Chapter 112: The Dangers of Playing Games (Third Update Arrives)

The scene returned to the banquet at the Pavilion of Clear Wind and Bright Moon on the previous day.

A tiny internet cafe, though still modest in its current scale, had already begun to pose a threat to many trades within Jiuhua City.

The casinos, the beast arenas, and even the pleasure houses—various once-lucrative industries were now entirely feeling the impact.

Spurred on by certain individuals behind the scenes, these upper-class elites who held a degree of power in Jiuhua City naturally took notice of this fact. Propelled by Pang Rulie and led by Huo Chong, they began to gather, deliberating on how to sanction this little shop that had so abruptly emerged.

Qin Bing had come precisely for this purpose.

As the Chief Instructor of Lingyun Academy, Qin Bing oversaw and inspected the four major disciple courtyards of Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. Within the academy, he wielded considerable power, his status surpassed only by the old Headmaster and a few Vice Headmasters.

Over recent years, he had gradually assumed control over the formulation of the academy’s rules and regulations for its disciples, as well as a portion of the authority over the Lingyun Martial Arts Tower. Rumors even circulated within the academy that once a certain senior Vice Headmaster retired, he would step into that vacancy.

Further down the line, it was not altogether impossible for him to take another step forward and become the Headmaster, taking command of the entire Lingyun Academy.

Lately, he found himself at the most critical juncture of his career, yet at this precise moment, word actually got out that disciples were frequently skipping classes to visit an internet cafe. How could he possibly tolerate this?

It was not just the truant and absent disciples; even this internet cafe, named the Origin Internet Club, had been marked by his displeasure.

Given his stature, he naturally sat at the principal table, occupying the seat of honor.

The guests at this table each possessed a status that was by no means low; a figure like Pang Rulie would likely not have been qualified to sit in this position had he not been the initiator of this entire affair.

Xiang Qinghe was the manager of the Pavilion of Clear Wind and Bright Moon, and he handled the vast majority of its matters, while the true master behind the scenes had not made an appearance.

"President Huo has invited us here, so how exactly do you plan to handle this matter?" Xiang Qinghe wore a set of black robes made of a silk-like fabric, every part meticulously arranged, just as he kept the entire Pavilion of Clear Wind and Bright Moon in immaculate order.

"In my view, we ought to have An Huwei shut the shop down!" As Qin Bing spoke, the white whiskers at his temples trembled slightly, clearly showing quite a bit of indignation.

"Elder Qin! Rest easy! Rest easy! You are occupied with the many affairs of running Lingyun Academy, so it is only natural you have not had the time to notice some of the latest developments in our Jiuhua City." Huo Chong cupped his hands at this moment and spoke, "I have investigated. The backing of this shop is somewhat formidable, and the customers within are not to be trifled with either. If we truly shut the shop down, we might not come out of it well ourselves."

"Could there really be someone who can make even my Lingyun Academy come out worse for wear?" Qin Bing had originally viewed this matter as a minor grievance to be dealt with, but now, from the scale of this gathering to the seriousness of everyone present, he gradually sensed that this shop was perhaps not as simple as he had imagined.

Huo Chong leaned in closer and spoke two words in a low, heavy voice: "Nalan."

"The one at the very top."

Qin Bing’s expression turned slightly grave, and he stroked his beard, saying, "This matter truly is quite complicated!"

"Therefore, for the time being, our methods can only be a bit more diplomatic," Huo Chong spoke.

"What does President Huo intend to do?" Pang Rulie inquired.

"First, we can start with its negative side effects," Huo Chong stated.

"Side effects?" Pang Rulie asked curiously, "The shop has been open for so long, yet it seems no side effects have ever occurred?"

"If one must find something..." Xiang Qinghe let out a cold snort, "Does the incident of drinking and causing trouble in our establishment back then count?"

Huo Chong let out a scoffing laugh: "Naturally, it is not those things."

If it were merely such minor side effects, how could they possibly topple this little shop?

He clapped his hands, and very soon, a young man who shared a fifty-percent resemblance to him brought over a set of documents: "Feng'er, distribute this to the gentlemen present to look over."

"Yes, Father." The young man nodded, then proceeded to pass the documents into the hands of the several people seated.

"The third day of the eighth lunar month, south of Jiuhua City, Wang Shiyuan, sixteen years of age."

"Due to excessive gaming, he was unable to distinguish between the virtual and reality, leaping down from Wuzhang Hill in the south of the city while shouting aloud the Sword Controlling Technique. He was severely injured from the fall and died despite medical efforts?"

"The fifth day of the eighth lunar month, southwest of Jiuhua City, the independent martial artist Xue Changgui."

"Due to a lack of money to play games, he robbed an elderly man from the aristocratic Yang clan within the city. He is currently detained by Jiuhua City on charges of robbery..."

"The ninth day of the eighth lunar month..."

Qin Bing looked at one document after another, speaking in shock, "Are these all true...?"

Huo Chong looked toward his son, revealing a deeply meaningful smile.

True? Seventy to eighty percent of it was exaggerated, but at this moment, it looked exactly like the truth.

These materials were naturally things they had prepared for quite some time; otherwise, they would not have delayed until now to hold this gathering.

Huo Chong nodded and said in a pained voice, "This kind of game appears to have no side effects, but in reality... look at these shocking, real-life examples! Who would still dare to say it has no side effects?!"

"Everyone who gets into the game will think about playing it every single day. Is this not a side effect?" Huo Chong said loudly, "It is just like certain malicious toxins; it makes people addicted! It even causes them to lose their sanity!"

"Therefore... we must absolutely boycott this little shop and these games!" Huo Chong said coldly, "Boycott this malicious stuff!"

"Furthermore! I advise everyone... do not under any circumstances touch anything from this shop!" Huo Chong’s eyes swept across the room, "Lest you become infected by this toxin and find yourselves unable to break free!"

Hearing these words from Huo Chong, many people instantly felt a chill in their hearts, avoiding the prospect like scorpions and vipers!

"At the same time, I hope everyone will join together to spread this news to your relatives and even your customers, so that they may join us in boycotting it! Do not be deceived by its minor benefits. When it comes to raising one's strength, what place can compare to the Lingyun Martial Arts Tower of Lingyun Academy?"

"Why resort to those crooked paths!"

He did not forget to flatter Lingyun Academy in the process.

"Well said!" Qin Bing slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, "I will put my full effort into achieving this. At the very least, my Lingyun Academy will never allow a single disciple to step into this shop from this day forward!"

...

After opening the doors this morning, Fang Qi went upstairs to catch up on his sleep, not waking up until it was close to noon.

Upon coming downstairs, Fang Qi discovered that the shop was actually quite deserted today?

Fang Qi cast a glance into the shop: "What's going on?"

"How should I know?" The little girl Jiang Xiaoyue sat at the counter, staring into the shop in complete bewilderment, "There was barely anyone here early this morning. It's so strange!"

Normally the place would be nearly full by this hour, yet now it was so quiet. Jiang Xiaoyue was practically burning with anxiety: "What happened?"

She then glanced at Fang Qi: "Hey~ how come you don't seem worried at all?"

"What's there to worry about? They can come or not as they please." Fang Qi waved his hand casually. In any case, the system hadn't given him any task requiring a certain number of customers. Moreover, what he cared about right now was the task for the Game Cultivation Room, because it was already completed!

"Game Cultivation Room? What on earth is that..." He hastily opened the system panel and clicked to claim the task reward.