Saving Azhu
Looking at the information displayed on the simulation panel, Xiao Feng's expression slightly changed. He mused inwardly, "The merit consumption for the body projection simulation has increased. Could it be because I broke through to a two-star Dou Practitioner? The higher the cultivation, the more merit needed?"
Although the merit consumption for the body projection simulation had doubled, Xiao Feng still chose it without hesitation. He was genuinely curious about the difference between the text projection simulation and the body projection simulation.
[Ding! Body projection simulation starting!]
With the system prompt, Xiao Feng felt his vision go black, as if someone had hit the back of his head and then thrown him into a washing machine for a wild spin. When he recovered from the dizziness and nausea, he found himself in a dense grove.
"Chirp chirp chirp..."
Hearing the occasional bird calls in the forest, Xiao Feng blinked in confusion. Had he transmigrated again? While he was trying to make sense of the situation, information about the body projection simulation suddenly appeared in his mind.
It turned out that the so-called "body projection simulation" involved transferring a portion of Xiao Feng's consciousness, along with replicated body abilities, into the simulation world. It was somewhat similar to a full-dive virtual reality game from online novels. In this simulation, Xiao Feng could act according to his own will, unlike the text projection simulation where actions were random.
Since the current body was just a projection avatar, whatever happened in the simulation world—whether it was going insane or being cursed—would not affect his real body. Although the simulation world was very realistic and almost indistinguishable from the main world, it was ultimately just a virtual world. Therefore, in the simulation world, no matter how many good deeds Xiao Feng did or how many evildoers he punished, he would not gain any merit.
Ending the simulation was simple: Xiao Feng could choose to end it prematurely or wait until he died in the simulation, which would forcefully end it.
Not long after Xiao Feng sorted out this information, a commotion arose from the woods ahead. Due to the distance, he could only hear vague curses like "Outrageous" and "Dirty beggar."
Since Xiao Feng was unsure of his location, he decided to head toward the noise to gather some information. After passing through the grove, he saw a field of apricot blossoms in front of him.
In the center of the apricot blossom field, two groups were facing off. One group, consisting of hundreds of people, mostly looked like beggars in ragged clothes. The other group comprised two men and three women. The men were ordinary-looking middle-aged men, while the three young women were strikingly beautiful, each in their unique way.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for encountering the plot character 'Azhu.' Triggering random projection task—Save Azhu!]
As Xiao Feng's gaze fell on the three young women, the system prompt sounded in his mind again.
[Ding! Task content: Change Azhu's fate of being mistakenly killed by Qiao Feng. Task reward: One additional lottery draw.]
Hearing this, Xiao Feng's expression changed slightly, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes. Every time a simulation ended, he would get a free lottery draw. Although it was random, a good draw could be very valuable. For instance, after the Attack on Titan simulation, he used the random draw to obtain the Armored Titan's power, worth 2,000 merit points.
If he could get an additional lottery draw, his chances of drawing something good would greatly increase. At this moment, Xiao Feng suddenly understood the difference between text projection simulation and body projection simulation. In the text projection simulation, not only were the actions of the projected character uncontrollable, but no projection tasks were triggered either. He suspected it was because the text projection simulation was a free option, so projection tasks wouldn't trigger.
This time, the body projection simulation cost him 200 merit points. This meant that as long as he completed the task of saving Azhu and used the extra lottery draw to get a reward worth more than 200 merit points, it would be worth it.
"Interesting."
Staring at Azhu's charming face for a while, Xiao Feng's eyes changed, resembling a game player looking at an NPC issuing a quest. Perhaps because his gaze was too intense, Azhu , who was whispering to Wang Yuyan and Abi, felt something and turned to look his way.
Facing Azhu 's curious gaze, Xiao Feng gave a harmless smile and nodded at her. Seeing that Xiao Feng was just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy with a handsome and extraordinary demeanor, Azhu 's first impression of him was good, and she subconsciously returned a smile.
Standing beside Azhu, Abi couldn't help but ask curiously, "Sister Azhu, do you know that young man?"
"No, it's the first time I've seen him," Azhu shook her head. "Judging from his attire, he shouldn't be a member of the Beggar Clan. He seems like a rich young master who happened to pass by."
"Sister Azhu, that young man has been staring at you. Could it be that he fancies you?" Abi teased with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Stop talking nonsense. He wasn't staring at me all the time," Azhu retorted, rolling her eyes at Abi before pointing to Wang Yuyan beside her. "Besides, with our lady here, how could he notice a maid like me?"
"You two can joke around, but why drag me into it?" Wang Yuyan shook her head helplessly before curiously looking at the young man they mentioned.
However, she found that Xiao Feng wasn't looking at them but at the apricot grove nearby. Just as Wang Yuyan was about to look away, she saw two figures emerging from the grove.
Leading the way was a burly man in his thirties, wearing a gray, tattered robe. He had a square face with deep lines, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose, and a wide mouth, exuding a commanding presence. The other person was a handsome, elegant young man, none other than Duan Yu, whom Wang Yuyan had met several times.