"Seriously, who the hell am I?"
Chu Huaixu crouched beside the corpse, frowning as he cursed inwardly.
He had no memories of this [Character's] past, nor had he received any information from the system yet. As a result, he didn't even know which faction his character belonged to.
Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?
He had no idea!
"Oh, wait! That guy said I was trying to infiltrate the [Dao Gate]."
At this thought, Chu Huaixu immediately made a decision. "Like hell I will!"
He was now certain that he had transmigrated. If he followed the predetermined path, the lack of memory and information would leave him with a great sense of uncertainty and insecurity.
"In the game, there are [Revival Coins]. If you die, you can use a coin to revive."
"And my [Character Panel] shows that, like every other starting account, I have three [Revival Coins]."
"But... what if?"
"This is a transmigration, after all, not just playing a game. What if I can't use them!"
So, he felt he still needed to be relatively cautious.
Just now, he had heard the system prompt telling him that the [Quest System] was activating. For Chu Huaixu, this was exceptionally important.
"Borrowing a Sword" was a game with a high degree of freedom. Players could explore and develop on their own, and there were many channels to obtain [Experience Points] to level up their [Character], [Skills], or [Equipment]. The most official channel for gaining experience was, of course, doing quests.
'If these functions are still effective, then they are the golden finger I'll have to rely on to survive after transmigrating,' Chu Huaixu thought.
Back on Earth, he could survive by "selling his looks," flirting on the edge of the rules in games, and going all out. Surely he couldn't go back to his old profession after transmigrating, could he? Then he wouldn't be a so-called [Virtual Male Model]; he'd be squealing for real.
Chu Huaixu knew very well that in "Borrowing a Sword", strength was fundamental! His handsome, fox-like face that could charm both men and women was, at best, just a bonus.
A few more seconds passed, and the [Quest System] finally activated completely. A system prompt, audible only to him, sounded in his ear, like the legendary secret sound transmission technique.
"[Ding! Quest System has been activated!]"
"[Assessing your initial completion rating...]"
"[Assessment complete. You have escaped the interception by 'Xue Hu'...]"
"[Assessment complete. You successfully counter-killed him during your escape...]"
"[Assessment complete...]"
Listening to the string of assessment prompts, Chu Huaixu couldn't help but complain in his mind, "What do you mean I counter-killed him during my escape? I didn't even run, okay?"
"If I had known, I would have kited him around a couple of times. Maybe I could have baited some useful information out of him in the process."
"And what was the result? I killed him in one blow!"
At this thought, Chu Huaixu gave the corpse another big slap.
Slap—!
Since a game like "Borrowing a Sword" could pass the censors, the game's guidance for players was bound to be generally positive and wouldn't lead them down overly evil or heretical paths. Therefore, the Xue Hu lying before him was certainly someone who deserved to die, no good person, falling into the category of a "red-named mob." He felt no psychological burden whatsoever. In fact, after killing him, Chu Huaixu had even gained 100 experience points.
Meanwhile, the two masked men who had been secretly observing Chu Huaixu from a distance couldn't help but feel the corners of their mouths twitch under their masks. They were utterly baffled. Why did he have to slap Xue Hu every few moments? Did it feel that good?
But as members of [The Organization], their sense of belonging to the [Moon Kingdom] was among the strongest in the country, and their hostility towards the [Mirror Kingdom] was also the most intense. Therefore, since Xue Hu was from the Mirror Kingdom, they didn't find the foxy-faced man's actions overly brutal. Besides, people in the Organization lived very repressed lives; there were more than a few with special quirks, so...
—We don't understand, but we respect it!
After exchanging a glance, the man with the golden mask spoke, "We should go."
"My lord, this newcomer is quite interesting. I'd like to observe a little longer," the Silver-Masked Man replied.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the other man let out a cold snort, and an intense pressure instantly washed over them.
"Hmph! Have you forgotten what the Organization taught us, and the admonitions we received before setting out for the Mirror Kingdom?" The Gold-Masked Man said in a deep voice, "Article Three of The Admonitions: Do not harbor excessive curiosity towards our comrades within the Organization!"
"This is for your own good, and for his!"
The Silver-Masked Man immediately lowered his head and said respectfully, "Yes, my lord!"
Seeing his good attitude, the Gold-Masked Man nodded slightly, his voice softening a little. "You and I both have important duties. This was the last reception mission for new recruits we are responsible for."
"You should return to the Mirror Kingdom's royal court and do your part."
"And I should be returning to the [Dao Gate]."
The Silver-Masked Man immediately bowed with his hands clasped. "Yes, my lord."
The two parted ways and soon disappeared into the rainy night.
Therefore, they did not see Chu Huaixu's next move.
He fumbled around on Xue Hu's body, stuffed the money pouch and other "loot drops" from the monster into his robes, and then took off at a full sprint.
The reason was simple. The [Quest System] had just given his initial completion a rating of 9.93, nearly a perfect score, and had quickly issued a new system quest—escape the encirclement of the constabulary!
'Why am I being targeted by the constabulary?' Chu Huaixu digested the information in his mind as he ran, looking at the [Map]. There was probably something fishy going on here.
But he had no time to think now. In this dark and rainy night, he had to find a place that could give him a sense of security.
He was very familiar with the constabulary. In one of his previous [account rolls], he had also started with the constabulary chasing him. Wanting to experience their special services, he had turned his [Pain Index] to the minimum, deliberately got caught, and endured a full night of brutal interrogation.
The result? It wasn't at all like in those over-the-top anti-Japanese war dramas, where if you endure all the initial torture, you unlock the bonus ending—the honey trap! Nothing of the sort happened.
Chu Huaixu had transmigrated now and couldn't adjust his pain perception. He knew very well that if he got caught by the constabulary, he was in for a world of hurt.
At this moment, as he fled, he looked at the [Map] and quickly analyzed his escape route. After weighing his options, he decided to head towards the nearby Wumeng Mountain.
The game "Borrowing a Sword" featured many mountains and rivers from Earth on its [Map]. It had the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Five Great Mountains... Therefore, the appearance of Wumeng Mountain was not strange.
In fact, Wumeng Mountain was quite famous in "Borrowing a Sword". The reason was simple: the [Dao Gate], one of the four great sects, was located right next to Wumeng Mountain. Players believed that the development team must have a fan of the ancient band Phoenix Legend, who designed the map this way.
In Phoenix Legend's song "Lady Shexiang," there is a lyric: Wumeng Mountain connects to the mountain beyond the mountains.
So, it wasn't hard to guess that the place where the [Dao Gate] was located was called—the Mountain Beyond the Mountains!
Chu Huaixu's choice to flee towards Wumeng Mountain now actually went against his initial intention. Just moments ago, he was thinking he would pointedly not go to the [Dao Gate], embracing his rebellious streak.
Right now, he wasn't trying to infiltrate the [Dao Gate]; it was purely because Wumeng Mountain might be the nearest safe zone.
According to the information provided by the quest system, Chu Huaixu's current situation was not actually that critical. He had just browsed the quest information, and from what was revealed, it seemed only Xue Hu knew the inside story. But Xue Hu was greedy for money, women, and merit, and hadn't revealed anything to his colleagues.
The reason the constabulary was rushing over now was purely because they all carried a [Life Token]. Once one of them died, the constabulary headquarters would know, and the Life Token had a locating function.
"In that case, running towards the outer regions of the [Dao Gate] should be better," Chu Huaixu made his judgment. He was a veteran player of "Borrowing a Sword" and knew the game's background like the back of his hand.
The Mirror Kingdom he was in now was dominated by the four great sects, with the royal court being relatively weak. Simply put, the [Dao Gate] was above the royal court! However, the neighboring Moon Kingdom was not like this; there, the royal court commanded the major sects, and the sects followed the court's lead.
Wumeng Mountain was essentially the [Dao Gate]'s front yard. Even if the court's people went there, they would have to act with more restraint to avoid angering the people of the Dao Gate. In fact, without special circumstances, the court's people wouldn't even dare set foot there.
"As for the death of a degenerate from the constabulary... does that count as a special circumstance?" Chu Huaixu didn't think so.
And so, he ran wildly through the rainy night, his lower body becoming caked with mud. His black hair was also soaking wet. This, combined with his fox-like face, gave him a handsome, untamed, and slightly devilish look in his drenched state.
He followed the navigation function on the [Map], taking shortcuts all the way.
Chu Huaixu passed through the dense forest and arrived at the foot of Wumeng Mountain.
Then, his pupils constricted slightly.
Because there was someone ahead!
In this night of pouring rain, he saw a woman holding an oil-paper umbrella, dressed in light blue, and wearing a veil.
She had to be at least 170 centimeters tall, with a graceful, slender figure and astonishingly long legs. Even though only the upper half of her face was visible behind the veil, one would still feel she was a great beauty.
Unfortunately, the overall impression she gave was one of extreme coldness. Her slightly furrowed brows and her beautiful, scrutinizing eyes created an immense sense of distance.
The woman held her umbrella, looking at Chu Huaixu standing in the downpour.
To her own surprise, as if guided by a phantom, she spoke her innermost thoughts aloud. Her voice was as cold as ice, yet the content of her words was in stark contrast to her tone and temperament:
"Hmm? Truly a top-quality cultivation cauldron."