Chapter Ninety-Four: Lord Chen of South City

A city of masks and mirth was laid out before him, and before long the room in which he had appeared gave way to the bustling streets beyond. He had scarcely played a few rounds when the original host vanished from the line, and the system, with maddening timing, handed control to a flashy punk who bore a grudge as sharp as a blade. Seeing the one he adored utterly enthralled by Chen Fan, he clicked once with a little hand and sent Chen Fan straight out of the match.

Still, it was not a complete loss. Everyone of the opposite sex in the room sent him friend requests and invited him to play again sometime. Chen Fan knew, of course, that it was all thanks to the mixed-blood persona card. Like the fool card before it, once its time was up, he would be knocked back to his original self in an instant.

"When will I ever get to be the real hero for once?" Chen Fan sighed. Turning his head, he glanced at Xu Changhui, who was exactly as he had been before: staring without blinking at the sultry dance streamer on the screen.

"Forget it. I’ll go take a walk around the recreation hall." Seeing that it was still early, Chen Fan stuffed the elder card into his pocket and headed out.

The person on duty in the recreation hall that day was an unfamiliar face, but Chen Fan spotted Xiao Qin, the assistant Gu Kai had mentioned last time, on the duty roster as well. The person must have stepped away for the moment, leaving one of the two front seats vacant.

Chen Fan walked up and asked, "Can I join a battle? No, forget that, I’m a bit tired. Is there any way to get into a dungeon without actually playing the game?"

The girl who received him was polite and soft-spoken, with short hair and a custom bracelet on her wrist, much like Wu Qiqi’s.

Han Youyi looked through the information and replied, "Yes. As long as the game has spectator mode enabled, you can enter the dungeon with an observer view. But there’s one thing to keep in mind: once that round ends, no matter what you were doing at the time, you’ll be automatically removed."

"All right, thanks." Chen Fan’s attention drifted from the bracelet. He yawned and stepped into the recreation hall, then found the most comfortable booth and sat down.

"Please choose the game you wish to spectate."

Chen Fan looked around. Most of the available dungeons were ones he had never played before, and he had no idea where he would spawn. If he ran into those NPCs who liked to toy with people again, that would be troublesome indeed.

For the sake of caution, Chen Fan still chose the familiar Warring States Hundred Schools of Thought.

"Loading game for you now..."

The scene refreshed quickly. This time Chen Fan spawned inside a house, which looked like the home of a fairly well-off family, perhaps even some court official or physician.

Chen Fan opened the door, strode out into the street, and did not even bother to close it behind him.

Not far off stood the city wall, and when he looked across at the other side, he finally confirmed that this time he had spawned inside the city. As for whether he was in the east, west, south, or north, that was another matter.

He glanced around, only to realize that the towering landmark, the royal palace, was nowhere to be seen. Helpless, Chen Fan had no choice but to ask someone for directions.

"Where is this place? How do I get to the academy?" Chen Fan stopped some random NPC on the road and asked without preamble.

"Are you..." The commoner hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said, "Young Master Chen! I have long admired your name. Seeing you in person is better than hearing of you a hundred times. The rumors in the streets say you are elegant beyond compare, and now I see it is all true. You truly deserve to be counted among the two unrivaled beauties of the state, alongside Young Master Xu."

Chen Fan forced out a smile. "I’d like to know how to get to the academy."

The commoner eagerly pointed the way. "Oh, is that not easy? Just keep going straight down this road."

Chen Fan followed the direction of the man’s finger and looked into the distance. At the end of his sight was a blank white expanse; he could not even make out the mirage of a grand palace.

"Is it really this road?" Chen Fan asked in confusion.

"Would I lie to a handsome man? If you don’t believe me, just follow me. You’ll be there in under two minutes." Before Chen Fan could answer, the commoner grabbed his hand and dragged him away, fingers interlaced.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Chen Fan only reacted after taking a few steps. Frightened, he quickly shook his hand free.

The state’s fashion and manners could be called the trendsetter of the Warring States era. After all, they had even produced official courtesans; the old rites had long been cast aside, no one knew where. By contrast, the state across the mountain was far more conservative, and throughout history the two states often exchanged barbed arguments over such matters.

Along the way, Chen Fan saw one lovely maiden after another casting flirtatious glances his way. Some of them went so far as to throw themselves at him outright, even rubbing half their clothes off in the process. If their looks had been to his taste, he might not have let those troublesome NPCs go so easily.

"Hm? When did this appear?"

After walking for a while, Chen Fan discovered that the royal palace had miraculously appeared in his view. It was probably like that game where certain map assets only load once you get close enough.

"Damn, this dungeon map is pretty big." Chen Fan roughly estimated the distance from the southern part of the city to the center. This Linzi had to span at least three hundred meters in radius.

"Young Master Chen, see? I wasn’t lying to you." The commoner turned back with a bright smile and tugged at Chen Fan’s robe.

Chen Fan cupped his fists in farewell. "Many thanks. I’m off to join the excitement."

The players had changed, and Chen Fan’s identity was no longer that of a military strategist. Instead, he had become a peerless beauty spoken of in the same breath as Young Master Xu of the northern city, and later generations called him Young Master Chen of the southern city.

As for why he had such low exposure, no one in later ages knew. It was because Young Master Chen of the southern city was simply too handsome, and Zou Ji knew he could not compare, so he had no choice but to use Young Master Xu of the northern city as the standard instead.

Chen Fan quietly slipped into someone’s room. He did not know whose it was. Gently closing the door behind him, he rummaged through boxes and cabinets in search of all sorts of gossip and accessories.

"Got it, the State Gazette, heh heh heh."

Amid a pile of dusty ancient texts, Chen Fan found several volumes of exactly what he wanted.

The fifth State Beauty Contest: Young Master Xu of the northern city versus Young Master Chen of the southern city. Who will claim the crown?

Can handsomeness heal? An elderly blind woman in Linzi miraculously regained her sight just to behold the handsome face of Young Master Chen of the southern city.

The rulers of the Six States offer a fortune for Young Master Chen. The King of Qi intends to classify him as a nationally protected development resource.

Shocking! Why do thirty-six percent of unmarried girls believe that Young Master Chen is their shared husband?

"Pfft... This system is getting smarter and smarter."

Chen Fan did not feel the least bit awkward. Instead, he happily combed back his bangs, basking in the sensation of the whole world crowding around him.

"Heh heh, surprised? Still think this card is no good now?"

The door was suddenly pushed open, and an elderly man entered, carrying a feather fan and wearing a scholar’s scarf. His attire resembled that of Zhuge Liang, but his bearing... was more like a street fortune-teller.

"Who are you? Don’t tell me you’re..." Chen Fan found the face unfamiliar, but the feeling was all too familiar.

"Elder, is that you? How are you able to run into a dungeon and role-play like this?"

The old man idly twirled his feather fan and said slowly, "Of course I can. Though I cannot enter the real world in physical form, I am not bound by the virtual world. Since I rarely get the chance to indulge my literary whim, I just made up some bit player to wander around for a bit. It gets boring staying cooped up on a card all the time."

The elder adjusted his clothes with evident distaste and complained, "This fabric is terribly uncomfortable to wear. The owner of this outfit was probably some hanger-on who drifted through life eating and dying, with no real prospects."

Chen Fan grinned wickedly. "So you can still switch back into the card, can you?"

"Of course. Though it takes a little time—about ten seconds or so." The elder chuckled.

"Oh, ten seconds, is it?" Chen Fan said as he began walking toward him.

"Yes, not long at all. Hmm? Wait, you... what are you doing? Don’t come any closer." Seeing Chen Fan advancing step by step, the elder instinctively shrank back several paces.