Is It Wrong to Bully the Novice Village for System Rewards?

The original host… isn’t dead?!

After cutting the transmission with Ji Chan’er, Qi Yuan frowned deeply, his eyes betraying his profound shock.

Relying on his transmigrator’s enhanced memory, he replayed the scene outside Azure Cloud Town in his mind.

To be absolutely safe, he had specifically swept the grave with his Divine Sense. He had confirmed there was a corpse inside, roughly his age, and stone-cold dead.

There was zero chance of feigned death or suspended animation. Rigor mortis didn’t lie.

Yet now, another “Qi Yuan” had popped up out of nowhere, traveling thousands of miles to the Abyssal Sanctuary. No matter how he looked at it, this reeked of a conspiracy.

Could it be… some evil cultivator took an interest in Qin Lingxue and puppeted the original host’s corpse to get close to her?

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

The “original host” had gone to the Abyssal Sanctuary to annul the engagement, not to fulfill it. If the goal was to harm or manipulate Qin Lingxue, pushing her away made no logical sense.

Furthermore, the Abyssal Sanctuary was a top-tier sect. How could they be deceived by a walking corpse? Even the most sophisticated puppetry arts had flaws. They wouldn’t easily trust a counterfeit.

Interesting.

A playful, calculating smile curled at the corner of Qi Yuan’s mouth.

“It seems the extermination of the Qi family isn’t as simple as a random tragedy,” he muttered to himself. “No wonder the System rated this Main Mission as five stars. It’s properly cursed.”

“But cursed or not, while this brain-dead System is outrageous, it wouldn’t issue a suicide mission. It wouldn’t ask a Foundation Building trash like me to go head-to-head with a high-level boss.”

“This proves the mastermind isn’t invincible. Their cultivation shouldn’t be too high; they just have unique methods.”

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes, quickly formulating a plan.

Once tomorrow’s celebration was wrapped up, he would personally head to the Abyssal Sanctuary. He needed to meet this “resurrected” version of himself and speedrun the main quest while he was at it.

Just then, a gentle, water-like female voice drifted in from the hallway.

“Fellow Daoist Qi… are you inside?”

Qi Yuan froze.

Is she here to settle the score?

He composed himself, standing up to open the door with a practiced, polite smile.

“Holy Maiden Xiao? Is something wrong?”

Standing in the doorway was Xiao Yuening. She had changed into a conservative, demure lilac ruqun. Her face was scrubbed clean of makeup, yet she looked even more stunning—like a lotus bud trembling in the morning dew.

“Fellow Daoist Qi, I… I have something I need to discuss with you. May I come in?”

Xiao Yuening bit her lip, her tone laced with shyness and a barely suppressed nervousness.

It was the dead of night. She was the Holy Maiden of an all-female sect. If she were caught sneaking into a man’s room, the rumors would shatter the sky.

She knew how terrifying the gossip mill in the Exquisite Sanctuary could be. If her junior sisters found out, she would never hear the end of it.

That was why she had used a stealth technique to sneak into the Resting Mist Courtyard unseen.

“Of course.” Qi Yuan nodded immediately, stepping aside. “Please, come in.”

Xiao Yuening nodded, her cheeks flushed, and stepped into the room. She immediately turned and shut the door tight, locking the latch.

Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow. The atmosphere suddenly felt… intimate.

He decided to break the ice before things got weird.

“Holy Maiden Xiao, regarding the accident earlier today, I am truly sorry…”

Before he could finish, Xiao Yuening shook her head softly.

“Fellow Daoist Qi, you needn’t dwell on it. You were affected by the Phantom Star Fruit and trapped in an Illusion Realm. Your actions were unconscious.”

“Since it wasn’t your true intent, you shouldn’t blame yourself.”

Seeing the Holy Maiden being so reasonable and understanding, Qi Yuan actually felt a bit awkward. He didn’t know how to respond to such grace, so he resorted to flattery.

“Holy Maiden Xiao is truly magnanimous. Qi admires you.”

Then, he stared intently at the teacup in his hand, trying to distract himself.

For some reason, after riding the beast Cheng Huang, his body was overflowing with vitality. He felt like a man who had overdosed on high-grade tiger bone wine. His blood was boiling, and his impulses were dangerous.

Sitting across from the breathtakingly beautiful Holy Maiden, he was fighting a losing battle against his own biology. He just hoped she would say her piece and leave so he could take a cold shower.

Seeing him acting distant, Xiao Yuening bit her lip again. After a moment of hesitation, she finally asked the question burning in her heart.

“Fellow Daoist Qi… those words you said in front of the Ancestor… were they sincere?”

She had a mission from her Master, yes. But if she didn’t get clarity on this first, her Dao Heart would never know peace.

Qi Yuan looked up, his expression instantly shifting to one of solemn sincerity.

“Of course. I, Qi Yuan, am honest with everyone, from the elderly to the young. I never speak falsehoods.”

He looked her in the eye. “Holy Maiden Xiao is beautiful, kind-hearted, and peerlessly elegant. You are the best candidate for a Dao Companion in the entire world!”

One of the best, he mentally corrected.

Hearing this, a flicker of emotion passed through Xiao Yuening’s eyes. She sighed, her voice turning wistful and philosophical.

“You and I are Heaven’s Favored Ones, carrying the heavy hopes of our respective sects. Romantic love between men and women… it is but a flower in a mirror, the moon in the water. Beautiful, but illusory. How can it last?”

“If you truly like me… it would be better to focus on cultivation. In the future, we can support and encourage each other on the Great Path, seeking longevity together. As for other matters… perhaps we should set them aside for now.”

As she spoke, her beautiful eyes shimmered, looking at him with undeniable expectation.

What?

Qi Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. His expression turned strange.

He wasn’t a dense anime protagonist. He understood exactly what she was implying.

On the surface, she was rejecting him. But any fool could hear the promise hidden underneath.

She was basically saying: Don’t let romance ruin your grind now. Let’s reach the peak of cultivation, become immortal, and then be a happy couple for eternity.

No way…

We haven’t even known each other for twenty-four hours. Has it already progressed to the ‘growing old together’ stage?

When did my Peach Blossom Luck become this overpowered?

While Qi Yuan was lost in his narcissistic reverie, Xiao Yuening took a deep breath. Her demeanor shifted from shy to urgent.

“Fellow Daoist Qi, what exactly is your relationship with Ancestor Feihuang? Why is she so… particularly fond of you?”

She leaned forward. Her slender, graceful waist bowed, bringing her face dangerously close to his. Her shoulder gently brushed against his.

“Ancestor Feihuang is the pillar of our sect,” she whispered, her voice soft and pleading. “The other three Ancestors revere her like a god. Her word is absolute law.”

“Her existence is the very foundation of the Exquisite Sanctuary. This matter is critical to us. Please… tell me the truth.”

Xiao Yuening’s large, watery eyes stared fixedly at him, trying to see into his soul.

Threads of her delicate orchid scent drifted into his nose.

Qi Yuan’s body, already overcharged with vitality, instantly stiffened.