I laid down on the grass, catching my breath after the climb. The power from the pill was gone, and my body was back to its weak state.
If that was the only thing… The downside of the pill was making me even weaker for the next few days. I needed some time to rest, to recover my strength.
The viewers were already caught up on the situation—the murder. I didn't know who did it. The killers wore masks, but based on the memories I had, one of them was wearing a necklace.
This necklace was something all members of my clan wore. It had the symbol of a frog on it.
"It could be anyone from his clan. Let's keep a close watch on anyone who acts weirdly."
"What should he do next now? Anyone up for some donations?"
"Let's wait and see."
The viewers were happily chatting as I walked back to my home. Our clan, the Shen Clan, lived in a poor kingdom called the Great Wu Province, which was funny, because for a place with "great" in its name, it really wasn't…
I'd heard stories about the immortal sects in the region, but they only took disciples once every few decades, so my clan hadn't sent anyone in a long time.
My murder definitely had something to do with it. The clan leader—my father—had privileged information that the sects would be recruiting soon.
As the young master of our clan, I would be the one chosen to go—despite my lack of talent—and that must have pissed off others in the clan.
So that was my situation. They wouldn't believe their eyes when they saw I was alive again.
Anyway, I'd been gone for over a day, so my father had sent his warriors to look for me. Before I even reached our family's mansion, a group of soldiers found me.
"Young master!"
"Where were you, young master? What happened? You look hurt!"
I took the chance to act hurt and let them carry me back to my home. The warriors asked what had happened, but I just said, "I'll speak with my father in private first."
There was no way I was sharing my plans with anyone. I wasn't a fool. I'd read enough stories about stupid young masters to know I didn't want to be one.
Rain began to fall on the way back. Our kingdom was known for its heavy rain all year round. The small region we lived in was one of the rainiest in the entire kingdom.
I enjoyed the view while one of the warriors carried me. The lush green trees, the now-gray sky, and the sound of footsteps stomping on the muddy road were all surprisingly calming.
"The weather changed so fast," I said. "It was sunny just a moment ago."
"Yes, young master. That's very common in this region, as you know."
The way they talked to me had a little too much respect for my liking, but I didn't complain. That was just how things were.
My return quickly drew a crowd in the courtyard. Among them, I saw my father. He was standing near the mansion's main door with his arms crossed.
I could see he was angry about my disappearance—he probably thought I'd just been lazing around somewhere.
Explaining what happened should change his attitude, I hoped.
The viewers were excited by the world I was showing them. All the comments were about the surroundings and the mansion I lived in.
They were now fully immersed, no longer thinking it was AI, but something real. Word spread fast, and the number of viewers was increasing by a lot. The total count was already ten thousand. No one had sent any new donations yet—I kept checking just in case.
All those voices when I returned were starting to get on my nerves.
"Young master! What happened to you? We were so worried."
"Young master, come here and I'll give you a wash."
That last sentence came from a pretty good-looking servant who worked for my family, one of the hottest girls around. Not gonna lie, I thought about it for a second, but I didn't go. I had more important things to discuss with my father.
I went straight to my father.
"Son, where were you? Lazing around? You know you should be around. At any day, the sects might come here to recruit you."
"About that… Can we talk in private?"
We went to the meeting room inside our mansion. It was in the back of the house, separated from the main building. No one could get near—the area was surrounded by guards, ones my father trusted completely.
Once we were alone, I started talking. Obviously, I couldn't say I'd fallen into a ravine. My father loved me, but there was no way in hell he'd believe I managed to get out on my own.
"Someone tried to kill me," I said. "Two people wearing masks came for me while I was in the forest. I managed to escape, somehow."
"What?"
My father came closer, checking my body for wounds. He ruffled my hair after seeing I was okay. But I still had the most important piece of information to share.
"Well, the thing is… they were wearing frog necklaces. It's someone from within. My best guess is they don't want me going to the sects."
BOOM.
My father, Shen Zhao, slammed his fist down on the meeting table. His strike was so powerful it cracked the stone.
"This is treason," he said, "if what you're saying is right, this is unacceptable. The sects are finally coming to take disciples after decades, and they do this? To the young master of this family?"
I could understand his anger, and deep down, it warmed my heart. Back on Earth, family was something I didn't have, so this was the first time I'd ever had a parent stand up for me like this.
"We cannot share this with anyone," Shen Zhao said. "I'll gather some of my men to start an investigation. For the time being, please, rest. As far as I know, a recruiter from a nearby sect may be coming here in the next week."
My viewers were excited. They wanted to see me enter an immortal sect, to learn techniques and show them things they would never see on Earth.
Despite the dangers that came with being a cultivator, I was also fond of the idea. The only way to live forever and just chill was by getting stronger.
So, when the recruiter from the sect came, I had to be prepared. I had to get that spot.
I spent most of the following week inside my home. The livestream basically had a time-skip button for me to skip the boring parts, which was pretty nice.
"At least you can skip when I have to cultivate for years," I said.
The viewers loved it.
"That's awesome, 'cause there's no way we'd watch you sit in a room meditating forever."
Anyway, after resting for the whole week, the recruiter from the sect my father had mentioned actually came!
I went outside to meet the cultivator. It was my first time seeing one in person.