My Core is the Boss

In the end, Canary put on the school uniform.

When Qi Yuan walked her to the university gate, she glared at him and grumbled. "Nobody else is wearing one! There is no point at all!"

She seemed thoroughly adorable doing it. When someone was small enough, even their anger came across as cute.

Qi Yuan ruffled her hair and chuckled. "It will have its uses."

Canary's face went red as she snapped. "I am going to class!"

She turned and bolted.

Qi Yuan warmly watched her run off. He stood there until she had fully disappeared from view, then headed home to continue practicing his martial arts.

Just then, his phone screen lit up with a message from Canary.

Canary: I will NOT be wearing the school uniform at night!

Laughing to himself, Qi Yuan typed back.

Qi Yuan: Work hard. Aim for that doctorate.

He sent it and turned to leave. Suddenly, a hand wrapped around his.

Canary appeared at his side, looking up at him pitifully. "Blood Drop... I don't want to go to school."

Her arm was wrapped tightly around his, as though she were afraid that he would vanish the moment she let go. She resembled a small, anxious cat who was extremely clingy.

Qi Yuan sighed. "People never like school while they're in it. You only start missing it after you've graduated and entered the workforce."

Sometimes, people were just missing certain people from those days. But for Qi Yuan, those people weren't so different from NPCs in any other world.

Canary looked up at him with sad eyes. "I can make a puppet to attend class in my place. Would that work?"

Qi Yuan reached out and took her small, cool hand firmly in his. "Yes."

At least he had Little Bride with him when he was out in unfamiliar maps playing the game. Meanwhile, Canary had left her whole world behind just to be by his side. He was the only person she was close to in this world. Truthfully, he didn't want her wandering alone either.

Canary beamed as she jumped to her feet. "Yay! Lower your head, I will give you a kiss!"

"Why don't you just stand on your toes?"

In the end, Qi Yuan lowered his head anyway. A warm feeling washed up his chest. Qi Yuan lifted her up and the two of them dissolved into the crowd.

Back at the school gate, a few chatters drifted past.

"Am I going crazy? There was definitely a couple standing right there. She was wearing a school uniform."

"I saw them too. I was about to take a photo and they just disappeared."

"You two need to sleep more."

***

In the Underworld outpost, Qi Yuan looked around curiously as he stood in the stone chamber. In the months since the last mission, he had been cultivating steadily on both the martial and the immortal path, but the progress had been negligent.

In between cultivation sessions, he had spent time with Canary and Little Bride, making wonders of the bed. Occasionally, he had even disguised himself as an ordinary university student and attended classes with Canary. He couldn't let the puppet handle everything forever.

Finally, after several months, the Underworld mission arrived.

As he reached out, a flash of red-gold light landed squarely on the stone table. Even though he had channeled Core Formation realm power, the stone table didn't even budge.

Qi Yuan sighed without trying again. "I am still so weak, I can't even damage the furniture."

When he left his room, the outpost was the same as before. The occasional drifting figure could be seen passing through. Up in the bamboo tower, men and women in provocative dresses were waving at passersby.

Qi Yuan glanced up with a nonchalant look.

Not far away, An Qiao trotted over, led by the tracking dog. She smiled. "I didn't expect we'd be on the same mission again."

An Qiao had every reason to be relieved. Missions were dangerous, after all. However, Qi Yuan had killed a Jade Blood realm great demon before. He was a top elite in this outpost.

Qi Yuan asked, "Are there others on this mission?"

The briefing had indicated this was a group assignment, with over twenty participants.

An Qiao replied, "They'll be from other outposts. We will meet them at the mission site. Mr Qi, we have to be alert of people from other outposts."

Everyone was here to complete the mission and collect the reward. But as with all humans, the other participants in a joint mission would be eyeing them for treasures.

Qi Yuan asked, "When we enter the game world, do we take over other NPCs?"

Last time, he had replaced a gambling butcher, and ended up with a child bride who had a natural affinity for marriage.

"Yes, you replace someone the first time entering a new world. But after that, you enter as a Demon-Slaying Bureau envoy."

Qi Yuan murmured to himself, "Interesting. So the Demon-Slaying Bureau is an organization that spans across all these worlds. It is some kind of cross-world official."

"Mr. Qi, if you're ready, shall we begin?"

Qi Yuan crouched down. "One second, let me get something."

He picked up some clumps of dirt, a few small stones, and several blades of grass before placing them into his storage space.

An Qiao watched with confusion. "What are you collecting those for?"

Qi Yuan explained, "For my wife to study. She's about to get a PhD. Maybe she can figure out how to enter and exit the Underworld. Then, she could come on missions with me."

An Qiao had to press her lips together to keep from laughing. "The whole world fears the Underworld as if it were a demon's lair, yet you want to bring your wife down here to keep you company."

Qi Yuan picked up a short stick from the ground and tucked it away. "We've spent too long apart. I want her close."

A flicker of jealousy appeared in An Qiao's eyes. "I hope she figures it out soon."

She didn't actually believe that was possible. The Underworld defied all conventional understanding. Across the ages, the smartest people had passed through here and not one of them had cracked its secrets. Entry and exit were entirely on the Underworld's own terms.

Qi Yuan nodded. "Mm."

With Canary's power, combined with his own ability to read hidden information, he felt there was at least a thin thread of possibility.

He spent a few dozen more breaths collecting samples, then straightened up. "I am ready, we can go."

"Good."

The two made their way to the center of the base, where a massive circular stone over a hundred meters in diameter lay. Once they stepped onto it, the mission briefing would begin, after which they would be taken to their destination.

Without hesitation, Qi Yuan stepped on the stone. The space rotated briefly. He strained to hear anything during that moment of transition, but could make nothing out. Whatever it was passed too quickly.

Soon, he found himself standing in a softly glowing space that seemed suspended somewhere in the air. He and An Qiao were standing on clouds.

The mission briefing reached his ears.

[The Fengyuan Empire rules through the virtue of filial piety. In its thirtieth year of rule, the northern territories have fallen into chaos. The Demon Race runs rampant, feasting on humans. The noble clans of the north flee south.

Zhenyang City lies in the northern lands and is surrounded by the Demon Race. The Tong Clan, a gentry of seven generations with no branch lines, faces a crisis. In March, an assault by the Demon Race on the city claimed countless lives. The demons even kidnapped Tong Tianyou, the sole direct grandson of the Tong Clan.

Mission: Locate Tong Tianyou. Investigate the truth behind his father Tong Youwei's death.

Reward: Ancestral Return Pill.]

An Qiao exclaimed in disbelief, "An Ancestral Return Pill!"

Qi Yuan glanced around the suspended space. "Is that particularly impressive?"

There were roughly a dozen other blood martial artists nearby, their auras ranging from moderate to strong. Most were at the Qi Blood realm, and only a handful had reached Jade Blood.

Before An Qiao could answer, a bald man said, "A blood martial artist's strength depends on bloodline purity. The stronger the ancestor's blood, the higher our bloodline concentration, and the greater our innate talent and potential. The Ancestral Return Pill allows you to glimpse into your ancestor's true intent, thereby increasing one’s bloodline concentration."

An Qiao glanced at the bald man warily. "The higher your innate bloodline talent, the greater the pill's effect. Conversely, the pill might not even outperform an ordinary Physique-Tempering Blood Pill."

The bald man turned his attention to Qi Yuan. "If you two survive this mission, I'd be interested in purchasing your Ancestral Return Pills at a premium."

An Qiao rejected immediately, "No need, the pills would be equally useful to us."

The bald man smiled, then looked at Qi Yuan with interest. "I heard that Brother Chen Fan died in a previous mission. His belongings were passed on to a newcomer named Qi Yuan. Could that be you?"

The outposts had communication ways. A sufficiently powerful martial artist could even cross the Fog Sea to reach other bases.

Qi Yuan looked at the bald man, whose bare head reminded him rather of an egg. [1]"Mm. And so?"

The bald man said sincerely, "Won’t you give me his Genius Alliance entry token? If you do, I'll guarantee your safety through this entire mission."

He had long wished to join the Genius Alliance, but his talent had never caught their attention. With that entry token, he could leave this remote, isolated outpost and join a powerful organization. He would no longer have to worry that his entire base would be swallowed by a sea monster.

Qi Yuan seemed unimpressed. "Protect me? You don't seem strong enough."

Although he had no particular attachment to the Genius Alliance token, he also had no reason to hand it over freely.

The bald man declared confidently, "I'm at mid-stage Jade Blood realm, only one step away from the late stage! I am sure I can keep you safe!"

Someone’s rough, menacing voice cut in, "Yang Guang, that Genius Alliance token is mine."

Just then, a bearded man walked over, radiating a distinct aura of violence and blood.

The moment the others saw him, nearly every face in the group shifted. People took involuntary steps back.

"It's the Blood Devil Hand, Zhou Yuan!"

"He's on our team?!"

"Shit! Rumor has it he often turns on his own allies during missions!"

Yang Guang stared at Zhou Yuan with concern. "Zhou Yuan, first come first serve. You haven’t agreed to anything yet, right, young friend? If you want the token, make a higher offer. We'll see who outbids the other."

Zhou Yuan's eyes flashed with contempt. "He's not worth bargaining with. If it weren't for you being here, I'd have just taken it."

The declaration confirmed everything the others had feared. Nevertheless, Zhou Yuan was the strongest person here, at the late-stage Jade Blood realm.

Qi Yuan took in the scene with an amused expression. "Yang Guang, didn't you want to be my bodyguard? Start by chasing Zhou Yuan off. Convince me you can actually keep me safe."

Though he had a mission to complete, White Moonlights were always welcomed. An extra pair of strong hands was something he would not turn away. He'd even give up the Genius Alliance Token if it came to that. His only regret was that there hadn't been anything to give Luo Bufan in the end. In the real world, the Luo family's line hadn't survived to leave any inheritance behind.

Yang Guang lit up, surging with a powerful aura as he threatened, "Zhou Yuan, he is under my protection now. I suggest you leave, or..."

Zhou Yuan grinned and licked his lips. "Heh. All right, I'm leaving."

He simply turned and walked away.

An Qiao stared at him. "Is he crazy?"

Yang Guang quickly raised both hands. "Just so you know, he's not an accomplice of mine. Zhou Yuan has always been like this. Something's genuinely off with him."

He was afraid Qi Yuan would assume the two had staged a performance together.

Qi Yuan agreed, his eyes taking on a particular look. "Something is genuinely wrong with him."

[Zhou Yuan. Late-stage Jade Blood realm warrior. Has consumed too many Ancestral Return Pills. His ancestor has corrupted his bloodline, warping his temperament and making his behavior erratic.]

Qi Yuan murmured, "What a shame Zhong Niao isn't here. She could diagnose him properly."

Then, he turned to Yang Guang. "Will you be under the influence of your ancestor if you consume too many Ancestral Return Pills?"

Yang Guang's expression grew serious. "Usually no, but in rare cases, yes. Some bloodlines treat their descendants as nothing more than fuel. If you encounter that kind of lineage, the only solution is a full blood replacement."

"I see." Qi Yuan was rather curious about his bloodline’s ancestral origins. "During this mission, I plan to hunt some demons for their essence blood. You can keep me safe, right?”

Yang Guang thumped his chest. "Absolutely! With me here, you'll come back loaded."

After all, there was a limit to how much demon essence blood one could absorb. Yang Guang assumed that Qi Yuan only had to kill a single early-stage Jade Blood demon to meet his target.

Qi Yuan smiled, genuinely pleased with himself. "Excellent. I'll be in your care, Brother Yang Guang."

Having hired a bodyguard, he could slack off during the mission.

Yang Guang nodded with quiet confidence. The Genius Alliance token was as good as his. The only variable was Zhou Yuan, who could strike from the shadows.

A few more words were exchanged, and then the glowing cloud platform flashed. Nearly twenty people arrived simultaneously in the Mission World.

1. An egg!🥚time for some minoxidil. ☜