033 Storytelling Session

New Calendar Year 795, Fire Month, 2nd day, night.

The campfire remained the same, and the same five people were resting here. The tents were pitched, and not far away, a stream provided water—there were plenty of water sources in the Forest of Emerald, and for the past few days, the team had been drinking this kind of "pure water," a luxury that would never exist in the real world.

Only this time, one member of the team had changed.

A-Niu hammered the last rivet into the ground, then stood up, clapped his hands, and let out a long breath. In the past, whenever it was time to make camp, he and the Young Master of Jie City were responsible for setting up the tents, so he had become quite proficient at it. Duan Qing was responsible for finding dry branches for the fire, while the young girl was in charge of coordination—which, in reality, meant sitting on the ground, swinging her golden ponytail, and watching the show comfortably. Given the "heroic" personality of the Young Master of Jie City, he wouldn't have voiced his thoughts even if he had any, but the straightforward A-Niu had complained more than once about the girl’s lack of contribution.

"Why should she just sit there and do nothing... No, no, I’m not bullying her, I’m just... look, she could at least pick up some firewood, it’s such an easy task..."

Usually, if Duan Qing heard this, he would jump up and retort, "You think picking up firewood is easy? Do you know it rained the last two days? It took forever just to find two pieces that could burn..."

Meng Zhu sometimes felt embarrassed and wanted to find something to do, but the men would always push her back—it wasn't hard work anyway, and they could handle it easily. But then again, if it were really strenuous, they certainly wouldn't let a young girl do it.

Later, after Xue Ling Huan Bing joined, the girl became even less inclined to help.

When the group was together, the evening campfire activity usually consisted of casual chatting, listening to Duan Qing or the Young Master brag, while Meng Zhu played the role of the critic. A-Niu was the best listener—not only listening but also asking questions. After a few days together, everyone knew he had little knowledge of things inside or outside the game, so they kindly taught and helped him. Naturally, there were exaggerations; for instance, during the first two nights after entering the forest, he had recalled a battle before entering and asked why Duan Qing’s sword techniques were so formidable.

Such questions touched upon the tricks players used, akin to asking someone in a martial arts world, "How did you practice your kung fu?" The other two looked awkward, wanting to warn the naive lad, but Duan Qing himself seemed completely indifferent.

"Although there are indeed some tricks, most of what I’m doing now... I wouldn't be able to pull off without my equipment," Duan Qing said with a smile, patting his gloves. "However, there are some things I can tell you..."

"'Free World,' like other virtual reality games, actually simulates real touch. This involves many factors, such as the degree of realism, the conversion rate, the tactile sensitivity, the reaction ratio... well, let's skip the professional jargon and talk about the game. For example, if your sword strikes are fast, it’s simply because you attack and retract faster than others. If you use some techniques and methods, you can achieve many things that are usually unexpected."

"In game terms, it’s about shortening your recovery time—what we call attack recovery and retraction recovery," Duan Qing explained. "This is the most basic routine for defeating an enemy."

He made a "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" punching motion. "Then, combined with sufficient reaction time in your brain and a rational plan for these movements, a dazzling set of moves appears."

"The rest is a matter of another level: which of your moves are feints, which are real, and how to make the opponent fall for them..."

It was another long-winded explanation, but since it sounded impressive, no one had the heart to interrupt him with their usual disdain. Whether A-Niu understood it or not was another matter, but Meng Zhu and the Young Master were people who knew their stuff. Later, they asked Duan Qing in private if what he said was true or false, and Duan Qing, as usual, just laughed it off, using his "Sword God of Green Mountain" persona to deflect.

Of course, after experiencing so much, by this night, few people had the mood to think about such things.

Duan Qing still handled the firewood and the sentry duty, but A-Niu was the only one left to pitch the tents—the girl had enough strength to help pass things or hold up frames, but the heavy lifting remained with A-Niu. The blue-robed woman sitting to the side remained calm, though her fingers playing with her hair revealed her intrigued mood.

Just as night fell, an accident visited them—a monster ran over intending to attack. They had been prepared for such "accidents" for a long time; after all, they had been deep in the forest for too long, and luck could not always be on their side.

However, this accident did not turn into a disaster. Meng Zhu and A-Niu didn't even see what attacked them—before the creature came into view, they heard a loud crashing sound and the shrill, wretched scream of an unknown monster.

The two of them did not notice the blue light gradually fading from the eyes of Christine, who sat to the side.

"A... well, a reptile, let's call it a crocodile. It’s been smashed into a pile of ice cubes."

Duan Qing returned afterwards to explain the situation. Although there was no need for him to say it, the others could guess the miserable state of the monster. After a brief explanation, he shrugged helplessly and nodded toward the cloaked figure.

After the grievances were resolved, Duan Qing finally decided to stay. He had originally intended to stay alone, but the girl disagreed. After finding out the truth, she showed great hostility toward Xue Ling Huan Bing, especially upon learning that she was from the Wing of Freedom. This vague initial impression became even deeper.

She insisted on staying to watch what the woman was up to. As for other reasons, that was beyond the understanding of the helpless Duan Qing. As for Liu Qing Niu, he was a man of principle and saw no reason to go back alone, so he stayed as well. As for Duan Qing, he never mentioned what exactly broke his firm resolve.

In short, when they regrouped, they saw the blue-robed woman’s mocking smile, as if she had seen everything that happened.

As for Xue Ling Huan Bing, she made no statement or further improper actions. They only knew that before setting off, she had a brief exchange with Christine. Due to their earlier rivalry, this brief exchange became very intriguing, but neither party said anything, and given their positions, no one could really ask.

However, after such events, some barriers were finally broken. On this night, the flames of the campfire flickered, illuminating the faces of the four sitting around it. Except for the archmage who remained sitting quietly in the back, everyone else, including Xue Ling Huan Bing, sat together. They had sent Duan Qing as a representative to invite the bright, blue-robed woman over, but she refused.

"I won't participate in a children's campfire party, oh ho ho ho..."

She blinked those large eyes, the bright blue pupils clearly visible even in the night.

...

The idle chatter continued. Although they were all strangers, a teammate had died, and given what had happened earlier, the lighthearted mood had quietly faded away. Topics needed to be found, and relationships needed to be repaired. The woman in the black cloak looked at Duan Qing, hesitating several times, which made the girl observing from the shadows shake her head, wondering about the hidden secrets. Duan Qing himself was interested in the earlier conversation between the blue-robed woman and the black-cloaked one, but that woman certainly wouldn't tell him.

But the stories were told.

"...We didn't go far before we encountered a wild boar. The boar was indeed powerful, but our attacks were not as ineffective as you say; we were still able to deal some damage. We spent a little effort, but we finally killed it."

The story Xue Ling Huan Bing told now was about what happened after she led her elite team into the forest.

"...We didn't care about the corpse; we weren't in the mood to deal with that."

The woman’s tone was flat, as if the story had nothing to do with her. "Later, we encountered more wild boars, black bears, and other monsters. They were basically animals one would expect in a forest, and their strength wasn't very high, so everyone was optimistic. Liang... the people in the team thought this mission would be relatively easy."

The woman's voice deepened. "Later... later we encountered that monster. They charged forward, and then..."

As for what happened then, everyone now knew—a full team consisted of five people, and when Duan Qing saw their battle, he only seemed to see three. The power of that giant serpent-like monster was self-evident.

A-Niu had always liked adventure stories. Thinking of the giant snake that had ravaged everything in its path, he was full of wonder and marveled at the fantasy and thrill of the game. Duan Qing, however, sensed many unclear aspects, guessing that the process was likely not as understated as she described.

And the girl, who had been wrinkling her nose the whole time, muttered indignantly, "It’s a shame they didn't all die..."

Xue Ling Huan Bing frowned.

She had vaguely sensed the girl's hostility over the past few days. After today's events, this feeling suddenly became apparent. Xue Ling Huan Bing didn't know where things had gone wrong. Her actions today certainly wouldn't leave a good impression, but she shouldn't have offended Meng Zhu too much—she had only wanted to keep them to help her, or at most, utilized them. Even Duan Qing, who was most opposed to her initially, was now on her side. She truly couldn't figure out what else had annoyed this usually optimistic young girl.

Thinking that the days ahead might become increasingly difficult, it was better to clear the air. The unity of a team was very important. Even in a game, in such an environment, if they encountered any sudden situation, having grudges would surely lead to failure. Xue Ling Huan Bing remained silent for a while, seemingly weighing things carefully, and then made a decision.

"I know... for some time, some of my ideas were... not very friendly to those present."

Her expression was cold, but her voice was almost soft, suggesting that with her personality, such words were rarely spoken.

"But in the current situation, there is a limit to what I can do alone, so my goal and original intention remain unchanged..."

"Although some unpleasant things have happened, please give me a chance and let me... make a formal request."

"I hope you can help me."

Although it was still a bit messy and the tone was stiff and unnatural, it carried a touch of genuine emotion. The remaining three looked at each other, and for a moment, no one spoke.

For Meng Zhu and A-Niu, the "unpleasant things" that had happened were few; they had barely felt any problems. Only Duan Qing inwardly marveled that this woman had indeed changed a lot after being lectured by him—at least she had listened to his advice.

"Uh, although I'm still not quite sure what's going on, since we are all on the same team, helping each other is only right..." A-Niu sat cross-legged and scratched his head, like a simple, lean bear.

"I don't want to..." Meng Zhu, who had taken off her hood, muttered very softly. Duan Qing looked over and saw the girl pouting so hard one could hang a bottle from it. Seeing Xue Ling Huan Bing looking at her with a confused expression, and even Duan Qing’s look being a bit strange, her heart felt chaotic. "I... anyway, I don't trust her..."

In fact, the moment she said that, Meng Zhu regretted it. As a rare, kind, and pure girl of the new era, she wasn't good at being mean to others. But she still held a grudge, and as a woman, a certain "intuition" was telling her that after the evening, the black-cloaked woman's attitude toward Duan Qing had changed significantly, and the subsequent change in plans and their future goals were based on those changes.

She was wary of this shift and very troubled by how to face it, which left Meng Zhu in a state of turmoil. Xue Ling Huan Bing naturally wouldn't notice these little thoughts of Meng Zhu’s, or if she did, she didn't take them to heart—she was currently focused on the predicament at hand.

"Uh... if I did anything wrong, I hope you can tell me," the black-cloaked woman said seriously. "I will definitely correct it..."

"That's right, if there's any difficulty, saying it out loud will surely make you feel better, and everyone will help you solve it," Duan Qing added. He wanted to comfort the girl, but in Meng Zhu's eyes, it was just taking the woman's side.

Feeling aggrieved, and sensing something welling up in her eyes, Meng Zhu hurriedly lowered her head, her voice trembling with a sob. "I... you... you guys, anyway, you people from the Wing of Freedom are not good people..."

The girl’s voice grew smaller, but they were so close that they could still hear her. Duan Qing and Xue Ling Huan Bing looked at each other, both seeing the surprise of someone unaware of the truth. A moment later, Duan Qing, having realized something, continued: "There's no one else here now. This person... well, she should be considered high-level in the Wing of Freedom. If you have any problems, you can try to report them and see if they can be solved..."

The girl sobbed with her head down for a while, and finally, she began to tell her story in bits and pieces.

Actually, Meng Zhu's story, in the eyes of someone like Duan Qing, was quite cliché, as such things happened in the game almost every day—nothing more than veterans of a team excluding a newcomer, or collective bullying of an individual.

...

Meng Zhu was a very sunny girl; otherwise, she wouldn't have been self-reliant and hardworking after suffering setbacks, as Duan Qing had seen. This sunny disposition wasn't built in a day; the trait had already manifested in various ways when she first entered the game.

So, in a pickup team collaboration where they fought hard together and eventually killed a monster, she was noticed by the recruiters for the Wing of Freedom and was absorbed into their Sixth Team.

The team leader, Infinite Mirage, was a character with talent and ambition. He had been assigned to work in Green Stone Village and had initially complained, but after a talk with Free Flying, those grievances turned into motivation.

The Sixth Team hadn't been established long. Although there were veterans like Nan Muyun working with him, he was mostly in charge. As long as the task of absorbing newcomers was handled properly, they would become his own base of power. When he achieved some success, competing with other big shots within the Wing of Freedom would be entirely possible. So, for the time he had been here, he had been working hard to cultivate valuable newcomers. Girls like Meng Zhu were naturally on the list. However, Meng Zhu’s talent was limited, and for the sake of his future, people with more ability were better choices.

So, when the Dragon and Tiger brothers entered his sight and clashed with Meng Zhu, he had already made up his mind.

The Dragon and Tiger brothers not only had solid game skills but were also old hands who had played for years, having their own ways of handling themselves within a guild branch. The dispute between Meng Zhu and the brothers wasn't big, but when they showed greed for the team's loot and were criticized by the girl, they decided to get rid of this girl who didn't know her place.

Later, it was just a matter of forming cliques and excluding others. When the conflict gradually sharpened and the headquarters handed over the relic mission, Infinite Mirage had to prepare for it, and he had to make a choice.

What happened in the tavern that night was likely the result of that choice.

"Actually, before that... they were already... treating me like that... They would never let me participate in combat, but made me drag corpses, move things, do a lot of tiring, irrelevant work..."

As a witness to two of these instances, after hearing the girl’s fragmented description, Duan Qing could basically guess the trick behind it. But... so what if he guessed? Such rotten things happened everywhere, every moment. All he could do was keep comforting this poor girl. Meng Zhu was simple-minded, and inevitably felt sad when encountering such things. Heaven knows how many times those Dragon and Tiger brothers had done this, and heaven knows how many other places such garbage was happening...

A freer game society was, in the end, more sinister.

However, this matter might still be solvable. The key lay with Xue Ling Huan Bing—Duan Qing saw her sullen face, wanting to lash out, and guessed she wouldn't miss this opportunity to repair the relationship.

Xue Ling Huan Bing was also a person with some experience. If it were just for this kind of injustice, she might not have thought too much, but thinking of the trivial, messy things that had ended up this way just to make her mission "smoother," she felt a mix of emotions that were hard to describe.

Finally, it all turned into anger.

"Don't worry, when we go back... I will make them answer for it. Trust me."

Finally, she gritted her teeth and swallowed her emotions, prioritizing the matter at hand. Although it was a short sentence, her sincere expression and the natural leadership aura of someone long accustomed to being in a high position made the sad girl wipe her eyes involuntarily.

"Really...?"

"Yes!" She nodded solemnly again.

"Um... thank you... thank you..."

Duan Qing, off to the side, lowered his head and chuckled, thinking that simple girls were easy to coax.

But at least it was a solution... that was good.

Xue Ling Huan Bing also secretly exhaled, thinking that at least it wasn't a blood feud. As long as she was sincere, it could be solved... No, such a small matter, especially involving a young girl, she could certainly solve it with a wave of her hand when she got back. She had managed to come this far in the face of such sinister difficulties; how could she not handle such a small thing...

Recalling the twists and turns of the day, Xue Ling Huan Bing sighed at the fickleness of life. She couldn't help but look at that detestable man, and her resentment rose again—he was there, head down, secretly laughing.

"What are you laughing at!" She glared at him, then realized her positive image was being ruined again, and switched to a serious tone: "Alright, Meng Zhu's story has been told, it's your turn."

"Huh? Me?" Duan Qing pointed at himself.

"Yes, you. Tell us about your experiences." Xue Ling Huan Bing pointed at him, and A-Niu also put on a curious expression, listening intently.

"Heh..." Duan Qing laughed again. "My story? That’s a long one..."