This is Definitely Not a Dream

Dazed and confused, Li Wei had a dream. He first dreamt that through his impressive work performance, he had successfully climbed the ladder, replaced Fat Pig Zhang, and become the department manager.

Furthermore, the beautiful college graduate who had just joined the company became his girlfriend; he was riding high on success. Yet, just as he was getting intimate with the delicate beauty, she suddenly picked up a glass of water and poured it over him.

The icy water splashed onto Li Wei's face, jolting him awake from this vivid dream in an instant.

Struggling to climb up from the ground, Li Wei squinted at his surroundings.

He was soaking wet, and a fierce-looking middle-aged woman stood before him with her hands on her hips, holding a wooden basin. The water that had just drenched him was clearly her handiwork.

"You stinking beggar, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't sleep next to my house! What? Are you intentionally turning a deaf ear to what I say?"

Li Wei was stunned, not because of the middle-aged woman, but because of the environment; it was definitely not his bedroom.

This was clearly a village, a very backward village. At the very least, Li Wei did not see any modern products he was familiar with, including the clothes the middle-aged woman was wearing, which were strange to the extreme.

Based on Li Wei's observation, it was definitely a very low-quality, coarse cloth.

And the wooden basin in her hand.

In this day and age, did anyone still use such an archaic antique?

Moreover, he remembered he should have been in his bedroom, having just signed the contract for that boring game. How did he suddenly end up in this place?

Li Wei's silence was taken as defiance by the sharp-tongued Aunt, which made her so angry that smoke seemed to billow from her seven orifices. She raised the wooden basin and smashed it toward Li Wei.

Li Wei hurriedly dodged, then fled in a panic amidst the middle-aged woman's curses.

With such a shrewish woman, especially a middle-aged one, there was absolutely no reasoning to be found. Rather than getting into an unnecessary conflict, it was better to carefully think about what had happened to him.

Hiding behind a dirt wall again, Li Wei sat down on the ground. He had long since discovered that what he was wearing was actually a tattered hemp garment, riddled with holes, especially a tear at the seat of his pants; if he wasn't careful, he might 'expose' himself.

He scratched his hair fiercely. What on earth had happened?

This was the question Li Wei asked himself most often at this moment. Clearly, what he was experiencing now was absolutely not a dream; no dream could be this real.

The air he inhaled into his lungs was incredibly crisp. According to Li Wei's experience, only in the countryside hundreds of kilometers away from the city would one find such air quality. Furthermore, although the middle-aged woman's attire was simple, the silver jewelry she wore on her hands was definitely the oldest style Li Wei had ever seen.

And how he had arrived in this place—everything about it reeked of something strange.

Suddenly, Li Wei thought of that mysterious package. Before he encountered these strange events, the only things he had come into contact with were that package and its contents.

That disc, and the manual!

Thinking of the manual he had signed, Li Wei felt something suddenly appear in his hand.

Looking down, Li Wei's heart skipped a beat.

A piece of Yellow Paper had appeared in his hand at some point. Picking it up with a slight tremor, Li Wei narrowed his eyes into slits.

"ID: 1987, entering the Legend of Sword and Fairy world..."

"Task 1: Gain the trust of the young Li Xiaoyao and assist him in learning sword techniques from the Wine Sword Immortal. Task difficulty: D."

"Task 2: Kill Black Miao Tribesmen. For every one killed, gain 100 points. Task difficulty: E."

Li Wei could clearly feel his own heartbeat. He took a deep breath and stood up from the corner of the wall.

This ID 1987 clearly referred to him. Suppressing the doubts and the slight excitement in his heart, Li Wei mentally thought about displaying the basic information for ID 1987.

Sure enough, a string of information appeared on the Yellow Paper.

"ID 1987: Human. Strength 4, Agility 5, Spirit 9, Stamina 3. Overall rating: F. Each point increase in the four basic attributes requires 2,000 points. Spirit has reached the threshold of the first stage; increasing it requires 10,000 points. The threshold is divided into three stages: the first stage is 9, the second stage is 99, and the third stage is 999... Strength affects damage and destructive power, Agility affects mobility and evasion, Spirit manifests as intelligence, and Stamina is health points."

It seemed his Spirit was the highest of the four attributes. As Li Wei's thoughts shifted, the information on the Yellow Paper changed accordingly.

"Spirit: Directly reflects intelligence and analytical reasoning ability. Can greatly maximize the effects of spirit-based skills..."

"Scenario Analysis: Legend of Sword and Fairy initial scenario. Newbie starter task. Can be interrupted at any time. Difficulty: E (Easy). Time limit: 72 hours... Task rewards will be evaluated based on scenario completion!"

As a semi-professional gamer, Li Wei naturally knew what all this represented. However, he had never tried this way of gaming, nor had he even imagined it. Whoever could achieve this was definitely not an ordinary person. It seemed everything was caused by the express delivery he had received.

But before finding out who had sent that package, he seemed to have to pass through this real-life game.

The Yellow Paper stated very clearly that this task could be interrupted at any time, meaning he could end this task immediately through the Yellow Paper.

However, if he did that, there would likely be no rewards. And Li Wei was very curious about the rewards, which were not specified.

To be able to create such a realistic scenario was a feat akin to that of a 'god'. Therefore, the rewards of a 'god' were definitely worth looking forward to.

Moreover, even if he didn't care about the rewards, Li Wei wouldn't interrupt the task immediately. He loved a challenge, just like how he wouldn't quit a game the moment he started playing it.

So, the thing to do now was to complete the task according to the requirements on the Yellow Paper, and to complete it as perfectly as possible.

Thinking of this, Li Wei put away the Yellow Paper and walked toward an inn in the distance.

Before he even reached the entrance, he saw a young man run out of the inn. Li Wei's eyelids twitched, and he hurried over.

"Young Master, I haven't eaten for several days. Please have some mercy and spare me some food!" Li Wei had completely lost his temper regarding his current appearance. The middle-aged woman from before was absolutely right; he looked exactly like a beggar.

But that was fine; having this identity gave Li Wei an excuse to approach the main character.

The young man was startled by the beggar who had suddenly popped up. Only after he saw clearly did he reveal a bitter expression.

"I say, didn't I give you some a few days ago? Sir, you can't just target my place for begging. Last time, because I gave you that bowl of rice, it delayed me from serving guests, and my Aunt almost twisted my ear off."

After saying that, he ran off with a bitter smile, as if fleeing.

Clearly, this youth must be Li Xiaoyao.

Watching Li Xiaoyao's retreating figure, Li Wei did not give chase, instead wearing a meaningful smile.

As dusk fell, the scent of cooking wafted from every household in the small village, and the only inn in the area was particularly bustling.

Li Wei hid by the inn's entrance, enduring the enticing aromas from within; he had not had a drop of water all day.

Yet, Li Wei did not mind. In his hand was that magical Yellow Paper. He had no idea who had created such a thing, but it could appear at will according to his thoughts. Furthermore, Li Wei had discovered another function.

It could record.

At this moment, Li Wei held a bamboo-stem brush in his hand—another item that had suddenly appeared. He had merely conceived the thought of needing a pen, and it had manifested just like that.

Almost simultaneously, Li Wei wondered if other items could be produced.

The result, however, left him somewhat dejected; apart from this brush, nothing else he imagined appeared.

Li Wei deduced that because the Yellow Paper possessed a recording function, the brush was a necessity, like a set of tools. Anything beyond that, such as firearms or even a laptop, failed to appear.

In other words, aside from appearing at will, displaying relevant data, and recording information, the Yellow Paper had no other functions.

These were the findings Li Wei had gathered regarding the purpose of the Yellow Paper.

Additionally, Li Wei had used this day to prove one other thing.

Was this so-called Sword Immortal World real?

To verify this, Li Wei had paid a painful price. His arm had been sliced open by some sharp object, leaving a wound over five centimeters long, now merely wrapped in strips of rag to temporarily stem the bleeding.

Li Wei had simply ventured to Ten Mile Slope alone in the afternoon, only to be wounded by some bizarre, bloodthirsty plants along the way. Fortunately, he had chosen to act during the day; had it been night, he might have encountered something unclean, just like in the game.

The real world would never contain such bloodthirsty plants, so this was definitely not a dream, but a real world—the pain in his arm served as a constant reminder to Li Wei.

Exhaling a long breath, Li Wei used the brush to write a few lines on the Yellow Paper.

"Remaining time: 64 hours. Tasks one and two incomplete... Default identity is a village beggar, acquainted with the main character Li Xiaoyao; can consider starting from this angle... Task one: Assist Li Xiaoyao in learning the Wine Sword Immortal's swordsmanship. Taken literally, does this only require Li Xiaoyao to learn the sword techniques? Task two: Kill one or more Black Miao Tribesmen. This seems to be a task for gaining points, but what exactly are points?"