Chapter 8: Qi Yuan’s Online Friend

Chapter 8: Qi Yuan’s Online Friend

Qi Yuan walked slowly through the Shen Guang Sect, with a vegetable knife in tow. Along the way, he occasionally heard laughter and some sweet talk. Such a harmonious cultivation world.

He looked at the sky and said, "It's time to return to the peak." The time was still early, and he could open the game jade slip to play a game.

By the time he returned to Qise Peak, it was already late at night. On the peak, the white jade palace was illuminated by a half moon. The cold moonlight fell through the night, revealing a graceful silhouette that disappeared after a glance at Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan looked away and glanced at Jiang Lingsu's thatched hut, murmuring to himself, "If there were these immobilizing talismans on Earth, houses wouldn't collapse during earthquakes."

After sighing, he led the vegetable knife back to his small courtyard. The yard was empty, waiting only for Qi Yuan's footsteps. He untied the rope from the vegetable knife handle and said, "No need to tie you up at home, just don't wreck the place, and no one will hit you."

Qi Yuan stroked the small nicks on the knife and began to enter the game jade slip world. However, as he entered the game, Qi Yuan was stunned.

"She's online?"

When he first obtained the game jade slip, Qi Yuan treated it as a gaming console. (Note: The protagonist has an unusual mindset, behaves erratically, and is neurotic.) At that time, the game map was not unlocked.

Qi Yuan inexplicably added a friend and entered the friend list. This was the only friend he made when he was sick. Since becoming ill, he lived alone without anyone to talk to. The in-game friend became his companion.

Qi Yuan also treated her as a fellow gamer. They often chatted about various topics, mostly Qi Yuan listening to her. However, her conversation was odd, occasionally mentioning terms like "imperial guards" and "prime minister." Qi Yuan guessed she might be a wealthy heiress who hadn't fully taken over the family business.

They talked a lot, and Qi Yuan once suggested, "Let's team up in the game." Unfortunately, after the game map refreshed, his friend list disappeared, and he never saw her again, let alone teamed up.

Now, seeing her in the friend list, he thought for a moment and sent a message: "Are you there?"

Now that he had traveled to the cultivation world, she might not be around.

...

Mist filled the air, and the ink painting on the screen seemed stained, appearing with elongated patterns.

In her view, Qi Yuan was a free-spirited monster hunter. His terms like "fighting monsters" and "game map" referred to hunting beasts.

Qi Yuan shrugged, "We players are the Fourth Calamity. What's dangerous? Those monsters are just our experience packs."

Jin Li felt reassured by his familiar tone and response. Every time they talked, even if Qi Yuan's words were odd, she felt a sense of peace.

"I fought monsters alone for half a year. Want to team up? Male-female pairing, work less tiring. With the two of us, we'd reach level 100 in no time."

Jin Li replied, "I have things to handle at home and can't leave."

"So busy you don't even have time to game. Sigh, you wealthy folks work so hard. What about us poor folks?" Qi Yuan's message made Jin Li smile.

"Why don't you come help me fight monsters? I just switched maps, and there are plenty here. I need your help, Miss Jin."

Seeing his light tone, Jin Li knew he wasn't in danger. She smiled, "I'm not available now."

"What are you doing? Working late?"

"I'm..." Jin Li hesitated before sending, "bathing."

Qi Yuan paused. "Should we meet after your bath?"

Jin Li smiled wryly, "I can't make it."

But she thought of something and asked, "Where are you?"

"I was in Xuanyuan Forbidden Area, now heading to Yiguan Forbidden Area," Qi Yuan answered truthfully. He was in the game's teleportation array, preparing to go to the next map.

"Xuanyuan Forbidden Area? Yiguan Forbidden Area?" Jin Li was stunned. Those were among the four forbidden areas, where even king-level experts could die, and emperor-level experts might fall. Xuanyuan Forbidden Area was inaccessible even to emperor-level experts.