Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 96 - Fireworks

The reason Dugu Zhuo had no immediate reaction was that he was truly taken aback by Ye Zhou, which was different from his original plan.

From what Dugu Zhuo understood, Ye Zhou had been a person constrained by the teachings of his sect in his past life, living a life focused on self-cultivation with very few desires.

This was evident from Ye Jian’s protective attitude toward Ye Zhou; he grew up under the care of his family. Due to years of painful treatments, he developed a submissive personality, and not often interacting with outsiders, he was both gentle and soft, with little desire.

In both lives, Ye Zhou should be a person who was pure-hearted, observant of propriety, and self-restrained.

Dugu Zhuo believed that Ye Zhou might have some feelings for him now, but it didn’t mean he would cross boundaries. If he wanted Ye Zhou to accept him, he had to be patient and gradually deepen their bond.

Dugu Zhuo wasn’t short on time; he was willing to lead Ye Zhou gently, allowing their feelings to grow deeper.

Based on the current development of the main storyline and the status of Ye Zhou’s soul recovery, Dugu Zhuo was certain that once Ye Zhou regained all his souls, he would recover his memories from his past life.

He hoped to deepen their feelings before that happened, enough so that the mistakes he made in Ye Zhou’s past life could be counterbalanced in Ye Zhou’s heart.

To achieve this, Dugu Zhuo had been quietly drawing closer to Ye Zhou, allowing him to get used to his presence and not reject him. When the time was right, they could naturally be together.

Dugu Zhuo never expected that Ye Zhou would be the more proactive one.

Under the moonlight, Ye Zhou was still dressed in white like in his past life, but unlike before, where his wide-sleeved robe floated elegantly, making movement difficult and requiring attention to posture with every step, this life’s Ye Zhou wore a fitted white robe with streamlined sleeves and a simple style, allowing free movement. His current clothing was both simple and elegant, enhancing his vitality.

Dugu Zhuo was momentarily stunned, realizing that Ye Zhou was someone who disliked constraints so much.

So, if in his past life, there were no shackles imposed by the Suojian, the sect, or the mortal realm, would Ye Zhou have been as bold and straightforward?

Seeing Dugu Zhuo lost in thought, Ye Zhou stood under the moonlight and reached out his hand to him.

This time, it was Ye Zhou who took the initiative to reach out.

Dugu Zhuo got up and walked slowly to Ye Zhou, giving him plenty of time to withdraw. Unexpectedly, Ye Zhou found him too slow and leaped to his side, taking hold of his hand.

“You were the one who offered yourself, so you can’t go back on it,” Ye Zhou boldly said, his heart trembling as he spoke.

Dugu Zhuo, a being that could only exist within the game, and Ye Zhou, who was paralyzed for life, seemed like two parallel lines that would never meet. They had faced insurmountable obstacles before, yet Ye Zhou still wanted to take this step.

From the time he gained memories, he had been taking medicine and undergoing treatments, learning to endure, rarely expressing his concerns to his parents, who were already worried about his health. He never cried out for a healthy body or wanted to go to school with other kids.

The only thing Ye Zhou never thought he could achieve was the desire to team up and become friends with Dugu Zhuo from the moment they met, wanting to play games together and kill monsters to share experience points.

His wish to be with this person seemed etched in his soul, a desire he would never let go upon seeing him.

Dugu Zhuo had been moving slowly in this regard, but Ye Zhou couldn’t wait any longer; he boldly took a big step, jumping over the chasm between them.

Dugu Zhuo gently pulled Ye Zhou into his embrace, but Ye Zhou held on tighter than Dugu Zhuo, as if afraid he would escape.

Dugu Zhuo suddenly thought of how he had left the sect for over a hundred years, and when he returned to Xing Chui Peak, Ye Zhou still appeared to be that proud and noble elder.

At that time, Ye Zhou had asked him, “Is there anything troubling you that you can share? We’ve known each other for so long; what troubles can’t be resolved?”

Dugu Zhuo hadn’t spoken; the desires in his heart were something he could never express.

Could it be that back then, Ye Zhou had extended his hand to him, but he never took that step?

“I’ve been too arrogant, misunderstanding and missing out,” Dugu Zhuo whispered.

“Missing out on what? Where did we miss it?” Ye Zhou looked up at him.

Dugu Zhuo gazed into Ye Zhou’s unwavering and fearless eyes, gently caressing his cheek before placing a kiss imbued with hundreds of years of affection.

Yes, there had been no missed opportunities.

Ye Zhou’s hand had always been outstretched, never letting go.

Under the moonlight, far away on Tiger Roar Peak, the white tiger twitched its little ears, as if sensing something. With a whoosh, it sprouted wings, soared over the peak, and landed on the steps below, standing like a guardian deity.

Shen Bi Xiao Ma returned to the sect and saw the white tiger standing there. With a hint of affection, he respectfully said, “Hello, Divine Beast.”

The white tiger spoke with authority, “Entry to the main peak is forbidden.”

“Huh? I can’t go to the main peak even though I’m the sect leader’s direct disciple?” Shen Bi Xiao Ma asked, puzzled. “Senior Brother Ye Jian asked me to deliver materials to the other peaks; workers will come tomorrow to start construction.”

The white tiger remained unmoved. “Entry to the main peak is forbidden tonight.”

“Oh, in that case, let’s talk tomorrow. I’ve already been to the dungeon,” Shen Bi Xiao Ma said.

“Roar!” The white tiger growled softly, as if bidding farewell to Shen Bi Xiao Ma.

Scratching his head, Shen Bi Xiao Ma thought, Didn’t Dugu Zhuo just return to the main peak? He mentioned researching the external cooperation hall; why can’t he go up the mountain?

However, he was still very obedient and turned into a horse and ran away.

The people who had agreed to go through the dungeon with Shen Bi Xiao Ma were Qing Yue, Ao Tian, Black Cat, Ling Zhi Wa Wa, and the unmatched general. When they saw Xiao Ma arrive, Ao Tian greeted him, “Wu Qi Mo Hei discovered a Discipline Institute dungeon, and we’re just one person short.”

Shen Bi Xiao Ma had met these people during the apprentice ceremony yesterday, and they had gotten along quite well.

The Discipline Institute dungeon was found by Black Cat in the back mountain of Wu Liang Temple. It was said that there was a forbidden area in the back mountain of Wu Liang Temple, and the master had repeatedly warned them not to go there.

In the game, a forbidden area basically means, “Come on, have fun, there’s plenty of time!” When Black Cat was only level 20, he bravely ventured in alone but couldn’t enter because the system warned that players under level 50 were not allowed.

Because he was caught trespassing into the forbidden area, Black Cat was punished by his master to transcribe the Buddhist scriptures one hundred times. This couldn’t be done with a simple copy-paste; he had to write them out by hand.

When Black Cat was writing the scriptures, several senior brothers brought cushions to the study. Black Cat thought they were there to help him write, but his senior brothers said, “You caused trouble, and we share the blame. Although the master hasn’t punished us, we’re here to keep you company.”

They truly meant to accompany him; every time Black Cat wrote a line, they did too. If Black Cat tried to slack off, they would stop writing and stare at him.

During that time, every time he logged in, he was met with a group of bald monks watching him transcribe the scriptures, which made Black Cat so frustrated he almost considered leaving the sect to join the Broken Ties Sect.

However, his senior brothers were good-natured and didn’t scold or hit him, even sneaking vegetarian meals from the dining hall for him. Due to the extremely demanding practice of reciting Buddhist scriptures at Wu Liang Temple, most players who joined chose to defect, causing their master’s face to grow more haggard with each defection. His senior brothers would also feel guilty in front of the Buddha. As Black Cat spent more time with them, he found it hard to part with them.

In the end, he gritted his teeth and finished copying the Buddhist scriptures one hundred times. After he completed it, he felt he had developed a sense of Buddhism.

It was those one hundred times transcribing the scriptures that made Black Cat a bit more composed, and he successfully cultivated a mental technique, which made his master happy enough to give him a set of prayer beads.

Black Cat was someone easily touched by the game’s settings; he genuinely got angry on behalf of Xiao Bao and her child.

With his master and senior brothers teaching him with all their hearts, Black Cat endured the rigorous training at Wu Liang Temple and had made some progress.

Finally reaching level 50, Black Cat first asked his master about the forbidden area, who this time did not stop him but sighed, “The six desires are all obstacles.”

At this point, Black Cat confirmed that his senior brothers wouldn’t hold it against him for being punished, so he invited Ao Tian and other familiar faces to join him in the dungeon.

“The forbidden area is the karmic obstacles of the monks of Wu Liang Temple,” Black Cat explained. “The desires of cultivators form even more terrifying demonic obstacles. There is a mirror in the forbidden area of the back mountain that can reflect the desires of the monks. They can use this power to eliminate their delusions. Over time, it became a dungeon.”

“That sounds interesting. You’re the first one in the game to discover this dungeon, right?” Ao Tian asked.

Black Cat responded with restrained pride, “It should be.”

The unmatched general, who was there to tag along in the dungeon: “That’s awesome! Maybe we can get the first kill.”

As the two seriously discussed the dungeon in front, Qing Yue, Xiao Ma, and Ling Zhi Wa Wa chatted about the apprentice ceremony from yesterday.

Qing Yue asked, “Did your third junior brother come to apprenticeship today? He seems quite handsome.”

Xiao Ma replied, “The sect’s peer disciple list shows online activity; he hasn’t logged in all day.”

Ling Zhi Wa Wa said, “After being beaten up by Zhuo Shen, it’s unlikely he would log in.”

The atmosphere suddenly became quite awkward, and after a while, Qing Yue said, “…That’s true; he looks quite pitiful.”

Shen Bi Xiao Ma hurriedly changed the subject, “By the way, today the sect leader mentioned in the sect manual that we can establish an external cooperation hall, which can recruit disciples from other sects, and their skills are the same as the guild.”

Ao Tian, who was originally engrossed in conversation with Black Cat, almost instantaneously appeared in front of Shen Bi Xiao Ma. “So, I can join Wushuang Sect through the external cooperation hall?”

“That’s right!” Shen Bi Xiao Ma confirmed.

“That’s great!” The whole group exclaimed in unison.

As they chatted about the external cooperation hall while walking to the back mountain of Wu Liang Temple, just as they were about to start the dungeon, countless fireworks suddenly exploded in the sky.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look up at the fireworks.

The night sky’s fireworks were particularly dazzling, resembling blooming flowers, and many of the blossoms turned into heart shapes and arrows piercing through them.

“Who bought the fireworks? How romantic!” Qing Yue said, pressing her hands to her heart, enviously.

“Does the game have a love mechanic? Can we get married now? Can we unlock couple skills?” Ao Tian excitedly asked the unmatched general.

The unmatched general replied, “The love mechanic would be fantastic! I can start accepting gift-giving tasks.”

Qing Yue said, “Gifts shouldn’t be farmed by the studio; they should be personally crafted!”

The unmatched general countered, “That would waste too much time. Besides, how can I make money if you keep demanding this?”

“Who set off these fireworks? They’ve been going for half an hour; how much did that cost?” Black Cat asked, astonished.

As if to respond to Black Cat’s question, after the fireworks faded, the system announced a message to the entire server.

“Celebrating Qixi Festival: In one month, the Qixi Bridge event will go live. A week later, the official game website will announce the event rules. After Qixi, the game will unlock the love mechanics.”

Ling Zhi Wa Wa suddenly understood, “Oh, so this fireworks display was set off by the system for the Qixi event. How many days are left until Qixi?”

Qing Yue replied, “45 days.”

Shen Bi Xiao Ma added, “Wasn’t the fireworks and announcement released a bit early?”

The author has something to say: Ye Zhou: Not too early, I can’t wait for tomorrow to be Qixi.

Dugu Zhuo: The fireworks Ye Zhou set off for me are so beautiful.