November 5, Monday.

After sending Little Jiu off to school, Ren Suo glanced at Dong Chengling's home on his way back. The curtains were tightly drawn; not a streak of sunlight could penetrate.

It had been five days. She was still in seclusion and seemed likely to continue for some time.

Perhaps by the next time they met, she would have achieved her fourth transformation.

Ren Suo did not feel any envy or Jealousy, just a faint sense of anticipation. He was not like others; he knew how disciplined Dong Chengling's daily life was to advance her strength and how much Tenacity she possessed internally. Naturally, he could not feel envious.

Unlike him, who could improve his Cultivation through the Mini-World Game Console, she did not choose the path of becoming stronger through battle. Instead, her method was straightforward: persistent Cultivation, enduring solitude and hardship, ignoring fame and pleasure. She had no intention of obtaining power and benefits through her own strength. Becoming a national Cultivator was also just to obtain sufficient Cultivation resources from the country.

Ren Suo had no doubt that if Dong Chengling were living in an era with fully revived Spiritual Energy and possessed a Cultivation Technique that could directly lead to the ultimate path and peak Cultivation, she would definitely hide away on some remote mountain to ardently cultivate. Unmoved by worldly changes or the transformations of ages, without seeking fame or pleasure, she would quietly attain Insight into all Truth, look down upon all creation, and then continue her journey toward the unknown realm.

As for Ren Suo, if his internet were cut off, he probably wouldn't survive.

Once home, Ren Suo turned on the Mini-World Game Console and continued the journey of Young Master Mu and Maid Xiao Suo.

Yesterday, in the early hours, Ren Suo had progressed the time to 'Day Six of the Escape' and then fallen asleep—he simply couldn't grind any longer.

Then on Sunday, he spent the whole day with Little Jiu and his sister. Bai Ji had also returned from the Tactical Bureau. They had dinner together in the evening and chatted about the previous night's events. Bai Ji didn't reveal much, and no one was particularly curious, so the matter passed. Such incidents involving Transcendents suddenly seeking revenge on society were not uncommon, despite the Fairy Palace's various efforts to suppress evil thoughts.

The Tactical Bureau had been expanding for months. As the deputy director, Yu Kuangtu was so busy he didn't even have time for dating, a testament to the frequency of such incidents.

However, compared to other criminals, the Transcendent offender from last night was much stronger. Ordinary criminals, at most, relied on their Abilities to steal and deceive. Once citizens reported them, no matter how hidden their methods, they could not escape the Tactical Bureau's search. But last night's criminal was strong enough to fight Bai Ji.

Although the criminal was eventually forced to self-destruct by Bai Ji, that was Bai Ji—the head of the teachers' group at Heavenly Lotus Academy and one of the strongest fighters in Lianjiang.

After returning home, Ren Suo also searched the intranet for information about the Joyous World incident but found nothing. It was unclear whether the information hadn't been uploaded yet or if a Level Three Researcher wasn't privileged to know.

But for Ren Suo, this was just a sudden dash of chili powder in his life. After it passed, he naturally returned to his grand ambitions.

After a good night's Sleep on Sunday, Ren Suo was now full of energy. With Little Jiu at school, he could finally continue his conquest!

On the sixth day, as Young Master Mu was wanted, the game seemed to be entering its second phase—

Young Master Mu, with a desolate and sad expression, eyes closed, said, "…This move by the Six Major Factions… haha, I truly have nowhere to escape now. Enemies surround me wherever I look…"

Maid Xiao Suo asked, "Young Master, your martial arts… are they really inheritable?"

Young Master Mu snorted coldly. "Yes, do you want them? I believe in not letting good things go to outsiders; giving them to you is fine."

"Due to special reasons, Young Master Mu's mood was affected..."

It was at this point that Ren Suo decided to temporarily put aside the game and go to sleep—it was just too troublesome!

He could either reload the game multiple times to teach Maid Xiao Suo how to speak properly in this situation, or simply use Krypton Gold. After pondering, Ren Suo chose the latter. He always felt a little irked watching Maid Xiao Suo learn how to speak through constant reloading. How could anyone be this stupid! And if she's going to be stupid, must she also inconvenience me with reloading?!

Although he knew this was an indispensable part of the game, fully portraying the important NPC Maid Xiao Suo's foolish and ditsy personality, as well as Young Master Mu's tsundere nature, and indeed, the way Maid Xiao Suo step-by-step countered Young Master Mu's statements was genuinely interesting.

But Ren Suo still chose to use Krypton Gold.

This was because using Krypton Gold this time required 11 Merit Points. By Ren Suo's estimate, this would require him to reload the game twenty to thirty times, so he might as well just use Krypton Gold.

Moreover, after using Krypton Gold this time, he luckily triggered the 'Plucking Feathers from a Flying Goose' special effect, reducing the cost by 10 Merit Points. He'd gotten a freebie from Xiao Suo again, and it felt great!

Ren Suo reloaded the game, curious to see what witty remark Maid Xiao Suo would come up with to prevent Young Master Mu from sinking into despair.

Upon hearing Lingyin's notification, Young Master Mu said, "…This move by the Six Major Factions… Heh, now I truly have nowhere to escape. Everywhere I look, enemies surround me…"

However, this time Maid Xiao Suo didn't speak. Her character portrait merged with Young Master Mu's; she touched Young Master Mu's head and pulled her into an embrace.

Although this scene was very moving, Ren Suo looked at Maid Xiao Suo's flat chest and wondered if Young Master Mu might feel a bit uncomfortable.

"What are you talking about? Is Xiao Suo an enemy? Could Xiao Suo possibly defeat you, Young Master?"

This sentence had an immediate effect. Young Master Mu chuckled. "Hmph… If you can't even defeat me, what does it matter whether you're an enemy or not?"

"Due to special reasons, Young Master Mu's mood was affected, significantly reducing the Resentment she bore and cleansing 8,000 points of Filth and Resentment."

Ren Suo acutely noticed that the amount of Filth and Resentment cleansed this time was much less. It seemed that even though Maid Xiao Suo used her 'Hugging Man Killing' move and Young Master Mu's mood improved, she still held some persistent worries in her heart.

After all, as she worried, anyone who killed Young Master Mu now could inherit her Demon Technique and would also be highly valued by the Six Major Factions. After playing for so long, Ren Suo had learned from their conversations that the Six Major Factions were the six strongest Martial Arts Sects of the era, suppressing all sides with their reach extending everywhere. Even Young Master Mu herself was hiding as a minor leader within the Skycraft Pavilion, one of the Six Major Factions.

To be valued by the Six Major Factions would ensure one's status was beneath few, if any, but above tens of thousands.

A regular wanted poster might not impact Young Master Mu significantly, but the rewards hidden within this one were enough to tempt any stranger.

Lingyin could ignore this temptation not just because the two of them had once saved her, but also because Maid Xiao Suo had incidentally treated her insomnia, nervous exhaustion, and neck problems over the past few days. Their relationship was pretty good, which was why Lingyin had hurried over to pass on the message.

Rallying herself, Young Master Mu said, "Lingyin, thank you for taking care of us these past few days. Now, we must leave. If people from the Six Major Factions come looking for you, there's no need to hide anything; just tell them the truth."

Lingyin replied, "Lingyin understands. I wish Young Master Mu and Xiao Suo all the best in your martial fortunes."

Maid Xiao Suo put on her hood, gauze scarf, and neck collar, while Young Master Mu also donned a conical bamboo hat to conceal her face, leaving Lingyin's home.

Maid Xiao Suo asked, "Where are we headed next?"

Young Master Mu said, "The Six Major Factions' wanted posters still haven't revealed the framed-up crimes, indicating that someone within the Six Major Factions is quite familiar with my Demon Technique... I have some suspects in mind, but I still lack sufficient evidence."

The overall clue progress rose to 54.9%! It jumped by 5% all at once, breaking through 50%!

Young Master Mu continued, "Based on the investigation over the past few days, Tokyo no longer holds any clues worth searching for. We must go elsewhere."

Maid Xiao Suo asked, "To where?"

Young Master Mu replied, "Flying Missile Mountain."

The game entered the action round, with a new prompt popping up in the top right corner.

"Current mini-quest: Successfully reach Flying Missile Mountain."

In addition to the options "Conduct Investigation" and "Get a Good Rest," a new option appeared: "Leave Edo."

Clicking "Leave Edo," Maid Xiao Suo suddenly interjected, "Young Master, it's best if you don't show your face right now. I will handle all interactions with others from now on.

So, which route should we choose to reach Flying Missile Mountain?

1. Simple Route (consumes one turn).

2. Slow Route (consumes two turns).

3. Hokuriku Express Route (consumes one turn).

4. Tokai Express Route (consumes one turn)."

Ren Suo tried the Simple Route. In the transit animation of carriages and horses, Young Master Mu and Maid Xiao Suo encountered native enemies of Yingzhou—Soul Hall Warriors!

Then Ren Suo reloaded and chose the Slow Route, Hokuriku Express Route, and Tokai Express Route respectively, only to encounter enemies each time, though the number of enemies and the battle locations varied.

Ren Suo was baffled. Would any choice trigger a battle? Was this meant to be fought through?

However, when Ren Suo had Young Master Mu try to fight through, there was no way to escape the battle scene. After Young Master Mu killed the Soul Hall Warriors, more kept appearing endlessly, and even Military Crossbow snipers targeted Young Master Mu.

Moreover, since the battle took place in public, the Soul Hall Warriors shouted as they fought, letting other civilians know that Young Master Mu was the wanted criminal of the day.

For a moment, the surrounding onlookers also picked up stones and other objects to hurl at Young Master Mu, some even voicing strange expectations: "Killing her could make us martial arts masters?" "Being wanted by the Six Major Factions, she must have done a lot of bad things, right?" "Girl, don't look at this bad person, or you'll get styes."

In such a scenario, Young Master Mu's mood plummeted sharply, and her alignment started to skew even without consuming Filth and Resentment!

Ren Suo had no choice but to return to the game interface and quickly open "Maid Xiao Suo's Secret Diary" to click on her worries and concerns.

This time, it didn't require Krypton Gold, as Ren Suo had already triggered all the traps. When Ren Suo clicked "Leave Edo" again, Maid Xiao Suo suddenly said, "Young Master, someone might recognize you later. You should use my gauze scarf to cover your face."

After Young Master Mu put on the gauze scarf, Ren Suo chose the Simple Route again—and still encountered Soul Hall Warriors!

But unlike before, the game didn't immediately enter the battle scene. Instead, it was stuck in a cutscene where the Soul Hall Warriors asked the two, "Who are you? Show us something to prove your identity!"

Neither Maid Xiao Suo nor Young Master Mu had such items. After thinking for a moment, Ren Suo reloaded and chose to leave Edo via the 'Slow Route.'

This time, they didn't encounter any Soul Hall Warriors and successfully left!

Ren Suo guessed that the Soul Hall Warriors were short on manpower and were focusing on guarding the routes that allowed for a quick escape. They likely assumed Young Master Mu would try to flee as quickly as possible after learning she was wanted.

Conversely, on the 'Slow Route' that took two turns, the Soul Hall's vigilance was relaxed, giving the Player an opportunity.

Having to spend two turns is a bit annoying, directly passing over 'Day Six of the Escape' without incident.

Additionally, during the night turn, Young Master Mu suddenly accumulated hundreds of thousands of Resentment points, clearly indicating another disaster had occurred. Ren Suo immediately reloaded, spent five Merit Points, and had Maid Xiao Suo promptly ask for help from a Senior from the Sect. Strangely enough, these 5 Merit Points couldn't be saved no matter what; they were a mandatory spend.

"In the evening, Maid Xiao Suo paid a heavy price to notify a Senior from the Sect to intervene and prevent an impending disaster."

"Maid Xiao Suo suddenly felt worried. Although she had a good relationship with the Seniors from the Sect, there was still a price to pay for their assistance. If the mastermind Behind the Scenes could not be caught soon, the injustices cast upon the Young Master could not be cleared, and the engineered disasters stopped, there might come a day when the Seniors would no longer help them..."

Was this a hint for players to clear the game as quickly as possible?

Ren Suo thought that since the overall clue progress had surpassed 50% and more than half of the Filth and Resentment had been purified, the end should be near, so he wasn't too worried.

On the journey, Young Master Mu was unaware that she had narrowly avoided another calamity. After reaching High Mountain Flying Missile, she handed the gauze scarf back to Maid Xiao Suo. "You should keep this treasure. I can manage with a regular scarf... You need to hide your identity more than I do.

I'm already standing on the edge of a cliff, but you still have a chance to return to a peaceful life."

Maid Xiao Suo didn't refuse to take the scarf back, but she responded,

"Jumping off a cliff alone would be too lonely."

Suddenly, Ren Suo recalled the game's opening scene: an animated CG of a man and a woman leaping off a cliff...

"A martial arts game eventually leads to cliff-jumping, huh? How cliché!" Ren Suo complained. "Who hasn't jumped off a cliff? When I was practicing 'Gauze Clothing', I would tumble down the mountain every night..."

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