This was far too conspicuous. The boatman would have to be a fool not to notice something amiss. Sure enough, he rowed over, a flicker of wariness crossing his weathered face as he spotted the group of players.
Yet in the end, he said nothing, as if he were merely a silent ferryman.
The small boat glided forward across the calm water’s surface, and the players couldn’t help holding their breath as they watched the painted pleasure boat draw nearer. The vessel was enormous, towering over the river like a floating palace. Its eaves were adorned with over a dozen red lanterns that glowed with an eerie, spectral allure in the darkness.
“What kind of place is this, exactly?” the players muttered, gripping their knives, spears, swords, halberds, sickles, hoes, and flails tightly. “It smells like a combat instance to me!”
The boatman remained utterly silent throughout the journey, speaking not a word, like a dutiful guide NPC. Only when they reached the pleasure boat did he finally say coldly, “Honored guests, you’ve arrived.”
“Old timer, what exactly is this place?” one player couldn’t hold back and blurted out the question.
“A place that fulfills your wishes and makes you rich beyond your dreams!” The boatman lowered his head coldly, raised his wooden oar, and rowed away again.
Off to pick up the second batch of players, the third batch… He had always prided himself on his enduring vigor, but that night nearly exhausted him to death.
The players boarded one after another. Before entering the treasure ship’s interior, their minds buzzed with wild speculation about what this place could be. But once they saw the inside, a single “Holy shit!” couldn’t even begin to capture their shock.
It looked just like an elegantly antique pleasure house, filled with the strains of pipa and guzheng. However, every guest in attendance wore a mysteriously inscrutable mask, with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones laid out before them.
Each person appeared refined and scholarly, their true identities impossible to discern. There were also a few without masks, looking just as bewildered as the players.
A similar set of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones sat before the players. They picked up the flower note paper ready for writing and discovered it was completely blank, seemingly waiting to be filled out. At the bottom was the phrase “companion,” followed by more blank space.
“?” The entire group of players was left scratching their heads in confusion.
Ruan Xuezong, however, knew exactly what the Linglong Treasure Ship was the moment he stepped inside. The image of that man surfaced in his mind—white hair, black robes, utterly untamed and defiant.
If Ruan Xuezong was merely an insignificant background villain in the original Jianghu novel, then the ultimate antagonist who permeated the entire story—treating Ruan Xuezong as a mere tool, making the protagonists suffer endlessly—was Huo Chonglou, an ambitious schemer with the bearing of a true rivers-and-lakes hegemon.
To achieve his ends, the man had established the Ten Thousand Kills Pavilion and Burning Heaven Palace in his previous life, gathering nearly every assassin and killer in the jianghu. He delighted in extreme methods of amassing wealth.
The Linglong Treasure Ship was undoubtedly one of his ventures in the Jiangnan region.
Sure enough, after merely the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a middle-aged man in wide scholarly robes approached. He introduced himself as Mr. Bo.
He first took the sheet from Ruan Xuezong’s hand, saw it was blank, and said nothing. Then he collected the papers from the players, found them all blank as well, and his eyebrow didn’t even twitch.
Linghu Xiao was a clever sort. Seeing the middle-aged man reach for his paper, he rolled his eyes and said, “This is my first time here. I want to know how this place fulfills wishes or makes someone rich.”
Those two phrases were irresistibly tempting to any crowd.
Did the Linglong Treasure Ship really have that kind of power?
Mr. Bo smiled faintly. “It seems the honored guest is indeed a newcomer, unaware even of our house rules…”
The players hadn’t yet marveled at Linghu Xiao’s sheer dumb luck—asking a casual question and triggering an NPC dialogue—before Mr. Bo’s next words left them dumbfounded.
“The Linglong Treasure Ship operates by two rules. The first is the flower note. Honored guests may write their wishes on the blank stationery—be it arson, murder, or wiping out entire families—as long as it’s a wish that can be realized in this world, the Linglong Treasure Ship will find the most suitable companion to assist you. In turn, honored guests must provide aid to others of fate. The ship takes only a modest fee for its services.”
“The second rule is pawning. There’s no such thing in this world as free lunches or something for nothing—the Linglong Treasure Ship is no exception. Ordinary pawnshops deal only in mundane items like jewels, deeds, or houses. But here, we accept all things living or dead. As long as the item has value, the ship will pay in gold or silver, with the exact amount appraised by myself…”
In short, they handled every shady deed imaginable, even bold enough to target Heart Washing Manor. A chill crept into Ruan Xuezong’s eyes, and he couldn’t hold back—he crushed the teacup in his hand.
The players’ reaction? Holy shit???
Before they could recover, a guest in a blue mask spoke up. “There’s a scholar named Wang Ping at Jiangnan Academy, renowned for his talent. Word is the prefect admires him and intends to take him as a son-in-law. Who can eliminate him for me?”
A guest in a black mask rumbled in response, “Leave it to me. Killing a weak scholar with no martial prowess is no trouble at all. I’ll make it clean, so the constables won’t suspect you.”
There were no shortage of quick thinkers among the players. They instantly connected it to the “sunken ship case.” They’d always wondered how Manager Cao—a mere unremarkable chamber of commerce steward handling land-based business—had linked up with Flood Dragon Gang leader Li Sheng. Now it was clear: through the Linglong Treasure Ship platform, becoming “fated companions.”
One side provided insider intel, another handled the sabotage, and the third supplied the knockout drugs.
A three-way collaboration birthed the “sunken ship accident,” with profits split afterward.
At another table, a guest in a purple mask said, “Mr. Bo, I want to pawn my worthless son. I’m tired of cleaning up his messes. I’ll trade him for silver today—he’s right here. What do you value him at?”
The players then noticed a youth seated beside the man. Upon hearing his own father intended to sell him, the boy recoiled as if struck, staring in disbelief with wide eyes.
Mr. Bo approached, abacus of golden beads and jade in his left hand, flicking the beads with his right. A series of crisp clacks rang out. “Young age, decent build—suitable for hard labor: 50 taels of silver. Skin sallow but youthful—fit for whoring: 100 taels of silver. Features unmarred, no obvious illnesses—suitable for other uses: 200 taels of silver…”
After his calculations, the youth was pawned for over 500 taels of silver. Mr. Bo promised to sell him into slavery in the Northern Frontier, taking only 20 taels as commission.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, a 500-tael silver note changed hands.
The purple-masked guest beamed with delight, while the players stood stunned, speechless. Now they understood why it was called making a fortune overnight!
This was the true, forbidden face of the legendary Linglong Treasure Ship that even the fated shunned. The crowd gained a whole new perspective, their anger surging.
Seeing the moment ripe, Ruan Xuezong released his grip. A pinch of fine powder drifted from his palm to the floor. He said coldly, “Everyone knows what to do now, right?”
“We do!” With a whoosh, the players drew their knives, spears, swords, halberds, sickles, hoes, and flails from behind their backs, forming a protective ring around Ruan Xuezong. Chaos erupted on the spot.
“So you’re here to smash the place?” Mr. Bo clearly realized something. He bellowed, “Men!”
Countless thugs rushed in, clashing with the players. Tempered by two group battles, the players handled themselves adeptly for now—those who knew palm techniques used them, while the rest grabbed whatever weapons they had.
“Look! Who’s that?” Sichuan Pepper Little Bunny suddenly cried out. The players turned and spotted, huddled in the corner, the blue-clad figure of Lady Lan Yan, whom they’d met that very day!
Her mouth was gagged with white cloth, rendering her immobile, and she pleaded for help with her eyes.
“Someone you know?” Ruan Xuezong asked.
“Yeah, Young Master! We met two pitiful tofu ladies today—this is Lady Lan Yan, one of them. She must’ve been kidnapped. We have to save her and get her out of this den of evil!”
The players vowed solemnly, but for some reason…
First round: They held their own, barely.
Second round: Players suddenly suffered blurred vision and flagging stamina. “What’s happening? I can’t lift my hoe anymore…”
Third round: Weapons clattered to the floor left and right. Ruan Xuezong naturally noticed the anomaly.
Those who studied martial arts knew a bit of medicine. He swiftly crouched, seized a player’s wrist to check the pulse, and after a few seconds, his brows furrowed lightly. “You’re poisoned.”
At the same time…
A “poisoned paralysis debuff” appeared over every player’s head. They stared in horror. When did we get poisoned?
Including Mr. Bo, all the thugs present were only level 15. Outnumbered, the players had been holding even, but as their stamina plummeted, the tide turned decisively against them.
“Hee hee hee…” A silvery, coquettish laugh rang through the air—familiar, enchanting. A stunning beauty in white glided forward with light steps, making everyone nearly forget they were in the midst of battle.
Ruan Xuezong froze: This was the aura of a Demonic Cult powerhouse.
What he hadn’t anticipated was the players’ reaction. They chorused, “Miaoshuang lady, you got kidnapped too?” “Who the hell is crazy enough to abduct two ladies at once!”
Ruan Xuezong glanced down to see the blue-clad lady rolling her eyes in fury.
“This white lady here is likely the shadowy mastermind behind the Linglong Treasure Ship, the very culprit who abducted Lady Lan Yan. When did you lot get acquainted with her?” Ruan Xuezong said. These players, bewitched by beauty, had casually provoked a Demonic Cult enchantress. He itched to smack the back of each one’s head.
The daytime vision of fragile beauty selling tofu had flipped into the instance BOSS.
At his words, the fallen players gaped in shock.
“So the tofu really was poisoned?”
“And we all ate it…”
The blue-clad lady had given up eye-rolling. Taking pity, Ruan Xuezong unblocked her acupoints and removed the gag from her mouth.
“Did you poison my people?” he demanded coldly of the white-clad woman.
The downed players erupted. “Did you all hear that? ‘My people’! Zongzong says I’m one of his people!”
Ruan Xuezong: “…”
What in the world was wrong with these players?
The white-clad woman said softly, “They brought it on themselves. One of those men said I wasn’t beautiful enough.”
Salty Fish King, sprawled on the ground, blinked in stunned realization. He hadn’t expected to be the spark that ignited this group wipe. The other players were equally shocked. “Talk about coincidence. The devs won’t even toss him a title?”
【Congratulations, Young Hero Salty Fish King! You’ve obtained the special title “Team Wipe Engine.” How enviable!】
The players cheered wildly: “Woooooo!”
Salty Fish King: “…”
He couldn’t muster any joy for such a title.
Lady Lan Yan shuddered violently. Trembling, she said, “I know why he died… He comforted me, saying not to lose heart over bad business. He came to my stall, bought a block of tofu, and said he wanted to take it home to study, to figure out what made it so good…”
“Oh, that scholar. His death was perfectly normal. Who told him to buy tofu from me while prattling on about someone else?”
The white-clad woman smiled, and the expression instantly filled Lady Lan Yan’s eyes with bloodshot rage. “I’ll kill you! Does every man in the world have to fawn over you? He was the one who didn’t, and that makes it impossible?”
She lunged forward.
Ruan Xuezong blocked her. Only then did Lady Lan Yan notice a thin silver thread hovering just an inch from her throat, so fine it was nearly invisible—nearly severing her head.
She retreated in terror.
“Step aside. Leave this to me,” Ruan Xuezong said. He advanced, fingers forming a palm, power coiling within.
【Main storyline now live! Hidden BOSS Bai Miaoshuang from “Night Raid on the Linglong Treasure Ship” makes her debut. Over a hundred players were poisoned and suffered a crushing defeat that night. The instance BOSS battle is raging fiercely—will the Pushing Heart Palm continue to dominate the martial world, or will the enchantress of the Demonic Cult prove superior?】
The live feed came from a fallen player’s POV, somewhat tilted—after all, hundreds of players lay like corpses, none offering a steady view.
But it didn’t stop forumgoers from finishing and shouting “Badass!”
Ruan Xuezong and the white-clad woman traded blows in a blur too fast to follow.
But when she unleashed her ultimate, the game UI displayed it clearly: the blood-red “Heavenly Demon Dance.” White threads blanketed the air like a woven net, too fine for the naked eye.
Seduction hid lethal intent.
Her next move was “Control Hundred Bones”—vicious indeed. The “corpse”-like players were yanked upright by the threads, limbs twisting unnaturally like puppets, swinging weapons at Ruan Xuezong.
“Zongzong hubby, trust me! I didn’t mean to!” Sichuan Pepper Little Bunny wailed, uncontrollably swinging a cleaver at Ruan Xuezong’s arm.
“Young Master, just kill me! I don’t want to be controlled by this demoness!” Salty Fish King gritted his teeth, trying to resist shooting arrows at Ruan Xuezong with sheer will—but he was powerless. Arrow after arrow flew true at vital spots.
Heaven knew he hadn’t even learned [Archery]; his accuracy came purely from the BOSS’s manipulation.
The players felt utterly frustrated. Earlier that day, buying weapons, they’d dreamed of their moments to shine. Now… sigh, best not dwell.
“Too ruthless. This move is brutal,” one from the strategy group muttered, forcibly swinging his flail while jotting notes. “Looks like the BOSS’s ults are these two: First ‘Heavenly Demon Dance’ to lay the inescapable net, then ‘Control Hundred Bones’ to puppeteer players into infighting. Pushing Heart Palm’s hampered bad…”
He’d just noted it down when…
“What fancy bullshit!” Ruan Xuezong snapped.
System 007 noted how Ruan Xuezong’s beautiful, narrow eyes narrowed behind his mask—he was pissed. Manipulating players to swing blades at him was, in a way, slapping his face.
With one palm of Vast Rivers and Seas, a torrent like a raging sea swept the chamber, storms churning. It shattered every thread instantly. The players thudded to the floor with clatters and thumps. The threads conducted force, channeling Ruan Xuezong’s surging inner energy straight back.
Bai Miaoshuang paled. She stared in horror as the next palm followed, her blood reversing flow.
This strike was even fiercer, slamming her heart directly. Agony flooded her eyes. The cold, ruthless man had eyes like a tranquil night behind his mask—beautiful, almost illusory, eyes that should harbor youthful affections—yet they reflected none of her beauty…
“Why kill me? Am I not beautiful enough?”
She clutched her chest and slowly collapsed, lips quivering. Her final words floated like passing clouds.
“Beauty or not, I’ll give you one piece of advice for your next life: Don’t touch my goods or my people.” Ruan Xuezong withdrew his palm, hands behind his back, utterly aloof.
【Ding! Combat instance “Night Raid on the Linglong Treasure Ship” completed.】
“AAAAAHHHHH!!!” The players screamed in unison. Forum users hammered keyboards alongside: “Open inner beta slots NOW!!!”
