I don't get a say in this, do I?

Part 2

Ningjing pov

It has been a week since. I've been moving almost nonstop, hunting and gathering. The system was kind enough to give me instructions in preparing the animals and gift me a book about edible and healthy plants. Through hunting and gathering, I was able to accumulate more Exp, and now I am on level 1.

Meanwhile, Bǎo explained to me that the level I have would influence the quests and rewards, meaning that the higher my level, the harder the quests and valuable my rewards are. That's good to know.

[Host! There's something strange in the cave ahead!] Bǎo exclaimed suddenly.
"What do you mean strange, little Bǎo?"
[There's something with enormous qi capacity in there, but it's not a living being.]
"I see, I'll check it out. Thanks for the warning."

I walked towards the cave, seeing it wrapped up in vines with red roses. It was a sight for the sore eyes. "How pretty... I've never seen such healthy roses in my life."

[That's probably thanks to the qi the object inside the cave is emitting.] I heard Bǎo's adorable voice in my head and chuckled. "Do you think there's a way to give you a body of your own? I really want to spoil you as my little brother."

[Don't joke around, host! This is a serious matter!] It was really easy to imagine a little boy with flushed cheeks yelling at me behind the screen.

'I really want to have a little sibling... get yourself together, Minju! It's not the time for your sibling fever!' I lightly slapped my cheeks to snap out of it. "Anyways, is it safe in there?"

[There are no signs of life in there, host.]
"Alright, I'm going in then."
[Be safe!]
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3rd person pov

Ningjing slowly entered the cave and walked in deeper with careful steps. After walking for a few minutes, he started to notice in the darkness. He quickened his steps, remaining careful. Once he reached the source, he saw that it was a scroll and a transparent orb. Once he touched the orb, it started to glow brighter, to the point of blinding Ningjing. Once he opened his eyes again, he saw the orb was gone, and that he himself was lightly glowing instead. Fortunately, he didn't have to worry about it too much, because the glowing soon subsided. He then looked at the scroll and pushed it into his hat with his foot instead.

'No matter what, glowing isn't a normal thing for a human being. Better be safe than sorry.'

Carefully holding his hat in front of himself, he quickly got out of the cave. "Bǎo, what just happened?"
[That was a qi seed, an orb shaped article made of pure, concentrated qi. And you just absorbed one, which widened your qi meridians. Don't worry, it's nothing harmful and actually quite lucky. Qi seeds aren't that easy to come across.]

"Really? That's fortunate. What about the scroll?" Ningjing quickly asked, getting more and more excited.
[It looks like a cultivation scroll. I'm not sure about the exact contents, but it's save to touch. The qi it's emitting isn't harmful.]

"I see, so I'll just touch it?"
[You have no reason not to.]

Hearing that, Ningjing slowly picked up the glowing scroll from his head. Much like the qi seed, the scroll glowed brightly, and once the light subdued, it was again, Ningjing, who was glowing. Once that too subdued, Ningjing felt that he was much lighter on his feet. He also felt that he was incredibly refreshed and much more aware of his surroundings. He felt amazing.

[Host, you look much healthier now!] rang Bǎo's voice in his head.
"Oh? Well, I feel much healthier, that's for sure. But I'm still curious about the contents of this scroll."

He opened the scroll, and was pleased to find it was a manual about sword art. "I already have some hand to hand combat under my belt (mostly in theory), and with this sword art manual and a healthier body, I can easily practice both! I have all the time in the world. It would also surely be helpful when I try to get into a peak. Awesome!"

[You seem to be really excited, host 😊]
"I am! How often does one get the chance to learn cultivation?"
[Fair.]

With that, a happy Ningjing skipped through the forest with a contend system on his side.
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"I'm getting thirsty... Bǎo, do you know whether there are any rivers with drinkable water nearby?" Ningjing was now feeling tired and thirsty, having walked through the giant forest for four hours straight. Luckily, he had gathered enough fruits and herbs to last him the day, the day before, so he didn't need to hunt or gather today.

[Lucky for you, there's one, just ten minutes away. Just keep walking straight ahead.] "Thank you, Bǎo. You're the best."

Saying that, he kept walking straight ahead, starting to hear the stream of a river. He finally got to a beautiful, clear river. The water was so clear, he could see its bottom. He swiftly pulled out his water bag and filled it with the water. Then, he leaned forward, cupped his hands and drank the water directly from the river.

"It's delicious!" He immediately drank some more, until his thirst was gone. Having come to his senses afterwards, his reflection caught his eyes. Due to the water reflecting everything like a mirror, he could exactly see what Bǎo meant by 'looking healthier'. His skin and hair were glowing, the latter being silky smooth, looking soft to the touch. His hand went up to his hair to check, and it was, indeed, really soft. His previously chapped lips were now soft and pink. Last but not least, his eyes. His brown eyes were shining, his already long eyelashes looking thicker and fuller, the golden flecks much more prominent and easy to see. His eyes looked like pools of honey.

'How pretty... I look like a danmei character.' Ningjing was more than pleased with his 'new' appearance. He loved it. Just then, he heard a whine behind some bushes.

He went to check it out. He separated the bushes, on guard, only to find a white baby fox with a splinter in his front paw.