Chapter 19

With the fighting over, the group set about cleaning up the battlefield and sorting out the aftermath. Ruan Xuezong channeled his internal energy to force the toxins from several players’ bodies. Those players then hurried off to help the others by circulating their qi for healing.

Less than an hour later, every player had recovered enough to move about freely, though they all looked rather bedraggled.

At Ruan Xuezong’s command, they began rescuing the poor souls who had been dragged aboard the ship. Some, like Lady Lan Yan, were innocent bystanders caught up in the mess. Others had been tricked onto the vessel by friends or family, destined to be sold off as mere cargo.

Meanwhile, the rest of the players rummaged through chests and crates, unearthing the remaining eight boxes from Heart Washing Manor. Having undergone a bit of training by now, they didn’t even need Ruan Xuezong to tell them what to do. With grunts of effort, they hoisted the heavy loads onto their shoulders.

The search turned up a trove of gold, silver, and precious treasures aboard the Linglong Treasure Ship—rarities that rivaled the haul from Heart Washing Manor’s escort mission.

One player suggested to Ruan Xuezong that they simply take it all and stock Heart Washing Manor’s vaults.

Ruan Xuezong shook his head. “Just recover the escorted goods. Heart Washing Manor has no need for wealth stained with human blood.”

Call it a show or hypocrisy if you like, but Ruan Xuezong’s brutal experiences in his previous life had taught him just how valuable a spotless, pristine reputation could be.

“You’re right, Young Master,” the players murmured, heads bowed in shame. How could they have forgotten? This was all dirty money!

Zongzong might come off as aloof most of the time, but he was the upright, righteous protagonist straight out of the planners’ scripts. Of course he wouldn’t touch filthy lucre like this.

The rescued commoners watched them too, their eyes wide with confusion and fear, taking in this band of youthful heroes.

Of course, Ruan Xuezong wasn’t one to trifle with. He lived by the creed that if someone crossed him, he would repay it twofold.

So he declared, “What I really want is to torch the whole place. Let the flames wipe this den of evil from the map, along with every blood-soaked thing in it, so it can never rise again. The Linglong Treasure Ship might be a legend on Jiangnan City’s waters, but after today, let’s make sure it stays that way forever.”

Words like those proved he wasn’t some pushover, but the players refused to see it that way. The moment they heard about setting a fire, they perked right up.

【Task “Burn the Sin” has been triggered】

【Task Description: Ruan Xuezong proposes letting fire put a final end to this evil. The blaze will consume all sin, leaving nothing but black ashes behind and restoring peace to the world. Perhaps the legend will truly become one forever!】

【Participant Limit: Unlimited】

The players didn’t need further encouragement. The instant the task appeared, they grabbed candleholders and started setting flames to the curtains and hangings all around. Ancient buildings like this were mostly wood, and the fire spread rapidly…

Even System 007 felt helpless.

According to the settings it established as the game’s will, the main storyline of the first chapter should have involved players following clues to find the missing Hua Bailian. They were supposed to infiltrate Heart Washing Manor—suspected to be a demon’s den—rescue the dying Hua Bailian from the manor’s dungeon, and thereby trigger the combat dungeon [Raze Heart Washing Manor].

Now, the first chapter’s storyline had changed completely. The players had mistaken the villain, Ruan Xuezong, for the protagonist.

With Heart Washing Manor suffering the shipwreck and the loss of the escort cargo, the players had followed in Ruan Xuezong’s footsteps. They relentlessly pursued the whereabouts of the goods, ultimately locking onto the Linglong Treasure Ship and turning it into a combat dungeon instead.

Thinking of this, System 007 could only console itself.

Forget it, forget it. When adapting an original novel into a game, some deviations in content were normal. Besides, the original novel was a product of ancient Earth. It was Interstellar Year 3033 now—no rabid original fans were going to claw their way out of their coffins to beat it to death.

It might as well roll with the mistake for now and try hard to steer the main storyline back on track in the next chapter.

…

Fire blanketed the sky.

The flames had shattered and incinerated the maze array. The enigmatic Linglong Treasure Ship made its debut before the world in a state of utter ruin—half its hull collapsed and submerged in the river. What had once been a serene waterway now roiled with furious waves, as though desperate to devour the blazing pleasure boat entirely.

One by one, the players deployed their Water Drifting lightness skills, ferrying the cluster of rescued commoners safely back to the dock.

“Thank you, young heroes,” the commoners stammered, trembling. After enduring such a harrowing night, most still bore dazed, uncomprehending expressions.

Lady Lan Yan was one of them. Though still rattled, when Ruan Xuezong inquired about her future plans, she pulled herself together and declared, “I’ll go sweep his grave once and tell him that someone has avenged him… Before he died, there were actually a few ancient texts on his desk, all detailing long-lost recipes for delectable tofu pudding. From here on out, I’ll keep running the tofu stall at West Bridge, honing my flavors and developing new tofu dishes. When they’re ready, I cordially invite all you young heroes to drop by often.”

“We will, we will,” the players chimed in unison. As they watched her resolute figure recede into the distance, Lady Lan Yan suddenly seemed far more captivating than any of those Demonic Sect vixens.

And with that, she departed alongside the others.

The players remained on the white brick pavement of the dock, turning to gaze at the towering inferno, their hearts filled with profound emotion.

Who could have foreseen that a seemingly mundane shipwreck would unravel a web involving a traitorous merchant guild insider, two rival water bandit gangs, and a vessel steeped in legendary mystery?

The sun would rise soon enough, and Jiangnan City tomorrow ought to greet the dawn as peacefully as ever.

“In another hour, it’ll be seven o’clock. What’re we grabbing for breakfast? Granny Liu’s soy milk and youtiao at the docks, or Uncle Kang’s lotus root powder dumplings? Jiangnan City’s got too many treats—I’m paralyzed by choice.”

“Eat, eat, eat—all you think about is food! Count me in.”

“Let’s roll—together.”

“Brothers, you spot that Wu Peng Boat with the red lanterns? I just scoped it out—only the oars were there, no sign of that old NPC. Think he skipped town out of guilt?”

【Congratulations to all players, Mainline: Peace on the Water Cleared】

At the same time, as if responding to the fervent calls from forum users, one month after the closed beta launch of “Jianghu,” the first plot DLC for Jiangnan City—”Water and Fire”—made its debut.

The short cinematic lasted only a few minutes. Those without beta access clicked play and instinctively blurted out “Holy shit!” They finally understood why this DLC bore the name “Water and Fire.”

The opening scene depicted a boat gliding smoothly along the river, its passengers laughing and chatting merrily. Suddenly, the sky overhead shifted without warning. Dark clouds surged in, blotting out the daylight and hinting at some ominous conspiracy on the horizon.

Sure enough, in the ensuing silent night, everyone aboard the vessel sank into an unnatural, pallid slumber. A shadowy figure emerged quietly, checked the breath of someone lying in a bunk, and departed with evident satisfaction. Before viewers could fully process it, the sharp sounds of wood being hammered echoed through the footage.

The camera pulled closer. Beneath the serene river surface lurked a band of vicious water bandits, busily drilling holes into the hull. A massive gash soon appeared, and as the audience drew in sharp breaths, the river water surged inward, inexorably submerging the mouths and noses of those on deck.

This was water.

An intense azure hue and roiling foam filled every frame.

The scene then cut to Heart Washing Manor.

Grief and lamentations filled the air as the manor’s residents wept bitterly. The shadow of the shipwreck disaster loomed over their hearts like an unshakable pall.

At the head seat sat a young man draped in a white cloak, his posture ramrod straight, his aura reminiscent of a mandala flower blooming defiantly amid black karmic flames. The eyes behind his mask gleamed like cold stars, and when they turned toward the camera, players erupted in shrieks. “Aaaah! Let me introduce everyone—this is my husband! He’s the one who crushed that Demonic Cult witch in yesterday’s livestream!”

The young man’s voice from behind the mask rang out, clear and icy: “Investigate it for me. I refuse to believe this was mere accident.” His words carried an aura of commanding authority that subdued all who heard.

No sooner had he spoken than the players mobilized en masse—taking statements, examining the sunken wreck, scouring the mortuary, identifying the remains. From door-to-door inquiries to spine-chilling mortuary encounters, these were the players’ lived experiences, masterfully edited by System 007. Accompanied by perfectly matched melodies—now urgent, now tense, now thrilling, now twisting—the visuals delivered a profoundly shocking impact.

The progress bar swiftly crossed the halfway point. The underwater horrors of the first half concluded, giving way to the fiery conquest of the second.

The traitor slipped away under the cover of night, vanishing into Hanging Spring Waterfall. The entrenched power of the Flood Dragon Gang in Jiangnan ignited a massive brawl involving hundreds of players. The footage shifted to a bright, sunny day in Jiangnan City, where a beautiful and graceful woman in white glided forward demurely. She appeared utterly pitiable as she bowed gracefully to the crowd, ensnaring the souls of every onlooker.

Little did they know, this vision of a fairy descended from the Luo River goddess was in truth a harbinger of doom.

With a subtle flick of her fingers, countless silken threads animated a hundred puppets in a whirlwind of gleeful slaughter, evoking an epic drama from antiquity. Her red lips parted, her voice smoky and ethereal: “In this world, there’s only one kind of man—those who adore me. Anyone who wants to kill me isn’t a man at all.”

This night was fated to be one of blood and carnage.

In the final seconds, the pace slowed once more. Thick clouds shrouded the pitch-black night as a crimson treasure ship drifted silently along the river, ripples spreading outward. The soundtrack swelled with the silken strains of pipa and erhu, whispering of mortal sins, enigmatic legends, and destinies reserved for the fated few.

But soon, it all became fire—a cataclysmic blaze that swept across the heavens.

Flames lanced skyward amid billowing black smoke, setting the entire night sky over Jiangnan City alight. The promo cut off there, dissolving into two bold ink-brush characters: “Jianghu”!

Having watched the trailer, forum users brimmed with excitement and anticipation, itching to dive in themselves. Comments flooded in: “So, planner, where exactly can we play this game?”

“Don’t play dead! You’ve dropped the trailer—now hurry up and release more beta invites!”

They sounded more like paid shills than actual shills.

The players who had lived through the storyline stared in stunned awe. “Wait, am I really that handsome?”

Just as they moved to post, the official account dropped another video. Unlike the rapid-fire intensity and visceral punch of “Water and Fire,” this one unfolded gently, backed by the lilting folk tunes of Jiangnan—soft and melodic, evoking the watery charm of Wu dialect heartlands.

Viewers clicked in, and the first frame revealed the familiar gates of Heart Washing Manor. Four sturdy horses pawed at the dirt, towing carts laden with goods.

A man who looked every bit the chamber of commerce steward manipulated an abacus, nodding sagely as he spoke. “Young hero, do you know the art of buying low and selling high? Do you know why local specialties differ from place to place? Do you know how a merchant navigates regions to profit from those price gaps?”

A youthful voice, earnest and somewhat naive, replied, “This humble one is slow-witted and foolish. Pray, instruct me, sir!”

The steward stroked his beard. “Since you’re so eager to learn, allow me to enlighten you…”

The scene shifted to a silk emporium, where bolts of sleek, radiant fabrics in vibrant hues dangled like rainbow arcs. Dye vats bubbled with a riot of colors, mirroring the rouge-tinted reflections of courtly ladies at their vanity. A plain white cloth emerged from one vat dyed azure, plunged into another, and surfaced brilliant blue.

A woman seated by a vat gazed with gentle warmth and a welcoming smile. “Young hero, do you know that Soft Smoke Luo comes in four colors, and their respective prices? Are you versed in flat embroidery, woven embroidery, double-sided embroidery? Do you know how to wield silver needles a thousand times over to weave a tapestry of brocade mountains and rivers…?”

A younger girl’s voice chimed in, tender and innocent. “A’nan doesn’t know, but A’nan wants to learn. Please teach me, Auntie.”

By this point, every player had caught on. This was an introduction to life professions—fully seven or eight of them! The gospel for lifestyle players had finally arrived!