The Falling Cloud Mountain Range. Silver Moon Market.
The cold wind howled, knocking something over with a resounding crash. The noise jolted Ye Chen awake in an instant. His bloodshot eyes snapped open. Before him stood a massive alchemy furnace, still warm to the touch. The faint scent of something scorched lingered in the air above it.
The room was a chaotic mess. Clothes, herbs, and various bottles and jars were scattered across the floor.
Looking at the disarray, Ye Chen couldn't help but sigh. So it was true—he had crossed over. This was already the third day since Ye Chen's transmigration. Yet he still couldn't adapt to this new world, or to his own identity. He longed to return home, more than anything.
After all, in his past life, he had been an office-bearer—life had been more than comfortable.
But the identity he had inherited here? An eighteen-year-old from a small family, with some knowledge of alchemy. He was supposed to enjoy the resources of his family, continue refining his alchemical skills, and cultivate his powers.
Instead, for reasons unknown, he had been sent to a shop in the Silver Moon Market to work as an alchemist, making money for the family. The problem, however, was that his alchemy skills were far from impressive. His success rate was barely half that of a regular alchemist—hardly enough to meet expectations.
He couldn't let anyone discover that he was a fraud. After all, working as an alchemist in the market was considered a good job. If he failed and was reassigned to something else, it would mean even more hardship, exhaustion, and danger.
Thus, his predecessor had spent countless days of anxiety, panic, and fear, desperately refining pills in an attempt to improve his skills and fulfill the family's demands. Eventually, he had overworked himself to death... And that was when Ye Chen had transmigrated.
But now, all these challenges lay before him once again. In the days following his arrival, Ye Chen had been trying his hand at alchemy, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he was a natural talent. But with his predecessor's meager foundation and a teacher who hadn't properly guided him, Ye Chen's memories were a jumbled mess. After two or three days of trying, his efforts were even more disastrous than his predecessor's—each attempt ended in failure.
Ye Chen had completely given up now. He had even begun to consider whether he should leave his family behind and see if he could find some ordinary mortal city to drift through life as a temple devotee.
However, the path of cultivation was treacherous. Many cultivators who could no longer break through chose to idle away their days instead. With his current cultivation at the second level of Qi Refining, it would be hard for Ye Chen to receive any good treatment.
Moreover, the area outside the market was far from safe. There were many cultivators who specialized in robbing others, and if he were caught by one, his life would be forfeit. It could be said that even if Ye Chen wanted to waste away his days, he didn't have the privilege to do so.
"Forget it, whatever happens. I'm done pretending..." Ye Chen muttered. With that, he suddenly sprang to his feet and threw open the door. Since arriving in this world, he had been hiding indoors, afraid that someone might notice something strange about him. But now, he simply didn't care. As soon as the door swung open, however, the cold wind from the courtyard rushed in.
Ye Chen couldn't help but shiver, hastily returning to his room to add another layer of clothing. When he stepped out again, he saw someone walking from the front courtyard. The figure was dressed in a long white gown.
Yet, it seemed that her skin was even whiter than the gown, delicate and luminous, as if she herself radiated light. Her figure was also quite graceful. Even in the slightly thick gown, her slender form and curves were evident, displaying a certain natural elegance.
But what drew Ye Chen's attention most was her face. Youthful and radiant, her features were soft, and her large eyes gleamed with a light that could not be ignored. A single glance would stir a sense of tenderness and sympathy within one's heart.
Upon seeing her, Ye Chen immediately recalled her identity. She was a cultivator working at the shop, with a cultivation level of the third stage of Qi Refining. Her role seemed to be that of a receptionist or guide.
"Fellow Daoist Ye has finally come out?" she said with a smile. "I noticed Fellow Daoist had not left your room for five days, and I was worried you might have overexerted yourself with alchemy. I came to check on you... Now that I see you're well, I can breathe easy."
Before him, Lin Ke'er's beautiful face showed a look of relief, as if she had finally set her mind at ease.
Being cared for by such a beauty, Ye Chen couldn't help but feel an impulse, as if he were a schoolboy thinking, "Mom, I think I'm in love." But Ye Chen knew better. This woman was a green tea.
For in Ye Chen's memories, his predecessor had hardly produced any pills worth mentioning, yet he had given her quite a few.
His predecessor had been somewhat naive while staying within his family, focusing on cultivation. After being sent here, he had been charmed by this woman's gentle words and gestures, leading him to believe that Lin Ke'er had feelings for him. So, when she had casually mentioned that her wages were too low to afford rent and still buy any pills, his predecessor had immediately given her a few of the few pills he had managed to refine.
This had made Lin Ke'er beam with delight. From then on, she would frequently mention this gesture, praising his predecessor's alchemy skills and the quality of the pills. And so, his predecessor had become a simp. Every week, he would give Lin Ke'er more pills.
Thinking back on it now, Ye Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust. His predecessor had been nothing short of a damn simp. He could barely take care of himself, yet he was handing out cultivation pills like candy.
In his past life, Ye Chen had never been a simp. He hadn't lacked for girlfriends. He understood that money wasn't meant to be spent on women—it was meant to be spent on oneself.
Ye Chen's salary in his previous life wasn't bad. He used it to work out, travel, buy cars, buy houses—his life had been vibrant and full. Every time he posted on social media, it was filled with comments from girls.
But if you kept splurging on them, that wouldn't win their hearts. In fact, it would only make them see you as an ATM. Once they had drained you of everything you had to offer, they would simply kick you to the curb.
Pathetic—and on top of that, a simp. This thought made Ye Chen dislike his predecessor even more.
Lin Ke'er noticed that Ye Chen didn't react the way he usually did—moved to the point of tears whenever she showed concern. There was a flicker of surprise in her eyes. However, she didn't think much of it. After all, last time Ye Chen had only given her five Qi Gathering Pills. Though Ye Chen's alchemy skills were poor and the pills were of low quality, with barely any effect, something free was still something free.
Lin Ke'er was in need of money, so she didn't hesitate to accept. Her eyes turned into crescent moons as she smiled, her voice sweet as she asked, "Fellow Daoist Ye must have spent a lot of time in seclusion. Surely, you've refined quite a few pills?"
She continued with a hint of envy, "I really admire Fellow Daoist Ye's talent for alchemy. Unlike me…" Her voice trailed off toward the end, tinged with an unmistakable sadness.
Hearing that, Ye Chen couldn't help but feel a flicker of sympathy. Yet, within his heart, cold laughter welled up. In the past, his predecessor had always been the one to offer the pills.
Now, when Ye Chen didn't immediately respond, she was already getting anxious—couldn't hide her true intentions anymore, could she? This woman was definitely not as innocent as she appeared.
But Ye Chen wasn't his predecessor. He wasn't a simp. Wanted pills? It wasn't impossible.
After all, Ye Chen had already resigned himself to this situation. Though he still had more than twenty Qi Gathering Pills from his predecessor, he no longer cared about fulfilling any expectations. Whatever happened, happened. If he could use these pills to experience what it was like a cultivator, it wasn't the worst idea. After all, Lin Ke'er's appearance and grace were top-notch, and she had that "first love" look.
But wanted to take advantage of him? That wasn't going to happen. No way was Ye Chen going to play the simp, not even if it meant leaping off a cliff!
Just as he prepared to say something, however, a sudden chime sounded in his mind.
"Detecting matching female cultivator…"
"Gift-Offering Bonding System, activating…"
"Target: Lin Ke'er!"
"Gift return multiplier: Ten times!"
Ye Chen felt a mixture of excitement and confusion at the voice. SExcitement, of course, because he now had a system. But the problem was, something about this system didn't quite feel right…