Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 64 - Changing Fate

Ye Jian was increasingly suspicious that the game’s planner was highly improper.

Forcing his cousin, a player, to pretend to be an NPC, and making Xiao Zhou become a Dao companion with an NPC named Dugu Yue. When Xiao Zhou refused to marry, he was forced to raise Dugu Yue’s son as a child bridegroom. Just listen to this plot! Could a proper game come up with such a story? Was there something wrong with the game’s main system? Could Dugu Zhuo’s method of advancing the plot really pass system approval? And why did he have to pixelate during his cultivation? Was this discrimination?

When the sect leader saw the words “Xiao Bao’s Second Uncle” above Ye Jian’s head, he was momentarily dazed. It seemed that the titles above the players’ heads could influence the NPCs’ perceptions. The sect leader, Dugu Yue, and Lian Haokong, who arrived shortly afterward, immediately recognized Ye Jian as a relative of Xiao Bao’s mother.

Seeing that Ye Jian’s identity was exposed, the family team stopped hiding and took off their hats, revealing a line of titles: “Xiao Bao’s Third Uncle,” “Xiao Bao’s Aunt,” “Xiao Bao’s Monk Cousin,” and “Xiao Bao’s Cousin.”

Even “Xiao Bao” himself was momentarily dizzy upon seeing so many relatives.

Players were free within the game; they could speak their minds and express their opinions frankly.

Qing Yue rushed directly to Dugu Yue, bringing the aura of seven aunts and eight uncles, and said, “Since you’re such an important person in the Qingtian Sword Sect, why don’t you go back to your original wife? Do you know how hard the Laundry Woman has had it all these years to keep your child safe?”

Hearing Qing Yue’s words, Dugu Zhuo couldn’t help but look at Dugu Yue.

He could understand Dugu Yue’s indifference due to the backlash of demonic energy, and he could understand that entrusting his son to a trusted disciple allowed him peace of mind. But what about the mother? On the wedding day, the groom didn’t come, and she was sent to the estate to live a lonely life. An unmarried noble lady became pregnant, raising the child alone and being discriminated against for ten years. Even as a cultivator, there should have been time to visit. Had Dugu Yue ever done so?

“I… have my reasons,” Dugu Yue said weakly in front of “Xiao Bao’s Aunt,” who was the Laundry Woman’s sister.

Qing Yue said, “Fine, you have your reasons. Then let me ask you, who gave the Laundry Woman the jade talisman? Why could it summon your junior brother when crushed?”

Qing Yue pointed to Lian Haokong, who hurriedly said, “It was entrusted to me by the sect to give to the Laundry Woman. Her son is destined to be the master of the Xuan Sword and will join the Qingtian Sword Sect sooner or later. Leaving so many years for him is to help him sever worldly attachments and repay his mother’s kindness. When the Laundry Woman is willing to entrust the child to the sect, she will naturally summon me to pick him up.”

Qing Yue said, “Fine, you’re an outsider; I don’t blame you. But what about you, Dugu Yue? Don’t tell me you didn’t know about this.”

Dugu Yue, a dignified level 120 cultivator, was forced to retreat two steps by Qing Yue’s questioning. He avoided Qing Yue’s gaze and said, “I knew about this, but as the master of the Xuan Sword, I must be free of worldly attachments to suppress the demonic energy. Any mistake could lead to being bewitched by the demonic energy. Therefore, I had to…”

“Bullshit!” Qing Yue took another step forward. “You have your reasons, you were forced, but can’t you speak? If you couldn’t meet the Laundry Woman yourself, couldn’t you have entrusted someone else to explain on your behalf? She waited bitterly for ten years, and you couldn’t even give her an answer? And Xiao Bao is your son. You just severed ties and left without even providing child support?”

Dugu Yue was forced to retreat repeatedly by Qing Yue’s scolding until he finally leaned against the wall with no way to retreat.

“Let me tell you, I’ve read too many melodramatic novels. Don’t fool me with ‘I have my reasons.’ Is it that only you in the whole world have reasons, and everyone else must understand you? The reasons are yours, but the suffering is endured by others, right? Did you achieve any of these three points: explaining clearly, breaking up, and providing child support? Did any of these hinder your cultivation?”

Qing Yue, having scolded to her heart’s content, akimbo, said, “Finally, I’ve caught this heartless man. Reasons, my foot! Why didn’t you say you had reasons when you got someone pregnant?”

Ye Jian: “…”

Originally, he was supposed to oppose the marriage, but how did it turn into Qing Yue scolding a scumbag?

The scene became very chaotic. At this moment, the sect leader had to stand up and say, “This… Xiao Bao’s Aunt, I can explain this matter.”

Qing Yue said, “Speak! You have ten reasons, and I can refute eleven!”

The sect leader sighed and said, “Eleven years ago, the night before Dugu Yue and Xiao Bao’s mother were to marry, Dugu Yue’s previous master, the former Xuan Sword master, was injured by demonic energy while eliminating demons. The previous Su Sword master had long ascended due to his powerful cultivation, and Ye Zhou had not fully subdued the Su Sword, so he couldn’t neutralize the resentment for the Xuan Sword master.

“The Xuan Sword master knew he didn’t have long to live, so he sought the next sword master in the mortal world, coincidentally meeting Dugu Yue, who was about to marry.

“According to fate, Dugu Yue was supposed to be saved by us after dying in battle five years later, at which point he would join the Qingtian Sword Sect. His wife and child would live comfortably because of his military achievements.

“But the unexpected happened too soon. The previous sword master had to find Dugu Yue early and forcibly brought him to the mountain, passing on all his power and the Xuan Sword to him.

“In the process, Dugu Yue lost a part of his soul due to the overwhelming power of the Xuan Sword and had to cultivate in seclusion at the Qingtian Sword Sect for three years before he could fully subdue the Xuan Sword.

“After that… he could no longer reunite with his wife and child. Instead of visiting them and causing more trouble, it was better to let go completely.”

Qing Yue, genuinely angry for the game characters, said, “What a good ‘let go completely.’ You let go, but didn’t care how the Laundry Woman and Xiao Bao lived.”

Dugu Zhuo felt an indescribable satisfaction seeing someone stand up for him and his mother, scolding Dugu Yue and the Qingtian Sword Sect elders.

In fact, these people and things were long gone and couldn’t be changed. Qing Yue was only scolding some game NPCs.

But after so many years, being able to relive those helpless moments and having someone speak up for him and change the past, was already a great blessing for Dugu Zhuo.

Moreover, this time Ye Zhou was by his side.

Dugu Zhuo couldn’t help but look at Ye Zhou and noticed Ye Zhou looking at him too.

Hearing Qing Yue scold the people of the Qingtian Sword Sect on behalf of Xiao Bao’s family, unable to reveal his identity, Ye Zhou felt both heartache and delight that someone was standing up for Xiao Bao.

When their eyes met, Ye Zhou realized that this was Dugu Zhuo, not Xiao Bao. He had unconsciously seen Xiao Bao and Dugu Zhuo as the same person.

Ye Zhou quickly looked away, not letting Dugu Zhuo see the pity in his eyes.

Dugu Zhuo suddenly remembered the past when Ye Zhou often turned his face away, rarely looking at him directly. Now it seemed that back then, Ye Zhou might have also secretly watched him and then quickly looked away when he noticed.

In his past life, he seemed to have missed a lot.

Qing Yue’s combat prowess was astonishing. After scolding everyone in the Qingtian Sword Sect from top to bottom, she arrogantly said, “But, there is one thing I agree with you on. This marriage, I support it. Ahem.”

With her intuition for emotions and gossip, Qing Yue had long suspected that there was something between Dugu Zhuo and Yi Ye Bian Zhou, especially since Dugu Zhuo had just rushed to steal the Tianscale and marry Yi Ye Bian Zhou. Yi Ye Bian Zhou didn’t seem to want to refuse either.

“Wait! I haven’t agreed yet!” Ye Jian, who was enjoying Qing Yue’s scolding, nodding along, was suddenly betrayed when it came to the marriage.

“You’re not actually getting married. Xiao Bao is only ten years old,” Ao Tian pulled Ye Jian aside and explained, “This plot, have you figured it out yet? After this, Xiao Bao will be handed over to Elder Ye Zhou to raise, and then ‘whoosh’ ten or twenty years will pass, and it won’t have anything to do with us anymore. Understand?”

“What do you mean?” Ye Jian didn’t quite get it.

Black Cat explained, “It’s like this, they’re just experiencing the game characters’ roles, helping them make choices at a certain point in time to complete the plot task. When the task is over, Bian Zhou is still Bian Zhou, and Dugu Zhuo is no longer Xiao Bao. They can play the game however they want. What does Elder Ye Zhou and Xiao Bao being together have to do with Dugu Zhuo and Yi Ye Bian Zhou, right?”

“This… seems to make sense.” Ye Jian rubbed his chin.

Qing Yue blinked. Black Cat’s logic was impressive, talking Ye Jian into it without explaining further, letting Ye Jian stay misled.

Ye Jian, convinced by the twisted logic, and the NPCs of the Qingtian Sword Sect, stunned by the scolding, finally woke up. The sect leader cleared his throat and said, “So… does this mean you all agree with the Qingtian Sword Sect’s decision?”

As soon as the sect leader asked, a system dialogue box popped up in front of Xiao Bao’s family team: 【Do you agree with the Qingtian Sword Sect’s decision? Yes/No】

Qing Yue, Ao Tian, Black Cat, and Lingzhi Doll all chose “Yes,” some secretly shipping the couple, others just wanting to complete the main storyline and get rewards. Only Ye Jian chose “No,” as he couldn’t agree with such a melodramatic plot.

Unfortunately, it was a majority vote, and the side with more people won.

Ye Jian’s lone stand was ineffective. The sect leader, satisfied with the voting results, nodded and said, “Since everyone agrees, it’s decided. You, as Xiao Bao’s family, have come to the Qingtian Sword Sect with great effort. We can’t let you leave empty-handed.”

The sect leader clapped his hands, and a reward appeared in front of each player.

Qing Yue received a set of ethereal clothes that could increase speed by 20% and defense by 10%, wearable below level 60, making it the best artifact in the game so far.

Ao Tian got a chance to reforge his weapon. As the top sword sect in the cultivation world, Qingtian Sword Sect had many weapon forgers. If Ao Tian found a good weapon in the future and had it reforged by the Qingtian Sword Sect, it would have a 0% failure rate, producing an excellent artifact.

Black Cat received a relic that, when worn, could enhance a Buddhist cultivator’s overall strength and block one fatal injury.

Lingzhi Doll received a set of children’s clothes and two hair bands for pigtails, enhancing his healing ability and escape speed when buried.

Ye Jian received an illusion lamp that could summon someone from a painting into the game, but it was just an illusion, unable to attack or defend, only a holographic projection.

Dugu Zhuo and Ye Zhou, officially nothing.

But the system gave them a teleportation map. Opening the map allowed direct teleportation to Xingchui Peak, where they could cultivate, refine pills, draw talismans, fly swords, watch the sea of clouds, and date without any restrictions.

Ye Zhou, seeing that only he and Dugu Zhuo received this map, quietly hid it in his storage artifact, not planning to tell anyone else, especially Ye Jian.

After the sect leader distributed the rewards, the system announcement rang out across the entire server: “Players Elder Ye Zhou, Xiao Bao, Xiao Bao’s Second Uncle, Xiao Bao’s Third Uncle, Xiao Bao’s Aunt, Xiao Bao’s Monk Cousin, and Xiao Bao’s Cousin have completed Main Task Two—Stealing Heaven, finishing the second part of the main storyline, unlocking the level 40 dungeon Demon Spirit Tiger Fang, and unlocking the Qingtian Sword Sect map. The game will be shut down for maintenance from midnight to 5 AM tonight. After maintenance, the sect competition gameplay will be available, with several major sects opening dueling areas where players can spar. Death in the dueling areas won’t result in loss of experience or items. The player or team at the top of the weekly duel leaderboard will receive special titles and system rewards.”