Zero Succubus in the Territory: Starting with Apprenticeship to the Yi Xuan Sisters

[You're welcome. Your happiness is the reason this system exists.]

[So don't worry, no matter what happens, this system will work together with you.]

"Um... thank you..."

Hearing the system's assurance, a smile finally appeared on Yi Xue's face.

He gently closed his eyes, buried his face in the pillow, and after an unknown amount of time, his consciousness finally began to blur.

[Rest well, my host.]

Chapter Eighteen: The First Day of Wanting to Become Stronger

Yixue woke up before dawn.

He wasn't awakened by a nightmare, but rather woke up naturally. Since listening to what the system said last night, he had actually slept more soundly.

But it wasn't reassuring; it was just that all those jumbled thoughts in my head had finally coalesced into one. I was afraid, but what good was just being afraid?

He lay in bed staring at the ceiling, muttering those words over and over, and finally came to the conclusion that he was too weak. He couldn't even protect himself, let alone protect anything.

Now that he knew disaster was coming, there was only one thing he could do.

He sat up and opened the system panel.

[Good morning, host. We have detected that your sleep quality was poor last night. We suggest--]

“You said yesterday that you would arrange training for me to become stronger,” Yi Xue interrupted the system, lowering her voice slightly so as not to wake the sleeping Xiao Bai. “Let’s start now. I’ll accept anything that can make me stronger.”

The system was silent for two seconds, then the text on the panel began to refresh rapidly.

[Searching for growth plans suitable for the host's current physical condition... Search complete.]

[The host has been detected to have started a long-term mission -- In order to prepare for the impending disaster, the host needs to comprehensively improve his strength.]

The system will provide customized training programs, including modules such as physical enhancement, ether control, combat simulation, and affinity target strategies. In this state, the host can also gain affinity points by completing daily training tasks.

The higher the difficulty of the task, the greater the reward.

Wait a minute, is there something strange mixed in?

Yi Xue stared at the densely packed training plans on the panel, but before she could take a closer look, the system added another notification.

[PS: All the rules of this system are based on the goal of making the host happy. Although this system does not believe that pushing oneself to the point of death will make one happy, given the host's realization last night, this system has decided to respect your choice.]

He stared at the sentence for a moment, then his lips twitched slightly. He couldn't laugh, but he felt that not laughing would be a disservice to the system's rare human touch.

"...Thanks."

He got out of bed, went into the bathroom and quickly washed up. The cool water running down his face made him feel a little more refreshed.

Xiao Bai was awakened by his noise, lay on the pillow, squinted at him, and lazily yawned.

Yi Xue gently stroked its head, then turned around, put on her Taoist robe, and fastened her belt much more quickly than usual.

A switch in his heart was flipped, suppressing his hesitation and panic to the bottom, and replacing them with a fierce determination that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Let's go, let's start extra training today."

Xiao Bai tilted her head and looked at him, probably not understanding, but still jumped off the pillow and followed him.

At four in the morning, Yunkui Mountain was exceptionally quiet. The sun had just peeked out, and a thin mist drifted up from the valley, condensing a fine layer of water droplets on the stone steps. The air was icy cold, and breathing it in was a little stinging, but also very refreshing.

Yi Xue first ran two laps around the back mountain, which was the first physical training exercise arranged by the system.

Two laps may not sound like much, but a lap around the back of the mountain is at least three miles long, and his legs started to feel weak before he even got halfway there.

The second half of the lap was purely a matter of willpower dragging my legs along. Every step felt like walking on cotton, and my knees trembled as if they were about to break.

After finishing his run, he leaned against a tree and panted for a while. The birds that were dozing in the tree were startled and flew to the opposite branch, tilting their heads to look at him, as if to say, "Look, that kid is really stupid."

The system panel also popped up at this time.

[First training session completed. Favorability points increased by 100.]

[Host, don't be discouraged. Although your current physical abilities are indeed only at a very low level, even a very low level fighter has room for improvement.]

Yi Xue rolled his eyes at the panel, sat on the ground panting, he didn't have time to argue with the system right now.

The morning mist gradually dissipated, revealing the outline of the opposite mountain peak. In the distance, early-rising senior brothers were practicing their skills, the sound of swords cutting through the air coming intermittently, crisp and distant.

After resting for two minutes, he stood up from the ground, brushed the dirt off his pants, and began the next training exercise—basic practice of etheric control.

The system's plan for him was similar to the principles of the perception techniques taught to him by Yi Xuan and Yi Jiang, but it included specific, quantifiable goals: to guide the surrounding ether with intention.

The mixture must be gathered in the palm of your hand and maintained in a stable state for more than half a minute to be considered合格 (qualified/acceptable).

It's not enough to just be able to sense it; you also need to be able to control it.

Yi Xue took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and raised her hand.

He could feel the ether—a feeling that had become increasingly clear ever since he started having that strange dream.

The free-floating ether particles in the air flowed slowly around his fingertips like a faint electric current.

The problem is that they are too slippery. As soon as they gather in the palm of your hand, they start to spread outwards, like cupping water in your hand, with the gaps between your fingers always wider than your palm.

By the time he failed for the third time, he was getting a little frustrated, and his brow furrowed.

[Hint: The host may try communicating with their inner strength; this might be helpful.]

What's going on? Is the system starting to riddle people because it can't help? How could he possibly have some kind of inner power? This isn't a shonen manga anymore. Could there be a demon fox living inside him?

That's what she said, but after feeling confused, Yi Xue followed the system's instructions and lowered her consciousness.

It was pitch black at first, but gradually, he sensed something, like he was part of something enormous, and he could only touch something vague.

Like two balls of light submerged at the bottom of the water, or like two breaths with extremely low frequencies, one blazing and the other icy, they rose and fell gently in the depths of his chest with his heartbeat.

He was stunned, as if there really was something inside him, not a hallucination, nor a psychological effect caused by some thought, but something that simply existed there.

The feeling was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar. He guided the sensation to his palm, and the ether that had been pulsating in his palm suddenly quieted down and stopped escaping.

He opened his eyes and saw a faint golden-silver halo flickering in his palm. It lasted for less than five seconds before dissipating, but the feeling of stability lingered in his palm for a long time.

"...It actually works."

Feeling the lingering warmth on her fingertips, Yi Xue smiled, and her doubts were gradually dispelled by joy.

The system didn't say anything, but silently popped up a notification that my favorability points had increased by 100.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, Yi Xue was so exhausted that she was practically falling apart, collapsing to the ground as if she had completely collapsed.

Under the system's constant urging and criticism, he did two more sets of push-ups, squats, and basic swordsmanship exercises. Since he didn't have a sword to use, he simply picked up a thick tree trunk and started swinging it around in the air.

My arms were so sore I could barely lift them, and my legs felt like they were filled with lead.

Fortunately, the system wasn't so devilish; it provided him with sugar pills to restore his stamina after training.

The sugar pills are about the size of a fingernail, melt in your mouth, and have a sweet taste mixed with an indescribable herbal flavor. They're a bit of an odd combination, but at least they work.

His limbs, which had been so exhausted they felt like they were about to break, gradually regained their strength. He got up from the ground, called to Xiaobai who was dozing off nearby, and left the back mountain.

Chapter Nineteen: Yi Xue's First Experience with Medicinal Cuisine

"This taste is..."

As Yixue passed by the dining hall, she smelled a very familiar aroma, and her stomach growled in response. The next second, her feet unconsciously turned and went inside.

He quietly slipped into the kitchen and saw Mu He'er busy preparing lunch at the stove.

Hearing footsteps, she turned around and saw that it was Yi Xue. Her eyes lit up, and she stopped wielding the kitchen knife. Instead, she reached for the breakfast that had been prepared for her.

But she quickly noticed something unusual about him, put down what she was doing, and leaned closer to look him up and down.

By this time, Yi Xue's body was already soaked with sweat, her hair was messy, and a faint look of fatigue was visible between her brows. There was hardly a clean spot on her body.

"Xue'er, what happened to you? Why are you covered in this? Did someone bully you?"

She put down what she was holding, wiped her hands on her apron, and then took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his face.

[This child is sweating so much and still running around outside. What if he catches a cold in the middle of winter?]

"Your hair is soaking wet. What were you doing so early in the morning?"

Hearing Mu He'er's caring words, Yi Xue felt a warmth in her heart. She gently rubbed her cheek against the other's hand and smiled slightly.

"No, senior sister, I just went for my morning exercise. Nobody bullied me."

"Really?"

She narrowed her eyes with some suspicion, clearly not quite believing what Yi Xue said. She knew the intensity of the morning exercise on the mountain; simple exercise couldn't possibly have caused this much damage.

So at first she did suspect that Yi Xue had been tricked by those troublemakers, but the look in his eyes didn't seem like he was lying.

Seeing that she couldn't get any information out of him, Mu He'er had no choice but to give up. She simply turned around and picked up a piece of rice cake from the steamer and put it into his bowl.

"Here, eat more. You won't grow taller if you just exercise without eating."

"Yes, thank you, Senior Sister He'er."

Yi Xue nodded slightly, took the bowl, turned around, found a table and sat down. He then began to wolf down his food, as he had been practicing on an empty stomach all morning and was starving.

Mu He'er secretly glanced at him a couple more times and noticed the faint dark circles under his eyes, which made her feel a pang of heartache.

[Xue'er...didn't get enough rest again last night...?]

However… he looks completely different now than yesterday. Last night when he was sitting in her room, his hands were shaking so badly he couldn’t hold the chopsticks properly, but now he’s sweating profusely, and his eyes reveal a kind of determination that doesn’t belong to someone his age.

Her energy and spirits had improved, but she always felt that the child's diligence didn't seem like ordinary hard work; it was more like he was struggling with something.

'Sigh... Is there anything I can't tell my senior sister...'

Mu He'er's cheeks puffed out slightly, and she continued working with a bit of frustration. Yi Xue was behind her, eating with his head down, listening to her inner thoughts, and he also felt somewhat guilty.

But he also has reasons he can't say. Perhaps one day when the time is right, he will choose to be honest with Mu He'er, but it will definitely not be today.

The cleaver clattered against the cutting board. Mu He'er's hands were steady, and her emotions did not affect her rhythm at all. As she chopped, she secretly glanced at him, looking at his delicate face and the rice grains stuck to his mouth. A blush crept onto her face, and her tail wagged gently behind her.

She gently shook her head, trying to focus on chopping vegetables, but her mind kept wandering to Yixue. Yesterday's question still weighed on her heart like a stone, with no answer.

But seeing him finish his meal bite by bite, eating much more steadily than last night, she felt a little more at ease.

After finishing her meal, Yi Xue didn't rush to leave. Instead, she sat on a chair and rested for a while, staring at Mu He'er's graceful back in a daze.

He still vividly remembered the massage experience that day. Mu He'er's body was supple, her voice was charming, and more importantly, she was currently the only person who could reliably generate favor points for him.

To become stronger, he must make full use of everything in the system, including the lottery; perhaps he can actually draw something useful.

Suddenly he remembered the medicinal diet recipes the system had given him before. Several of them were specifically designed to strengthen the body's foundation and nourish the vital energy for beginners. They had the effects of strengthening muscles and bones and regulating the meridians. The names sounded fancy, but he could gather most of the ingredients on the mountain, which was perfect for him.

Yi Xue looked at the bottles and jars on Mu He'er's stove, then at her senior sister who was wiping the stove, and then asked.

"Senior Sister He'er, are you going to use this stove this afternoon?"

"No, it's okay. What's wrong?"

"I saw a recipe online last night and I'd like to try it. Is that okay?"

Mu He'er stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him. The boy's eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight, full of longing for cooking delicious food.

She blinked. In her memory, Yi Xue usually only took care of eating and seemed to only be interested in eating. So seeing him acting like he was very interested in cooking, she was a little surprised and also a little delighted.

Yi Xue's interest in cooking means that the two of them will have more in common and will spend more time together. It just so happens that she is short of a little assistant. If she can keep Yi Xue by her side, it will be more convenient for her to enjoy massages... cough cough, I'm just concerned about my junior brother.

"Sure, Xue'er, you can use it. The firewood is under the stove, and there's some leftover from my chopping in the yard. Just be careful not to burn your hands."

"Ah."

In the afternoon, Yi Xue returned to the kitchen of the vegetarian hall. Mu He'er was not there; she had probably gone to the storeroom to check the ingredients.

He went through the recipes given by the system in his mind, and then chose the simplest one to start making. The ingredients only required a few common herbs, and the auxiliary ingredients were rice and red dates. The method was similar to making porridge, but the control of the heat was very important.

Now that he has the blessing of the Hundred Flavors Profound, and because he often cooked in his previous life, it is not difficult for him to put it into practice. Moreover, because of his skill, the effects of the medicinal cuisine can be further enhanced.

Halfway through cooking, he lifted the lid and took a look. The aroma of herbs mixed with the scent of dates wafted out of the pot, and the color was similar to what the system had described—a thick, amber-colored broth.

He scooped up a spoonful, blew on it to cool it down, tasted it, and his expression became somewhat complicated.

This porridge... it's not exactly bad, but it's definitely not good either, you know? It's that kind of herbal flavor mixed with a little bit of rice aroma.

The system's recipes are so precise that the dosage of each herb is accurate to the millimeter, but it doesn't tell him what the product should taste like.

Yi Xue put down the spoon, and just as he was still hesitating whether to add some sugar, footsteps came from the kitchen doorway.