After the silk shop segment ended, the video shifted to a plump man dressed in a chef’s uniform. He flipped the wok with one hand while brandishing a ladle with the other. Flames licked at the bottom of the pot amid a scene of blazing activity, and the aroma of Sichuan peppercorns seemed to pierce right through the screen and into the noses of all the viewers.
The players erupted in screams. “It’s you, Chef Shao! You really are the cooking guide NPC!”
“You still dare to claim you’re just a run-of-the-mill cook!”
“Good thing I latched onto your thigh early—I’ve been grinding dailies for you every day.”
The figure in the video was indeed Chef Shao. He lifted a plate of food and slid it across the table toward the young hero, as if inviting him to sample it. “Young hero, do you know the nine major cuisines? Do you know that to become a master chef, you can’t skimp on knife work, fire control, or seasoning? Do you know that every dish comes with its own one-two-three-four-five mnemonic for the technique?”
The young hero grabbed his chopsticks and took a bite. After marveling at the dish’s exquisite flavor, he tucked in with gusto. Under the ravenous stares of the onlookers online, he polished off the entire plate before sheepishly lowering his head. “I… I don’t know.”
Chef Shao replied, “In the art of cooking, recipes are merely guides—you can’t follow them to the letter. I don’t expect you to grasp the thrill of hot oil roiling from the stove or the intoxicating scent wafting from a simmering soup. But I can teach you how to dazzle the world with your culinary prowess, earning applause wherever you go. Come, study cooking under me.”
The players shrieked, “Teach us, teach us! Please take me on as your apprentice—titles mean nothing; what matters is we get to eat it all! The kind where we lick the plate clean!”
Sadly, Chef Shao’s segment wrapped up all too soon.
Next to appear was another familiar face to the players: Shen Qionghua, the famed divine physician of the rivers and lakes. He wore an elegant white robe that lent him an air of immortal poise and refinement. Smiling at the young hero who was grinding herbs, he said, “This old man is fifty-one years old and in need of a successor to carry on my legacy. Young hero, do you know the meaning of ‘hanging the pot to heal the world and save the dying’? Can you identify common medicinal herbs? Have you mapped out the body’s acupoints?”
The young hero hung his head in embarrassment once more. “This one doesn’t know. Please instruct me, sir.”
The players couldn’t resist chiming in. “This young hero is such a blockhead—he doesn’t know a thing!”
Yet they conveniently forgot that this very young hero from the official DLC, who was clueless about everything, was really just a stand-in for themselves, the players.
Shen Qionghua showed no irritation at the response. Instead, he resembled a kindly old gentleman as he stroked his white beard and chuckled warmly. “No matter. We’ll begin with the basics of pharmacology. I’ll teach you the fundamentals of inspection, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation. I’ll show you how to brew spiritual pills and elixirs, perform acupuncture and massage, apply cupping therapy, and more. I hope that as you roam the rivers and lakes in days to come, you never lose sight of a healer’s true heart.”
The players replied, “Got it, got it! From here on out, the next divine physician of the rivers and lakes is gonna be me.”
…
The players’ guesses had been spot on. The video, titled “Do You Know,” was none other than the life profession DLC for the holographic game Rivers and Lakes. It delved into eight life professions in detail: merchant, embroideress, chef, physician, coroner, escort, hunter, and fisherman.
The developers even promised that as players increased in level and explored the world more thoroughly, new life professions would emerge.
The life skill enthusiasts were thrilled, their joy rivaling that of a New Year’s celebration.
Fighting and killing had its thrills, sure, but everyone wanted a break now and then to hone life skills, earn some coin, and savor the everyday rhythms of the game.
Best of all, Rivers and Lakes imposed no limits on the number of professions a player could pursue. With enough time and talent, one could even declare with wild abandon, “I want them all!”
The next day, once the patch went live, players flooded into Heart Washing Manor, all eager to find a master and begin their training.
Those aiming to become embroideresses reported to the silk shop. To their surprise, the NPC overseeing them was Qianniang, the woman the players had rescued from the water bandits early on. She greeted the group with a smile before launching into the first week’s unified lessons: basic color identification.
“Soft Smoke Luo is a gossamer-thin fabric available in four shades: first, rain-over-sky-blue; second, autumn fragrance; third, pine green; and fourth, silver red. The sky-blue evokes the performer taking the stage in full makeup—bluer than jade green, translucent as mist after rain…”
A week later, she gently weeded out the colorblind players who couldn’t tell crimson purple from scarlet or begonia red.
In the second week, she moved on to basic needlework—straight stitches, backstitches, and embroidery—while providing patterns of birds, peonies, and lettering for practice.
The players were models of diligence, relishing the satisfying chime of the system prompt with every stitch: “Proficiency increased by +1.” And they brought plenty of creativity to the table as well.
Five-Colored Mottled Black was right there in the mix.
Qianniang approached his work and blinked, her lips twitching faintly. “Young hero, is that a crow you’ve embroidered?”
Five-Colored Mottled Black replied, “No, those are mandarin ducks.”
Qianniang hesitated. “……Young hero, with tastes so utterly unique, your embroidery simply won’t sell.”
Aspiring physicians, meanwhile, swarmed Shen Qionghua in hopes of building favor.
He favored students with a grounding in pharmacology. Confronted by the massive throng of apprentices, he began with a week of group instruction: identifying acupoints and common herbs, taking pulses, and reading facial complexions.
By the second week, he had culled those who confused astragalus with licorice or bitter almonds with peach kernels, advancing the rest to elite training.
In the third week, he led select players to nearby villages for hands-on consultations. Their patients included injured martial artists and ordinary villagers alike.
The players buzzed with excitement, hounding every NPC they met: “Got any ailments?”
Hunter and fisherman were professions even level 1 players could access from the game’s launch. A quick shout in chat—”Fishing group, join up! Hunting party, let’s go!”—and parties filled up in seconds.
This update expanded things further. When they pulled up the world map, they saw gathering spots dotting not just the Back Mountain behind Heart Washing Manor but the entire Jiangnan region.
The developers laid out clear rules for handling gathered, hunted, or fished goods: submit them to the Heart Washing Manor storehouse for that week’s contribution points, or sell them independently at the Jiangnan Dock or a market stall—like the humble setups run by Plain and Unadorned—to pocket some copper or silver.
The fisherman profession held special appeal for certain players, though they struggled to put their finger on why.
Something about donning a raincoat and conical hat, poled along a gentle stream or perched amid the reeds, casting a net or dangling a line… You never knew if the next tug would yield a stinking shoe or a haul of fish, shrimp, and crabs. The unhurried rhythm was pure bliss.
One could lose an entire afternoon to that serene idleness, evoking the timeless allure of Peach Blossom Paradise—”stealing half a day of leisure from the busy world.”
“Ah, reeled in another fish! Lively little guy, net weight six taels and three qian. Check it out, folks.”
“Nice one! I was fishing the gravel beach at gathering point A today—great yields. Worth a try sometime…”
Hunter players, by contrast, chased constant thrills. They prowled the mountains and forests, their keen eyes scanning for any sign of prey: the grass snake’s faint trail, the goose’s passing shadow, the rabbit’s three burrows. They lived for trailing beasts by their tracks, clashing with ferocious game, then turning in pelts and trophies—or hauling them to market for all to see—basking in the cheers from the NPC crowds.
Players who had progressed further in the storyline, such as Linghu Xiao and his crew, played it even smarter. They started from: Main Questline: One Escort Mission Drains the Heart Washing Merchant Guild, Confirming “Merchant” and “Escort Master” as Their Top-Pushed Life Professions!
As soon as they logged into the game, Linghu Xiao and his group made a beeline for the Heart Washing Merchant Guild. Without beating around the bush, they declared, “Sir, we want to join the Heart Washing Merchant Guild and become outstanding merchants!”
The guild steward had already been hounded by plenty of players that morning. He barely mustered a smile as he replied, “Becoming a merchant isn’t so simple. I must give you a proper test first.”
Linghu Xiao and the others weren’t surprised in the least. After all, no life profession came without some hurdle to clear right away.
They cupped their fists in respect. “We understand, sir. Please guide us!”
“First off,” the steward began, “as a merchant, you need the stamina to trek across mountains and ford rivers without keeling over on the road.” He reached out and pinched the biceps and triceps on the arms of these level 15 players—pinched once, then again, and still again. A trace of bewilderment flickered in his eyes. He simply couldn’t put the sensation into words.
How to describe it? Players’ arms felt soft and pliable, yet beneath that softness lurked the wiry toughness of someone who practiced martial arts. In the end, he could only nod grudgingly. “This part is adequate enough, I suppose.”
There wasn’t much room left for complaint.
Shaking it off, he pressed on with his lecture. “Secondly, as a merchant, you must stay sharp and vigilant to shifts in the market. Prices fluctuate constantly. For instance, take our Jiangnan specialty: oil-paper umbrellas.” He drew one from behind the counter for demonstration. The players could clearly make out the emerald-green bamboo patterns adorning its surface, gleaming with otherworldly beauty under the sunlight—a piece fit for any interstellar museum exhibit.
“On a clear day, one sells for just fifty copper coins,” the steward said, tucking the umbrella away.
The players gasped in shock. “That cheap?!”
This was a work of art!
The steward had no clue what had the young heroes so stunned, but he nodded all the same. “Exactly. On sunny days, oil-paper umbrellas are dirt cheap. If you bulk-buy from a vendor, you can even haggle them down further.”
“But when drizzling rains stretch on and pedestrians scramble to buy cover, the price can double or triple overnight—no room for bargaining then. That’s the nature of fluctuating goods prices. Items on the market shift with demand at every turn. One key to success in business is mastering price trends, buying low and selling high at the perfect moment. Do you young heroes follow?”
The example was straightforward, and the players chorused, “Got it!”
“The second essential is intelligence,” the steward continued. “Rarity drives value. As a merchant, you must know the specialties of every region. For example, our Jiangnan City’s smoked ham and sausages might flop if you try selling them in Suzhou—the local tastes are too similar. Or take our Jiangnan, rosewater, rouge, and lip balm. They’re commonplace here; every young lady has her set. But ship them to the Capital City, and they’ll fetch top coin from nobles, officials, and wealthy heiresses, turning a tidy profit. Then there’s those massive pearls from South Sea clams. Fishermen there scoop them up like nothing—some even say they’re worth less than rice locally. Yet haul them to Jiangnan or the Capital City, and you can flip them two or threefold on the light end, five or sixfold on the heavy. You’d rake in buckets of gold daily, bowls overflowing with silver… That’s the merchant’s game: shuttling between regions to pocket the price spreads. Clear now, young heroes?”
Holy crap, five or sixfold flips? The next richest man in Jiangnan City was as good as theirs!
Energized like they’d mainlined adrenaline, the players scribbled furious notes. “Crystal clear! Crystal clear!”
Pleased by their eager humility, the steward nodded approvingly. “Good. Now for the final point, and it’s crucial: merchant routes are long and perilous, rife with mishaps. A sharp tongue might draw packs of bandits or ruthless river pirates with superior martial prowess. Or you could hit a natural disaster out of nowhere, leaving your cargo at risk.”
At once, the players’ minds flashed back.
There was a good chance they’d run into robbers. High-return ventures often meant high risks.
The players’ initially hyped minds suddenly cooled as they assessed whether level 15 players like themselves could take on those red-named bandits and river pirates.
“If you fend off man-made disasters, you still have to guard against acts of nature,” the steward said with a long sigh. “When traveling afar, you must observe the skies. If your goods spoil easily or absorb moisture, a spell of plum rain or a sudden downpour could ruin the whole trip. Forget warming up with a bowl of hot soup—you might even have to pawn your belt to make up the losses.”
This illustrated the razor-thin line between feasting on meat and choking down dirt, between becoming Jiangnan City’s top tycoon or a roadside beggar—all hinging on sheer luck!
A number of players on hand had their excitement fade, and they began discussing the matter among themselves.
“Merchant trading is no simple affair. Young heroes, if after hearing my counsel you still wish to join the Heart Washing Merchant Guild, then accept the first trial,” the steward said. He stroked his beard and offered a faint smile.
He figured he had flawlessly carried out Ruan Xuezong’s orders: deliver an initial shock to sober these young heroes up, spot the bold and clever ones among them, then devise a trial for them to tackle.
Heart Washing Manor had languished for five or six years and desperately needed fresh blood—the kind that brimmed with daring and scorned death.
Linghu Xiao weighed his options carefully for a long while before deciding to accept the challenge. After all, they were players, fated to roam the Rivers and Lakes—how could they shrink from a minor test?
“Please lay out the trial, steward!”
【Ding! Merchant Guild trial “Run a Trade Route Once” has been triggered】
【Task Description: Young hero, to join the Heart Washing Merchant Guild, you must undergo an internal trial. Take an initial capital of one hundred taels in silver notes and travel the lands, striving to earn five hundred taels in profit.】
【Task Time Limit: None】
【Task Participants: Unlimited】
【Task Rewards: Merchant qualification, 20,000 experience points, 100 contribution points to Heart Washing Manor, 10 favorability with Ruan Xuezong】
Linghu Xiao and a band of players headed to the stables to select horses. At the strategy team’s suggestion, they planned to scout local intelligence first, then visit Jiangnan City’s rouge shops, silk boutiques, and second-hand antique markets to decide on their purchases.
The large group departed in grand fashion, clutching their starting capital of one hundred taels. They swaggered while browsing wares but turned miserly when picking out goods.
“Young Master, are you sure it’s wise to send these green young heroes out trading?” The steward returned to report to Ruan Xuezong. He spoke with evident hesitation.
In the steward’s eyes, these young heroes offered little beyond their youth, diligence, and zeal for coin.
Ruan Xuezong sipped his tea. “No worries. If they pull it off, Heart Washing Manor pockets four hundred taels for free. If they flop, they can work off the debt in the brothels.”
Either way, Heart Washing Manor came out ahead. And Ruan Xuezong himself was no fiend.
