Revenger's System (1)

Quinlan opened his eyes... again.

As soon as he did, he was surprised by the beautiful garden spreading before him. Flowers of various colors, exuding a fragrant scent, were growing all over the place, and a small, shallow pond where a few fish swam freely could be seen a little distance away.

"Where is this place...?" Quinlan muttered to himself, but was surprised after hearing his own voice.

*Ahem* *Ahem*

He tried clearing his throat and even testing his voice once more, but it didn't change. It was, without a doubt, higher-pitched than normal!

Curious, he started to look around but noticed that his usual skintight suit was replaced by some sort of dress with a long and fluttery sleeve. From his superficial knowledge, he knew that it was a traditional Chinese dress called Hanfu, but it was his first time seeing one in person.

"No, why am I wearing it in the first place?!"

The high-pitched voice and the unfamiliar dress he's wearing. Combining those two details, Quinlan was having a bad premonition about his current situation. Hurriedly, he tried to stand up, planning to go to the pond's side. However, due to the incongruence between his current body and his original one, he fell forward, losing his balance. Something heavy attached to his chest jiggled as he fell on all fours.

"...?"

Confusion washed over him, prompting him to sit down right where he was. As he looked down, two round and beautiful mounds covered in the red-and-white dress were blocking his view. As if urged by some mysterious force, his hands moved to touch them.

"...!"

He could feel the soft and warm mounds, changing shape with every movement his finger made. On the other hand, he could also feel electricity running along his spine while touching them. It was as if he was losing strength from his legs, making him feel like he couldn't stand up immediately.

"Where did these melons come from?!" Quinlan was completely confused.

Ignoring all else, he crawled along the dirt and went closer to the pond, peeking through the edge. There, what he saw took his breath away. An unparalleled beauty, with silvery white long hair tied in a bun behind her head and wearing a white and red Hanfu that emphasized modesty, looked back at him through the reflection.

"What the... is this... me?"

Quinlan touched his face, and as he did, the beautiful woman beyond the pond's surface copied his movements. His brown eyes, the same color as he could remember, stared back at him. For a while, he spent time looking at the reflection, until a familiar blue window popped up right in front of his eyes.

[Student Quinlan Gaudin's Soul has successfully integrated with Cultivator Meng Yinuo's body.]

[Revenger's System First Function: Two-way Telepathy Unlocked!]

[First unlock bonus: Telepathy Recharge (+24 hrs)]

"Telepathy?"

Just as Quinlan was wondering what it meant, a deafening roar echoed inside his head.

{YOU GODDAMN FUCKER! HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY BODY?!}

Quinlan jumped in surprise, looking around in panic. The voice he heard was extremely familiar; after all, he had been listening to it a lot of times through recordings—his own voice!

However, no matter where he looked, nobody but him was present in the garden.

{WAIT FOR ME THERE AND I'LL RIP YOUR ROTTEN SOUL TO SHREDS! DAMN, WHY DOES THIS BODY REFUSE TO MOVE?!}

It was weird listening to his own voice say things he would never say in a different manner of speech. With the second occurrence, he also realized that he wasn't literally "hearing" the voice, as it was echoing straight inside his head.

"Wait, I don't even know who you are! Why the hell are you getting angry at me?!"

Quinlan was confused, but he could profess that he still had a calm mind. And from his analysis, no matter what angle he looked at, he was completely innocent of whatever the other party was accusing him of.

"Who in their right mind would think they're inside another person's body? I was simply checking what happened to my own body!"

{Your body? That's my body, you bastard! If you touch my body any further, then I, Meng Yinuo, swear to hunt you down until I obliterate your very soul...! DAMN! If only this body could move, then with my...!}

"...?"

The voice stopped so abruptly that Quinlan thought that the call had dropped. But then he recalled that it was telepathic communication and not a call from a hands-free phone. When the voice returned, fear and panic could be felt with each word she articulated.

{My... cultivation... Where did my cultivation go?!}

At that moment, as if waiting for that exact situation, the blue window popped up once more. Quinlan read it as fast as he could and digested its contents.

[From this day on, you will be living as Meng Yinuo (20) with no cultivation. This world isn't as forgiving as your previous world, and the original body's owner still had grudges that have yet to be resolved.]

[In ten days, an event that will change Meng Yinuo's life will occur.]

[First Quest: Reach the Qi Refinement 1st Stage within 10 days.]

[Success Rewards: Telepathy Recharge (+7 days)]

[Failure Punishment: A Fate Worse than Death]

He understood everything that was displayed but was completely clueless about how to achieve it. "Cultivation? I thought those were only within Chinese fiction novels?"

{This body... doesn't have any cultivation at all?!}

Meng Yinuo exclaimed in both disgust and surprise.

{And given how weak this body is, I doubt I'd reach the 1st stage normally within 10 days!}

Hearing her words, Quinlan's brows rose. "You know how to cultivate?"

Yinuo answered his question with a doubtful tone.

{And you don't know how to do something so basic? With the specs of my body, even reaching the second stage is possible within 10 days! If you fail this task, then I'd kill you if you didn't die!}

As if adding fuel to the fire, the blue system window appeared once more.

[Reminder: If either Quinlan Gaudin or Meng Yinuo dies, the other one will follow in death. Your souls are intertwined in a complex way, so dying early would mean your souls would disintegrate, unable to return to the Samsara.]

"..."

Quinlan frowned. He was fine with dying if that's what fate had prepared for him. However, letting someone else decide whether he lives or dies is something he wouldn't consent to.

{Damn... and I'm matched with this incompetent buffoon? This scroll just wants to kill me in a roundabout way!}

"Who's incompetent, you foul-mouthed—!" Quinlan wanted to curse but held his tongue. Before he lost his cool, he quickly changed the topic to something more urgent. "Anyway, I need information. Do you know what will happen in ten days? This is your world, your life, after all!"

Yinuo could feel that Quinlan was seriously considering the system's words, unlike her. After a brief silence, her voice echoed once more inside his head.

{It was hundreds of thousands of years ago, but I can still recall it like yesterday. In ten days, our respected Sect Leader would conduct a test to choose an inner disciple candidate.}

"Hundreds of thousands of years?!" The scale of time she just spouted made Quinlan lose his mind. "You mean, I exchanged souls with your body from your past?! How about me? What situation am I in? Did I also return to the past?!"

If he did return to the past, he was thinking he could fix whatever Benno did to his Mech before their battle. If he did, then his win would be guaranteed, ensuring that he could continue his 1st place streak. Meng Yinuo took a while before responding.

{I'm not sure about your state. I'm floating in something like a liquid, unconscious, naked, and immobile. There are a few men and women in white robes coming and going, however.}

Ignoring the part about "seeing" those in white robes despite being unconscious, "It sounds like the medical pod bay," Quinlan muttered with a sigh.

He had never used the medical bay before, so he was sure it wasn't his past. Too bad he didn't turn back time like her.