“You pursue the Dao of Yin-Yang balance. Your goal upon descending the mountain this time is to carry forward and glorify this Dao, simply because you are the last orthodox descendant of the Hehuan Sect.”
“Wait a minute.”
Fu Jinyue couldn’t help but interrupt the system, saying, “Generally speaking, those who practice dual cultivation and plundering are default considered crooked and evil paths. Why is there still a distinction between orthodox and unorthodox?”
The system had a babyish girl’s voice and a very good temper.
Upon hearing this, it explained: “Your Hehuan Sect’s method is derived from ‘The intersection of Heaven and Earth brings prosperity, and all things are transformed into life.’ In this method, dual cultivation between men and women is not for indulgence, but rather using the body as a conduit to fuse the Yin and Yang qi, mimicking the principle of clarity and turbidity generating each other when chaos first opened.”
It noticed the blank look on Fu Jinyue’s face, so it summarized simply: “In short, your method does not harm people; it benefits both oneself and others for mutual gain. It is not that kind of bad thing that forcibly plunders and indulges in desires.”
“Next question,” Fu Jinyue asked. “Does this so-called orthodox Hehuan really only have me left?”
The system’s flattery was exceptionally pleasant to hear: “In this world, only you carry the Heavenly Mandate.”
Good grief, then on this grand road of revival, she really was fighting a lone battle.
Fu Jinyue was silent for a moment, then asked again, “Then do I have money?”
“No.”
“No money and no power?”
The system said decisively: “The cultivation world is a place where the weak are prey to the strong. Of course, you rise to the top by relying on strength.”
“Then what if my cultivation is too low?”
This time, the system sounded much more guilty: “Of course you practice! Don’t worry, don’t worry. With this unique mental cultivation method, the host will definitely make rapid progress!”
But who didn’t know the cultivation method of the Hehuan Sect?
Fu Jinyue gave an indifferent response, gazed at the misty immortal mountains in the distance, and pondered for a moment.
She roughly understood what the system meant.
This mission required her to start with one person and end up building a sect. As a transmigrator who had just arrived, she had no mother, no father, no friends, no money, no power, and no status. According to the system’s words, if she wanted to carve out a place for herself in the cultivation world, her own strength had to be tough enough. If she wanted her strength to be tough enough, she had to practice cultivation diligently. And in order to cultivate, she had to…
Fu Jinyue: “So your main purpose in finding me is to have me fish for men in the cultivation world, fish for a lot of men?”
System: “Yes.”
Sensing the displeasure in her words, it anxiously advised, “I understand. For a woman as excellent as the host, binding with you must have made you suffer a lot of grievances, but…”
Fu Jinyue suddenly let out a light laugh, the corners of her mouth curving up: “Grievances? Rather, you have completely fulfilled my dream.”
The system let out a bewildered “Ah?”, “…What dream?”
“What other dream could there be?” Fu Jinyue raised her face proudly, “Of course it’s to legally and reasonably be a lady boss of a harem!”
Fu Jinyue had a lot of self-awareness.
Call it passionate or call it a scumbag woman. In short, she was not a loyal person.
Fu Jinyue was fickle and loved to play. She would often change several male partners in less than a year. She didn’t stay attached for long, didn’t marry, and didn’t get sad.
But society interfered too much. A girl who had neither cheated nor hooked up with married men, but merely changed partners frequently, would be pointed at and cursed by many people using censored words, and rumored to be a mistress or a kept woman.
Even though those houses and cars were obtained through her own hard work.
So she gradually grew tired of it.
Although she wouldn’t change herself because of other people’s looks, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t feel bad about it.
The system’s binding was not a forced coercion; it gave her a chance at a new life.
Fu Jinyue glanced once more at the misty仙山 in the distance and walked down along the mountain path.
The cool breeze brushed against her face, and the strands of hair hanging behind her flew forward, making her face a little itchy.
Fu Jinyue subconsciously reached for the hair tie on her wrist, only to feel nothing, before remembering that she had already changed her shell. Those small objects she carried with her had long since vanished.
This new body was provided directly by the system, a one-to-one replica of Fu Jinyue’s original body. Her soul moved in seamlessly, and she didn’t feel the slightest bit unaccustomed to it. Unfortunately, except for this set of clothes she was wearing, there was nothing else on her entire body—let alone copper coins, even her cultivation was merely the introductory stage of drawing qi into the body.
She stepped on the rugged mountain path and walked down, secretly settling the general outline of her future plans.
First of all, she had to find a way to cultivate bit by bit using the Hehuan path. Only when she had cultivation could she use her strength to complete the system’s tasks and glorify the Hehuan Sect. As for how to glorify it, it didn’t matter; she would act according to the circumstances later.
Therefore, the first step was beyond doubt—first find a tall, large, strong, and handsome cultivator for dual cultivation.
The system dropped her here with the original intention of making it convenient for her to find her first target.
The misty immortal mountain in the distance was where the Sword Sect was located. Named after the sword, its path was naturally powerful, making it a gathering place for sword cultivators.
Sword cultivators, when it came to the number of people employed and the single population, which industry had more than them?
Not to mention that the divorce rate of sword cultivators also led by a mile. Youths, young adults, and widowers were all available. If you wanted to play the hard mode, there were also good prospects who practiced the heartless Dao.
But the system made one mistake.
It forgot that climbing the immortal mountain was fraught with difficulties, and with Fu Jinyue’s strength, it was difficult to climb.
Fortunately, Fu Jinyue was not someone who loved to suffer hardships either, so she naturally gave up on climbing the mountain and went instead to the villages and towns at the foot of the mountain to try her luck and see if there were any lone cultivators who caught her eye.
Her luck had always been very good.
According to the original plan, walking all the way to the foot of the mountain would roughly require walking until dark. But just as she reached the mountainside, Fu Jinyue saw a dark mountain cave partially exposed amidst the lush greenery.
She heard some abrupt sounds inside, like a person’s painful panting.
Pushing aside the bushes and peering into the cave, there was indeed someone lying inside. It was a sleeping… youth, a male.
She was a bit stunned.
The youth’s clothes were tattered, his arms were bare, and his skin was not too fair, leaning towards wheat-colored. Obviously, he exercised frequently; his muscles were tight, and his body was vigorous and full of vitality. Relying on a cultivator’s excellent eyesight, Fu Jinyue could see that with the rise and fall of the other party’s breathing, droplets of liquid—unsure if it was sweat—slid down his body, only disappearing into his lower abdomen before becoming invisible.
There was a forearm-length scar on his lower abdomen, which looked terrifying.
Any disciple who entered the Sword Sect had to have a firm mind. To test this point, the Sword Sect had made the paths exceptionally steep and perilous.
Fu Jinyue saw a sword by his hand and faintly perceived that the other party’s cultivation was higher than hers, but not by much.
She guessed in her heart that this person must have wanted to go to the Sword Sect to acknowledge a master and learn skills, but unfortunately encountered danger and rested here.
Taking a few more steps into the cave, the person still didn’t react. Fu Jinyue put her heart at ease, walked over to his side with large strides, and observed him.
The system originally thought Fu Jinyue was looking at how the injured patient was doing, but unexpectedly heard a murmur.
“He looks quite good.”
Her heart was moved.
Fu Jinyue’s hand hovered over his chest and abdomen. After hesitating for a moment, she changed to using the back of her hand to touch the other party’s cheek.
So hot.
Seeing that the other party still didn’t react, she lowered her eyes and then pressed her palm onto those blocks of firm abdominal muscles.
The touch was a bit soft at first, but when her hand applied a little more force, she could feel that layer of hard muscle beneath the thin skin, block after block. It wasn’t as rigid as an iron plate, but more like un-melted chocolate, combining both soft and hard aspects.
“Ho-Host?” The system was shocked.
“He is having a fever.” Fu Jinyue said righteously, “I’m just seeing if he’s still conscious.”
As she spoke, just as she was about to withdraw her hand, a force suddenly clamped tightly onto her wrist. The other party’s hand was burning hot and powerful, and a pair of dark, bright eyes stared straight at her. His lips were tightly pursed, and he was very vigilant.
“Who are you?”
Fu Jinyue didn’t panic at all, copying the exact same script she used against the system to deal with him: “You have a fever.”
“I was just seeing if you were still conscious.”
The voice that entered his ears was soft and sweet, and her tone was calm and gentle. The youth was stunned for a moment, noticing that not only was the other party’s attitude peaceful, but her clothes were also made of a material never before seen in the countryside. The stitching was dense, and upon careful scrutiny, one could even see delicate patterns that were hard to detect within the silk surface.
He was at a loss for a moment. A family of such an origin indeed had no reason to play tricks on him.
“S-Sorry.” He said with a bit of a stammer, and his hand that clamped onto Fu Jinyue also let go.
“It’s fine.” Fu Jinyue weighed her words, “Your body is so hot, how long have you been injured?”
“More than… a day.”
After that pair of dark, bright eyes let down their guard, his tense expression also relaxed. Only then did Fu Jinyue discover that he had a pair of very obedient-looking puppy eyes, the outer corners drooping. Because of the fever, a ring around his eyes was red, making him look even more innocent and pitiful.
But his body was not of the thin and frail type, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
The youth’s features were heroic and handsome, his sword-like eyebrows were dashing, and his temperament was very upright. He was a type that Fu Jinyue rarely encountered.
Like a German Shepherd dog.
This thought emerged in her heart.
Damn it, her heart was shamefully moved once again.
“Since you came to acknowledge a master and learn skills, you must also know that the journey is perilous. Why didn’t you bring medicine?” Fu Jinyue asked, looking at the gruesome wound on his abdomen.
“How does the young lady know it’s to acknowledge a master…” Halfway through his words, the youth suddenly pulled up the clothes beside him.
Unfortunately, that set of clothes had long been tattered, and covering his body with it was of no avail.
Fu Jinyue didn’t care, as if she hadn’t noticed, and continued to examine the wound.
Xi Chuan’s face turned red from her gaze. Speaking of which, it was a very common thing to work bare-chested in the countryside, and he hadn’t been un-viewed by others before. Why would he feel embarrassed?
Perhaps, perhaps it was because he had never met such a clean and tidy woman before. By contrast, he appeared too wretched, like a coarse and rustic fellow.
Embarrassedly tugging at his clothes, he wanted to persist in covering his body, but seeing the other party acting with such frankness and magnanimity, his own actions appeared awkward instead. For a moment, he didn’t know what to do, and could only purse his lips to answer the question just now: “M-My family is poor, it was inconvenient to bring medicine.”
Fu Jinyue did not show a look of sympathy, but said as usual: “In that case, then it’s difficult to handle.”
She asked the system in her mind: “Do you have medicine?”
“There is no mall function over here. My goal is to assist you in glorifying the Hehuan Sect. My authority can at most check other people’s life resumes and see their intimacy values towards you, and it can only check Dao companions you have already dual-cultivated with.”
“This person’s cultivation is too low, it’s not quite suitable,” the system perceived something, “Host, are you going to help him?”
“I like his face.” Fu Jinyue said.
“Then there is another method that can treat him without applying medicine.” The system resolved the difficulty, “The orthodox dual cultivation method emphasizes mutual benefit and symbiosis. Under the harmony of Yin and Yang, this kind of injury of his can be healed with just one session.”
One session, one session of what?
Fu Jinyue was not yet used to this ridiculous method of cultivation.
She wanted to doubt if she had misheard, but after the system provided the method, it didn’t speak any further. Obviously, this method meant exactly what she heard.
“…” Fu Jinyue fell into a rare silence.
The injured patient lying on the ground seemed to see her difficulty in speaking during the silence, and took the initiative to say: “Since it’s difficult to handle, the young lady doesn’t need to mind me. Before long, I will go down the mountain by myself to nurse my injuries. The path of seeking immortality is like this; everyone has their own fate.”
“I see that the young lady’s cultivation is also just drawing qi into the body. You must also be a fellow traveler who wants to go to the Sword Sect to seek immortality and acknowledge a master.” He smiled, his gaze sincere, “If I delay you, it won’t be good. You should leave first.”
“…I am Fu Jinyue. What is your name?”
He was stunned for a moment: “Xi Chuan.”
Fu Jinyue nodded to show her understanding, lifted her skirt, and instead sat down. She gathered the scattered tree branches on the ground back into a pile and reached out her hand toward the youth: “Flint.”
It was impossible for tree branches to drop out of thin air inside a mountain cave; they were mostly collected by someone actively, to be used to fend off the cold after nightfall.
Qi Refining cultivators had not yet fasted, and the gap between them and mortals was not large. Fu Jinyue thought to herself, perhaps the youth originally wanted to build a fire to keep warm and cook some food, but unexpectedly the infection of the wound was too fast, and he fainted as soon as the high fever hit.
As for how long he had been fainted, that was unknown.
Xi Chuan indeed carried flint. He fumbled in the cloth bag beside him and handed the items to Fu Jinyue. Seeing that her hands were empty, he didn’t hesitate much and actively handed out his dagger as well.
Fu Jinyue used to have an interest in extreme sports and had learned outdoor survival techniques. Holding the dagger and the flint, she struck a spark with a scrape, and the tiny dry branches used as tinder began to smoke.
The cave was not large. To avoid danger, Fu Jinyue moved the firewood pile near the entrance of the cave.
The youth gradually understood her actions. In addition to gratitude, his face bore an expression of worry.
“It’s about to turn dark. Why should Miss Fu stay here? Anyway, you’re just accompanying me to…” wait for death.
Xi Chuan did not say the last two words out loud.
“Your wound has already turned black, and the surroundings are red and swollen.”
Fu Jinyue gazed at the youth, stating her previous observations one by one: “Coupled with cold sweat and high fever, I think your lying there is definitely not because you don’t want to stand up, but because it is violently painful and you can’t exert force anymore, right?”
“Even if you rely on a cultivator’s physique to let the wound heal so that you won’t bleed to death, infection remains inevitable. Neither of us has medicine, the immortals on the mountain are hard to find, and going down the mountain is a long journey with tight time constraints. Even if I go to seek help now, it is estimated that you won’t survive today.”
Those puppy eyes dimmed, his ears drooped, and he was just short of making an aggrieved puppy-like whimper. But in front of Fu Jinyue, a stranger, Xi Chuan forced himself to maintain surface calmness and said flatly: “I didn’t…”
She didn’t want to talk too much.
Even if the youth acted out of good intentions, Fu Jinyue just wanted to try a rare flavor, and it wasn’t that she truly wanted to talk about love. She simply blocked all words and said bluntly:
“Actually, I am not going to the Sword Sect to acknowledge a master and learn skills.”
The little puppy blinked.
In Xi Chuan’s eyes, the other party still maintained that calm posture. She was beautiful; when she carried a shallow smile just now, she was exceptionally bright, and now that she wasn’t smiling, she showed a bit of coolness. Her voice was soft and sweet, and her articulation was crisp, like a younger sister, but the words she spoke carried another kind of feeling—calm, capable, and exceptionally organized.
He only saw her looking at him, saying in a steady tone:
“What I cultivate is the Hehuan method, and what I learn is the art of dual cultivation. Now that you are about to die and I want to save you, why not give it a try with me?”