn’t be late.”
I ignored the rest and headed to the nearest teleportation array.
This clan estate was too huge.
I’d lose my way on foot.
After a brief rest and a meal, I went to the lake in my courtyard to fish.
Mei followed.
Since I’m in this world, I need to enjoy it to the maximum.
Can you fish?
the System said with sarcasm.
I thought you only responded when you had a task for me.
A bit of surprise filled me, but it faded quickly.
That would be boring.
I’m not a string of code from your previous world.
I’m supreme, and naturally smarter than you.
Pride in its voice.
No comment.
But can you really fish?
It sounded adamant.
Well, I can’t.
But I’m doing it to look cool and prepare for the storm.
My days here won’t be smooth sailing.
Why don’t you use this opportunity to ask your maid some questions?
“So what’s your name?” I asked suddenly.
Mei looked surprised.
I shrugged.
“I should know your name at least.”
She looked shocked.
“This humble servant is Lu Mei.
It is an honor for the Young Master to know my name.”
“Mei.
Okay.
Tell me what has been happening in the clan.
And the outside world.”
“A lot has happened.
Like how Chef Shaug proposed to the Head Maid and was rejected.”
She said it with a gossipy tone.
I raised an eyebrow and coughed.
“I want the important things.
The ones worth my attention.”
She looked disappointed.
“The rumor about the hall has spread throughout the clan.
Some are calling you different names.”
A chuckle escaped her.
“Has it been two days?
And these people have already conjured names for me?”
“Your reputation among the servants and low-tier members isn’t good.
And information about you is scarce compared to other heirs.”
“Whatever.
They’re bored and ignorant.”
I said it dismissively, but my face didn’t look good.
“Is there anything else?
Outside the clan this time.”
Her posture and voice turned serious.
“Information about you has spread throughout the Central Domain and rapidly to other domains.
Some have evil intentions toward you after what your father, the Patriarch, has done to them.”
“What did my father do?”
I stopped fishing now.
“Well, he was domineering.
He has done a lot of things.
In summary, his reputation is more of a madman than a Patriarch.”
“Okay.
That’s my father’s problem to handle.”
I said it with a bored tone.
“You have to be careful in the near future, especially in the Sword Divine Kingdom.”
“Okay.
That’s a matter for the future.
Not now.”
“Well said, Young Master.
And the rumor that’s rampant in the realm is about the Golden Age and the Great Desolation that will come after it.”
You have adventures to go on, Host.
If you’re not excited, I am.
You didn’t ask if we’re going to survive that long.
“Now that’s what I want to hear.”
I stood up.
“Are you done fishing, Young Master?” Mei said as I walked away.
“What do you think I’m doing?”
I hurried my pace.
“But you haven’t gotten any fish.”
She chuckled.
Then my fishing rod lurched.
I stopped mid-step.
The line went taut.
Not a tug—a full pull, nearly yanking the rod from my hands.
“What the—”
Host, that’s not a fish.
I braced my feet.
The pull grew worse.
Something below the water was dragging the line down like it wanted to drown me.
“Mei!”
I shouted.
She was already beside me, hand on the rod.
“It’s caught on something,” she said quietly.
“Something heavy.”
Then the line snapped.
I stumbled backward.
The lake exploded.
Water sprayed in every direction, and something massive broke the surface—dark, scaled, and moving too fast to see clearly.
I hit the ground, soaked.
“Fuck.”
I wiped my face and looked up.
The thing was gone, back under, leaving only ripples.
Mei helped me up without a word.
“What the hell was that?” I said, still staring at the lake.
“The courtyard ponds connect to the clan’s water veins,” Mei said.
“Sometimes things slip through.”
“Sometimes things slip through.
Great.
Nobody mentioned that.”
“I did not want to worry the Young Master.”
I stared at the water for another moment, then let out a breath.
My robes were ruined.
My hair was dripping.
I looked like I’d tried to fight the sea and lost.
Well, that was entertaining, the System said.
I’m glad my near-drowning amuses you.
You weren’t near drowning.
You were near being swallowed by a spirit eel.
There’s a difference.
“A spirit eel,” I muttered.
Mei heard.
“Young Master, what did you say?”
I didn’t answer.
She pressed on anyway.
“Elder Mo Xuan will expect you at dawn.
He doesn’t tolerate lateness.
Or weakness.”
“You’ve mentioned that already.”
“Because it’s true.
Of the disciples he’s trained, only a handful ever made it past the first month.
The rest either broke or left.
Some didn’t leave at all.”
I looked at her.
For the first time, there was real weight behind her words.
“What exactly does he do?”
“Everything.
He will test your body, your will, your mind.
He will find the parts of you that want to quit and he will break them.
If you survive, you’ll be stronger.
If you don’t—”
She stopped.
“Then what?”
She didn’t answer.
We stood there in silence, the lake calm again, as if nothing had happened.
Then I felt it.
A shift in the air.
Something moved.
Before I could turn, Mei’s hand shot out.
A blade of qi sliced past my ear—close enough that I felt the wind.
I spun.
Nothing.
Empty courtyard.
Then another blade.
This one from the side.
Mei moved faster than I could track.
Her hand slammed into the ground.
The array flared.
Light exploded beneath our feet, and the entire courtyard became a cage of swirling runes.
And in the center of that cage, frozen mid-motion, was a figure in grey.
An assassin.
His blade was still raised, aimed directly at my heart.
“Young Master,” Mei said, voice cold.
“The array will hold him.”
I stepped closer.
“Who sent you?” I asked.
The assassin said nothing.
His eyes went wide when he realized he couldn’t move.
Mei walked past me.
“Elder Mo Xuan tests everyone before they begin training.
Some fail before they even meet him.”
I looked at the assassin—the blade still pointed at my chest.
“You mean…
this was a test?”
“Part of it,” Mei said.
“The real test is tomorrow.”
The assassin vanished.
Not dead—gone.
Just gone, as if the array had never touched him.
But the message was clear enough.
Elder Mo Xuan was already watching.
And he didn’t care whether I survived or not.