Five Years Ago

"Brother Lin, you sure have an Immortal's luck. Look at all those beauties hovering around you." Ye Chenxi commented.

Lin Fei stole a shy glance from the side before focusing back on his task. He couldn't believe that so many girls would be interested in him and wondered if his friend was just mistaken.

"I don't think that's the case, Brother Ye."

"Aw, come on, just look at those cute girls. And they are legit eyeballing you."

Lin Fei offered a blank face, and Ye Chenxi stopped making any more remarks. They still had a task to finish. They needed contribution points.

Personally, Lin Fei didn't think of Ye Chenxi as a smart guy, but he had made one valuable suggestion. Gather a ton of contribution points, exchange them for money, and then move back to the mortal world. From there, opening a business to building a house and all the way to starting a family. A foolproof plan.

Now if only one of those cute girls would join him on this journey, his life would be set.

Unbeknownst to Lin Fei, most of the girls, if not all, harbored a secret crush on him. They would send him suggestive looks and even accidentally let him glimpse at their nubile forms.

However, each time Lin Fei would just turn away and start a conversation with that idiot friend of his. At first the girls were hopeful, then rage took over, all of it directed at Ye Chenxi. And in the end a doubt had crept into their minds.

"What if Lin Fei doesn't like girls?" One of the older females had quoted.

"Yeah, he stays with that idiot all the time. What if they are together?" Another girl had added.

"Then isn't it like beating a dead fish, since it's never going to get up?" [1] First girl concluded.

And from that point on, the girls stopped giving him any attention. From time to time, a girl would pass, glance at his face, and shake her head, murmuring, "What a waste."

This left Lin Fei confused. He hadn't realized his shy and indecisive nature had cost him a girlfriend. Truly a sad reality.

While the rumor spread, it soon died down. By then, Lin Fei was just a loner who often spent his free time with Ye Chenxi fooling around.

Then one day something happened.

It was a bright and sunny day, and Lin Fei was hauling a basket full of water. He was on tanker-filling duty that day, so he went about his task on his lonesome.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a young woman had appeared. A 16-year-old Lin Fei had been charmed instantly. She was the most beautiful woman he had seen in his life, save his mother.

"Hi!" She waved her hand with a dazzling smile adorning her face. "You're a Trial Disciple?"

"Eh?" Lin Fei was so starstruck that it had taken him five seconds to understand her question. He nodded fiercely. "Yes, yes! I, uh... My name is Lin Fei."

"Lin Fei..." The woman tasted his name on her lip and smiled. "Alright, Lin Fei, which quarters do you reside in?"

"South door." Lin Fei answered. "What's your name?"

"You can call me Yan Mei."

And he forgot about her after a month. Really, a fleeting encounter with an angel? Must have been a dream, he reasoned.

Lin Fei's life went on as usual, and he even started to amass a good number of contribution points. It was around four months after that that he had another encounter with Yan Mei.

I was not imagining it!

He had been beside himself with joy. Yan Mei had promised that she would take him in as her servant once he passed his trial period. From there, she would help him cultivate properly.

Despite offering encouraging words, Yan Mei hadn't provided any substantial help. That would've gone against the sect policy, and even if she had the power to brush aside the consequences, it would leave a negative impact on her image. Not to mention how her master would react.

Then Lin Fei started to diligently cultivate. At least for a month, that is. As he soon realized he had no talent to speak of whatsoever.

Reality came crashing down, and dreams vanished into puffs of smoke. The last nail to seal the coffin was when he was paid a visit by a newly ascended Inner Disciple. He was warned to steer clear of Yan Mei or face consequences.

Lin Fei stomped on his dreams and hopes and went about mindlessly doing tasks. His only solace in his growing number of contribution points.

Day after day, he would engage in the same rote task. And night after night, he would lay awake staring at the ceiling until sleep took him.

Weeks passed, and then months. One year, two years, and ultimately five years. Yan Mei was forgotten. Buried in the sea of memories. Irrelevant. Just like his own existence.

And then he woke up. A lifetime of memories took over. A million years dwarfed a measly two decades. They were discarded, thrown into a pile like garbage. And Yan Mei sunk even deeper. Into the darker recesses of memory. Abandoned.

And I remember it all now.

Lin Fei sighed. He couldn't believe it. A girl he supposedly met on an outing had made him a promise. It should have been nothing more than a lie. A beautiful lie meant to serve as a motivation. Only it wasn't!

And that complicated the matter.

This Yan Mei that stood before him had made a promise and delivered on it. While he had forgotten it entirely.

It's not exactly my fault. It was so long ago, and then there was that guy who threatened me, Lin Fei thought. Not to mention she never paid another visit.

But seeing the smile on her face, Lin Fei decided to keep the thought to himself. And besides, not everything had turned out to be bad. Maybe she hadn't brought him misfortune as he thought.

[1] It's a sexual innuendo. Fish = dick