Chapter 299.1: The Martial Will
In the main hall, Xie Xinsu was brimming with tears.
Watching the precious spirit items get tossed into the trash broke her heart. She hated herself for being such a helpless and powerless cat. She hated that cold, indifferent country bumpkin who couldn't recognize treasure if it hit him in the face even more. All that martial training had likely turned his brain to mush.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Xie Xinsu looked toward the door, listless and drained. Without the spirit items, the spiritual energy had thinned considerably. Even so, with her former Core Formation cultivation and the perceptive senses that came with it, she could tell that the magical treasure remained somewhere in the apartment.
Qi Yuan emerged from his room and opened the front door. He stared at the young man outside, yawning. "Who are you looking for?"
Luo Ping had come alone, leaving his subordinates at Yang Shan's place. "May I come in and sit for a moment?"
Qi Yuan answered without a second thought, "Sure."
Luo Ping was slightly shocked. If it were him, he’d at least ask a stranger’s purpose before letting them inside. Then, he recalled that Qi Yuan was supposedly mentally unstable, and everything made sense.
Stepping inside, he scanned the room before settling onto the couch. "I am Luo Ping. Two months ago, I was just an ordinary civil servant. You know how it is. I grew up without a mother-in-law, so I went to see a high-ranking official. A very prestigious one, mind you.
"And just like that, his wife became my mother-in-law. Life is funny that way. It gives you hope and lets it go to your head, all while you dance on the edge of a blade, holding your breath and terrified of losing everything."
At home with his father-in-law, Luo Ping always projected quiet confidence, as if he had everything under control. Only he knew the truth. That constant, gnawing anxiety, and the feeling of standing on a knife's edge...
Though his old life was modest and unremarkable, at least it had been safe and peaceful. And now, people called him Walking on Ice Bro.
Qi Yuan glanced over at him. "And then?"
Nearby, Xie Xinsu stared at Luo Ping with an expression that practically spelled out, “Such a poser.”
Luo Ping felt that familiar sensation return, the feeling of having the upper hand. "You and I are alike... Well, somewhat, at least. Doesn't it strike you as strange, Qi Yuan? You should’ve died next year, yet here you are, back in the present."
Qi Yuan hadn't responded yet, but Xie Xinsu's fur bristled. Back in the present? Wait, so this man is a rebooter? And the cold, indifferent, uncultured master who threw away the spirit item is one too? If he is, how on earth could he throw it in the trash?!
Luo Ping calmly explained while studying Qi Yuan’s face, "I come from the future. Most people call us rebooters. You would’ve counted too, if you’d survived past the first year. Unfortunately, you died before seeing what the world became over the following decade. A shame, isn’t it?"
In some ways, he saw a reflection of himself in Qi Yuan. Honestly, a part of him even envied Qi Yuan.
"So you're a rebooter?" asked Qi Yuan.
The pieces were clicking into place for Xie Xinsu too. Qi Yuan is a rebooter, just an incomplete one. He will die in a year. No wonder he chose Martial Dao instead of Immortal Dao...
Oddly enough, she found herself pitying him. He’d been dealt a worse hand than she had.
Luo Ping felt his way forward. "Would you consider joining me?"
As an incomplete rebooter, Qi Yuan was not really in a position to be his equal, but Luo Ping was willing to give him a chance.
Qi Yuan laughed and shook his head. "Work under you? No way in hell. My life is perfect already. I can play games and train whenever I want. Why would I give that up?"
The refusal came immediately and without hesitation.
Work for someone else? As if! Not in a million years. Besides, a rebooter? Impressive as the title sounded, isn't this man just an NPC? The only reason an NPC exists is to make my playthrough more enjoyable.
Luo Ping wasn't quite sure whether what he felt was disappointment or an odd sort of satisfaction.
He nodded. "Your way of life is genuinely enviable. In that case, I won't intrude any further. The other rebooters won't bother you either."
He stayed for a short while longer, exchanging idle words with Qi Yuan. As he prepared to leave, he felt something complicated settling in his chest. He wasn’t sure why. His life would be considered extraordinary by any standards.
Qi Yuan's life has its own kind of appeal. As for me, leisure is no longer a luxury I can afford as a rebooter. If I become complacent, I’ll be crushed. This man does not carry that burden. In its own strange way, that is a kind of fortune.
Luo Ping glanced back with a faint smile. "Good luck at the Martial Arts Tournament. Hope you take first place."
Then, he walked out without looking back, like a man saying goodbye to a version of himself he could never return to.
Once he was gone, Qi Yuan sank back into the couch, idly stroking the cat. "Having a mental illness certificate really is something. Pretending to be crazy is way more fun."
Xie Xinsu rolled her eyes so hard it nearly hurt. She really wanted to say, “You’re not pretending. You are crazy.”
***
The days that followed settled into a steady rhythm. Zero-One forced Xie Xinsu to film content every single day, leaving her no space for cultivation whatsoever. The daily indignity had her seething, dreaming endlessly of the moment she could finally turn the tables.
Unfortunately, she was too weak. No matter how ruthlessly Zero-One bullied her, she had no way to fight back.
She hadn't made any progress on the magical treasure either. How was she supposed to look when she couldn’t even enter Qi Yuan's room?
Life as a cat is grim. Only cultivation can break this cycle of suffering.
Xie Xinsu had already made up her mind. When she recovered her strength, she would flip the script on Zero-One once and for all!
Meanwhile, Qi Yuan’s Martial Dao had been steadily advancing. He had reached the twelfth stage of the Mingwu Resonance Fist, after which his progress slowed to a crawl.
He recognized the signs that he was approaching the martial peak that Yang Shan had spoken of. It was pointless to continue practicing the resonance fist.
