Which way to go is the road?

Xiang Fei was a novice at the game. He leveled up smoothly by relying on story quests before level 20, but once he started teaming up for quests and completing story missions, he became a bit of a hindrance and needed someone to teach him step by step—which spell to use; what red and blue meant; the shortcut key to open the inventory… Thankfully, he had QQ voice chat enabled. Although he was initially flustered and confused, he gradually learned a lot and began to find it fun and interesting!

"Let's start a gang!" Lao You suddenly shouted in his Shaanxi-accented Mandarin.

"That's a great idea! We have ten people, so we can find ten more to respond. I don't care who becomes the leader, I have to be the vice leader!" The first person to respond to the call for the guild was Bai Xue, her words carrying a hint of arrogance, but it was a voice everyone was happy to hear.

"Anyway, it's just for fun. Creating a guild would be more interesting, so let's create one! I'm not into being an official, and I'm too lazy to manage things. Don't assign me to an official position; I want to be a carefree chivalrous hero," Zhang Fang said lazily.

"You're too lazy to manage things. Who wants you to be an official? With your carefree and undisciplined attitude, whichever gang you're the leader of will collapse. A gang leader needs prestige, financial strength, and management skills. I think you, Sister Luomei, should be the gang leader!"

"Agreed! Agreed!..." Before Qian Luomei could even respond, a series of voices echoed through the voice chat, and she herself suddenly became playful: "Alright, I'll be the gang leader! But it's a promise, you all have to listen to me and follow my orders!"

"Of course!"

"How can you survive if you don't listen to the gang leader? I wouldn't dare!"

"Sister Luomei, you don't need to worry about that. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with swiftly and severely by me, Bai Xue!"

……

"Our leader's martial arts are unparalleled, and he will unify the martial world!" Tian Hai shouted excitedly.

"Stop talking nonsense! I'm not Dongfang Bubai, nor am I the unifier of the martial arts world! Let's come up with a catchy and memorable slogan. Oh, and most importantly, we need a gang name! That's crucial!"

"Why bother with a gang name? Just use the internet cafe name 'Shuiyunjian' (Water Clouds), it sounds nice and has a good feel to it!" Du Xinpeng's idea was great and received everyone's approval.

"How about this slogan, 'With bold spirit and confidence, we stand proudly in this ancient capital, amidst the tranquil clouds and calm waters'?" Amidst the clamor, Xiang Fei racked his brains and unleashed the little literary talent he possessed.

"Excellent writing! It's both dynamic and serene, exuding domineering power without being arrogant, and conveying a kingly aura with its understated style! Xiang Fei, I admire you! I admire you!" Old You didn't hold back his praise at all.

"You're too kind! You're too kind!" Xiang Fei tried his best to hide his smugness.

As mentioned earlier, the players in the internet cafe weren't just Xiang Fei and his group of ten. During the guild's formation, other players joined without being asked, forming a bond for mutual support, so the guild was quickly established. Moreover, its membership instantly surged to 70, making it the largest guild on the server in terms of population.

Applications kept pouring in, and the guild leader, Qian Luomei, and deputy leader, Bai Xue, were so busy clicking the mouse to add members that their hands were practically numb. At lunchtime, they immediately convened a cabinet meeting, appointing various lords and assigning them responsibilities, allowing the guild leader and deputy leader some time to enjoy the game and relax before taking on more important tasks. The appointments of elders, hall masters, incense masters, and elites were all decided solely based on the guild leader's personal preferences; the ten cabinet members each had their own duties.

Xiang Fei's mind was a mess. Aside from knowing that he and Dong Lu were elites, he couldn't make heads or tails of the others. However, Xiang Fei didn't think it mattered. Did he really have to call Lao You "Elder Lao You" or "Hall Master Lao You" when he saw him? He'd just put on a show for the newbies.

After lunch, the ten of them continued playing games and leveling up at the internet cafe, their expressions focused and serious, as if they were doing something of great benefit to the country and its people. However, with such intense concentration and constant staring at the computer screen, their eyes became sore and their minds tired after a while! They couldn't hold on any longer until 7 PM, and at Lao You's suggestion, they disbanded and logged off! The group gathered at the front desk of the internet cafe, still reminiscing about their experiences in the game.

"Are you going back to school?" Qian Luomei came down from the attic, dressed in athletic shorts and a loose T-shirt, all at home.

"It's only seven o'clock now, there's not much to do if we go back to school, but what can we do if we don't go back to school? I can't play games today, my head hurts just looking at the computer screen!" Zhang Fang yawned and said wearily.

"Let's go celebrate!" Snow White's bright black eyes darted left and right, as if asking for everyone's opinion.

"Okay, I agree!" Tian Hai and Du Xinpeng said in unison, looking as if they couldn't be happier.

"What are we celebrating? It's neither National Day nor Dragon Boat Festival today. Is it someone's birthday?" Xiangzi scratched his head, puzzled.

"You're so stupid! It's the Shuiyunjian gang's birthday!" Bai Xue's angry expression was also quite cute.

"Let's go then, shall we go for a barbecue or a karaoke bar? You choose, as the gang leader, it's on me today!" Qian Luomei cupped her hand to her mouth, mysteriously announcing the news to everyone.

"Long live the gang leader! Long live the gang leader!" The crowd cheered.

"We can't all go, someone has to watch the shop!" Dong Lu's words were always to the point.

"I'll watch the shop! I already went out to eat something!" Wang Haoming offered.

"Why don't I come with you? You can't manage all this by yourself." Xiangzi knew that no one wanted to keep Wang Haoming company, so he offered to stay as well.

"No need, there's usually nothing going on at night. I can handle the cashier. Our internet cafe has plenty of surveillance cameras, no one will dare to do anything wrong. I'll call you if anything happens."

Hearing Wang Haoming say this, Xiangzi stopped insisting. Qian Luomei gave Wang Haoming a few instructions and then left Shuiyunjian with her "gang".

"Have you made your choice? KTV or barbecue?" Qian Luomei asked again.

"We've made our choices. Let's go for barbecue first," everyone chimed in before Lao You could finish speaking, "and then we'll go to karaoke."

Qian Luomei shook her head helplessly, acknowledging everyone's choice. After a day of fierce competition, none of the ten people wanted to walk, so they took three taxis to the barbecue restaurant. It was still "Jianghu" barbecue. They arrived at their old haunt and, without waiting to be invited, found a place to sit down, chatting idly. The barbecue restaurant owner was quite familiar with this group of college students who had been patronizing his business, and picked up the menu and came over.

"The beautiful boss came over in person today. She's gotten even more beautiful since I last saw her. Has she grown taller too? She's half a head taller than me! Oh, she's wearing high heels!" The boss joked but was also very serious. Her earnest expression, with her pursed lips and raised eyebrows, was so funny that it was hard not to laugh.

"You're over 30, still growing? All you're getting are wrinkles! But Old Zhang, what you said is quite agreeable!" Qian Luomei's eyes were full of smiles, then she leaned close to Old Zhang's ear and became mysterious again: "When are you and your wife getting a divorce? We can work together!"

"Go away, don't make fun of your old man. I know what kind of person this old man is." Old Zhang remained as serious as ever, putting on his performance with gusto: "We're not meant to be in this life. Maybe in the next life, I'll be reborn properly, go to university, and then..."

"Hey Lao Zhang, where are you going to be reincarnated in your next life? Tell me in advance, and I'll... I'll try to avoid you!" Qian Luomei replied seriously before Lao Zhang could finish speaking. After saying that, she couldn't help but burst into laughter, and everyone else joined in. Lao Zhang pointed at Qian Luomei, laughing and shaking his head helplessly!

"Alright, enough joking! What do you want to eat? We have everything!" After laughing, Old Zhang started his business.

"It's just barbecue, there's not much of it, I won't order anything. Just count the heads and bring it out! Just don't waste any!"

"Alright!" Old Zhang grabbed the menu and dashed back into the shop.

"Are Sister Luo Mei and this boss so familiar with each other?" Xiang Fei asked curiously.

"Of course, we come here often because of Sister Luo Mei's influence. The boss is really nice; he gives us a 7% discount whenever Sister Luo Mei comes!"

……

In no time, lamb skewers, beef tendon, grilled leeks, fried kidneys, and other grilled delicacies filled the entire table, along with four kegs of draft beer. Since there wasn't enough room on the table, they were placed on the floor, one keg on each of the four sides, like the four guardian beasts of a gang.

The game became the only topic of discussion for everyone: Should immortals be trained to be agile, magical, or agile-magical? Is it better for demons to be strong or super agile? What resistances can a male character reach maximum after the third job advancement, and how should resistances be allocated in equipment...?

Xiang Fei was completely bewildered. He never imagined that a game could have so much to discuss; it had clearly become a field of research. Not only that, he heard that some players even created websites to create game guides, helping others avoid pitfalls in the game. These websites, with their millions of views, were even acquired by internet giants, earning them millions of RMB.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Fei was filled with excitement, as if he had discovered a new continent, and his eyes shone with an unusual light.