"Good morning! Wake up! Good morning! Wake up!"
Bright and early, Yarrow was jolted awake by a familiar, piercing voice. He groggily sat up, his sleeping bag damp with morning dew, and rubbed his eyes.
Perched on a tree branch, Ji Xiaofei cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, shouting enthusiastically at the rising sun.
"What are you doing?" Yarrow asked, still half-asleep.
Ji Xiaofei turned to him with a smug expression. "Crowing."
Yarrow stared at her in silence.
Hands on her hips, she declared proudly, "If I don't wake up the sun every day, the world would be in darkness."
Yarrow exhaled sharply and gave her a thumbs-up. "Then you are truly something else."
With a light leap, Ji Xiaofei hopped down from the tree and beamed at him. "When are we leaving?"
"Leaving?" Yarrow arched a brow as he packed up his sleeping bag. "I never said I was taking you."
Ji Xiaofei pouted. "Eh? But you already tasted me yesterday."
Yarrow nearly choked on air. "Don't make it sound like we have some weird relationship!"
She sighed dramatically. "Well, I can't go back like this, can I?" She fidgeted with her fingers, looking genuinely troubled.
That was true. Yarrow had been the one to turn her into a human, but he was barely managing to support himself. The idea of taking care of another person was daunting.
"Don't you have a tribe? A family?" he asked.
Ji Xiaofei's expression darkened. "My parents were… eaten before I was born."
Yarrow's eyelid twitched. "Eaten? Before you were born?"
She nodded earnestly. "Because I'm oviparous."
A long silence followed.
"Please take me with you!" Ji Xiaofei clung to his sleeve, shaking it pitifully. "I don't eat much! Just two handfuls of rice a day! I can wake you up every morning, lay eggs for you, and even keep you warm at night—"
Yarrow cut her off with a sigh. "Listen carefully. Although I'm the one who turned you into a human, I don't have the money to support you. If you want to follow me, you'll have to earn your own keep. At most, I'll provide a place to stay."
"Understood!" Ji Xiaofei saluted energetically.
And just like that, Ji Xiaofei officially joined the party.
As they prepared to depart, Yarrow asked, "By the way, did you develop any special abilities after turning human?"
Ji Xiaofei tilted her head. "Special abilities?"
"Everyone in this world has a unique talent," he explained. "It manifests in front of you when it awakens."
When Yarrow first transmigrated to this world, he had gained the talent [Clover], supposedly an ability to increase luck. But after two years, he hadn't felt particularly lucky. He had even tried betting on horses and buying lottery tickets, yet never won a single cent. Ultimately, he had resigned himself to becoming an adventurer.
Originally, he had wanted to become a mage, hoping to earn a stable income from the Mage Association. But after studying diligently for a year and a half, he could only barely cast a fireball spell. That dream had been put on hold for now.
Ji Xiaofei closed her eyes, concentrating. Moments later, she opened them. "I think I have one."
"What is it?"
"It's called [Light Body]. It says it reduces fall damage."
Yarrow narrowed his eyes. "Isn't that just a racial trait?"
They finished packing and set off. Ji Xiaofei attempted to lift the big pot but failed several times.
"I'll carry this. You take the backpack." Yarrow handed her the lighter load.
[Ji Xiaofei's favorability increased by 10]
Yarrow raised an eyebrow at the notification. That was easy…
Throughout the morning, her favorability kept rising with minimal effort. He simply lent her a hand, offered water, or engaged in small talk, and she seemed delighted every time.
By afternoon, the sound of rushing water reached them. Yarrow followed it and discovered a small river.
Finally, a solution to their drinking water and food problem.
"I'll catch some fish. You go gather mushrooms and wild vegetables from the forest," he instructed.
"Yes!" Ji Xiaofei dashed off eagerly.
In no time, Yarrow had two fish while Ji Xiaofei returned with her skirt filled with mushrooms and greens. As he set up the pot and filled it with water, he suddenly noticed Ji Xiaofei beginning to undress.
"Wait! We're having fish soup today, not you!"
Ji Xiaofei stopped mid-motion, looking slightly disappointed. She then spotted the small worms Yarrow had used as bait.
Her eyes sparkled. "Are these for me?"
Yarrow hesitated. "Uh, those are—"
Before he could finish, she had already picked one up and eaten it.
"…Never mind. As long as you're happy."
[Ji Xiaofei's favorability increased by 15]
[Ji Xiaofei's favorability level has been upgraded to Level 2! Favorability increase reward: Heartbeat Coins x20!] [Heartbeat Challenge unlocked! Complete it to earn Heartbeat Coins and unlock the store function.]
"Huh?"
Yarrow raised an eyebrow. He hadn't realized this system had hidden features.
[Ji Xiaofei] [Favorability: 105] [Current Status: Happy]
Previously, Yarrow had been too overwhelmed by the system to examine it in depth. Now, he noticed there were several layers to favorability.
[Favorability Level Breakdown] [Level 1 (1 ~ 99): Strangers – "Who the hell are you?"] [Level 2 (100 ~ 399): Ordinary Friends – "Huh, you're actually kind of funny."] [Level 3 (400 ~ 799): More Than Friends – "Want to go shopping together? Don't get the wrong idea, I just couldn't find anyone else—it's not a date!"] [Level 4 (800 ~ 1999): Lovers – "There's a cute kitten at my place. Want to come see it?"] [Level 5 (2000 max): The Only One – "Darling~ Even if it slips in, it's fine~"]
[To enhance your conversations with the heroine, reaching Favorability Level 2 unlocks the Mutual Understanding buff. You will now have deeper insight into the heroine's interests and strengths.]
Yarrow noticed the new buff—Mutual Understanding. Now that Ji Xiaofei's favorability had reached Level 2, what kind of insights would he gain?
How to lay eggs?
Something felt off. Yarrow immediately checked his talent pool:
[Clover: Increases luck, boosts probability of surprise events (Luck is a kind of strength—some people are simply born emperors.)]
This was the talent he had gained when he transmigrated. However, as he looked further down, his breath hitched.
He had acquired a new talent.
[Light Body: Reduces body weight, minimizes fall damage (A dream ability for a certain demon hunter.)]
Yarrow's eyes widened in shock.