"Hey, little sister, where are you going? If you're lost, we can help you!"
When Qin Yu opened her eyes, she found herself facing two men in their thirties.
Their faces wore smiles, but as a former man herself, Qin Yu instantly saw through the facade. These two clearly harbored ill intent toward her.
...Wait, former man?
Qin Yu pressed her fingers to her temples, her memories feeling strangely fragmented.
After a moment's thought, her expression suddenly shifted.
"I... died and reincarnated as a girl? Then today I suddenly woke up with memories from my past life?"
The familiar memories flooding her mind told her that in her previous life, she had been an ordinary male university student.
She'd faced a bleak future of becoming a corporate drone, forced into 996 work hours. But then a car suddenly veered onto the sidewalk, changing her life forever.
Not only had it killed her, but it had also sent her into another world.
According to her current memories, this world was actually the world of Genshin Impact.
This place was one of the countries within that world: Liyue.
Putting aside the fact that she'd been killed and reborn into a mobile game world... If she hadn't regained her memories, she might have lived blissfully ignorant. But now that she knew, it was nothing but headaches.
What was she supposed to do now?
She'd never really played Genshin Impact before; her only knowledge came from various fan-made works online.
"Ah, dear, you look pale. Come here, we know this amazing clinic that'll make you feel brand new—"
No, the priority was getting rid of these two sleazy men.
She couldn't let the story start with some random CG scene!
Qin Yu furrowed her brow, taking a step back. Her eyes darted around, but they were in the outskirts of Liyue. Though Millelith soldiers usually patrolled here, there were always gaps in their coverage.
These two must have taken advantage of that gap to harass her.
She'd come here simply to gather wild herbs for dinner, never expecting to be bothered by these men.
Given the situation, there was only one good choice:
Get out of there and call the Millelith!
Without hesitation, Qin Yu pointed and shouted, "Millelith!" Then, while the two men turned in panic, she took off running.
The two men, realizing they'd been outwitted, chased after her in a fury, cursing the whole way. They drew gleaming daggers from their coats, sending a cold shiver down Qin Yu's spine.
Just as Qin Yu was about to scream for the Millelith soldiers, a gust of wind whistled past. Two sharp cracks echoed, and her pursuers crumpled to the ground.
Huh? What just happened?
Qin Yu froze, her gaze lifting to the figure before her.
A woman stood there, her white hair braided into a thick braid. Her features were striking, yet her expression remained impassive, radiating an aura that kept others at bay.
What truly stunned Qin Yu was the woman's attire. Clad in skin-tight black that revealed tantalizing glimpses of dewy skin, she wore a sheer white garment that barely concealed the dark slime clinging to her form...
Qin Yu's eyes darted about, unsure where to focus.
Wah, how can someone look like an immortal and wear clothes like this? Qin Yu thought, her face burning. Even as a woman, I can't help but blush. My face is practically glowing!
"Are you hurt?" the woman asked.
Snapping out of her daze, Qin Yu nodded hastily. "No, no. Thank you for your help. What about them—"
"They're alive."
"Huh, they're not dead..." Qin Yu murmured, disappointment coloring her voice.
She quickly composed herself with a smile. "Thank you. You've been a tremendous help."
"It was just a minor gesture," the white-haired woman replied. "You should hurry away now. Don't let those malicious people trouble you again—it's dangerous." With that, she turned to leave.
Qin Yu panicked. How could this be? I haven't properly thanked her yet!
"Wait!" she called out, chasing after the woman. Her foot caught on a protruding stone, startling her and sending her stumbling forward.
The white-haired woman reacted swiftly. Seeing Qin Yu about to fall, she stepped forward and extended her arms.
Qin Yu crashed into her embrace, her arms caught gently by the woman's hands, narrowly avoiding a faceplant.
"Are you alright?" the woman asked.
"Ah, yes. Just startled myself..." Qin Yu replied, her heart racing as she felt the warmth of the woman's body against her cheek.
What's wrong? Why is my heart pounding?
This doesn't make sense. Even though I was a man in my previous life, I've lived as a woman for over a decade now. Why would I get so flustered from simply touching another woman?
Qin Yu thought to herself, I must still be shaken from that scare and haven't fully recovered yet.
[Evaluation: D+]
"Huh?"
"Um?"
The sudden appearance of this inexplicable evaluation left Qin Yu utterly confused, while the white-haired woman regarded her startled exclamation with bewilderment.
Seeing this, Qin Yu gently withdrew her hand from the woman's grasp. "N-nothing... Anyway, you've helped me again. Thank you so much."
"There's no need for such formality. I'm just glad everything worked out."
Qin Yu secretly sighed in relief that the woman hadn't taken offense. But if a man had done this, would he have been slapped across the room? she wondered. This woman looks quite formidable.
"I'm Qin Yu. What's your name?"
The white-haired woman paused briefly before responding. "...Shenhe."
What an ethereal name! Could she actually be an immortal? Qin Yu found herself filled with curiosity and a touch of reverence. As far as she knew, this world did indeed harbor immortals.
Whether immortal or mortal, proper etiquette demanded a return gesture.
Thus Qin Yu said, "If possible, I'd like to repay this kindness."
"There's no need," Shenhe replied in her uninflected voice. "It was merely a small effort, unworthy of mention."
"No, this won't do! I'll feel terrible if I don't repay you somehow."
Mora... Using this world's currency as a gift should be fine, but:
1-She was barely surviving by gathering wild herbs and cooking them to fill her stomach, so her wallet was naturally empty.
2-The recipient might be a true immortal. Offering such mundane things as money felt disrespectful. But then again, do even immortals need to spend lavishly? She couldn't figure it out - she'd never met a true immortal before.
Shenhe closed her eyes. "You really don't need to."
"I'll feel bad otherwise."
Qin Yu set down her backpack and rummaged through it for a while.
But all she found were wild herbs and various common medicinal plants - utterly humble offerings.
Shenhe opened her eyes. She first looked at the items in Qin Yu's hands, then at Qin Yu herself. After a slight sigh, she said: "Then give me those medicinal herbs."
"Okay."
Qin Yu finally felt relieved. The acceptance meant the gesture was provisionally accepted.
But wait... Was she forcing herself to accept? Thinking this, Qin Yu let out a small "Ugh" and felt slightly disgusted with herself. Still, not repaying somehow would truly be unbearable.
In short...
"I'm truly, deeply grateful!"
Shenhe shook her head. "Just be more careful next time. Sparsely populated areas are often fraught with dangers. I happened to pass by this time, but if you're in trouble again, I might not hear your call."
"I'll be more careful."
"That's good. Then farewell."
"Goodbye, Adeptus Sister!"
Shenhe didn't respond, merely casting a glance at Qin Yu before turning away. In the blink of an eye, she vanished without a trace.
Qin Yu exhaled deeply.
"So much happened. It's time to go back. I need to check what that evaluation was—assuming it wasn't just my imagination..."