The real world, Suzhou City.
In the early morning, after breakfast, Lin Zhao and Chen Xue did not log in immediately. Instead, they drove to the base of Fei Yue Transportation. Upon arrival, Huo Dao walked forward furiously, frowning, "Boss, there's something I need to tell you. Who is in charge of this transportation base? Ever since Su Wan arrived, there's been no peace. The brothers have a lot of opinions!"
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao smiled.
Not far away, a woman in work clothes walked over, exuding charm. She was Su Wan, the operations manager of Fei Yue Transportation, whom Shen Xingchen and Chen Xue had jointly approved. She was a woman with an annual salary of 1.5 million universal coins. Su Wan had previously been the CEO of a large transportation company in Yancheng and had been poached by Chen Xue only a few days ago.
"Chairman Lin, Xue."
Su Wan, accompanied by a female secretary, smiled and nodded.
Lin Zhao also nodded.
"Huo Dao, calm down first."
Lin Zhao smiled, "Su Wan is the operations manager. It's normal to have some friction in your work. Tell me first, why are you angry?"
"It's about drinking," Huo Dao frowned. "Last night, I had a few drinks with my old buddies. This morning, after measuring my blood alcohol content, Su Wan wouldn't let me fly. Damn it, when I was in the army, I could fly fighter jets and hunt sea beasts in the deep sea after a bottle of vodka. This little bit of Xue Hua Yong Chuang Tian Ya is nothing?!"
He gritted his teeth, his demeanor wild.
Su Wan frowned and said, "I don't want to say too much. Chairman Lin, on my first day here, I already established the company's rules and regulations. If the blood alcohol content exceeds a certain number, you absolutely cannot fly. We cannot risk the company's only transport planes and the client's trust. You are working here, Huo Dao, not gathering on Liangshan Mountain."
"Alright, alright."
Lin Zhao smiled, "Su Wan, calm down first. I'll talk to Huo Dao."
As he spoke, he glanced at Chen Xue, signaling her to appease Su Wan's emotions. Chen Xue smiled and nodded, slinging an arm around Su Wan's shoulder as they walked towards the office. Lin Zhao then snapped his fingers at Huo Dao and said, "Come with me."
"Oh..."
Huo Dao didn't dare to lose his temper with Lin Zhao, no matter who he was angry at. Firstly, it was out of respect. Lin Zhao was not only the leader of the Fei Yue Knights but also the renowned Lin Baiyi in "Tian Xia." Everyone would give him some face. Secondly, Lin Zhao was the founder and largest shareholder of Fei Yue Transportation, the legitimate chairman. If he dared to get angry at Lin Zhao, he wouldn't have to work at Fei Yue Transportation anymore. The two walked in front of a Yunying-class transport plane. Lin Zhao frowned, "It's just about drinking, can't you have any more ambition?"
Huo Dao frowned, "Actually, I also..."
"Also what!"
Lin Zhao glared at him. "You might feel that your presence is enough, and there's no need to recruit Su Wan as an operations manager?"
"I..."
Huo Dao was speechless.
"Dao Zi!"
Lin Zhao frowned, his voice softening a little. "You're right, everyone joined Fei Yue Transportation as brothers. The meaning of brotherhood is greater than employment. But have you ever thought that Fei Yue Transportation's ultimate goal is to make a profit and form stronger combat power? Without rules, nothing can be achieved. We hired Su Wan not to suppress your crew, but to better manage and operate the entire Fei Yue Transportation. If the brothers want to drink, no problem, you can drink as much as you want during holidays. But company regulations cannot be violated. Isn't it easy for Su Wan? A young girl coming from Yancheng alone, living at the company. If you bully her because you're from the military, have you no shame? Even if you just let her have her way, it wouldn't matter."
"I understand..."
Huo Dao looked like a student being reprimanded. "Boss, I'll correct myself. I definitely won't go against her in the future..."
"That's right."
Lin Zhao said, "As long as her orders don't violate group regulations, you should follow them. There's no need to have any reservations in your heart. But if Su Wan engages in any personal vendettas, you come directly to me, and I'll talk to her. Don't hold any grudges in your heart. Everyone who comes to Fei Yue Transportation is one of us. That's all you need to remember."
"Mhmm."
Huo Dao nodded. "I understand. Speaking of this... it's my fault. I was too hot-tempered and didn't give Su Wan any face."
"Good that you know."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Alright, Chen Xue and I will leave soon. You wait for the alcohol to dissipate before flying. Absolutely no more temper tantrums. If you make the same mistake again, I'll demote you and let Yan Hui take over as the flight supervisor."
"No, no, no..."
Huo Dao chuckled repeatedly. "How can that guy Yan Hui be as capable as me... Don't worry, don't worry, I promise to learn from my mistakes!"
...
On the way back.
Lin Zhao was driving, with Chen Xue sitting beside him. "This kind of thing might happen again in the future. It's unavoidable. People who want to do practical things have to solve all sorts of problems. But Su Wan is a good person, don't blame her."
"I don't blame her."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Fei Yue Transportation needs someone like Su Wan to manage it."
"Mhmm."
Chen Xue smiled. "How's it going in the game? You haven't been online much these past few days."
"Same old,"
Lin Zhao activated the autopilot, rested his arms, and said with a smile, "Xue Yu Tian Chi is calm. Although it looks calm, I always feel like it's not that calm. I don't know, I might go level up and get some gear later if I have nothing to do."
"Mhmm, okay!"
...
Morning, Tian Ran Ju.
"Whoosh!"
When Lin Zhao's character appeared in front of Tian Ran Ju, he felt that something was strange. After careful inspection, the sprout of the gourd seed was still only a small section, very tender. The lotus pond was also as usual, with abundant spiritual energy. It wasn't until he opened his inventory that he realized what was odd. It turned out that the extremely mysterious Stone of Destiny, which consumed one golden carp coin a day, was emitting a faint glow, filled with ethereal energy!
He quickly placed the stone on the small table in front of him. The Stone of Destiny's expression remained lush and green, but at one moment, a very tiny disc seemed to open on the stone's surface. As Lin Zhao observed closely, he noticed that this disc had "branches." Looking closer, those branches seemed like umbrella branches, making the entire disc look like an opened umbrella.
"Hmm?"
He frowned, squatted down, and looked at the surface of the stone at eye level. He was shocked to see a wisp of almost invisible black smoke constantly rising from the center of the umbrella-shaped disc, flowing from the stone's world into the human world, then dissipating without a trace in the wind. This strange sight filled him with curiosity.
What kind of secret was hidden within this stone?
The next moment, he sat down, separated his spiritual sense from his brow, and infused it into the Stone of Destiny. As soon as his spiritual sense entered the stone, he was involuntarily swept up by a powerful force, and then his entire being transformed into a stream of light that merged into the surface texture of the Stone of Destiny.
...
"Ah!?"
Lin Zhao exclaimed in alarm. The next moment, his body plummeted downwards. With a soft "thud," he fell into a patch of wild grass, the impact making him grimace in pain, his consciousness almost fading. Just then, a chime sounded in his ear—
"Ding!"
System prompt: You have entered the map [Hundred Flowers Tian Xia]. You can only leave after completing the corresponding "Bond"!
...
"???"
Lin Zhao almost cursed aloud, utterly bewildered. Why had he been teleported to this world? And what was the situation with the Stone of Destiny? Where did it come from?!
He slowly got up and looked ahead, only to see a paddy field. At this moment, many farmers and farm women were planting rice seedlings. The sound of frogs could be heard, and everything seemed so peaceful.
"Huh?"
A farmer looked at Lin Zhao and exclaimed, "Who are you? Why are you in my paddy field?"
Lin Zhao frowned, his mind racing through countless thoughts. Ultimately, he decided it was best to be cautious. So, he stood by the paddy field and cupped his fists, saying, "I am a cultivator from the mountains. I have been cultivating under my master for many years. This is my first time venturing into the martial world. Uncle, where is this place?"
"Oh, no wonder,"
The farmer smiled. "Young man, this is within the territory of Qihuang County, Ancient Shu Kingdom. It's normal for you not to know since you've been in the mountains for so long."
"Ancient Shu Kingdom..."
Lin Zhao was still confused, but he smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle. May I be so bold as to ask again, how far is it to the main road?"
"Oh, the main road is over there!"
The farmer pointed into the distance. "Just keep going along the willow grove, and you'll see it."
"Thanks!"
Lin Zhao tidied his clothes and entered the willow grove. He hadn't walked far when he heard a roaring sound from the sky. It was a Golden Core sword cultivator flying by on his sword, looking very proud. Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat. With Golden Core sword cultivators, the cultivators in this world wouldn't be too weak. He needed to proceed cautiously and keep a low profile.
This map was triggered by the Stone of Destiny. His return scroll was dim and could no longer be used. He would definitely have to complete a task before he could leave, which meant even more caution and a lower profile.
Thinking of this, he immediately used the dyeing system to change his attire to a green robe, with two swords on his back, looking like a wandering swordsman. When he reached a secluded spot, he stepped into the mountains. Not far away, a wild donkey was grazing on grass. Lin Zhao's heart stirred, and he immediately rode his sword towards it, landing on the wild donkey's back with a "snap." He unsheathed Li Quan, and the blade was held straight against the donkey's neck. The donkey twitched its ears. A wise creature knows when to yield. In an instant, it was tamed.
Shortly after, a wild donkey carrying a swordsman in a green robe emerged from the bamboo forest. Upon entering a simple marketplace ahead, he bought a bamboo hat for a few copper coins. Wearing the hat, with a blade of wild grass in his mouth and his arms crossed, humming a tune, he looked exactly like a wandering swordsman.
He tried to log out. He could log out, no problem. He then logged back in. He could blend into this world properly and perhaps even gain some benefits. However, Lin Zhao rode the donkey aimlessly, heading east, a lone figure on a donkey in a completely unfamiliar world.
...
Tian Ran Ju.
Sword lights streaked across the sky. Huang Zhi, Chu Yu, Tong Yu, Huang Ting Yu, Tang Guang Jun, and others had all arrived. Even Su Shanjun, Han Buyu, Lin Xing Chu, and Lin Wan Hua had come. However, none of them had discovered any clues. All they knew was that Lin Zhao had suddenly vanished from this world into thin air.
"Was he abducted by demons?" Tang Guang Jun frowned and asked.
Huang Zhi immediately glared at him. Huang Zhi, wielding the Ju Que Heavenly Umbrella and guarding Xue Yu Tian Chi, knew it was impossible for any demon to have abducted Lin Zhao without a trace.