Chapter 4: That Damn Do-Gooder

Day three.

Rain—such heavy rain.

A violent storm.

The rainstorms of the cultivation world were far fiercer than those in the mortal realm.

Raindrops carried chaotic eddies of spiritual energy.

Occasionally, a pale bolt of lightning tore through the night, illuminating this humble room.

“According to the original script…”

“It’s tonight.”

Lin Xiao closed his eyes, and a game CG he had long since memorized began to play automatically in his mind:

A pouring rainy night.

An abandoned warehouse.

The little junior sister, maliciously locked inside by her fellow senior sisters, curled up in a corner, soaked through, shivering from the cold.

Just then, the male protagonist happened to pass by.

With a single palm strike, he shattered the lock, carried her on his back, and took her back to her quarters.

The composition of the CG was beautiful, and the background music was moving too.

This was the famous Thunderstorm Night Event.

“I can’t go, Lin Xiao. As long as I don’t show up at that warehouse tonight, this plot won’t be triggered.”

“Without that rescue in the rain, Xiao Luoyi’s initial dependency on me will plummet off a cliff. Then I won’t have to worry about whether a bug later causes the little junior sister to suddenly turn dark.”

Logical. Survival first.

He sat back down on the edge of the bed and picked up the Basic Qi Guidance Technique again, trying to force himself to calm down with its tedious qi circulation mantra.

But his gaze uncontrollably drifted toward the window.

“She… she’s probably been locked in by now, right?”

In Lin Xiao’s mind, game scenes involuntarily formed.

“Those bored troublemakers are probably still outside the warehouse gloating right now, saying stuff like ‘Let’s scare that quiet loner.’”

“None of my business.”

Lin Xiao shook his head vigorously, trying to expel those images from his mind.

“It’s not like I did it. If anyone should rescue her, it should be the sect’s enforcement team…”

Enforcement team?

These petty, non-lethal disputes between outer sect disciples?

Those lofty inner sect senior brothers couldn’t be bothered.

In the cultivation world, the law of the jungle was ironclad.

The weak getting bullied was the norm.

“So…”

“If I really don’t go, she’ll have to spend the whole night in that damn place…”

“Sigh…”

As a well-educated socialist new youth, he really couldn’t bring himself to stand by and watch someone die.

Lin Xiao seemed to have made up his mind.

He pulled an umbrella out of his Storage Pouch, then a spare raincoat.

After thinking for a moment, he also took out a small package of Osmanthus Cake.

“Right, and a lantern. In the game CG, the male lead shows up carrying a lantern. It’s pitch black outside—I can’t even see the road. I can’t go groping in the dark.”

He strode over to the pile of junk in the corner and started rummaging through boxes and cabinets.

He quickly found a half-burned candle and a battered, broken lampshade.

He picked up the candle, tested it—the wick was still long enough.

Then he picked up the lampshade.

Though broken, it could barely block the wind.

He also found a short length of hemp rope, and in a few quick moves, he assembled a simple handheld lantern.

He lit the candle and carefully secured it inside the lampshade.

After doing all this, Lin Xiao resignedly pulled open the door bolt.

The wind, carrying icy rain, instantly slapped him in the face.

“Damn it.”

He muttered a curse and clumsily opened the umbrella.

But the wind was too strong; the canopy immediately turned inside out.

He had to frantically straighten the umbrella while also steadying the lantern.

When Lin Xiao arrived, through the curtain of rain, he could hear the muffled sobbing from inside the warehouse from a distance.

The warehouse door was propped shut from the outside by a wooden pole, and a Vajra Talisman was pasted on the door to prevent forced entry from the inside.

“These bastards…”

“Junior sister, junior sister—I’m just an honest programmer. How could the scriptwriters who wrote this plot be so cruel.”

Lin Xiao cursed, pulled out the wooden pole, tore off the talisman, pushed open the heavy wooden door, and stepped inside.

A dim, warm halo illuminated the depths of the warehouse.

Xiao Luoyi was curled up in a corner, hugging her knees.

Her originally ethereal immortal robe clung tightly to her body, outlining her thin, frail frame.

Hearing the door open, Xiao Luoyi lifted her head.

Those beautiful, light purple eyes had completely lost focus in the darkness, instinctively chasing after that tiny bit of warm light.

Then she saw the lantern in Lin Xiao’s hand.

She stared at it blankly.

The trembling of her body gradually subsided.

Lin Xiao stared back at her.

If he really hadn’t come today, she probably wouldn’t have died—but her spirit might have remained trapped in this long night forever.

“Sigh…”

Lin Xiao covered his face with a piece of cloth.

That was his last stubborn act of defiance.

Seeing someone enter, Xiao Luoyi seemed startled awake.

Her pupils contracted sharply.

Instinctively, she wanted to retreat, but her body was already pressed against the wall—there was nowhere to go.

Lin Xiao walked up to her and slowly crouched down.

He took off his own still somewhat dry outer robe and gently draped it over her shoulders.

Xiao Luoyi froze completely, her eyes wide.

Silently, Lin Xiao pulled from his chest the package of Osmanthus Cake, warmed by his body heat, and held it out to her.

The fresh fragrance of osmanthus instantly filled the air.

Xiao Luoyi’s trembling hand reached out and carefully took the package of cake.

“Get on.”

Lin Xiao turned around and bent his knees slightly.

Xiao Luoyi didn’t move.

Lin Xiao waited a few seconds, then sighed.

“Do you want to stay here all night?”

Those words worked.

She staggered to her feet, hesitated, then tentatively climbed onto his back.

“Hold on tight.”

Lin Xiao firmly supported her thighs, stood up, turned around, and walked back into the downpour.

The umbrella was practically useless.

Both of them were drenched from head to toe.

Xiao Luoyi lay quietly on his back.

Her breathing made Lin Xiao’s neck itch.

When they were almost at Xiao Luoyi’s quarters, Lin Xiao stopped.

He gently set Xiao Luoyi down and shoved the umbrella into her hands.

“Go inside. Change out of your wet clothes. Drink some hot water.”

He said it curtly, then turned to leave.

“Wait…”

Xiao Luoyi’s voice was very soft.

Lin Xiao paused mid-step.

“How did you… know…” she asked quietly, “that I was there?”

“Just passing by.”

“…Why?”

She asked again, her voice as light as a feather, as if afraid to disturb the only light in this rainy night.

Lin Xiao fell silent.

Icy rain dripped from his soaked hair into his eyes.

Holding a pose was really tiring.

Why?

He wanted to know why too.

If he had truly turned a blind eye today, would he keep reliving this thunderstorm night over and over in the countless nights to come?

He didn’t know the answer.

So he just waved his hand irritably and didn’t reply.

Behind him, Xiao Luoyi stood under the eaves, clutching the still-warm umbrella tightly in her hand.

She watched his silhouette swiftly swallowed by the rain, then slowly lowered her head.

The Osmanthus Cake had gotten wet and become sticky.

Carefully, she put it into her mouth.

Mmm… a bit too sweet…

The Third Tenet of the Supreme Survival Code: If you can’t avoid it, just repeat to yourself, “It’s only a game character.”

Major failure.