Night—
The rain had stopped.
Inside the small house, Li Qingran sat nervously, staring at the object in her hands—
A carefully crafted amulet.
She was about to complete the final three steps.
The first step—infusing it with spiritual energy.
She had no idea how much energy was needed to power an amulet made from the remnants of an Immortal-Grade Formation Flag.
But after exhausting all 50 Low-Grade Spirit Stones and draining every ounce of her own spiritual energy, she barely filled it.
Wiping her pale face, she took a deep breath.
“Next… the second step!”
Carving the recipient’s name.
The amulet required the creator’s blood to inscribe the name of the one being protected.
Simple, right?
Yet, Li Qingran felt more nervous now than during the energy infusion.
“Write well, write well… I must write well…”
Muttering to herself, she carefully carved the three words:
“Chen Huaian.”
Then, she looked at her work—
And made a face uglier than crying.
“It’s over… This looks ridiculous.”
The characters on the amulet were crooked, almost like a child’s scrawl.
Li Qingran had always had a weakness—ugly handwriting.
It wasn’t that she was uncultured.
But before joining Qingyun Sect, she was the daughter of a military general.
Her parents had forced her to learn elegant arts like calligraphy…
She had hated it.
All she wanted was to ride horses, wield spears, and master archery.
“Why would I need good handwriting in battle?” she had thought.
Now, she regretted it.
If she could go back in time, she would beg her parents to teach her properly.
But then she remembered her father’s words—
“A gift isn’t about perfection. It’s about sincerity.”
Her determination returned.
Final Step—Gift of Luck
As the name suggested, it was the act of sending one’s own Qi to another.
The Qi of Heaven and Earth was a delicate balance—what was given must be lost.
Even though this gift was temporary, Li Qingran would experience a period of misfortune after giving it.
But she didn’t care.
She sealed the Qi into the amulet.
Her complexion visibly paled—
Yet, her smile brightened.
She gently placed the amulet on the table.
Then, she bowed deeply toward the ceiling.
Even if she couldn’t see Senior, she knew he could hear her.
“Senior, you have helped me so much. I have no way to repay you, so I crafted this small amulet for you!”
“Though it’s not much, it carries my deepest gratitude. I hope you will accept it.”
She lowered her head.
Then, she peeked up—
Her gaze locked onto the amulet.
One second…
Two seconds…
Three—
SWISH!
The amulet vanished.
He had accepted it.
Li Qingran’s lips curved into a genuine smile.
Her voice carried a hint of shyness.
“Thank you for not disliking my clumsiness… hehe.”
She was exhausted.
Physically, mentally, completely drained.
Yet, she felt happier than ever.
Climbing into bed, she sank into the soft mattress.
For the first time in half a month, she slept on something comfortable.
Sleepiness washed over her.
But before her consciousness faded—
She whispered softly.
“Good night, Senior…”
Meanwhile—Elsewhere in Qingyun Sect…
“Song Jiaojiao, your cultivation has improved. You’ve reached the Ninth Level of Qi Refining?”
A sweet, gentle voice.
But the words that followed were laced with cold intent.
“I have a task for you.”
Song Jiaojiao frowned.
“What is it?”
“Kill Li Qingran.”
“…What?!”
Song Jiaojiao’s expression twisted in shock.
“You’re still holding onto that incident?”
A soft chuckle.
“So what?”
“Li Qingran is already ruined. Her reputation is in shambles.”
“No one will care if she dies.”
“She deserves to die.”
“And if you do it discreetly, her death will be blamed on the monsters in Wanqing Mountain.”
Song Jiaojiao hesitated.
But then—
A tempting offer.
“If you succeed… I’ll give you a Foundation Establishment Pill.”
A rare, invaluable treasure.
Song Jiaojiao’s eyes flashed with greed.
“Fine. Wait for my good news.”
Morning—Before Dawn
Chen Huaian woke up.
The first thing he did was launch Electronic Girlfriend.
A message popped up.
[You have 131 days left to live.]
“Tsk… What kind of game is this?”
He already knew he was terminally ill.
Did the game really need to remind him?!
But then he thought about it—
Maybe this meant his ‘Senior’ character had 131 days left.
And since it was a game, there was probably a way to extend his life.
He smirked.
“Ah, so this is how you trick players into spending money, huh?”
“Get me emotionally invested in Li Qingran, then force me to pay to keep my character alive?”
“I see through your scummy business model!”
Another prompt appeared.
[Because you deduced heavenly secrets, you have been backlashed. Your luck has decreased.]
[Today’s Fortune: Li Hexagram—Minor Luck—Favorable for marriage, unfavorable for mountain climbing.]
[Tomorrow’s Fortune: Zhen Hexagram—Bad Luck—Best for house cleaning, avoid mountain climbing.]
Chen Huaian: “Oh, so now I have a fortune-telling mechanic?”
He laughed.
“I already have one foot in the grave. What’s there to avoid?”
Still—he was curious.
He opened Baidu and looked up the Zhen Hexagram.
It symbolized “Thunder and Shock.”
It was associated with the feet.
When combined with Bad Luck, it meant “serious injuries, possible limb loss.”
Chen Huaian: “Pfft. As if I’d be struck by lightning climbing a mountain.”
Just to be thorough, he checked the weather forecast.
30+ degrees. Clear skies.
“Where’s the thunderstorm supposed to come from? My ass?”
He dismissed the fortune warnings and focused on Li Qingran.
She was still asleep.
Her breathing soft.
Her expression was peaceful, yet her complexion looked a bit off.
Strange…
He checked her status.
A new debuff had appeared.
[Status: Sleeping]
[Current Favorability: 25 (Admiration)]
[Favorability 25—Small Gift Triggered]
[Your electronic girlfriend, Li Qingran, has made a small gift for you. It has been delivered.]
“Gift system? That’s common in games.”
He searched the game’s inventory.
Nothing.
No email system.
No in-game mail.
“Maybe it hasn’t refreshed yet?”
Some indie games had slow updates.
Maybe it would appear by 8 or 9 AM.
Just as he was about to close the menu—
Knock. Knock.
His door rattled.
Chen Huaian blinked.
“Who the hell delivers packages at five in the morning?”
He opened the door.
No one was there.
Just—
A small, palm-sized package.
There was no shipping label.
No courier company name.
Just one line of neatly written calligraphy:
“A Small Gift from Li Qingran – For Senior Chen.”
Chen Huaian: “…”
“…What?”
