Chapter Two: The Interface
Page (1/3)
“Two days ago, when I went to the Zhao family to do some carpentry, didn’t I take Yian with me? I never imagined that the eldest son of the Zhao family, Zhao Bao, would set his sights on her.”
“Today, the steward of the Zhao household came, wanting to persuade me to let Yian become Zhao Bao’s concubine.”
Old Li the carpenter scratched his mess of hair, which looked as if a hen had nested in it, his face filled with dejection.
“Brother, I don’t want to be a concubine in the Zhao family!”
At these words, Li Yian burst into even louder sobs. Her cries drew a crowd outside the shanty street, people craning their necks to see what turmoil had struck the Li family.
“The Zhao family’s eldest son…”
Li Ju went to close the door, not wanting outsiders to witness their misery. Then he turned back to look at his aging father, his expression grave.
“Father, are you certain?”
“The steward himself came from the Zhao family—how could it be false?” Old Li shook his head and sighed deeply.
Li Ju fell silent.
In these days, it was nothing extraordinary for the sons of great households to take common girls as concubines. Some commoners even felt honored if their daughters were chosen, for while concubines received little respect among the nobles, they might still use their connections to better their family’s life. Some clever concubines even managed to scheme their way to the main wife’s position. Thus, among the common folk, it was not uncommon to be pleased if their daughters became concubines to the wealthy.
But Zhao Bao was another matter. The entire county of Yangyuan knew of his notorious appetites. He often forced common girls into concubinage, but of every ten, nine would not survive three days, and the last would die that very night.
The Zhao family servants whispered that every concubine died after unbearable torment, their bodies left in horrific states—sometimes even dismembered beyond recognition. And these corpses were not returned to their families, but chopped up and fed to Zhao Bao’s dog.
Because of this, no family in Yangyuan willingly sent their daughters to his household, but how could common folk resist the malice of a powerful son?
In recent years, Zhao Bao had brought grief to nearly every family in Yangyuan with daughters.
“Brother, I don’t want to die!”
Li Yian clung to Li Ju, burying her head in his chest, her tears soaking through his clothes.
Li Ju embraced her in return, letting out a long sigh.
In truth, Li Yian was not beautiful. Years of hard labor and scant food had left her short, thin, dark, and plain—hardly the sort to attract a second glance in the street.
But Zhao Bao was infamous for his lack of discrimination. As the saying went, he’d chase after anything in a skirt, and was said to be only one step away from eyeing the livestock.
“Father, is there any way to save her?” Li Ju looked at Old Li once more.
“The steward said they’ll send for her the day after tomorrow,” the old man replied, shaking his head.
A wedding? More likely an abduction!
Page (2/3)
Li Ju thought to himself.
He soothed Li Yian back to her room, then opened the door to look outside.
The gawkers had left, but two guards sat directly across from the Li family’s entrance, making no effort to hide that they were watching the house.
Li Ju met their gaze, his heart sinking, and closed the door again.
They were already being watched.
“Father, why don’t we take Yian and run?” Li Ju suggested.
“Run? Where to?” Old Li puffed on his dry tobacco. “The Zhao family owns the whole of Yangyuan. Wherever we go, they’ll find us.”
“I found a tunnel by the river when I used to fish—it leads straight outside the city wall.”
“And then? Do you think we’ll survive outside?” Old Li’s question silenced his son.
In these chaotic times, dangers lay everywhere beyond the city: not only wild beasts but also bandits and marauding soldiers—either would devour the defenseless. Ordinary folk had no chance of surviving in the wild.
“The steward said they’d offer three taels of silver as a bride-price. With that, I could find you a wife—if you have a son, the Li family won’t die out.”
Old Li turned slightly toward Li Ju.
“So we’re just going to send Yian to her death?” Li Ju demanded.
“What other choice do we have?” Old Li would not meet his son’s eyes. He rose, picked up a saw, and went to a corner of the yard to work.
“Girls must marry someday—what difference does it make to whom?”
Li Ju stood in silence, finally sighing in defeat.
He went into his room, lay down on the rickety bed, and stared at the patched ceiling, turning over ways to save his sister.
In the three years since he crossed into this world, he and Yian had grown close; in his heart, he already considered her his own sister. He could not let her fall into the wolf’s den.
But no matter how long he pondered, he could not think of any way they could escape Zhao Bao’s clutches.
Exhausted by his thoughts, his eyes grew heavy. His vision blurred, objects doubled, and suddenly, a panel appeared before his eyes.
Wait…
Page (3/3)
A panel?!
Li Ju startled awake to find that, indeed, a panel hovered in his vision.
[Name: Li Ju]
[Level: 0 (0/10)]
[Skill: Loafing (1)]
[Specialty: None]
[Available Instances:
Tale of the Flying Sword (Unlocked)
Legend of the Divine Weapon (Unlocks at level 3)
City of Machines (Unlocks at level 5)
Chronicles of the Shu Mountain Sword Immortal (Unlocks at level 10)
Legend of the Urban Dragon King (Unlocks at level ?)
……]
As a terminal online novel addict, Li Ju barely restrained his excitement, lest he shout out loud.
He knew now there might be hope for his sister.
Li Ju exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down, and began to study the panel.
After some exploration, he roughly understood its function.
It was a system allowing him to clear different instances; as the sole player, he could earn rewards—skills and specializations—by conquering them. Each completed instance would also grant experience to increase his level. With each level, more instances would unlock.
However, once an instance was chosen, he could not switch to another until it was completely cleared.
“My current level is zero—I can enter three instances.”
He called up the list of available choices.
[Available Instances:
Tale of the Flying Sword (Unlocked)
I Am the Study Tyrant (Unlocked)
Hot-Blooded High School (Unlocked)]