The guest house corridors buzzed with quiet urgency. Servants hurried past, trays of tea trembling in their hands; maids whispered as they darted from room to room, their faces pale with worry.
Murmurs started at the back,
"Hey, do you think something happened? Why have they got all restless all of a sudden?"
"Who knows, maybe they finally realised who they were dealing with and started panicking cause of how they mistreated us at the front." said another worker at the back with an arrogant smile on his face.
"You two! Stop bickering! Or else I'll throw you two into a cow's ass."
The murmurs died down. Who the hell says that! The worst part is he might actually do that! The person said this with a bit of 'qi' in his voice and nobody dared to raise any complaint. The guard wore sleek, dark robes over light armor, a family emblem on his chest, and a sword slung at his side.
'Ugh, why hasn't that brat come back! Something definitely happened. And for a Family of this level to react like this. Something big must've happened. Though it shouldn't be our concern as we've just come here for business.'
The guard takes a look at the main table. Beside the main table sat a man. Eyes closed, head resting on his arm, one leg draped over the other.
Han Zhenyao, head of Han River Trade, a centuries-old merchant house. Wealth, connections, and an uncanny sense for timing made him someone cultivators and traders both watched closely.
'Why is he just sitting there doing nothing!' the guard thought. Then his gaze flicked toward the Qin residence and he shuddered. 'The Leader of the Qin family…'
'Still, silence from him means something. He's never quiet without a reason. Though they didn't outright said anything bad, we should've deserved much better than to just be put into a guest house right after our entry.'
The guard then shook his head and narrowed his eyes:
'No, who am I to think such thoughts. I'm here for a different purpose. Maybe this is a plan of his. Who knows what goes in the minds of these super traders.'
.
.
.
As this was going on, in a courtyard just a little far away from the guest house, a whole different scene was taking place.
"Impossible... I slit your throat myself. How are you standing!?"
The hooded girl shouted at the young boy.
The boy sat up slowly, rubbing his temples with a grimace.
"Ugh... I've never had a headache this bad in my life. Dying actually hurt less."
The world snapped into focus, and with it, a flood of memories that weren't his. Faces, names, skills, and countless moments surged into his mind all at once. He staggered, heart racing, as realization hit. This body, this life, was now his.
"I see, my name in this life is Jin. Jin Ranyi."
A blade sang free from its sheath. His eyes snapped to the hooded figure.
A stealthy female assassin cloaked in dark leather armor, her face partly hidden by a hood and mask. She wielded a curved blade, ready for swift and silent strikes. Her poised stance and flowing cloak hint at agility and deadly precision.
This deadly precision currently aimed at the boy, at Jin.
"Doesn't matter how you crawled back. This time, I'll sever the head. Let's see you grow that back."
Saying this the assassin jumped at Jin, with the dagger in her hand and with years of experience, she already knew how the boy was gonna react.
'One clean strike. In, out, gone - before the Qin notice. Don't blame me boy, blame your luck. You shouldn't have seen me with the artifact.'
Jin reacted but still too slow. For someone who didn't know anything about qi and martial arts, he couldn't possibly evade this attack from such a high level assassin.
'Ain't no way - spawn camping!?'
When the assassin's blade was just a few feet away from him, time itself suddenly froze or slowed down to a considerable degree. The same blue screen popped up in front of him, which he had now been slowly accustomed to.
[SYSTEM CONNECTING WITH THE HOST'S SOUL]
.
.
.
[SYSTEM CONNECTION-50%]
.
.
.
[
NAME: Jin Ranyi
AGE: 14
GENDER: Male
RACE: Human
CULTIVATION: Body Tempering Realm
BLOODLINE: None
PHYSIQUE: Cinder Grain Physique [RARE]
STRENGTH: 15
AGILITY: 10
DEFENSE: 12
ENDURANCE: 17
VITALITY: 9
ENERGY: Qi (24)
[SYSTEM POINTS: 10 ]
[AFFECTION POINTS: 10 ]
[SKILLS:
MARTIAL TECHNIQUES:-
Swordsmanship (Novice-Lvl 8)
Spearmanship (Novice-Lvl 3)
Knives Throw (Novice-Lvl 10)
Iron Palm Method (Novice-Lvl 4)
Flowing Qi Fist (Novice-Lvl 2)]
[PASSIVE ABILITIES:-
Innocent Veil (EPIC)
Anomaly Luck (TRANSCENDENT)
Parasitic Growth (TRANSCENDENT)
Tranquil Obsession (TRANSCENDENT)]
]
Seeing his life resume suddenly appear infront of himself, Jin was momentarily stunned.
'Strength 15, Endurance 17...so basically I'm built to carry boxes and trauma.'
He had seen these panels many times in his life, so he wasn't all that surprised. But his gaze didn't linger on his stats for long as he currently might lose it all!
'I see, time slowed down, now I can see where she's going to attack but still...'
Jin sees his own arms, legs and body move in slow time. As if he's in an invisible mud. Even with time slowed, he still wasn't fast enough to block her strike.
[SYSTEM CONNECTION-80%]
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'I've got no time to think.'
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[SYSTEM CONNECTION-90%]
.
'Shit - just put everything into Agility!'
.
[SYSTEM CONNECTION-100%]
Just as the last message popped up, time resumed.
SLASH!
SHLUK!
The air stilled for a moment and then frozen courtyard erupted a heartbeat later,
"AAAAHH!-"
The assassin quickly puts a hand covering Jin's mouth. A second hidden blade quickly being drawn from an invisible hand to his neck so fast, that there was no way to dodge it this time. 'She used a skill!'
But unfortunately for the assassin, it was too late.
A ripple of qi trembled through the courtyard, sharp enough to make the assassin's dagger hesitate enough for a breath. And then it came, an incredible pressure descended.
The Leader of the Qin Family had arrived, Qin Yunxi.