Do Not Pursue the Light of the Righteous Path

The full-dive martial arts game Red Dust, Nine Provinces became an instant sensation upon release.

Players could experience roaming the world with a sword and explore the path to becoming a legendary hero. They could also win the hearts of nine wildly popular characters, each with their own distinctive charm.

Wait, not the ninth one, Lanzheng.

A disciple of Ten Thousand Swords Mountain, Lanzheng fought her way through the Heroes' Rankings with a single sword at sixteen. After that, she punched her way through the Martial Alliance Academy, kicked the Righteous Alliance into shape, and restored Ten Thousand Swords Mountain to its former position as a force that answered every call. At eighteen, she single-handedly razed the Western Regions' Demonic Cult. She was universally acknowledged as the greatest under heaven.

She topped the must-have list for those who love the strong.

Players tried every trick in the book, yet couldn't make the affection meter above her head budge.

The forums exploded, with #LanzhengConquestGuide# topping the charts for ages:

[Giving her items from chance encounters really doesn't work. Lanzheng just turns around and gives them to her junior brothers and sisters. I hate this.]

[Don't try to play the hero and save the beauty! She can take on ten people with one sword. What makes you think she needs your help?]

[What? A forced romance? Oh, you... Oh, you're tired of living.]

[Can I say it? Either Lanzheng is bugged, or she's just a gimmick the developers cooked up to draw players in.]

Server-wide announcement:

[Congratulations to player Xie Xuan for reaching 99 affection points with Lanzheng. Keep up the good work!]

Players: ?

.

Xie Xuan knew why he'd succeeded.

The other players were acting lovestruck. He was acting broken.

A young swordsman whose family had been slaughtered. A dying man poisoned beyond saving. Independent and strong, yet insecure only in front of Lanzheng. Every glance struck right at her soft spot.

As for that final affection point, he'd earn it tonight by faking his death during a poison attack, condensing all his life's power into a flower, and letting it drift timidly onto her lapel.

Wait, hold on! Why is Lanzheng drawing her sword on him?!

The long sword pierced Xie Xuan's chest. The System's shriek dissolved into static:

[Warning! Player permissions transferring]

[New player identity confirmed: Lanzheng]

.

The plan went so smoothly that Lanzheng found it utterly boring.

Has no one figured it out yet? This isn't a game. It's a prison for the greatest villain in the Nine Provinces.

She altered Xie Xuan's player chip. His skills, items, save permissions, and all the genuine and feigned feelings between them vanished into thin air.

"Xiao Xuan, it's your turn to be an NPC now."

The once-radiant moon of the righteous path tore off her disguise. Her sword energy split the sky screen, and her bloodstained fingertips truly touched the world beyond the crack.

The trembling main System met her smiling gaze.

"And I have regained my freedom."

[Reading Guide]

1. The main focus is the plot. The cover art was commissioned for Lanzheng.

2. Older-sister-like boss lady x younger, sly green-tea puppy. The male character pursues the female character, and the male lead is a daydreamer with a crush on the female lead.

Theme: Love life.