--- Chapter 5 ---
Baek Ain groggily awakened from his meditation, feeling his strength increase fourfold. He yawned because that was a great session of cultivation. The amount of Dou Qi in his body is purer and more manageable to control now.
[Ding! You have leveled up]
[Ding! You have leveled up]
[Ding! You have leveled up]
[Ding! You have leveled up]
[Ding! You have leveled up]
[Ding! You have leveled up]
[Ding! You have leveled up]
[Ding! You have leveled up]
[You have reached Ninth Stars Dou Practitioner Realm]
[The Record of the Burning World has advanced to Level 1]
Beak Ain smiled in satisfaction because the Record of the Burning World deserves its reputation to become Divine Level Technique. Even though he only got one-third of the technique, it was still strong and changed Dou Qi's power.
[Ding! You have unlocked Secret Skill: Golden Crow's Possession]
"Possession?"
[Name: Golden Crow's Possession]
[Type: Secret Skill]
[Grade: A]
[Description: Ignite all the Golden Crow's Flame within one's body and increase cultivation by five small realms for a minute]
[Cooldown: 24 Hours]
"Neat." Baek Ain grabbed a mirror from his inventory and checked if this new cultivation technique changed his appearance.
"Holy shit, the cliche transformation after cultivating powerful technique happens to me." He saw his black hair turning ashen white, and this mysterious aura surrounded him.
Not even a minute later, Baek Ain's hair returned to black again.
Knock! Knock!
Baek Ain instinctively shuddered as door knocks awakened a trauma about his first death. It wasn't a great experience for him.
"I have to do something about this." He used "Breathing." to calm himself down. He grabbed new clothes because the ones he wears have turned into ash, like his pants too.
He opened the front door and saw a familiar-looking lady with flowing blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Oh, you changed a lot in just two weeks?" Yafei commented while looking at Baek Ain's body from top to bottom.
"Uh, what do you want?" Baek Ain tried to shut the door again, but Yafei interrupted by placing her iron fan in the gap. "This counts as trespassing, lady."
Yafei smirked because her instinct was never wrong about someone. She knew this kid possessed great potential and talents.
'He was 7th Stars Dou Disciple two weeks ago, but now he attained peak Dou Practitioner Realm. Father and Grandpa told me once about this, but I finally found one. A genius.'
'I won't let you go away, Baek Ain!'
Afterward, Baek Ain could only accept Yafei's request to talk with him, and they visited the river nearby. He leaned on the shady tree while Yafei put her slender legs into the cold running water.
"You didn't act as timid as before anymore," Yafei commented calmly. "It's a miracle, no matter how I see it."
"After you found my panties, we discovered some corrupt members in our Auction House? We cleaned them up in one sweep and gained more money than last year's sales."
"Don't be too wary. I'm here to say thank you."
"You're welcome." Baek Ain nodded casually.
Yafei shook her head gently and added, "Likewise, I'm here to offer you my support or even recruit you into the Miteer Family."
"Think of it like an investment because I believed in your talents. With my support, you could gain access to rare Dou Techniques and pills made of precious medicinal herbs. It's all on Miteer Family's tab."
"There is no such thing as a free meal." Baek Ain suddenly commented, which caused Yafei to giggle in amusement.
"Yup, That's true."
"In return, I want you to join the Shadow Guard under my control."
"Of course, I won't force you to do something you weren't interested in, so just focus on cultivating your strength. Miteer Family lacked a good seed like you, Baek Ain." She winked playfully.
Baek Ain considered the pros and cons because joining Miteer Family was the most "significant." choice he got. After all, going out to the magical beast forest right now would be suicide.
After a while, even Yafei couldn't hide her nervousness and rubbed her thigh in expectation.
"Alright."
Yafei's beautiful face brightened upon hearing that reply.
However, she couldn't be satisfied as Baek Ain opened his mouth and continued, "Let's add another condition."
"Eh?"
"If I ever faced great difficulty, let's imagine a powerful person beyond my level and an annoying noble in this Jian Ma Empire. Will you protect me?"
"I will. Miteer Family is not weak, you know? Hmph."
Baek Ain smiled and replied, "Well, Lady Fei. Congratulations on recruiting me into your group."
"Hehe, let's meet each other's expectations~!"
...
...
Six weeks later.
Baek Ain naturally moved to the Miteer Family Branch's Compound and experienced a warmer home than Ji Lie Clan's cottage-like house. His relationship with Yafei also grew significantly.
And Yafei somehow posed as a big sister in this situation, always teasing him for weeks. He didn't mind this treatment because his past life was lackluster after his parents died from cancer.
Having someone to talk with is a rare experience for him.
Likewise, Yafei has opened up when spending time with Baek Ain, venting her stress and tantrum about the Auction House's situation. She would complain about the annoying nobles who don't follow the rules of the Auction House.
In the backyard, Baek Ain was meditating to circulate his Dou Qi, but Yafei rested her head on his shoulder. She pouted and said, "I'm the one who says you must focus on training, but you never take a single rest, Ain!"
"Come on, take a breather, and walk around the garden with me~!."
Baek Ain chuckled in defeat and replied, "Sister Fei. You only want to boast about the new business proposal I shared last week, no? That excited expression, I could guess the business is a huge success."
"Boo, no fun..." Yafei jumped and crossed her arm, posing those white mountains gently.
Baek Ain might be lazy, but he was still a man of culture. He stared at Yafei respectfully and nodded in appreciation.
Who would have thought he had adapted to this world in just two months? Language, culture, and lifestyle.
Beak Ain's annoyance toward the system also lessened as he tried to see it as his partner. The system is the only thing that could aid him in an emergency.
As for Yafei, she supported him more emotionally.
"Fine, let's have a walk around the garden."
They arrived at the garden and saw some people using wooden bicycles in the center. These people are the Miteer Family Branch recruited to become delivery services for the Food Industry in Wu Tan City.
The new food industry developed by Miteer Family Branch is a cultivation world's version of McDonald's, starting from fries, burgers, and naturally processed carbonated drinks.
"Things are going smoothly." Baek Ain commented with a smile.
"Are there any people who still tried to attack our delivery service?"
Yafei laughed, covering her lower face with an iron fan, and replied indifferently, "Do you think some groups of mere bandits could touch the Miteer Family?"
"We dealt with them like usual."
'Damn. Women are scary.' Baek Ain thought while shaking his head.
They stared at the garden scenery for an hour until Yafei changed the topic. "I heard Jia Nan Academy's representative is coming to this city soon."
"Aren't you interested, Ain?"
Baek glanced at Yafei, noticing her hopeful look, and answered, "Nope."
"It's better for me to stay here and spend more time with my beautiful big sister."
"Oh, you~!" Yafei hit him gently on the back.
Despite her bashful look, Yafei felt overflowing happiness when hearing his reply. Her heart is throbbing in this weird heat, making her stomach flutter continuously.
'What's this feeling?'