CHAPTER 17: ONLINE CHAT

Jin Li couldn't wait to flip through the books in the carriage. When she returned to her bedchamber, she was still poring over the texts. The night grew darker.

A maid in a pale yellow palace gown reminded her, "Your Majesty, it's already three in the morning. You should rest, or your delicate body will fall ill."

Jin Li replied without lifting her head. "Mm."

Duke Yu Residence held a wealth of records on the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone. Jin Li wasn’t only searching for the answers Qi Yuan had asked about, but also collecting other related information to share and help him.

"Finally, I found it!" Her eyes lit up. "All the garment demons are connected as one body, able to share knowledge. But every night, this link weakens greatly!"

She hurriedly took out the Linglong Xi Jade and relayed the information to Qi Yuan, along with the notes she’d compiled on the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone. After sending it, she felt somewhat excited.

However, when she noticed what was recorded further in the book, her expression turned doubtful. "According to the ancient texts, only the Wedding Garment Demon remains in the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone today. That's strange... What about the Bellyband Demon Qi Yuan mentioned? Could there be a rise of new garment demons in the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone?"

Jin Li was puzzled. Once the guards she had dispatched earlier returned, she should be able to ask them what was going on. She also wondered if they’d caught a glimpse of Qi Yuan.

Jin Li was curious. What does Qi Yuan look like?

Setting the book aside, a heavy fatigue washed over her. She was weary, and even her long legs and delicate jade-like feet felt sore. The aftereffects of kneeling for six hours hadn’t completely faded.

***

Sunlight shone on the lazy Qi Yuan in-game. Having just crawled out of a pit in the ground, the scent of earth still clung to him.

He glanced up at the sun. "So round, it looks just like a golden core."

As usual, he opened up the chat interface. There were many messages from Jin Li. He read through them one by one.

"As expected, three ordinary minds together can match a Zhuge Liang. Asking Jin Li for help really works!"

Thanks to her, he had gained some useful information.

"So, the garment monsters are interconnected, but their bond greatly weakens at night. That's my chance! It’s broad daylight right now, though... Not a good time to try. I'll have to wait until night."

Qi Yuan continued scrolling down through the messages. Jin Li had not only answered his question, but had also marked dangerous zones. She explained the distribution of powerful garment monsters, and more.

"She really is... virtuous. No, I should say, attentive and considerate," He caught himself mid-thought, quickly changing the word. After all, in his previous life, the word "virtuous" had in some ways become a derogatory term.

"I have to wait until night to farm monsters. How boring."

Feeling restless, Qi Yuan sent a bunch of messages to Jin Li. Though she might not be online to reply right away, it didn't matter to him.

He muttered to himself, "The scenery here really is beautiful. These garment demons are really creepy, though. Way scarier than ghosts in TV horror shows. If I weren't already at level 82, I’d have freaked out already. Too bad I can't take photos. Otherwise, I'd snap a picture to show you, it'd probably give you a fright."

As he typed, a thought struck him.

Qi Yuan: Hey, what do you look like?

If photos could be sent, maybe he could see what his online friend looked like. Sadly, this game didn't allow pictures nor video.

Qi Yuan had assumed Jin Li would reply much later. However, her reply came right away.

Jin Li: I... look decent enough.

On the other side, Jin Li's heart was far from calm. Her mood fluctuated even more than when she had met Sima Ting earlier on.

Qi Yuan had developed a fondness for Jin Li.

Qi Yuan: I look decent too. Why don't we meet up sometime?

When he was gravely ill, he had lived alone, with no one to talk to but her. Jin Li's nature and temper suited him well. Simply put, the two got along. He hadn't found anything about her that annoyed him.

Sitting in a rosewood chair, surrounded with the faint woody scent, Jin Li stared at the characters inside the Linglong Xi Jade for a while. Finally, she gave a serious reply.

Jin Li: Alright!

Qi Yuan grinned when he saw that.

Qi Yuan: By the way, is your map different from mine? Right now, I’ve only unlocked four forbidden zones and two end zones. I'm stuck here and can't leave.

Jin Li was confused. Map? Four forbidden zones and two end zones? Isn't it supposed to be only one end zone?

Without waiting for Jin Li's reply, Qi Yuan sent more questions

Qi Yuan: Also, you're probably not grinding monsters. Are you doing the game’s storyline? What’s your role? What obstacles have you run into? Tell me. I might be able to give you some advice.

Inside the palace hall, Jin Li felt a little dizzy. She knew Qi Yuan always spoke oddly and in a confusing manner. Obstacles? My role? Is he asking about my real-life identity?

Since they had met by chance, she had not fully revealed who she was. After all, she was the Empress of Southern Qian, a sovereign ruler. However, Jin Li decided to finally reveal it to him.

Jin Li: I am the Empress of Southern Qian.

Qi Yuan: Whoa?

Your storyline character is so powerful! You're actually an empress! No way, now I have to meet you. In my whole life, I've never even seen a mayor, let alone an empress. That's super rare.

Hearing this, Jin Li could only smile wryly.

Qi Yuan pressed on.

Qi Yuan: What's your current quest?

Quest?

Having grown accustomed to his odd way of speaking, Jin Li roughly understood what he meant.

Jin Li: Grand Chancellor Sima Ting covets the throne. The Northern Khans harass our borders. The demonic beasts also attack and plunder from time to time.

Qi Yuan: So your main quest right now is to kill off Sima Ting, secure the throne, then wipe out the rest of your enemies?

His casual tone left Jin Li a little shaken. Of course, she had thought about dealing with these great threats before. Still, how could she possibly resolve them all? Just maintaining peace was difficult enough. Surely, not even a Peak Emperor cultivator like Qi Yuan could accomplish all that so easily?

Qi Yuan mused.

Qi Yuan: Haa, I wonder what level those NPCs you’re facing are. Do you think you can kill them with a sword? Have you read the Dragon-Slaying Art by Wei Ren? That's a truly great book. Wei Ren was formidable. If you can comprehend even part of his teachings, your situation will definitely be easy to handle.

Just hearing the name, Jin Li felt it had to be something rare and priceless

Jin Li: I haven't. The Dragon-Slaying Art? It must be very expensive, right?

According to Qi Yuan, if she grasped its methods, her troubles could be solved instantly. The book written by that Wei Ren guy had to be worth its weight in gold!

Qi Yuan: Meh, not really. Just a few hundred coins? You could buy it with about a hundred jin of grain. Too bad I've never read it. Otherwise, I'd trick you by pretending to teach it to you, and then you could stir up a reform—transformation of the game world.

Feeling the word he was about to use was too heavy, he swapped it for "transformation."

Of course, Qi Yuan was just talking offhandedly. He hadn't explored much of the game's storyline, so he didn't actually know if it matched the Dragon-Slaying Art.

Jin Li froze when she heard this. Such a precious book is worth only a hundred jin of grain?