That night, Lin Qiuyue didn't go out to paint even at the urging of the other girls in her dorm. She gave them a few excuses; she was too tired, she had some extra chores the next day, it was too late now, and so on. This went on for a few days and the brush set that she had received from Qi Bingwen was left in a corner to collect dust.
All this was another calculation of hers but not all her excuses were lies. They were half-truths. If she had to work like a horse and a bull in the daytime while also losing sleep at night, she would no longer want to complete her task. So to save her psyche and rest her spirit, all her plans were done at the most optimal time following the philosophy of; quality over quantity, detail over simplicity, a hundred darts haphazardly thrown at a board would result in a couple of bullseyes but a dozen dart thrown with precision would hit bullseye every time.
And now it was time for another dart of hers to hit the bullseye. After she kept Qi Bingwen waiting for her, she chose a night when he was not in the sect to continue her painting. She left early and arrived at the scenic pavilion just as the sun had set. The last time she was there she only got one-third of the painting done, forming a rough reflection of the landscape without any extra embellishments. It was simple and elegant but doesn't show the full extent of her, or rather Su Liling's talent.
It made her eager to see the end result, so she set up quickly and got to painting. On the other side, her system was closely monitoring Qi Bingwen while chatting with her from time to time, Qi Bingwen was on another outing dealing with the resistance of the Martial Arts Alliance. Apparently, Su Liling's father was not as cheap as she thought, he riled up the orthodox faction effectively and started attacking some of Qi Bingwen's subordinates.
Qi Bingwen was no vegetarian though, he was very lowkey but over the years he had built a sizable force. This sect was only the tip of the iceberg, Qi Bingwen had many other properties and organizations under his belt, some were regular businesses; teahouses, restaurants, shops, and stores. While others were training halls, pharmacies, and smithies. He was even the owner of one of the top 3 assassins' pavilions.
Lin Qiuyue had never seen a deck so stacked in one person's favor. She wasn't sure how he had gotten to this point in only 4 years, other people couldn't get promoted in 4 years while Qi Bingwen became one of the most powerful leader in the jianghu possessing the strongest independent force outside the major orthodox and unorthodox factions.
It was ridiculous and she thought her system was messing with her when it first told her of its investigation. Such an unscientific development made her want to bow down to Qi Bingwen who could turn rocks into gold. What a great god, what a big buddha! His golden thighs must shine so bright it could be seen halfway around the world. She shouldn't curse him in her heart anymore and place him in a shrine instead, maybe it'd bless her with some unbelievable success too.
Before long Lin Qiuyue calmed the incredulity in her heart, her dilemma was cyclical in nature. Her target was an impossible amazing man but maybe only an impossible amazing man could be a target. After all, the main system wasn't so free, it wouldn't waste time contracting hosts to attack some random small fry. Every single task that required a Host was bombastic and difficult, the difficulty might vary but it should all be against the natural order of the world. Since the operations of the main system directly changed every world it came in contact with.
If she hadn't arrived in this world and taken over Su Liling's body, there would have been a completely different outcome for the Su Family and the greater martial arts world. In only a few weeks of her presence, Qi Bingwen had already begun embarking on a completely different path, as the martial arts world entered a stormy period, tensions were high, everything was culminating in a major confrontation and she was at the center of it all.
Her system was too inexperienced to realize and the main system would never harm its chances of recruiting her by telling her unnecessary things but she had realized it almost as early as when she met her system. Her thoughts were only confirmed the more time she spent in this world, the main system and hosts in general were unnatural entities who defied the laws of every world they enter. They had no home and couldn't linger in any place, merely stealing energy from countless worlds to persist. It was no prestigious job, no grand duty.
The identity was only a little more unique but there was nothing so special about it, so she never saw herself as better than anyone in this world or the worlds she would go to in the future. Her task might require deception but she wasn't a scumbag, she would take responsibility for her actions. She was willing to write a beautiful love story for her target in every world and fulfill them. It might not be "true" but if they couldn't see that then what was the difference?
Her thoughts wandered a little far as she painted but her system quickly bought her back to reality when Qi Bingwen returned to the sect.
Lin Qiuyue was almost done with the painting, there was only a few finishing touches left as Qi Bingwen returned.
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"Sect Master, what should we do about the Martial Arts Alliance?"
"Lay low for now, we'll see how far they take it." Qi Bingwen's expression was stern as he listened to his subordinates' reports. There was no trace of his usual casual smile nor the warm smile that he had around Su Liling. Instead, the air around him was low and after the subordinates' reports were completed they tactically left.
They were afraid to breathe too loudly around their sect master, they weren't sure why he was unhappy but they didn't want to stick around to attract his anger. Their sect master had always been very laid-back, he was rarely disturbed by anything so it was even scarier to see him out of control. Even if they picked through all their brains they couldn't come up with a reason for his moodiness.
And they would have never had guessed that Qi Bingwen was disturbed because of the little servant he had picked up. After the day he gifted her a new brush set, Su Liling hadn't returned to the pavilion to finish her painting. Even after he waited there every day to see her progress, he couldn't catch a single shadow in his sight.
He couldn't pinpoint the exact emotion he felt after waiting for so many days only to see no one at all but he wasn't in a good mood. Before he had taken her hesitation as shyness but as each new day passed, he couldn't help but wonder how she felt about him in her heart. Was he a brief footnote in her life, a stray dog to give a little pity to and then forgotten?
『Ding! The Target's Affection Meter is at 10』
It was obvious, Qi Bingwen wasn't sure what he expected from her but this should be the outcome. She only entered his sect because of the deal, she valued honor and was a virtuous person who doesn't back down in the face of hardship.
He was no longer the bullied servant he was back then, he didn't need her kindness or her pity. Everything was right as it was, she would repay his years of pain and afterward, there should be nothing between them.
But that thought only made Qi Bingwen's mood more chaotic and as he returned to the sect, all the subordinates who saw him scurried even farther away. He didn't pay enough attention to notice them fleeing but his subordinates huddled together for support when they were far enough away. They all had the same thought in their head.
'Sect Master's face is so dark! This is unprecedented! The sky is falling!'
When he was about to enter his courtyard he recognized a familiar breath near the pavilion.
Before he even knew it, he had already jumped the wall and landed on the winding bridge to the pavilion. The little servant that he had been thinking about all day stood in front of him, underneath the glowing moonlight. Her features blended in with the soft light which made her appear hazy and illusory as though she would disappear at any moment.
He wanted to reach out to her but he feared that the illusion would vanish if he made any sudden movement so he stood still while his mind continued to tangle even further. He couldn't tell one feeling from another and before long his heart became chaotic and messy.
He had never been so out of control before and it was all caused by her, from the moment he met her, he had been affected.
"For you," Su Liling's said lightly, her expression no longer that distant and unemotional serenity. Instead, there was a soft warmth that reached her eyes as she returned the same two words to him just as he had done to her before.
Qi Bingwen was stunned, a single thought broke all the chaos in his mind. She remembered, she remembered it, she remembered him!
『Ding! The Target's Affection Meter is at 20』
"This servant has never bought up that past because...it is not enough to offset the crime of my family." Su Liling placed the simple white scroll she held into Qi Bingwen's palm. She met his eyes briefly and for a moment he could see all the world's melancholy in them. "I don't want you to feel burdened by my kindness because even that kindness was too little. I am just as guilty as the rest of my family, please...don't treat me differently."
Qi Bingwen knew that the scroll was the painting he had seen her start the other day, he held it gently in his hand and ran his thumb along the edge of the paper, watching it calmly without unfurling it. He didn't respond to Su Liling's words but the silence that formed between the two of them was not awkward, it was lingering. Only interrupted by the cool night breeze that flowed past the two of them, it lightly lifted a few long strands of Su Liling's hair across her face.
Before she could comb them back, Qi Bingwen had already reached out and pushed the loose hairs behind her ear. He was a step closer to her and could see every detail of her delicate face, her beautiful eyes, and pink lips. He swallowed unnaturally before taking a step back.
"Do you take yourself as a saint? So self-sacrificial for that family?" Qi Bingwen said harshly but there were hidden grievances in his words.
How could she be so selfless? Time and time again, saving them, helping them, and putting them first. Were they so important to her?
She never pleaded with him for leniency, never asked him anything and when she did, she asked him to treat her worse. Such a ridiculous thing made the chaos in his heart fluctuate even more until the turbulence raging in him could no longer be calmed down.
Everything she did was for her family, she was only here for them. She only wanted to complete her end of the deal while he was still immersed in old memories. He had deluded himself into believing that she was partial because of himself but everything she had done was because of her virtue and filial piety!
Unconsciously he clenched his fist but when his mood was about to reach its lowest point, a thread of clarity appeared in his mind when Su Liling finally spoke.
"I'm grateful for your concern but I only wish to assuage the guilt in my heart." Her voice was gentle but filled with an unshakable determination.
Qi Bingwen was stunned for a moment, she was doing it because she felt guilty for him? And not because she wanted to help her family?
"It's not for the Su Fu?" He was still uncertain and wanted to confirm it for himself.
"I only wanted to save my older brother and some of the servants. The rest of the Fu is filled with my siblings' people. They have long been used to tyranny and corruption, it's worthless to keep them," Su Liling said with a gentle smile as she met his eyes but the gentleness didn't reach her eyes, there was only a faint disgust. She continued as she turned away with a soft sigh, "I am not as kind as you think, not as kind as everyone believes. I do things at my own discretion, I am small-minded and selfish. I am just the same as anyone else."
"Just the same?" Qi Bingwen hummed as he took a step towards her, the darkness from before had all but disappeared. One of his usual casual smiles was on his face again but Su Liling couldn't see his eyes which were downcast.
Qi Bingwen couldn't stop himself from lifting a lock of her hair. Which was smooth and silky as it ran along his fingers, he was reminded of the night they had first met. Although the tea scent on her body and hair had all but disappeared, it was replaced by a far more natural fragrance that made him want to indulge even more.
Su Liling's face was dyed in a faint blush but not out of embarrassment this time, instead, the atmosphere was ambiguous and their bodies were close. In the silence, it was easy to feel the warmth radiating from Qi Bingwen's body and his warm breath against her face.
Qi Bingwen noticed this ambiguity too but did nothing to end it, instead he lowered his head to softly kiss the lock of hair in his hand. His movement was gentle and careful, as though he was holding the most precious treasure in his hands.
"But I don't think so. Tomorrow, you will no longer report to your usual station. You can leave those menial chores to others and move to my courtyard."
Su Liling's eyes were wide in shock but before she could say any words of rejection, Qi Bingwen continued.
"You will become my inner servant and will serve me alone."
It didn't matter how small her kindness was, she had given it to him so from now on she could only give it to him.
Her kindness was his, her life was his, and she could only be his.
『Ding! The Target's Affection Meter is at 25』