Chapter 96 - Human Hearts and Minds

Translator: Noodletown Translations Editor: Noodletown Translations

“Stop talking! Come on! Let’s drink!” With the jar of liquor in his arms, Lin Shao urged his buddies to drink.

After watching the ending of the Legend of the Sword and Fairy, Song Qingfeng didn’t feel too bad, but he wasn’t in a good mood either. He began to drink with others.

“Hey! Fatty! How come you’re not drinking?” Xu Luo patted Wang Tai on his shoulder.

Ever since they began playing Diablo together, they had become friends and had come for a drink together.

“Of course, let’s drink!” Wang Tai froze for a second. He hadn’t played the Legend of the Sword and Fairy and had only watched others play it, but he felt the same way as the others.

“It’s a pity that this liquor isn’t nearly as good as Sprite,” Song Qingfeng clicked his tongue while he drank.

“You won’t get drunk with Sprite!” With that said, Lin Shao chugged another mouthful of liquor, and his face turned red.

Beside them, many other customers in the Wind and Moon Pavilion had big jars of liquor on the tables in front of them. Even Shen Qingqing who rarely drank had ordered a bottle of Green Jade Liquor and took a seat beside a window.

Xu Zixin sat across from her, and her face didn’t change color after drinking one bottle of liquor.

“I prefer Sprite!” Shen Qingqing mumbled. Her face turned pink after dinking only a small bottle of liquor

While resting her chin in her hand, Xu Zixin looked tipsy as she said, “I wish that the snacks here are as good as Haagen-Dazs and the liquor as good as the Sprite.”

The waiter who served them looked sulky.

He had got tired of hearing Sprite and Haagen-Dazs these days and wondered what they were. It was still ok if someone wanted to compare other things with the liquor and snacks in the Wind and Moon Pavilion, but they criticized the great offers of the Wind and Moon Pavilion while they were eating!

It must be noted that the chef of the Wind and Moon Pavilion came from Jingshi, and he was as good as the chefs in the Royal Palace!

-Meanwhile in an exquisite compartment on the fourth floor of the Wind and Moon Pavilion-

Behind the pretty curtain, one could see the vague shape of a woman and her distinct and beautiful features. With her beautiful eyes set deep under her dark eyebrows, she opened her lips and said with pride and elegance, “Qingher, Wanyu.”

Standing before her were a man and a woman who were meticulously dressed. The man was in his thirties and looked righteous. After hearing his name, he led the woman beside him to bow slightly.

The woman behind the curtain looked casual with a pot of tea in her hand. “I just came back from Jingshi and can use some rest. What happened these days? Tell me.”

The man and the woman immediately reported what had happened in the Wind and Moon Pavilion recently.

“The customers keep commenting that our liquor doesn’t taste as good as the Sprite of a small shop?” The woman behind the curtain found it ridiculous. “Our snacks aren’t nearly as good as Haagen-Dazs?”

She said in contempt, “It’s just a small shop. The customers can eat whatever they like; what impact can it have on us?”

...

Standing outside of Tianji Hall, Su Tianji felt melancholic. It was the night, and the stars blinked brightly in the dark sky. Looking at the shadows beyond the mountains and the stars in the sky, she felt a loneliness that she had never felt before.

With a flick of her fingers, a sword flew out and flashed on the sea of flowers outside the hall.

...

Standing in front of the great hall of the Nalan Family, Nalan Hongwu squinted his eyes and said slowly, “When I was young, people were talking about concentrating on martial arts without distraction. I tried to achieve it most of my life, but is it really so hard to achieve?”

Standing behind him, Elder Fu remained silent for a long time before answering, “Sir, we’re... old.”

Nalan Hongwu laughed with regret for his old age and said, “Yeah. We’re old, and we shouldn’t focus on martial arts without distraction anymore.

Flowers could bloom again, but people couldn’t go back to their youth. They should focus their mind on how to enjoy the rest of their lives.

Nalan Hongwu heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that it was enough for him to play with plants and flowers and entertain himself with leisure activities at this stage of his life.

Compare to concentrating on martial arts without distraction, I prefer being calm and peaceful like water, he thought. After spending so much time on battles and wars, Nalan Hongwu now preferred a peaceful life.

...

Standing in her courtyard full of pear trees, Nalan Mingxue looked distracted while she stared at the trees.

“Ms. Nalan, are you sad as well?” Lan Yan was wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

“No.” Nalan Mingxue looked back with the moonlight shining on her charming face as she asked, “Lan Yan, what do you think of the game in Mr. Fang’s shop?”

“It’s great,” Lan Yan answered even though she was puzzled by this question. “Although the worlds in the last two games look weird, they were quite novel, and I wonder who came up with such ideas. As to the Legend of the Sword and Fairy, the world that it describes is similar to ours. But instead of feeling bored, I felt like it is quite a classic...”

“Then, do you like it?”

“Of course!” Lan Yan got excited when this topic was brought up. “Speaking of that... I especially like the Legend of the Sword and Fairy!”

“Yeah...” Nanlan Mingxue lowered her head and said, “The people and techniques in the game are interesting, and everyone likes it, so... it’s not good.”

“Why is it not good with everyone liking it?” Lan Yan was baffled.

“It’s simple,” Nanlan Mingxue said with good logic, “While Mr. Fang’s business is prospering, someone will get jealous. Although he doesn’t have any direct competition, he has rivals who are displeased that he is taking away their customers. Mr. Fang is only an ordinary man, but now his business seems to have the potential to surpass those of the aristocrats’. In short, he will face many challenges. Even with that mysterious cultivator sitting in his shop, he can’t solve all the problems.”

Nalan Mingxue pointed her finger at Lan Yan’s chest, saying, “Human hearts and minds... are complicated. More importantly, I’m afraid that many people are greedy over the spiritual artifacts which are called computers and want to take them from him...

“These people can’t do anything serious separately, but I’m afraid someone will unite them into a force.”

...

-Southern Business Alliance-

There were business people in every world, so was this world that was full of cultivators and warriors.

The spiritual artifacts and elixir pills that cultivators wanted, and the martial arts technique scrolls and the body-tempering herbs that the warriors sought had triggered the expansion of commerce and prosperity.

A business alliance which could expand and strengthen industries and satisfy the needs of the high-level cultivators and powerful warriors was certainly extraordinary.

Huo Chong was a thin middle-aged man, and he was wearing a stylish robe. He was also a cultivator with powerful essence.

Sitting in front of his desk, his eyes squinted while he read the letter in his hand. “Pang Rulie?”

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Chapter 97: Storm

Translator: Noodletown Translations Editor: Noodletown Translations

In his mountain mansion, Pang Rulie sucked in a mouthful of smoke from the tobacco pipe with vicious force.

“Master, do you think Huo Chong will agree to your request?” The maid who was massaging his shoulders with her small hands asked him, “He’s a big figure; don’t you think it’s hard to enlist his help to deal with a small shop?”

“Huo Chong is a guy who won’t show his hand unless there’s a big reward for him.” While blowing out a puff of white smoke, Pang Rulie said slowly, “If this small shop is indeed what it seems, he wouldn’t make a move.

“However, this guy has many spies, and I’m afraid that he got wind of it earlier than us.” Pang Rulie smirked. “In fact, he has been craving for the stuff in this small shop... He just doesn’t dare to reach out his hand!

“Now that such a good opportunity presented itself, I’m sure he will join us as long as the reward is big enough!”

Pang Rulie sneered as he said.

...

Meanwhile, the Wind and Moon Pavilion got even more crowded than usual, and most of the customers had come here for liquor.

“Young Master Zhe, how come you’re in the mood to have a drink with us today?”

Yao Xiaoyong’s father was an aristocrat with moderate influence and had an official title in Jiuhua City. Although his position was far lower than people like An Cheng, he had some influence in the city.

As the son of an official, Yao Xiaoyong had some buddies, but he had never been invited by Zhou Zhe to have liquor in the Wind and Moon Pavilion together with a large group of people.

About ten people sat around the table, and Yao Xiaoyong was quite familiar with most of them.

“I say, Young Master Zhe, did anyone piss you off, and you want us to give him a lesson?” The young man in black who was sitting at a seat asked with a laugh, “But you don’t need so many of us to do such a simple task, right?”

Yao Xiaoyong was also curious. After all, a few young men with some influence were enough to give someone a lesson; it didn’t need a large group of people.

“I asked all of you to come here because I found something really fun!” the young man sitting at the head of the table said.

“Really fun? Dice? Cards? Or...” A young man sitting to the right said with a snicker, “The top girl in the Drunken Red Pavilion?”

“Or... some new demon beasts in Qin Mountain Beast Garden?” A young man waved his folding fan as his eyes emitted a cold light, which meant that his strength was greater than his peers!

“What in the world is so fun that Young Master Zhe called us to this place at this late hour?” Yao Xiaoyong looked unconvinced.

Although the world respected strength, not everyone was diligent enough to work one’s way to the top.

One could only achieve a high realm after hard practice, but it was too much to ask from these rich young men. Only a few had the fortitude and talent to gain great strength.

Of course, most of them only wanted to be rich playboys, and they didn’t care if people called them ignorant or good-for-nothing.

As a new player of the Legend of the Sword and Fairy, Zhou Zhe had been drawn into the game by a friend.

[TL Note: In ancient China, people can add the title, Young Master, before the first name or the last name. That is why Zhou Zhe is referred to as Young Master Zhe while Song Qingfeng is referred to as Young Master Song.]

He was hooked by the game the first time he tried it, not expecting that he could experience another legendary life by playing a game!

More importantly, the story was so classic that he couldn’t get enough of it and wanted to share it with the people he knew.

“The Legend of the Sword and Fairy! Have you heard of it before?” None of young men had expected Zhou Zhe to gather them here to have fun instead of asking them for a favor.

It always felt better to share the fun.

“The Legend of the Sword and Fairy?” They all shook heads. “What’s so good about it? Why do you want to recommend it to us?”

In fact, beside their table, many other customers of the Wind and Moon Pavilion were also talking about the same thing while they drank.

The atmosphere was livelier than before.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Meanwhile, Fang Qi was oblivious to what was happening far away. Sitting in front of the computer, he watched the screen in which gentle breeze created ripples on the West Lake that was as smooth as a mirror. In the game, Li Xiaoyao stood calmly on the surface of the lake with his finger pointing at the sky.

Around him, the green waves surged up while the water plants moved under his aura even though there was no wind!

Boundless spiritual essence surged toward the direction that he was pointing at, and the things that were either with or without shape, visible or invisible around him moved. Instantly, he condensed a huge spiritual essence sword!

Heavenly Sword! Based on the sword control technique, it was also a sword technique of the Shu Mountain Faction, but it was much powerful than the basic sword control technique!

On the screen, Li Xiaoyao waved his finger, and the huge sword that was condensed from spiritual essence crashed into the lake like a huge meteor. The overwhelming pressure released from the spiritual essence created a huge crater on the lake surface before it touched the water!

Then, the huge sword crashed into the lake and instantly created giant waves as if water poured from the skies!

Countless waterdrops fell from the sky like a storm!

Allowing the waterdrops to fall on his shoulders, Fang Qi exhaled with dissatisfaction. “Still not good enough...”

No matter if the technique could be used in the real world or not, he couldn’t say he had mastered it if he couldn’t use it proficiently in the game.

It was obvious that Fang Qi had difficulty in controlling the huge amount of spiritual essence even in the game.

“I must put more effort into my granular control and get more familiar with the initiation of the Heavenly Sword. It won’t take long...” Fang Qi thought.

When he finished the game, he had mastered most of the techniques. However, the Heavenly Sword technique was so complicated that it had cost him lots of time even in the game.

He did the calculation and found that the task would be mostly done if he mastered the Heavenly Sword.

Then he glanced at the task of touching Legend of the Sword and Fairy and found the process had gained another 30 by this time. With the game getting more popular, he guessed the mission would be finished in a couple of days.

...

In his mountain mansion, Pang Rulie opened his mouth and blew out a puff of smoke while the end of his tobacco pipe glowed. Obviously, he was waiting for something.

Despite his previous confidence, he needed some confirmation.

At this moment, a maid strode into the room. “Master, here’s the reply to your letter!”