Chapter 2: First Steps into the Jianghu

Just an hour ago, Sun Peng used a move known as "Iron Lock Across the River" to open the frail door of the dormitory. The three of them had already returned for the eighteenth time early in the morning. At this time, Ye Kai should have been getting up to go to the classroom to further his scientific and cultural knowledge. During this process of getting up, the stick artist Sun Peng and the swordsman Chen Xueliang were discussing which move to use to close the door after opening it with "Iron Lock Across the River".

"People in the Jianghu" is a collaborative effort launched by multiple online companies, utilizing a shared server nationwide. According to statistics, the number of registered users has reached one million, and to date, there have been no occurrences of "lag". The quality of the game can be considered top-notch. Ye Kai is now one of the million strong.

At the west end of the village, Uncle Zhang, the blacksmith, had run out of copper ore. However, he was in a hurry to forge an iron knife and could not spare the time, so he asked Feng Xiaoxiao to help him dig some copper ore. The strange thing is that he clearly needed to forge an iron knife, yet he was in such a rush for copper ore. Isn't this just looking for trouble?

... ...

The outdoor cold wind is biting, making it a good weather for hibernation. However, there is still a distance of several hundred meters from the student dormitory to the classroom. Although Ye Kai does not enjoy online games, it does not prevent him from being a student who does not love studying. Ultimately, the howling north wind blew him into the internet café across from the student dormitory.

Feng Xiaoxiao began to interact with the villagers to see if it was truly as the village chief had said. The village was not large, and there were only a few villagers in total, yet everyone had their own tasks and everyone needed to lend a hand

The internet café is bustling with activity. Everyone is wearing a pair of sunglasses, and combined with the cutting-edge computers, the entire café resembles a scene from "The Matrix." Ye Kai has never eaten pork, but he has seen a pig run; he also knows that these sunglasses are essential equipment for the game "People in the Jianghu," used for virtual environments.

The thatched cottage, the fence, and the cooking smoke—this is the first scene that comes into view amidst the rustling winds. Yet, I am clad only in a pair of white underpants, a product of modern civilization that feels utterly out of place against the surrounding scenery

You promised to help Uncle Li chop firewood, but it has not yet been completed

Just half an hour ago, feeling utterly aimless, devoid of interest, and unable to bear the thought of braving the cold wind from the dormitory to the classroom on such a chilly day, Ye Kai inexplicably entered an internet café across from the student dormitory, immersing himself in an online game and literature titled "People in the Jianghu".

Just when he was at a loss for what to do, an elder in a beige long robe smiled and called out to him: "I am the village chief here, child. You are no longer young; you shouldn't spend all your time idling about. You should help the villagers with some tasks! Here, take this clothing and put it on first."

Now, it has been more than half a month since the public beta of "Jianghu" began, and the three of them have been living a life that alternates between the internet café and their dormitory since day one, following a routine of two points and a line, emerging during the night and hiding during the day. To summarize in one word, it is regularity. Furthermore, these three have inadvertently begun to subtly guide Feng Xiaoxiao.

The wind howled as I directly approached the village chief to express my desire to leave the village. In response, the village chief recited the following lines of poetry in a formal manner:

When the network administrator brought Ye Kai to his position, he casually handed over a pair of sunglasses. Ye Kai was momentarily taken aback but accepted them without hesitation. Well, since he had nothing to do, he might as well take a look at what these three fellows were so engrossed in.

The most outrageous must be Aunt Wang from the south end of the village, who said her little Mao was missing. However, she insisted on going to feed the chickens and even asked Feng Xiaoxiao to help her look for him. In a state of utter confusion, Feng Xiaoxiao wondered, what is more important, the chickens or the child

Ten minutes later, a character named Feng Xiaoxiao, male, with a height of 173 centimeters and a weight of 56 kilograms, was born in a certain corner of the martial world—a novice village. It is worth mentioning that although there was originally a requirement for appearance, the system currently provides a uniform virtual avatar, and the real avatar registration will take place after the public beta ends.

The wind howled in despair, and I wish I had known it wouldn't be so complicated! I turned back to see if I could decline. I headed straight to Uncle Li's house, but Uncle Li was completely indifferent, repeatedly emphasizing that there are many trees in the forest to the south of the village. In the end, he couldn't help but lament his old age and poor memory, forgetting his axe there! What high-intelligence NPCs, what human-computer interaction, is it really that difficult to communicate? Damn! ... I turned around and went to Uncle Zhang, and Scholar Wu ... what high-intelligence NPCs, what human-computer interaction, is it really that difficult to communicate? Damn! ... I turned around and went to Uncle Zhang, and Scholar Wu ...

In the past half month, Ye Kai had not heard the three of them discussing which girl in the class was the prettiest -- they had not seen any girl from the class for half a month; he had not heard them complain about how terrible the food in the cafeteria was -- the cafeteria's regular schedule had severely conflicted with their own; ... he had also not heard anyone lying in bed at midnight, bored, reciting "The long night is endless, and I have no desire to sleep" -- they wished to remain sleepless forever ... he had not heard them complain about how terrible the food in the cafeteria was -- the cafeteria's regular schedule had severely conflicted with their own; ... he had also not heard anyone lying in bed at midnight, bored, reciting "The long night is endless, and I have no desire to sleep" -- they wished to remain sleepless forever ...

The village chief's mention of "mhetushucom.com" and the phrase "do more for the villagers" should be a reminder of what he is doing, right! Alright! Let's go see what needs to be done for the villagers!

The renowned mountains and rivers of our great motherland, the historical cities; some names that can only be heard in martial arts novels and films, along with various strange and peculiar terms; concepts such as strength, agility, and body techniques that repeatedly emerge... These topics have been lingering in Ye Kai's ears these days

You promised to help Uncle Zhang with mining, but it has not yet been completed

The wind howled as it stood like a sculpture in the very center of the novice village

Ye Kai had never played online games, but his entry into this game cannot be described as a coincidence. On the first day of the public beta of "Jianghu," his dormitory mates Zhao Xuri, Chen Xueliang, and Sun Peng immersed themselves in it, becoming part of "Jianghu."

In the end, Feng Xiaoxiao stood like a statue in the center of the village, feeling that he was the one who needed help the most in the village

There is also Wu Xuejiu, who, while writing an article, ran out of paper and asked Feng Xiaoxiao to help him buy some. After Feng Xiaoxiao left, he suddenly realized that Wu Xuejiu had asked him to buy something but had not given him any money. Is it that in the game, one can buy things without money, or is it that he is trying to swindle himself, this white wolf?

With a single brush, the person had completely transformed. The color was the same beige as the village chief's, but the style was clearly not the kind worn by intellectuals; it was more suited for the working class. However, I couldn't complain, as it was certainly better than the previous pair of pants! Thinking of those pants, I couldn't help but wonder: if the gender were female, what would she wear? If she were to enter ancient times in her underwear, wouldn't that be even more absurd?

This overwhelming array of completely illogical demands left Feng Xiaoxiao feeling as if he were engulfed in a fog, utterly unsure of where to begin. Since it was so troublesome, he might as well forgo it altogether! Given that it was called a novice village, it was presumably just meant to help novice players familiarize themselves with the environment and operations. As for the environment, one could get accustomed to it while playing, and regarding operations, there was essentially no concept of operations in this virtual game!

Despite feeling frustrated and irritated, Ye Kai was determined to successfully leave this novice village, even though he was cursing the game in his heart and firmly believed that it was utterly boring.

Uncle Li, the woodcutter at the east end of the village, has run out of firewood, but unfortunately, he is too ill to get out of bed. He asks Feng Xiaoxiao to help him chop some wood. Feng Xiaoxiao finds it strange and asks, "Since you can't get out of bed, why do you need firewood? You could just stay in your warm bed and sleep."

After Ye Kai tidied up and stepped out of the room, he heard the furious shouts of Sun Peng and Sun Xueliang behind him. One shouted "sweeping through a thousand troops," while the other yelled "endless falling leaves." Together, they forcefully smashed through the iron-clad door, sending wood chips flying, but the thunderous sound could only linger in the hallway