Volume 1 Chapter 7: The Protagonist's Emergency Ration
Tn: Edited at 5 / 15 /2025
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Ye Anping instantly recognized the girl who had come over to talk to him—Feng Yudie, the central protagonist of Heavenly Sword Chronicles.
In fact, the moment she stepped into this inn, he had already noticed her.
That silver hair, the kind that only cultivators of the immortal clans possessed—how could anyone not notice her?
Still, Ye Anping had one burning question in his mind.
—What was that golden little figure floating next to Feng Yudie's head, looking like a certain emergency ration from Genshin Impact?
In the game, there had been nothing like that.
And it seemed Pei Lengxue couldn't see it either. Otherwise, she definitely would've asked about it by now.
In other words, was he the only one who could see it?
As he continued eating, Ye Anping silently combed through his memory of the game, recalling what kind of items Feng Yudie was supposed to have at this point in the story.
If he remembered correctly, she should only be carrying a Immortal-Class Magical Tool called the Heavenly Dao Scriptures right now.
In the game, the Heavenly Dao Scriptures didn't have a physical form—it was only mentioned in the story. Supposedly, it recorded the ten thousand years of history of the Zhou Star Realm, like some kind of celestial encyclopedia.
Could that emergency ration thing be the Heavenly Dao Scriptures?
What an odd little thing.
But… why could he see it?
Just then, Pei Lengxue noticed he had been eating plain rice without touching the dishes, so she picked up a slice of meat with her chopsticks and gently placed it into his bowl.
"Senior brother, eat some meat. You'll need energy for fighting later."
"…Mn."
Snapping back to reality, Ye Anping gave a small nod.
The moment she said that, Feng Yudie perked up and immediately latched onto the conversation. "Oh? You're going to fight someone later? What kind of fight? I can help, you know!"
As she spoke, her gaze slid toward Pei Lengxue's face, and the more she looked, the more she found her adorable.
Pei Lengxue frowned slightly at her. "Fellow cultivator Feng, isn't this our first meeting?"
"We're all cultivators of the Immortal Path," Feng Yudie replied, propping her chin on her palm with a bright smile. "Isn't it only natural to lend each other a hand in times of need? Besides, I feel like we've met before. There's something very familiar about you."
"Huh? You've seen me before? Where?"
Feng Yudie playfully averted her eyes and said with a teasing tone, "Hmm—maybe in a dream? Have you ever dreamed of someone like me, Fellow Daoist Pei?"
"…?"
Pei Lengxue blinked, clearly puzzled. "I don't think so. Fellow Daoist Feng, your silver hair is quite rare."
"I was born this way," Feng Yudie replied cheerfully, flipping her ponytail into her hand and stretching it toward Pei Lengxue. "Wanna touch it?"
Clack—!
Right at that moment, Ye Anping slammed his chopsticks down on his bowl with a sharp crack.
He didn't even look at Feng Yudie as he turned to Pei Lengxue. "Lengxue, are you done eating?"
"Ah—" Pei Lengxue quickly stuffed a few more pieces of red-braised pork into her mouth and nodded, cheeks puffed. "Mhm! Done!"
"Then let's go."
"Okay!"
Ye Anping wiped his mouth with a napkin, pulled a small piece of broken silver from his sleeve and placed it on the table, then gave Feng Yudie a respectful bow.
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the inn with Pei Lengxue following closely behind.
Once outside, he glanced at the younger girl trailing after him, practically radiating battle intent, and let out a soft sigh.
From the look on Pei Lengxue's face, it was clear—
She still hadn't realized that Feng Yudie had just been flirting with her.
Feng Yudie's cheesy pickup line really took the cake.
"Met in a dream," huh…?
Ye Anping had heard that line so many times back when he played the game.
Still, the fact that she—Feng Yudie of all people—took a liking to his junior sister…
Well, that just proved one thing: Pei Lengxue had grown up to be a real beauty.
Ye Anping couldn't help but glance over at Pei Lengxue's face again.
Maybe it was because he'd watched her grow up, but even though he could objectively tell she was beautiful, it wasn't the kind of beauty that made his heart skip a beat.
"Senior brother? What is it? Why are you staring at me?"
"Nothing." Ye Anping shook his head and quickly changed the subject. "Do you remember the plan? Recite it."
"Mn. We'll hide in the forest. Once that demonic cultivator enters, you'll draw his attention while I sneak up on him from behind."
"And after that?"
"Then, you'll trap me and him together with a formation. He'll definitely use his gu first, not his magic tools. I'll pretend to be hit—then, when he gets close, I'll stab him right through the chest!"
Ye Anping nodded. "Still missing something."
"Missing something? What part?" she asked, puzzled.
"Hm?" He narrowed his eyes and stared at her with a stern look. "Forgot?"
"Oh!" The moment she saw that expression, Pei Lengxue snapped her fingers. "The finishing blow!! I gotta make sure he's chopped to pieces!"
"Exactly. Don't forget that part. That guy's life force is no joke. Not just chopping—burn him too. Don't be stingy with those fire talismans I gave you. All fifty of them—throw them all on him."
"Got it! No problem!"
With a firm nod, Ye Anping led Pei Lengxue toward the forest behind Martial Creek Town. As they walked, he mentally reviewed the plan again.
So far, everything was proceeding just as expected.
The only anomaly… was that golden emergency ration floating next to Feng Yudie.
But, at the moment, it didn't seem like it would interfere with the operation.
If that little gold thing could get Feng Yudie to take down "Wu You" for him, then he and Lengxue could save themselves a lot of effort.
. . . . . .
Watching Pei Lengxue walk off without even a glance back, Feng Yudie blinked in surprise.
She had just started flirting, and they were already leaving?
"Ahhh—what a misstep."
『Misstep, my ass!』
The tiny golden figure floating above her head—Xiaotian—lost it and smacked her on the back of the head with a flying kick. 『In all my years of existence, I've never seen a girl like you! Is this how a girl is supposed to behave!? Seriously!?』
"…"
『Flirting with every halfway-decent-looking girl you see…』
Xiaotian shot Feng Yudie a sharp glance. 『If you were a guy, I don't even want to imagine how much worse you'd be.』
Feng Yudie just shrugged, not bothering to respond. She waited for the waiter to bring her the roasted chicken she'd ordered. The moment it hit the table, she dug in like a whirlwind, leaving behind nothing but a clean-picked skeleton of bone.
After lunch, she originally intended to stroll around town a bit. Maybe she'd get lucky and bump into that cute Pei Lengxue again.
But Xiaotian wouldn't stop tugging on her hair, nagging her to go practice swordsmanship.
So, with a resigned sigh, Feng Yudie headed to a bamboo grove outside Martial Creek Town. Under Xiaotian's supervision, she unsheathed her spiritual sword and began to dance through the motions.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh…
The sound of her blade slicing the air echoed again and again through the tranquil grove.
After quite some time, Feng Yudie finally drove her sword into the ground, breathing heavily as she leaned back against a tall bamboo stalk. She looked at Xiaotian, who had been watching her like a drill sergeant, and asked:
"So? How was it?"
『Hmm. Not bad.』
"That's it? Just not bad?"
『…』
Xiaotian rolled its eyes. 『Fine. To be honest, not bad doesn't cut it. You really are something. You've only been practicing the "Nine Heavens Sword Art" for what—half a year? And you're already at the ninth level.』
"Heh." Feng Yudie grinned and stretched her arms. "What can I say? I am a once-in-a-generation genius."
With its tiny arms crossed, Xiaotian gave her a serious look. 『Don't get cocky. Sure, your spiritual root and talent are unmatched, and you've got a quick brain too. But you're still in the Qi Refining Realm. You might be able to handle a Foundation Establishment cultivator… but what about a Core Formation one?』
"You think I'm stupid?" Feng Yudie shrugged again. "If someone like that shows up, I'll just run. Besides, why would a Core Formation cultivator waste their time on someone at the Qi Refining Realm like me?"
『What if you run into a demonic cultivator?』
"This is the heart of the immortal sects' territory. What kind of demonic cultivator would show up here?"
Crack
A branch snapped behind her.
Feng Yudie immediately tensed, spinning around.
"Who's there?!"
Xiaotian hadn't sensed anything until she shouted. Then it quickly turned his head in the same direction she was looking.
『Yudie, someone's there?』
Feng Yudie didn't respond. She stood, pulling her sword from the ground and gripping it tightly in her right hand.
A voice, strangely genderless, drifted out from the underbrush.
"Please, young cultivator, no need for alarm. I merely happened to pass by and was drawn in by the elegant sound of swordplay. I was curious to see what kind of person could wield a blade so gracefully."
From a thick patch of grass, a figure emerged—a man with soft, androgynous features and striking violet eyes.
Feng Yudie stared into those eyes for just two breaths—and instantly sensed the thick malice he was trying hard to hide.
With a glance, she gave Xiaotian a signal.
Xiaotian immediately got the message. It zipped through the air and dove headfirst into the stranger's storage bag.
But the next second—
Xiaotian shot back at full speed, panic all over its tiny face, screaming:
『Yudie, RUN!! That guy's a Grand Elder from the Poison Gu Sect!!』
"W-What? Poison Gu Sect?!"
Feng Yudie froze in shock, involuntarily blurting it out.
The man raised an eyebrow, surprised she'd recognized it. But since the jig was up, he no longer bothered concealing his aura.
A wave of vile, corrupted spirit energy burst out from him, instantly engulfing most of the bamboo grove.
The once-lush green leaves withered the moment they touched the foul aura, turning yellow and shriveling before drifting from the branches like dead ash.
"Oh?" the man said coolly, his voice still calm. "And what gave me away?"