Chapter 17: A Player Never Follows the Rules
Chapter 17: A Player Never Follows the Rules
Chen Xiyi looked at the countless white dots swarming from the underground pit, which made him both laugh and cry at the same time.
The situation had gotten a little out of control. Someone must have been secretly guiding and fueling it.
Fortunately, even though things had escalated, his persona was still intact. Now, he just needed to handle it properly.
The problem was how to deal with so many people trying to gain benefits from him.
Give them benefits?
Absolutely not. It wasn’t that Chen Xiyi was stingy, but once you gave once, people would expect more. These many individuals were only a part of his plan, not the beneficiaries.
If he gave in even once now, more people would smell the profit and come for a bite.
“So, I have to be firm,” Chen Xiyi thought decisively. He climbed back into his Stone House, covered the pit with a stone slab, and steeled himself.
There might have been other better solutions, but Chen Xiyi knew one thing: his intelligence was ordinary. He was not like those near-demonic protagonists who could solve such matters with just a few words.
Even his persona was designed to be cold and aloof to cover up his shortcomings, which conveniently prepared the way for his current tough stance.
“Next, it’s up to you.” Chen Xiyi spoke to the water flowing over his stone armor.
[ Jianghu responded that there’s no problem and guaranteed to meet your requirements. ]
It had to be said that the Game Log used as a translator was quite useful. Although it might not fully translate what Jianghu was saying, it accurately conveyed Jianghu’s meaning.
Pushing the door open, he found a bustling crowd outside. The sheer number of people and the noise made Chen Xiyi uncomfortable.
When they saw Chen Xiyi come out, some of the leaders rushed toward him.
“Great Immortal, please bestow upon me the Immortal Arts. I promise to set up a longevity tablet for you and offer worship day and night.”
“Great Immortal, I have the talent of an immortal. Please take me as your disciple.”
“Immortal, please…”
All at once, the scene erupted into chaos. Some begged for immortality, others for wealth and status.
They practically treated Chen Xiyi as a universal wishing machine.
This made Chen Xiyi’s face darken. Did they think he was easy to bully or that there was safety in numbers?
[ Jianghu requested 100 units of water, and you readily gave it to Jianghu. ]
[ Jianghu used Water Manipulation to control 100 units of water. ]
[ Jianghu used Water Manipulation Techniques to further control the 100 units of water. ]
Everyone suddenly froze, noticing for some reason that the sky had darkened.
“Look, there’s something in the sky!!!”
Someone shouted, and everyone looked up to see a cloud of water forming.
Not far away, Chen Xiyi stood on a current of water. His strange stone armor sent a chill through everyone’s hearts.
“I have Immortal Arts. I have immortality. I even have wealth. But why should I give them to you?”
“Just because you flattered me a few times or begged pitifully?”
“Or because you plan to offer me some ordinary things that are completely useless to me in exchange for precious Immortal Arts?”
“If you want them, bring me something that interests me. Otherwise, do you really think I only know a few transformation tricks and lack the power to burn mountains and boil seas?”
Chen Xiyi’s cold voice rang out, calming the crowd for a moment before chaos broke out again.
“Great Immortal, you are an immortal. Shouldn’t you help us?”
“Yes, yes! If you don’t help us, how can you be called an immortal?”
“…”
Chen Xiyi clearly saw on his minimap that many people had turned into red dots. The Game Log also clearly stated the reason.
[ Your actions caused Wang Gouzi the local ruffian to resent you. Wang Gouzi’s Hostility Level toward you increased by 10. Current Hostility Level: 3 stars. ]
[ Your actions caused… ]
Chen Xiyi was a bit confused about Hostility Level and Favorability. It had only increased by ten points, but it jumped straight to 3 stars.
Still, Chen Xiyi didn’t dwell on it. Watching those trying to stir up trouble and morally blackmail him, his killing intent grew.
A bunch of NPCs trying to morally blackmail a Player?
They were truly tired of living. In a game where Players couldn’t be attacked, Chen Xiyi might have had no choice. But this was a Sandbox Game, and these NPCs all had health bars above their heads.
“Stubborn fools.”
Chen Xiyi sighed. In that case, he had to make an example of a few to warn the rest.
[ Jianghu used Water Manipulation Techniques to attack the enemy Wang Gouzi the ruffian, Li Shang the scholar… ]
From the massive water cloud, numerous water arrows shot out, each accurately piercing the heads of the red-named NPCs.
[ Jianghu used Water Manipulation Techniques to deal 100% Health Points damage to the enemy Wang Gouzi the ruffian, Li Shang the scholar… ]
In an instant, blood mixed with water splattered everywhere. Those who had been shouting the loudest suddenly fell silent—partly out of fear, and partly because they were dead.
[ Jianghu killed… ]
“Run! The immortal is killing people!”
Because the area of effect was wide, many witnessed it, and everyone frantically fled, terrified that the water arrows from the sky would pierce their heads.
Red-named NPCs spawned once again, and Jianghu naturally didn’t let them escape.
Besides those killed by Jianghu, many NPCs died in the chaos due to trampling. The surroundings were not only chaotic but also extremely bloody.
However, Chen Xiyi was quite satisfied. At least with this show of force, no one would think moral blackmail or safety in numbers could restrain him.
His persona was the Great Immortal Funyaozi, not a saint or a fool.
Once everyone had scattered, leaving behind a scene of devastation, Jianghu retracted the water curtain from the sky and gently lowered Chen Xiyi to the ground.
[ Jianghu has fallen into a state of exhaustion due to overusing Water Manipulation and Water Manipulation Techniques. Please return it to the Miniature Garden as soon as possible to rest and provide enough food for recovery. ]
[ Jianghu feels it performed well and eagerly awaits your praise. ]
Chen Xiyi looked at these two logs. Without the amplification of a water region, and with Jianghu having just been born and still in the early stages of growth, it couldn’t handle such a large-scale event, even if it was just a small water cloud.
Therefore, he hurried back into his Stone House, then returned to his Homestead, and placed Jianghu into the water region of the Miniature Garden.
“You did a fantastic job this time, but don’t push yourself so hard next time. Rest well in the Miniature Garden, and we’ll talk after you recover.” Chen Xiyi took out all the Jelly Ice Cream and gave it to Jianghu. After praising it, he also gave a light scolding.
[ You praised Jianghu. Jianghu felt very happy. Mood +10. ]
Jianghu, which resembled a water-formed being, nodded happily. It then gleefully held the Jelly Ice Cream in the water region of the Miniature Garden, occasionally taking a lick, clearly overjoyed.