Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!-Chapter 366- Updated*
Three days swiftly passed after Fang Yuan left the sect grounds and headed outside.
The past three days had been quite uneventful, the system went back to being as unhelpful as always without any exciting quests.
So he simply took his time walking around clearing a few bandits hideout to practice his new technique.
Everything was going smoothly except… There was one small problem.
Fang Yuan let out a quiet sigh as he noticed the same presence trailing him since day 1.
He obviously recognized her as she was one of the younger one who had been with that blind girl, Zhu Xian.
Since the city was right up ahead, he stopped in his track, and then, without turning around, he called out,
"Would you like to join me for lunch?"
Silence filled the forest and he understood she had no intention to come forward.
Still Fang Yuan waited for a moment giving her more time, when he finally noticed he had waited enough, he shook his head and decided to turn away. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
But just as he was about to leave, a rustling sound came from the woods and a young boy stumbled out, his clothes ragged, his steps unsteady.
"S-Sir… can I… really join?"
He looked up at Fang Yuan, eyes filled with both fear and determination.
The boy's throat went dry as he stared at the man before him.
It was a cultivator.
The word alone was enough to make his stomach twist.
Cultivators were fickle beings, dangerous and untouchable.
Their moods shifted like storms, and mortals were nothing more than ants beneath their feet.
Bai Lu had seen it with his own eyes.
The last time he encountered one, it had been in the city streets. A child, no older than five had simply looked up at one, eyes wide with curiosity but the cultivator had frowned at the behaviour.
He gave a single slap and the child's small body had flown like a rag doll, crashing into a stall.
The eyes on that cultivator contained no pity nor understanding despite killing an innocent child who simply knew nothing of her crimes.
That memory burned itself into Bai Lu's mind, and now, standing here, his body trembled.
Fear coursed through his veins like ice water.
Yet his fists slowly clenched tighter.
Was he afraid?
Of course he was.
He knew it better than anyone, if the man before him wished it, Bai Lu might not even realize the moment he died.
A single thought, a flick of a finger… and he would vanish from this world without a trace.
He was just an ordinary boy.
A beggar.
A survivor.
His parents had died when he was seven, leaving behind nothing but a crumbling shack… and his baby sister.
Somehow, by clawing at life day after day, he had endured.
Every morning, he would drag his thin body to the outskirts of the city, hand outstretched, head lowered.
By nightfall, he would return, sometimes with scraps, sometimes with stolen bread but always with something for her.
Bread, if he was lucky.
Crumbs, if he wasn't.
As for himself…
He had long since learned that dirt did not taste as bad as people claimed.
In fact, when mixed with a little water, it could sit heavy in the stomach.
It was fulfilling and also quitened his hunger.
Day after day. Year after year. He continued to endure on, living without improving.
Until one day, she fell ill.
At first, it was nothing, just a slight cough and
little fatigue.
But then her eyes began to redden and her face grew pale.
And yet, every time he asked about her, she would only smile, soft, gentle, like a fragile flower swaying in the wind.
"I'm fine, gege."
Always the same words, always that same smile.
It sounded so sweet yet he felt pain coarsing through his heart.
For at night…
He heard everything.
The quiet groans she tried to suppress.
The trembling breaths she thought he couldn't notice.
Bai Lu would bite his lip, pressing his face into his arm, forcing himself to stay still.
To stay silent.
Because he knew, even if he cried, even if he screamed…
There was nothing he could do.
Nothing at all.
They both wanted to appear okay for each other that they dare not be truthful to each other.
Until a week ago.
While begging in his usual spot, he overheard whispers of a miracle elixir, capable of healing any illness, hidden somewhere in the depths of Nameless Mountain.
It was a place no sane person would dare approach.
The mountain was barren, steep, and lifeless, but that only made it worse.
It was a perfect den for bandits. Countless groups made their nests there, preying on any unfortunate soul who wandered too close.
Bai Lu also flinched at the idea of going, but the image of his sister groaning in pain was enough to steel himself.
He made sure his sister had enough food to last, at least for a week.
He even managed to buy a little extra, just in case.
Then, he left.
The climb was harsh.
The wind bit at his skin, the rocks tore at his feet, and hunger gnawed at his insides.
But stranger still, there were no bandits in sight. Not a single one.
Days passed, and the silence grew heavier.
It felt wrong, it was like a forest where the foxes had fled… because the tiger had returned.
And then he realised the uneasy feeling he had been feeling throughout his journey.
It was the appearance of a cultivator.
Standing there.
Bai Lu's breath hitched. Instinctively, he slapped both hands over his mouth, forcing himself into stillness.
Even his breathing slowed to a near stop as he shrank behind the rocks, praying, begging not to be noticed.
Please don't notice me…
But fate was never so kind as a voice rang out.
"Would you like to join me for lunch?"
Bai Lu's heart stopped as he realised there was no fooling a cultivator and he had to eventually face him.
