Buddhist player

Since there was a food street not far from the rented house, Bai Chen didn't spend too much time going out this time.

When he returned to the rented room with two servings of fried rice, the girl had already changed her clothes. However, Bai Chen's eyes twitched involuntarily when he saw her mismatched outfit of a white shirt and trousers.

"...Let me introduce myself first."

After a brief silence, Bai Chen placed the two servings of fried rice on the table and sat down in the chair.

"My name is Chen Bai, what's yours?"

"Crimson silk".

Seemingly having already organized her thoughts, the girl answered quite quickly this time, and even clasped her hands in a fist salute to him.

"Thank you so much for saving my life, young master. Once I return, I will certainly do my utmost for you..."

"Stop, stop with the nonsense. The only reason I saved you is to get what I want from you."

Before the other person could finish speaking, Bai Chen raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Next, we'll each ask a question. I'll ask first, you answer, and then we'll take turns, okay?"

"……good."

Yin Hongxiao's eyes flickered slightly, and she nodded.

"Where do you come from? Another world?"

"Wuxia. In your terms, I come from the 'Cataclysmic Wuxia' genre."

She glanced at the young man in front of her, a hint of surprise in her eyes, but she still gave a detailed answer.

"At the same time, to us, your area is referred to as the 'Disaster City'."

"[Disaster City]...Alright, ask away."

After a brief moment of thought, Bai Chen nodded to the other person.

"...Are you able to control this poisonous person like me?"

After a brief silence, Yin Hongxiao looked up at him, her gaze sharp as a sword.

"I have no intention of prying into your secrets, but if I may, I would like to know your purpose."

"Purpose? Don't worry, I'm not interested in you."

Bai Chen saw through the other person's thoughts at a glance and glanced at the girl in front of him.

"I brought you back purely as a matter of convenience; I just wanted to get some information from you. If you're willing to pay a price, I can help you get rid of the poison in your body."

"What price?"

Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes immediately lit up.

She was at the mercy of others, her life completely in their hands. It was already beyond her expectations that they would be willing to adopt such an equal stance, but she never expected that they could even cure her of the poison.

Although she had made some guesses before, they were just guesses. Now that she had finally received confirmation from the other party, even she could not hide her emotions for a moment.

"That's your next question. Now, it's my turn to ask."

Shaking his head, Bai Chen handed a plate of fried rice to the other person.

"You're a player, right? I want to get detailed information about players from you."

"Players... to you, you call them 'players,' but to us in 'Cataclysmic Martial Arts,' we call them... 'Chosen Ones.'"

After calming herself down, Yin Hongxiao took the fried rice and, after a moment's thought, began to speak carefully.

Although the two sides use different names, the group is essentially the same. According to Yin Hongxiao, the grandmasters of their world speculate that the existence of the "Chosen Ones" is a result of being born to face calamity.

If this group no longer exists, then their world has long since perished.

However, becoming the "Chosen One" is by no means an easy task; currently, there are only three known paths.

Firstly, participants must take part in periodic assessments and trials; those who pass will be qualified.

Secondly, eliminate the other chosen one and seize the qualification.

Third, those with innate, self-awakened talents will directly obtain the qualification.

Although becoming a "Chosen One" requires participating in a mandatory mission at irregular intervals, constantly teetering on the brink of life and death, the immense power and numerous benefits it brings still attract many to pursue it.

"Those who awaken their innate talents will automatically receive the qualification?"

Listening to Yin Hongxiao's story while picking at the fried rice in his bowl, Bai Chen raised an eyebrow.

Logically, his talent, which awakened spontaneously, should have qualified him through the third path, but in the end, it was the second path that allowed him to successfully obtain player status.

Not only that, but even though he obtained his player status through the second method, he still had to participate in the assessment and trials of the first method... He seriously suspected that he was being targeted.

"Yes, but such people are extremely rare, practically a rarity."

Yin Hongxiao nodded.

"Those who awaken their innate talents are extremely rare. Most people only awaken their talents after becoming the 'Chosen Ones,' but even so, only one in ten thousand can awaken their talents."

"...Okay, go ahead and ask."

After a moment's thought, Bai Chen nodded.

The other party, who had been eagerly anticipating this, couldn't help but ask the question immediately.

"You just said you have a way to cure the poison in my body, is that true?"

"That's possible, but I need a lot of funding and materials."

Bai Chen continued to shovel his food into his fried rice, giving a very casual reply.

"The poisons in your body are interconnected, and it won't be easy to remove them all. It's a very time-consuming task, so you'd better not have too high hopes."

...He told a little lie about this.

For him, who possesses the Pharmacopoeia, detoxification is not difficult. As long as he has enough materials, an afternoon is enough for him to solve the problem.

The problem is that, according to the pharmacopoeia, just to cure one type of poison in the other person, the total price of various rare materials and medicinal herbs needed to purchase would exceed five figures, and the other person's body contains as many as seventy or eighty kinds of toxins.

He not only lacks the energy, but also the money.

—However, he is quite adept at making empty promises.

"So, as long as there's enough funding, they can help me detoxify?"

Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes brightened even more.

"Yes. Can you provide funding and materials?"

Raising an eyebrow, Bai Chen looked up at the other person.

"……Can."

As if she had made a decision in her heart, Yin Hongxiao took a deep breath and looked up at the black-haired boy in front of her.

"I have plenty of resources in my bag. Although the two governments have different finances, gold and silver are still equivalent. If you are willing to cure my poison, I am willing to pay you a generous reward."

"How so?"

Bai Chen put down his chopsticks and put on a very interested look.

—Isn't that why he risked bringing the other person back?

"I observe that your steps are unsteady, young master, and you are probably not skilled in martial arts. I have a manual of my sect's internal energy cultivation method here. Those who practice it can strengthen their bodies, regulate their blood and qi, and ward off evil spirits."

As if she had already prepared a plan in her mind, Yin Hongxiao spoke in a deep voice.

"Since you are the chosen one, young master, you do not need to practice this secret manual for many years. It should be exactly what you need right now."

After she finished speaking, as if afraid that he might misunderstand something, Yin Hongxiao continued to explain.

"It's not that I'm unwilling to take more, but this item is extremely precious. It requires a large amount of rare materials, and it takes several masters working together for a month to produce just one copy. Please forgive me, young master."

"A martial arts manual...what's its name?"

Looking at the red-haired girl in front of him, Bai Chen raised an eyebrow.

"The signature technique of the Red Dust Sword Sect, one of the twenty-one world-protecting sects of our time."

Sitting up straight, Yin Hongxiao spoke seriously.

"The Secret of a Pure Heart in an Empty Valley".