บท 8: Basic Cultivation

After she calmed down, Meng Yinuo started to get an understanding of her current state. From what Quinlan said, his body, possessed by her currently, should be in the Medical Pod Bay, something like an infirmary, as "his" body suffered severe injuries from the previous mock battle.

Although Quinlan was wondering how he's still alive if he "died" already, he decided to ignore it for now. After all, the system might've pulled some strings, messing with fate so that Yinuo would have a body to use.

Anyway, the suspicious figures coming in and out of the room wearing white robes while looking at a glowing rectangular contraption were apparently the doctors who were treating Quinlan's body.

Although she felt conflicted about being treated like a rare spiritual beast caught and displayed at a festival, Meng Yinuo couldn't do anything against them. After all, she can't even lift a finger.

The two negotiated for a while until they decided to first try and follow what the mysterious system was asking them to do. To achieve that, the first step would be to exchange information with each other.

Quinlan had little to say, however, since the current task was more in Meng Yinuo's alley: cultivation.

{... And so, by gathering the Qi present in the environment, circulating them inside your Lower Dantian, and making them your own, you can take your initial steps into cultivation.}

For almost four hours straight now, Meng Yinuo has been teaching Quinlan about the basics of cultivation. As one hailed a genius, it wasn't hard for Quinlan to memorize everything she told him, but one problem occurred.

"... It's hard to gather this Qi thing."

Rather, he stumbled right at the first step: detecting Qi. As someone unfamiliar with the concept of cultivation and the energies present in the universe, he was clueless about what Qi would feel like.

{Of course, it isn't easy, you dimwit. If it's that simple to become a cultivator, then no non-cultivators would exist in that world. The first hurdle to becoming a cultivator can be broken through with two factors: natural talent or an enormous amount of money.}

"... Money?" Quinlan tilted his head cutely but quickly fixed his posture, denying that he just acted girly.

{Yes. Cultivation requires talent to feel Qi since it's a sensation one can't explain to others. But there's another solution to this, and that's using Qi Gathering Pills. Though they cost a fortune.}

A glint appeared in Quinlan's eyes. "So there was a shortcut!" he thought.

"Then, perhaps you can—!"

{My family might be a little wealthy, but even if we converted all our assets into money, we couldn't even buy a single pill. You don't need one, though, since my body is overflowing with talent already.}

Yinuo's words, which were heard in Quinlan's deep and cold voice, echoed with disgust. Quinlan, hearing this, quickly deflated, feeling betrayed upon hearing that he couldn't afford to buy a Qi Gathering Pill.

{Anyway, as we arranged, that's it for today's Telepathy. I'll be initiating contact again tomorrow, around the same time.}

"Alright," Quinland sighed as he stood up, stretching his stiff body from sitting in a lotus position for a long time. "Then, I'd go take a bath. I smell sweaty—or not. Well, I'm drenched in sweat, so..."

{... Bastard. I may have trusted you earlier, but that's because our fates are on the line. Do anything weird to my body, and I'll make sure to chop off your little thing!}

"I won't, I won't. I may be curious, but that's not enough for me to throw away the goodwill between us two," Quinlan explained, exhausted. "Still, I can't help but see myself naked when bathing. You don't mind that, right?"

{Seeing my body is fine, but touching it weirdly is different! Remember, I'll be checking up on you at random intervals to make sure you're not doing anything strange!}

Without even waiting for Quinlan's reply, the telepathy was cut off.

Having nothing better to do, Quinlan stared at the garden, looking at it while the orange hue of the setting sun created a different sort of atmosphere from before. He spent a few minutes spacing out until he recalled Meng Yinuo's instructions.

"Right, she mentioned having a maid named Xiyadie."

Meng Yinuo's personal maid since she was a toddler, Xiyadie, was someone who was sharp, strict, and loving. Her defining feature, as described by Yinuo, was a mole on the lower left of her lips.

As someone who was beside her while growing up, if anyone would be able to recognize Quinlan "taking over" Meng Yinuo's body, then it would be her.

"My first task is to bring Xiyadie to my side," Quinlan pondered. "But how?"

As an antisocial brat, he had no idea how to befriend someone. At most, he could try approaching her directly, but it is obvious how low his chances of success were.

Just as he was wondering about other ways to do it, a voice suddenly called from behind.

"Young Lady Yinuo, what are you doing there?!"

Turning to the one who just called, a tall lady wearing a plain white hanfu stood with a worried expression. Her face was sharp, with little to no makeup on, matched with her long black hair tied into a bun behind her.

"Xiyadie?" Quinlan asked, noticing the mole below her left lip.

As for why Xiyadie looked worried, it was because Quinlan was currently on an island in the middle of the pond. Quinlan realized his mistake and quickly hopped over the flat stone steps, peeking out of the surface of the pond and reaching the other side safely.

Xiyadie rushed to his side, patting his body from head to toe. "Are you alright, Young Lady Yinuo? You weren't hurt anywhere, were you?!"

Her genuine worry for "Meng Yinuo" was obvious even to someone as socially dumb as him. Still, as someone who lived without indulging in the goodwill of others, Quinlan was stumped over what to do in response.

"Your clothes are dirty too!" She exclaimed, noticing the dust and stains all over the dress from when Quinlan kneeled beside the pond and sat in the middle of it.

"If the Mistress saw you like this, I fear she wouldn't be letting you off easily!"

Not giving Quinlan the chance to interject, Xiyadie quickly pulled his hands and walked briskly out of the garden, heading for the open door where she came from. There could only be one place they would be heading for: the bath!