The sun was shining upon the busy streets of the capital of Long Country, Wuhan. With crowds of people pushing and shoving, it was a busy and hot day for the numerous shops on the street. The shopkeepers had much to do, selling their wares to the crowds before them, beckoning them to stay a while inside the shade of their shops.

The heat made many dizzy, and they gratefully rested under the shade of a singular, massive Dragon Blood tree. The Dragon Blood tree stood proudly in the center of the intersection, seemingly untouched from the noise and the clamour surrounding it.

Street vendors selling cold, boiled, water littered around the base of the tree, calling out for customers.

The red tiles of the buildings glimmered lightly under the sun, a stark contrast to the dark cobblestone lining the street.

On one side of this intersection, there was a colourful restaurant, with windows overlooking the rest of the city and the Dragon Blood tree.

Inside the restaurant, all was peaceful. Only the slight murmuring of the customers and the light knocking of porcelain plates against one another could be heard.

A delicious aroma wafted through the air, causing nearby people to swallow their saliva and their stomachs to growl.

Sitting alone in a private room, there was a man in all black. After ordering, he motioned for the staff waiting in the room to leave.

As soon as the door closed with a click, another person in red appeared. He sat in front of the man in black with a solemn expression.

"Report." The man in black said, his voice chillingly cold.

"Yes, Lord." The man in red replied, bowing before continuing-

"Lan Wei's body, it....it has awoken."

Lord's eyes narrowed and he stood up abruptly. The air around the two became a biting cold, and the man in red shivered. He stood up before kneeling at Lord's feet, banging his head on the floor until drips of red flowed from his forehead.

"Lord, this servant is extremely sorry and will kill himself to atone for his mistakes!" The man in red cried out, blood flowing past his forehead and onto the floor, staining it.

A metallic smell soon invaded the room.

"Enough." Lord said, before sitting back down in his chair.

"If I had wanted you to die, I would've killed you," He began, before taking out a light green coloured fan, "But I won't, because I don't want any of the elders chasing after me again."

The man in red stopped, and with a sway, he sat back down. He wiped away the blood on his forehead with a cloth.

"Thank you, Lord, for granting me mercy!" He said gratefully.

Lord scoffed.

[Damn elders just want a rat to spy on me]

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

A beautiful woman dressed in a sky blue came in. She had long, ink-black hair that was tied into a complex hairstyle resembling a butterfly, with many pins. She looked at the two with her peach blossom eyes and smiled, ignoring the blood on the floor. bowed politely.

She knew better than to question these things

"Shall we begin to serve the course?" She asked. Her voice was melodic and pleasing to the ears.

Lord didn't say a word, he simply waved his hand in confirmation.

She smiled widely, eyes creasing and making her look like a blooming flower. Opening the door, several waiters streamed in, each carrying an exquisite dish filled with Long Country's specialties- Spicy Mapo Tofu, Fried Flounder, Braised Pork with Taro, and many more.

Once the table was full, the woman and the waiters bowed again politely before leaving, closing the door behind them.

Lord placed down his fan.

"Monitor whoever's in control of Lan Wei's body. Make sure they don't harm his body. We need it safe." Lord said, picking up a piece of meat and tasting it cautiously before eating.

"The food here is decent. Give the owner a tip when you go out."

The man in red nodded.

"Also, if they aren't hurting Lan Wei's body.. You can go follow them and keep them safe. That'll piss off the elders." Lord continued, smirking.

"Yes, Lord." The man in red replied, feeling a little scared from this smiling demon.

Lord ate one more piece before placing down his chopsticks and disappeared into the shadows.

The man in red let out a deep sigh before collapsing in his chair.

[This is what happens when you lose a bet..]

***

Jia Xinyue cheered happily, throwing up her hands. In front of her, was another screen.

[Finally! I found it!]

The 'Quests' menu!

With this menu, they can finally have a way to get out of here! Well, Jia Xinyue wasn't too sure, but a girl could dream.

She looked at the list of quests.

{Quest #N1: Get Lan Wei into Jiang Academy}

Details: In order to truly grow stronger, one needs to study hard and level up! Make sure Lan Wei's poison has been cured and that he is strong enough to pass the trial to enter the prestigious Jiang Academy!

Rewards: 20 glory! Wow! You can barely buy anything with this! Congradulations!

[What kind of sh*tty quest system is this?!]

Jia Xinyue quickly noticed the awards section. Glory? This must be the system's monetary system..

This also means that there's a shop menu somewhere!

Jia Xinyue looked in despair at the wall of never ending screens.

[Honestly? FML!]

How the hell was she supposed to find a shop menu? Who made this system? It's as if someone spilled her phone's tabs all over a white space, then rearranged it so that it was in a wall form.

What was even on the other side of the wall? All Jia Xinyue could see was the same endless white space.

"Big Sis!" Kian called out from behind her.

"What is it?" Jia Xinyue said, her voice tapering off at the end from absolute despair.

Jia Xinyue laid on the floor, eagle-spread. Her hair spread out like a waterfall behind her, Jia Xinyue having long given up tying it up. In all honesty, she looked and felt like shit.

She wanted to get out, she wanted to leave this endless, barren place. She wanted to feel the cool breeze on her skin, to bathe in the warm sun.

There was no shower, no food, no water.

True, Jia Xinyue didn't need those things ever since she came in this space. But her mind just wasn't used to that. Habits were hard to break.

She did sleep every now and then. Sleeping was a bore now, though.

"Big Sis?" Kian's face appeared right above hers, giving her a slight shock.

"My mother! Wow, you scared me." Jia Xinyue sat up and placed a hand on her chest, pretending to breath deeply.

"Mother? I don't think I'm your mother-" Kian started, but was cut off by Jia Xinyue.

"It's an expression, now shut up."

Kian pouted and said sadly,"I just wanted to tell you that I found a screen that said shops-"

"WHAT?!"

[Fate is not a curious thing, fate is a b*tch who apparently hates my GUTS]