"Oh, so this is what you meant by 'personally' helping."
It wasn't exactly disappointing—nor was it not—Chen Huai'an simply reached out and pressed down.
"Mmm..."
A soft moan came from the game.
Chen Huai'an: "…"
Well.
No doubt about it—this is a small indie game.
And he liked small indie games.
Apparently, guiding spiritual energy into the body was quite painful. Li Qingran kept letting out muffled groans, beads of sweat rolling down her cheeks and neck, and tiny droplets formed all over her skin. Chen Huai'an could clearly see, as the healing progress bar slowly moved forward, that the droplets began to darken—black impurities gradually seeping out.
"This visual design... breathtaking."
How should he put it?
When you pay for a game, it's not just about how fun it is—it's about whether it's worth it.
Some games have tiny scopes—fun gameplay, sure, but just a chapter or two. Not even two hours of total playtime, yet they sell it for hundreds of bucks. Isn't that just daylight robbery?
But this "Virtual Girlfriend" game? Different.
He had a feeling… he could play this game until he died.
As the healing process reached the halfway point, several delightful notifications finally popped up:
[Li Qingran: Meridian damage healed. 'Foundation Damage' removed.]
[Li Qingran: Internal injuries healed. 'Moderate Internal Injury' removed.]
[Detoxification in progress. Please press the 'Yaoyangguan' point and use a circular motion on 'Shenshu' to continue healing.]
Chen Huai'an followed the prompts and switched acupoints.
The moment he touched her again, Li Qingran let out a startled "Ah!"
"Tsk. That must really hurt, huh?" he thought silently.
At that moment, Li Qingran's skin turned red—not the kind from soaking in hot water, but more like a boiled shrimp. Poor girl was clearly in pain, biting her lip and trying not to make a sound.
But in reality?
All Li Qingran could feel were two large warm hands on her back. The fire poison being expelled from her body crawled through her bones and limbs like countless bugs—itchy and numb. She bit her lips, afraid any unseemly noise would offend the senior helping her.
To distract herself, she glanced at the bronze mirror hanging by the bed.
From that angle, she could see a portion of her own back.
She expected to glimpse an old man with silver hair.
Instead, there was nothing—just two glowing hands formed from spiritual energy. One hand tapped gently, the other circled soothingly, applying a calm and steady pressure.
No sign of the senior's face.
A small wave of disappointment washed over her.
But along with that, relief—and guilt.
The senior truly wasn't someone who'd take advantage of others. Even while healing her, he never once touched her actual skin. He was the definition of a gentleman. Yet earlier, she had doubted his intentions…
How shameful of her.
[Li Qingran: Fire poison expelled. 'Burning Body Poison' removed.]
As the progress bar hit 100%, her skin gradually returned to normal.
From Chen Huai'an's perspective, despite some leftover impurities on the surface, her skin now had a visible glow—like a polished boiled egg, lightly waxed.
"Thank you for healing me, Senior. I feel much better now."
Li Qingran offered a soft, grateful thanks, gripping the bath towel nervously with both hands.
Chen Huai'an could see her ears flushed red, the blush even reaching the back of her neck.
"May I… ask you a question, Senior?"
Her voice trembled slightly—like she had to summon all her courage just to speak.
[Yes.]
[No!]
[Guess?]
[Spend ¥300 to buy a Voice Transmission Talisman and speak freely.]
This time, Chen Huai'an didn't even hesitate—he chose the first option.
With his permission granted, Li Qingran smiled with joy, her tone noticeably lighter.
"You've done so much for me, Senior. May I at least know your name? Of course, if you'd rather not say, I won't press you."
[Please enter your name: _____]
Oh, come on, Chen Huai'an cursed internally.
He'd already spent thousands and played for half a day, and only now did he get to create a name?
So if he hadn't paid up till now, he wouldn't even deserve a character name?
This game had high standards.
Chen Huai'an thought about it, then decided against anything flashy.
He simply typed in: Chen Huai'an.
If he really were going to die someday, at least the data from this game would remember his name.
Maybe that'd be the only trace of him left behind.
"A sword of frost and courage to pierce the long night, a heart of calm to warm the cold sky… Huai'an, Huai'an… Senior, I shall remember this name forever."
Li Qingran turned to him with a soft smile, her eyes shining, raven hair cascading down her shoulders like silk.
Outside, the night was pitch black, rain poured like a waterfall—but inside, she felt no chill. Only a gentle warmth bloomed in her chest.
Chen Huai'an stared blankly at her smile.
For a moment, it felt like the phone screen had vanished—
As if there really was a girl smiling at him.
"Damn… these indie devs really put in work."
He quickly shook his head to banish those unrealistic thoughts.
"Senior, my body still has some impurities—I'll go clean up again."
This time, no dialogue options popped up.
Li Qingran wrapped herself in the towel, bowed gracefully toward the ceiling, then took the fresh clothes from the bedside and entered the bathroom.
Chen Huai'an stared at the now-empty boudoir, dazed.
He felt like he was losing it.
He was actually catching feelings for a video game character.
"…That girl's physical injuries are healed, but her spirit root and dantian are still broken, right?"
He started searching through the game menus again.
Eventually, he found a Help Center.
There was a section for questions.
[First question of the day is free. Second costs ¥100. Third costs five times as much, and so on.]
"Bro, you might as well just rob a bank instead of making a game," Chen Huai'an laughed bitterly.
But since the first one was free, he'd milk it every day—for as long as he lived.
"How do I fix Li Qingran's dantian and spiritual root?"
[You may only ask about one of them.]
Chen Huai'an: "…"
Between the two, the dantian seemed more important. After all, it's the container.
"Okay then. How do I fix her dantian?"
[Divining the threads of fate…]
"Pfft, divining fate? Really milking the mystic vibe here," Chen Huai'an chuckled.
What he didn't know was that—
In the world of Cangyun, the stars abruptly shifted, tides churned, the land quaked. Countless ancient cultivators stirred from meditation, frowning in alarm.
"Someone's divining the Heavens!"
"With spiritual energy thinning like this… Is someone foretelling the fate of the realm?"
"Avoid! That's no power we can afford to cross. Just stay in closed-door cultivation…"
…
[Fate Divination Complete.]
[To repair Li Qingran's dantian, an ancient divine elixir is required—
'Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill'. Though long lost, this pill can not only repair severe dantian damage, but also enhance its quality and capacity.]
[The 'Koi of Fortune Pool' has detected a sliver of fate. Draw the 'Koi of Fortune' to exchange for: Divine-Grade — Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill.]
Chen Huai'an: "…"
A sliver of fate, my ass.
This is just a pay-to-win gacha loot box!
One thousand draws meant ¥100,000.
Sure, you could get lucky and draw it instantly—but 0.001% odds might as well be zero.
If he had that kind of luck, he wouldn't have gotten cancer in the first place.
"First thing tomorrow—delete this game account, go get my hospital proof, then head straight to Mount Tai and start streaming."
He scratched his head.
He was going to wait a few more days…
But now, he couldn't.
Li Qingran's dantian must be restored.
Chen Huai'an had made up his mind.