Chapter 1

A narrow little room.

"Click" — the doorknob turned, and Liu Hang, with an ice lollipop in his mouth and a computer under his arm, entered.

He had just started his summer vacation and had returned to his hometown for a two-day rest.

"Still, I should buy a laptop. Desktops are inconvenient to carry around, and I can't play on them when I want to."

Liu Hang quickly sucked on the lollipop, shivered, and then placed the computer on the desk.

The computer was quite old, the first one his family had bought when he was a child. Back then, the popular choice was the "Little Master" learning machine. Liu Hang never used it for studying, but he played a lot of games like "Double Dragon," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," and the "99-in-1" yellow card.

Later, while playing with his friends, the game cartridge was inserted incorrectly, breaking the pins, and the "Little Master" was eventually sold as scrap, becoming a bottle of soda.

Liu Hang's luck was good. His cousin bought a new computer and gave him an old laptop, which his father bought at a low price, thinking Liu Hang could use it when he went to college.

However, he didn't expect that technology would advance so rapidly. By the time Liu Hang grew up, the configuration of this computer was almost as outdated as a mobile phone.

But Liu Hang didn't let the computer go to waste. His cousin had downloaded many single-player games, which Liu Hang would play secretly whenever he had the chance. It was this computer that opened up a whole new world for him.

He plugged in the power and pressed the power button.

Ding—

The computer still booted up.

Liu Hang sighed in relief. This computer hadn't been touched for at least five years, and a layer of dust accumulated with just a touch.

As the slow boot-up sound played, the classic green Windows XP desktop appeared before Liu Hang's eyes.

He chewed the lollipop and moved the mouse, right-clicking and double-clicking to refresh.

The old computer was slow, and the more he refreshed, the slower it became.

"Zzzz—"

Suddenly, two sparks shot out from the laptop's keyboard.

"Whoa!" Liu Hang jumped up.

He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The computer was fine, no sparks.

It must have been an illusion.

"Just those old games."

Liu Hang sat back at the desk, staring at the low-resolution computer screen, lost in thought.

Row by row, the game icons seemed to transport him back to those summer days of his youth.

The摇头电风扇 (swinging electric fan), ice lollipops, cool mats, and the chirping of sparrows all day long.

It only ended when his mother called him.

There were many games on the computer.

Classic Chinese games like "Chinese Paladin 98 Romantic Edition," "Xuan Yuan Sword: Heaven's Trace," "Chinese Paladin 3," "Chinese Paladin 4," and "Sword and Fairy: Demon Sealing Record."

And classic foreign games like "Fable," "Fallout," "Left 4 Dead," "Prototype," and "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne."

There were also "Dynasty Warriors 3" and the relaxing yet tense "Plants vs. Zombies."

Liu Hang could still vaguely remember the location of the藤甲 (vined armor) in "Chinese Paladin 98," the极限操作 (advanced techniques) in "Sword and Fairy: Demon Sealing Record," the despair brought by the witch in "Left 4 Dead," and how he would play custom games in "Warcraft III" when he couldn't beat the computer.

The mouse pointer moved and finally settled on "Chinese Paladin 98 Romantic Edition." Among the many excellent domestic games, none were as memorable as "Chinese Paladin," partly due to the popularity of the TV series.

"Since it's the summer break, I'll play for fun. I should be able to finish this game during the holiday."

With that thought, Liu Hang opened the game.

The game started.

Liu Hang's vision went black.

"Power outage? No, it's not even dark yet!"

Liu Hang covered his eyes, rubbed them, and opened them again.

His vision gradually cleared.

"Pork, pork, fresh pork~"

"Fruits, fruits~"

The cries of vendors and the chaotic footsteps filled the air.

"You're finally awake!" a voice sighed in relief.

Liu Hang turned to see a beautiful girl with a bamboo basket, wearing a blue cloth blouse.

Her traditional attire made Liu Hang feel like he had entered a photography studio or a film set.

She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, with skin that was not particularly good, likely due to years of exposure to the elements, or perhaps intentional makeup. This did not detract from her beauty but added a touch of rustic charm.

She blushed slightly under Liu Hang's gaze and glared at him in embarrassment.

Liu Hang looked away. Beautiful women were nice to look at.

He began to look around in confusion.

Brick walls and tiled houses, with a well not far away.

It seemed to be a remote mountain village.

It was 2021, and even in rural areas, roads were paved with cement, but here, they were still dirt, bumpy and uneven.

He turned toward the direction of the vendors' cries and saw a few scattered stalls, a market.

Liu Hang looked down at himself: flip-flops, athletic pants, and a short-sleeved T-shirt.

"I was just playing a game on the computer. How did I suddenly end up here?" He was certain he had suddenly appeared here, and he had just changed into these clothes after doing laundry.

"Game?" The beautiful girl frowned slightly and said softly, "You look good, but why are you so undisciplined? You can't compare to Brother Xiaoyao!"

"Who?" Liu Hang asked instinctively.

The beautiful girl didn't want to continue the conversation. "Now that you're awake, I'm leaving."

"Excuse me, where is this place?" he asked urgently.

"Shengyu Village," she said.

"Shengyu Village?" Liu Hang scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. "I want to leave your set. Can you show me the way? I don't want to cause any trouble for your filming."

"What set? What filming? Nonsense. Father was right; men are all the same," she scanned Liu Hang up and down, as if looking at a rejected mental patient. But then she thought of something and blushed again. "Brother Xiaoyao is much better."

"Ah! The cloth shoes I made for Brother Xiaoyao. It's all your fault! If I can't give them to Brother Xiaoyao, ah... hmpf!" She clenched her fists and hurried away.

Liu Hang scratched his head. "What's she talking about?"

The graceful figure running away was a beauty he had never seen in real life.

He couldn't help but sigh, "Filming is great; the entertainment industry is full of beautiful women."

Wearing flip-flops, Liu Hang searched for a long time but found no cameras. Everyone was busy with their own tasks.

He walked toward the market, thinking that in a crowded place, he might find someone more talkative.

On a small path, three children in traditional clothing were jumping rope.

One child with a small topknot sang while jumping: "Little Li, with high aspirations, wants to learn the art of swordsmanship and soar to the heavens. He sleeps until noon and dreams happily every day."

Liu Hang, who was just passing by, was struck by the rhyme and froze.

Liu Hang squatted down and asked, "Wait, little brother, who were those two lines about?"

The child stopped and looked at Liu Hang. "Your clothes are strange. You're not from Yuhang, are you?"

"Yuhang?" Liu Hang was about to shake his head when the child continued, "It's about Li Xiaoyao. His aunt, Aunt Li, is very kind to him, but he calls her a demon."

The child then started singing again: "Lü Dongbin, riding the wind, carries the dragon sword to slay demons. He saves the suffering and spreads the way, his name remembered for ages."

Liu Hang stood up, his body swaying. "Is this really... 'Chinese Paladin'?"

"Did I enter the game?"