B-level players get one month of rest after returning from the game world.
Of course, if players don’t want to rest and choose to dive right back into the game world for more missions, the main system is more than happy. After all, it loves hardworking workers.
Gu Jiu, however, wasn’t in any rush to return to the game world. For one, she was finally enjoying time with her boyfriend, savoring the wonderful experience of being in a relationship for the first time in her life. Additionally, the Lunar New Year was approaching.
For people from Hua Nation, the New Year is the most important holiday of the year—something that absolutely cannot be missed.
“My grandma even asked if I could bring you home for the New Year and introduce you to the family.” Gu Jiu leaned into her boyfriend’s arms, her hand gently tracing his Adam’s apple. “But unfortunately, you can’t come to my world, so I had to say no.”
Lu Ji paused slightly, his expression tightening.
He hesitated, wanting to say he could go—he was willing to—but her rejection cut him off, leaving him silently swallowing his words, feeling a little downhearted.
He longed to know everything about her, not just the boundless city and the game world, but everything about her real life as well.
For most players, the real world is their spiritual anchor and haven. They wouldn’t let anyone they didn’t fully trust know the world they were born into. Though players below S-level cannot break through spatial barriers to visit other players’ worlds, once they reach the S-level, they can enter any world with the right coordinates.
But even if he could enter her world, he couldn’t go as a mere B-level player. Doing so would clearly reveal that he had been lying to her all along.
Gu Jiu draped her arms around his shoulders and tilted her head up. The man instinctively lowered his head and kissed her with restrained tenderness.
When she finally curled up in his arms with a contented expression, his eyes darkened with unrestrained desire. Although the tension in his lower abdomen made him uncomfortable, he didn’t act on it.
Like a gentleman, he held the woman he loved, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window and watching the fiery scenery outside.
Eventually, it was Gu Jiu who, feeling sorry for him, took the initiative. After all, if he bottled it up for too long, it would ultimately be her loss.
After a day of indulgence, Lu Ji temporarily forgot his feelings of disappointment and continued to accompany her on their dates.
They explored various districts of the Boundless City together.
By the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Gu Jiu noticed the time reminder and knew she had to return for the New Year.
“I’ll head back first and come back tonight to sleep with you,” she said, gently kissing her boyfriend’s tightly pressed lips to comfort him.
Lu Ji hummed in response. He looked calm—cold and cool as ever—making it hard to read his emotions. Gu Jiu decided not to dwell on it and went with him to shop for gifts for her family in the Boundless City’s marketplace.
She turned to him and said, “My grandma has already seen your picture. This year, you’ll need to send her a gift.”
Hearing this, Lu Ji’s spirits lifted instantly. He became more enthusiastic than she was about picking gifts.
He was well aware of the Gu family’s members and their preferences, thanks to Gu Jiu’s stories and his observations during his previous visit to the real world.
After spending most of the day, they finally finished shopping for gifts for her family.
“All right, I’m off now. I’ll come back tonight,” Gu Jiu said, standing on tiptoes to kiss him. “Make sure to eat and rest properly, okay?”
Lu Ji nodded, looking obedient and well-behaved.
Gu Jiu touched his face with a smile. “You better not try to fool me, because I’ll be checking later!”
Checking?
Lu Ji was a little confused. If he didn’t eat or rest, how exactly was she planning to “check”? When he noticed the teasing smile on her face and her hand drawing lazy circles on his chest, he suddenly realized what she meant. His pale face immediately flushed with a rosy hue.
Actually… this kind of “check” sounded pretty good.
After all, he wasn’t human. Even without food or rest, he was fine. He definitely had more than enough stamina to prove to her just how “capable” he was.
The two of them lingered together for a while longer. Eventually, as the time approached, Gu Jiu reluctantly left the Boundless City.
Lu Ji stood in the living room, staring at the spot where she had disappeared, looking like a forlorn “Stone of Longing.”
Only when he was certain that no trace of her could be found within the Boundless City did he finally vanish from the room, reappearing in the Dark Hall.
The Dark Hall, true to its name, stood in eternal darkness—deep and shadowy.
Nestled within the depths of the Void Storm, it was a place unreachable without the owner’s permission. Not even demigods could find its coordinates, let alone enter it. Anyone reckless enough to force their way in would be shredded into pulp by the spatial storm, their soul scattered to oblivion for all eternity.
Its very name inspired terror.
A man in a black robe sat upon the throne of the Dark Hall.
He had long grown accustomed to the eternal darkness. It did not bother him; in fact, it empowered him. In the darkness, his eyes saw unimpeded, his senses unhindered. The darkness was his strength.
Humans chased the light because it revealed everything, exposing truths and providing clarity. But for a god born of darkness, light was unnecessary. It would never originate in this realm.
However, today, the master of the Dark Hall lit a single candle.
“Ah Jiu’s eyes aren’t great. She would probably like some light,” he murmured softly. With a slight lift of his hand, clusters of light bloomed in the darkness, spreading like a luminous path. For the first time, the Dark Hall was illuminated.
In the depths of the Void, the Sea of Rules rippled again.
The demigods stationed there had grown numb to such phenomena.
Forget it. As long as the Sea of Rules doesn’t collapse, it can do whatever it wants.
As they thought this, they noticed a gray fragment submerging into the Sea of Rules. They immediately understood—the being they had been monitoring had returned to the game world once more.
“Still no sign of its presence?”
“We’ve tasked players across all factions in the Boundless City with searching, but no leads yet.”
“Something as distinctive as that entity… Are all those players blind?”
“You know how unique it is. Do you really think it would let ordinary players spot it so easily? If you ask me, we just need to wait until it enters an S-level world. Players at that level should be skilled enough to find it…”
…
The demigods debated endlessly. Finally, they decided to continue using players to investigate, focusing first on determining which game world the entity had entered. Only then could they deduce its true purpose.
—
The Gu family always celebrated the New Year with great enthusiasm.
On the morning of New Year’s Eve, the family was up early. The young and strong Gu Mingjie and his brother went out to clear the snow from the entrance. Uncle Gu Jiasheng and Gu Jiu teamed up with little Gu Yiqing to hang lanterns and paste Spring Festival couplets. Aunt Wen Aiying and eldest sister-in-law Song Qinghe worked with the housekeepers to prepare the New Year’s Eve feast.
Meanwhile, Grandma sat by the window, cutting intricate paper designs.
Gu Jiu couldn’t do much because of her poor eyesight; she couldn’t see anything clearly beyond 30 centimeters.
However, her family was careful not to let her feel self-conscious or think they saw her as incapable. Whatever tasks she could manage, they always let her participate.
“Ah Jiu, can you hold the ladder steady? Should we have your brother do it instead?” Uncle Gu Jiasheng asked as he hung lanterns from the ladder, looking down at his niece with concern.
“It’s fine, Uncle. I’m strong. Mingli can’t match my strength,” Gu Jiu replied confidently.
Gu Jiasheng glanced at her beautiful, delicate face, clearly not convinced that she could be stronger than a teenage boy.
Gu Jiu had always been a soft and pampered girl, raised like a little princess by the family. She was nothing like those rough boys.
Seeing her uncle’s doubt, Gu Jiu didn’t argue further and just smiled to herself.
Later, after dinner, she came downstairs carrying a heavy chest. Gu Mingli rushed over to help her but staggered under its weight and nearly fell.
“Sis, what is this? It’s so heavy!”
“Gifts for everyone,” Gu Jiu replied with a bright smile. “They’re from my boyfriend.”
The Gu family: “…”
The entire family stared at her in stunned silence. They didn’t know whether to be more shocked by her unexpected strength or the revelation that she had a boyfriend.
When Gu Jiu began distributing the gifts, the family gradually accepted the news of her having a boyfriend. Meanwhile, Grandma shared four photos in the Gu family group chat. These were the pictures Gu Jiu had previously sent her.
After seeing the photos, the Gu family fell into an awkward silence.
They couldn’t believe that the young man and the girl in the photos were the same person. Even if their appearances were identical, it just wasn’t plausible!
“They must be siblings, right? Sis, stop joking. How could a grown man possibly disguise himself as a girl?” Gu Mingli protested loudly.
“Why not? Isn’t that exactly the case here?” Gu Jiu lightly tapped his head. “Don’t be so easily amazed.”
If they knew about players, they wouldn’t find this surprising at all. For players, switching genders was no big deal—it was just a matter of whether they felt like it.
Gu Mingli felt wronged.
But when his sister threatened to tell the family about his girlfriend, he quickly relented, saying, “Brother-in-law is amazing! So versatile—only a man this extraordinary could be worthy of my sister.”
Still, deep down, he grumbled. When his sister eventually brought this man home to meet the family, he would thoroughly vet him to ensure he was qualified to be her boyfriend.
His sister wasn’t someone an ordinary man could deserve.
“Good boy.” Gu Jiu patted his head and whispered in his ear, “Once you finish your college entrance exams, you can introduce your girlfriend. Mianmian is so adorable; everyone will love her.”
Gu Mingli beamed with joy. As a sister-obsessed younger brother, nothing made him happier than his sister acknowledging his girlfriend.
The gifts Lu Ji had prepared for the Gu family were all carefully chosen with Gu Jiu’s input. Not only were they perfectly tailored to each person’s tastes, but they also showcased his wealth and resources.
The Gu family couldn’t help but speculate about Lu Ji’s identity.
Their “granddaughter/niece/sister” clearly had an extraordinary boyfriend. These items weren’t things just anyone could obtain without significant connections.
“There’s also this,” Gu Jiu said, handing out small packets of herbs. “Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, Big Brother, Sister-in-law—make sure to use these regularly. They’re good for your health.”
The herbs were ordinary medicinal ingredients from a cultivation world, low in spiritual energy but still beneficial for mortals. Regular consumption could prolong life, improve health, enhance beauty, and more—offering a myriad of benefits.
“And Mingli, your college entrance exams are coming up. You need to take extra care of your health. And these are for little Qing’er—they’re specially suited for children…”
As Gu Jiu distributed one item after another, even the Gu family, who were accustomed to wealth and luxury, couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer extravagance.
The family exchanged subtle glances, their hearts tinged with concern.
“Ah Jiu, what exactly does your boyfriend do?” Gu Jiasheng finally asked, quietly speculating whether the surname Lu belonged to a prestigious family or perhaps a wealthy foreigner.
“For now, I can’t say. You’ll find out later,” Gu Jiu replied, deliberately keeping them in suspense.
Revealing that she had a boyfriend was partly a strategic move to give these gifts under his name. Otherwise, she would have had to come up with a more complicated explanation. As the family of a player, they naturally had the right to enjoy items brought back from the Boundless City and the game world, as long as it was within the rules.
Though concerned, the Gu family decided to trust her and didn’t press further.
They would find out eventually, after all.
After staying up with her family until midnight, Gu Jiu wished everyone goodnight and returned to her room.
Once she locked the door, she turned and entered the Boundless City.
The moment she arrived, a pair of strong arms wrapped tightly around her. She could feel the longing and reluctance in his embrace.
“I haven’t seen you for a whole day…” he said, sounding a little aggrieved. From the moment she returned to the real world that morning, he had been waiting for her, counting the hours until she returned.
Gu Jiu nuzzled his chest and asked if he had eaten.
“Yes,” he replied without blinking, knowing she had no way to verify it.
“Really? Then let me check.”
Lu Ji softly acknowledged her words, his face flushing red as he scooped her up into his arms. Carrying her into their bedroom, he closed the door behind them.
In star district 98, the climate was perpetually spring-like, and the room’s temperature was perfectly optimized for human comfort and sleep.
Leaning into his arms, Gu Jiu twirled his long hair idly between her fingers and teased, “Looks like you’ve been resting well—your stamina is excellent.”
Lu Ji hugged her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He mumbled an acknowledgment, his face a mix of shyness and contentment, tinged with a post-indulgent relaxation.
As he gently massaged her sore waist, he shyly asked, “Ah Jiu, do you still have any energy left?”
Gu Jiu: “…You want to keep going?”
He gave a soft, almost inaudible hum, his voice laden with desire. The big beast was still full of energy. “Did you not eat or rest properly while you were at home?”
Gu Jiu hadn’t expected him to turn her own tactics back on her. Amused and exasperated, she grabbed his face and bit his lip lightly. But seeing his bashful yet expectant expression, she found herself unable to resist.
Fine, fine. More “exercise” it is.
A young lady never backs down from a challenge!
After a night of “training,” it was no surprise that she overslept the next morning.
But being the first day of the Lunar New Year and with the cold weather outside, the Gu family had nothing pressing to do. Most of them opted to sleep in as well, only slowly trickling into the dining room by lunchtime.
After lunch with her family, Gu Jiu quickly returned to the Boundless City.
Recently, her boyfriend had been particularly clingy—probably because he couldn’t accompany her to the real world to meet her family during the New Year. As a result, he was more demanding of her attention at night.
But the young lady was someone who doted on her boyfriend. Even though her waist ached terribly, she still decided to indulge him.
At worst, she could just eat more spiritual-energy-rich food to recover.