Chapter 3
The aroma of food stirred Li Qingran's appetite. After her cultivation was crippled, she could no longer fast; the meat of demon beasts was often highly toxic, and she couldn't tell the difference. All she could eat were wild fruits and roots from the mountains.
Hiding under the bed was not a solution.
Cautiously, Li Qingran poked her head out from under the bed and mustered her courage to call out, "Which senior is casting spells here? I am Li Qingran, and I dare to request a meeting with you!"
Silence enveloped her, with no response, only the sound of heavy rain drumming against the bamboo window.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Qingran decided to come out from under the bed.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't scared, but considering the other party's immense power, did she really have any chance to resist if they wanted to do something? Just moments ago, she felt a warm touch on the sole of her foot, as if the senior was mocking her for hiding under the bed and leaving a trace...
Thinking of this made Li Qingran bite her lip, her face flushing.
Forget it, if I’m going to die, then so be it.
She crawled out from under the bed and glanced around, finding no suspicious figures in the room.
Her gaze, however, inevitably fell on the lavish spread of food on the table.
“Gulp—!”
The sound of her swallowing and the growl of her stomach echoed simultaneously.
She awkwardly sat down at the table, staring at the dishes but not picking up her chopsticks.
Instead, she clasped her hands in a gesture of respect and bowed, saying, “If the senior is unwilling to show themselves, could you please inform me if I can eat this food? If you remain silent, I will not touch your things, even if I starve to death.”
With that, Li Qingran sat before the feast, closed her eyes, and entered a meditative state.
…
Chen Huai'an hastily prepared a simple meal of scrambled eggs with tomatoes for lunch.
When he returned and checked his phone, he saw that Li Qingran had emerged from under the bed and was now sitting at the dining table in meditation. However, her body looked unsteady, her cat-like face glistening with beads of sweat, and her nostrils flaring, clearly struggling against the temptation of food.
“What a sight!” Chen Huai'an chuckled.
Who meditates in front of food? Is she trying to train her willpower? That little girl’s chin is practically hovering over the roast chicken.
【Li Qingran requests permission to eat the nutritious meal. Do you agree?】
A dialogue box popped up.
“Do I really have to approve this? How strict!”
Chen Huai'an shook his head in amused disbelief and chose to agree.
In the game, Li Qingran seemed to have heard something; she opened her eyes, her face lighting up with joy.
“Thank you, senior!”
“Whoa, there’s even a voice!”
A clear and pleasant female voice startled Chen Huai'an, nearly causing him to drop his phone. He hadn’t turned on the sound earlier because the game had no background music, so he assumed there was no audio. It was only when he turned up the volume that he discovered realistic ambient sounds, like the crackling of the fire and the torrential rain outside.
But he never expected Li Qingran to have her own voice actor.
As the saying goes, small workshops use great materials!
Chen Huai'an continued to watch the girl eat.
At first, Li Qingran took small bites, but soon her chopsticks moved faster and faster, transforming into a frenzy of eating that left him dumbfounded.
Only in a game could a character eat that quickly.
…
After finishing her meal, Li Qingran picked up a small cloth to wipe her mouth, her face flushed as she bowed in gratitude. “I haven’t had such delicious food in a long time. I will never forget your kindness, senior!”
While she was meditating with her eyes closed, she suddenly heard a voice say “Okay.”
The sound resonated like a grand echo, penetrating her soul.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a massive golden character—“可” (kě)—floating above the food.
This voice was clearly a form of sound transmission.
Many cultivators could condense spiritual energy into words.
However, this spiritual character didn’t draw from the surrounding energy; it was generated out of thin air. This meant that the spiritual character came along with the sound transmission. She couldn’t help but wonder how far away this senior was when they transmitted their voice.
Hiss...
Li Qingran couldn’t help but gasp, feeling that the mysterious senior was even more enigmatic. But for now, it seemed that this senior had no ill intentions toward her.
“Senior, I will clean up the dishes now.”
Li Qingran stood up with the plate and walked outside.
The rain was still pouring, the sky overcast, and the dense sheets of rain reduced visibility to less than five meters. All she could hear was the patter of raindrops and the distant rumble of thunder.
“The rain is heavier than before…”
Glancing at the sky, a wave of gratitude washed over her.
If it weren’t for the senior providing her with this house, her dilapidated hut would probably have collapsed by now.
Outside the house was a small corridor. She walked along the eaves and quickly found the wooden bucket she had left outside yesterday. Originally, this bucket was meant to collect rainwater for drinking, and now it was full, making it convenient for her to wash the dishes.
【Li Qingran is washing the dishes.】
【Li Qingran’s favorability +5, current: 10.】
“Wow, I can even wash dishes?! A favorability system is not surprising, though.”
Chen Huai'an thought the game was getting more impressive.
The characters were vivid, and there were so many interactive elements.
Why hadn’t he seen this game online before?
As he waited for his identity and health report, which would take a few minutes, Chen Huai'an began to explore other features and soon discovered a new world.
He initially thought the game’s scope was limited to the area around the small house, but it turned out otherwise—there was a map, and it was vast! When he unfolded the entire map, he saw that Li Qingran’s location was just a tiny circle, with green dots indicating her position. The surrounding area was shrouded in black mist, likely because it hadn’t been explored yet.
Aside from the small house, there was a large building resembling a sect that wasn’t covered in mist, with three golden characters written on it—Qingyun Sect.
“Hey? Isn’t that the sect Li Qingran used to belong to?”
Chen Huai'an furrowed his brow. Since Li Qingran was a disciple of Qingyun Sect, why wasn’t she there? And why was she in such a dire situation? Moreover, this place wasn’t far from Qingyun Sect; it was probably just a short walk up the mountain.
There must be quite a story behind this...
He minimized the map again.
But then his expression changed.
He saw five red dots appear near the small house, rapidly moving toward Li Qingran’s location!
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Chapter 4: All of Them Will Be Blown Up
Chen Huai'an usually didn’t play games, but he had seen enough to know that red dots on a game map typically indicated enemies.
These five red dots were moving at an alarming speed, closing in on the small house in just a breath or two.
“It’s over! Li Qingran is still outside washing dishes!”
In the game, Li Qingran was focused on scrubbing the plates, completely unaware of the danger surrounding her.
Chen Huai'an felt a chill run down his spine and quickly searched the game interface for any options to alert Li Qingran.
There were plenty of options on the game interface, but most were locked.
【Recharge one hundred to purchase a sound transmission talisman to communicate with Li Qingran once.】
A recharge interface popped up.
Without thinking about why the sound transmission talisman was so expensive, Chen Huai'an quickly made the purchase.
He received a payment notification from Alipay, and a talisman appeared in the center of the screen.
【Press and hold the talisman to speak.】
Chen Huai'an’s mouth twitched. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the sound transmission talisman and shouted, “Li Qingran, run!”
【Hurry!】
Li Qingran, who was washing the dishes, suddenly froze and looked around.
Just now, was that the senior’s voice?
“Awwooo—!”
A sharp wolf howl pierced through the rain.
Accompanied by a heavy growl, three demon wolves the size of water buffaloes burst into Li Qingran’s view, their pitch-black bodies looming ominously.
Behind them, two more shadowy figures of demon wolves flickered in and out of sight.
“Is that the Blackback Demon Wolf?”
How could this be...
Li Qingran quickly realized.
The demon wolf she had repelled earlier must have been a scout.
No wonder that demon wolf didn’t engage her directly; it retreated as soon as she put up any resistance. It turned out it was just gathering information.
Now, the nearest demon wolves were only five meters away.
Without any suspense, they lunged at her.
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