At the moment the sky full of black, bone-chilling flames covered his line of sight, Du Chengying unexpectedly attained a trace of long-lost tranquility.

Lin Qi was dead.

A living, breathing person who, just the night before, had been cheerfully exchanging cups with him, holding the Furong Wine he had brewed with his own hands. Du Chengying had looked at his drunken, flushed face with a smile, his heart filled with a thousand kinds of affection and ten thousand kinds of tenderness: 'Senior Brother, wait until I return with the Banbi Map you mentioned and present it to you as a testament to my feelings for you, okay?'

But when he returned, he was only in time to see Lin Qi one last time.

That pale face had lost its former vitality, yet he still smiled at him. Those eyes, which always radiated a gentle gaze, looked at him without focus as he murmured:

— "Junior Brother... I saw that the Little Furong at the foot of the mountain has... bloomed again..."

The only one he longed for, the love of his life whom he hadn't even had the time to confess to, just closed his eyes in front of him like this.

With all hope turned to ashes, he instantly became a demon.

Du Chengying finally managed to suppress the memories of his past life in his mind, but when he truly saw Lin Qi again, he still found it difficult to control his turbulent emotions.

A handsome and delicate face, exceptionally clear eyes looking at Du Chengying with some confusion. These eyes still did not know how profoundly the person before them, who had already been steeped in the Yellow Springs and Azure Heavens, loved him. It was a washed, refined cleanliness that made Du Chengying's heart ache. He continued to force a smile, "I am a disciple of Mount Yuelu, here to welcome the fellow Daoists ascending the mountain today."

Lin Qi thought to himself that this wasn't right. Even if his memory was blurry, he still remembered that he and Du Chengying had ascended the mountain to acknowledge a master on the exact same day.

How did Du Chengying transform and become a disciple on Mount Yuelu a step ahead of him?

Lin Qi asked the System what was going on, only to realize that no matter how he called for the System, it gave no response.

The target character's rebirth was already something that caught Lin Qi off guard, and the sudden disappearance of the Auxiliary System made him feel even more bewildered. For a moment, he just sat there, ignoring Du Chengying.

After his rebirth, Du Chengying was unwilling to show his down-and-out, embarrassing side to Lin Qi again. Since he had been reborn, he naturally wanted to change everything.

Before Lin Qi ascended the mountain, Du Chengying had gone a step ahead, taking the token to find the wandering Sanyue Zhenren, and directly entered Mount Yuelu.

After entering the mountain, he worked non-stop to open up the Spirit Seed within his body and heal the scars on his face. He wanted to meet Lin Qi for the first time with his best appearance, rather than appearing by his side as a pitiful figure needing help.

This time, it would be his turn to take care of and protect Lin Qi. He would absolutely not repeat the mistakes of the past and let Lin Qi die in front of him.

Du Chengying slowly extended the hand he had been holding behind his back, restraining its trembling, and once again spoke softly to the silent Lin Qi, "Shall I pull you up?"

The palm presented before him was warm, broad, and flawlessly white like jade. However, their completely reversed posture from his past life left Lin Qi with a bewildered face. Ultimately, driven by the conviction to complete his mission, he reached out his own hand.

The moment their palms touched, Du Chengying almost shed tears.

For so many days since his rebirth, Du Chengying had constantly suspected whether he had truly been reborn or fallen into some vicious trap. Was someone trying to reignite his hope only to let him plummet back to the bottom? It wasn't until this moment, earnestly holding Lin Qi's hand, that he could finally be certain—he really had a chance to start over.

As his palm was slowly gripped tighter, Lin Qi could feel that Du Chengying's hand was sweating. It was probably because he was too excited to see him again after being reborn.

If Lin Qi remembered correctly, the System had mentioned that Du Chengying's affection for him had already reached its peak of one hundred percent.

Lin Qi looked at Du Chengying with a complicated gaze—good brother!

Du Chengying slowly pulled Lin Qi up, his movements so gentle as if he were terrified of breaking him.

Although the System had gone offline, the mission still had to be completed. Lin Qi's first mission node, 'Pull Du Chengying,' should be considered accomplished, although the method was somewhat inverted, turning into Du Chengying pulling him.

In the previous life, after Lin Qi had given Du Chengying a pull, Du Chengying gained the assistance, broadening his mind significantly and no longer being entangled by the Cultivation Ladder. Lin Qi had then naturally let go of Du Chengying's hand.

But now it was Du Chengying actively pulling him, and he didn't show the slightest intention of letting go.

Lin Qi could understand. Seeing his tragically deceased good brother again, how could he not excitedly pull him a few more times? Even though two grown men 'meeting for the first time' intertwining their fingers was a bit weird.

Du Chengying didn't seem to feel there was anything inappropriate about him holding Lin Qi. He pulled Lin Qi upwards, the white fog parting around them, revealing a broad and pleasant scenery ahead. He naturally asked, "I still don't know this fellow Daoist's name."

The corner of Lin Qi's eye twitched. "Huayuan Lin Clan, Lin Qi." He thought to himself that it seemed Du Chengying didn't want the matter of his rebirth exposed in front of him. In that case, he would just pretend not to know.

Du Chengying looked at him and smiled with pursed lips. He was exceptionally gorgeous, the contours of his side profile distinct and sharp. When he smiled, it felt as if a light had shone down through the ages. Lin Qi was a bit creeped out by his smile.

In his memory, Du Chengying was mildly stoic.

Normally, he acted as if he bore a deep-seated grievance and rarely smiled. Only occasionally, when in an excellent mood, would he show a trace of a smile. This perfectly fit his character setting as the leader of the righteous path: aloof and dignified.

Why was he smiling now as if it cost him nothing?

Du Chengying said with a beaming smile, "Du Chengying, disciple under Sanyue Zhenren of Mount Yuelu."

Lin Qi was shocked once again.

Sanyue Zhenren was his master!

Du Chengying had originally acknowledged his own biological father, Baoshu Zhenren, as his master. Later on, this triggered many face-slapping plotlines, which were scattered across various major and minor mission nodes.

This sudden rebirth of the protagonist had simply thrown the entire world off course.

Under this situation, where the plot had become like a runaway wild dog, Lin Qi truly missed that hot-tempered System from just now. At the very least, there would be someone he could discuss things with.

However, no matter how Lin Qi called for the System, it was like a stone dropping into the ocean, with no response whatsoever.

Du Chengying maintained his composure and said, "Sanyue Zhenren is a very good master, and he treats his disciples very amiably."

Lin Qi remained silent, thinking to himself that he, of course, knew this.

Being an apprentice under Sanyue Zhenren was like being a cultivation civil servant. Sanyue Zhenren would distribute talismans and pills to his disciples on time, and then completely vanish on the spot. His approach to teaching disciples stood out for its 'free-range' nature—he would wash his hands of them whenever possible. Otherwise, how would Lin Qi have had so much free time to run over and deliver warmth to Du Chengying, who was enduring humiliation under his scumbag father.

A faint uproar came from ahead. Lin Qi raised his head, only then realizing that they had unknowingly almost caught up with the main group. Some people were already failing to climb higher; talismans and spells were deployed in turn as they borrowed external forces to ascend another step.

Only then did Lin Qi remember that he too should be about at his limit.

The original Lin Qi's body indeed had mediocre cultivation aptitude, but the Cultivation Ladder only tested one's state of mind. As a foreign visitor to this world, Lin Qi naturally had no worldly attachments. As long as his legs weren't broken, he could keep climbing upwards forever.

His mind having been completely dizzy with the abruptly changed world line, Lin Qi hadn't paid attention and had actually climbed much higher than he had in his previous life. He was on the verge of breaking his character setting as a tool person, so he hurriedly feigned a frown, acting as if his feet were bogged down and difficult to move, and said awkwardly, "Fellow Daoist Du, I can't climb up any further."

Du Chengying raised his eyes to look. Ahead, people were successively sinking deep into the Cultivation Ladder. With attachments in their hearts and a lack of mental fortitude, yet unwilling to stop there, everyone showed their own divine abilities. For a time, talismans and magical artifacts flew together, making it quite a lively scene.

Du Chengying withdrew his gaze and looked at Lin Qi, whose hand he was holding.

In the cultivation world, Lin Qi's appearance could only be described as plain and unremarkable. Among mortals, he could naturally be considered outstanding, but in a cultivation world filled with handsome men, both his looks and his aura leaned towards mediocrity.

Handsome and clean, he hardly looked like a cultivator, exuding a peaceful and detached vibe. At this moment, those clear eyes were looking at Du Chengying with confusion, showing neither regret nor struggle. He very calmly accepted where his endpoint on the path of cultivation lay.

The Great Dao is characterized by non-action.

'Senior Brother...' Du Chengying tightened his grip on his hand slightly. 'No matter when, he always makes me look up to him like this.'

His chaotic and restless heart after rebirth seemed to have stabilized significantly. Du Chengying didn't even realize that he had breathed a soft sigh of relief. "Then let us wait here."

Lin Qi said politely, "Many thanks to Fellow Daoist Du for receiving me." He applied a bit of force to his hand, wanting to break free from Du Chengying's palm, but as a result of Du Chengying holding on too tightly, he couldn't break free, making the situation a bit awkward for a moment.

Du Chengying knew in his heart that holding on any longer would be going too far.

This Senior Brother of his was upright and proper, completely single-minded, and very slow on the uptake regarding many things. He absolutely couldn't frighten him.

Du Chengying thought this way, yet his hand seemed to disobey his command, stubbornly sticking tightly to Lin Qi's hand. His deep eyes radiated a profound light, his gaze intertwining with the totally baffled Lin Qi in front of him, thread by thread, as if it were tangible.

Lin Qi could hardly keep up the act anymore. '...Good brother, don't be like this.'

Just as Lin Qi's face was turning green, Du Chengying finally, reluctantly, let go of his hand. At the last moment, he even emphasized, "Sanyue Zhenren is a very good master," as if terrified that Lin Qi wouldn't come.

Lin Qi: "...Got it."

Aside from Lin Qi, Du Chengying seemed to have no intention of letting anyone know he had been there. He turned around and instantly disappeared into the thick fog. The people trudging on the Cultivation Ladder in the dense fog did not see Lin Qi behind them, and naturally didn't notice that Lin Qi had been led up by Du Chengying all the way.

Lin Qi stood on the Cultivation Ladder and let out a heavy sigh.

"Don't worry."

The voice that suddenly returned to his ear made Lin Qi pleasantly surprised, shouting in his mind, "System, you're back!"

The System said calmly, "What are you panicking for?"

Hearing the System's voice again, Lin Qi felt a bit more relaxed all over. The chaotic scenes happening above had nothing to do with him; he only cared about what he should do with the subsequent plot and missions. He informed the System about the plot inversion that occurred after it left.

The System remained very calm. "I just retrieved a lot of materials from the Alliance Headquarters. They provide ample guidance to help us easily deal with this kind of situation."

Lin Qi was very happy. As expected of an Alliance System, it wasn't just good at slacking off; it was quite reliable after all. He didn't want to dwell on the System's sudden disappearance just now at all.

When a row of material titles slowly appeared in his mind, Lin Qi was completely dumbfounded.

"The Delicate Balance of Love and Pain"

"Ascending to Heaven with the Same Sex"

"Discovering the Body's Secrets - Being with the Same Sex Can Also Be Happy"

...

Lin Qi's pupils dilated uncontrollably. "Wh-what does this mean?"

The System stated steadily, "Can't you read? It's fine, open them up. There are illustrations and pinyin inside."

Lin Qi: "...I can read..." He could read alright, it was just that these material titles sounded a little weird.

The System: "Then that's fine."

Lin Qi didn't know what was fine about it. Harboring the thought that perhaps he was just overthinking things, he tentatively opened the first page—two naked men huddled together in an embrace.

Lin Qi: ...Oh, so he wasn't overthinking it after all.

The System sensed Lin Qi's daze and urged, "Hurry up and read. You can never have too many skills."

Lin Qi: "..."