This kind of thing seemed like a joke to outsiders, an amusing twist of fate. But it was not so delightful for the person involved. Wei Shu genuinely fell for someone, even if it was just through a screen and they had never truly met each other.
Song Que noticed the change in Wei Shu’s expression and stopped joking. He pressed a few buttons to display the sensation of pain in front of everyone and then turned the pain level up to one hundred percent.
This action was a bit strange in the current scene, and it seemed to carry a different kind of implication.
Song Que walked up to Wei Shu, took out his sword, and stabbed his thigh three times. Every stab really penetrates the body. Three gaping wounds were stark and bloody. Song Que was in excruciating pain. His physical points were frozen again. He had not had time to thaw them out. At this moment, his body looked tall and strong, but in reality it was as weak as a chicken.
After those three stabs, Song Que’s face turned pale and he broke out in a cold sweat, all from the pain.
Someone nearby said “I admire you for being such a man”, but Song Que did not turn to look, but just looked at the silent Wei Shu.
Wei Shu was really caught off guard by this development. She had considered many possibilities. She thought Song Que might not admit it, or that he wouldn’t see it as a big deal, or that he might not believe it affected her feelings. She even thought he might mock her for her orientation. But she had never thought that Song Que would apologize so calmly, waiting for her response with gentle eyes full of remorse, as if he genuinely understood the pain he had caused her.
The sense of loss and resentment couldn’t simply vanish with those three gaping wounds, but the anger and desire to lash out had faded. Wei Shu’s silence at this moment was only because she didn’t know what to do next.
Song Que misunderstood her silence, thinking it was not enough. After thinking for a while, he said, “How about I jump once in apology while feeling this pain? That should lower my level by one.”
Song Que was a man of action. In his opinion, any problem that could be solved in this way was not a problem. He jumped off the Duanqing Cliff without waiting for Wei Shu’s answer.
Wei Shu was shocked. Jumping off the cliff with the pain level set to one hundred percent. Was he out of his mind! Wei Shu rushed forward and tried to grab Song Que, but was dragged down with him.
Although “Jianghu Strategy” strived for realism, it still included a basic stat allocation feature to balance the physical differences between male and female character, tweaking it in one specific way. Under the same physical conditions, male characters were heavier, while female characters were more agile. This meant that if the stats weren’t allocated properly, a female character may not be able to carry a male character, and a male character could risk straining himself while performing certain actions. The chief planner said that this setup was just to add a little fun, but this fun nearly cost Wei Shu her life.
She had invested a significant amount of strength points for a female character. If she used her skills, she might have been able to pull Song Que back. Unfortunately, the holographic world led her to make a mistake. That one grab was just a simple attempt, and it ended up dragging her down instead.
The onlookers who watched the whole scene unfold were left dumbfounded.
“What are they doing? The Duanqing Cliff won’t kill you.”
Yes, the Duanqing Cliff has a well-known bug, you can’t die from the fall. There were instances in the past where someone accidentally fell and ended up being bounced back by a barrier at the bottom. Someone submitted this bug to the GM, but received no response. Clever players speculated that there must be a quest related to the cliff. During that period of time, people jumped off the cliff daily, but it proved useless. Over time, everyone forgot about it.
At this moment, someone joked: “Isn’t this what they call love-hate, a pact of mutual demise?”
Wei Shu, who was holding Song Que, was not so happy. She had just been flustered with concern, but now she realized the bug of Duanqing Cliff and exclaimed: “You knew the cliff wouldn’t kill us or hurt us, didn’t you? You did this on purpose!”
Song Que was stunned for a moment. His knowledge of the game’s mechanics was pitifully lacking. He could only say: “Ah, You can’t die from the fall? Why?”
Seeing his innocent expression, Wei Shu felt a twinge of doubt. She didn’t know whether to believe him. Just then, they both fell with a thud and “died” together.
The two, covered in blood, clicked to respawn, and a message appeared before them:
「Congratulations to Hero Wei Shu and Hero Que Zhi for achieving the ‘Life and Death Together’ accomplishment」
Wei Shu’s face was livid, and she looked like she wanted to hit someone.
Song Que was lying on the ground, his face pale. That fall had given him a real sense of his bones and muscles being shattered. Although the pain should disappear immediately after respawning, that feeling seemed to remain in his neural network, making him unable to move for a long time.
Once the shocked system regained its composure, it mockingly said: “Now you know what pain feels like. It should teach you a lesson. See if you still dare to act recklessly just because you can’t die.”
Song Que said: “Baby, I appreciate your concern.”
System: He’s at it again!
Song Que decided to lie on the ground for a while. Wei Shu with her pain level set to just thirty percent, sat up and glanced at him. Remembering his one hundred percent pain, she muttered, “Crazy,” and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you okay? Do you need to log off and rest for a bit?”
Song Que smiled at her and said: “Actually, I think if I just lie down for another ten seconds and catch my breath, I will be fine. Are you still angry?”
Wei Shu was speechless for a moment, and finally said: “Who can get angry with a madman?”
Wei Shu decided to forgive him subtly, telling herself it was like a breakup, losing that gentle and considerate girl.
Song Que smiled and playfully blinked his eyes, looking somewhat childlike.
Wei Shu said depressedly: “More than that, I want to know why we both ‘died’. Did the game company fix that bug?”
Song Que didn’t even know there was such a bug. At this moment, he could only smile and remain silent. But when he caught sight of a figure in the distance, he suddenly sat up straight.
“There’s someone.”
The person who came was a woman with long flowing hair, her dress wrapped around her body tightly. Compared to the players’ outfits, hers seemed overly conservative. She was a beautiful NPC with a melancholy expression.
Wei Shu’s mind raced as she realized that they might be about to trigger some significant quest.
The name on the NPC’s head was Bai Qin. She walked up to the two of them and began to talk to herself: “I never expected that after all these years, I would actually wait for a pair of doomed lovers like you.”
Wei Shu, who had been very unhappy since achieving the ‘Life and Death Together’ accomplishment, now had a completely darkened expression.
Song Que wanted to laugh a little, but both of them realized this could be the start of a hidden quest, so they didn’t interrupt Bai Qin.
Bai Qin didn’t give the mission directly, but sized them up. She looked at Song and asked: “Are you from Wuqiu Manor?”
Song Que nodded.
Bai Qin asked again: “Who is your master?”
Song Que recalled the information interface and found that he was a disciple of Bai Song, so he said: “My master is Bai Song.”
Bai Qin seemed momentarily taken aback, her expression tinged with a hint of melancholy.
“You can call me shishu. Come to my thatched cottage and let’s tend to your injuries.”
[师叔” (shī shū) master’s younger brother in English. Despite the literal translation, this term is also commonly used to refer to Martial Aunts]
The less Bai Qin announced the quest directly, the more restless Wei Shu felt. Just think about it, a place that no one has ever visited, and an NPC that no one has ever seen!
The two followed Bai Qin to her thatched cottage. Bai Qin gave them a medicine box. Wei Shu opened it to find a substantial supply of blue potions and health potions, with impressive quantities and duration for replenishment. The quest hadn’t even started yet!.
Wei Shu happily put the medicine away, but when she turned around, she found that Song Que had already started swallowing the medicine like he was taking a candy. Wei Shu poked him and asked: “What are you doing?”
Although that fall had been brutal, they weren’t in a battle now. He could easily use food to recover. Why was he using such high-quality potions?
Song Que tried to remind her of Bai Qin’s words: “First, let’s tend to your injuries.”
Bai Qin had already come over with something in hand. She glanced at Song Que’s rosy face and nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Wei Shu and said, “Are young girls nowadays so scheming?”
Wei Shu wanted to fight the NPC, but Song Que held her back and explained to Bai Qin, “Senior, the potions are just too effective. She wants to save them for emergencies. It might seem a bit stingy, but it’s actually quite adorable, don’t you think?”
Bai Qin glanced at the two of them, smiled, and said, “I still prefer it if you call me shishu.”
Song Que and Wei Shu had already discovered that Bai Qin was not as gentle and amiable as her appearance suggested. She was actually quite capricious in her moods.
Song Que readily said: “Shishu.”
Bai Qin seemed satisfied. After a moment of contemplation, she turned to Wei Shu again and asked, “You use a knife? Which sect are you from?”
Wei Shu said, “I am a disciple of the Yuelun Manor.”
Bai Qin nodded thoughtfully.
Song Que took this opportunity to say, “You asked me to call you shishu, so that means you’re also a disciple of Wuqiu Manor?”
Bai Qin seemed to recall something and said with a smile, “Your master is my shixiong.”
[师兄 (shī xiōng) martial elder brother or senior brother in English]
Song Que said, “Then shishu, why are you staying in this place?”
Bai Qin said, “Because I did something wrong, and later I wanted to make up for it, but my master wouldn’t allow it. He feared I would fall into obsession and madness. So he made a bet with me, he wanted me to realize that the infatuated men and resentful women in this world are nothing but this. I don’t have to ask that heartless person for an explanation. If I win the bet, he will let me find him. If I lose, I must reflect on my mistakes at this Duanqing Cliff, and decide when to give up, when to leave the cliff and return to the manor.”
Song Que couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional after listening to this. It was obvious that Bai Qin had lost the bet, which was why she had been waiting at the cliff for so long, but she remained as stubborn as a rock, unwilling to leave the cliff and admit her mistake.
Bai Qin said: “Every year, many people come to jump off this Duanqing Cliff, but they are all people who suffer from love, seeking what they cannot have. Those who vow to die together often regret it when the moment arrives. There has never been a pair of lovers who can really stay together through life and death. You two are the first. After seeing so many infatuated men and resentful women, I’ve started to understand things more clearly, but I am too ashamed to see my master. Now, with you two, I have an excuse to return to the manor. I wonder how my master is doing now.”
SongQue, who lacked knowledge of common game rules, couldn’t think of anything to say. Wei Shu then asked: “Senior, what is your master’s name? ”
Bai Qin said, “My master’s name is Yuan Qing.”
Wei Shu said, “Yuan Qing? He was the previous master of Wuqiu Manor. He disappeared more than ten years ago, apparently after having a duel with someone named Xiao Lingfeng on Riyue Peak. After that, neither of them was seen again. Some people said that they were dead, while others claim to have seen them both later. But in the end, all traces of them were lost. ”
Bai Qin was shocked and said, “What did you say! My master went to find Xiao Lingfeng? So that’s what happened… Master was afraid I couldn’t defeat Xiao Lingfeng… So that’s why…”
Bai Qin suddenly knelt on the ground and burst into tears. She knew Xiao Lingfeng’s strength better than anyone else. When she initially wanted to find him, it was because, first, she wanted to ask clearly whether he was really just using her. Second, she had made up her mind that if he had no true feelings for her, she would die with him to avenge this grudge and wipe away this hatred!
But she had never considered that all of this would cost her master’s life!
