In Jiaxing City

The Red Clad Girl's expression shifted when she heard Guo Xuewen's words. She immediately reached out and flicked him on the forehead, chiding him, "Brother Xiao Guo, is that any way to speak to someone? You're being so rude!"

Far from getting upset when the Red Clad Girl flicked his forehead in public, Guo Xuewen grinned. He clearly enjoyed her affectionate gesture.

Then the Red Clad Girl turned to Meng Qingshan and smiled apologetically.

Seeing this, Meng Qingshan tactfully turned to leave.

As he walked away, he couldn't help comparing the "Man Fiend" from his memories with the Red Clad Girl he had just seen. He could hardly believe it.

"Is she An Ning'er, the 'Man Fiend' from the later stages of the game?!"

Though he was taken aback, Meng Qingshan had no intention of getting involved.

His main reason for coming to Jiaxing City was to seek the inheritance of Xiao Tianfang, the "Great Hero of Shenzhou."

Meng Qingshan had chosen this Mysterious Encounter only after careful consideration.

The first possibility he had ruled out was the "Undying Scarlet Fiery Gu" in the Southern Border.

Though this Gu had the wondrous ability to "raise the dead and restore flesh to bones," it was hidden in a remote part of the Southern Border, where miasma filled the air, poisonous insects were everywhere, and tribes with different customs dotted the land.

With his current strength, finding the "Undying Scarlet Fiery Gu" wouldn't be difficult. The hard part would be reaching Jingyuan Forest safely.

For that reason, the Mysterious Encounter in the Southern Border wasn't Meng Qingshan's first choice.

Next was the Heavenly Pool Snow Lotus in Tianshan Snow Pool.

The journey there wasn't dangerous, but the round trip would take a long time. He and Old Master Zhuang had agreed on three months, and he might not make it back in time. So that wasn't his best option either.

As things stood, the only Mysterious Encounter that met his requirements was the "Dead Man's Transmission" beneath Dragon Gate Waterfall.

The journey was short, and there were no safety concerns. It was undoubtedly the best way for him to grow stronger.

In version 3.0, "Central Plains Aristocrats,"

the fated protagonist of the main storyline was Li Yufeng.

At his lowest point, enemies pursued him relentlessly, and he fled in panic to Dragon Gate Waterfall, several miles beyond the city.

With his pursuers closing in, capture meant certain death. But if he jumped into the waterfall, he might have a chance to survive.

With his life hanging by a thread, Li Yufeng showed extraordinary courage and resolve.

He rode his mount and leaped without hesitation into the depths of Dragon Gate Waterfall. By a stroke of luck, the whirlpool below swept him into the secluded home of Xiao Tianfang, the "Great Hero of Shenzhou."

In Meng Qingshan's view, there was perhaps a one-in-ten chance Li Yufeng had survived the plunge through the raging waters because of his own strength. The other nine-tenths came from being the fated protagonist of version 3.0.

Since Meng Qingshan knew he didn't have that kind of protagonist's halo, he naturally wouldn't risk his life that way to seek the Mysterious Encounter.

That route into the site was far too dangerous.

With Meng Qingshan's current strength, he wouldn't dare jump from there and expect to live. Even if he trained the Long Wind Heart Method to its highest level, he still couldn't guarantee he'd survive.

Meng Qingshan valued his life dearly, so he would never take that kind of risk.

There was a bridge in Jiaxing City called the Twenty-Four Beam Moon-Reflection Bridge.

A river called Qu River flowed beneath it.

The waters of Qu River were clear, and its many branches and tributaries stretched far and wide. Beneath the surface, interwoven underground streams formed a labyrinth.

One hidden stream led all the way to the site of the Mysterious Encounter beneath Dragon Gate Waterfall.

When exploring the game, Meng Qingshan had stumbled upon the connection between the underground stream in Jiaxing City and the site of the Mysterious Encounter.

Now he planned to take that underground stream to the place where Xiao Tianfang, the "Great Hero of Shenzhou," had left his inheritance.

Meng Qingshan hadn't brought much silver with him on this trip.

He had hoped to find a cheap inn, but as it happened, a wine-tasting festival was being held in Jiaxing City. Wine merchants and drinkers had flocked there from all over, leaving every inn in town full.

A city as large and strategically important as Jiaxing had a strict curfew, after all.

If he couldn't find an inn, he could easily hide somewhere in the city for the night. But the old horse would be a problem.

It wasn't as if he could just abandon the horse. If he did, how would he make the return trip?

Hoping for the best, Meng Qingshan led the old horse through the doorway of the last inn.

If there were no rooms here either, he would have to find a ruined temple outside the city and make do for the night.

"Good evening, sir. Are you here for a meal or a room? If you're looking for a room, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. We're completely full." The young waiter hurried over to greet Meng Qingshan.

Meng Qingshan cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask if there's anywhere nearby where I could stay?"

The young waiter kept smiling and shook his head. "If you don't mind going farther, sir, you could try your luck at a few inns in the west or east of the city."