Meng Hanxiao gave Quinlan a deadline of three days to go and enter the First Imperial Army under General Mugen. After that, everyone was accordingly dismissed from the main hall.
Having nothing better to do, Quinlan returned to his room, lying down on the bed and staring blankly at the ceiling of the canopy bed. He wasn't worried about the fact that Yinuo's father was forcing him to join the army. After all, in two days, he should be meeting with Yinuo's master and getting out of there.
"Speaking of Yinuo, it's been quite a while without her contacting me..."
He wasn't worried that she died or something, as if she did, he wouldn't be alive anymore either. "She probably got punished by the system or something... But I'd soon need her input since I have no idea how to meet with her master."
The system wanted to fix the two of them, even though Quinlan wasn't sure what needed fixing in him. So he was sure the system wouldn't block Yinuo from receiving telepathy.
Quinlan rose from the bed with a serious expression on his face. "Then, if she can't initiate the telepathy, I'd just need to learn how to do it myself!"
---
A district filled with buildings sticking close to each other, where hidden alleys were present all over. In such a shady location, Yinuo was currently hovering above tall roofs.
"This place is filled with Qi!" She muttered to herself as she reached the rooftop of a tall building, exactly at the center of the dense Qi. "This should be a good place to meditate."
She turned to look below, where the road was tinged with a reddish-orange color. Passersby were often walking in groups of three and above, as if understanding the danger of being alone in such a place.
On either side of the road, women dressed skimpily, their faces covered heavily in makeup, were displaying their "assets," trying to attract customers to their shops. With just a glance, Yinuo understood what kind of place it was below.
"So this is how the red light district looks in this world," Yinuo muttered disinterestedly.
After surveying the surroundings and finding that nobody could see her on the roof, she sat down cross-legged and closed her eyes. As someone who was already in the Immortal Realm before, gathering the Qi in the surroundings was as easy as breathing for her.
Soon enough, all the Qi in the entire red-light district began to stir. They started to travel in a spiral, like the clouds surrounding the eye of the storm, and gathered where Yinuo was.
"Ugh...!"
However, the density was a little too much for Quinlan's body. To avoid another penalty from the system, she had no choice but to slow down significantly. Still, compared to other cultivators, her speed was still as fast as lightning.
Qi entered her body like it was the most natural thing to happen, and what's more, she could absorb both the Yin and Yang Qi in the air simultaneously, doubling her efficiency. In her Lower Dantian, the various types of Qi gathered separately, creating two large "pools" where the gathered Qi flowed.
On the rooftop, other than the whirlpool of Qi and Yinuo, nothing else was present. She could concentrate completely on cultivating, disregarding defense and all else. After a while, a notification popped in front of her, causing a smile to appear on her face.
[You have gathered a total of 1,000 drops of Qi.]
[Congratulations! You have reached the Qi Refinement 3rd Stage!]
"Too bad I already claimed the quest's reward," Yinuo muttered as she stood up, sounding a little disappointed, before stretching her slightly stiff body.
Just as she was limbering up, she noticed the large clock that was on top of the building in front of her. The time was almost midnight, causing her to slightly panic.
"Right, I had a promise with Melody!"
She only had a little time remaining since their promise was to meet around midnight. Not wanting to let Melody wait, Yinuo quickly used her newly gained Qi and strengthened her body, jumping down from the building and into a deserted alley.
"P-Please stop!"
Or so she thought.
"What?" Yinuo heard a woman's voice, which seemed to be in distress, causing her senses to sharpen.
About a hundred meters into the alley, four presences could be felt. One woman, cowering in fear, was with three men who laughed sinisterly.
"Bitch, you know the rules of our turf, right? It's your fault for walking here alone."
"Hik! Y-You don't have to worry... A-After we play with you, we'll let you return in one piece. Kek, kekeke."
"Right, right. Well, that's if you can still walk after we're done. Kehahaha!"
Although Yinuo didn't intend to intervene, she couldn't help but hear their conversation. A frown appeared on her face as she weighed her options but decided to do it in the end.
"Hey, you guys." She walked up to right behind the three before calling out in a loud voice. "If you leave her alone right now, I might let you live."
Just as her gaze turned to the woman, her current appearance caused Yinuo's brows to rise. The woman had bruises on her arms, legs, and face. It was obvious that the men were enjoying hurting her, who was unable to fight back.
"Huh??? Who the fuck do you think you are? Superman?!"
"Hold it, Mark. I guess he doesn't know who he's barking up to. Hey, kid, I suggest you get lost before we snap on you. Got it?"
"L-Let's just k-kill him... hik!"
Not finding Yinuo's interference amusing, the three turned around and tried to intimidate her. The three, probably because the alley was dark, didn't know how cold Yinuo's gaze was. The way the three abused their "power" made her recall some bad memories, causing her mood to sour.
"I changed my mind. There's no point in letting trash like you live."
With a casual remark, she took a step forward.
"Keke, Keke... Hik! He's walking forward, this i-idiot." The one that had been stammering since earlier, obviously drunk, pulled out a pistol from the belt of his pants. "L-Looks like you don't want to live anymore."
*Bang!*
A gunshot echoed, reverberating all over. It should be audible even from the main road, but nobody even batted an eye to this, as if it were a usual occurrence.
However, far from what everyone was imagining, the scene was a little different.
"G-Gyaaaahhh! M-M-My a-arm...!"
The one who tried to shoot Quinlan in the forehead got his elbow crushed. His right hand was now dangling powerlessly.