Chapter 6: What? We Can't Even Catch a Chicken?
The Xuantian Sect is a top-tier grand sect. Every inner disciple has a life-bound jade tablet kept here; when a person dies, their tablet shatters.
Lin Aohuang walked into the grand hall with the Sect Master, intending to take the fragments of Su Qingyue’s jade tablet and discard them. As their eyes swept over the collection, both master and disciple froze.
What was that?
"How is this possible?" she exclaimed in astonishment. "We all saw her die! Her body was reduced to ashes and pulverized by the heavenly lightning!"
Yet, the jade tablet engraved with Su Qingyue’s name stood perfectly intact, merely dimmed, still glowing with a steady light.
The Sect Master was equally incredulous. The jade tablets had never failed; how could the life-bound tablet of a dead person remain whole? But the facts were undeniable: the dead woman’s tablet was truly unbroken and flawless.
After a moment of silence, the Sect Master’s expression darkened. "That wretched beast. The Su family has inherited their legacy for thousands of years; she must have used some magical treasure to fake her death and escape!"
He flicked his sleeves and stormed off, his face grim, clearly intending to dispatch disciples to hunt Su Qingyue down.
Lin Aohuang stood before the jade tablet, toying with the blood-stained, still-warm golden core in her hand. A wicked, unrestrained smile spread across her face.
"Ha! So you aren't dead after all? Then I'll let you live a few more days!"
She must let her live a few more days, she thought—to use as a toy, to play with to her heart's content!
Watching Su Qingyue struggle in her death throes, thinking she had a glimmer of hope, trembling as she eked out a few more days of life, only to be utterly destroyed in the end—that would be far more amusing!
She could hardly wait; she wanted to see the despair on that beautiful face right now!
Meanwhile, back with the players.
The young girl, whose beauty was beyond the reach of language, seemed startled by the sudden commotion. Her eyes, as brilliant as a sky filled with stars, widened, shimmering with ripples of light.
She remained silent for a few seconds before lowering her head with a dim expression.
"I have been unjustly accused and have lost everything. Now, I must travel alone to my family’s ancestral grounds. The journey is treacherous and the path ahead unknown. Would you guests from another world be willing to accompany me? If it is convenient, perhaps you would be willing to join the sect I intend to build. One day, sooner or later, we shall make a name for ourselves across this continent."
With such a beauty looking at you with dim, expectant eyes, who could refuse her request? She didn't even need to say a word; everyone would naturally want to offer her the very best of everything.
As soon as she spoke, the players immediately shouted in unison: "Of course! Fairy Qingyue, we will never betray you!"
"We will be your blades, helping you become invincible! Whatever you want, we will find it for you—just give the command!"
"That’s right, we are forever loyal to the Fairy!"
"Exactly! We are the Fairy’s dogs! Please, let us serve by your side!"
"Joining the sect is a must! You couldn't drag me away even if you killed me!"
"Don't say 'perhaps,' of course we want to join!"
"Fairy, you are too humble! Why just make a name on the continent? We’ll help you flatten the world and dominate the entire plane! Where the wife flies, the husband follows forever!"
The players erupted into a chaotic display of loyalty, but the determination and excitement in their voices were unmistakable.
[Beginner Quest 1: Pledge loyalty to Fairy Qingyue - Completed.]
[Quest Rewards: 600 EXP, 50 Reputation, 5 Spirit Stones, 10 Silver, +5 Affection with Su Qingyue for all members.]
[Large-scale Main Quest 1: Protector of the Flower - Triggered.]
[Quest Description: The wrongly framed Fairy Qingyue has been exiled to the Su family ancestral grounds. The journey is fraught with extreme danger. You, who have come from another world, have decided to escort her safely. Please protect her until she reaches the ancestral lands.]
[Upon reaching the ancestral grounds, the quest will be completed, unlocking the Sect System, Farming/Homesteading System, Life Professions, and the Contribution Shop. Players, please work hard!]
[Players can redeem homesteads, land, and materials from the shop based on their contribution points.]
[Quest Rewards: 8000 EXP, 1000 Reputation, 500 Contribution Points, 100 Spirit Stones, 300 Silver, +30 Affection with Su Qingyue for all members. Each player may choose one top-tier profession set and weapon. Job advancement unlocks at level 10.]
[Extra rewards for outstanding performance! Lazy players will have rewards deducted!]
[Note: If the main protagonist NPC dies, the quest cannot be refreshed, and the game will end immediately.]
The players’ eyes turned even more fervent. They felt that even if they died, they had to protect the girl before them. If she died, she was gone, and they couldn't play the game anymore.
In a game this realistic, they couldn't let it end.
Besides, the rewards were too generous!
Escorting her to the territory would be their graduation from the beginner village, immediately unlocking a host of features including homesteading and life professions. They could get anything they wanted, plus a massive amount of EXP, reputation, and contribution points, not to mention gear!
Finishing this could even level them up several times!
With such high rewards, their "daughter/wife" was simply a goddess—so generous! They were in! Being lazy was absolutely out of the question!
It was unlikely that any other faction could lure them away now, not to mention that most players had been drawn in by the image of the beautiful, powerful, yet tragic girl in the promotional videos.
After seeing that face—which could topple kingdoms—in person, they had fallen instantly. Combined with such rich quest rewards, betrayal was impossible.
Initially, Su Qingyue was quite touched. Although the players were noisy and their words were simple and blunt, the enthusiasm and affection behind them made her feel warm inside.
However...
"I’m telling you, my wife is so beautiful! I’d be her dog; I’d even lick the skin of her exposed ankles!"
"Wow, you’re such a pervert. I’m different—I’m drooling over the Fairy’s waist!"
They were not only whispering among themselves; one particularly eccentric player, "Dobi Tiantian Kaixin," was so bewitched by her beauty that he lost his mind and rushed in front of her:
"Wife, I love you to death! You are simply too beautiful! Oh my god, I’m going to die—Wife, please step on my face!"
Everyone else: ???!!! Good heavens, brother, you are truly brave. Whispering it was one thing, but you actually dared to perform in front of an important NPC?
And dude, aren't you a big-time influencer? Where is the dignity and restraint of a streamer with a million followers?
Was his mouth really moving faster than his brain?
Sure enough, a system-wide notification appeared: [Warning: Player "Dobi Tiantian Kaixin" has offended Fairy Qingyue, the current Sect Master. Su Qingyue Affection -10, Reputation -20.]
Seeing the affection and reputation points drop into the negative, "Dobi Tiantian Kaixin" was left weeping in a corner, life seemingly devoid of meaning.
The other players, who had been itching to act, immediately tightened their behavior, terrified of losing points.
Even if she were an un-romanceable character, she was still the faction leader; having low affection would be a huge disadvantage. Starting the first day with negative affection was just too tragic!
Not to mention the loss of reputation—in games like this, reputation was usually incredibly useful. It was used for everything from exchanging resources to buying land, upgrading gear, and gaining titles. If they lost too much just for the sake of a quick joke, they wouldn't be able to make it up even if they cried.
Well, at least they could still be as wild as they wanted on the forums! Time to start the "shipping" threads!
Still, this game was way too realistic, wasn't it?