I woke up to a worried Xie Wen staring at me while holding both my hands, "Yu Song..?" she asked softly, "y- it's you right?"

I nodded then winced when pain struck my head, "fuck- yes, it's me." I replied and stood up, my legs felt wobbly and I almost fell but Xie Wen caught me, "who else would it be?"

She sighed, "I- thank god," she suddenly hugged me.

My arms moved to wrap around her back but I stopped myself and pushed her away, "you didn't need to worry about me," I said and she nodded to show that she understood, "I just thought that drinking an entire bottle of pills is a good idea, that's all."

"An entire bottle of pills..?" Xie Wen asked.

"Ah." I rubbed the back of my head, the headache is barely noticeable but it's still there, "I found an entire bottle of Cultivation Pills and drank all of it," I explained, I didn't need to hide it from her now, "and well? It ended up with me bleeding while cultivating and after that?"

I looked around the bathroom and noticed that the book that taught Palm Strike techniques is now gone, "-I put myself under control until I woke up with you staring at me."

Xie Wen smiled, it looked a bit sad, "is that so?"

I nodded, "yeah, that sums it all up pretty much."

I got out of the bathroom while being followed by Xie Wen, when I sat cross-legged right next to my bed, it was when Xie Wen mentioned that my entire body is basically washed in dried blood. I looked at her for a second before staring down at myself, my rag-like clothes were now stained red with spots of black, and my skin, which used to be white, is now caked in blackened, dried-up blood.

"Thank you, Xie Wen," the girl only nodded at my thanks, "where do we put our spare clothes?" I asked while looking around with my head.

"Uhm... we usually don't but I think that we have a few spare clothing somewhere in here," she replied and immediately started going around the place, "I think I hid some under Yu Song's bed at some point?"

My eyes widened for a brief second before I controlled myself, "You put some under my bed?" I asked and Xie Wen nodded. Did she know? I thought while staring at her.

All this time, Xie Wen had been blunt and honest whenever she answered my questions and I think that maybe it's time for me to return the favor, "Do you know?" I asked.

She nodded with a wry smile, "all this time," she answered.

I shook my head. of course she does.

I should've expected her to be smart enough to do that. I chastised myself.

Xie Wen's voice turned soft, "I've just been waiting for... Yu Song to tell me himself," she stood up and walked over to where I sat, then she moved past me and stood right next to my bed, Xie Wen then pulled up the cover, dug through the hay and there it was- a spirit stone glowing a strong green.

I looked down, "the Yu Song you're referring to..."

She snorted then smiled, "is not you no," she giggled, "also, you weren't exactly good at hiding it."

"I guess I wasn't." I smiled wryly.

Xie Wen looked at me with resigned sadness, "But for the record, I like you better."

I can only nod, "really?"

"Mhmm." She picked up the spirit stone and placed it in my hand, "the old Yu Song was kind sure, but he liked to keep his secrets and didn't trust anyone. You..." She turned her head left and looked somewhere far away, "you are very, very indifferent to other people but that doesn't mean that you don't notice them, you just don't care." she said, "at first, I suspected that you were some sort of strong cultivator that took over Yu Song's body and to be honest, I still do,"

Xie Wen looked at me, "I hope so." she said while looking at me expectantly.

I sighed, "I- I'm not. Sorry." Her smile turned sad.

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"I see," she stood up and moved back to her bed, "then who are you?"

"No one," and wasn't that the truth? It's a good thing that I have my System.

"Hmm... I still like you, I think." she turned her and all I saw is a side view of her pretty features, she closed her eyes and smiled, "I honestly thought that after you knew what I was doing, you'll throw me away."

"You won't, right?" she asked.

"I don't know." was my uncertain answer.

Xie Wen knew who I was and what I am, some sort of body possessor and it is pretty much a fact that somewhere out there, these sorts of things exist and if that's the case, what's going to happen to me when people find out that I'm no longer the original Yu Song? Probably not good. I told myself before closing my eyes and circulating my Qi.

I noticed that it flowed much easier than before, and whenever my Qi passed ran through parts of my body, it cooled them off. It was like I had my own personal air-conditioner moving around me. The feeling of coolness helped me think and after a while, I opened my eyes and spoke.

"Xie Wen?" I said and got a hum from the girl, "I won't throw you away,"

She faced me, "Thank you," she said softly before bowing.

I checked my Status screen.

User: Yu Song

Qi: 321/900

Realm: 9th Stage (Qi Gathering)

Techniques:

- Punch

- Run

- Throw

- Palm Strike

*First to Sixth form

Quests:

*Reach Body Refinement Realm - (9/10)

*Find proper clothing

So after all that, I am now in the 9th Stage of Qi Gathering. The jump from 7th to 9th realm of Qi Gathering felt drastic enough that I got suspicious as to how Gang Gong had done it himself, if I bled so much that I'm basically red, what did Gang Gong do..?

"Xie Wen, when did Gang Gong reach the 9th Stage of Qi Gathering?" I asked.

"Last month, why?" she answered.

"What stage was he in before that?" I asked again.

"7th?" she answered, "why?"

Did I trust her enough to tell her my suspicions? I shook my head, No, she probably noticed it already. "Don't you find it suspicious?" I asked her and she smiled before nodding.

"I do, yes," she stood up, "did you also reach the 9th Stage of Qi Gathering?" I nodded, "thought so," Xie Wen bit her lower lip before looking around, "I- that talisman you had?" she mentioned.

"What about it?"

"I think it blocks out sound but just to be sure, come closer, I wanna whisper my suspicions just in case someone overhears it," I nodded and scuttled closer to her. Xie Wen leaned in and I felt her breath against my ear, "I think that Gang Gong is conspiring with the people who took the Demonic Sword of the Blood Moon."

I stared at her incredulously, "how can you say that?"

"You know how he has that club?" I nodded, "Gang Gong didn't have that before the day he reached the 9th Stage of Qi Gathering."

"So you think it's connected?" I asked. How is it connected? It's not like a black club made of wood and something that an entire Sect considers a treasure are the same thing.

"No, no, you don't get it," she hurriedly said, "I think that weapon is provided to him by the people who stole it. I think they also let him break through the 9th Stage using dubious methods."

"Okay, let's say that's true." I said, actually thinking about it, "What is the end goal? And if there's proof, do you have any?"

Xie Wen nodded, "Gang Gong has been talking to lone outer disciples lately. Most of them, I think he knows are either old enough to have been working for this Pavillion for years and so want a change-" Okay, that's understandable, there are outer disciples here who have been hoping to become an inner disciple for years but didn't become on, an offer to turn them into actual cultivators is probably tempting to people like that.

"-As well as outer disciples that Gang Gong and the rest know are unsatisfied with our current living conditions."

"So everyone?" I asked jokingly.

But Xie Wen did not smile, "No, if you lived outside of this place, you would know that having food every lunch and a roof above your head is so much better than out there,"

"Oh." I said in realization, "Is it that bad outside?"

She nodded, "Unfortunately, yes," she stared at the door, "the reason why people keep living and working here is because at least, there is stability in this place, out there? It's lawless and spirit beasts and other things roam the place. No one is strong enough to defend themselves against spirit beasts and all the powerful cultivators do not care about us,"

"But what about actual cities?"

Xie Wen smiled, "If I lived in a city, I wouldn't be here and instead, would've had a proper job."

"Ah. I guess you have a point." So cities and Sects are protected but not villages. Noted.

"Are there actual protectors for villages?" I asked.

"Yes, roaming powerful bandits and other cultivators often find a town and... take over them. Ruling over the place and sucking them dry." for once, Xie Wen looked angry and I can take a guess why.

"That happened to your village didn't it?" I asked.

"Yes," she nodded, "once, when I was young, some bandits took over our village and even though they protected us from spirit beasts and other things, they... were worse." She said, "My father hid me in underneath our house and didn't even dare to feed me, for days, I starved until one day, a powerful cultivator wiped all of the bandits out."

Xie Wen sighed, "I was lucky enough that they were being chased but also unlucky that they fought inside my village."

"I guess I know how that ends." Xie Wen nodded and gave me a sad smile, "That's one hell of a backstory, makes you feel like some sort of main character." I tried to laugh to relieve the tension but it came out awkward.

Xie Wen smiled, "I guess."

I stared at her. "You know what?" I stood up and picked up the spirit stone I left in my bed, I tossed it and she caught it, "let's get to the Body Refinement Realm."

She gave me a single nod, "Okay,"