"There's a person I want you to keep at least ten meters away from me at all times."
The two Douluos exchanged glances briefly. They didn't question her decision.
Ci Xue's tone remained light. "Does this person pose a threat?"
Qian Renxue replied coldly, "Potentially. But don't engage… unless he crosses that line. Just restrict him."
She Long's gaze sharpened. "Understood."
Moments later they heard a noise of commotion, as they descended.
"Just follow my lead. I want to deal with it personally."
They exchanged a glance and nodded in unison. "Understood."
As the three of them reached the source of the commotion, a small crowd had already gathered around the gates of the Elder's Hall. Two guards were restraining a filthy, unkempt boy who reeked of sweat and desperation. The moment Qian Renxue appeared, the entire area went quiet.
"Stop it," she ordered, her voice light but firm. Everyone instinctively obeyed.
Her purple eyes locked onto the boy. "What is your name?"
But the boy didn't respond. Instead, he stood rooted in place, wide-eyed, staring at her like a man possessed,entranced, perhaps even dazed.
Qian Renxue didn't need to read his mind to know what was going on.
Another dazed fool with a system.
She sighed internally, but her expression remained stoic. Without any hint of interest or amusement, she waved her hand.
"Throw this no-name beggar out."
Her words jolted the boy back to reality. Before the guards could act, he raised his voice, panic crawling into it.
"M-My name is Lin Yuan!"
Qian Renxue paused, just as he expected.
"I have something to offer you, Qian Renxue. A treasure! Please, give me a chance to prove my sincerity," Lin Yuan said, puffing his chest slightly, confidence returning to his eyes.
He smirked inwardly. 'This is it. Now she'll want to know more. She'll get curious, and that's when I start pulling her in.'
But Qian Renxue's next words were nothing like he expected.
"How did you know my name?"
The smugness vanished from Lin Yuan's face.
Before he could scramble for a half-baked excuse, Qian Renxue turned her head slightly and said in a colder tone, "Uncle She Long, he might be a spy. Restrain him."
She Long's palm pressed Lin Yuan's head down with terrifying precision. His face kissed the cold marble, pain blooming in his shoulders as his arms were pinned behind him.
Lin Yuan's mind was reeling.
'What the hell just happened!? That was too fast!'
"Answer the question," Qian Renxue's voice was cold, clear, and imperious. "How do you know my name?"
Her expression showed no mercy, only noble contempt. The aura around her, faintly divine and inherently oppressive, made it feel like he was being judged by a higher existence.
Qian Renxue, observing with cold detachment, used her Telepathist ability without hesitation.
She dove into his thoughts.
'System, save me!'
Ding!
[System Response: Host must complete initial mission to unlock emergency support features.]
'But I can't even move right now! This isn't fair!'
Ding!
[Mission objective: Make a contract with Qian Renxue. Assigned per Host's expressed desire for cultivation and romantic progression.]
'I'm literally being crushed! Aren't you supposed to help me!?'
Ding!
[Current threat is non-fatal. Host is advised to act mentally unstable to avoid suspicion. Host will be ejected from the Elder's Hall but not harmed.]
'That'll ruin my image in front of her!'
Qian Renxue's expression didn't change, but internally she was analyzing everything.
'So, the system only activates when he's in true mortal danger. And it's not omniscient—it didn't detect me reading his thoughts. That's valuable information confirmed'
Qian Renxue already had her doubts about this, when she had read Lin Yuan's thoughts and the system did not discover it. This was the reason she took the risk to come in front of a system user.
The sole reason for which she had come in front have been confirmed and her fear of the system also alleviated a little.
'System are unreasonable beings, which gives too much power to individuals. I could have laughed at it reading about it in a novel. However, when such system user comes in front of me, did I understand what kind of shitty situation I was in.' Qian Renxue thought.
Suddenly, Lin Yuan who was being suppressed by She Long raised his head slightly and, gritting his teeth, called out in desperation, "Qian Renxue! I—I really do have something to offer! I know of a place filled with immortal herbs, plants that can evolve martial souls!"
Qian Renxue's lips curled ever so slightly into a smile.
Not because she was surprised.
But because she had already emptied that place. She had long since secured the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and all its most potent herbs. Her inner circle knew it. And she had even given some of the herbs to Ci Xue and She Long.
This boy was revealing cards she already held in her hand.
Still, she didn't reveal a single flicker of that knowledge. Instead, she smiled with a kind of quiet amusement that sent a chill down Lin Yuan's spine.
'So, you're just guessing your way through this world like it's a game', she thought.
And now she knew: he was bluffing, and his system wouldn't save him unless he was about to die.
Perfect for the next set of plans that she had in mind.