It was supposed to be a love simulation, so why are they also players?

Upon entering "River City," you encounter "Yawana," a fellow SAO player. Trapped within the game world, she is like a free-spirited wildcat, born free but without a home of her own.

Why are you looking for me?

Xia Mu bit into the crispy sesame seed cake, and the bitterness of matcha and the sweetness of honey intertwined on her tongue.

"Because you are a good person."

Yao Lenai suddenly leaned closer, her breath carrying a faint scent of bamboo leaves.

“How come you see?”

"You helped five elderly ladies cross the street today and even kicked an elderly lady who was trying to scam you... So, you are a kind and honest person who is not pedantic."

She stretched out her slender, white fingers and counted the good deeds Xia Mu had done that day.

The cat sees, the cat knows, the cat approves.

Cats will choose the right person.

"My name is Xia Mu. It's nice to meet you, and thank you for the matcha pancake."

"To Lenai."

Sometimes, being well-fed is a kind of happiness.

"What did you do? Why are they arresting you?"

"Those people are bad people."

Her pupils reflected the flickering torchlight, and a cold light gleamed in her eyes.

[Bad news, she's wanted throughout the city.]

[Good news: No one except you knows the true identity of the 'River City' thief—it's the girl in front of you.]

"The largest sect in Jianghe City, the Righteous Qi Sect, is colluding with the government and arresting people everywhere..."

"What's going on here? Are they trying to create a 'street version' of 'If You Are the One'?"

"They are players, players just like us. Xia Mu, even the righteous path isn't as good as we imagine. It's not just the people of this world; they don't even spare weak players..."

Cats hate this.

Those people are all bad guys.

What kind of freedom is it to arbitrarily trample on the lives of others?

[As Lenai said, this righteous sect formed by players is secretly doing despicable things. They plan to use a special formation to absorb people's life force to increase their cultivation level.]

Defeating monsters and bosses will grant you experience points.

Similarly, killing ordinary civilians and players can also yield rewards, but most people won't go that far.

"How is their sect leader's cultivation level?"

"Sixth level of the Golden Core stage, I am no match for you..."

and so.

The cat girl's strategy was to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, raid their supply camp, and then find an opportunity to scout out the terrain and rescue them.

If we go head-to-head, we can't beat those people.

"That's it..."

Xia Mu had a little scheme.

[The next day at dawn.]

[The Righteous Qi Sect.]

"Hey, are you still hiring? I'm a newbie player from the village, looking for a pro to guide me."

"Hmm? Our Righteous Qi Sect definitely accepts new members! Players should help each other out."

"Hey bro, why is your ID in red? Mine isn't as good-looking."

A player's ID is only visible to other players.

Normal players are shown in black, unless they are players who have killed other players.

"You'll have it soon too, don't be afraid. Our Righteous Qi Sect only kills bad people."

"Soga soga".

You have joined the "Righteous Qi Sect".

[Your superb culinary skills have won over everyone in the Righteous Qi Sect, including the sect leader.]

[The sect leader is delighted with your discovery and appoints you as his cook.]

"Six."

[You added laxatives to all the seasonings in the Zhengqi Sect's kitchen.]

Ps:

My hobby is playing Japanese-style bishoujo romance games. I've been playing GalGames for two and a half years and have extensive experience in cyberpunk romance. I'm confident that my gentle protagonist aura will give all you real-life female guests a sweet and sour romance experience! Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒☆

Chapter 288 Li Xi: What? Xia Mu, a member of the Demonic Sect, is the light of righteousness?

[Shimobeze Town.]

Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, the sound of light footsteps could be heard on the bluestone path.

Shiina Tatsuki, dressed in a plain blue outfit with a long sword hanging at his waist, was helping an elderly woman with white hair through the bustling street.

[You helped an elderly lady cross the street today, +3 experience points]

[Current cultivation level: First level of the Golden Core stage.]

"Thank you, young lady. You and Xia Mu are both good people."

"Um……"

For cultivators at the Golden Core stage, the benefits of doing such things are far less than those of completing sect-issued commissions or dealing with wild monsters or bosses.

However, the monsters in the surrounding area of ​​Xiabeize Town have all been eliminated.

This town is very safe.

It seems like a gathering of experts.

Teahouse owners, innkeepers, opera singers, newspaper vendors...

The big hermit hides in the city, the small hermit hides in the wild.

Shiina Tatsuki is preparing to head to the next stop.

She didn't dislike the peaceful town, but it was time for her to leave.

Go find Xia Mu.

Their town was bustling with activity.

The morning light bathed the streets, and the shouts of vegetable vendors, the aroma of tea, and the hushed chatter mingled together.

Suddenly, a loud shout shattered the peace:

"Breaking news! Breaking news! The latest Jianghu News! The Zhengqi Sect, the number one sect in Jianghe City, has been turned into a swamp! The reason behind it is so heinous! According to interviews, it was the rogue cultivator Xia Mu who personally infiltrated and rescued the people trapped in the underground prison! He fought the Zhengqi Sect's sect leader, who was at the Golden Core stage, for three hundred rounds with only the Qi Refining stage and barely won! What a chivalrous hero!"

"Give me one."

Upon hearing the name that was all too familiar, Li Xi quickly went to the newspaper vendor and bought a copy of the Jianghu Express.

"Jianghu Express!"

As the name suggests, it is a group of people in the martial arts world who record events in real time, such as sect competitions, martial arts contests for marriage, and anecdotes about the martial arts world.

"So Xia Mu went to Jianghe City after all..."

The claims in the martial arts news that the battle lasted three hundred rounds are clearly exaggerations.

The truth is—

Xia Mu tricked all the red-named players of the Righteous Qi Sect into giving them laxatives, allowing Le Nai to take advantage of the situation to find the hidden underground prison and rescue the civilians (NPCs) and players who had not yet been sacrificed.

The enraged leader of the Righteous Qi Sect wanted to kill Xia Mu, but the effects of the laxative lingered...

[Xia Mu, cross-border elbow strike!]

Those players with red names from the Righteous Qi Sect were sentenced to death by the new government forces after the purge.

Current number of players: 6114

"Is only a little over half left?"

During these three months, some players chose to play it safe and stayed in newbie villages like Shimobeizawa Town, while others wanted to clear the game as soon as possible, taking risks in hopes of finding a lucky break. However, lucky breaks often come with risks, and some players were even hunted down by players with red names (indicating they were targeted by other players).

"Red-named players will target their own kind; there aren't many good people among them."

You are heading to Jianghe City.

Once again, they encountered Toyokawa Shoko and her group, who had come to recruit new employees.

[By the way, Xia Mu has now joined "Abe's Hen Kazon," founded by Toyokawa Shoko.]

"Lixi, how about..."

Shoko Toyokawa wants Tatsuki Shiina to join as well.

“I refuse. I only came here to see Xia Mu.”

"He and Lena went to Guga Village to carry out a sect mission."

"what?"

You missed it again.

Should we stay and wait for Xia Mu to return, or go to Guga Village to find him?

"wait."

You stayed in Jianghe City.

[And Toyokawa Shoko, knowing you had no intention of joining their sect, did not press the matter further.]

……

……

【Guga Village.】

[Recently, many villagers have disappeared, so we've entrusted 'Abe the Hen' to help us deal with this.]

[And you, the traitor within the Demonic Cult, the former chef of the Bitter Sect, the Explosive King of the Righteous Qi Sect, the eldest disciple of Elder Ruoye Mu of the Abe Hen Sect, and the Light of Righteousness in Jianghe City, volunteered to take on this mission with a danger level of ★★★★.]

【You should choose to follow me.】

"With the arrival of Hero Xia Mu, the upright official of our Guga Village has also arrived!"

Villagers of Guga Village: ???

Your fame has spread far and wide after your victory over the Righteous Qi Sect.

Everyone in the martial arts world knows that there's a minor Qi Refining cultivator named Xia Mu in the righteous path who single-handedly wiped out an entire sect. Although his methods were despicable, shameless, and underhanded, there's no need to reason with morally corrupt individuals; they don't deserve to listen!

The players quickly realized there was such a righteous person among them, and they tacitly reached a consensus: they couldn't afford to offend Xia Mu.

They might be the next ones to be destroyed by a methane explosion.

[Back to business. 】

In Guga Village, nine or ten people have gone missing in recent days.

"Leave it to me, Detective Xia Mumu! There's only one truth: Village Chief, you're the murderer!"

Xia Mu deliberately put on a stern face, imitating the famous detective O Nan, and stared sharply at the village chief.

"Hero Xia Mu, this isn't me! This, this, this is a misunderstanding!"

[That day, you took Lena and went door-to-door talking to people about the past, starting with zero frames and saying they were the murderers, to see their reactions.]

[When you arrive at a house, you say the same thing as usual. The person is so frightened that they run out the window, and you strike them with an electric baton, causing them to suffer polio.]

"Tell me! Where have all those missing people gone?"