In the real world, Suzhou.
In the early morning, gentle sunlight fell upon the landmark building "Suzhou Gate." Inside a cafe on the top floor of Suzhou Gate, two stunning women sat opposite each other, enjoying coffee and breakfast. One had a delicate appearance and a gentle smile, while the other was graceful with long, slender legs. They were Shen Xingchen and Leng Yan from the game.
Shen Xingchen stirred her coffee with her left hand, while her right hand lightly swiped across a control panel, bringing up screenshots from the game and lists from the database.
"How's it going?"
Leng Yan smiled and asked, "How are things with Su Xinghe recently? Any progress?"
"Progress?"
Shen Xingchen glanced at her with her beautiful eyes and couldn't help but laugh, "What progress are you talking about, Miss Xu? He and I are just alumni, there's no such relationship. He's not my ideal type either."
Leng Yan's lips curled up slightly. "But Su Xinghe is unusually enthusiastic about you. The leader of the renowned Xinghe Guild, with such high popularity in the national server. Some people have even described him as 'Born Heavenly King.' It's been over a hundred years since a game like Moonfall was released. The last true Heavenly King in our national server was Jin Xi He Xi, Ding Muchan..."
"Mmm..."
Shen Xingchen's expression softened, and she smiled. "People from over a hundred years ago. Back then, how pure were people when they played games? Just playing games, pushing operations, tactics, and awareness to the limit was enough. But what about us now? What is this 'Second World,' this 'Metaverse'? It's just a resource-grabbing game in a virtual world. At its core, it's still cannibalism, just without the bloodshed."
"Alright!"
Leng Yan chuckled. "My ever-so-sober Shen Xingchen. You sent such a cool hypersonic VTOL aircraft to Ning City so early just to pick me up for coffee and breakfast. It couldn't possibly be just to be cynical, could it?"
"That's not it, there's something else."
Shen Xingchen smiled slightly. "Ayan, we met as friends during the beta test of 'Tian Xia,' but... I just really like you. We hit it off from the moment we met. So, as good sisters, there are some things I shouldn't say, but I still must."
"Oh?"
Leng Yan took a bite of tiramisu, looked up at her, and smiled, "Go ahead, say whatever you want, pleasant or unpleasant. I'm prepared. At worst, I'll eat a few more bites if I get angry."
"Mmm..."
Shen Xingchen lowered her head slightly and saw the impressive fullness of her chest. She had almost been unable to see the menu when ordering just now. A sense of embarrassment washed over her, and her face flushed slightly. *You just had to be this well-endowed, didn't you? It's not like you're going to a competition.* She coughed to cover her awkwardness and said, "Ayan, do you particularly like that commander of the Death Camp on the Snow Region Heavenly Lake, the one named Lin Zhao?"
"Why ask this all of a sudden..."
Leng Yan's pretty face instantly turned red. "What are you trying to do!?"
"It's meaningless."
Shen Xingchen pursed her red lips. "You live in the real world, and he's just an NPC in the game. Ultimately, you're from two different worlds, and he can't possibly walk out of the game, right? Unless you, Miss Xu, plan to spend your entire life with the game and never emerge? Even if you're willing, your parents won't agree."
"I know..."
Leng Yan frowned slightly. "Thinking about it... it really is quite sad. How wonderful it would be if he were real..."
"Don't be like that..."
Shen Xingchen frowned and said gently, "Actually, you should prepare yourself mentally."
"Prepare for what?"
"Separation from him."
Shen Xingchen said, "The kind of eternal separation."
"Ah?!"
Leng Yan was slightly stunned. "Wh-why?"
"Lin Zhao's fate is already sealed," Shen Xingchen said, looking into her best friend's eyes. "Lin Zhao, and those NPCs of the Great Chen Dynasty on the Snow Region Heavenly Lake, such as Chu Huaixi, Chen Yu, Huang Tingyu, and others, will most likely end up dying on the battlefield. And they will die on the map of the Snow Region Heavenly Lake itself."
"Why?"
Leng Yan suddenly felt heartbroken. Her eyes were almost tearful. "Why must it be like this?"
"Because the grand design of 'Tian Xia' has already been set."
Shen Xingchen picked up her coffee and took a small sip. "The entire Snow Region Heavenly Lake, the entire Heavenly Lake Army, are just pawns. Or rather, they are just the vanguard. The real players are in White Emperor City."
"..."
Leng Yan's delicate brows furrowed. "The emperor in White Emperor City?"
"No, the emperor doesn't have that kind of scheming mind."
Shen Xingchen's red lips parted. "The one truly playing the game of 'Tian Xia' should be Marquis Wen of White Emperor City. Many major events that have occurred, including the expedition of Marquis Wu and the defense against the enemy on the Snow Region Heavenly Lake, are very likely part of his plan. When I was accepting quests in White Emperor City, I heard some related news several times. The entire southern army of the Great Shang Dynasty has moved north to garrison the area around the Fusang Great Wall, and half of the troops from the Six Great Passes have also appeared in the Snow Region Heavenly Lake. Therefore, the war with the Four Northern Tribes is inevitable."
"Just based on this, it doesn't necessarily mean the Heavenly Lake Army is doomed, does it?" Leng Yan was still unwilling to accept it.
"Listen to me."
Shen Xingchen reached out and gently pressed her best friend's shoulder, speaking softly. "These past few days, the children in the town have all been sent south, including some women without combat power, farmers, and so on, all sent to the Great Shang Dynasty. In total, it's over ten thousand people. Think about it, the Great Shang Dynasty has always viewed the descendants of the Great Chen Dynasty as a thorn in their side. Why would they accept them? Moreover, many children of the Great Chen Dynasty are being sent to the best academies in Great Shang. So, I think Chu Huaixi must have already made a deal with Wen Shuoyang."
Leng Yan's heart sank. "What kind of deal could it be?"
"Chu Huaixi leads the Heavenly Lake Army in a desperate battle against the demon race."
Shen Xingchen pursed her red lips and said softly, "The Heavenly Lake Army must be annihilated, in exchange for the descendants of the Great Chen Dynasty being able to prosper on the land of Great Shang. Marquis Wen, Wen Shuoyang, is mobilizing all his forces to fight a decisive battle against the Four Northern Tribes in the Snow Region Heavenly Lake. His plan is to decide the fate of the world in one battle, annihilating the main forces of the Four Northern Tribes once and for all. At the same time, he will also eliminate the last army of the Great Chen Dynasty. One war will solve both the internal and external troubles of the Great Shang Dynasty."
Leng Yan gritted her teeth, her heart in turmoil.
Shen Xingchen continued, "So far, what I've said is just my conjecture, without strong evidence. But if Marquis Wen issues a decree to mobilize those Xia clan convicts and refugees garrisoning the Fusang Great Wall to participate in the battle in the Snow Region Heavenly Lake, it will further confirm my suspicion. Wen Shuoyang's plans are very deep."
Leng Yan's heart was in chaos. She pouted her little lips. "It's too complicated. I actually don't feel like thinking about it."
"Mmm."
Shen Xingchen nodded. "Actually, there's not much we players can do. After all, there are only ten people in the beta test. If we had hundreds of thousands of elite players, perhaps we could influence the outcome of the battle, but not now. I suspect this war in the Snow Region Heavenly Lake is the final battle of the beta test. Once this war ends, the beta test will also conclude."
"Will Lin Zhao really die?"
"He will. Just a wisp of data being erased."
"I see..."
Leng Yan took a sip of her coffee cup. The morning sun shone on her shoulders. For some reason, the coffee tasted particularly bitter today. Perhaps she hadn't added any sugar when ordering?
...
Tianchi Town.
In the afternoon, a young scholar carrying a bamboo box ambled into the town. He looked less than thirty, with a handsome but somewhat dejected face. Leaning on a walking stick, his bamboo box was filled with stacks of sage books and bamboo slips, heavy as they were. Yet, he still carried this burden, step by step, into the town.
Passing by the front street, the scholar paused briefly in front of a bookstore. Only when Qin Suihan walked out did he slowly bow and say, "Gu Zixi pays his respects to Junior Uncle-Master."
"Zixi..."
Qin Suihan smiled slightly. "It seems the Academy has sent you this time?"
"Mmm."
Gu Zixi nodded and smiled lightly. "There are not many in the Twelfth Realm among the senior brothers. We can't have the old scholar fighting, can we? So, we had to choose someone from my generation. But those senior brothers aren't very capable. They can't defeat me, so in the end, it has to be me."
"Do you have confidence?"
"No."
Gu Zixi shook his head and smiled. "Anyway, my heart is already dead. I'll do my best in the fight. If I win, I'll earn a military achievement for the world, all credited to Master. If I lose, it will all be on me, Gu Zixi. I, Gu Zixi, am incompetent."
"Actually, it's not necessary."
Qin Suihan said, "When it comes to matters of the heart, if you truly can't get over it, you can take your time. You don't have to come to the Snow Region Heavenly Lake at all."
"I have to, I have to."
Gu Zixi's smile was radiant. "I can't shirk my duty... Among the Twelfth Realm at the Academy, I, Gu Zixi, am the strongest fighter. If I don't come, it would be inexcusable. Those Taoists and Mohists would secretly curse us scholars behind our backs. I, Gu Zixi, am not talented, but I am still willing to fight for us scholars!"
Qin Suihan couldn't help but chuckle. "Come in for a cup of tea?"
"No, no!"
Gu Zixi adjusted the bamboo box from his backside upwards and smiled. "I heard that a place called Baiweixuan here in the Snow Region Heavenly Lake has introduced a delicacy called 'hot pot.' They also pair it with wine, saying the more you drink, the more you enjoy it. Half of the reason I came down the mountain this time is for this. The other half is for those demons."
Qin Suihan smiled and waved his hand. "Go ahead, it's on the back street!"
"Alright, Junior Uncle-Master, come back and play chess with me later..."
"Okay."
...
Late at night.
The young scholar placed his bamboo box by the window on the second floor of Baiweixuan. He ordered a hot pot for himself, swirling meat slices while drinking wine, displaying the elegant demeanor of a scholar. As he became half-drunk, he looked at an empty chair opposite him, and his gaze became distant. A sense of loss filled his eyes. At this moment, with such delicious food, how wonderful it would be if she were here, sitting opposite him, sharing a drink...
Alas, once missed, it's a lifetime. There's no turning back.