Chapter 2: IQ 250, but Loyal and Righteous!
Before the simulation began, Chen Yi adjusted his equipped traits.
He currently had no Martial Arts Realm and could equip a maximum of three traits. [The Simulator] was mandatory; otherwise, he couldn't simulate.
Since it was a simulation, he didn't need [Hyper-Beast Pain Perception].
In the simulation, he would just endure getting beaten or injured. After all, his real self wouldn't feel the pain.
[The tide rises on the Qiantang River; only today do I know I am myself.]
[Your hometown was slaughtered, and all your kin perished. Under the immense trauma, you awakened the wisdom of a past life and realized you are a transmigrator.]
[In a flash of inspiration, Da Chun dragged you into the river to escape.]
[While unconscious, you two drifted into the boundaries of Qinghe County Town, were picked up by the Black Stone Gang, and were forced to work as coolies on the pier they manage.]
[Under the Black Stone Gang's whips, you and the other coolies lived like walking corpses, not knowing where tomorrow would lead.]
[Year 1, Age 18.]
[Beginning Trait Extraction...]
[Extraction Successful!]
["White Stripe in the Waves" (White): Swimming ability increases; swimming skill raised to national athlete level.]
[Do you wish to adjust your traits (The simulated "you" will not proactively adjust traits; this option only appears during the yearly Trait Extraction for you to decide which traits to equip)?]
[Yes/No]
The simulation paused, waiting for Chen Yi to make a choice.
'Does the first year count as a year too?'
The time in the simulation likely followed the time in reality. He had already drawn a trait this year in reality, but he could draw again in the simulation.
Perhaps this was a perk of the Simulator.
Chen Yi felt he needed to bring this trait along.
He was right by the river; being good at swimming certainly wouldn't hurt.
[You replaced "Hunger Resistance" with "White Stripe in the Waves".]
[You realize you have begun the simulation.]
[You really want to do whatever you please, but your current strength is meager, and your situation is perilous; acting recklessly is a good way to die.]
[You suppress the restlessness in your heart. You know you must live longer in the simulation to extract more traits.]
["Hurry up! There are still three boatloads of cargo today! If you don't finish, no food for three days!"]
[The sound of the overseer's whip makes the coolies tremble.]
[On the surface, you pretend to be afraid, but inside, you are already calculating the various ways you will kill these bastards once you become strong.]
[Night falls.]
[Just as you are about to rest, you hear the voice of the foreman, Wang Qiang.]
["I need three people. There's a cushy job!"]
[A good thing? You don't believe it for a second. You pretend to sleep.]
["Chen Yi! Stop pretending! I saw you peeing by the river just now!"]
[Helpless, you can only get up and walk over; otherwise, Wang Qiang will definitely beat you up and then force you to do the "cushy job" anyway.]
[Wang Qiang says to the three of you coolies.]
["Before dawn tomorrow, someone will take you to the Ten-Mile Pavilion downstream of the Qing River to deliver a meal to the River God! After it's done, you can go to the Yihong Courtyard and enjoy yourselves for three days!"]
'Is it delivering a meal to the River God, or delivering these three people as the meal for the River God?'
'If we're dead, what's the point of the Yihong Courtyard?'
Chen Yi had heard some old coolies say there was a River Demon in the Qing River that liked to eat people.
Every time its craving hit, it would stir up wind and waves to capsize boats.
Later, when the Black Stone Gang arrived, the incidents of the River Demon causing waves decreased significantly.
The old timers believed the Black Stone Gang had struck a deal with the River Demon, voluntarily sending a few people down for it to eat every month so it wouldn't affect the canal transport.
Judging from the simulation content, this was likely the truth.
'So, that means I have to hide tonight...'
Fortunately, he had the simulation and knew the news in advance. Chen Yi made a mental note.
But he didn't know if his simulated self could survive this calamity.
["F*ck!"]
[You curse inwardly, knowing you are doomed.]
[Since that's the case, escape tonight!]
[In the latter half of the night, when everyone is fast asleep, you leap into the water.]
[You want to swim to the opposite bank!]
[The Qing River is turbulent. Previously, you would never have used this method to escape because you would certainly have been caught or drowned from exhaustion.]
[But now, you have the "White Stripe in the Waves" trait. You can give it a shot!]
[Staying here means death by tomorrow night anyway!]
[You paddle vigorously in the water. Your swimming skills have indeed improved greatly. Swimming to the other side like this—no problem at all!]
[Haha! I'm going to be free!]
[Hearing the splash, a group of coolies on the pier stand up and shout.]
["Chen Yi ran away! Someone come quick!"]
[Damn it! Everyone was pretending to sleep?!]
[The coolies are this alert because of the collective punishment system.]
[If one person runs, everyone in the same team gets implicated—ranging from a severe beating to death by a thousand cuts while hung from a sail.]
[The Black Stone Gang members are alerted.]
[Wang Qiang snorts coldly.]
["Let's see if you swim faster or our boat moves faster!"]
[Wang Qiang leads men onto a boat. Just as they are about to weigh anchor and set sail, flames suddenly shoot up into the sky from the shore.]
["Hahaha! Fire!!"]
[Da Chun splashed the fire brazier used for lighting the pier onto a pile of cargo that hadn't been shipped yet.]
[The fire ignites instantly, throwing the entire pier into chaos.]
["Put out the fire! Quick! If this batch of goods burns, the Gang Leader will slaughter us!"]
[Wang Qiang can no longer bother chasing you and hurriedly leads his men to fetch water and fight the fire.]
[In the firelight, you vaguely see a group of Black Stone Gang members, cursing and clutching machetes, lunging at Da Chun.]
[Blood splatters five steps.]
Reading this, Chen Yi was moved.
Da Chun had already saved him once in Luoding Village.
He hadn't expected that in the simulation, upon discovering Chen Yi was escaping, Da Chun would still help him without hesitation.
He even sacrificed his life.
Chen Yi looked at Da Chun beside him.
Because he wasn't full, Da Chun was currently squatting on the ground, drooling as he looked at the thin porridge in someone else's bowl.
He might not have a high IQ, but he was loyal and righteous.
Chen Yi thought,
'If I have the ability to escape the Black Stone Gang in the future, I will definitely take Da Chun with me.'
["Splash..."]
[The river water churns.]
[There is no time to grieve for Da Chun's death; you cannot let his sacrifice be in vain.]
[You must live on!]
[Live until the day you find an opportunity for cultivation!]
[Then, inherit the cultivation from the simulation and help the real you and Da Chun escape the Black Stone Gang's oppression!]
[Exhausting all your strength, you swim through the cold, turbulent river water to the opposite bank.]
[Heaven bless you—neither the River God nor the River Demon appeared.]
[Perhaps it had already received news from the Black Stone Gang and was waiting at that mysterious "dining spot" downstream, so it didn't notice the situation upstream.]
[After coming ashore, you face a choice on where to go next.]
[1. Go to Baiyun County Town to seek refuge with your Third Sister.]
[2. Wander the wilderness and hide in the deep mountains and old forests.]
[3. Swim back.]
[Please make a choice:]
The simulation paused again, waiting for Chen Yi to decide on the subsequent course of action.
Chen Yi considered it.
Option 3 was just a joke; eliminated immediately.
Seek refuge with Third Sister, or hide in the wild?
Chen Yi actually had three siblings.
His eldest brother and second sister went into the mountains to gather herbs when he was eight and disappeared; there had been no news of them since.
His Third Sister married into Baiyun County Town when he was fifteen.
'I remember Third Sister's husband is a Martial Artist. If I go to her, I should be able to come into contact with Martial Arts. Maybe I can ask how to obtain a Root Bone, or if one can cultivate without a Root Bone?'