Chapter One: Once in Love!
Lingzhu Mountain was shrouded in celestial mist, cranes soared, birds sang, the air was fresh and brimming with spiritual energy. The carbon dioxide was low, the oxygen plentiful—walking along the mountain paths, one could smell flowers and hear birds, a post-meal stroll here would surely prolong life.
But...
“Bang!”
A thunderous crash startled the birds in the forest. A gigantic water dragon crashed into a small black dot high in the sky.
“Thud...”
The black dot plummeted to the ground. Clutching his chest, he struggled to rise. Soaked from head to toe, he licked the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, mixing it with the water droplets on his face as he swallowed—it tasted faintly sweet…
Suddenly, a woman appeared, barefoot, dressed in gauzy robes with damp hair. Her clear, watery eyes flashed with anger, shame, annoyance, and frustration.
Her features were exquisite, her beauty like a work of art. A white silk sash tied at her waist lent her a touch of delicate vulnerability. The wings of her sheer black veil shone with ethereal grace, and her waterfall of glossy black hair added to her elegance.
“Jiang Lin! Answer me!”
“Once loved!”
“Ah...”
With a flick of her sleeve, mingling the scent of flowers and bathwater, a gust of wind struck Jiang Lin and sent him flying far, far away...
He rose again with difficulty, his eyes void of hatred, filled only with the helplessness of the world.
“Why, Jiang Lin? Our Dragon Gate Sect has not treated you poorly, why did you steal the dragon vein?”
On the cobbled path, the woman strode ahead, her bare feet pale and tender, raising her sword with a soul-searching question.
“Eh? Senior Sister, aren’t you asking about me peeking at your bath?”
Her pretty face flushed crimson to the tips of her ears. “Don’t change the subject! Jiang Lin, why did you betray our sect?”
“Why…betray…”
Standing straight, Jiang Lin gazed up at the sky.
Yes, why did he betray?
At this thought, two silent tears slipped from the corners of his eyes.
He remembered, after finishing his college entrance exams, sitting before his computer with the air conditioner running, sipping soda and playing Dean’s Caress, spending every penny he’d saved to open loot boxes.
Yet after spending nearly two thousand yuan, all he got were resurrection coins!
When the last box yielded nothing but more coins, his frustration grew so intense that he died—only to awaken in this strange world of cultivation.
Cultivation? Impossible. What was the point? In all those novels he’d read, resources were fought over with life and death; most ended up as stepping stones for the protagonist.
He’d planned to live an ordinary life here, but at eight, he was picked up and inexplicably became a disciple of the Demonic Sect.
He wanted to leave, wash his hands of evil, and live in seclusion, but then some villain system forced this decent youth to do the work of Demonic Sect disciples...
To fulfill the Demonic Sect’s tasks, Jiang Lin arrived.
Dragon veins were the specialty of the Dragon Gate Sect, producing four a year—whether brewed in tea or eaten raw, they could improve one’s cultivation.
Through the sect’s recruitment—no, through its admissions—Jiang Lin successfully enrolled and became a direct disciple. After a year of diligence, he finally accessed the dragon veins and could steal one to complete his mission!
Who could have guessed! His escape route led him right to the Spirit Spring Pool of Lingzhu Peak, just as Senior Sister was bathing.
Jiang Lin truly hadn’t meant to look, though he wanted to, but really hadn’t. Just as he was about to flee, the damned system assigned him a task: spy on Senior Sister bathing.
And so, he peeked, completed the task... but was discovered...
“Jiang Lin, answer me. If you have troubles, I can help you. The sect can help you.”
Dragon Gate’s direct disciple, Lin Qingwan, bit her lip, her beautiful eyes filled with worry and sorrow.
She recalled how, when he first entered the sect, he was so shy, calling her “Senior Sister” over and over, even willing to be punished just to bring her food when she erred, how he cared for her through the night when she was injured—Lin Qingwan’s tearful eyes trembled.
“Senior Sister... I’m sorry. Our paths diverge, we cannot plan together.” With a gentle sigh, Jiang Lin gazed at Lin Qingwan with ‘deep affection.’ “Actually... I am a disciple of the Demonic Sect…”
“What...”
The spring breeze softly brushed the girl’s gauzy skirt. Hearing Jiang Lin’s words, Lin Qingwan’s mouth opened in disbelief—so cute… so…
“Cough, cough... cough! Cough! Cough!”
Gathering his emotions, Jiang Lin coughed violently. Suddenly, before Lin Qingwan could react, he lunged toward her, sword raised.
“Pfft...”
The sword pierced Jiang Lin’s heart. He spat out blood and collapsed forward.
“Junior Brother...”
Lin Qingwan reached out and caught him, holding him as they spun in the air. She sat gracefully on the ground, cradling Jiang Lin in her arms, his head resting against her, breathing in the scent of her hair.
“Senior Sister, I’m sorry. I know I’ve done terrible things.”
In her embrace, Jiang Lin gently stroked Lin Qingwan’s tender, fair cheek. The girl was already crying like a storm-washed pear blossom.
“Actually, I never wanted... never wanted to become... become a disciple of the Demonic Sect... I... ugh...”
“Jiang Lin, don’t speak anymore, don’t say another word. I’ll heal you now.”
“No! Senior Sister... it’s too late.”
Jiang Lin grasped her delicate, boneless hand and placed it on his chest.
“Senior Sister, I betrayed the sect. I deserve death. To die at your hand is the greatest happiness of my life.”
“Don’t say that, don’t say that…”
Lin Qingwan’s tears fell like rain as she held him tightly.
Jiang Lin shamelessly nestled deeper into her embrace.
“Senior Sister, I’m sorry. I’ve already refined the dragon vein. When I die, it will vanish, beyond repayment. If there’s another life, I’ll surely repay you...
Senior Sister... and... there’s one thing I must say...
Senior Sister... I... ugh...”
Before he could finish, Jiang Lin’s thieving hand slipped to the ground, his body dissolving into countless points of light, vanishing from her arms, not even clothes left behind...
“No!”
On Lingzhu Mountain, her cry echoed through the woods, filled with grief and heartbreak...
Ding...
A faint sound of a coin dropping echoed in the distance. A beam of light landed, and Jiang Lin appeared unharmed where he’d been.
Along with him in this cultivation world were 99,999 resurrection coins—now one less…
“So close, so close. My acting should be all right? Better run, or I’ll be found out.”
Revived, Jiang Lin breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed four dragon veins, turned spiritual energy into a horse, and slipped away.
Meanwhile, the system’s voice rang out once more in Jiang Lin’s mind.