Fanfiction System in the world of Eastern Fantasy

Evening — Moonvilla;

The night air was cool by the time the carriage pulled into Moonvilla's courtyard.

Qin Wei stepped down, his expression unreadable under the warm glow of lantern light. Roulan followed a step behind, her brow furrowed with worry. "Young master," she asked cautiously as they neared the steps, "do you… have a plan? Should I go inquire about Xu Xianfeng's techniques, his weaknesses? Maybe…"

"No." Qin Wei's voice was quiet, but firm. "I need rest. Just for tonight."

He didn't wait for a reply. He opened the door, stepped inside, and shut it behind him with a soft thud.

Roulan stood there for a few seconds longer, gazing at the closed door, lips parting as if to speak again. But no words came. Her hand curled at her side. "If I know anything about Young Master, after watching these past few days, he is neither reckless nor a dimwit. He even asked the Patriarch to restrict borrowed weapons. It's like cutting the branch he was sitting on. So, what is it that he is planning to do?"

Meanwhile, inside, the room was dim, the only light coming from the flickering wall lamp. Qin Wei sat down on the edge of the bed and exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

With a thought, he opened the character interface and scrolled down to the missions list.

Emergency Mission: Defy the Oppressor

Description: The Xu family seeks to use their authority to trample your dignity. Show them that strength is not inherited; it is proven.

Reward: Win: Secondary Bloodline: Baiyan, Lose: 500 credits

Qin Wei leaned back, eyes fixed on the glowing panel. "So… even if I lose, I lose some credits. But if I win… I get a bloodline." He chuckled bitterly to himself. "Sometimes, I feel annoyed by the situation I was thrown into, but the system knows very well how to motivate me to work hard."

His gaze dropped, brows drawing together in thought. "Still… this won't be a normal battle. Yes, as long as I try my best, even if I lose, word will spread and my reputation will climb. But…"

He let himself lie back fully, the bed creaking beneath him as his thoughts began to spiral. "Survival comes first. Worst-case… I should use Ripple Drift and escape."

He stared at the ceiling, lips moving slightly as he weighed his options. "If I vanish mid-fight, I can always feign ignorance. Blame it on a misfire, say I tried to escape and couldn't control the technique. It's cowardly, but believable. Fits the narrative people already believe about me."

"But…" he muttered, "this world probably has something like a truth technique. That excuse might not hold up."

Silence hung in the room for a while before he whispered to himself again, closing his eyes. "It's fine. It's not like I have a great reputation anyway. Survival is important."

He slowly drifted into sleep.

For the next two days, the quiet of Moonvilla was shattered by the sharp sounds of fists colliding and feet scraping against the stone tiles of the courtyard.

Qin Wei trained, if it could be called that, under the unrelenting blows of Roulan.

Sometimes she didn't even need to hit him. Her feints were enough to make him flinch or lose balance.

Still, Qin Wei endured.

By the end of the first day, his robes were soaked with sweat, his arms bruised, and his pride hanging by a thread. But as someone with a shinobi system, with the body of a shinobi, he pretty much absorbed the experience.

On the second day, he started predicting her movements. Not dodging all of them, not yet, but seeing them. Anticipating when her foot would pivot, when her elbow would snap forward. His body still lagged behind, but his mind had begun to catch up.

The night before the fight — Moonvilla;

The scent of freshly steamed wontons wafted through the candlelit room. It was a quiet, chilly evening that made warm soup feel like a blessing.

Qin Wei lifted the porcelain spoon to his lips, savoring the rich broth until a soft ding echoed in his ears and a glowing blue holographic screen blinked to life in front of his eyes.

*Ding!

"Pfft—!"

The soup sprayed from his mouth, the spoon clattered against the bowl, and the broth splashed across his robes and the lacquered table.

"Young master!" Roulan's voice laced with concern as she hurried over, looking alarmed. "Is there a problem with the soup? Did I add too much salt?"

Qin Wei blinked at her, then at the floating screen.

"No. No, it's not the soup. It's just… something unexpected."

[Mission Completed: Improve Pubic Reputation to Positive Status. 500 credits have been added.]

He dismissed the prompt, but even before he could collect his thoughts, three more notifications appeared in quick succession:

[Mission 1 Unlocked: Evolve your Xielun Yan to Stage 3] Reward: 3 Talent Points, 1000 Credits

[Mission 2 Unlocked: Improve your public reputation to +1000] Reward: 5000 Credits

[Mission 3 Unlocked: Take in a Concubine] Reward: 1 Talent Point

Qin Wei's brow twitched. He stared at the last one in disbelief. "Seriously? That counts as a mission?"

He leaned back, soup momentarily forgotten, thoughts swirling.

He hadn't even done anything significant for the past two days, no speeches, no heroic rescue, nor had he fought a duel, and yet somehow, his fame had shifted to positive?

How in the hell did that happen?

Then it clicked in his mind. "Is it the Talisman?"

Roulan tilted her head, still worried. "Young master… are you really okay? What is it that worried you?"

He glanced at her and gave a lopsided smile. "Nothing. Just thinking about tomorrow and got a sudden idea. That's all."

She looked utterly confused, but Qin Wei waved it off and wiped the broth from his sleeve.

As he returned to his meal, he couldn't help but glance again at the new missions.

Xielun Yan to stage 3? That cannot be achieved by training.

Improve public reputation to +1000? Hmm… he doesn't think it can be achieved right away, but if he wins the battle against Xu Xianfeng tomorrow, his fame will reach the corners of the Empire, and perhaps, he might be able to complete it.

As for the last one, taking a concubine? The first person that came to his mind was Jiang Ni.

But then, for some reason, as his gaze fell on the woman sitting nearby, Qin Wei couldn't help but stare at her. Roulan felt the gaze. "Young Master? You need something?"

Qin Wei shook his head, awkwardly smiling. "No, nothing else."

Later, midnight;

Qin Wei lay in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. The shadows shifted across the walls with the flickering of the oil lamp, but his mind was far too restless to drift into sleep. He was nervous.

He rolled onto his side.

Then his back.

Then his stomach.

Still no sleep.

The hour of yin arrived, and in just a few hours, the sun will rise, but Qin Wei still couldn't sleep.

He sat up slowly, crossed his legs, and inhaled deeply. "Calm. Focus."

He began to meditate, regulating his breath. The tension in his chest softened, bit by bit, as he drowned his thoughts in meditation. His fast heartbeat slowed. His pulse steadied.

A soft chime echoed in his mind, but he wasn't aware of it.

[You are in sync with nature. Synchronization achieved: 1%]

An hour into this meditation, on the rooftop, a shadow moved.

A slender figure landed silently on the window frame, cloak fluttering as she crouched low, peering inside.

Jiang Ni slipped in noiselessly and tiptoed across the floor like a stalking cat. Her gaze fell upon Qin Wei, seated on his bed, body upright, hands resting on his knees, eyes closed in deep focus.

"Young master…" she whispered.

No response.