Chapter 49: A Game Helmet?

Chapter 49: A Game Helmet?

Lu Changtian froze.

In his memories, when had it started?

When had he stopped being patient whenever his junior sister sought him out for sword practice?

He was the one who had encouraged her to spar with him frequently—so why had everything changed?

He no longer patiently guided her.

No longer waited for her at the training grounds every day.

He used to smile and encourage her, carefully reviewing their duels even when she fumbled.

But later, no matter how hard Li Qingran tried, all he could see were flaws. Mistakes.

He saw her as slow, incompetent, talentless.

Heh...

So that was it.

Li Qingran hadn’t changed.

He had.

If Li Qingran—at Foundation Establishment—had truly wanted to harm Mu Baishuang,

they never would have been able to stop her.

From beginning to end, they had just been lashing out.

They weren’t protecting anyone.

They were venting their frustration—because they couldn’t take more from her.

Li Qingran had always regarded them as senior brothers, as family.

But they had lost themselves in the sound of her calling them

"senior brother"

.

They took it all for granted… until she was gone.

Lu Changtian understood now.

"...Kill me, punish me however you wish."

"I owe you that much."

He lowered his head, unwilling to meet Li Qingran’s eyes.

"Then—destroy your own dantian."

Li Qingran sheathed her sword and turned away, leaving only a slender yet unyielding silhouette.

Lu Changtian clenched his fists.

Then slowly… released them.

"If… If I destroy my dantian, will you forgive me?"

"Qingran… w-will you return to Chixiao Peak?"

That wavering figure never looked back.

The icy wind howled between them.

Her reply was resolute.

"No."

···

"HELL YEAH!"

In front of his phone screen, Chen Huai’an slapped his thigh in excitement.

"This! This is what I’m talking about! Ruthless! Smack them down! Slap every single one of them back in the face! Haha!"

He had actually been worried that the game developers would pull some bulls***,

like forcing Li Qingran into a moment of soft-hearted hesitation.

Maybe they’d write some emotional "misunderstandings resolved" nonsense,

where Li Qingran would be coaxed into returning to Chixiao Peak,

and suddenly all the

"senior brothers"

would be regretful and start groveling for her forgiveness.

Then he—as the player—would end up being forced by the plot to support Chixiao Peak and Qingyun Sect like some kind of doormat.

Just imagining it made him sick.

How was that any different from NTR?!

But thankfully—

The game developers weren’t brain-dead.

Just as he was basking in satisfaction—

A notification window popped up.

【Thank you for supporting our game! Your exclusive game helmet has been delivered!】

At the same time—

Thud.

A sound came from the door.

Chen Huai’an practically launched himself to the entrance, flung it open, scanned his surroundings—

Then, with a knowing smirk, looked down.

Sure enough, a package.

He picked it up and hurried back to the sofa.

Ripping open the box, he found—

A helmet.

It looked like a motorcycle helmet, but sleeker, more futuristic.

On the side was the 〈My Virtual Girlfriend〉 game logo—

And next to it, a chibi version of Li Qingran.

Chen Huai’an slowly typed out a question mark in his mind.

The black cat beside him also slowly typed out a question mark in its mind.

Chen Huai’an: "...This thing. I’m supposed to wear this? It won’t explode, will it? Feels kinda sketchy. This game never looked like one that required a full-on gaming helmet…" Řáℕɵ₿ËŞ

The black cat twitched its ears.

【I-Is this… Is this a broken fragment of an immortal artifact?】

【What the hell is this senior’s background?! He’s not some direct descendant of the Ancestral Dragon, is he?!】

Chen Huai’an squinted at the black cat.

"...Why are you shaking?"

The black cat let out a stiff "meow" and quickly lowered its head, pretending to lick its paws.

I am but a small cat.

A tiny, helpless cat.

What do I know? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

In the end, Chen Huai’an put on the helmet.

He might not trust the game developers,

but he sure as hell trusted the 300,000 spirit stones he had spent.

——【〈My Virtual Girlfriend〉 connecting…】

The screen went black for a moment.

Then—

Chen Huai’an froze.

Because standing before him—

Was Li Qingran.

She took a step forward.

Then another.

She glanced around.

He recognized this place—

It was Qingyun Sect’s central square.

"What the f***?!"

"This VR tech is insane!"

Chen Huai’an had tried out the latest VR headsets at an experience center before.

Sure, the visuals were realistic,

but there was still a clear disconnect—an unmistakable sense of artificiality.

But this…

This was different.

This felt real.

He could see the tiny blood vessels beneath Li Qingran’s skin.

He could hear the faint rustling of sand underfoot.

But—

There was still a barrier.

A thin, almost imperceptible veil between him and the game world.

He couldn't touch it.

Yet even so—

300,000 spirit stones.

Not a waste.

Not a single bit wasted.

···

"Today, I, Lu Changtian, will cripple my own dantian."

"First, to atone for my sins."

"Second, to earn Junior Sister Qingran’s forgiveness."

"Even if I die, I have no regrets—Master, please allow me this!"

Lu Changtian rose, about to strike at his own dantian—

When suddenly—

"Insolence!"

A furious roar erupted from above.

In the next instant, Lu Changtian's body was frozen in place.

"You wretched fool!"

"I poured countless efforts into raising you to this level—"

"And you’re going to throw it all away over a single person?!"

"A worthless disgrace!"

"Get to the Reflection Cliff and meditate on your sins!"

At the critical moment—

Daoist Qingxuan could no longer sit still.

Lu Changtian was his most cherished disciple.

Xiao Yifeng came second.

Mu Baishuang ranked third—

And that was only because she was good at sweet-talking people.

But Lu Changtian—his first disciple—

He had invested too much into him.

How could he just stand by and watch him cripple himself?

Chen Huai’an saw this and immediately frowned.

The game developers just couldn’t help themselves, could they?

They were really about to shove some bulls* down his throat.

——【Your Character Projection has been activated. You may now freely interact.】

——【Current Cultivation: Nascent Soul Perfection, Remaining Time: 21 Hours.】

——【You may freely speak. Your words and actions will directly influence the plot. Choose carefully.】

Chen Huai’an blinked.

He hurriedly swallowed back the expletives he was about to shout.

Then—

Straightened his expression.

Let out a cold snort.

And declared—

"I already said—"

"No one is allowed to interfere today."

"Daoist Qingxuan—"

"Don’t say I didn’t warn you."

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