The tall man seemed slightly surprised by Bai Fuling’s reaction. However, he paused for only a brief moment before continuing to smoke, speaking in a casual tone.
“Playing dumb? That trick is meaningless. It has no meaning to me.”
“Mhm, mhm, mhm.” Bai Fuling nodded repeatedly, like a player rapidly clicking through dialogue boxes in a game just to make the conversation continue.
Meanwhile, his hands were still rummaging through the items on the table. His twenty-slot inventory only had two spaces left, so after some consideration, he chose not to take the kettle, which was useless to him. Instead, he stored away the tendon strips and wooden arrows lying on the table.
The room was dimly lit and there was some distance between them. During the brief instant when the tall man’s gaze drifted elsewhere, a few objects on the table quietly disappeared.
When he looked back carefully, he merely assumed the young man had used some small trick to temporarily hide them.
“No need to guard against me, kid,” the tall man said quietly. “You’re smart enough. You should be able to judge the situation.”
“Mhm, mhm, mhm.”
“To be honest, I don’t have any grudge against you.” The tall man flicked ash from his cigarette. “But some things have nothing to do with whether we have personal issues or not. You understand, right?”
“Mhm, mhm, mhm.”
“I’m just taking money to do a job. That’s all.” The tall man said, “Better to lay everything out in advance. I won’t make things difficult for you and you don’t need to make things difficult for me either.”
“Mhm, mhm, mhm.”
After receiving the same mechanical response three times in a row, responses so repetitive they sounded like an NPC with limited dialogue options, the tall man finally lifted his head and gave Bai Fuling several careful looks.
Half a second later, he took another drag from his cigarette and added, “If you have questions, wait until afterward and ask your grandfather yourself.”
Hearing that, Bai Fuling finally stopped giving robotic replies. His eyes widened in shock.
“What?! I actually have a grandpa?!”
Wow. Wow wow wow.
How did he not know he had a grandfather? Was the game adding new background lore for the player?
Bai Fuling’s imagination instantly ran wild.
Could it be that the game developers saw him worrying about expanding his inventory space, so now they were planning to gift him the identity of a rich third-generation heir?
Did such kind-hearted game companies that didn’t force players to spend money actually exist in this world?
Seeing his reaction, the tall man fell silent for a moment before saying, “You don’t need to keep pretending here.”
Bai Fuling immediately sprang forward in three quick steps until he was standing right in front of the NPC, eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Uncle, seriously? I really have a grandpa? Is he a millionaire?”
“I knew it! There’s definitely some gigantic family fortune waiting for me to inherit! Hahaha, don’t worry, I’m mentally prepared already!”
The tall man: “……”
At this point, Guan Jizhong finally began to sense that something was seriously wrong.
Could he have kidnapped the wrong person?
No. That shouldn’t be possible.
Guan Jizhong pondered silently.
He had followed the tracker given to him by that old man exactly.
According to the old man, the tracker had been secretly implanted inside the dagger the kid used most often. The kid himself had no idea.
Which meant that wherever the tracker was, Liao Zhiqiu would also be there. There shouldn’t have been any mistake.
To be safe, Guan Jizhong had originally wanted to ask the old man for a photograph as well but the old man refused.
Apparently, it had something to do with his personal principles, he did not leave behind images of himself or those around him.
Guan Jizhong still remembered that old man clearly.
His hair was completely white without a single strand of black remaining, combed meticulously into place. He sat upon an elaborately carved redwood chair, silent subordinates standing on either side of him.
He looked like an elegant old scholar.
But Guan Jizhong knew the truth.
The man was the ruler of the underground world.
An aging lion was still a lion.
The old man lightly tapped the armrest of his chair and spoke in an absent-minded tone.
“My grandson has always had a strange personality. Too stubborn. He’s been at odds with me for years over a cat. Every year he even insists on holding a memorial for that cat. Completely ridiculous.”
“When the anniversary of that cat’s death approaches in previous years, I would keep him confined on my side. The commotion he causes is simply too much and now, the brat has even started bribing people around me, ”
At that point, the old man smiled faintly and offered a brief compliment.
“Not bad.”
“But I will never allow him to continue this absurd behavior of mourning a pet.” The old man said calmly, “So for the next couple of days, take him away somewhere deep in the mountains.”
“Giving him a little lesson isn’t a bad thing either. Tie him up, beat him if you want. If he suffers, it’s because of his own choices.”
Guan Jizhong accepted the task.
Still, he had no intention of using excessive violence or directly tying the boy up. After all, the child was still the old man’s grandson and Guan Jizhong himself needed something from the old man.
So he simply replied, “Alright.”
Then he added, “After it’s done, I want clues about the murderer.”
The underground forces were the people most likely to possess information.
Their intelligence networks were notoriously well-informed.
At Guan Jizhong’s home, one wall was plastered with newspapers reporting on the Crescent Sickle Murder Case.
On the opposite wall hung a photograph of his younger sister smiling brightly at the camera, holding a sunflower in her arms.
He would never forget the day she died.
Guan Jizhong worked as a forest ranger. He spent most of the year deep within the mountains, simply to earn a little more money so his younger sister could attend school.
The night before her death, they had still been talking on the phone.
He had told her he would bring her freshly picked mushrooms from the forest.
His sister had laughed and told him that if he was bringing mushrooms, then he had better bring cake too.
Then, on the very next day, when he entered the city, his sister had already become a tiny photograph printed in the newspaper… and a cold corpse lying in the morgue.
Guan Jizhong sat on the icy bench outside the hospital for an entire day.
And afterward, only one thought remained in his mind.
He had to avenge his sister.
All he needed to do was kidnap a student and keep him hidden in the forest for two days.
In return, he would receive clues related to the murderer.
Of course Guan Jizhong agreed.
At this moment, watching the black-haired young man enthusiastically bouncing around in front of him, laughing and talking nonsense, Guan Jizhong felt that this behavior seemed completely different from the old man’s description.
He didn’t even continue smoking anymore. The cigarette simply remained loosely held between his fingers.
Guan Jizhong frowned deeply, the scar through his left eyebrow creasing along with the movement. Wanting confirmation, he finally asked,
“Hey, kid. What’s your name?”
“Fresh and Tender Chinese Cabbage.”
Guan Jizhong: “I’m asking for your real name.”
“Fresh and Tender Chinese Cabbage.”
Guan Jizhong: “……I already told you there’s no need to keep pretending to be crazy.”
“What’s wrong with it? That is my name. Got a problem with it?”
Bai Fuling widened his eyes indignantly.
What audacity from this NPC, questioning the player’s chosen username!
According to gaming logic, every character in the game should expressionlessly read out even the most ridiculous usernames players came up with.
“……” Guan Jizhong’s cigarette had burned down to the very end. He casually flicked the butt away and let out a short laugh.
“Believe whatever you want, kid. Anyway, you’ll be staying here obediently for the next two days.”
In the end, he still chose to trust the tracker.
After all, the method had been personally provided by that old man.
The young man standing before him had to be Liao Zhiqiu.
As for the difference in personality…
Well, acting differently in front of outsiders and family members was perfectly normal.
People always hoped things would unfold according to their own expectations.
With that thought in mind, Guan Jizhong stopped questioning further and pushed the door open as he walked out.
Bai Fuling remained standing where he was, patiently waiting for the quest notification window to appear.
But after waiting and waiting, even after the tall man had already left through the door, there was still no sign of any quest prompt whatsoever.
…What was this supposed to mean?
Bai Fuling fell into deep thought.
The other party had said he should stay here for two days. Did that mean he had to actually wait two full days before the next part of the quest triggered?
No way.
He still had to return to school to farm.
Some seeds could only be planted during specific seasons and the school didn’t even have a greenhouse. Summer was already nearing its end, so he absolutely had to plant them early.
Fine then. He would temporarily pause this quest line and leave the progress stuck here for now. Once he finished planting all his seeds, he could come back and continue.
The door was locked but the little bungalow had windows.
Bai Fuling pushed at one of the windows, only to discover that it opened surprisingly smoothly. He climbed out through it, feeling that he had officially evolved into some sort of Window Hero.
Outside, Guan Jizhong was carrying a shoulder pole with two buckets of water hanging from either end.
When he saw Bai Fuling emerge from the window, he showed no particular reaction. He merely spoke slowly,
“Don’t run around recklessly, kid. I’ll warn you in advance, this place is deep forest territory. You won’t be able to get out by yourself. Besides, there are bears and wolves wandering nearby.”
Of course Bai Fuling wasn’t afraid of deep forests.
To a player, a forest was simply a brand-new treasure-filled exploration zone.
Still, based on his gaming experience, the NPC’s words strongly implied that the surrounding map was probably designed as an infinite looping forest. The kind where players could wander endlessly in circles without ever escaping unless they fulfilled some prerequisite condition first.
and judging from the NPC’s emphasis on “you can’t get out by yourself,” the prerequisite condition was probably having a guide.
And obviously, the guide was the tall NPC standing before him.
But the guy still hadn’t given him any quest!
Could the system be bugging out again?
Bai Fuling controlled his character to move closer, trying to trigger a quest interaction option.
The tall NPC walked forward and Bai Fuling followed right behind him.
When the tall NPC turned a corner, Bai Fuling turned too.
He remained glued to the man’s side at all times like some sort of human accessory.
After trailing him around for quite a while without receiving any new quest notification, Bai Fuling decided the issue probably wasn’t a system bug after all.
That could only mean one thing,
the quest conditions still hadn’t been triggered.
Interaction was one of the most common ways to activate quests.
So Bai Fuling no longer limited himself to merely following behind.
One moment he helped the tall NPC carry water buckets. The next moment he hopped around repeatedly beside him. A few seconds later, he reached out and poked the tall NPC’s abdominal muscles.
, There was no deeper reason for it. The screen was only so large. When randomly tapping around on a tiny character model, wherever your finger landed was simply where it landed.
Before the black-haired youth could touch his abdomen, Guan Jizhong grabbed hold of his hand.
“…Don’t fool around. Stay quietly at the side.”
After pausing briefly, he added a warning.
“Don’t mistake me for someone with a good temper. If you keep this up, I’ll tie you up and lock you inside the house.”
Bai Fuling blinked.
Eh?
This kind of plotline could appear too?
There hadn’t been any warning about this in the beginning.
For a moment, he forgot to control his character.
Seeing that the other party had stopped struggling and finally quieted down, Guan Jizhong loosened his grip and released Bai Fuling’s hand.
Then he picked up the two water buckets again, preparing to pour them into the water vat in the courtyard.
Watching the tall NPC return to his fixed movement pattern and continue his routine work, Bai Fuling became even more convinced that he simply hadn’t triggered the quest properly yet.
He carefully reviewed everything that had happened earlier.
Suddenly, inspiration struck him.
Oh,
he got it now.
The reason the quest hadn’t appeared was because there was still one unfinished step beforehand!
Everyone knew that NPCs only issued quests after acknowledging the player’s identity.
But during their earlier conversation, this NPC had never accepted his name.
Puzzle games worked exactly like this. Missing even one tiny step would prevent progression entirely.
And at moments like this, items naturally became essential.
Convinced he had solved the mystery, Bai Fuling immediately clicked on the student ID card in his inventory.
He knew it.
There was no way an initial starter item would only be used once.
The “Display” interaction option attached to it definitely had a purpose.
Display the student ID card!
Fresh and Tender Chinese Cabbage makes his grand entrance!
Bai Fuling clicked on the student ID card, then clicked on the tall NPC on-screen.
“Uncle, let’s get acquainted. Hi, I’m Fresh and Tender Chinese Cabbage. Did you hear that? I’m Fresh and Tender Chinese Cabbage.”
At first, the tall NPC ignored him.
But his gaze unconsciously swept over the student ID card anyway.
Then, in the very next second, he suddenly snatched it away and stared at it fixedly.
“Your name… why… no, that’s wrong. You shouldn’t be called this. You can’t be called this, ”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? If you don’t like my name, I’m reporting you.”
What audacity from this NPC!
He was still questioning the player’s username!
Author’s Note:
Bai Fuling: Fresh and Tender Chinese Cabbage is me. Got a problem with it?
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The magical Realm runs on stories, chaos, and suspicious amounts of coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Escape game freezesChapter 2 · Players aren’t allowed to use the main entranceChapter 3 · Players have created a medical miracle!Chapter 4 · If I hit the NPC more, will the NPC drop gold coins?Chapter 5 · Players earn the title of “bus weirdo”Chapter 6 · Players get a prison experienceChapter 7 · So the red bar isn’t for favorability, it’s for anger!Chapter 8 · The player is a nimble catChapter 9 · The player is a “law-abiding” good studentChapter 10 · Players have no morals and are fearlessChapter 11 · Player: What’s wrong? It’s called “Cai Cai Shui Ling LingChapter 12 · The player is the famous Farmer Detective!Chapter 13 · The player raised a new petChapter 14 · The player is a genius dog-riding boyChapter 15 · The player is a sticky, helpful, and kind comradeChapter 16 · It turns out that players aren’t considered human by NPCsChapter 17 · Players are like angels descending upon my side!Chapter 18 · Player: There’s only one truth!Chapter 19 · Why are players farming at the school?!Chapter 20 · Players came to the cafeteria to buy suppliesChapter 21 · Are NPCs model workers?Chapter 22 · If you’re a gay manChapter 23 · Player: Wheelchairs are a useful mode of transportation!Chapter 24 · So the player is actually part of Cat Returns (?)Chapter 25 · Liao Zhi Qiu, a large pet belonging to the playerChapter 26 · Player: Hello, I picked up this corpse.Chapter 27 · Bai Fuling: Players will never dieChapter 28 · Has the murderer been caught?Chapter 29 · Player: Visiting the mental hospital felt as familiar as coming homeChapter 30 · Players’ Adventure in the Mental Hospital: Round 1Chapter 31 · Player: Kid, fly!Chapter 32 · The player who does good deeds every day is truly a good personChapter 33 · The kitten brought back some local specialtiesChapter 34 · Let this adorable kitten stay forever?Chapter 35 · Players, don’t give up on being human!Chapter 36 · A kitten is just a kitten, isn’t it?Chapter 37 · Players want it, players get itChapter 38 · Angel Player and Unlucky Bear NPCChapter 39 · In short, players choose to throw at NPCsChapter 40 · The player just flew away!Chapter 41 · Player: You need to thoroughly understand the bookChapter 42 · Players love to tease honest NPCs.Chapter 43 · He said he was a little hungry.Chapter 44 · Even if cotton essence mutatesChapter 45 · Pure Love TentaclesChapter 46 · Choose to be a kitten?Chapter 47 · Players’ tears are weaponsChapter 48 · Players do not need to breatheChapter 49 · It’s on fire!Chapter 50 · The player is a top-tier rescue masterChapter 51 · How did the player manage to resurrect after killing themselves?!Chapter 52 · Call the player “Little Cat King”!Chapter 53 · What are the consequences of raising the cat-like alienation