Chapter 45: Must You Be Convinced?

The tale Fang Qi spun for Lanyan was brief, a mere fragment commencing from the opening chapter, "The Banished Expert," and concluding where Ye Xiu clinched his first server-wide kill, gathering the rare materials needed to upgrade his Myriad Manifestation Umbrella.

Naturally, the plot had been slightly altered by Fang Qi's own whimsical embellishments.

Nalan Mingxue’s eyes flickered with a quiet intensity; the narrative structure and the world-building were so impeccably rigorous that she could find no flaw, as though such a world had truly and undeniably existed.

Yet it was absolutely impossible for it to be the Great Jin Kingdom!

Setting aside the authenticity of the chronicle, the tale itself, even in its briefest iteration, possessed a magnetic allure; after all, never before had a story emerged with a "game" as its central theme.

One had to understand that a game of this nature was still a thoroughly novel curiosity to them, having only just laid eyes upon it!

"Right, right? This Great God Ye Xiu is truly incredible, isn't he?" Seeing that Nalan Mingxue was beginning to acknowledge it, Lanyan inhaled deeply, her voice brimming with delight.

Nalan Mingxue offered a gentle, silent nod.

"I so desperately wish to hear what happens next, but that wretched owner went off to play his game and completely abandoned me!" Lanyan grumbled in dissatisfaction. "Such a supreme expert is truly pitiable, betrayed by his own faction and left entirely solitary. I wonder if he ever fought his way back in the end."

...

"Achoo!" Mid-game, Fang Qi let out a sharp sneeze, casting an innocent glance around the room. "Who is whispering about me behind my back?"

"Come to think of it, I was riding such a high earlier that I casually offloaded a segment of *The King's Avatar* to that girl. She wouldn't take it seriously, would she?"

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, after Nalan Ying finished his recitation, the entire grand hall fell into an absolute, leaden silence.

The quietude was terrifying.

It felt precisely like the stillness that precedes a gathering storm.

"How many of the things you have spoken of do you believe to be true?" After a long interlude, Nalan Hongwu finally demanded, each word dragged out through teeth clenched tight with suppressed fury.

Had the man standing before him not served him faithfully for so many years, Nalan Hongwu would have severely doubted whether the man was deliberately insulting his intelligence.

"Your subordinate... initially also believed that most of these accounts were merely the wild fabrications of that shop owner." Nalan Ying’s face was slick with cold sweat; he felt acutely how terrifying this old patriarch was when pushed to wrath!

And now, the old master stood on the very precipice of fury!

Should a single word slip carelessly from his tongue, he might well find himself thrown into the backyard to feed the hounds by tomorrow morning!

In a single breath, Nalan Ying rushed to describe the miraculous sensations he had experienced while test-playing *Diablo II* in Fang Qi’s internet cafe...

As the words left his lips, Nalan Hongwu could no longer sit still; his voice emerged hoarse and ancient, resembling the dry rustle of two pieces of old tree bark scraping together, his eyes narrowing slightly as he drifted into deep thought.

Only after a great passage of time did he slowly speak: "Could it be that this old man has truly grown too aged... and broken touch with the world outside...?"

"..." Nalan Ying kept his head bowed low, utterly at a loss for how to respond.

Absorbing Nalan Ying’s account, Nalan Hongwu commanded: "Bring me one of those contraptions they call a 'computer'."

There seemed to be a rare flicker of curiosity woven into his words: "This old man has lived for so many winters, yet could there truly be something beneath the heavens that I have never laid eyes upon? Go, let this old man witness for himself what manner of spiritual artifact could be so extraordinarily peculiar!"

Even with his vast erudition, he had never once heard of a spiritual artifact possessing such bizarre properties.

"As you command!"

"If the situation demands it, you are permitted to employ the Shadow Guards," the elder added in a measured, unhurried tone.

A visible tremor ran through Nalan Ying: "Your subordinate shall not fail his mission!"

...

Simultaneously, within another exceedingly luxurious estate.

Deep within the lotus pond of the courtyard, at the terminus of carved corridors and painted pillars, sat an exceptionally elegant pavilion.

Seated on the right side of the pavilion was a middle-aged man clad in golden robes, his features classical and handsome. He toyed with a delicate, small glass goblet in his hand, the amber liquid swirling along the rim and refracting a kaleidoscope of five-colored light. Gazing at the goblet, he spoke in a tone neither warm nor cold: "Your handling of matters this time, sir, is truly somewhat disappointing."

Standing at the edge of the pavilion was a middle-aged man of similar years, dressed in black brocade silk, a short beard gracing his chin.

He stood by the railing, his back turned to the golden-robed man, his right hand gripping the balustrade so fiercely that the hardened stone visibly yielded beneath his fingers: "I have already dispatched men to investigate the background of that small shop which suddenly intervened. Please believe that this was merely an accident."

The golden-robed man drained the fine wine from his cup in a single draught and said flatly: "Brother Nalan should know that these are not the words I wish to hear. I care only for results; otherwise, it will be difficult for me to account to my father."

The golden-robed man rose, patted Nalan Jie on the shoulder, and turned to depart.

Once the golden-robed man had gone, the railing before Nalan Jie was revealed to have been ground into powder by the sheer force of his clawed grip!

He turned around, his face a mask of absolute freezing coldness.

...

Nalan Ying arrived once more at Fang Qi’s internet cafe, though his attire this time differed markedly from before.

Contrasted with his previous ordinary guise—the sort that would instantly vanish if dropped into a crowd—the Nalan Ying of this moment radiated an aura of unbidden majesty, his square jawline conveying a sharp, chiseled, and angular countenance.

Behind him followed a middle-aged military officer.

"Master Ying..." The officer was transparently reverent toward Nalan Ying. "Where exactly are we...?"

"To purchase something," Nalan Ying replied coolly.

"To... purchase something?" The officer blinked, staring down the narrow alleyway. "To buy things here?"

Moments later, his eyes caught the plaque of the small establishment ahead: "Origins Internet Club?"

"You recognize it?" Nalan Ying inquired.

"I do not," the officer replied, shaking his head with a subservient smile. "However, these past few days, the soldiers under my command have frequently reported that many young lords and masters caught violating the curfew emerged from this very place. I merely saw that they possessed some status, so I did not press the matter."

Nalan Ying nodded and strode inside.

Upon seeing the man enter, Fang Qi felt a flicker of recognition, but after pondering for a moment, he genuinely could not recall where they had met. Generally speaking, individuals of such high standing were profoundly conspicuous wherever they walked; given Fang Qi’s memory, it should have been impossible to forget.

With a trace of doubt, Fang Qi stepped forward and asked, "Are the two of you here to play games?"

Nalan Ying shook his head. "I am here to negotiate a business transaction with the proprietor."

"Business?" A shadow of displeasure crossed Fang Qi’s face as he pointed toward the small blackboard. "The business terms are all written up there. Anything else is entirely off the table."

"Boy, say that once more!" the middle-aged officer beside Nalan Ying barked coldly. "Do you believe that I could bring men to seal your shop by tomorrow morning?"

Nalan Ying smiled faintly. "This gentleman is Gong He, the Deputy Commander of the City Guard. Buying a single computer of this sort poses no real loss to you, boss. I advise you to acquiesce; as for the price, it is of no consequence."

Gong He sneered alongside him. "Master Ying thinking highly of your shop's merchandise is a blessing for your establishment. Do not be blind to his favor!"

Fang Qi’s expression grew progressively darker. "Are you threatening me?"

"It is no threat," Nalan Ying murmured with a light laugh, smoothing his sleeves with absolute self-assurance. "It is simply that my position is stronger than yours, and thus, you must yield."

.