Looking into my own pocket, I only had fifty-six taels of silver and eight hundred big copper coins. Remembering how I earned this hard-won money, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness! It took all my effort to suppress the suicidal urge to make money, and I hurriedly pulled up my face mask.

Just like how many people prefer to set their QQ chat status to invisible to avoid being disturbed, in Shushan there’s also a system-provided face mask to avoid being recognized by enemies. It doesn’t take up an equipment slot, nor does it have any additional effects, but it’s extremely practical.

“Wearing a tattered hat to hide my face in the bustling city,

A leaky boat carrying wine drifting in the midstream;

With furrowed brows, I face a thousand fingers pointed at me,

Bowing my head, I willingly become a servant to the children.”

How fitting is Master Lu Xun’s poem for me!

Walking dejectedly through the streets of Chengdu, I felt like everyone I saw was out to get me. I haven’t done anything against my conscience! Even when I killed those two players, it was because they attacked first. I don’t even have a single negative karma point! This just goes to show how simple and kind-hearted I am.

“Hey! Little Howard!”

Suddenly, a soft little hand grabbed my collar, startling me so much I almost unleashed my Green Fang Ghost Arrow. Luckily, my ears were still sharp and I heard the name she called, so I quickly denied it: “Miss! I’m not Little Howard, you’ve got the wrong person!”

The girl holding my collar was truly beautiful! But come to think of it, in Shushan I’ve seen a few hideously ugly men, but never a single unattractive female player. In real life, those girls with “creative” looks all become stunning beauties in the game, making even real-life beauties feel a bit frustrated.

“Little Howard! Please don’t be mad at me, okay? Last time it was my fault. Let’s not break up, okay?”

Chapter 7: Chaotic Emotions

Obviously, because of my sleazy appearance, my words were hard to believe. This girl didn’t listen to my explanation at all. She clung to my collar, refusing to let go, and started crying with teary eyes.

“What… what kind of bad luck have I run into now? Hey! Miss, at least take a good look! I’m not that heartless guy who dumped you!” Of course, this was useless. I was about to take off my face mask when a very bad thought suddenly crossed my mind.

“Being mistaken for someone’s boyfriend like this is probably a one-in-a-billion chance in real life. In Shushan, the odds might be a bit higher, but still less than winning the lottery ten times in a row. Could this be some kind of scheme?”

I really wanted to push this girl away with force and walk off coolly, but Chengdu is a big city, the streets are bustling with people, and many were already pointing and whispering. If I acted so cold-blooded, I’d probably end up being beaten up by a bunch of hot-blooded guys as the “Internet Chen Shimei.” That would be a disaster.

“Miss, if you’re sure I’m your boyfriend, then come with me. Otherwise, let go!”

“Little Howard! I promise I’ll listen to you!” This girl was really obedient, immediately snuggling up behind me like a little bird.

“Fine! Let’s see who can outplay whom!” I didn’t hold back either, wrapping my arm around her slender waist. I have to say, the sense of realism in Shushan is truly amazing. Hugging her felt almost exactly like hugging my real-life girlfriend—maybe even a bit better.

Blaze Fan, female, level eight.

What a strange name this girl has. Isn’t Blaze Fan one of the seven famous fans in Shushan? It’s said to be as powerful as the Qingning Fan and the Floating Cloud Fan, a top-tier fire-attribute magic treasure.

In Shushan, weapon levels are divided into ten tiers by power, and by attribute into five types: Immortal, Buddhist, Divine, Evil, and Demonic. My Green Fang Ghost Arrow and Blood Bee Sting are both level-two evil weapons, while Blaze Fan is a level-nine immortal weapon—a huge difference in power.

If your cultivation path is different, you can’t equip weapons with completely opposite attributes. For example, Buddhist disciples can only equip Buddhist weapons; they absolutely can’t use demonic weapons. Daoist cultivators can equip immortal weapons, but if they use Buddhist weapons, the power is reduced by one tier. Equipping evil or demonic weapons also deducts some bonus attributes. I’m from Qingcheng, so I can’t unleash the yin damage of the Green Fang Ghost Arrow, and the paralysis effect of the Blood Bee Sting doesn’t work either.

We had only walked a few steps when Blaze Fan suddenly said, “Little Howard! Look at you, still wearing such crappy gear. I bet you don’t even have a flying sword, right? Here… take all these!”

“What… is this girl crazy?” Before I could say anything, the trade window popped up, and Blaze Fan traded me six items in one go.

“Zixia Daoist Crown, quality 180, can emit a protective purple glow, blocks 50 points of damage, flying sword +1. Windcloud Boots, Cloudriding Technique +1. Ochre Robe, defense 200, relic of an ancient immortal, increases energy recovery speed by 30%. Dragon Sparrow Ring, magic treasure, can emit a red aura to block spell flying swords. …”

“Damn! And two real flying swords! So rich! So extravagant!” You know, most so-called flying sword treasures can’t actually be used for sword-riding flight; they can only be commanded to attack enemies. Real flying swords aren’t that rare in Shushan—everyone who completes their sect’s sword-forging quest gets one. But their attributes are usually terrible, just barely better than nothing.