Rolling…

962 (Noble Rank)

Reward: The Path of the Sun Emperor Cultivation Method

It takes my brain a minute to comprehend what just happened. And then it takes a minute more to truly grasp the enormity of it.

When it does though, there is only one thing I can say.

“Holy Shit.”

“Beg your pardon, Young Master?” the girl asks.

I turn to her. “Um… nothing, just...” I hold up The Path of the Glowing Noon cultivation manual. “It feels really impressive.”

I literally just did the xianxia equivalent of turning copper into gold, no way in hell am I telling that to anyone I haven’t vetted beyond all reasonable doubt.

I suspect that the girl can tell that there’s more to my reaction, but she either plays along, or she decides not to question it.

I’m thankful.

“So, uh,” I hold up the book, “how much do one of these go for, anyway?” I ask the girl, totally naturally and with zero ulterior motives besides curiosity.

The girl thinks for a moment.

“All the wealth of your personal estate, excluding the manual itself, might grant someone a month’s pass with a cultivation manual of such a rank,” she says finally.

My jaw drops and I gaze across the literal roomful of gold.

“A pass!? Wait, all of this is mine, I mean, Xian Qigang’s, right?” I ask, needing to make sure, because if all this gold isn’t enough to own it, then what is?

“The greatest wealth in the world, will forever be cultivation,” the girl says, sounding like she’s quoting someone.

“That’s a lot of wealth,” I say, gaining new appreciation for the silver book in my hand, and for the noble rank reward I received.

How much would that cost?

“It is a lot of power,” the girl said. “To own a cultivation method manual is to own the tool to raise an army.”

I blink. “I hadn’t thought of that,” I admit.

“It’s okay, Young Master,” she says placidly. “You’ll learn.”

I give her a weird look.

“Is something the matter, Young Master?” she asks.

“Okay, you know I’m not your master, right?” I have to ask. “I’m not Xian Qigang. We’ve been over this.”

“Of course you are,” she says. “No one but Young Master Xian Qigang can access this room. Or pick up that book.”

I set the book back down on its pedestal.

“You know that’s only because…” my words fade out as realization starts to seep in. “Wait. Are you blackmailing me? Holy shit, you’re blackmailing me, aren’t you?”

“Shit is not holy, Young Master, and, no, I would never blackmail you,” she says, looking like ice wouldn’t melt in her mouth. “I am Young Master Xian’s eternal and eternally faithful servant. May heaven have my head if ever I turn on you.”

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“What the… so, what, your plan is to gaslight me till I behave?” I ask.

The girl stares at me thoughtfully for a moment. “What is your plan?” she asks finally.

That throws me.

“I…” I flounder.

“You have none,” the girl says, wasting no time. “You have nothing. You are in a world which, according to you, your people can’t even find; your body was either left behind, or destroyed by the journey here; and now here you stand, locked in the body of a man with a family so powerful, he has wealth as this even living in exile.

“That is the only thing you have.”

Her bright, brown gaze pierces me with its sharp intellect.

“If you refuse to be Xian Qigang, then what will you be?” she asks.

The question hits me hard. And, to be honest, I really don’t have an answer.

Even so though, I still have questions.

“So, what? I just pretend to be someone else my whole life? What happens when others notice? You did. Like the Ping matriarch, whose daughter I’m supposed to be marrying? What do I do when—”

“There is no Ping matriarch,” the girl says. “And there’s no betrothal. I made it up to catch you in your lie.”

“Oh.” Wow, that’s actually a giant relief.

“But even so, I can’t just pretend to be someone else my whole life. What kind of life would that be?”

“And what kind of life do you think you can have now?” she asks me. “Body Snatching is one of the most reviled acts in The Empire.”

“But, you know I’m not a Body Snatcher. You practically said so yourself,” I argue immediately.

She raises an eyebrow. “And you think they’ll care? Let me be clear, if you run from this house with that face, I will be forced to report the events of this morning to the Xian clan, as is my duty. And, believe me, there will be nowhere in the world you can hide from them, and when they find you, it will be the end of you.”

“And your solution is what?” I ask, anger beginning to boil in me. “Pretend to be a man I have no knowledge of until his family inevitably finds out and then we both get screwed?”

“I know Xian Qigang,” the girl says. “I will teach you his history and his ways, all you have to do, is be him.”

We stare each other down for several long seconds.

“Do I have a choice?” I ask angrily.

“We always have a choice, Young Master,” the girl says. “Even when we wish we don’t.”

I scowl at her. “And what about you? What do you get out of this?”

“All I desire is to continue to serve Young Master Xian Qigang faithfully as I have been,” she says with a deep bow.

“You seriously expect me to believe that you’re blackmailing me because what, you just love the taste of my dick that much?” I ask disdainfully.

I expect the comment to get a reaction out of her, but it simply rolls off like water on a duck’s back.

“You need me,” she says. “And seeing as I’ve worked hard for my position and am quite fond of it, I need you.

“I am willing to cast my lot with yours. Will you cast yours with mine?” She moved aside from in front of the door, which, I only now notice, she’s been standing in front of this entire time. “Or will you take your chances out in the world?”

The demand is final.

This is it. I have to choose. Now or never.

I almost walk out. Not just because a big part of me prefers my chances out there to in here, but also because I really don’t like the fact that this girl is trying to force my hand.

Blackmail is crap. I despise it on principle, and knowing that I’ll be giving her power over me if I stay only makes it worse.

On the flip side though, interestingly enough, staying gives me power over her too.

If I leave now, she can simply contact the Xian clan and tell them all about the evil body snatcher who stole their son’s body. But if I stay, she becomes the servant who helped a body snatcher assume Xian Qigang’s life.

In the end, what really makes my choice for me is pragmatism. If I run, I’m in danger. If I stay, I’m still in danger. But if I stay, I have assistance, I have wealth, I have a roof over my head, and, most importantly, with this girl’s help, I might never even get caught.

What do I have if I run though? Some strange power I barely understand? No, it is much better to stay.

“So, what? I’ll be Xian Qigang and you’ll be my servant?” I ask.

“Just as we have always been,” she replies.

I sigh. “Very well then.” I step forward, holding out a hand to shake. “Young Master Xian Qigang. Nice to meet you.”

She eyes my outstretched hand with some curiosity, before she clasps both her hands and bows deeply.

“Meng Yi greets her Young Master,” she says.

Ah! So that’s her name.