Master

Lu Xiu has always disliked others invading her private space.

A large part of the reason for this is because of her current physical condition and status—she is somewhat hesitant to act rashly.

This is normal.

But after this period of adaptation, she did grow.

People always need to interact with others.

Constantly dwelling on it is not a long-term solution.

Unable to return to the familiar past life, yet unable to adapt to the completely new identity.

What awaits her is endless internal strife.

She will forever be trapped in this predicament, caught between a rock and a hard place.

She didn't want it to be like this—she would never be happy this way, so she's been trying to adapt.

Now we've reached the point where we need to assess the results of this phase.

Occasionally, let your guard down and allow one or two people you can talk to, who also have interesting personalities, into your social circle.

Making one or two true friends and experiencing more of the everyday life seems like a good idea.

This is a transformation of her mindset, a significant sign that she is gradually integrating into this real world and no longer sees herself entirely as a stranger.

----All right.

Lu Xiu looked at Shen Nian, who was dressed in a maid outfit.

All this talk of a change in mindset, of needing to connect with people—it's all just high-sounding excuses.

There is only one fundamental reason.

Shen Nian looks absolutely stunning in her maid outfit.

She loves it! It really feels like watching a two-dimensional anime girl!

Not to mention there was a beautiful silver-haired girl next to her.

She only remembered the bishoujo game before she Open Gate, and the next second two living, breathing bishoujo girls offered themselves to her.

How could I not bring it in to appreciate it properly?

Shen Nian and Jian Li entered the room one after the other.

Lu Xiu closed the door behind her, turned around, and found the two of them still standing blankly in the entryway.

Shen Nian was subtly gripping the edge of her white apron with both hands, her eyelids slightly lowered, her gentle and beautiful face flushed. Jian Li stood opposite her, her silver hair cascading down like a waterfall, her long, straight, fair legs pressed together.

"Although I was joking, I have to say, you look really good in a maid outfit."

Lu Xiu approached Jian Li, tilted her head, and looked Shen Nian over again. After a moment's scrutiny, she couldn't help but sigh, then whispered, "Shen Nian, could you turn around and call me 'Master'?"

Shen Nian: "----"

She took a deep breath, wanting to glare at Lu Xiu.

Don't go too far!

I was forced to come! Do you really think I enjoy wearing maid outfits? Do you really think I enjoy being a maid?

But when she looked up and saw the undisguised pure expectation in the girl's beautiful eyes, she suddenly couldn't bring herself to refuse.

Waaah----

Shen Nian pursed her lips, her cheeks flushed, but in the end, she relented and spun around in place.

As her black and white skirt billowed and fell slightly in mid-air, she lowered her head and whispered, "----

Owner."

"Wow----"

Lu Xiu's eyes widened slightly, and she subconsciously grasped Jian Li's slender wrist beside her, letting out a heartfelt exclamation. "Beautiful!"

This was truly a treatment she had never received before!

Jian Li lowered her cool eyes, her gaze falling on her wrist that was being held.

Lu Xiu's fingers were slender and fair, and when their skin touched, one could clearly feel the softness and warmth of her palm.

This was an extremely rare experience for the silver-haired girl who was used to keeping her distance from people.

But she did not break free.

He simply let Lu Xiu hold his arm, then slowly raised his head, his gaze following the arm to Lu Xiu's profile.

At this moment, Lu Xiu was nothing like the aloof and arrogant master who tormented all the players of Nine Provinces as the legends circulated on the forums.

Her delicate face was radiant with obvious excitement and joy; that pure smile made her appear extremely vibrant and lively, exuding a breathtaking beauty.

On the other side...

Hearing Lu Xiu's blunt "Wow," Shen Nian's ears turned bright red, and she felt a strong sense of shame welling up inside her.

"So beautiful, so beautiful."

Lu Xiu's beautiful eyes were still sparkling as she stared at Shen Nian and continued, "Could we turn around one more time?"

Listening to Lu Xiu's enthusiastic and straightforward praise.

Listen to her expectant words.

Shen Nian's initial sense of shame subtly paused for a moment.

She bit her moist lower lip, and under the gaze of those beautiful eyes, she actually spun around gently in place again.

The heavy black and white skirt once again billowed in the air like a black flower, creating an elegant arc.

"It looks so good! No wonder you like wearing it."

Lu Xiu didn't hold back her praise, her eyes crinkling with delight, her tone full of pure admiration. "Again! Again!"

Once, twice, three times----

As her skirt rose and fell, each time Shen Nian finished turning, Lu Xiu would shower her with praise and then ask her to do different actions.

Gradually, the feeling of resistance that Shen Nian felt, the desire to disappear into a crack in the ground, miraculously dissipated by more than half.

Especially when she looked up and saw Lu Xiu looking at her with expectant eyes and a charming smile, the word "master," which she had initially found difficult to utter, became increasingly natural, even unconsciously taking on a soft, sweet ending.

So this is what it's like to be a maid!

Lu Xiu continued her request, seemingly unsatisfied. "Shen Nian, strike another pose—with your hands folded in front of you."

A slightly forward-bowing posture of service.

"Is that so----"

Shen Nian instinctively wanted to do as she was told, so she crossed her hands in front of her.

But she suddenly realized what she was doing halfway through the action.

Etc!

That's not right!

I didn't come here to do this at all!

I was forced to come and stay here! What am I doing?! Why am I becoming more and more compliant?!

And what's wrong with this Architect?! Why are they making more and more demands?!

I'm angry!

Shen Nian took a deep breath, originally intending to reprimand loudly and refuse firmly.

But when she slightly raised her eyes and met Lu Xiu's clear and bright eyes again, the words of refusal instantly caught in her throat.

There was no unsettling frivolity in the girl's eyes, only a pure appreciation for beautiful things, and her exquisite face radiated undisguised joy.

Shen Nian felt like she was possessed.

She eventually obediently folded her hands in front of her snow-white apron, leaned forward slightly, lowered her head, and adopted an extremely standard maid's posture.

However, once she straightened up again, she couldn't hold it in any longer.

She raised her head, her gentle face flushed with a delicate, peach-blossom-like blush. Seeing that Lu Xiu Lu Xiu about to speak, she glared at him with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance from behind her glasses, and said reproachfully, "Master! Are you going to let us stay here or not! Answer me first!"

Here you go, you've called me "master" so many times already.

Lu Xiu chuckled and said, "The guest rooms are inside. They have double beds; you can make yourselves at home."

Shen Nian's beautiful eyes widened. "Just one room?!"

"Yes, the Coordination Bureau only prepared one guest room at the time."

"----"

Shen Nian glanced at Jian Li and immediately said, "I'm not used to sleeping with other people."

She didn't want to be forced to face Lu Xiu again.

Lu Xiu was somewhat surprised to hear this. After thinking for a moment, she suggested, "Then one of you will sleep on the bed and the other on the floor? You can sleep on the bed and Jian Li can sleep on the floor for one night. There are extra bedding in the wardrobe, and the floor won't be uncomfortable either. Just treat it as a tatami mat."

"No, can't you sleep with Jian Li?"

Shen Nian blurted out, "I've called you 'Master' so many times already!"

"I'm not used to sleeping with other people either."

Lu Xiu immediately shook her head. "If you feel bad about it—why don't you sleep on the floor?"

"Then I'll sleep on your floor!"

Shen Nian's peach blossom eyes widened. "And then I'll secretly pull off your blanket at night!"

"How dare you!"

Lu Xiu immediately exclaimed, "How dare a maid ask to enter her master's room without permission?!"

"I'm sorry."

Shen Nian stared blankly at Lu Xiu, who suddenly adopted a fighting expression, and subconsciously began to apologize.

But they quickly realized what was happening.

Why is this person getting so into character!

And somehow I got completely absorbed in the role!!

But before she could feel embarrassed or angry...

"Pfft----"

Lu Xiu couldn't hold back any longer. Leaning against Jian Li, she burst into laughter, her body trembling with mirth. Her high ponytail bounced merrily in the air, and even glistening tears welled up in her eyes.

really.

Making one or two friends and experiencing more of the everyday life is truly a good thing.

A naive and foolish college student.

So cute!

You're still laughing!

Shen Nian realized what was happening, her gentle and beautiful face flushed red, and she scolded him playfully, slightly annoyed.

But then, she couldn't help herself.

"Pfft----"

She watched the adorable, ecstatic laugh of the genius Architect the players were talking about, and though she tried to hold back, she finally couldn't help but burst out laughing too.

Their laughter echoed and mingled in the living room.

Meanwhile, Jian Li tilted her head, looking at Lu Xiu's profile as she trembled with excitement, her beautiful eyes revealing a rare tenderness.

At the same time.

Lu Xiu was still playing with Shen Nian —no, watching Shen Nian cosplay.

The Nine Provinces player forums went into a frenzy because of the half-hour video posted by Du Shu.

The entire forum is filled with posts discussing the enemy moves in the Sifu, and more and more players are trying them out in real life—and finding them really effective!

More and more people are discovering how terrifying their Sifu is.

This was a situation that even the Coordination Bureau hadn't anticipated.

It feels like all that's left is to light the fire.

This will completely ignite the learning enthusiasm of all Nine Provinces players!

Longsword Guild, a spacious indoor training ground.

Jiang Qiu closed the forum window in front of her and then looked ahead.

"Call----"

She took a deep breath, slowly exhaling the stale air from her chest, and then adopted a stance completely different from her usual wide and sweeping hand gestures. Her elbows were slightly lowered, her hands guarding the center line, and her body resembled a fully drawn bow, exuding a sharpness that was contained yet unleashed.

Standing opposite her was Zhang Fenghua, the leader of the Longsword Guild's Strategy Group.

"Bring it on."

Jiang Qiu gently reminded him.

Zhang Fenghua's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Alright, Chairman, be careful!"

The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Fenghua stomped his foot and pounced forward like a tiger descending a mountain.

He didn't use any skills, but with his attributes far exceeding those of ordinary people, his fist, as big as a casserole dish, still carried a violent force that tore through the air, heading straight for Jiang Qiu's face.

Faced with this powerful and heavy attack, Jiang Qiu did not rely on his agility to dodge as usual, nor did he try to meet it head-on.

In that instant.

Her memories of dying countless times in the [Sifu] instance, and being brutally beaten by those mobs and elite enemies, have transformed into her purest instincts.

Just as the fist was about to strike.

Jiang Qiu took a sudden half-step forward, closing in on Zhang Fenghua, and precisely cut into the inside of Zhang Fenghua's arm with her left hand. Then, following the opponent's force, she deflected and parried the attack.

Just like a sharp blade cutting through water, it instantly severed Zhang Fenghua's incoming fist.

Immediately afterward, in the instant that Zhang Fenghua's gates were wide open, the old forces had just left and the new forces had not yet arisen.

Jiang Qiu's right fist slammed out like a spring compressed to its limit.

The bridge is short and narrow, yet the horse moves with great speed.

There are no fancy skills, only a terrifying burst of power that concentrates all the body's strength into a single point.

Inch-force.

Bang!

The sound of impact suddenly rang out in the spacious training ground.

Clang, clang, clang.

Zhang Fenghua let out a muffled groan, his face changed drastically, and he staggered back several steps uncontrollably.

It wasn't until he had retreated several meters that he managed to regain his balance.

Zhang Fenghua felt the soreness and numbness in his arm where the force had been released, as well as the lingering terrifying shock in his chest. He looked up at Jiang Qiu, who was slowly finishing her move not far away.

"President, you've become even stronger. I don't even know how you did it."

Zhang Fenghua took a deep breath, his eyes filled with undisguised shock, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is this the change brought about by the Sifu's instance?"

"Right."

Jiang Qiu nodded slightly. "That's why I told you not to complain. We should have thought of this a long time ago. How many players who are used to using swords have benefited greatly from Sekiro? There are more than twenty of them who have joined the Longsword Guild alone, right? These people were all unknown before, but they rose to prominence quickly because of Sekiro."

Even I, someone who's not used to swords, can now wield them quite well. If Sekiro can do this, how bad can Lu Xiu's unarmed dungeon be? We were too arrogant."

Zhang Fenghua fell silent.

really.

"Actually, I think I figured it out."

Jiang Qiu continued, "The dungeons Lu Xiu created are indeed torturous, but they're truly designed with the players in mind. Resident Evil and Outlast are dungeons for ordinary players; you can clear them by just enduring. Sekiro and my current Sifu, on the other hand, are advanced dungeons. As long as players can clear her dungeons step by step, they will definitely undergo a complete transformation—"

That's all.

She slowly lowered her eyes, looking at her fair palms, and thought of the girl who had taught her not long ago. Her emotions surged like the waves of the sea, unable to calm down.

She owes Lu Xiu a sincere apology.

This dungeon is incredibly useful!

It could even be described as terrifying!

It could be said that this copy of the character called "Sifu" is now her Sifu.

"I know."

Zhang Fenghua rubbed his chest, stood up, and sighed, "But the dungeon difficulty is indeed too high, the talent requirements are—"

bite.

He hadn't finished speaking.

Suddenly, a communication window popped up.

Zhang Fenghua glanced at it, paused, and his expression became somewhat strange.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Qiu asked a question.

Zhang Fenghua looked up and said, "Sifu's imitation copy is out, but it seems to be made by the Construction Club— "