At the Renxin Medical Clinic, the sky had just begun to turn a pale fish-belly white.
Lin Zhiwei’s eyelids trembled slightly.
After a moment, she opened her eyes, looking dazed.
‘Where am I?’
Lying in an unfamiliar bed, she looked at the pitch-black surroundings, and a surge of fear welled up within her.
Leaning against the edge of the bed, she reached into her robe and felt around until she gripped a small dagger, which gave her a slight sense of security.
Her head felt heavy and dizzy.
It took a long while for her memories to slowly return.
That day, her master had failed again.
He had picked up a stool and swung it down.
She had tried to protect her junior sister, but she only remembered a sharp pain in her head before losing consciousness.
Sss…
She touched the wound on her head; it still throbbed with pain.
“You’re awake!”
A voice sounded beside her, carrying the playful tone of a young girl.
Lin Zhiwei flinched.
Only then did she notice someone leaning against her bed, rubbing their eyes sleepily.
“Sister Zhiwei, you’re finally awake! I was worried sick!” the girl exclaimed happily upon seeing her stir.
Lin Zhiwei recognized her.
The girl was Ling’er.
Realizing she must be inside the medical clinic, she quickly asked, “Ling’er? How long have I been unconscious?”
Ling’er lit an oil lamp, thought for a moment, and replied, “Two full days and two nights. If Grandpa hadn’t said you were fine, I would have been scared to death!”
‘Two days?’
‘That’s not good!’
Lin Zhiwei’s heart sank, and her first thought was of Lu Zhiyi.
She had been unconscious for two days, which meant Lu Zhiyi had to face their master alone!
That silly girl didn’t have her protection.
What if she accidentally angered him?
Thinking of this, she hurriedly tried to roll out of bed.
But as she tossed the blanket aside, she realized she was only wearing a thin inner robe.
A wave of weakness washed through her body.
“It’s cold outside. Put this on.” Ling’er saw her trying to get up and rummaged around before picking up a white dress and tossing it over.
“Thank… thank you.”
Lin Zhiwei thanked her repeatedly.
Touching the fabric of the dress, she felt a bit overwhelmed.
She and her junior sister had never worn such fine clothes; at a glance, it looked like it cost several Spiritual Stones.
“Thank you, Ling’er. I’ll find a way to save up and pay you back for the dress and… and the medical fees once I get back.” She spoke while pulling on the dress, her voice growing smaller and more embarrassed as she went.
This wasn’t her first or second time in the clinic.
Her master never paid the bills.
With the cost of the clothes added to the treatment, she didn’t know how long she would have to secretly save to pay it all back.
“What? Oh…” Ling’er seemed to realize something and shook her head. “There’s no need for that, you—”
Before she could finish, two low voices sounded from outside the door.
“Is it this room…?”
“Yes. Do it!”
The door was suddenly kicked open.
Two figures dressed in black, one tall and one short, rushed inside.
“You—” Ling’er gasped, preparing to scream.
The shorter man delivered a swift chop to her neck, and she slumped over instantly.
He then pointed at Lin Zhiwei, studying her for a moment.
“That’s her. Bind her.”
Lin Zhiwei’s eyes widened.
In that split second, she didn’t even have time to pull out her dagger.
The shorter man lunged forward and delivered another strike.
Her vision went black, and she fell unconscious.
Ding!
[Today’s Tip 1!]
[Lin Zhiwei has woken up but has been kidnapped. She is being taken to a small courtyard in a dark alley on the east side of the Marketplace. Both Rogue Cultivators are at Qi Refining Level 1. Please proceed with caution.]
[Today’s Tip 2!]
[You rejected Aunt Jin yesterday. She is now both anxious and furious, and she has begun using underhanded methods to deal with you. To ensure your survival, please raise your cultivation to at least Qi Refining Level 3 within three days.]
[Countdown: 36 hours]
[Until the host breaks through to Qi Refining Level 3, the system will no longer provide tips.]
Su Xuan was in the middle of a beautiful dream.
He was just about to engage in some “vigorous exercise” with the girl he had a crush on in his previous life.
The crisp notification sound in his head made his heart jerk.
His dream was shattered, and he sat up with a start.
‘Is this a system or an iPhone alarm?’
Drowsy and ready to curse, he glanced at the content and instantly became alert.
He had originally thought he could rely on the system to just pick up rewards forever, but reality was telling him that was impossible.
With his Qi Refining Level 2 cultivation, dealing with Rogue Cultivators was manageable, but what if they were stronger?
Knowing the information wouldn’t matter if he lacked the power to act.
Furthermore, he had already offended Aunt Jin’s side.
He had to hurry and raise his cultivation to truly establish a foothold in this Marketplace.
Su Xuan rolled out of bed, threw on some clothes, and began rummaging through the original owner’s belongings.
“Breath-concealing Talisman, Agility Talisman… and… the Ice Spike Talisman!”
After searching for a while, he found several talismans, which gave him a bit of confidence.
A cultivator only experienced their first marrow cleansing and gained offensive spiritual power at Qi Refining Level 3.
As a Level 2 cultivator, his combat effectiveness relied entirely on talismans.
“Zhiyi, Master has an urgent matter and needs to go out! Stay home and wait for me! Make sure to stay safe!” Su Xuan shoved the talismans into his robe and shouted as he hurried out the door.
He couldn’t explain how he knew Lin Zhiwei was in danger, so he simply chose not to tell his young disciple.
By the courtyard, Lu Zhiyi seemed reluctant to wear her new dress and had changed back into her coarse hemp clothes.
She was currently hovering over a basin of water, rubbing her senior sister’s clothes.
Her small hands were frozen bright red.
When she could no longer stand the cold, she tucked them between her knees to warm them up.
“Master—”
Bang!
She watched Su Xuan rush out, and before she could even speak, the sound of the door slamming shut cut her off.
Looking at the closed courtyard gate, Lu Zhiyi blinked blankly at first.
Then, as if realizing something, her body jerked.
Her thin frame began to tremble slightly.
Her eyes filled with terror, and she clutched her head as if trapped in a painful memory.
It was from when she was seven or eight years old.
Back then, she was pampered like a little princess.
She had a father, a mother, and a home.
She remembered it was a rainy night.
“Zhiyi, Father and Mother have an urgent matter and need to go out! You stay home and wait! Make sure to stay safe!”
Her father had been just as hurried, giving her that one instruction before leaving with her mother.
Back then, her younger self had been lying comfortably in bed, not worried at all.
Her parents just had something to do; they would be back by evening.
But they didn’t come back.
One day, two days, three days…
She moved a small stool to the front door and waited.
She waited from morning until night, from the moment she woke up until she was too tired to keep her eyes open.
But her parents never returned.
Her younger self thought she had been bad and that her parents were trying to scare her.
She cried for a long time.
She cried and swore she would be good from now on, that she wouldn’t lose her temper, hoping they would suddenly appear and hug her again.
But no one answered.
By the seventh day, there was no food left in the house.
She clumsily packed a few sets of clothes, took a small bundle, and stepped out the door.
No matter how scary it was outside, she had to find them…
The bone-chilling cold from the ice water snapped her out of her thoughts.
She crouched in the courtyard, staring at the closed door once again.
“Master… will you come back this time?”
‘We haven’t even eaten yet…’