Weird, my gaming life

The next day, very early in the morning.

Lin Yuan finished his morning tasks early and went to the back mountain of Qinghe Palace alone.

Lin Yuan has been working in the washroom these days, but he hasn't been idle. Through conversations with outer disciples and his increasingly powerful hearing, he has gathered a lot of information.

The Third Elder of Qinghe Palace was a kind and gentle man. As the elder in charge of all matters concerning the outer disciples, he rarely left the palace.

Recently, because his cultivation has not progressed, he would go alone to a high platform on the back mountain at dusk to watch the sunset, hoping to clear his mind and seize the opportunity for a breakthrough.

As a servant disciple near the back mountain, unless you want to escape Qinghe Palace by going down the mountain, the back mountain is almost always where they have nothing to do.

However, you should also be careful not to offend the senior brothers and sisters from the outer or inner sects who come up the mountain to play, otherwise you will be killed at will and you can only blame yourself for your bad luck.

So after finishing his own business, Lin Yuan went up the mountain without any hindrance.

As you ascend the mountain, traverse a secluded path, and pass through a bamboo forest, you soon arrive at a place shrouded in mist. The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the clouds and mist, rendering the place extremely peaceful.

Lin Yuan looked around and sure enough, he saw an old man dressed in a blue Taoist robe sitting casually on a stone platform, sipping wine from a pot.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yuan hurriedly stepped forward. Xiao Weiran, who was enjoying drinking and admiring the sunset in the mountains, paused slightly in his wine jug and turned his head to see a young child dressed in coarse linen servant's clothes walking towards him.

A hint of doubt appeared in Xiao Weiran's eyes; he didn't quite understand why a young servant disciple would appear here at this time.

Aren't they still working right now? Could it be that they're trying to escape Qinghe Palace again, and he and Shan are trying to ask for help from the servant disciples?

Such things have happened before, but as the Third Elder of Qinghe Palace, he naturally stands on the side of the sect. No matter how kind he is, he cannot stand by and watch the sect's interests be harmed.

If all the poor peasants' children see his kindness and want to escape Qinghe Palace, then who will do all the affairs of Qinghe Palace? Will the disciples inside the sect do them?

How could that be? You know, the regular disciples that a sect accepts donate a lot of supplies to the sect every year. Others come here to learn martial arts, not to do hard labor for the sect.

Moreover, recruiting poor peasants into the sect is an open secret among all sects, a practice that has been followed since ancient times, and it is not unique to Qinghe Palace.

Xiao Weiran frowned slightly and had no choice but to put on a serious face.

"What is it? First of all, I can't help you! After all, that's the sect's rule!"

Lin Yuan paused, immediately understanding what Xiao Weiran meant. He quickly bowed and said, "Elder, this disciple has not come here to discuss leaving Qinghe Palace, but to report an important matter!"

"Oh! What urgent matter do you, a menial disciple, have to report?"

Xiao Weiran asked casually.

"Yesterday, while I was hanging clothes to dry at the foot of the back mountain, I overheard someone plotting to harm the elder's only daughter!"

Xiao Weiran's previously indifferent expression immediately turned tense. He had a daughter late in life and doted on her. Now, upon hearing that someone wanted to harm his daughter, his breathing became rapid, especially since Qinghe Palace was currently in a special period.

Is that really true?

"Of course, Elder, I am but a menial disciple, how could I dare to deceive you on this matter!"

Lin Yuan then quickly recounted what he had overheard the day before to Xiao Weiran. As Lin Yuan spoke, Xiao Weiran's expression changed repeatedly.

"Damn it! I, Xiao Weiran, believe I have never offended anyone. Who on earth wants to harm my daughter?!"

After speaking, Xiao Weiran turned to look at the six-year-old boy in front of him.

"If you could hear that voice from yesterday again, would you be able to recognize it?"

Lin Yuan thought for a moment, then nodded. This kind of thing wasn't too difficult for him, but a voice alone couldn't be considered conclusive evidence.

If Xiao Weiran asks him to testify, and the other party manages to escape punishment by arguing, then he will be the one who suffers afterwards. But in order to climb up the ranks, he has no choice but to take the gamble.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Weiran's face showed a thoughtful expression, and then he carefully examined him for a few more moments.

"This matter is of utmost importance. If it is true, I will personally help you escape this predicament because of your act of saving my daughter's innocence. But if you dare to spread rumors and slander your fellow disciples, do you know what your fate will be?"

"This disciple knows that it would simply mean having my tongue removed, my limbs severed, and then being expelled from the sect to fend for myself. But Elder, it is precisely because this disciple understands the seriousness of the matter that I dare not speak recklessly! I beg you, Elder, to give this disciple a chance to improve!"

Lin Yuan's expression was frank, and he made no attempt to hide his desire to leave the servants' quarters. After all, who in this world doesn't want to climb the social ladder? It's only human nature, and Xiao Weiran, as an elder, couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

Xiao Weiran nodded slightly upon hearing Lin Yuan's candor.

"Alright, if I'm not mistaken, you're only six years old, the perfect age for learning to read and write. Go back for now and don't make a fuss. Once I've investigated this matter, I won't treat you unfairly!"

"yes!"

Lin Yuan didn't say anything more, but went straight back to the washroom. He still believed Xiao Weiran's promise to some extent.

Even if the person in front of him doesn't keep his promise, there's nothing he can do. Given his current lowly status, he can only gamble on the other person's character.

If he wins the bet, he will surely reap enormous benefits during the remaining game time.

If he loses the bet, he'll just have to continue toiling away in the servants' quarters. As long as his strength increases, he doesn't believe he can't acquire more cultivation techniques; it's just a matter of time.

Over the next two days, Lin Yuan continued his work as usual, not bothered by Xiao Weiran's delayed arrival. Lin Yuan had always been a person who took things as they came, believing that what he gained was a blessing and what he lost was fate—this had always been his guiding principle.

Besides, there's no use rushing things. It's better to calm down and work hard to improve yourself. When opportunities come, you'll have the ability to seize them.

Just as Lin Yuan was busy, a voice suddenly rang out, silencing the entire washroom.

"Who is Lin Yuan? The Third Elder of the Outer Sect invites you!"

Instantly, all the servants and disciples in the washroom courtyard turned their gaze toward the direction from which the sound came.

A young man dressed in brocade Taoist robes, whose style was clearly different from that of the servants' quarters, surveyed the group in the old courtyard, his gaze occasionally lingering on some of the young children in the courtyard.

Lin Yuan, who was struggling to wash clothes, paused and quickly got up to wipe the water off his hands and clothes.

"Senior brother! It's me!"

The boy looked at the child who was a head shorter than him, a hint of unfathomable disdain flashing in his eyes, before calmly saying...

"Let's go then!"

After saying that, he walked straight out the door without waiting for Lin Yuan to follow.

A flicker of excitement flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes, and he quickly followed. Amidst the envious gazes of the group of menial disciples, he left the place where he had stayed for almost half a month.

Lin Yuan followed behind the young man, a hint of inquiry in his eyes. Judging from his attire, he didn't seem to be an outer disciple. So there was only one answer: this person was either a true disciple or one of Xiao Weiran's personal disciples.

There are a total of fifteen elders in the entire Qinghe Palace, each responsible for different matters, and the disciples are divided into outer disciples, inner disciples, true disciples, and personal disciples.

There's no need to elaborate on the distinction between outer and inner disciples, as their identities are self-evident from the literal meaning of their names.

The true core of Qinghe Palace consists of its true disciples and personal disciples. The former are the best of the best who have been promoted from the inner disciples. They are the true pillars of Qinghe Palace, and their strength is generally at the first-class level or the perfect level of acquired cultivation. They are incredibly powerful.

Unlike true disciples, personal disciples are generally accepted and taught by elders. These people are either martial arts prodigies or true disciples favored by elders, and are used as the face of the sect.

Judging from the young man's age, he was clearly not a disciple of the true lineage, so he must be a disciple personally accepted by Xiao Weiran.

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan's eyes shifted slightly.

"May I ask how to address you, senior brother?"

The boy paused slightly, turned around and glanced at Lin Yuan, his eyes filled with an indescribable disdain and disgust.

"Don't pry into things you shouldn't. Don't think that by clinging to your master you can rise to the top overnight. It's only because your master is kind-hearted that he's been taken advantage of by such a despicable person as you!"

After saying that, the young man snorted coldly, ignoring Lin Yuan's slightly changed expression, and continued walking forward.

Seeing the boy's attitude, Lin Yuan's heart sank.

He didn't understand why he had offended the boy in front of him! It was their first meeting, and he had only asked for his name, yet he had been met with such a disgusted look. Lin Yuan didn't quite understand why. Was there some reason he didn't know about this incident?

They walked in silence past the training ground outside the right courtyard. For the first time, Lin Yuan experienced the martial arts of this world. The fierce moves and the clash of true energy dazzled and delighted Lin Yuan.

As a Chinese person, who hasn't dreamed of being a martial arts hero since childhood? And today, he finally has the day to realize his dream.