"What is this?" Zhihui muttered, Upon entering the wooden hut, he felt a momentary disorientation, a fleeting sensation akin to weightlessness, as if gravity itself were unsure where to pull.
His surroundings soon stabilized, and blinking against the residual energy, he found himself in a place that felt distinctly out of time.
Before him lay a small, ancient library, bathed in the soft glow of flickering candles—with purple flames.
The air was thick with the scent of old parchment and the quiet rustle of pages being turned. Massive shelves towered on either side, filled with dusty tomes, their spines cracked and worn from years of eager readers.
In the heart of this bibliophilic haven, a librarian stood behind a weathered wooden desk.
The librarian was an elderly woman, draped in tattered beggar's clothes that seemed to blend seamlessly with the ancient ambiance. Strands of silver hair framed her wise face, and her eyes held the depth of centuries.
The young man approached the librarian, the echoes of his footsteps merging with the hushed whispers of ancient knowledge.
As he drew near, the librarian looked up, her eyes meeting his with a knowing twinkle. She extended a frail hand, calloused from years of handling parchment and scrolls.
"Welcome, beggar," she rasped, her voice a gentle melody echoing through the library's quiet expanse.
His eyes darted around the mysterious book world. "Where am I?" Zhihui asked, feeling her boney hands in his.
"The beggar sect, South continent branch," The old lady replied,
"Beggar sect? South continent branch. " Zhihui rubbed his chin in thought. The old man had mentioned the beggar sect before but didn't go into much detail.
"What is the beggar sect?" he inquired.
In response, the old woman gave a faint smile, saying, "A group of oldies who love to do nothing more than read books."
".." Zhihui remained silent for a moment before asking, "Is that it?"
"What did you think we were? If you're looking for a sect where the strong gather and nurture disciples, you're lost, young man."
His ocean eyes took on a gray hue. Observing his surroundings, Zhihui said, "I mean, look at all these books and materials; with how old they look, I estimate they've been here for hundreds of years."
"And while they look old, it's clear they've been well taken care of. I don't know how it's being done, but all these books are being preserved; there's not a single speck of dust on them.
Zhihui held his hand out and then licked the tip of his index finger. "69 F, almost perfect temperature and moisture plus a lack of decay—it's like these books have been frozen in time."
"But that's not even what I'm most curious about, though at first glance they may seem chaotic.." Zhihui trailed off, walking towards the shelves before running his fingers across the strange material. "..It's all organized; I can't tell how. But I know."
"It's intriguing—the methodical preservation, the organized chaos. There's a purpose to this place beyond what meets the eye." His lips parted, revealing an astonished smile.
"It makes me wonder. The Beggar Sect you mentioned earlier—there's more to it than just beggars who love to read, isn't there?
"I don't think this is just a love for books; this is more like a reverence for knowledge."
'Feels more like a church than a library... Knowledge worshipers and these books are their religion,' Zhihui thought, squinting slightly.
'With this much information, they must have a great deal of power; who knows how many secrets are stored here?' Zhihui reached out to grab one of the nameless books but suddenly halted involuntarily.
"With such a keen perception, you should know not to touch." Said the old lady, moving her hand slowly, and as if carried by the wind, Zhihui began to levitate and flew closer to her desk.
"Your many questions, the answers? You should look for them yourself," she said, running her slender fingers through the drawer. The old lady brought out a small gray-covered book, the size of an adult hand, and handed it to Zhihui, who frowned.
Staring at the crimson-eyed crow engraved on the cover and the title seemingly marked with blood that read "The BloodLust Sect," Zhihui asked, "And this is?"
He wasn't surprised at all by her feat of moving him through the air; if anything, he had expected it. Anything connected to his master couldn't be simple. Right now, he was more focused on the unsettling book in his hands.
"Your mission, you will join the bloodlust sect and gather information." The old lady replied, a grey jade slip appearing in her palm. She tossed it towards the young man before continuing, "You'll be contacted soon."
"Wait, wait, firstly, what is this thing you've given me? and the Bloodlust Sect? I would ask what that is, but honestly, I'm not sure I want to know.
Show me the other missions—gathering information in the "HeavenlyFlowers Sect" or something—a sect with a name that doesn't scream serial killers."
When the old lady heard what Zhihui said, her eyes grew wide and her mouth opene sligtly with a faint gasp, as if she had heard something very unexpected.
"Hmm? What?" Zhihui asked, noticing her startled expression.
"Y-young man, could it be that you are attracted to... the same? Not that it changes anything of course! I'm just a very curious old lady." She said in a slightly disbelieving tone, a wry smile on her face.
"The same what? What are you talking about?"
"Well, you mentioned the heavenly flowers sect, which practices dual cultivation..primarily between males."
"Oh? There's actually a sect by that name? Sounds peaceful; sign me up. But dual cultivation? What's that?"
With his words, apprehension suddenly washed over him, and he couldn't help but feel slightly tense.
"Heheh." She chuckled, evil in her tone. In her hand, another book appeared, with a pink cover and a flowery scent. She stretched out her hand to Zhihui, who grabbed the book and began flicking through its pages.
"It's actually a very profound sect; even though males have Yang Qi, they produce various cultivation methods in order to get around that." The old woman said, watching Zhihuis expression turn more and more incredulous, his eyes growing wider and wider.
Soon, the book dropped from his hands, and he stood there, unmoving, his face carrying a shocked expression.
In that moment, he resembled a father who had gone through suffering in war, returning home and being met with his family's dead bodies.
For a couple of moments, silence reigned.
'System..'
[ Yes? ]
'You have access to my memories, right?'
[ To a certain extent, yes. ]
'Delete it..'
[ Altering host memories may have affect— ]
'Just delete it.'
[ Affirmative ]
…
….
…..
[ Complete ]
A blue glow flashed in Zhihui's eyes, and his serene expression returned.
"I suppose that means you have decided then." The old lady remarked, a mischievous smile on her face.
Zhihui thought for a moment, then heaved a sigh and asked, "What's in it for me?"
"Contribution points will be added to your name, which you can use to acquire information from the sect."
"Information? Information on what?"
The old woman chuckled before speaking in a joking tone with a hint of solemnity in it, "Anything."
"Anything? What does that mean?"
"Anything means anything." Her brow raised.
Zhihui squinted, a myriad of thoughts going through his mind. While he knew their wealth of information would be very vast, he did not believe that they would be omniscient.
But looking into the pale white eyes of this strange lady, he couldn't help but feel slightly convinced; he didn't get the feeling she was lying.
"But if you have information on anything, surely that has to include the bloodlust sect."
"Right."
"Then why do you need me to gather information about it?"
"The answer to your question..acquire enough contribution points, and you'll get it."
"Tsk, you're really going to use that card. Fine, could you at least tell me a bit about this "bloodlust sect"?"
"No, Beggar sect members pride themselves on their information-acquiring ability. I'm sure you'll be fine; the mission wasn't chosen by chance."
Zhihui remained silent for a moment, gazing at the book in his palms. He would acquire the information himself, even if she gave it to him; he wasn't one to follow the words of others blindly.
'Nothing tells the truth like the eyes will.' Zhihui thought, closing his eyes. The gray crystal on his ring shone faintly, followed by the disappearance of the book and jade slip.
"Alright, we're done here. Good luck."
"I still have a few more questions." In his view, the world began to spin, and before he could register what was happening, the ground opened up like one big book, a dark hand stretching out from within and pulling him down into the void.
"Until the copper coin clangs in both our ears.," the old lady wished her goodbyes, smiling faintly.
Following Zhihui's disappearance, a purple-haired old man covered in wrinkles appeared; his violet eyes seemed to see through reality itself.
Wearing a face full of melachony "Old friend.." He whispered, nostalgia flickering through his eyes.