Some people say, “I’ll take a shower right now,” and three hours pass without them even turning on the water heater. Some say, “I’ll just move one brick in the game,” and before they know it, they’ve hauled ten bricks, huffing and puffing all the way.
System 007 had ultimately underestimated the players’ drive. Just three days later, in the early morning, Ruan Xuezong had barely risen from bed, not even having time to tie up his hair or don his coronet, when a commotion at the main gate startled him.
“Master, this is bad! A mob of rabble has suddenly shown up at the manor gate today.” The maid who came to report stood there with a stiff, panicked expression, her voice trembling slightly.
When Ruan Xuezong arrived at the scene, he finally understood why her face had been etched with such terror.
Heart Washing Manor had always been renowned throughout the land for its rustic tranquility and elegant demeanor. But now, its entrance was crammed with countless players leaping about like frogs in a frying pan. The refined atmosphere was gone, replaced by the chaotic bustle of Jiangnan City’s dockside vegetable market. Strangely enough, this crowd didn’t seem malicious at all. Instead, they buzzed with excitement: “I got lost on the road, begged for directions, got lost again begging, and finally found the place!”
“Wow, the scenery here with all these mountains and rivers is just stunning. Even the NPCs have faces smooth as a baby’s bottom, so fresh and dewy.”
“I’m starving. When do we eat?”
Impatient players who couldn’t wait climbed onto the gate roof, trying to scale the walls. The gatekeeper lads and guards swatted them down with brooms, but the players stubbornly climbed back up.
It was just like that old Earth arcade game Whack-a-Mole. A player would get knocked off one wall and seem to behave for a moment, only to poke their head slyly over another wall moments later, attempting the same trick—before getting swatted again.
The gatekeepers and players battled wits and brooms in a frenzy of chaos.
And these were players averaging level 1, their dusty faces radiating honest, simple enthusiasm. “We want quests! We want martial arts! And we want food and drink too!”
They had no martial prowess or internal energy to speak of, yet they carried the momentum to eat the manor out of house and home.
Ruan Xuezong stood there in his wind-swept overcoat, his brows gradually furrowing at the sight.
The mind-reading System 007 piped up at just the right moment: 【Don’t get mad. Newbie players are always like this—they start out knowing nothing and gradually grow. They’re all level 1 right now, not much use yet, but their enthusiasm and obedience are their biggest strengths.】
【You can assign them more tasks to level them up quickly. Once they’re stronger, they can handle all sorts of things for you.】 With players swarming from afar now an unstoppable trend, System 007 couldn’t block them, so it racked its circuits to convince Ruan Xuezong to keep them around.
Considering that Ruan Xuezong was a native, to make its pitch more persuasive, System 007 ran the calculations for him on the players’ leveling system and health bar progression. Players leveled up purely through experience points, earned via quests. Ruan Xuezong had system-granted authority to issue quests anytime, anywhere—letting players grind levels while running errands and grow stronger in the process.
As for health bar progression, it was even simpler and more brutal. Ruan Xuezong grasped it immediately.
A level 1 player was fragile as glass, with only 300 HP—any Jianghu passerby with a smidge of martial skill could squash them like an ant. But at level 2, HP doubled to 600, enough to tank a couple of hits. At level 3, it doubled again…
By that point, Ruan Xuezong was thoroughly hooked.
Did Heart Washing Manor lack manpower? Absolutely.
Over the years, the manor had lost too many retainers, leaving it desperately short-staffed. Its businesses—the merchant associations, escort agencies, silk shops, taverns, and inns—were all on the brink, half-dead and wheezing. If he could train up this bunch of players, how could the manor not prosper?
Ruan Xuezong’s eyes gleamed as they swept toward the gate. A surge of excitement welled up in him, only to be doused by the sea of bobbing heads. No, still too many.
And none of them seemed particularly rule-abiding.
He needed to impose some serious discipline first.
Otherwise, these green-eyed, hunger-maddened players would bankrupt the manor with their first meal. Once he’d thought of a plan, Ruan Xuezong stepped forward.
Later, players compiled their own list of Jianghu’s Top Ten Most Epic Entrances, and Ruan Xuezong’s debut—bronze mask and all—claimed the top spot unchallenged! That ranking held steady as a rock until his next appearance, coincidentally maskless, which finally bumped it down.
It was almost magical. The scene had been a riot of noise and distraction, everyone’s attention scattered. Then Ruan Xuezong made his entrance—
Clad in flowing white robes and overcoat, he descended on lightfoot skill, his ink-black hair cascading like satin down his back, blooming like a red lotus amid the flames of purgatory. His feet touched down lightly, robes fluttering like a soaring wild goose, stealing the breath from every onlooker in an instant.
The players’ first reaction: What gorgeous lightfoot work! What graceful poise! Coach, sign me up!
Maybe it was that special NPC aura. The moment his feet hit the ground, the game seemed to slow time itself. A gentle breeze lifted strands of his dark hair, green bamboo leaves drifting past him in the air. The whole scene unfolded like a living painting.
Just then, the morning mist cleared, and the first ray of sunlight glinted off the bronze mask on his face, lending the moment an eerie, heart-pounding mystique.
The players’ second reaction: a collective step back and gasp. Holy crap, what a chilling mask! What overwhelming presence!
The once-noisy gate fell utterly silent.
The newcomer was, of course, Ruan Xuezong. Even though the Face Restoring Pill had restored his looks, from his past life to this one, he’d grown accustomed to a face marred by scars—a face that could hush a crying child with one glimpse. And considering the servants who grew dazed and sloppy whenever they saw his unmasked face, Ruan Xuezong had calmly decided to wear the mask after all.
In short, Ruan Xuezong’s entrance was legendary. Once the players recovered, they were equal parts awestruck and terrified, hearts pounding.
They’d already pored over the guides posted by Linghu Xiao and Sichuan Pepper Little Bunny on the game forums. In a flash, they realized: This had to be the hidden mastermind of Heart Washing Manor, Ruan Xuezong!
Five-Colored Mottled Black muttered under his breath, “Based on my years as a game reviewer playing ancient Earth titles, someone hiding their face usually means a 70% chance they’re a mysterious villain, 29.9% a tragic figure scarred beyond recognition, and 0.1% an otherworldly beauty too stunning to show without sparking chaos…”
He hadn’t finished when he sensed Ruan Xuezong quietly sizing him up, those eyes behind the mask as deep and dark as night.
“!!!”
Were martial artists’ ears really that sharp?
Emboldened after hearing Five-Colored Mottled Black’s breakdown, the gutsy players mustered their courage and stared at Ruan Xuezong openly.
Which of the three was he?
Sadly, aside from those piercing eyes, the bronze mask covered his face completely, airtight. They could only guess from his neck that the manor lord wasn’t old.
They’d never guess that this NPC Ruan Xuezong defied the categories entirely—he was all three.
Linghu Xiao wasn’t online that day.
Only Sichuan Pepper Little Bunny blended into the crowd, hand over her mouth, whispering what she thought was quietly: “From what I’ve scouted, Heart Washing Manor suffered a huge fire five years ago. Nearly half the people died in it, including the Young Master’s foster parents, the old manor lord and his wife. The Young Master escaped the blaze, but his face was apparently damaged, so he started wearing the mask. He won’t even let anyone near when he bathes.”
The words hit like a gut punch. The players instantly lost all urge to pry.
Damn, orphan with a ruined face? That’s some brutal backstory. You devs are heartless!
Only a few sharp-eyed players caught the whiff of main quest plot in phrases like “manor fire” and “near-total wipeout.”
Under the players’ gazes brimming with sympathy and concern, Ruan Xuezong cleared his throat twice and decisively changed the subject. “Welcome, young heroes, to Heart Washing Manor.”
“We ask neither your origins nor your motives. All who come are guests. The gates of Heart Washing Manor stand forever open to talented youths like you. But if you wish to join our ranks, you must abide by these rules. After all, without rules, nothing squares up in this world…”
“If there are no objections, then sign here.” Ruan Xuezong extended a hand languidly. With System 007’s aid, the rules and regulations in his mind materialized as sheets of paper, fluttering through the air like snowflakes.
The newbie players gawked in awe at the trick.
How to describe the hand emerging from beneath his overcoat?
Slender bones wrapped in thin skin, fingertips pale as snow with scant color. It looked refined, as if its owner had never wielded blade or sword, only lingered over antiques and scrolls in pampered luxury. Many couldn’t tear their eyes from that elegant hand. An NPC with beautiful hands couldn’t have an ugly face—they could easily picture how peerlessly handsome Ruan Xuezong’s model must have been before the disfigurement, which only deepened their heartache. Devs, you monsters!
The other players hopped up to snatch the papers and read them.
The sheets were covered in black ink: front side laid out the manor rules, back side the perks. In summary: Once joined, everyone was brothers—no stealing, no fighting. Defend the manor’s honor to the death in any trouble. The Young Master’s orders were absolute priority; no one else’s mattered. Do quests diligently to revive the manor, and you’d get three square meals a day, martial arts manuals, and endless experience points.
The rules were lengthy, and the interstellar players struggled, reading sluggishly. They hadn’t finished the rules before spotting the tail-end perks—experience, meals, manuals—and lost it.
The player with the ID “Salty Fish King” didn’t hesitate half a second. He stepped forward first, signed, and a system announcement blared like a trumpet: 【Ruan Xuezong’s favorability toward you has increased by 1.】
His action and the prompt set off a domino effect.
Players surged forward. “Pen! Pen! Whoever finishes signing, pass me the pen!”
As everyone knew, “I have read and agree to the terms” was gaming’s biggest lie. They barely glanced before grabbing brushes, scrawling names crookedly, or dipping fingers in vermilion ink for thumbprints—selling their souls without a clue.
They were thrilled, faces beaming with smug joy. “Whoa, we’re Heart Washing Manor folks now!” “A wandering hero’s like a blade of grass; one with a home’s like buried treasure.” “C’mon, let’s hit the forums and flex.”
To reward their zeal, Ruan Xuezong granted each an initial point of favorability.
With favors dispensed, it was time to work, folks.
