Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

"Clang... clang... clang..."

From the distant mountain peaks, the sound of the dining hall bell, signaling the start of the meal, pierced through the twilight and drifted gently on.

Wu Feng put down his pen, looked at the Xuan paper spread out on the table, covered with crooked handwriting, and the stack of books next to it that he had finished reading and pushed to perfection, and let out a long sigh of relief.

The harvest was plentiful.

He got up, stretched his stiff neck and wrists, quickly washed and put away his writing brush, inkstone, and inkstone, and neatly stacked his books.

Then he pushed open the door and walked out, stepping into the deepening night, towards the dining hall.

Dinner was still just congee and side dishes. He ate quietly, filled his stomach, and then returned to his little house.

After closing the door, he didn't immediately begin cultivating. Instead, he thought of quitting the game.

In the real world, the game's cabin hatch slides open.

The familiar hunger returned, but it seemed... a little lighter than before?

Wu Feng sat up, jumped out of the game pod, and stretched his limbs.

The sense of power is still clear, even more solid than yesterday.

The feedback on skill level in the game appears to be continuous.

He shook his head, stopped thinking about it, changed his clothes, and went out.

I need to treat myself to a good meal tonight.

Wu Feng walked into his usual small restaurant, lifted the plastic curtain, and was greeted by the familiar aroma of spicy and savory food mixed with the noise of people.

The shop was doing good business, mostly with regular customers from the neighborhood. They would gather in small groups, drinking and playing drinking games, creating a lively atmosphere.

He found an empty seat at the back, picked up the menu, and glanced at it.

"Boiled sliced ​​pork, spicy diced chicken, dry-fried green beans, Mapo tofu, and a seaweed and egg drop soup," he said to the approaching waiter. "And a large bowl of rice, please."

"Okay, just a moment." The waiter noted it down and left.

While waiting for the food, Wu Feng took out his phone, unlocked it, and habitually tapped the app for the official forum of "Jianghu Dream" with his thumb.

As soon as the icon lit up, the eye-catching online user statistics at the top of the homepage immediately jumped into view:

[Current concurrent online players in the China region: 12,000,000]

Eight million.

Wu Feng's eyelids twitched, somewhat surprised.

It's only been one day? And it's increased by another 400,000.

In less than a month since its launch, the number of concurrent online users has exceeded eight million, which is indeed a crazy growth rate.

I could hear the loud chatter of a few young people at the next table:

"...Damn it, I finally saved up enough money yesterday to buy a copy of 'The Splashing Wind Saber Technique,' and I practiced all night before I even got the basics right. It's fucking hard to learn!"

"Be grateful. I'm still queuing up at the martial arts gym. The tuition has gone up again, damn it."

"I heard some rich people in Beijing bought houses and moved in? You can even buy houses in a game?"

"They're not just buying houses, they're going to brothels and listening to music! There are posts about it on the forum, you can search for it..."

Wu Feng listened and shook his head.

The buzz is really getting higher and higher; you can even hear people talking about it when you're eating out.

He turned his attention back to the forum homepage.

The posts were scrolling by very quickly, with all sorts of titles.

He immediately spotted a trending post that had been pushed to the top of the homepage and was followed by a flame icon:

[A Carefree Life in the Capital: Buying a mansion for a fortune, listening to music in brothels—this is the true life of a江湖 (jianghu, a world of martial arts and chivalry)!]

The poster's ID was "Beijing Rich Kid," and his profile picture was a glittering gold ingot.

Wu Feng tapped his finger, and the post opened.

The content is quite long and includes both text and images.

The original poster described in detail how, in the game's capital city, through an intermediary NPC, they spent a mere five thousand taels of silver to buy a luxurious three-courtyard mansion with a garden and pond.

He then showed photos of the mansion's interior—carved beams and painted rafters, artificial hills and flowing water, servants everywhere, an extremely luxurious sight.

Now, here comes the important part.

He began sharing glimpses of Beijing's entertainment scene.

"Listening to music in a brothel is a refined affair," the author wrote. "The most prestigious brothel in the capital, the top courtesan, is a master of the zither. Her rendition of 'Spring River Flower Moon Night' is so captivating that it lingers for days. Tips? Not much. One hundred taels of silver will get her to play another piece just for you."

Attached are a few screenshots from the game. In the picture, a beautiful woman in ancient costume is playing the zither. The background is an exquisite private room, and the night view of the capital city can be seen outside the window.

"As for brothels..." The host's tone became ambiguous, "As you all know, the ladies at Zuixianglou are truly... graceful and skilled, even more enjoyable than in real life. As for the price, it varies from ten taels to a thousand taels, depending on the level. (Attached picture - blurred)."

The comments section exploded instantly, with dozens of replies flooding in every second:

"Holy crap! Really? You can do this in a game?"

"OP is awesome! Five thousand taels for a house! That's seven million real-world currency! Rich guy, let's be friends!"

"Could you please provide the address of Zui Xiang Lou? DM me!"

"What does the top courtesan look like? Do you have more pictures? (doge)"

"This game is fucking realistic...it even has brothels?"

"The music playing is really good, the sound effects are amazing."

"I also went to listen to storytelling and opera performances; they were much better than the perfunctory performances in real life."

"Does the original poster need any accessories? The kind that say '666' (a Chinese internet slang for 'awesome')?"

Wu Feng read through the list one by one, then curled his lip in disapproval.

It has to be said, this game has a lot of content.

While others are still painstakingly leveling up by fighting monsters, this guy is already enjoying the extravagant life of an ancient tycoon, listening to music in brothels and visiting prostitutes.

Listening to the players praising the revealed zither music, saying it was comparable to a master's and that they were talking about it for days, Wu Feng shook his head.

He's still diligently practicing martial arts, while others are already enjoying the benefits.

However, this post also introduced a new way to play the game – the lifestyle enjoyment category.

For wealthy people who don't lack money, experiencing what it's like to be a lord and visit brothels in such a highly realistic ancient world is indeed very attractive.

Judging from the comments, quite a few people are already eager to try it out and are asking about the price and address.

Wu Feng closed the post immediately.

Enjoy this? He can't afford it.

A visit to a brothel and a performance could cost tens or hundreds of taels of silver, equivalent to thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in real currency.

Buying a house would cost an astronomical sum.

Those wealthy people pursue experiences and enjoyment, while he pursues skill enhancement and making money through online trading. Their paths are different.

He can't afford to spend those money.

Just focus on practicing martial arts and preparing to fight gold.

He continued scrolling through the forum to pass the time while waiting for his food.

I've noticed that fewer and fewer people are discussing different sects these days.

Those who were supposed to join have probably joined, and those who didn't have resigned themselves to their fate, so the conversation naturally shifted to another topic.

However, there were also some interesting posts.

For example, a player with the ID "Blood feud" posted:

[A Kunlun Sect disciple's tearful accusation: My senior brothers robbed me of my money and equipment and beat me every day! I pledge to diligently practice martial arts and one day return to the sect to slaughter these bastards!]

Below the post, many people shared similar experiences from various sects and vowed to take revenge.

"This feud is now set in stone," Wu Feng thought. "I reckon quite a few sects will be wiped out by players in the future."

Players hold grudges. They can't beat the NPCs now, so they just have to swallow their anger.

When I become stronger in the future, I'll go back to seek revenge, and a massacre of my entire family might even happen.

He was just watching for fun.

While browsing casually, a title suddenly caught his attention:

[Traces of Four Villains Spotted in Dali! Pictures and Evidence! Could this be the prelude to a major plot development?]

The poster's ID is "Dali Xunfeng," and the location is Dali City.

Wu Feng clicked on it.

The original poster described doing a quest outside Dali City.

I overheard some NPC villagers talking about four strangely shaped, highly skilled villains who were roaming the area, committing all sorts of evil deeds, including burning, killing, and looting.

The government posted a reward, but no one dared to accept it.

He also attached a blurry screenshot of a distant view to the post, in which four strangely dressed figures could be vaguely seen walking on a mountain path, but their specific appearances were unclear due to the distance.

The comments below have already built up to a huge thread:

"The Four Evils? 'Utterly Heinous' Duan Yanqing, 'Completely Wicked' Ye Erniang, 'Fierce and Mighty' Crocodile God of the South Sea, 'Extremely Vicious' Yun Zhonghe? Is this from the plot of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils?"

"Holy crap! The plot is about to start? I'd better hurry to Dali! Maybe I can get some quests!"

"How much is the reward? Does anyone know?"

"The government offered a reward of five hundred taels of silver or gold per person? I can't remember exactly, but it was a very high amount."

"Five hundred taels? My god, we're rich!"

"Get rich? You should first assess your own capabilities. The Four Evils are at least second-rate masters, Duan Yanqing might be even higher. You want to go and die?"

"Team up! There's strength in numbers! Let's overwhelm them with sheer numbers!"

"Are they going to reveal martial arts techniques? Duan Yanqing's One-Finger Divine Skill, the Crocodile God of the South China Sea's Crocodile Mouth Scissors Technique, Yun Zhonghe's Lightness Skill... Just thinking about it makes my mouth water."

Wu Feng stared at the post, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table as he fell into deep thought.

Dali, the Four Evils.

This could indeed be the prelude to the start of the "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" storyline.

If the storyline over there really starts, it will definitely attract a lot of players to join in the fun, seeking mission rewards, bounties, and even... obtaining martial arts skills.

To him, these four villains were like a moving gold mine.

In the past, hunting bandits in the starting village yielded a considerable amount of money and experience.

If we could capture one of the Four Evils, the bounty would be... a huge sum of money.

More importantly, it can also unleash martial arts skills.

Duan Yanqing's One-Finger Divine Skill is the unique skill of the Dali Duan family, a first-rate finger technique.

The Crocodile God's crocodile mouth cutting technique sounds like a mysterious martial art.

Yun Zhonghe's lightness skill is probably not bad either.

Ye Erniang... doesn't seem to have any famous martial arts skills? But to be among the Four Evils, her strength must be considerable.

If he could obtain even just one of these skills, it would greatly enhance his strength.

Moreover, there is also the Xiaoyao Sect in Dali.

Wu Yazi, Tianshan Tonglao, Li Qiushui... their martial arts skills are truly enviable.

It's worth a visit.