“A game NPC asking what an ‘NPC’ is? This response is way too smart!”
Inside the Nan family house, the dark-skinned, sturdy young girl stood still.
Outside the game screen, the young woman holding the tablet looked stunned.
Nanzhi had always loved playing games.
Whether it was single-player or online, role-playing, strategy, adventure, farming, action-puzzles, or even niche horror mysteries, she had dabbled in them all.
This little single-player game, 《Path of Seeking Immortality》, was something she had accidentally purchased in the app store.
The publisher was a small company called Honghe Entertainment. It wasn't well-known, and its download numbers were pitifully low.
With the mindset that it would be a waste not to play since she’d already bought it, Nanzhi opened the game, which had an incredibly simple interface.
However, the moment she entered the game, she was completely hooked.
The character sharing her name, “Nanzhi,” stood in a realistically rendered lady's bedroom.
As she panned the camera, everything around her seemed exceptionally real.
The plain curtains hanging from the bed frame had visible mending marks, fine lines that looked like tender willow branches.
The tea set on the table had a rustic color and clear texture; she could even see the crack at the spout perfectly.
The tables and chairs were covered in the marks of time, with clear scratches of varying depths.
Outside the window stood an apricot tree. It was the peak of early spring, and the apricot blossoms were in full bloom. Whenever the wind blew, the pinkish-white petals would flutter down to the ground.
The wind rustled the leaves, the clouds drifted by—the scenery outside the window was incredibly vivid.
“Hiss... this lighting, this environmental realism. I definitely got my money's worth!”
Nanzhi excitedly licked her lips. “Real-time dialogue, and the NPCs react differently based on the player's choices... this game is amazing!”
She tapped the little person on the screen, and the character named 【Nanzhi】 moved two steps:
【Cultivator: Nanzhi】
【Bone Age: 18】
【Cultivation: Mortal】
【Level: 1】
【Constitution: 3 (+1+1) (Congratulations, you might be slightly stronger than a stray dog)】
【Combat Power: 1 (+1) (You can't even beat the stray fox next door)】
【Reputation: 5 (+2) (As a fool, you're somewhat famous)】
【Planting: 1 (You can tell wheat from chives)】
【Gathering: 1 (A meaningless value)】
【Currently Equipped: “Butcher’s Daughter” (Constitution +1, Reputation +2, Deterrence against beasts +1), “Rusty Knife” (Combat Power +1, Constitution +1)】
In the upper right corner of the screen was the player's avatar, and next to it was the HP bar representing the player's health: 【100】
The status panel was outrageously simple.
Nanzhi strongly suspected the programmers of cutting corners.
But with this ultra-high-definition quality, she guessed the game company had poured all their money into the art department.
Nanzhi completely forgot the eighteen minutes she had spent choosing her identity before entering the game.
She clicked on the character's avatar. The skill tree for combat, meditation, spirit herb planting, alchemy, artifact forging, and talisman drawing was all greyed out.
【Friendly Reminder: This game offers 100% freedom, featuring thousands of playstyles including adventure, dress-up, simulation, nurturing, romance, farming, puzzle-solving, strategy, combat, and action.】
【Cultivators must explore on their own to increase their stats.】
【We wish you a successful journey on the path to immortality!】
“So hardcore? You could at least give me a basic cultivation method! Or at the very least, have an immortal sect fall from the sky to test spirit roots and recruit disciples like in web novels!”
Nanzhi couldn't help but complain.
But wasn't this game a bit too realistic and free?
In the past three days, forget about leveling up—she hadn't even managed to step out of this room.
Whenever she approached the wooden door, an NPC would come forward to stop her.
【Chen Jingui: “Big Sister, your health hasn't fully recovered yet. Stay in your room for the next few days. Just tell me whatever you want to eat or drink.”】
【Nan Ye: “Big Sister, Mother said you're not well and can't go out.” / “Big Sister, stay here like a good girl, and I'll buy you sugar-coated lotus seeds.”】
【Nan Dazhuang: “What does Big Sister want to eat? Father will go buy it for you.”】
After trying a series of tactics—acting cute, reasoning, and playing dumb—she still hadn't succeeded in leaving the room.
Nanzhi even tried to manipulate the character to squeeze between the NPCs and the door, attempting to exploit a bug to clip through.
Though she succeeded once, she was ultimately caught and brought back by Nan Dazhuang.
Three points! Her Constitution was only three points!
Even with the 【Butcher’s Daughter】 title, it was barely four!
Was this any way to cultivate?
Where were her cool skills and special effects?
Where were the spirit root testing, sect selections, and master-disciple rituals common in cultivation novels?!
She began to suspect that only this one room had been drawn well, and everything outside might be pixel art style.
Complaints aside, Nanzhi had still been diligently logging on for the past three days, interacting with the NPCs and chatting to build favorability.
She had searched every nook and cranny of the room, not even sparing the wildflowers on the table.
Just like in any open-world exploration game, after knocking over the water vat, wooden boxes, and table, Nanzhi had found quite a few items:
【Hemostatic Grass * 5: Average quality Hemostatic Grass. Restores 5 HP upon use.】
【Lady Yin's Stinky Tofu * 10: Liuer's favorite, incredibly smelly. Increases Cultivation by 10 points upon consumption. Has excellent effects on certain specific targets.】
【Broken Rat Tail * 1: This is a rat tail.】
【Sugar Mantou * 5: Delicious Sugar Mantou. Increases satiety by 1 point upon consumption.】
【Rusty Knife: Constitution +1, Combat Power +1.】
“But the broken things don't respawn? Does the developer have to be so ruthless?”
Nanzhi muttered to herself as she looked at the room, which appeared as if a swarm of locusts had passed through.
“The path of farming items repeatedly is blocked. I have to be careful not to let rummaging through boxes affect the NPCs' favorability.”
This game was truly realistic to a fault.
The NPCs reacted to every move Nanzhi made.
【Nan Ye】 would seek the player out for a chat, 【Nan Dazhuang】 would buy snacks for her, and 【Chen Jingui】 would even find a physician to check on her.
On the panel representing NPC favorability, 【Chen Jingui】 and 【Nan Dazhuang】 both had nine hearts, labeled “Loving Mother” and “Loving Father.” 【Nan Ye】 had eight hearts, labeled “Deep Sisterly Bond.”
There was also a character who only lived in the dialogue, 【Nan Yi】, whose favorability was at a full ten hearts.
This was particularly strange.
“This game is so realistic that even background NPCs have a favorability system? But why is only 【Nan Yi】 at max favorability? Is there a hidden quest?”
Nanzhi controlled her character to pace around the room. Through the window, she could see Chen Jingui cooking in the courtyard.
Nan Ye passed by carrying a bucket of water and saw her elder sister standing by the window. Although her sister's face was expressionless, she somehow looked a bit pitiful.
The water vat in the house had been smashed by her elder sister a few days ago, and they hadn't had time to buy a new one yet.
“Mother, why not let Big Sister come out and walk around? Didn't the physician say she'd recover faster if she saw more people?”
Nan Ye glanced over again and couldn't help but try to persuade Chen Jingui.
“Big Sister is much better now. Keeping her locked in the room all day isn't right.”
Chen Jingui paused her movements, hesitating. “That makes sense... Should we take her for a stroll?”
She was just afraid her daughter would revert to her old self—stiff and silent, like a dead wooden post.
“I think Big Sister's illness is almost completely gone. Even though she doesn't recognize people yet, we can teach her slowly. It's better than before.”
Nan Ye said seriously, “But Mother, you mustn't treat Big Sister like a child. Otherwise, even a healthy person would get sick from being cooped up.”
“Yes, yes... what Second Sister says is right.”
Chen Jingui hurriedly wiped her hands and took the room key from her waist to give to Nan Ye. She still gave some worried instructions:
“Just walk around in the alley. Don't go far. Watch your sister carefully so she doesn't get bullied.”
She went on about what to do if she got thirsty, hungry, sleepy, or tired, and Nan Ye patiently agreed to it all.
Rate on N.U.
