Qin Wei, now fully equipped with his newly acquired Ripple Drift Technique, didn't waste another second.
He opened the Gear System, its neat, categorized interface unfolding like a digital armory. Weapons, armor, accessories, robes—all far beyond his current budget.
He scrolled straight to the Basic Shinobi Battlewear, priced at 100 credits. The description was minimal:
Basic Shinobi Attire
Lightweight, durable, and allows for swift movement. Offers no defensive enchantments.
Cost: 100 Credits
"Cheap, ugly, and paper-thin," Qin Wei muttered. "But better than running in red wedding robes."
Without hesitation, he clicked Purchase.
[–100 Credits]
[Item Acquired: Basic Shinobi Attire]
[Item automatically equipped.]
In an instant, his system-modified body shimmered. The flashy silk under-robes melted away, replaced by dark greys and muted blues. The attire fit snugly, tight at the sleeves, loose near the ankles for freedom of movement. A black headband without any symbol and short gloves completed the set.
With a deep breath, Qin Wei stepped toward the adjoining washroom. His hands dipped into the heated water Roulan had drawn earlier. The scent of mountain herbs lingered faintly. It was a surprisingly calming moment.
He washed quickly, methodically, like a soldier preparing for battle rather than a man getting ready to marry.
By the time he stepped back into his chamber, his hair still damp, he immediately noticed the change.
The wedding robes were waiting.
They were laid out meticulously across his bed: heavy red ceremonial garments embroidered with golden dragons and phoenixes, signifying imperial approval and the blending of yin and yang.
A long trailing outer robe, lined with jade-green embroidery along the cuffs. Red sashes, jeweled hair ornaments, and boots made of silk and leather.
And waiting beside them, two unfamiliar maids stood quietly, dressed in subdued blue-gray livery.
Their heads bowed in practiced deference, but their eyes flicked toward him the moment he stepped out. One held a tray of combs and hairpins; the other stood ready with the outer robe.
"Young Master Wei," one said, bowing. "We have come to prepare you for the ceremony, per Lady Li's instructions."
They were service maids, evident by the simple silver embroidery on their collars and the trays of ceremonial accessories in their hands.
Unlike house maids, who busied themselves with sweeping floors and scrubbing kitchens, service maids were trained to attend to the needs of people, bathing, grooming, and dressing. It was their job to turn nobles into works of art on occasions like this.
Neither raised her eyes. Neither spoke out of turn.
But Qin Wei had enough experience from his memories to know where these two stood in the silent social pyramid of maidservants.
At the bottom were housemaids—the invisible backbone of estate life.
Above them, service maids, like these two, whose proximity to masters earned them both envy and suspicion. Some of them became personal maids, following one master for life, but even then, they could be dismissed with a single word.
But there were others… more dangerous.
Like Roulan, the quiet shadow who woke him, watched over him, and likely reported everything back to the Li Clan.
She is a battle maid.
A battle doesn't serve a person but the family itself, just like housemaids. She only attended to him like a personal maid on Patriarch Li's orders. Battle maids were trained killers as much as caretakers, bound by oath and blood. Unlike the others, they couldn't resign. They served until death or retirement, whichever came first.
And then there were the most complex of them all, the tongfang maids.
Equal parts servant, attendant, and woman-in-waiting. They could do everything the others could, fight, serve, soothe, although mainly used for sexual needs, but they only serve one master, and not the household. And most importantly, they had a chance, a small and precious chance, to become concubines. Favored ones could rise to nobility. Unfavored ones? Trapped forever. Unless expelled, they couldn't leave, couldn't marry, couldn't run.
Qin Wei's gaze lingered on the service maids just a moment longer. Understanding their position in the hierarchy, he gave them a practiced smile. "I'll handle this part myself."
The maids looked up, startled. One of them hesitated, unsure if she had heard correctly.
Qin Wei's voice sharpened. "You heard me. Get out."
They exchanged a glance. No further argument came. They lowered their heads again, rising in silence and stepping out of the chamber like leaves carried off by a breeze. After all, they don't have the right to defy any order unless they were physically or sexually assaulted.
The moment the door clicked shut, Qin Wei moved. He locked it from inside, his fingers trembling in nervousness.
"C'mon, Qin Wei, let's do this…"
He tossed the ceremonial robes aside and quickly slipped into the battle attire he had purchased.
"Open Character Interface"
The holographic screen appeared, and with a thought, he scrolled down to the skills section, where his eyes fell on the newly added one.
He activated it.
*Ding!
As almost half of his chakra reserves were emptied at once, a strange pulling sensation twisted in his abdomen. Space rippled around him, like the surface of a disturbed pond. For a split second, the room shimmered and warped, and then he vanished.
The next moment, Qin Wei stumbled slightly, knees flexing to absorb the shock. "Ha."
He found himself on the outskirts of Beiling City, a grove of ancient pine trees rustling in the wind around him. A narrow, dusty trail led ahead, winding eastward toward the base of the great Mount Wudang.
"Great, it's a success…" Qin Wei couldn't help but smile.
The holographic screen then reappeared before him, now displaying a navigation map with a glowing marker blinking slowly at a distant point on the far side of the mountain.
"Eight hundred li, ugh… 400 kilometers," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "And I have 5 and a half hours to run? Can I really run like 80 kilometers an hour? I'm not a car."
Shutting his eyes tightly and taking a drawing in deep breath, he muttered in seriousness. "If it is impossible, the system would never give it. I can do this. After all, I'm a shinobi now. I should be able to do that now that my movement speed is increased by 100%."
He didn't waste another second.
With his remaining chakra concentrated in his legs, empowering their strength, he sprinted into the forest trail at full speed, turning into a blur in the eyes of a commoner.
Back to the present;
Mount Wudang's winding trail stretched out before Qin Wei, now bathed in the golden hues of the afternoon sun.
Shafts of light cut through the forest canopy, dappling the dirt path underfoot. Leaves rustled in the mountain breeze as he moved at a rapid pace, boots kicking up dust and pine needles. He was taking a shortcut rather than taking a safe path in order to reduce distance. The navigation adjusted the route automatically somehow.
And the navigation screen flickered before his eyes, showing the destination just 4 li away.
"Eleven minutes left," he mumbled between sharp breaths, his face flushed from the exertion, yet lit with the kind of smile that only came from walking away from a noose. "Just a bit more. Then the wood element, and ten talent points…"
A future flashed before him. A quiet city, low-key living. Nights spent training, poring over every technique. Perhaps hiding in a backwater sect, letting time pass until he awakened the Lunhui Yan, the Eyes of Samsara.
Once he had that power… he would be akin to a god.
Just as he was bathing in his fantasy world, the air shifted all of a sudden.
A sudden crackle, ike divine thunder muffled by silk, and without warning, seven massive swords of condensed light energy plummeted from the sky.
They pierced the trail around him in a ring, all at the same time. His face collided with one of the swords and jerked back, and he was once again hit by the sword in the back. He was hit back and forth a couple of times, a trail of blood escaped from his nose.
"Ugh…"
A painful groan escaped his mouth after being hit back and forth.
"What the…?"
He spun around. There was no one. Not a shadow, not a soul.
Then…
FWOOOOOOOSH.
The clouds above parted like curtains. A single figure descended slowly, feet never touching the ground, robes billowing with quiet menace.
Qin Wei took an unconscious step back.
The figure finally touched the dirt trail. The moment his boots hit the ground, the swords around Qin Wei pulsed faintly and spun around him.
Qin Wei's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Damn, I thought it is just dramas that had these effects. Even in real life, these cultivators would love to make such entrances. Hmm… wait a second." He suddenly frowned, staring at the figure. "He looks familiar." Qin Wei narrowed his eyes.
The cultivator looked tall, expressionless, wearing azure robes embroidered with golden phoenix patterns. His hair was bound in a simple jade ring, and his face was so clean and cold it looked carved from jade.
Qin Wei swallowed his saliva as he stared at the figure before him, recognizing the figure.
"Where do you think you're running off to, my nephew?" The cultivator spoke with a smile
Qin Wei's heart sank to his stomach. "Hello, Uncle…" he said weakly, forcing an awkward smile.