The Vengeful Master's Inner Servant (13)

The affection meter might have turned positive but she wasn't idle, she wanted to strike while the iron was hot. Her next plan was put into action the following night. She learned how to make some simple black ink just for this plan, this knowledge didn't come from her original life or Su Liling's memories but from a third entity that was not of this world, her system.

It might seem a little silly and white but it was still a system, an entity that defied the laws of countless worlds. Such a cheat, if she didn't exploit all its functions and loopholes, she wouldn't be called Lin Qiuyue!

Especially since it not only had a shop but an archive of information. Tasks were often difficult and required a wealth of knowledge to complete so the main system created an archive to store information from all systems. Whether it was from the veterans who had contracted many hosts or the newbies who were in their first world, any information could be found at the metaphorical click of a button. The little ball of light told her that it was sort of like the internet for systems. Unfortunately, it could only be accessed and viewed by a system, so her internet itch couldn't be scratched at all.

The itch wasn't huge, it has technically only been a few days since she was away from the modern world and it wasn't as though she was an obsessed keyboard warrior who couldn't part from their network connection for even a second. In her original life, she was often too busy to be a netizen, not to mention posting on any socials, she didn't even bother to check her messages on time.

What she missed was just the convenience of technology. Everything was easily accessible at the click of her finger, when she was bored she could play games, when she was lazy she could order food. Now everything had to be done by herself and at night when she couldn't fall asleep immediately. She could only stare at the ceiling, trapped with her thoughts and the crickets chirping in the night...

Lin Qiuyue sighed softly, it was a bit pitiful to be a modern person in the ancient world. Ignorance was bliss, after all, no one would long for things they didn't know existed. A man having tasted a sweet fruit after countless sour ones would not be contented with his previous lot. She was the same, after tasting the simple luxuries of modernity, she didn't want to go back.

She hoped her next task would be in a modern world and all the tasks after that too, she was a modern person through and through. It was what she was most used to. She didn't enjoy challenges, if life was a breeze it would bring her the greatest joy. Unfortunately, things could never be so simple. Life was a myriad of struggles and every boat she stepped on would encounter endless storms.

Her thoughts padded the time it took for her to arrive at her destination, a beautiful scenic garden, the centerpiece of which was an ornate pavilion. In the pale moonlight, it seemed to glow against the backdrop of the large artificial lake. Adjacent to the lake was a bamboo forest, those leaves swayed gently in the cool night air.

『Host, it's all so beautiful! This view shouldn't be restricted to only Qi Bingwen, that's too unfair!』

"There are no rules that disallow sect members and servants from coming here, they just don't dare to," Lin Qiuyue replied with a small smile as she set up her painting station. "But we're different, we dare to come and dare to disturb the great Sect Master."

『Right! Host is fearless and awesome, I'll keep a keen eye on our surroundings and notify you when our target arrives.』

Lin Qiuyue nodded and began to wet her paintbrush, she closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. Su Liling's memories came to her naturally, she watched the original owner's deliberate strokes and meticulous hands weaved beautiful ink paintings, one after another. Every mark was precise and thoughtful, even a layman like her could tell how much talent Su Liling had. She knew she couldn't replicate the original's skill completely but it was enough to create with half of her skill.

Slowly the blank paper transformed into the landscape reflected in her eyes, she had never felt so calm before. She never knew painting could be so soothing, she felt lost in the moment as though the only thing that existed was the paper before her and the subject of her painting. The world slowed down and for a moment, she also slowed down.

It had only been a little over a week but everything surrounding her had changed completely, she died in her original world, was picked up by a system, sent on her first task, met her target, made a servant by that same target, and was tossed around for days. There was never a moment for her to process her thoughts completely, she had never needed to before after all.

Lin Qiuyue knew herself very well, she had always been so rational. Her fooling around, complaining here and there, and joking with the little system, it was only because she had decided to be more carefree after lamenting the taciturn and carefully managed personality she had before her death. She asserted that such a personality wasn't the "real" her but there was no real or fake between the two. They were only reflections of herself, different parts that made up the same whole.

She was still that carefully managed person who could weigh all the feelings in her heart to the exact amount, who could count every loss and every gain precisely, and who could adapt to every problem that came her way. She had to admit that her little system wasn't wrong about her, maybe becoming a host had been the most fitting thing she had ever done in her life.

Now there was no need to fool herself with her levels of sincerity, she could give as she pleased and take as she wanted. A normal person probably could not adapt to such a scummy task that required so much deception and manipulation but she was like a fish to water...

『Host! Qi Bingwen is approaching from behind you!』

...and the ocean was endless.

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Qi Bingwen had felt the breath of someone near his courtyard from the moment he returned to the sect, the breath was unhidden so he knew it was no assassin but it should not be a person of his sect. All his subordinates knew to steer clear of his domain and none of the servants dared to disturb him, so either it was a lucky intruder or... An image flashed in his mind.

He hastened his footwork to quickly confirm his guess and what he saw was beyond his imagination, a beautiful landscape entered his view and in the center of it was a beauty in a simple white dress, all her focus was on the canvas in front of her and from her brush flowed the flowers and trees and the moon high in the sky. He was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but approach her, he concealed his presence for fear of breaking such a tranquil image.

Su Liling...he never knew that she had talents in painting, from her movement he could sense her profound experience, like a swordsman's well-honed movements when displaying his martial arts. Each of her movements was careful and exact, exuding elegance and the aura unique to her. He couldn't pinpoint what it was but it was calm and unrelenting, it drew all his attention to her every time he saw her and made it difficult to look away.

Qi Bingwen rarely paid any mind to the rumors throughout the jianghu but after meeting her, he had picked up a thing or two related to her. Su Liling was more renowned than he had previously thought, her fame was widespread and her presence in the mind of the world was not so shallow. She wasn't a talentless beauty, everyone who met her only had praises to sing of her conduct and the unique draw that she had to people.

A glamorous rose was beautiful but common, it can only be admired in the short term but when compared to the rare and delicate flowers on the cliffs of the tallest mountains, it will be discarded without a thought. People will always seek the more unique of experiences and the more exquisite of beauties. Su Liling had that matchless quality, she was one-of-a-kind in the chaotic martial arts world.

He hadn't noticed when his attention had left the painting entirely and instead followed the artist at the helm. As though the person was worth admiring more than the painting, itself.

Su Liling took a step back suddenly to view the full scenery in front of her compared to her painting but unexpectedly bumped into Qi Bingwen who was close behind her, he was a step late in dodging since her movement had been too quick. She lost her balance at the sudden hit and fell back into his embrace, the whole person was held in Qi Bingwen's arms as he supported her weight on his chest.

"Ahh!" Su Liling let out a short cry in surprise before quickly breaking away from the man holding her. She was about to turn around but in her panic, her belt caught onto Qi Bingwen's clothing and she fell again, this time to the opposite side.

Qi Bingwen reached out to catch her again, his arms wrapped around her back as he pulled her upright. He had never seen her look so uncomposed before, her hair was slightly messy and her clothing was moved from the tugging on her belt. A faint blush turned her ears red and in the soft moonlight her eyes seemed to be filled with water, she no longer looked like the unyielding heroine of their first meeting but like a daughter-in-law who had been bullied. He couldn't contain his laughter.

"Hahaha, I never thought I would see the day our little beauty gets so embarrassed!"

"You!" Su Liling's blush spread across her cheeks and she tried to untangle her belt from him to no avail.

They were close together, their bodies tied by the cloth, and Qi Bingwen could see every small movement from the other. Her blush and frantic embarrassment dyed her in a beautiful liveliness that made a small thought enter his mind, she was still so cute, similar to the pink bun he had met when he was younger.

『Ding! Target Affection Meter is at 10』

"Let me help you, you're only tangling it even further," Qi Bingwen said with a smile, one without any malice or hatred but touched with warmth.

Su Liling remained silent as she watched his fingers undo the knot in their clothing, his movement was neither fast nor slow. When he glanced at her all he saw was the top of her head and the glossy black hair that was pinned into a simple bun. There wasn't a single hairpin on her head. If he remembered correctly, that night he took her away she had simple accessories on but there were still a few hairpins.

'Did she take them out since she became a servant?'

Qi Bingwen wasn't sure why that thought made him uncomfortable but he suppressed the feeling as soon as it surfaced.

"Thank you...I'll—This servant will take her leave now."

When he finished untangling her belt Su Liling stepped back immediately and spoke quietly but he heard every word clearly. He frowned when she switched her address to "this servant", the uncomfortable feeling he suppressed returned as she bowed slightly to him and quickly moved to pack up her painting.

He didn't know what to say to her, obviously, this was her own choice. She had asked to become his servant and before, he had thought nothing of it. He had even hoped that she would suffer because she was a member of the Su family. But now that he had remembered her as a child, the pink bun that was the only one willing to be kind to him...he didn't want her to suffer. Especially not for the Su Family's sake.

The little servant girl that spoke with her before made sense, her family did not deserve her. It would be better for her to abandon them.

"You...can paint here whenever you'd like." Qi Bingwen took a step forward as Su Liling began to leave. He couldn't think of what else he could say, he couldn't tell her to stop being a servant, and he couldn't tell her to not sacrifice for her family, the choice had already been made. He could only treat her a little better after the fact. The hatred he had for the Su Family he had longed moved off her shoulder.

『Ding! Target Affection Meter is at 15』

Su Liling didn't reply but paused for a moment before walking out of the courtyard, holding the wrapped-up painting and her supplies in her arms.