Chapter 7: The Sixth Day After Transmigrating Into a Book

The system chimed.

[Congratulations, Host. Main Quest complete: “Take Qin Feiyuan as a Disciple.” Virtue Points +200. Current Virtue Points: 240.]

After completing the main quest and earning more Virtue Points, Chu Wuyue was in an excellent mood. When enough time had passed, he removed the needles from Qin Feiyuan’s back, then went around the screen and left the boy with a simple instruction.

“Come out and get dressed.”

Chu Wuyue waited outside the hall with his hands clasped behind his back. A short while later, Qin Feiyuan came out of the inner room, dressed and neat. He wore the standard white uniform of Fengyun Sect, which Yin Shiyan must have left for him.

Qin Feiyuan walked up to Chu Wuyue and stood straight, smiling brightly. “Shizun.” His eyes were clear and full of admiration.

The sight brought to mind the way Chu Wuyue had once described the male lead in the original book—

[Though the boy was only twelve, he stood tall and straight as a pine, his bearing proud and unyielding. His face was still young, but one could already glimpse the extraordinary man he would become. His eyes shone like stars, and his sincere smile brimmed with hope and anticipation for the future.]

Those words had once been no more than lifeless text. Now Qin Feiyuan stood before him, alive and exactly as the description had promised.

Chu Wuyue couldn’t quite explain the feeling. It was simply strange. He lowered his eyes and said, “Come with me.”

“Yes.” Qin Feiyuan nodded obediently and followed close behind. Chu Wuyue swept his sleeve, carrying the boy through the air to the courtyard in front of Qinglan Cottage on Bihuai Mountain.

…

Lin Yu was sweeping leaves in the courtyard before Qinglan Cottage. When he saw Chu Wuyue return, he hurried forward and bowed.

“Venerable, you’ve returned.”

His tone and manner were both extremely respectful.

Chu Wuyue hadn’t expected Lin Yu to be the first person he encountered after returning to Bihuai Mountain. This was the future male lead’s most loyal—and most twisted—spy.

He glanced at Lin Yu without giving anything away, then looked at Qin Feiyuan, who stood beside him, still somewhat dazed. He quickly made up his mind.

“Show him around. Set him up in the hall next to mine.” Chu Wuyue promptly handed Qin Feiyuan over to Lin Yu.

Given his position, if he personally led the male lead around, he’d go OOC in no time. Let the boy spend time with his future underling instead. There wasn’t a main quest for this at the moment, anyway…

Lin Yu acknowledged the order and studied Qin Feiyuan. When he noticed the Purple Bamboo Jade Leaf hanging around the boy’s neck, his heart skipped.

A direct disciple?

Lin Yu had been undercover in Fengyun Sect for years. He knew Chu Wuyue’s temperament well. The man kept to himself and disliked dealing with people. Why would he take a disciple?

He smiled, the dimples at the corners of his mouth showing. Then he asked tentatively, “Venerable, may I ask which elder this young master is the direct disciple of? It’s quite an honor to have you personally instruct him.”

He looked honest and guileless, but who knew what schemes were turning over in his head?

Chu Wuyue saw through Lin Yu’s little ploy at a glance. The OOC restrictions kept him from throwing the man out of Fengyun Sect, but he could at least stay as far away as possible.

He looked down at Lin Yu and replied coolly, “He is this Seat’s direct disciple.”

Then, wearing the impassive expression expected of an expert, he walked into the hall with his hands clasped behind his back.

He shut the door behind him.

Qin Feiyuan and Lin Yu were left in the courtyard, looking at each other. Lin Yu was the first to smile and greet him.

“Junior Grand Martial Ancestor, I’m Lin Yu, the disciple in charge of the day-to-day affairs on Bihuai Mountain. If you need anything, just come to me. I’ll show you around.”

Qin Feiyuan stared quietly at Lin Yu’s smiling face. He seemed to come out of a daze and nodded, but for some reason he felt an inexplicable aversion to Lin Yu. He followed him, yet deliberately kept some distance between them.

…

Inside the hall, Chu Wuyue felt his mind clear a little after closing the door.

Since meeting the male lead, he’d been distracted by the boy’s pitiful appearance. He’d nearly forgotten that he still had to follow the main storyline.

Venerable Xuanji had given Qin Feiyuan no shortage of trouble in the original book. He’d been punished with wall-sitting, beaten on the palms with a ruler, and made to kneel. Once the main storyline played out and the male lead turned dark, Chu Wuyue might even have to be nailed to a pillar in the sect and slowly ground to death by Soul-Devouring Nails.

And now, look at Bihuai Mountain.

The male lead, Qin Feiyuan, was waiting to turn dark on his left, and the male lead’s twisted spy, Lin Yu, was on his right. Trouble ahead, trouble behind. He couldn’t afford to offend either of them.

Chu Wuyue sighed and sat down in a sandalwood chair, fretting. He only had 240 Virtue Points. The system still hadn’t issued another main quest. When would he ever save up the 5,000 points needed for Rebirth Eligibility?

As Chu Wuyue sat lost in thought, the system chimed crisply. He straightened in his seat.

Whenever the system made that sound, it meant either a warning or a quest.

Sure enough.

[Main Quest issued: Attend the sect meeting and accept the quest “Lead the New Disciples on an Outdoor Trial.” Take Qin Feiyuan along on the new disciples’ trial. Complete this quest to earn 200 Virtue Points.]

Chu Wuyue knew about the sect meeting. Fengyun Sect recruited a new batch of disciples every three years. The sect spent three months observing their character and aptitude, after which the elders and Sect Leader held a meeting to decide which peak each disciple would train on.

But “Lead the New Disciples on an Outdoor Trial”…had that been in the original book?

Chu Wuyue couldn’t remember.

The system, which could detect his thoughts, explained:

[The world will automatically fill in its bugs. Although the new disciples’ trial was only briefly mentioned in the original book, Qin Feiyuan took part in it, so it has been counted as a main quest.]

“Is that so…” Chu Wuyue couldn’t recall this part of the story. It had only been mentioned in passing, and so much time had gone by. How could he be expected to remember every detail?

The system continued:

[In the original book, after Qin Feiyuan was taken as a disciple by Venerable Xuanji, some disciples in Fengyun Sect grew jealous. They secretly added his name to the list of new disciples taking part in the trial. Most of the new disciples died on that expedition. Only the accompanying elder and Qin Feiyuan survived, causing the sect disciples to grow suspicious of Qin Feiyuan and laying the groundwork for later trouble.]

Chu Wuyue: “…” Oh. Right. He remembered now.

When he’d written that part, he’d only used a couple of short paragraphs. His goal had been simple: show how miserable and pitiful Qin Feiyuan’s life was.

But the jealousy that led the new disciples to add Qin Feiyuan’s name to the trial roster had depended on him being an ordinary disciple of Venerable Xuanji.

But now…

Qin Feiyuan was a direct disciple.

No matter how bold the Fengyun Sect disciples were, they wouldn’t dare mess with a direct disciple. Even if they were jealous, his status was still his status.

The difference between an ordinary disciple and a direct disciple was enormous.

Chu Wuyue summed it up.

Because he’d taken Qin Feiyuan as his direct disciple, the other disciples would take his status into account. They wouldn’t add Qin Feiyuan’s name to the new disciples’ trial out of jealousy.

Which meant Chu Wuyue would have to find a way to take Qin Feiyuan along himself.

When he’d made Qin Feiyuan his direct disciple, he hadn’t thought this through. He’d assumed it would just make life easier for the boy at Fengyun Sect and wouldn’t affect the main storyline.

He hadn’t expected it to change anything…

Chu Wuyue: “…”

Can I still take it back? Could I swap the Purple Bamboo Jade Leaf for a Green Bamboo Jade Leaf?

[Unauthorized action. The Host is advised not to attempt this.] The system warned him.

“I was only thinking about it.”

The system fell silent.

Chu Wuyue sat in the chair, lost in thought.

It was only now that he truly began to think of this place as a real world, not a lifeless book. Every choice he made could affect the plot that came afterward and change how the characters behaved. As the system had said, the world really would fill in every bug—even the smallest detail.

Thinking about it, Chu Wuyue realized he’d dug himself a massive hole. Could a change in the plot eventually force him to kill himself?

“…”

It was entirely possible.

The system spoke again.

[Timed Side Quest detected: Diligently guide Qin Feiyuan’s cultivation for one month. Complete this quest to earn 1,000 Virtue Points.]

[Quest issued. Please select “Accept” or “Decline.”]

Chu Wuyue: “?”

Chu Wuyue suspected he’d misheard. “Did you add an extra zero? A thousand Virtue Points?” The main quests didn’t even offer that much.

The system offered no explanation. It was cold and merciless.

[Three seconds remaining.]

[3.]

“I accept.”

Chu Wuyue gave in at once. Who in their right mind would turn down a thousand Virtue Points?

Once he’d accepted, he began to wonder what “diligently guide” meant in practice.

Given Venerable Xuanji’s aloof nature, he couldn’t be too close to Qin Feiyuan. But if he was supposed to guide him diligently, he couldn’t be too distant, either.

Just as Chu Wuyue was deep in thought, Yin Shiyan came to see him.

“Grand Martial Ancestor, something’s wrong.”

The Sect Leader, usually so cheerful, looked grave as he came up to Chu Wuyue. “I took some people to Yucheng, but who would have thought…”

He trailed off with a sigh, then took out a projection stone. “I recorded what Yucheng looked like. Please take a look for yourself.”

He poured spiritual energy into the stone. An image appeared in the air above it, showing the scene in Yucheng…

The sight nearly made Chu Wuyue jump to his feet. Fortunately, he managed to hold himself steady in the wooden chair. He closed his eyes and asked in a calm, distant voice, “Was this what you found when you arrived?”

“Yes. It had already happened by the time we got there,” Yin Shiyan said quietly. “And there was no demonic qi in Yucheng, despite what you described. The area around the Xianzhou Dense Forest was clear of any trace of the Devil Race, too.”

“Keep people there and watch for any further developments,” Chu Wuyue said.

Then he looked up at the projection again. Flames engulfed Yucheng, and gray smoke mixed with the drifting white fog. Bodies lay scattered through the city, some with flames licking at them, others already burned to charred husks.

Chu Wuyue lowered his eyes. “Bury the dead.”

He wasn’t sure whether their deaths had anything to do with him. But when he’d arrived, he’d seen bodies everywhere and no blood. At the time, the dead had looked almost as if they were sleeping.

Even though an entire city had died, Chu Wuyue hadn’t felt shaken.

But once the fire had blazed through Yucheng and the bodies had burned to charcoal, with the flames still spreading, the scene had become horrifying.

Chu Wuyue didn’t consider himself a saint, but he was an ordinary person, too. He didn’t like anything too gruesome.

“Please rest assured, Grand Martial Ancestor. I’ve ordered people to remain in Yucheng and see to the bodies,” Yin Shiyan said.

Chu Wuyue gave a quiet reply.

When they’d finished discussing that, Yin Shiyan’s expression softened. He sat in another wooden chair not far from Chu Wuyue and asked, “The new disciples will have been at the sect for three months in another month. The sect meeting will be held then. Will you attend, Grand Martial Ancestor?”

The question was exactly what Chu Wuyue had been waiting for. He answered at once, “Of course I’ll attend this meeting.”

He glanced at Yin Shiyan from the corner of his eye. The Sect Leader wore a calm, composed smile, just like an NPC from an online game Chu Wuyue had played.

No matter how angry or frantic the player got, the NPC remained unruffled and smiling, repeating the same quest prompt and deflecting every question. Yin Shiyan had all the makings of a useful NPC.

Yin Shiyan continued, “A group of outstanding new disciples will be chosen for an outdoor trial. If Junior Shishu is going along, he’ll need to devote more time to cultivation.”

Chu Wuyue: “…” He glanced at Yin Shiyan again. Who would have guessed the handsome Sect Leader, with his thick brows and earnest eyes, was such a gossip?

Yin Shiyan had barely had time to travel to Yucheng and back. He’d come straight to Bihuai Mountain as soon as he returned. When had he had time to rest?

Where had he gotten the information? He must have released his divine sense the moment he landed and eavesdropped on the disciples.

Chu Wuyue fought to keep his expression straight. He could feel the corners of his mouth threatening to rise as he uncovered Yin Shiyan’s little secret.

“Don’t worry. I’ll guide Feiyuan myself. The meeting will proceed as usual. I’ll only be observing.”

Yin Shiyan nodded. “Understood.”

Chu Wuyue and Yin Shiyan chatted for a few more minutes before the Sect Leader finally rose and bowed his way out.

He’d made excellent use of his time as an NPC.

Chu Wuyue sighed to the system. “I’m starting to wonder if Sect Leader Yin is a spy planted by you.”

Whenever Chu Wuyue wanted to take on a main quest, the Sect Leader handed him the perfect opportunity. He almost wanted to say, Thank you, Sect Leader. You’re such a good person.

The system: “…”

It remained silent.

…