Shen Fei was my name. Just like any other adult, my life was a cycle: work, sleep, work again. I'd occasionally entertain myself by reading cultivation novels, and sometimes I'd think, why wasn't this world as interesting as the fictional ones? My life was filled with such boredom; it was as if I had no passion, and I just worked to survive, without family, a girlfriend, or even a truly trustworthy friend.
It was late at night, and I was working overtime due to the demands of that annoying boss. Utterly exhausted, I didn't realize I was at the limit of my consciousness. I fainted while crossing the road. Because it was nighttime, the road was very quiet, but a truck still ran over me while I was unconscious—"not hit, but run over."
It was a very quick and painless death, for which I felt grateful, because I felt my life was pointless, bringing only pain. I could still think like this even though I knew I should be dead. Suddenly, a voice that sounded like a woman's rang out. It was soft, not mechanical.
[Host Body Adjustment. Soul integration process 78%. Almost complete... 100%. Soul integration successful.]
I was shocked. What did that mean?
"Hey Shen Fei, hurry up!" a fierce, elderly woman yelled. Still confused, I suddenly felt an intense dizziness in my head. A rush of foreign information flooded in. Someone else's memories. His name was also Shen Fei. He was a servant of the great Xuan family, whose job was to help with heavy labor. The memories also revealed that this was a cultivation world, but not everyone was capable of cultivating and ended up as ordinary people. The Xuan family, in my memory, was one of the families that had a Cultivator; no wonder their status was so high in the eyes of common folk.
[Memory transfer process successful. Host, welcome. My name is Xiao Tian.]
"Huh?" I mumbled, but I immediately understood that this was a system, typical of reincarnation and isekai stories. It acted as a cheat to make the protagonist overpoweringly strong with little effort.
But just as I was thinking... I forgot that I was currently in the middle of a task: moving these sacks of rice into a wooden box.
Someone hit me. It was that old woman.
"Shen Fei!" she screamed.
That old woman reminded me of that damned boss.
"Don't space out, you idiot garbage, or I'll throw you back into the slum!"
She threatened me. From the original Shen Fei's memories, he indeed came from a slum until he was taken in by the young miss of the Xuan family. His previous environment was much worse than just being a servant in this family. Without fighting back or wasting words, I kept my composure to avoid getting angry, and then continued the work. That lasted about four hours.
It was late afternoon in the simple room where the Xuan family's servants lived. "At least my private room offers privacy," I thought, comparing it to my former workplace's dormitory, where I had to share a room with five people, which clearly ruined privacy and comfort, leading me to rent a private apartment.
"Hey, System, I want to ask, what is your purpose? Can it make me a genius or grant me power like an Immortal?"
[Call me Xiao Tian. I will not answer if Host does not treat me with the proper respect.]
"Xiao Tian."
[To answer Host's question. My function is to provide you with guidance and analyze events, occasionally assisting with analysis if the situation poses a threat to the Host.]
"That's all?" Of course, I was a little disappointed, but the system's ability to guide and analyze should be useful. Besides, this world was still too foreign to me.
[Yes. Other features will unlock if Host triggers certain achievements.]
Achievements... I thought hard. Was it some kind of quest or specific event?
"Hey Xiao Tian, besides the features you mentioned, do you have a feature that describes me?"
[Good question. Analysis in process. Success. This is the current analysis of Shen Fei.]
[ Shen Fei.
Cultivation: Ordinary Person (can cultivate if triggering certain circumstances)
Status: Servant of the Xuan family
Race: Human
Age: 17 Years
Special Physique: Body with an Immortal Soul (Extremely rare)
Spiritual Root: Dual-Root of Fire and Wind. Mortal Quality (Quality can increase if Host triggers certain circumstances).]
A blue interface, typical of an RPG game status table, appeared in the air. I was certain only I could see it. It was a fairly detailed character status. It seemed I had the potential to cultivate, but I truly didn't know how to trigger these "certain circumstances." This system was helpful, but ultimately it relied on me. A bit annoying. But whatever.
The sky began to darken. I left my room to get food at the canteen prepared for the family servants. I took my meal—well, it was just rice with an egg, no meat or fish, and the taste was truly nostalgic for the end-of-the-month struggles of my previous life. Many servants besides me were walking around the Xuan family's courtyard area. Then, someone approached me. She was a young woman my age with a beautiful face, wearing the distinctive clothes of a Cultivator with her black hair unbound. I remembered her; she was Xuan Mei.
[Xuan Mei.
Cultivation: Qi Refining - Mid stage
Status: Young Miss of the Xuan family
Race: Human
Age: 18 Years
Special Physique: Spiritual Body (Average, showing signs that her true special physique has not yet awakened)
Spiritual Root: Dual-Root of Water and Earth. Earth Quality (one level higher than Host's).]
"Miss Mei... Is something the matter?"
"You don't have to be so formal with me, Fei. I've told you, haven't I? Just think of me as your older sister." Xuan Mei said, smiling. It was a sweet smile that would captivate anyone. I returned to my thoughts.
"I plan to make you my personal guard. I feel it's more responsible since I was the one who brought you here, Fei, rather than you ending up as a mere servant."
I was a little surprised. I knew from Shen Fei's memories that she was a sincere girl, but I considered other things, such as the drastic status increase. In the novels I read, this usually led to worse things, such as jealous people, or the family not accepting me and bullying me. All those things were already pictured in my mind.
"Is that alright? I came from the slums." I said with an uneasy feeling. But Xuan Mei patted my head.
"Hey... It doesn't matter where you came from, I will accept it. For other issues, I will protect you. Don't consider this a burden to me."
Those were truly sincere words. Xuan Mei said it while smiling. It had been a long time since I had met such a kind person. In the beautiful glow of the night, with the stars and the hustle and bustle of the servants coming and going.
"But on one condition, I consider this a debt of gratitude. I will truly protect you as your guard, Miss Mei." I said, bowing in respect.
"Alright. I will return here tomorrow morning." She said, smiling, and then left. The other servants actually heard our conversation. But they seemed not to care or pretended not to—I couldn't tell.
[Congratulations, Host. Use this opportunity as best you can. There is a high probability that you will find a chance to cultivate.]
Hearing that, I returned to my room, dropping myself onto the thin, rather hard mattress.
Closing my eyes, I still couldn't quite believe what had happened: death, reincarnation, getting a system, and then immediately having my status upgraded to the personal guard of a Young Miss.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow was when everything would truly begin, whether it was my cultivation journey or something bad.
I fell asleep.