Chapter 49: Jinling City Plot Trailer and Aftermath

The best way to divert the players’ attention was, naturally, for the officials to release an exciting trailer.

Lately, the forums had been buzzing with the Peacock Manor drama and Ruan Xuezong. Now that the Jinling City main storyline had wrapped up, System 007 had long prepared the second Jinling City plot DLC. It was finally ready for release.

This move successfully shifted the players’ focus.

“Holy shit, the plot just ended, and two days later the trailer drops? Jianghu officials are lightning fast—this efficiency is something all game devs should learn from.”

“Why the second one? Where’s the first?”

“Replying to the guy above: The first official DLC for Jiangnan City plot was called Water and Fire. Go check the forums yourself.”

More players chimed in: “Hubby Zongzong, I’m gonna go watch what the officials posted. Be right back in a few minutes, muah!”

Why only a few minutes? Because this Jinling City plot trailer, titled Banquet Storm, was just a few minutes long from start to finish. The moment it hit the forums, its thick aura of classic Huaxia wuxia style exploded the traffic once again.

It opened with a carriage from Heart Washing Manor slowly rolling through the grand and magnificent gates of Jinling City. Gray walls with red tiles, windows like glittering glass, colorful silk banners draping the sky—this city was breathtakingly beautiful under the sunlight.

The Peacock Manor banquet was in full swing, with folk everywhere, rubbing shoulders amid a subtle undercurrent of tension.

Then, the Hongmen Inn came into view, its red lanterns swaying in the wind, exuding an auspicious vibe.

Seeing this, players burst into laughter. “Look, there’s the innkeeper’s wife and the inn waiter! Their honest, innocent smiles—they clearly have no idea what’s coming!”

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Just then, the trailer displayed the words “Heaven profound, earth yellow, cosmos vast, chaos boundless.” Many players instantly grasped the implication.

The players from the strategy group immediately got excited. “Remember the inn room grades? Supreme Heaven, Profound, Yellow! This line refers to the primal chaos at the universe’s dawn—heaven as azure-black, earth as yellow, all in a murky haze. The officials are using it to depict Jinling City shrouded in dark clouds, steeped in chaos! This main storyline kicks off from the inn chapter, wrapped in the Demonic Sects’ schemes, until the Peacock Manor birthday banquet finally clears the fog!”

“Legend! You must’ve aced those interstellar reading comp exams!”

“This interpretation and the hints are too strong—take my knee!!!”

Sure enough, the scene shifted. The inn waiter’s shrill scream tore open the veil of mystery over Jinling City. What followed was the very plot the players had lived through: the Green Apricot Girl’s death, Ruan Xuezong framed for it, the city magnate’s son vanishing, the inn’s horses dying overnight, the Plum-Breaking Four Bandits resurfacing in the. Suspicion piled upon suspicion, like a tangled mess.

Players had banded together, examined corpses, hunted the true culprit, and unveiled the truth with their own hands—with Jinling City as the chessboard. Not only had they smashed the thieves’ lair, but they also chased Ruan Xuezong through the streets. The trailer’s soundtrack shifted from somber chants to pounding drumbeats of exhilaration!

The official editors always knew their craft. Even those who missed the beta were pumped, screaming: “Aaaah, my friend’s dying wish was to play Jianghu! When’s the next beta wave???”

“Kid wants to play, neighbor player crying from envy!!!”

When Ruan Xuezong crushed the Plum-Breaking Four Bandits with that earth-shattering palm, sweeping all before him! Netizens didn’t just call him handsome—they were stunned by the next transition.

Clad in white, Ruan Xuezong moved light as a swallow, strolling leisurely like a phoenix descending gracefully. The scene cut to a mighty black eagle swooping from the sky, landing at an ancient, elegant manor.

“Holy shit, the black eagle lands at Peacock Manor—talk about obvious foreshadowing!”

“This transition is insane!”

“Those in the know get it—Zongzong and that black eagle, and its master? Beef’s real [doge].”

“The eagle’s huge—big enough for a stew pot, or two BBQ racks: one salt-and-pepper, one spicy mala, with a jug of fiery liquor. Ruan Xuezong and us, off to roam the horizon [doge].”

“You demons! Even eating the villain’s bird, lololol!”

The trailer rolled on, showcasing Peacock Manor’s stunning beauty. Gentle breezes rustled the willows, fragrant flowers wafted in the air.

Its signature satin banners bore vivid blue-green peacocks, symbolizing beauty and prosperous futures. Yet in the dead of night, blood was splashed over this graceful peacock, foretelling its doom—peacock stained in blood, destiny revealed.

The lavish birthday banquet preparations reached martial world peaks, but countless guests collapsed amid the feasting, accompanied by a bewitching qin melody as Demonic Cult black-cloaks appeared like phantoms.

“I won’t just slaughter the guests—I want the Righteous Path Fairy to marry me!” The Demonic Cult witch’s voice dripped arrogance.

With guests on the brink of falling…

The turning point came swiftly. Ruan Xuezong stepped forward, striking fear into the Demonic Sects. Beautiful scrolls of temptresses, righteous-demonic collusion, the peerless enchantress sowing chaos for twenty years—Du Rulan appeared, and twist after twist of the conspiracy unraveled!

The battle instance ignited: three battlefields at once—the banquet hall, assault on Yanghe Mountain, and clash on the iron-chain bridge. No scene could be missed, killing intent blooming under the moonlight. With the peacock’s mournful cry, the night promised blood and storm.

“Romantic entanglements are the great taboo for building achievements. Those who accomplish great things must sever emotions, choose any means.” A black-robed man in the trailer declared this, his smile cold and ruthless, hands hovering over the qin strings. One sonic wave, and rivers of blood flowed.

Ruan Xuezong clashed with the black eagle; the mask ripped away under the moonlight—that moment hit players who’d missed the main fight. They paused, screenshotted like mad, cheering: “Aaaah, hubby Zongzong too handsome!”

“That blood trail on his face… so pitifully alluring, wuwuwu.”

System 007 wasn’t dumb. As the game’s will incarnate, it knew what drew traffic—every frame of that was included.

The battle birthed dazzling skill displays, utterly thrilling, leaving eyes no time to rest.

Soon, Six Gates reinforcements arrived endlessly. Flames erupted at Peacock Manor, blazing wildly like fireworks, igniting Jinling City’s night sky in gorgeous, tragic splendor. By the next day, the gray fog over the city seemed pierced—the plot cut off there, shifting to the familiar ink-wash title: Jianghu!

This Jinling City DLC was exhilarating, packed with schemes and fights.

Players, stunned and praising the trailer’s art style, griped: “Setting fires again? Demonic Sects too brazen! Burned Clear Wind Fishing Ground, now Peacock Manor—you pyros having fun?”

“Du Rulan, you said great men sever emotions—so why steal Zongzong’s mask!? Now the whole world sees my hubby!”

The trailer’s diversion worked, but talk of Ruan Xuezong’s beauty and thirst for more didn’t fade a bit. He opened his door to find even more players outside than before, crowding every corner of the courtyard—even the rooftops.

Ruan Xuezong: “???”

Something was off.

His gaze sharpened on System 007, which didn’t dare make a peep.

Amid the trailer’s raging popularity, Shen Jiangling came to visit Ruan Xuezong—but stared at his face the whole time.

Ruan Xuezong wasn’t mad.

Shen Jiangling’s refined, elegant air made his eyes hold no offense, just pure clarity—like before, even sans mask. It was like admiring a beautiful vista, as if Ruan Xuezong were a flower, a handful of snow, drawing the gaze irresistibly.

Those eyes seemed to hold words unspoken.

They locked eyes for minutes until Shen Jiangling, stroking his folded fan’s edge, murmured dazedly: “So alike…”

Ruan Xuezong: “Alike how?”

Shen Jiangling’s eyes sparkled with amusement. His fan unfurled, a spring-breeze smile on his lips: “Naturally, my young friend resembles someone I once glimpsed—aloft, supremely noble…”

It made him see Ruan Xuezong’s superior brows, graceful thin lips, aloof bearing as infused with indescribable, pampered nobility—he nearly forgot to blink.

“There are many lookalikes in the world.” Ruan Xuezong’s long lashes fluttered; he feigned indifference, but inwardly pondered. He welcomed Shen Jiangling’s curiosity—it could uncover the original drive if pursued.

Last life, Ruan Xuezong’s ambitions went unfulfilled. This life, unmarred and renowned, he hoped various forces’ nudges would propel him to success.

“Young friend speaks true.” Shen Jiangling snapped his fan shut. Ever agreeable, he continued: “Lookalikes exist, but they’re rare.”

He said that, but System 007 read Shen Jiangling’s demeanor—this face had hooked the hu original protagonist’s interest. Beyond awe, he saw it as fateful coincidence.

He’d likely dig deeper, curiosity as bait.

Of course, outwardly, Shen Jiangling had business: “I’m here to bid farewell to you and Manor Lord Qu. This banquet was truly tragic.”

He went on: “With Peacock Manor exposed, the martial world quakes. Demonic Sects may lie low awhile, bringing temporary peace. But the sword theft gnaws at me—I plan to revisit those sites, hunt clues, see what medicine the Demonic Sects sell behind it.”

Ruan Xuezong nodded. “Send word by carrier pigeon if you find leads.”

A hu wanderer like him wouldn’t linger unless close. “I’ll detour to Jiangnan when free, visit Heart Washing Manor. Don’t mind an uninvited guest.” Shen Jiangling smiled, fan waving lightly, charisma that could charm heroines.

Ruan Xuezong: “Heart Washing Manor will roll out the welcome mat.”

Inwardly, he knew their next meeting might be in prison. It was Shen Jiangling’s scripted choice—no changing it. Come then, he’d send players to bust him out.

Meanwhile, with Ruan Xuezong too hot and holing up, leaving fans thirsting, officials dropped a personal DLC trailer—his profile, they claimed. Forums erupted.