Start Mission

Despite its realism, the game, with its various interfaces, quickly reminded Ye Qingyun that it was, after all, just a game.

He decided to approach it with a gamer’s mindset.

He thought for a moment, then raised a hand and swiped, bringing up the task list.

It was currently empty, but an automatic task matching system was visible at the top.

“System, please match a task,” Ye Qingyun commanded.

Without a task, he found it difficult to know what he should be doing.

[Please wait, matching player tasks…]

[Match successful. Main Storyline Quest, Identity Quest, and Daily Quests unlocked.]

[Main Storyline Quest – Escape the Predicament: Player, use your wit to escape Sweetwater Lane. The first twenty players to complete this quest will receive a self-selected Internal Cultivation Fragment Gift Pack. No time limit.]

[Identity Quest: Your current identity is a courtesan in Sweetwater Lane. You may choose to continue with this identity and can aspire to become the Flower Queen of the pleasure district.]

[Daily Quests: As a courtesan, you must earn silver through daily performances. Completing these daily tasks will grant you Identity Points, which can be used to elevate your status within the pleasure district.]

Ye Qingyun felt a pang of annoyance upon seeing these tasks.

He knew he had to choose the main storyline quest, but his priority was to gain freedom first.

Without freedom, what was the point of a main quest?

“Qingxue, what’s your take? What do you think we should do? Should we continue playing with this identity, or try to find a way to leave this place?” Ye Qingyun asked his sister.

“I don’t know,” Ye Qingxue replied, shaking her head. “I’m not as familiar with this game as you are. Asking me would just be a waste of breath.”

Ye Qingyun rolled his eyes, acknowledging that it truly was a pointless question.

Just as Ye Qingyun pondered his next move, a sharp, scathing voice suddenly echoed from outside the door.

“Ye Qingrou, Ye Qingrou! It’s time for your performance! Don’t think just because you’ve gained a little fame, you can act like a young mistress!”

The door to her room was forcefully kicked open from the outside.

A middle-aged woman in pink, accompanied by two menacing men, strode in.

The moment the woman entered, the system identified her.

Only characters recognized by the player’s current identity would trigger such self-reminders.

[Tip: Li Yulian, Identity (Sweetwater Lane Madam). Reminder: Do not provoke her. She is your current controller. Appeasing her and obeying her will make your days more comfortable.]

Ye Qingyun’s eyes darted about after seeing the woman.

Then, his body instinctively moved forward, bowing respectfully to Li Yulian.

“Qingrou greets Madam Li.”

These words and actions had long been ingrained in this body, requiring no conscious thought or learning from Ye Qingyun.

“Pfft! Bro, that was quite convincing,” Ye Qingxue quipped, resuming her teasing of Ye Qingyun.

“Go on,” Ye Qingyun quickly explained. “That wasn’t me controlling it; it was the body’s instinct. Both of us had ten years of memories implanted, so these things are deeply ingrained.”

Ye Qingxue, unfamiliar with the game’s mechanics, listened to Ye Qingyun’s explanation and seemed quite surprised.

“What’s wrong with you? Why haven’t you gone downstairs to perform yet? The guests are getting impatient!”

Li Yulian’s anger subsided slightly upon seeing that Ye Qingyun didn’t defy her.

“I apologize, Madam Li. I felt a bit dizzy just now and didn’t react quickly enough. I completely forgot about today’s performance,” Ye Qingyun quickly fabricated an excuse.

Dialogue had to be self-organized; NPCs would independently assess what was said and respond accordingly.

As the game’s original artist, Ye Qingyun understood its intricacies better than anyone else.

He knew that in this game, one had to remain low-key to avoid misfortune, especially given his current subservient identity.

“Oh, are you ill? If you are, I’ll send someone to fetch a doctor immediately,” Li Yulian said, her brow furrowed.

“Ah? No, no, I’m much better now. I’ll go perform right away,” Ye Qingyun quickly denied, shaking his head.

Seeing this, Li Yulian nodded, then gestured for Ye Qingyun to leave.

With a helpless sigh, Ye Qingyun exited the room.

Ye Qingyun stepped out of the room, descended the stairs, and traversed a long corridor, arriving at the entrance of a spacious pavilion.

Before he even entered, he could hear lively cheers erupting from beyond the door.

In reality, Ye Qingyun might have felt a pang of trepidation, but knowing this was merely a game, his fear naturally dissipated.

He slowly walked out.

The first thing he saw upon exiting was a circular stage, below which a throng of people—all men, naturally—gathered.

To perform songs and dances for a crowd of men, Ye Qingyun honestly felt a wave of shame, yet he had no other choice.

“Cough, cough. Bro, if you can’t stand it, let me take over,” Ye Qingxue offered, sensing Ye Qingyun’s discomfort and volunteering to handle the situation.

After all, as a girl, her way of thinking was quite different from a man’s.

“No,” Ye Qingyun immediately refused his sister’s suggestion. “What’s the difference between you and me? Besides, these are all skill-based; we don’t actually need to perform the dances ourselves.”

Such were the consequences of playing a female character in a virtual game.

He needed to overcome some awkwardness and grow accustomed to a woman’s life, which was undeniably different from a man’s.

Ye Qingyun slowly walked to the center of the stage, then offered a slight bow to the crowd, acknowledging their presence.

“Thank you all for coming to watch Ye Qingrou’s performance,” Ye Qingyun began, organizing his words while simultaneously opening the identity skills menu. “Later, if you find Ye Qingrou’s songs and dances acceptable, please offer this humble maiden a small reward. If not, even a token for my efforts would be appreciated.”

Her musical aptitude was at the ‘Mastery’ level, and her dancing was also at the ‘Mastery’ level.

Her musical skills included playing the guqin, pipa, and guzheng, along with numerous ancient-style songs, some of which Ye Qingyun had even heard before.

All her dances were also in the ancient style.

While Ye Qingyun himself wasn’t consciously aware of all these details, the body’s memories stored them.

He simply needed to activate the appropriate mode.

After understanding the identity skills, Ye Qingyun checked the daily quests.

There were currently four tasks: playing the guqin, pipa, guzheng, and dancing, each with corresponding musical pieces.

Daily quest rewards included not only Identity Points but also silver.

However, the silver reward depended on the audience’s tips and would only be known after the performance concluded.

Normally, performance earnings were split fifty-fifty.

However, Ye Qingyun’s identity was different: she was an official courtesan.

All the money she earned had to be handed over.

“Never mind,” he muttered. “I’ll just accept all the quests and tackle them one by one.”

As Ye Qingyun mumbled and accepted all the tasks, Li Yulian immediately stepped onto the stage.

Simultaneously, she sent servants to bring forth a pipa, a guqin, and a guzheng.

“Esteemed guests, tonight marks the debut performance of our Miss Ye Qingrou! She will be presenting four acts: first, a pipa song and performance titled ‘General’s March’; second, a guqin song and performance titled ‘Lover’s Tears’; third, a guzheng song and performance titled ‘Beauty’s Sorrow’; and finally, the ‘Flying Immortal Dance’!” Li Yulian announced loudly.

At her words, the audience below instantly erupted, many excitedly whistling and cheering.

With no other recourse, Ye Qingyun resigned himself and entered the performance state as required by the quest.

The moment he entered this state, the body became uncontrollable.

It first picked up the pipa and sat down gracefully, then, as if possessed, began to sing and play simultaneously.

Crucially, Ye Qingyun himself could distinctly feel his body’s movements and the sounds emanating from her mouth.

Her voice was beautiful, alluring yet nimble—a characteristic he had set when creating the character.