"...Tell me all you know about that 'book' which has ruined my life!"

As Fan Lin said this to Zhang Wei, a scarily serious expression was etched onto his face and his sky-blue eyes were burning with an intense desire for answers.

Taking a deep look at Fan Lin, Zhang Wei knew there was no more avoiding this subject.

Doing so would just cause a rift between them and create some undesirable results, therefore Zhang Wei decided it was time for him to divulge what he knew without mentioning the system.

"Brother Fan, do not fear I'll tell you what you want to know, so please don't give me such an eerie look!"

After Zhang Wei said that, Fan Lin's stiff expression fell as he scratched the back of his head with a slightly red face and said,

"Hehe, sorry Brother Zhang, I didn't mean to be so interrogative.

"It's just that the book has really caused me to make some major mistakes, and it has screwed with my life so much that I can't help myself when the truth is right in front of me.

"Please do tell me why that thing appeared in front of me, why it seems to re-appear everywhere I go even when I burn it to ashes, and why I am the only one that can see it?!

"You might not realise, but it's laying in the corner of this freezer right now!"

Hearing his words, Zhang Wei's eyebrows arched up from curiosity and he decided to take a glance around the freezer to see if what Fan Lin was saying was true.

As he scanned each corner, Zhang Wei was unable to see anything of substance- Just the occasional bag of meat or vegetables.

Seeing that Zhang Wei had finished looking, Fan Lin let out a sigh of disappointment and said with a tinge of sadness,

"Seems like you are also unable to see it, as if you could, you'd instantly recognise its vivid and detailed front cover art or the title of the book which is emboldened in resplendent golden text!

"Anyways, could you now please tell me what's going on with me, and how I can get rid of this stalker of mine that is in the form of a piece of text?"

After Fan Lin had pleaded for a third time, Zhang Wei took a deep breath and then said in a short yet impactful way that was reminiscent of a certain famous quote back in his previous life,

"You're a prophet, Fan Lin!"

Hearing his words, Fan Lin didn't jump in shock or anything but, instead, he patiently waited in silence for Zhang Wei to continue.

"See Fan Lin, although I sympathise with the notion that, 'one man's fortune, is another's misfortune', I have to be the bearer of bad news and say that, you, my friend, have received a blessing... not a curse.

"This book phenomenon that you're experiencing is, from my knowledge, a product of your innate ability to read the current of fate!

"Naturally, fate is something that no mere mortal can dabble with, including you!

"So when one tries to change the natural flow of it, backlash will inevitably strike!

"Making an educated guess, I can imagine that the reason a multitude of unfavourable things has come about you is due to the fact that you have consciously, or unconsciously, tried to change fate.

"In fact, I'd even hazard a guess at saying that you are not even meant to be here under the jurisdiction of fate!

"Not to patronise you or anything, but you are the bringer of your own misfortune!"

After Zhang Wei finished his speech, silence descended into the chamber of the freezer.

Fan Lin still had the same smile plastered on his face, however, he seemed to be stuck staring at one place as if he hadn't quite been able to take in the reality of what had been said- He was like a computer system that was unable to compute the commands given to it.

Seeing the statue-like Fan Lin, Zhang Wei couldn't help but feel as if he had made the wrong choice by piling all this down on him like that.

You've just gone and done it, Zhang Wei!

You've messed this up big time!

I mean what bearer of horrible news puts the blame on the victim of the whole situation?

Isn't this a textbook example of gaslighting?

Fuck!

Just as Zhang Wei was going to come up with a plan to somehow cheer up Fan Lin, the man himself seemed to remove himself from the trance-like state he was in and said in a downtrodden tone, as if he were speaking to himself,

"...So it is actually all my fault.

"How could I have not noticed all this time?

"It's due to the result of my own decisions, that I made of my own free will, that I have ended up in this shit situation.

"It wasn't the book that forced me to argue with my family, it wasn't the book that made me scurry away with my sister's dowry to get all the way here, and it certainly wasn't the book that forced me to join the servant quarters.

"HAHAHAHA!

"It was me all along! And I've just used it as a scapegoat as I couldn't bear standing up for my own actions and accepting the consequences!"

After he said his piece, Fan Lin's head fell downwards facing the ground- As if the string that held his head up had been cut- and he just stood in the same place had been, unmoving like a statue.

When Zhang Wei listened closely, he was able to hear the manic whispers of Fan Lin as he said,

"I'm pathetic.

"I have nowhere left to go.

"My parents would surely beat a son like me to death.

"And they probably... never want to see my face again.

"Heh, they probably won't as well as there is no way I will survive the cruel future.

"The sealed Ancient Blood Demon... the Adolescent Mythical Nine-Tailed Fox... even if the protagonist does save the day, there is no way in hell an untalented weakling like me will survive the chaos caused by these trials!

"As long as I get sent on a single unlucky mission in the vicinity of these dangerous entities in the next four years, I'll be gobbled up into the pits of hell before I can even see the protagonist deal with them.

"Oh mighty Heavenly Dao, how could you forsake me like this?!"

Hearing words that contained fancy names of some boss monsters, and how potentially dangerous the future would become, the gears in Zhang Wei's mind began winding faster than they had ever before!

My brother here seems to have gone into full crisis mode, and from the looks of it, the future isn't all that sunny.

Just putting aside the fact that dangerous guys will appear, from the sounds of it our good ol' protagonist will be exiting the scene to god knows where for a few years?!

That's not A-Okay.

Absolutely not.

I've worked my ass off to follow that guy to the outer sect, and now he's gonna just get up and ghost me for a few years?!

Could this get any worse?

"While the protagonist leaves for a time skip, the Azure Profound Sect falls from a third-class sect to a fourth-class one causing there to be fewer spirit stones in circulation meaning my chances of raising my cultivation to a decent level are even more difficult."

Fuck this.

I should stop listening to mister negativity for a minute and think up something for the imminent future.

Hmmmm.

Surely there will be ways of doing background character deeds without the presence of the protagonist, after all, most background characters never even get a single appearance or mention!

So the main issue isn't the system rewards, but survival and helping the protagonist beat these dangers away from me which then, by extension, is helping myself.

And for that, I have the perfect solution!

It's following my original plan of combining my role as a good background character, who makes sure everything behind the scenes is fine and dandy, and the role of a prophet, who knows the future, and making use of the two to produce a smooth outcome!

After being immersed in these thoughts for a while, and coming up with a solid plan he could follow, Zhang Wei began acting on it by saying,

"Oi, Fan Lin!

"Snap out of it, listen to what I have to say, and you might be able to get your life back on track!"

As Zhang Wei shouted to get Fan Lin's attention, the distraught boy's head slowly turned upwards revealing a scrunched-up expression with furrowed eyebrows, which seemed to convey multiple emotions at once, such as frustration, fear, helplessness and disappointment.

Seeing him, Zhang Wei shook his head and said resolutely,

"Even though I don't know the full extent of the situation, I know that just because it seems bad now, doesn't mean you should just give up!

"If you took the time to think about the positives of your unique power and implemented them well, then you could really turn this situation completely around!

"Think about it!

"Although you cannot 'change' a predetermined outcome, which is fate, you can most certainly change certain variables around it that do not affect the overall picture!

"A perfect example can be this exact moment, although we took something we shouldn't have had according to your 'book', nothing has become of us or stopped us!

"It means that we have some leeway, and therefore a chance of survival even if we are in the eye of the storm.

"So stop being a sulking pessimist and let's team up to avoid this seemingly 'certain death!

"With your knowledge of the future, there is nothing we can't do!"

After preaching, Zhang Wei stuck his hand out waiting for a handshake.

Seeing the hand sticking out to him, Fan Lin was stunned and fell into thought.

H-He could be right!

There might be a way to get out of this.

Maybe I could even make something out of this and go back to my family!

With a small smile on his face, that looked much better than his previous expression, Fan Lin took Zhang Wei's hand and said with a determined tone,

"Fine then!

"I won't accept dying a dog's death like this, so I'll agree to team up!"

Hearing his words, Zhang Wei gave a toothy smile and felt relieved that he'd succeeded.

However, just when he thought it was over, Fan Lin posed a question which made Zhang Wei's eyebrow twitch,

"But... what skills do you have to add to the team?

"I-I'm not dissing you or anything here, I'm just curious as to what your skill set is.

"After all, we are a team."

Looking at Fan Lin with a frown, Zhang Wei's face turned a bit red and he quickly responded,

"Moral support, you bastard!"

...

The day flew by quickly as Zhang Wei met up with the rest of his friends, after separating from Fan Lin, and they walked around the servant quarters reminiscing about all the good and bad times they had in there.

Zhang Wei did end up giving a few thousand coppers to the servant quarters' administrators on behalf of Lin Fan's name, netting him another thirty days of cultivation.

Anyways, after meeting up with Senior Brother Qin the next morning, the group of nine servants, excluding Lin Fan, walked up the mountains and went through the gates which separated the outer sect area and the servant area.

If you were wondering why Lin Fan wasn't with the group, Zhang Wei wasn't too sure either.

The senior brother remained silent about it, and apparently, he was taken to the outer sect by an elder or something the day prior.

The first, and only, place the senior brother took the servants to, was the Affairs Hall, which was a large building that contained multiple counters and desks inside with disciples and elders behind them.

In this area, the servants all got officially registered as disciples and received a load of items.

These items included, a wooden token with the word 'outer' and a number written on it, three sets of robes that matched exactly what the senior brother was wearing, and another token which allowed a disciple to go to the sect library and take a technique.

After that, they each were also given a copy of the Azure Profound Sect's signature qi cultivation method and their monthly allowance of twenty spirit stones.

Then they were left to their own devices.

The number on the token they were given was the new disciples' courtyard number, and therefore many of the servants decided to make it their first priority to see their new home.

Some also decided to visit the martial library, to see decide what techniques would suit them the best.

Zhang Wei, however, decided to explore the outer sect and its intricacies.

After all, he'd finally taken a step forward in life and wanted to enjoy himself and maybe even take in the authentic xianxia experience he'd always wanted to do.

A little bit of cultural enrichment- to make it sound fancy.

He hastily left the Affairs Hall with burning excitement to discover what this fascinating place- which is a staple in all xianxia- had to offer.

However, before he could even begin his expedition a large, bulky man with a sinister expression blocked his way just outside the entrance.

Seeing the plain-looking Zhang Wei, a smirk appeared on his face and he said in a deep voice,

"Woah woah woah, Junior Brother, where do you think you're rushing to?

"Aren't you aware of the rules around here?

"Every junior is to respect their senior brothers!

"And this senior over here just so happens to be short on spirit stones lately, so I was hoping you, a junior brother, could help me out seeing that you've been given your monthly allowance!"

"..."

Nevermind.

Fuck the authentic xianxia experience!

I should've just gone to the safety of my courtyard!

As Zhang Wei was drowning in regret, the senior brother seemed dissatisfied with a lack of an answer and said angrily,

"Why am I not hearing a reply?!

"Are you mute, or is this just you looking down on this senior brother?"

Hearing that this fat senior brother was not only a scammer, but a short-tempered scammer, Zhang Wei couldn't help but think,

It really is hard being a background character.

...