Chapter 265 Fate of the Bitter

Having learned Gu Fei's accurate whereabouts, the group of ridiculously skilled experts stopped overthinking things and continued their game lives without worry. Aside from them, most people didn't even notice that the great expert, Drunken Flute, hadn't been in the tavern, overturning tables and yelling about bounty missions, for a long time.

Except for one person. From the moment he entered the game, this person had been watching Drunken Flute's name every minute. He knew if Drunken Flute didn't appear for a day; he knew if Drunken Flute didn't appear for two days; he started to feel pleasantly surprised if Drunken Flute didn't appear for three days; and after Drunken Flute didn't appear for a week, he suddenly felt lonely. He realized that if this person wasn't around, what meaning did he have in the game? Where should he go?

Ye Xiaowu only had game data; he didn't have a network of friends and connections like Sword Demon and the others. No one would think to explain to him why Drunken Flute had disappeared. Ye Xiaowu wandered around the game, wondering if Drunken Flute had really left the game after a week of absence. Ye Xiaowu even thought about asking Sword Demon and the others, but thinking about those guys' antipathy towards him, he figured they would definitely say the opposite of what was true if he asked. Could he get a straight answer?

Lost and undecided, Ye Xiaowu was met with a system maintenance and update notification.

Routine maintenance is normal for online games, so no one took it too seriously. However, this maintenance immediately caused a huge uproar. Why? Because all the popular efficiency leveling methods were now useless. From Cloudend City to Moonnight City to Whitestone City, all the leveling areas that had been developed in the main cities suddenly turned into suicide leveling zones.

Smart players had long understood that the efficiency leveling method involved thoroughly understanding the monsters' attack patterns and then using their designed attack routines to elicit a predictable counter-attack routine from the monsters. This was repeated, making it efficient and safe. But after this update, the routines no longer worked. The reason was simple: the monsters' attack patterns had changed.

Many people knew what was going on; the game company wanted to suppress efficiency leveling methods. But players didn't care about that. Too many people had spent money on efficiency leveling methods, and they were unwilling to waste that money, so they immediately wanted an explanation. Who should they ask for an explanation? They should ask whoever taught them...

It seemed like the studios would be unlucky again, but that wasn't really the case. The studio bosses were all shrewd. They knew that efficiency leveling methods were a sensitive issue, and the game company would take action sooner or later. It wasn't just Ya Xiaosuan Gen who understood this; they all understood it. They all put their backs into earning money from efficiency leveling methods, but they were all clear that this was a one-time deal. As soon as the game company took action, they would have to stop immediately.

So from the beginning, they had anticipated this update and the players' reactions to it. They would make sure to explain everything clearly beforehand. However, even they hadn't expected the game company to act so quickly. Although many people had complaints about them now, at least they weren't embarrassed to say that the studios were cheating, because those who wanted to learn beforehand had been told by the studios that this kind of thing would happen.

In the end, the unluckiest ones were the secondary dealers, the guys who learned efficiency leveling methods in the first wave and then started selling them at low prices. Their businesses weren't big, and they didn't have much strength themselves. Now they were all being chased down to refund money, which was extremely painful.

When Ye Xiaowu logged on, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the update had finally eliminated the malignant tumor that he thought would ruin the game. But this method was only a temporary solution; Drunken Flute was the root of the problem!

Drunken Flute was still offline.

Ye Xiaowu felt that he logged on every day just to stare at that name on his friend list, and he couldn't figure out whether he was hoping for it to light up or hoping for it not to light up. He was just a big bitter fool. Ye Xiaowu felt that he couldn't continue like this. He had to get to the bottom of what was going on with this person! Had he just left like that? Without saying goodbye? That was too disrespectful to his opponent.

Ye Xiaowu was keeping an eye on Gu Fei, so he mostly hung around Cloudend City. In the end, he decided to seek the truth from Drunken Flute's friends. He figured these people should know.

Ye Xiaowu didn't have these people as friends; even if he did, it would be useless because he would definitely be blacklisted. He could only wait, pitifully, in the places where these people might appear.

Ye Xiaowu finally received a bit of luck. Among the people he waited for, there was Sword Demon.

If he could get the truth from the elite group, it could only be from Sword Demon. Before Ye Xiaowu could even celebrate, he discovered that Han Family’s Young Master was also with Sword Demon.

One was the person he actively wanted to ask, and the other was the guy who actively said things he didn't want to hear. Ye Xiaowu was in tears; he realized that he was simply destined to be conflicted.

Before he could resolve his conflict, the two of them had already seen him. Han Family’s Young Master pointed and said, "Look, it's that idiot. What's his name again?"

"Red Dust一笑 (Hongchen Yixiao)," Sword Demon said.

"How is he still alive?" Han Family’s Young Master said.

How vicious! Ye Xiaowu gritted his teeth, really wanting to turn around and leave, but thinking about the endless conflict, he finally stood his ground and took a deep breath. "Drunken Flute, I want to find him."

Han Family’s Young Master casually took out something, scribbled a string of numbers, and handed it to Ye Xiaowu.

"This is?"

"Aren't you looking for Drunken Flute?" Han Family’s Young Master asked.

"A contact number?" Ye Xiaowu was excited. What was going on? Had the heavens opened their eyes, or had the earth become enlightened? How could Han Family’s Young Master have become so kind?

Ye Xiaowu hurriedly took it and rushed off to find a place to log off.

Sword Demon watched him leave, puzzled. "Drunken Flute's phone number?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"How would I know?"

Ye Xiaowu clutched the precious number and began to memorize it, but...

"Is this a 0 or a 6?" The 0 wasn't drawn neatly and looked a bit like a 6.

"Is this a 5 or a 6?" The 5 was written in a cursive style and also looked like a 6.

"Is this an 8 or a 6?" The head of the 8 seemed a bit small and also looked like a 6.

Six, six, six, why do they all look so much like sixes? Ye Xiaowu collapsed and stopped on the street. With so many possibilities, how many number combinations would there be?

Ye Xiaowu wasn't stupid enough to log off and try them one by one. Considering that the number was given by Han Family’s Young Master, Ye Xiaowu had already concluded that he had been tricked again.

Ye Xiaowu tried to calm himself down. Being played by Han Family’s Young Master was to be expected; there was no need to be angry, no need to be angry...

The tenacious Ye Xiaowu continued to wait, waiting for someone who could give him a clear answer.

He waited for Zhan Wushang, who swung him into a corner with a sword and continued to pass by, talking and laughing with his girl.

He waited for Yu Tian Shenming, who, from 60 meters away, shot an arrow before he even arrived. As a result, he was now more than 600 meters away from Yu Tian Shenming, in a straight line through the air.

He waited for Brother You. Brother You had already heard these guys talking about it in the mercenary channel. Brother You had never been a simple guy either; Brother You was also very insidious.

Brother You didn't act. He quietly listened to Ye Xiaowu say that he wanted to find Drunken Flute.

"I do have Drunken Flute's contact number, but I don't know if you believe me," Brother You said.

"I believe you."

"Alright, five hundred gold coins."

"I..."

"You don't believe me, do you? Sigh!" Brother You sighed.

"I believe you!" Ye Xiaowu gritted his teeth. He decided to take a gamble.

He handed over five hundred gold coins, and Brother You happily accepted them, briskly taking out his notebook. "I didn't lie to you; this really is Drunken Flute's phone number." Brother You wrote down the number.

"Thank you."

"But it's been switched off lately." Brother You tore off the page and handed it to Ye Xiaowu.

Ye Xiaowu swore! If he weren't a priest, he would definitely fight Brother You, definitely.

"The number is real; it will be turned on eventually," Brother You reminded Ye Xiaowu. He really hadn't lied.

"When does it usually turn on?" Ye Xiaowu asked.

"I don't know; it hasn't been turned on for a week," Brother You said.

Ye Xiaowu swore! He swore again! He really swore again!

"Actually, what do you want to find Drunken Flute for? Maybe I can help you," Brother You suddenly said.

Ye Xiaowu was still swearing and didn't have time to pay attention.

"Of course, it will still cost money; my information is never cheap," Brother You suddenly found the meaning of his life.

"Drunken Flute hasn't been online for a while, has he?" Ye Xiaowu asked.

Brother You almost blurted out an answer, but he stopped himself. He hadn't collected any money yet; answering the question would be a misstep. Brother You remembered some scenes from martial arts novels. He held up one finger: "One question, one hundred gold coins."

Ye Xiaowu... Ye Xiaowu swearing again wouldn't be new. He gritted his teeth and pulled out his money bag, but he changed the question: "Where has Drunken Flute been for the past week?"

A money bag was in his hand. It seemed like his image wouldn't be cool enough if he counted the gold coins at this moment. Brother You thought about it and didn't count them. He took the money bag and answered the question: "Busy."

Ye Xiaowu turned around and left. He didn't have the ability to fight, and he didn't want to be tricked anymore. He regretted not calling Duan Shui Jian; otherwise, it would be enough to take care of Brother You. But speaking of which, Ye Xiaowu never expected that the one who made him the most frustrated this time would be Brother You.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave! Next, you can ask 'Busy with what?' Aren't you almost getting what you want to know?" Brother You and the others knew about Ye Xiaowu's targeting of Gu Fei, so they actually already knew Ye Xiaowu's intention in inquiring about Gu Fei.

Ye Xiaowu stopped again, his mouth twitching a few times. Finally, he turned back and asked, "What is he busy with?" After saying that, he threw a money bag over.

"Martial Arts Tournament," Brother You said.

"Martial Arts Tournament?" Ye Xiaowu was puzzled.

"Question?" Brother You asked.

A money bag.

"The game company is using virtual technology and cooperating with their martial arts world to hold this Martial Arts Tournament," Brother You said.

Ye Xiaowu was stunned...

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The story has ended, and there will be no new developments. What everyone will see is just everyone's fate.

The new book is not ready yet, because the beginning is always the weak point, and it is being revised. Like Ye Xiaowu...suffering!