Chapter 33.1

You Xi was shocked. He remembered what Zhou Yu once said—

“In the past, I was fortunate enough to encounter 002, but he hasn’t played games in a long time.”

“Many people speculate that 002 retired and became an executive of the game. It’s very likely that 002 is working behind the scenes in the game’s live broadcasting rooms.”

Does Zhou Yu know that 002 is the saint? You Xi felt that he should know. Zhou Yu held the position of leader in the Sheng Zhilian Alliance, so how could he now know the saint’s true identity?

But could 002 be an executive of the game? You Xi doesn’t believe that; the executive was still trapped in the game as a boss and can’t escape. That would be too miserable. Bai Yuan was more likely a giant fool. He probably lied to people that he was an executive of the game. As long as people trust and obey him, they could leave the game alive. But in truth? He was a clay buddha that couldn’t protect itself.

But Guo Juexing had other views about that.

“002 is actually a very good senior.” Guo Juexing shook his head. “I knew it was him. I was gentle with him just now.”

But as for that excellent method, Guo Juexing didn’t want to say more. He pointed to the sky and made another gesture as if sealing his mouth.

You Xi didn’t say anything more.

The two were silent for a while, and You Xi suddenly remembered that he had received a Special Instance Admission Ticket in the last instance that he hadn’t opened to read yet.

You Xi didn’t shy away from Guo Juexing and opened the ticket in front of him—

“Pear Garden Resentful Soul.” 1

“Have you heard of this instance?” You Xi asked Guo Juexing. “Would you like to accompany me? This instance can allow 15 people, and I can bring 5 people on a team.”

“I haven’t heard of it. It should be a new instance.” Guo Juexing approached. “Of course I want to be added, do you still have to ask? I’ll follow Dage! The next game is up. Who else will Dage bring along?”

“Gu Mian counts as one. I’ll send him an invitation.” You Xi thought about it while manipulating the player interface.

“Are you not inviting 003 and Liu Yu?” Guo Juexing asked. “I watched the recording and livestream of the Blessed Marriage instance. It’s rare that 003 could get along well with Dage.”

“This…” You Xi said. “The primary reason is that I’m not his friend, so let’s discuss it the next time we meet, ba.”

You Xi didn’t have many friends, only six or seven, among which Zhou Yu’s profile picture had turned grey.

Zhou Yu was a man of vast ambition and means. If he hadn’t been involved in the game, then with his mind and wealth, he could have passed through life smoothly. Who would have thought he would die like this? You Xi couldn’t help but feel somewhat mournful.

“Dage is going to take the next few days to rest? Is there anything you want to do?” Guo Juexing tilted his head, lay in the desert, and looked at the lonely stars. “Every time I escape from the game, I do something to make up for my past regrets. Slowly, I’ve gained a different perspective on live than before.”

“The first time I became involved in the game was six years ago.” Guo Juexing remembered. “My girlfriend had just broken up with me at that time. After I finally exited the game alive, I searched through most of China to find her. I wanted to protect her silently in her remaining years, but…”

As he spoke, Guo Juexing smiled wryle: “But, Dage, guess what?”

“Eh, it was green?” 2 You Xi racked his brain to comfort him. “Accept your grief and change will come. As the saying goes, if you want to live a good life, you must have a bit of green on your head. You’ve broken up, and many years have passed. It’s time to look forward.”

Guo Juexing shut his eyes and tried to stifle his emotions, saying: “It would be fine if that was the case, but it unfortunately is not. She’s dead.”

“A mysterious death. Her head and body were in different places, but her family said that there was no evidence of a robbery in her room.” Guo Juexing spoke with unsettled emotions. He suddenly opened his eyes and couldn’t help but sit up. You Xi could see the deep hatred in his eyes. “My girlfriend and I were together for three years, but she was hesitant to get married. Her mental state was sometimes good and sometimes bad. She obviously loved me very much, but she broke up with me every now and then.”

“I didn’t understand at that time, but I understand now. She was definitely a victim of this game. She felt tat time was running out, but she didn’t want to hold me back, so she left me.” Guo Juexing lowered his head and looked down at his hand. There was a solitary ring on his middle finger. “I figured out how to live earnestly. The first time I entered the game, it was the day my girlfriend died.”

What did that mean? You Xi was silent. After a player dies in the game, will a person close to them continue their involvement in the ‘service’? 3

“In the past six years, I’ve also made many friends in the game, but I don’t easily call others ‘brothers’.” Guo Juexing said solemnly. “Because the death rate is too high. A friend who asks you to go out for a drink with a smile one day may be revealed to have died the next day. But you’re different. Your mind is flexible and an invulnerable physique… My instincts are telling me that maybe you can leave this game alive.”

“But if I may take the liberty of being your brother to say something. Dage, your physical skills are a weakness.” Guo Juexing said. “It might not have been seen in the first game, and in the second game, you still rarely took any shots. There were already wary players assuming that you are very good at fighting. By the end of this game, we can assume that everyone with eyes will know that the S-Level Boss 004 is trash with only a level 5 fighting ability—Dage, don’t you have a lot of treasures on you? It’s dangerous to keep going like this.”

You Xi was ashamed. Although he couldn’t hide it from Guo Juexing, You Xi felt that his fig leaf was torn off when it was pointed out like that. 4

“Dage, if you don’t mind, then when we get out of the game, I’ll take you to train. You have a good foundation, but your fighting abilities are too terrible. Trust me, after ten days of extreme training with me, I can increase your strength by more than one level. If you encounter an ordinary ghost NPC in the future, then Dage, you don’t have to speak nonsense with him, you can just kill him!”

You Xi couldn’t ask for it, but he and Guo Juexing were immediately in agreement.

“I originally planned to finish this game and return to my ancestral home to worship.” You Xi said. “In past years, I would go home to worship every Qingming Festival. But this year, I played games and slept too late the day before, so on the day of the Qingming Festival, I was too tired and physically fatigued that I didn’t want to return to my hometown in any case.”

“In order to avoid my father, I went to the company and pretended to be busy that day.” You Xi sighed. “Who knew that because I wasn’t filial that day, my ancestors wouldn’t bless me, and that I would enter this game when I fell asleep at the desk.”

“I wonder if my apparent immunity to poisons is related to being bitten by a snake king when I was a child. 5 After I return, I’ll find the old housekeeper to ask about it.” You Xi said. “But surviving is more important. It’s better for me to dedicate myself to training for the next ten days. Only if I become stronger will my life be able to continue. There is no rush to worship the ancestors.”

You Xi’s guess was that his blood contained anti-venomous snake serum. 6 But if that was the case, it wouldn’t poison the silver-banded snakes. The person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. 7 To figure this out, he must return to his ancestral home.