In Virtual Reality 80 ☆ The Hydrangea Park (4/33)

Celestial Master was not the most adept storyteller regarding the spooky stuff. Yet, right now, he had scared himself good. His body froze in place, unable to move as he felt the cold breath in his ear and the chilly touch on his neck that sent shivers down his spine. He cursed himself for turning the holographic immersion valve up to ninety percent; he should have kept it at a lower level for this game.

【Damn, what's riding the streamer's back? NPC or player?】

【I haven't checked out other streams, but my bet's on a player!】

【Come and get your bets in, people! Celestial Master's stream is going to end in less than five minutes!】

【 Are You sure it will end and not the streamer's brain malfunctioning?】

'What a bunch of dimwits!' he thought.

Celestial Master, trapped in the heart of the gambling game, was on the verge of tears as he cautiously reached for his peachwood sword and tried to strike a bargain with the female ghost behind him.

"Let's chat, sis," Celestial Master whispered, as his left hand fidgeted in a blind spot and drew out two yellow talismans with a dash of cinnabar, "Can you hop down from my back first?"

The entity on his back cackled maniacally, utterly indifferent to his words. On the contrary, the hand around Celestial Master's neck tightened with each burst of laughter. The ninety percent realism gave Celestial Master a suffocating feeling in an instant. He did not hesitate and immediately lifted his left hand, pressing the yellow talisman onto the female ghost's forehead!

Only a miserable scream pierced the air as Celestial Master felt a weight lift off his back. He hurriedly took a few steps forward and spun around to examine the source of the disturbance.

Strands of dark, algae-like hair flapped in the wind, some of which clung to the figure's cheek, revealing eyes as black as night. The burnt yellow talisman left a grey and black residue trail in the air while the ghost's mouth hung open, exposing jagged, uneven teeth.

"Oh my God, it's the Red-clothed Fiend!" exclaimed Celestial Master, his voice laced with fear.

Without waiting for the ghost's response, he spun on his heel and fled, his movements swift and unhesitating.

【...】

【Why isn't this Taoist exorcising the ghost? He's acting like a passerby..】

【I always knew he was a coward, but I didn't think he'd be this bad. He's a disgrace to our Taoist community.】

"If you're so brave, why don't you go first?!" Celestial Master shouted, his yellow hat threatening to fly off as he ran. "You think you can take on the Red-clothed Fiend? I'm young and have a bright future ahead of me!"

The female ghost pursued him, hovering off the ground as her chilling laughter and the chase music reverberated through the live broadcast room.

【The anchor picked the Taoest Master card. Check out the details page!】

【We are role models in slaying demons and exorcising evil!】

【Boring. Let's see a counter-kill!】

But the talk was cheap. Celestial Master gritted his teeth, and his feet kicked up sparks as he fled.

Celestial Master enjoyed playing the role of the cool, calm and collected master, but only when he had adequately prepared for the task at hand. After all, this was a new game in closed beta, and the stakes were high. Anyone could perish on their first encounter, which made the chatters seem somewhat reckless and foolish to him.

While he threw yellow talismans behind him, he dashed forward. The sound of his footsteps was dense and chaotic on the gravel path. However, Celestial Master didn't have time to glance behind him to gauge the situation. Still, the viewers in the live stream could see everything. Initially, the yellow talismans he threw hit a few targets, but it only seemed to add to the female ghost's resentment. By the time the ghost had fully adapted to this talisman level, her speed had doubled.

【Be careful, Host!】

【Claw claw claw...!】

【I'm done for...】

The ghost's sharp, narcissus-coloured nails, flashing with a cold light, sliced through Celestial Master's hair strands as he struggled to run. He gritted his teeth and pulled with all his might, but it only dragged him back a little.

"Huff...huff..."

As he huffed and puffed, Celestial Master caught a whiff of a bloody smell that made his nostrils flare. His throat was hoarse from the cold wind, and he couldn't speak. Celestial Master's vision began to blur.

"They didn't say...this is an action...game...ah..."

Wasn't it supposed to be a mystery puzzle game? After stumbling forward two steps, his flesh and blood feet were too weak to carry him further, and he fell to the ground.

"I'm not running anymore..." Celestial Master tossed the peach wood sword aside and panted heavily. "Just kill me. I've had more exercise today than in a month."

With a resolute posture, he stiffened his neck and presented himself as a sacrifice. "Let's go! Pain is fleeting!"

[Hey, somebody copy pasted my translations on another site! Please show some love by liking my work on https://puukkiss.wixsite.com/inkydragon. Without it, I may think that nobody is reading my work and consider abandoning it, which means you won't be able to find it anywhere else.]

A crisp sound was the only thing that filled the air, quickly followed by the muffled thud of an object-piercing flesh. But the eerie screams of the female ghost never reached his ears.

After waiting for an eternity, the "GAME OVER" prompt never came. Celestial Master cautiously cracked open his eyes.

Instantaneously, the barrage once blocked by his eyelids came flooding in, inundating the screen with messages like "So cool and handsome," as well as screams that only materialized when he was showcasing his skills on game live streams.

Clusters of pink gifts detonated, infusing the cold sky with a dreamy, pink hue. Through the rose-tinted screen, he could faintly discern a figure standing before him, their back turned.

The person was tall and wore an egregiously pink hoodie, an incongruous choice for their circumstances. Their posture was peculiar, with both hands extended as if holding something.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay..."

Celestial Master sitting on the ground, was taken aback. Brimming with magnetism, this voice appeared to emanate from the person before him. He felt members; after all, he was still a human in his twenties, and this was the first time someone had coaxed him like this in a game.

He stammered, "I-I'm okay..."

"You're safe now," the person with their back to him interrupted mid-sentence, continuing, "Please don't be upset, okay?"

【Chuckling to death, does the anchor believe that the master was coaxing him, a big man?】

【This, this Giga Chad voice! So pleasant to hear, aahh!】

【You call this a Giga Chad voice? Are you deaf? It sounds more like Pikachu!】

【So, this is a player too??? Can anyone disclose the live broadcast number of the master? I wish to create a small account and stir chaos in the master's live stream room!!!】

【Are you trying to cause a disturbance? That's not just causing trouble; that's kicking yourself in the nuts...I won't even entertain you.】

Celestial Master recovered from his earlier shock and began reading through the barrage of comments while massaging his legs, which felt as soft as noodles. Then he stood up.

Huh? Where was his peach wood sword?

Although he could fashion a peach wood sword as a "Taoist card" holder, the premium peach wood was so valuable in the game's online store! How could he spend money to make one himself instead of keeping a fragrant one for free!

"Yī wū wū——" a familiar ghost cry came from somewhere. Celestial Master searched for the source and found the female ghost chasing him right before the "master."

However...

The master had seized his peach wood sword with one hand and clutched a yellow talisman with the other, squeezing it firmly onto the female ghost's forehead. Despite the talisman scorching their fingers, they did not intend to relinquish it. The peach wood sword held by the other side was thrust into the female ghost's chest, piercing through a pale blue Hydrangea flower and pressing against the ghost's grey-black, cracked collarbone. With a tremble, two or three pale petals unwillingly fell off.

The female ghost wasn't giving up without a fight. Her spectral fingers stretched forward as though to throttle the master's sinewy neck. But alas, she writhed in agony, the yellow talisman affixed to her forehead burning with intense heat.

"Be calm, be calm," the master's voice echoed with a glacial edge yet carrying an undertone of tenderness. "The pain shall pass."

Celestial Master, hovering behind the master, quivered at the words that slipped from the master's lips like a sweet hiss of a serpent.

In a moment that felt like a frozen eternity, the peach wood sword impaled the apparition's incorporeal form with a shattering crunch. The yellow talisman on her forehead was stained red, and the ghost howled with an ear-piercing scream that seemed to warp the very fabric of reality. As if awoken from a deep slumber, she regained control and abruptly withdrew, leaving behind nothing but a trail of dark soot.

The threat had been vanquished. Celestial Master let out a sigh of relief and wiped away the non-existent sweat from his brow. "Thank you, my friend. May I have my sword back, please?"

"It's a nifty tool," the master turned with a twirl of his longsword, regarding it with a strange fondness. "Here you go." A flick of his wrist sent the peach wood sword spinning towards Celestial Master, who snatched it out of the air with haste, mindful of its worth.

"Are you a player as well?" Celestial Master inquired, his yellow sleeve wiping away the black fluid from the blade. "My gamer handle is 【Master in Tribulation Crossing】. And yours, sir?"

With a subtle expression, Celestial Master surveyed the default character avatar model standing before him. "Boss, why do you use default skins to play the game?" he queried, his tone filled with curiosity.

To his surprise, the boss, who had maintained a cool, collected demeanour while fighting monsters before, appeared to give the matter some thought. Eventually, they admitted, "Can't afford anything else."

Celestial Master's eyes widened in disbelief. "......"

Pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts, Celestial Master raised his hand to helplessly rub his forehead. "This is an internal test game that Excelsior made, after all. Even if you came here just to stir up trouble, dressing nicely could still earn you some traffic money in the live broadcast room, right?"

"Live broadcast?" The boss looked bewildered for a moment but quickly grew interested. "You started a live broadcast?"

"Yes." Celestial Master replied with a resigned shrug of his shoulders. "Making money isn't easy, so Celestial Master has to sell his skills."

【Making money is tough, but running away is always an option.】

【I'm always afraid that Celestial Master will make enough money and leave us behind...】

【We might be poor, but we're still willing to spend money!】

【So, is this all just a case of having a big appetite for being cheap?】

【If only you'd stop drawing and buy an identity card, Celestial Master's card pool would be full by now.】

Celestial Master shook his head with a sigh. "You guys have had your fun. Don't expose people's weaknesses."

The boss smiled and even raised a hand to wave. "Hello, everyone!"

【Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!】

【Big brother, you're the real deal!】

【 Host, why don't you go up and hug this default skin player's thigh?!】

After reading the barrage, Celestial Master muttered, "You expect a million-fan anchor to go hug a default skin player's thigh? No way."

Celestial Master mulled over other players' recent actions and ground his teeth together. "Let us become sworn brothers, nothing more," he spat out, "I will be the eldest brother, and you shall be the second brother!"

【Unscrupulous and merciless.】

【Such a thick-skinned face; it's almost impressive. It's as though the world circles around him...】

Celestial Master remained silent, ignoring the current situation and focusing on the player before him. "What's your ID?" he inquired, "Once the game concludes, I'll head over to your live stream and assist in garnering more viewers, so you can at least earn some extra cash and change that wretched default skin of yours, alright?" He cringed slightly. "You didn't even alter the skin's voice? It's unbearable. Change it to your own."

Celestial Master pressed some button in his interface, and a deeper voice surged forth as he spoke, causing him to radiate an aura of righteousness. "Observe, my skin is extremely fashionable!" he proclaimed righteously. "Mate, let's exchange game IDs. I'll follow you, and you follow me. As a gesture of gratitude for your prior assistance, I'll help you amass more viewers."

"Can the sound be toggled on and off?" The player mused momentarily before joining in and pressing a button on the menu. They resumed speaking, "As for me, I don't do live streaming, but we can follow each other. My ID is Excelsior."

Their sweet, high-pitched feminine voice reverberated throughout Celestial Master's livestream room, causing him to momentarily freeze.

"What's the matter?" they frowned, "Are you experiencing network connectivity issues?"

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!! Excelsior!!!" Celestial Master howled, resembling a frenzied wolf in old cartoons, as he reverted to his original voice.

"Eh!" Celestial Master gazed at the default model before him, suddenly captivated by the radiance that emanated from the figure. Even the plain hoodie now looked incredibly charming and cool. Celestial Master's voice was firm: "I am your dog, ahhhh!!!"

Xu Jin Yi raised a brow: "?"

The blank barrage area sluggishly glided across the screen and revealed a single digit.

【6】

——— Translator's Notes ———

红衣煞 (hóng yī shà) - the Red-clothed Fiend, a type of female ghost in Chinese folklore

Chad 慕强人: Mù Qiáng rén: Chinese internet slang for someone who is obsessed with being strong and powerful.

原皮卡: Yuán Píkǎ: The Chinese name for Pikachu from the popular game and anime franchise Pokémon.

Tribulation Crossing: A term used in Chinese mythology to refer to the process of overcoming challenges and reaching enlightenment.

"大佬" (dà lǎo) refers to someone who is highly skilled or experienced in a particular field. It can also mean "boss" or "big shot".