[Buzz… Data error… Host binding in progress… 10%, 30%, 50%… 100%… Binding successful.]
[Host: Lu Qing.]
[Identity: Player (Mortals).]
[Age: 24.]
[Mode: Blood-Bath Mode (also known as Hell-Level Mode).]
[Weapon: Jade Painting Fan. Note: Support-type weapon, can revive / can control, cooldown period of one month. Head ornament ribbon, can be used as decoration or as weapon, impervious to swords and sabers, extremely sturdy, can grow or shrink at will (Warm reminder: When dealing with disobedient enemies, using the ribbon can increase the host’s health bar).]
[Assets: 5,000,000 game coins, convertible into immortal jade (frozen).]
[Main Quest: Achieve the title of the number one person in Blood-Bath Mode, and romance Immortal Lord Yunchuan of the Lingyao Sect.]
[Side Quests: 1. Eliminate the mist-blood in Luoxia Village and rescue the mortals of Luoxia Village. 2. Obtain the token white jade plaque and enter the Lingyao Sect. 3. Romance Immortal Lord Yunchuan of the Lingyao Sect. 4. Exterminate demons, defend the Dao, protect humanity and the orthodox path of immortality, and find and kill the final boss of Blood-Bath Mode.]
His head felt as if it had been struck by a sandbag, swollen and aching, with a heavy sensation filling his mind. Intermittent, buzzing sounds buzzed and crackled like a short-circuited wire.
Lu Qing rubbed his head as the veins on his forehead bulged one by one, his entire head feeling as though it were about to burst.
However, the voice deep within his soul would not stop ringing, making his already uncomfortable body feel even more precarious.
[Host, I am your system, the Blood-Bath Combat System.] As a cold voice appeared, Lu Qing pressed his temples to calm his breathing.
“Auditory hallucination?” He let out a light breath, lowering his head without moving as he waited for the sharp pain to subside, muttering, “Is Huanxi Corporation really making such a big deal out of this? Are the story mode and the blood-bath mode really this different?”
[It is not an auditory hallucination. Because your holographic equipment malfunctioned, your soul was dragged into the game, which is why I appeared to bind with you. Once you complete the quests and clear the game to the very end, you will be able to leave this game world,] the Blood-Bath Combat System explained.
Lu Qing’s mindset was somewhat collapsing. Upon hearing this, he opened his eyes and looked around. Everything around him that had been stagnant began to revive. Before his eyes was a sea of red, with ear-piercing screams. A crimson moon hung high in the sky, casting an ominous dark red hue over the entire world.
“What do you mean?” Could it be that what happened just now wasn’t an illusion? Didn’t he just put on the holographic equipment, lie down in the machine pod, and enter the game?
What was going on? Could the equipment really be broken? If so, this company was completely incompetent!
No way, an accident of this magnitude meant the company had to pay compensation!
After a few moments of contemplation, Lu Qing tapped the chip on his wrist, only to be frightened by the pop-up page information.
He hurriedly scanned over it without reading it carefully, searching instead for the word [Exit].
Yet after searching for a long time, he could not find the [Exit] option. He stared fixedly at the page, half his heart turning cold, standing frozen in place in a daze, covered in cold sweat.
The Blood-Bath Combat System seemed to be waiting for him to calm down. Seeing that Lu Qing did not speak, it explained: [The host needs to complete these quests in order to leave this world.]
Lu Qing clenched his fists tightly, getting angry for a brief moment before saying in a cold voice, “What on earth is going on here? Explain it to me clearly. I came here to play a game, not to risk my life!”
Dammit, was it easy for him being a closed-beta tester? Now that something like this had happened, was he even still alive in reality?
Dammit, were real-world time and in-game time synchronized? What if someone discovered he had an accident and cremated his corpse? Would he still be able to return after completing the quests?
[The host does not need to worry. You have already bound with me. As long as you complete the quests, the problems you are worried about will not arise.] The Blood-Bath Combat System comforted him.
Now was not the time to discuss this; his current situation was extremely terrible.
Screams around him pierced the sky, and rustling sounds darted past quickly, making one’s scalp tingle.
He looked into the distance and narrowed his eyes: running, death, blood, severed limbs.
His face turning pale, Lu Qing could no longer hold it in, bending over to vomit violently. A surge churned in his stomach; he felt as though he had been soaked in a pool of blood, the bloody stench piercingly pungent to his nose and brain.
The Blood-Bath Combat System was cold and devoid of human warmth, reminding him: [If the host does not start taking action soon, the quest will fail.]
“Fail if it fails, just let me die.” Lu Qing raised a hand to wipe his mouth, turning pale and feeling cowardly.
In a situation like this, what could a mere mortal like him do? Nothing at all; he would only end up dismembered just like the people in this village.
“Ugh.” Lu Qing dared not look and dared not think; the bloody stench was far too rich. “What are those things?”
How could a game be the same as reality? Such a cruel scene would become a lifelong shadow and nightmare in his life.
[Demonic entities, mist-blood.] The Blood-Bath Combat System stated concisely, [The host needs to find the true form of the mist-blood and kill it in order to save Luoxia Village.]
“At least tell me how to save them.” Lu Qing flew into a rage. Anyone who came to a baffling place and encountered such an event would find it impossible to remain calm, let alone have a system relentlessly whispering in their ear to complete quests without missing a beat.
Without even understanding the situation, this was simply forcing a duck onto a perch.
[Mist-blood: the red moon turns into mist to devour vitality and longevity. After leveling up, it transforms into a major demon to wreak havoc on the human world. Its true form is a heart. Given that the current situation is unfavorable to the host, the system will fully assist the host in completing the newbie quest.] The Blood-Bath Combat System paused. [Furthermore, a newbie protection period will be provided for the host.]
A silver thread extended from his right hand, pointing directly toward the river of Luoxia Village.
[Follow the silver thread.]
Lu Qing had no other choice. What had happened had already happened, and if he wanted to live, he had to do as the system said.
He walked step by unsteady step, following the silver thread. The road ahead was uneven, and every step taken landed in sticky sludge. He did not dare to look down; his pair of beautiful phoenix eyes were invaded by red, unable to see any other color.
The red mist attacking the mortals bypassed him as though it were completely blind. People running or falling to the ground opened their eyes wide, being dismembered as the red mist passed through their bodies.
“A-Qing, run! Run!” A fierce shout shook his ears. He turned his head to look, only to see a mist of blood spraying across his eyes.
“Ugh.” Lu Qing bent over and vomited until his stomach turned inside out, cold sweat breaking out all over his body, his mind filled with the spraying blood mist.
[The slower your actions, the more people will die. Once the mist-blood devours everyone, the mortals of Luoxia Village will have no afterlife.]
“Shut up.” With an ashen face, Lu Qing began to run along the silver thread, only a single thought remaining in his mind.
Find that heart and end all of this.
The silver thread disappeared at the riverbank. Here, it was as clean as a spring breeze, without a trace of blood, and the river water was crystal clear.
Faint red glows emanated from the center of the river; without needing to guess, one knew that must be the true form of the mist-blood.
With no time for careful inspection, with a “plop,” Lu Qing jumped into the river and approached the mist-blood. The river water rustled until a wet, slender and forceful hand grasped that heart, causing the surroundings to stall for a brief moment.
Before the mist-blood could react, the hair ribbon on his brown long hair automatically detached, transforming into countless black threads that coiled tightly around the heart.
A piercing screech resounded across the sky. The crimson, throbbing heart was crushed and shattered, transforming into a blood mist that drifted away in all directions.
Lu Qing experienced a burst of tinnitus, his vision turning pitch black as he plunged into endless darkness and sank into the river.
“A-Qing, wake up.”
“Lu Qing, wake up.”
Was someone patting his face? Was someone calling him?
When Lu Qing opened his eyes, he was blinded by the light and closed them again.
Rustling sounds came from beside him, followed by a bewildered voice entering his ears: “A-Qing, why are you lying by the river? Even though the weather in June is hot, you shouldn’t spend the night by the river. How dangerous is that?”
His ears were buzzing. The scenes he had witnessed before losing consciousness flashed past, and Lu Qing abruptly opened his eyes and sat up.
His movement was rather large in amplitude, causing the person beside him to take a step back in fright, offering expressions of deep concern: “A-Qing, what’s wrong with you? Did you have a nightmare?”
Turning his head with a pale face, the youth who came into view had his black hair half-tied, upright facial features, and a look of astonishment and doubt.
He remained in a daze for a long time, gazing around as if searching for something.
A rough hand touched his face. The youth frowned deeply and gently patted his cheek: “A-Qing, could it be that you contracted miasma last night?”
The youth’s expression changed, and he pulled him up to leave the riverbank: “I’ll take you to see Third Grandpa Lu.”
Lu Qing was pulled along, stumbling as he ran. Everything that happened last night was far too terrifying, so he silently called out: “System?”
Host, I am here.
The cold voice of the Blood-Bath Combat System sounded, causing Lu Qing to draw a sharp breath and his expression to sink.
Everything that happened last night was real, so what was going on right now?
A loop,] the Blood-Bath Combat System explained. The blood moon rises, demons run amok, wreaking havoc in the human world.
Last night, the host’s initial dharma artifact was triggered to crush and shatter the mist-blood. All the vitality and longevity it devoured will return to these mortals. According to the game’s settings, no matter what happens at night, the mortals will forget all of it once they wake up during the day.
“I understand.” Lu Qing let out a sigh of relief. The events had simply been too bloody for him to forget, and his complexion remained devoid of color.
Soon, they arrived at the tail end of Luoxia Village. Passing through the village, they encountered many people who ran past so quickly they left their voices behind them.
A humble and clean wooden house stood there, with medicinal herbs drying in the courtyard. An old man with white hair sat in the courtyard grinding medicine.
“Third Grandpa Lu, A-Qing stayed by the river last night and contracted miasma. Please take a look at him quickly.” Lu Qing ran out of breath, shouting as soon as he entered the courtyard.
Third Grandpa Lu raised his head, the skin on his face slightly sagging and drooping, his cloudy eyes filled with affection.
“Don’t rush, let me take a look.” Third Grandpa Lu put down the work in his hands, standing up and walking over with a limp.
“A-Qing, give me your hand.” Third Grandpa Lu spoke in a low, husky voice, his expression kind.
Lu Qing extended his right hand. A hand covered in thick calluses pressed onto his pulse, and Third Grandpa Lu lifted his eyes to look at him, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.
“Third Grandpa Lu, how is he?” Lu Liu asked impatiently, failing to notice the look in Third Grandpa Lu’s eyes.
Third Grandpa Lu released his grip. “Nothing is wrong.” He turned around and limped off to fetch medicine, his tone unhurried. “He did indeed contract miasma, but it is also a blessing in disguise. He has been frightened; after I dispense the medicine, take it back and have him take it for three days and he will be safe and sound.”
“That’s great.” Lu Liu breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing something was amiss. He turned to look at Lu Qing, his eyes filled with disbelief. “You, you, A-Qing, you… you’re normal now?”
With just a few brief words, combined with Third Grandpa Lu’s expression just moments ago, Lu Qing understood the situation.
Under the youth’s eager gaze, he slowly nodded and said calmly, “I’m normal.”
“That’s wonderful, wonderful.” Lu Liu wept tears of joy, hugging Lu Qing with a face full of tear tracks. “A-Qing, you’re finally normal.”
“Alright, the medicine is prepared.” Third Grandpa Lu handed the prepared medicine to the youth, saying with gratification, “A-Qing’s contraction of miasma this time can be considered a blessing in disguise. Take him back to take his medicine properly, and he will be well in a few days.”
“Thank you, Third Grandpa Lu.” Lu Liu took the medicine, placed copper coins from his body into Third Grandpa Lu’s hands, and pulled Lu Qing away.
After leaving the tail of the village, the youth chattered on and on, allowing Lu Qing to learn the specific circumstances.
The youth was named Lu Liu, and he was Lu Qing. Their mother had died in childbirth while giving birth to him; because he was trapped in the womb for too long, he was born a fool who neither cried nor made a fuss.
As for their father, he had gone hunting in the mountains when Lu Qing was five years old and met with an accident, leaving behind no remains. From then on, the two brothers depended on each other. Lu Liu was twenty-seven years old this year, and because of Lu Qing’s existence, he had never taken a wife.
Lu Qing was a fool, and Lu Liu was a taciturn person; the two brothers were not looked upon favorably in the village and frequently suffered bullying. Their residence was at the tail end of the village, where very few people lived only three or four households, mostly the old, weak, sick, and disabled.
Fortunately, Lu Liu was clever, making a living by hunting in the mountains and doing carpentry work, barely managing to feed the two of them.
This background was not particularly tragic, but it was certainly teeth-grittingly difficult.
“A-Qing, now that you are normal, I can finally rest easy.” Lu Liu smiled, holding the medicine in one hand and grasping Lu Qing’s hand with the other.
Upon returning home, Lu Liu became busy, urging Lu Qing to wash up and clean himself.
Meanwhile, Lu Liu went to the kitchen to boil the medicine. The bitter medicinal scent instantly dispersed, drifting through the window into the room.
Lu Qing couldn’t help feeling a headache coming on, rubbing his face as he asked with a gloomy tone: “The problem is solved, where is my reward?”
[The host has completed side quest 1, and is rewarded with one Spirit-Cleansing Pill and one Marrow-Washing Pill. Three days from now, the Lingyao Sect will send people to test mortal spiritual roots to accept disciples. Please enter the Lingyao Sect to carry out the main quest: Romance Immortal Lord Yunchuan.] The moment the Blood-Bath Combat System finished speaking, a flash of white light appeared before his eyes, and two white porcelain bottles floated in mid-air.
[Warm reminder: The Spirit-Cleansing Pill cleanses spiritual roots, while the Marrow-Washing Pill expels impurities. Regardless of the type of pill, the pain during the initial stage will be difficult to endure. Please find a quiet place to ingest them.]
With a calm expression and an unchanging countenance, Lu Qing accepted the pills, stood up, put on clean clothes, and walked out the door.