Ji Zhao's eyes went dark and quiet. He gathered himself back together quickly and sat down again at the computer desk.
By now the picture on the screen had changed completely: from black and white to full color, the character models far more refined, and the protagonist had even gained a finely brushed half-body portrait!
...Had that been all, Ji Zhao would not have felt so much as a ripple. At this point, a thing like that could no longer move him.
But that half-body portrait was him as a youth — only the hair had grown long, and the eyes carried a little less edge.
【"..."】
Recalling what the pixel figure had said, Ji Zhao began to form a vague idea. He was still turning it over when his gaze swept the upper right corner and caught something wrong, for it now read the twenty-ninth day of the ninth month, the fifth year of Jianwu.
If Ji Zhao remembered rightly, it had still read the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month of the fifth year of Jianwu when he left. One trip outside, and four days had passed inside the game!
"So time keeps running... tch."
At this point, whatever happened, Ji Zhao could only accept it. He gave things a quick once-over, confirmed that nothing had been added beyond the graphics and the portrait, and set his character walking briskly forward. This time he did not have the leisure to work through the NPCs on the street one by one to learn the game's background.
The Ji Zhao in the game walked for three minutes straight, and just as he was about to round a corner the character abruptly went uncontrollable. Then someone came running out from around that corner — from the model, a farmhand carrying a firewood hatchet, fleeing for his life — and the direction of his flight was dead-on, straight at Ji Zhao!
Five options appeared on screen.
【1: Overall Rating ≥ D — subdue him without entering combat.】
【2: Martial theory ≥ 40 — react in time and dodge / enter combat.】
【3: Martial Might / Godspeed level ≥ 1 — cow him into going around you / simply dodge.】
【4: Overall Rating ≥ D-Lower — enter combat.】
【5: Overall Rating < D-Lower — too frightened by the blade to move; do not enter combat and be taken.】
Five options, and the first four were all darkened because his attributes fell short. Only the last was lit... A pity that circumstances were so extraordinary that Ji Zhao had no heart left for snarking. He could only click the fifth.
On screen the man with the hatchet rushed in behind Ji Zhao and laid the blade across his neck. With the models refined as they now were, Ji Zhao could even see him panting hoarsely, his strength plainly spent.
【Faced with the woodcutter charging at him out of nowhere, Ji Zhao, whose cultivation was feeble, could not react in time. Watching the man come at him blade in hand with murder on his face, his legs went weak beneath him, he could not move, and the blade was set against him.】
【Woodcutter: "Don't come any closer! Come closer and I'll kill him!"】
From around the corner came a young man of twenty-five or twenty-six with something sinister about his brow.
【Young man (speaking as he ran): "Hmph. You think that will be enough to threaten..."】
【Young man (stopping): (Wait... is that one of the Ji family?)】
【Ji Zhao knew this young man. In Anchun County there was a wealthy merchant named Han De, who had fathered two sons late in life: the elder, Han Yi, and the younger, Han Shou. This was Han Yi.】
【A year ago, when Anchun County had gathered over wine to settle the office of Martial Warden, Ji Zhao had seen the two brothers. Now, with the Black Cavalry bandits in revolt, old Han De could not take the fright: on hearing that the Whip-and-Mace Fiend Liu Wei was leading the Black Cavalry against them under the Duke of Sacred Might, he was frightened into convulsions outright. The Han family's businesses were now held by the two brothers, who in recent days had done a good deal for the defense of the city.】
【Seeing Han Yi stop, the woodcutter was overjoyed. He began dragging Ji Zhao slowly backward. "Don't come near me!"】
【Han Yi thought to himself: (Look at the state of the man — he can't have much strength left, and that hatchet can't be sharp either. Besides, killing a man is not something an ordinary person manages cleanly. If I move, nine times out of ten I could take him. But if something happens to this bastard and Ji Bei comes demanding answers...)】
【At that thought Han Yi wavered, and merely watched the woodcutter coldly, neither advancing nor retreating.】
【The woodcutter kept backing away with Ji Zhao in his grip, his concentration fixed entirely on Han Yi — never knowing that he himself had already been marked.】
The in-game viewpoint rose, revealing a handsome young man alighting on the roof of a house to one side.
【Han Shou: "Heh..."】
He flicked a finger, a streak of light flashed, and something — there was no telling what — struck the woodcutter's hand.
【Woodcutter: "Ghah!"】
Han Shou leapt down from the roof and knocked the woodcutter to the ground with a backhanded punch.
【Ji Zhao: "Haah... Brother Han, my thanks."】
【Han Shou: "Heh heh, no need to thank me. What I'm about to say will be enough to make you angry... Elder Brother, what exactly were you doing? Look how blunt that hatchet is. Why so faint-hearted?"】
【Han Yi: "I was naturally taking care for young Brother Ji's life."】
【Han Shou: "Heh... as if you would take care for anyone's life."】
【Han Yi: "...If there is nothing else, I'll take the man back with me."】
【Han Shou did not answer, and leapt away.】
【Han Yi came over and said mildly: "I trust young Brother Ji wasn't too badly frightened?"】
【Ji Zhao: "I'm all right. My thanks just now, Brother Han."】
【Han Yi: "You were dragged into this by me. What is there to thank me for? If there's nothing else, I'll be going."】
【Ji Zhao hesitated a moment, then spoke up: "Brother Han, this younger brother makes bold to ask — who is this man...?"】
【Han Yi glanced left and right and lowered his voice. "Let young Brother Ji be informed... Every time that Black Cavalry lot takes a county, they are certain to kill the officials, kill the clerks, kill the gentry, kill the landlords, kill the monks, kill the Daoist priests — and then parcel out all the land that frees up among those roving bandits of theirs, so the men will fight to the death for them. Here in Anchun County there are those who have learned of it and are scheming to open the gates in secret and let the Black Cavalry in."】
【At this point Han Yi sneered coldly and went on. "The blockheads know the half of it and not the whole. That Black Cavalry lot are refugees and roving bandits to begin with — where is there a shred of discipline among them? If they truly got into the city, wouldn't they spend the first several days burning, killing, and looting? Never mind a pack of bandits; among armies that draw proper pay, how many in all of history have kept discipline that good? The handful of cases there are all had the defenders surrendering at the mere sight of them, so that the army entered in good order... These Black Cavalry have been besieging Anchun County for the better part of half a month now. Do you imagine those bandits still have the patience to wait for someone to come and divide up fields and land with them? Young Brother Ji, you've had some schooling — tell me, am I right or not?"】
【Ji Zhao: "Haah..."】
【Han Yi clapped Ji Zhao on the shoulder. "In any case, young Brother Ji, look to yourself. And keep an eye on how your eldest sister is holding up — she is the Martial Warden of this county, and the burden of dealing with Liu Wei will most likely fall on her shoulders."】