This Definitely Wasn't a Dream

In a daze, Li Wei had a dream. First, he dreamed that his outstanding performance at work had earned him a promotion, allowing him to take Fat Pig Zhang's place as department manager.

On top of that, the beautiful college graduate who had just joined the company became his girlfriend. He was riding high—until, while they were getting intimate, the sweet, delicate beauty suddenly picked up a glass of water and poured it over him.

The cold water splashed across Li Wei's face, jolting him awake from his wonderful dream almost instantly.

He struggled to his feet and squinted at his surroundings.

He was soaked from head to toe. A fierce-looking middle-aged woman stood before him with her hands on her hips, holding a wooden basin in one hand. She was obviously the one who had just dumped the water over his head.

"You filthy beggar! How many times have I told you not to sleep beside my house? What, are you deliberately ignoring me?"

Li Wei was bewildered—not by the middle-aged woman, but by his surroundings. He wasn't in his own bedroom at all.

This was clearly a village, and a very backward one at that. Li Wei hadn't seen a single modern product he recognized. Even the middle-aged woman's clothes looked bizarre.

From what he could tell, they were made of extremely cheap, coarse cloth.

And then there was the wooden basin in her hand.

Did people still use such an antiquated relic these days?

Besides, he remembered being in his bedroom, having just signed the contract for that stupid game. How had he suddenly ended up here?

The shrewish middle-aged woman took Li Wei's silence as defiance. Furious, she raised the basin and swung it at him.

Li Wei hurriedly dodged, then fled amid the woman's curses.

There was no reasoning with a shrewish woman like that, especially a middle-aged one. Rather than get into an unnecessary altercation, he decided it was better to figure out what had happened to him.

He ducked behind an earthen wall and dropped onto the ground. He'd already noticed that he was wearing a tattered hemp robe, full of holes. The tear around his backside was especially bad; if he wasn't careful, he might end up exposing himself.

He raked his fingers through his hair. What on earth had happened?

That was the question Li Wei kept asking himself. Whatever he was experiencing now, it definitely wasn't a dream. No dream could feel this real.

The air he breathed was remarkably fresh. In Li Wei's experience, air that clean could only be found in the countryside, hundreds of kilometers from a city. And though the middle-aged woman's clothes were plain, the silver jewelry on her hands was in the most old-fashioned style he'd ever seen.

Then there was the question of how he'd gotten here. Everything about this situation was strange.

Suddenly, Li Wei thought of the mysterious package. Before all this weirdness began, the only thing he'd come into contact with was that package and what was inside it.

The disc—and the instruction manual!

At the thought of the manual he'd signed, something suddenly appeared in Li Wei's hand.

He looked down, and his heart gave a jolt.

A sheet of yellow paper had appeared in his hand at some point. He lifted it with a slight tremble and narrowed his eyes.

"Number: 1987. Enter the world of Legend of Sword and Fairy..."

"Mission One: Gain Young Li Xiaoyao's trust and help him study swordsmanship with the Wine Sword Immortal. Mission difficulty: D."

"Mission Two: Kill Black Miao Tribesmen. Gain 100 points for each one killed. Mission difficulty: E."

Li Wei could clearly feel his heartbeat. He took a deep breath and rose from the corner.

Number 1987 was obviously him. Suppressing his doubts and the faint excitement stirring inside him, Li Wei silently thought about viewing the basic information for Reincarnator No. 1987.

Sure enough, a string of information appeared on the yellow paper.

"Number 1987: Human. Strength: 4. Agility: 5. Mental strength: 9. Stamina: 3. Overall rating: F. Each point added to any of the four basic attributes requires 2,000 points. Mental strength has reached the first-stage threshold; improving it requires 10,000 points. There are three thresholds: the first stage is 9, the second is 99, and the third is 999... Strength affects damage and destructive power. Agility affects mobility and evasion. Mental strength represents intelligence. Stamina represents health."

It seemed his mental strength was his highest attribute. As soon as Li Wei thought that, the information on the yellow paper changed.

"Mental strength directly reflects intelligence and the ability to analyze and reason. It can greatly enhance the effectiveness of mental skills..."

"Scenario analysis: Starting scenario of Legend of Sword and Fairy. Beginner's initial mission. May be interrupted at any time. Difficulty: E (Easy). Time limit: 72 hours... Mission rewards will be assessed according to scenario completion!"

As a semi-professional gamer, Li Wei knew what all this meant. He'd never tried this kind of game before, or even imagined it was possible. Whoever had made this happen was no ordinary person. It seemed that everything was connected to the package he'd received.

But before he could find out who had sent it, he'd apparently have to get through this real-life game.

The yellow paper made it clear that he could interrupt the mission at any time. In other words, he could use it to end the mission right now.

But if he did, he probably wouldn't get any rewards. And Li Wei was very curious about the unspecified rewards.

The ability to create a real-life scenario like this was practically godlike. If a god was offering a reward, it was certainly worth looking forward to.

Even setting the rewards aside, Li Wei wasn't going to interrupt the mission right away. He loved a challenge. Quitting a game as soon as he started playing would be just as absurd.

So, for now, he needed to follow the instructions on the yellow paper, complete the mission, and do it as perfectly as possible.

With that in mind, Li Wei put the yellow paper away and headed for an inn in the distance.

Before he reached the entrance, a boy ran out of the inn. Li Wei's eyelid twitched, and he hurried over.

"Sir, I haven't had anything to eat for days. Please take pity on me and spare me a little food!" Li Wei had given up on his appearance entirely. The middle-aged woman hadn't been wrong: right now, he looked exactly like a beggar.

Still, that worked in his favor. It gave him an excuse to approach one of the main characters.

The boy was startled by the beggar who had suddenly appeared. Once he got a good look at Li Wei, he put on a long face.

"Didn't I give you something a few days ago? Come on, sir, you can't keep asking just my family for food. Last time, Auntie nearly twisted my ear off because giving you that bowl of rice kept me from serving the customers."

With that, he gave a wry smile and ran off as if escaping.

That boy was obviously Li Xiaoyao.

Watching Li Xiaoyao walk away, Li Wei didn't chase after him. Instead, he smiled knowingly.

Dusk fell, and the scent of cooking drifted from the homes throughout the village. The only inn in town was especially lively.

Li Wei hid outside the inn, enduring the tempting smells wafting from within. He hadn't had a drop of water all day.

But he didn't mind. He had the miraculous yellow paper in his hand. He had no idea who had made it, but it could appear whenever he wanted. He'd also discovered another use for it.

It could record things.

At that moment, Li Wei held a bamboo pen in his hand. That, too, had suddenly appeared. All he'd had to do was think that he wanted a pen, and there it was.

Almost immediately, he wondered whether he could make other objects appear.

The result was somewhat disappointing. Other than the pen, none of the things he thought of appeared.

Li Wei reasoned that the pen must be essential because the yellow paper could record things. It was probably part of a set. Other than that, nothing else appeared—not a gun, or even a laptop.

In other words, besides appearing at will, displaying relevant information, and recording things, the yellow paper had no other functions.

Those were all the uses Li Wei had discovered.

He'd also spent the day proving something else.

Was this so-called Sword Immortal World real?

To find out, Li Wei had paid a painful price. Some kind of sharp object had sliced open an over-five-centimeter gash on one of his arms. He'd wrapped it in strips of rag and managed to stop the bleeding for now.

That afternoon, Li Wei had gone alone to Ten Mile Slope and injured his arm on some strange, bloodthirsty plants along the way. Fortunately, he'd chosen to go during the day. If he'd gone at night, he might have run into something sinister, just like in the game.

Bloodthirsty plants like that couldn't exist in the real world. So this definitely wasn't a dream—it was a real world. The pain in his arm reminded Li Wei of that every moment.

He let out a long breath and used the pen to write a few lines on the yellow paper.

"64 hours remaining. Missions One and Two incomplete... Default identity: beggar in the village. Acquainted with main character Li Xiaoyao; can consider starting from there... Mission One: Help Li Xiaoyao learn the Wine Sword Immortal's swordsmanship. Taken literally, does Li Xiaoyao only need to learn swordsmanship? Mission Two: Kill one or more Black Miao Tribesmen. Seems to be a mission for earning points, but what are points?"