Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My name is Gui Qiwu. I am the head disciple of the Guiyuan Sect, part-time manager of the Accounts Office, Warehouse, and Alchemy Room, as well as the head of external relations, crisis management, and every other job nobody else wants to do.

In other words, I am the overworked housekeeper of this Sect.

When the notification chime first rang, I was calculating this month’s cash flow. Mountain gate repairs: 30,000 in debt. Spirit Beast fodder: 8,000 in debt. Alchemy Room credit: 26,000. Most devastatingly, my Master had secretly embezzled 50,000 Spirit Stones from the Sect’s public accounts last month just to keep that dying Moon Soul Tree on Forgetful River Cliff alive.

When I found him with the ledger in hand, Rong Jiming was standing under the tree in a daze. His white robes were dampened by the night mist, making him look like a transcendent immortal untainted by the dust of the world.

If only he didn’t owe so much money.

“Master,” I said, shoving the ledger into his arms. “If you keep reminiscing about the past while staring at this tree, the Guiyuan Sect will have to tear down the mountain gate plaque and sell it for scrap next month.”

Rong Jiming looked down and flipped through the pages, his ears turning a rare shade of red. “I will find a way to make up for it.”

“You said that last time, too.”

He fell silent for a few moments before suddenly saying, “I saw Qichi at the foot of the mountain today. When she danced with her sword, she looked very much like an old friend.”

A ding echoed in my head.

“Plot Prompt: ‘The Stand-in Junior Sister’s Bitter Love’ has been loaded. Yin Qichi will fall in love with her Master, only to discover she is merely a substitute for his ‘White Moonbeam’ first love. Heartbroken, she will defect from the Sect. Sect Reputation -30, Finances -20, Stability -40.”

I stared at my Master, expressionless.

Great.

The first fire had already reached the rafters.

And not a single one of my three other junior sisters was any less of a headache.

Feng Zhaomian, a dual cultivator of alchemy and poison. She looks as sweet and innocent as a flower when she smiles, but in reality, she can study how to stuff you into a medicine cabinet while brewing your decoction.

Xuan Xinglan, a genius of talismans and arrays. She’s perfect in every way, except that she loses her memory every time her soul is damaged. One day she’s looking at you with teary eyes, making vows of eternal love; the next morning she wakes up and asks who the hell you are.

Xiao Jiyue is the only normal person in our entire Sect.

Her biggest problem is that she’s too normal, so normal that she has zero interest in any love, hate, or drama, nor does she care about the Sect’s honor or disgrace. Her ultimate ambition is to find a tree to lie under and slack off until her Spirit Stones run out.

Standing under the moonlight clutching the ledger, I felt a sudden urge to just try dying for a bit.

But the notification rang again.

“Plot Corrector bound. Host, please actively extinguish the fires, otherwise, you will default to perishing along with the Sect.”

I took a deep breath and rolled up my sleeves.

Fine.

Changing fate, preventing bankruptcy-whatever it takes.

I’ll be the one to hold this home together.