Chapter Nine: An Ambush Outside the City Gates

As soon as "Heaven's Dominion" updated, it did so for three straight days. The game forums erupted—perhaps because players had nothing else to do, the volume of posts soared, most filled with complaints and doubts. This update had caught many off guard; some had been fighting bosses or engaged in PvP when they were forcibly logged out, which left them understandably annoyed.

Many players speculated on the forums about what new content "Heaven's Dominion" would bring. After all, no player had discovered any bugs so far, and the game systems were already quite polished. Unfortunately, the official website kept all update news tightly under wraps, only promising not to disappoint, so rumors abounded but no one knew the truth.

At six o'clock on the third afternoon—the moment the game reopened after the update—countless fans were already nestled in their nutrient pods or wearing their VR helmets, just waiting for the hour to strike. Shen Ce timed his entry perfectly, yet even so, the unprecedented influx of players logging in within that minute caused a brief but notable lag. Fortunately, it lasted only a few seconds.

Upon entering Ling Shui City, Shen Ce was greeted by a projection outlining the update’s purpose. Foremost among the new features was a groundbreaking change: "Heaven's Dominion" had opened a two-way exchange system between in-game currency and real-world money. Gold coins could now be traded for Huaguo credits at a rate of five to one, though the game company would charge a five percent transaction fee. As the first to venture into these uncharted waters, Shen Ce couldn’t help but admire the developers’ courage. For players, especially professionals like him, the benefits far outweighed any risks—after all, a five percent fee was far more reasonable than what the black market demanded. Aside from this currency exchange, the update also introduced a Faith Value system, and lowered the minimum pain threshold to one percent, likely in response to female players’ forum complaints about the previous twenty percent pain upon death being too much.

After carefully reviewing the update notes, Shen Ce headed to the Appraisal Hall to identify two unknown items he’d looted from a boss: a hunter’s bow carved with dark gold patterns, and a pale purple belt. To his surprise, the young appraiser he was familiar with wasn’t present, but Shen Ce didn’t dwell on it—he simply chose an older appraiser instead. The process cost fifty gold coins, but the results were more than satisfactory. The bow was named Cloudsplitter, the pinnacle of D-grade equipment. The pale purple belt was restricted to warriors, but offered excellent defensive bonuses.

Initially, Shen Ce intended to hand both items, along with the gear dropped by the group that killed the Bloodwolf Berserker, over to Shui Linglong for disposal. However, the moment he saw Cloudsplitter’s stats, a hunter’s face holding a bow flashed swiftly through his mind—perhaps meeting Han Qishao would be the better choice.

His gaze flickered with decision. He opened his almost empty friends list, and sure enough, Han Qishao’s icon was online. Shen Ce immediately sent a private message: “Seventh Young Master, I have a batch of new gear, including a top-tier D-grade hunter’s bow. Interested?”

Shen Ce had expected to wait at least a while for a reply. Unexpectedly, as soon as his message went out, a response came back.

“Ding. Player [Han Qishao] requests to start a conversation: Of course I’m interested. Are you able to come outside the gates of Ling Shui City? I’m there now, about to head to Frostleaf Plains.”

Shen Ce replied with a simple “Sure,” then made his way to the city gates. A crowd of players had gathered there, but Shen Ce had no trouble picking Han Qishao out. The hunter in black, sitting tall and proud atop a chestnut steed, stood out vividly. Han Qishao’s posture was upright, his presence commanding—like a king surveying his domain. Without a word, he dominated the space, making those around him seem mere background.

Before Shen Ce could take more than a few steps closer, Han Qishao rode over, dismounted with elegant ease, and offered a meaningful smile. “Zero, we haven’t seen each other for a few days and you’re already level twenty-five. That’s some impressive leveling speed.”

Shen Ce regarded the black-clad hunter with a faint, ambiguous smile. “You’re too kind, Seventh Young Master. Aren’t you already level twenty-four yourself?”

Han Qishao raised an eyebrow, his left hand brushing the base of his bowstring with casual intent. “I can’t compare to you, Zero. Solo grinding is nothing like fighting with a team. I’m planning to establish a guild, so I need to push to level twenty-five.”

“Everyone has their own way of leveling. I just happened to get lucky with a boss,” Shen Ce replied, shaking his head. Then he produced the Cloudsplitter bow from his inventory. “This is my trophy from that boss. You can use Scout to check the attributes.”

Han Qishao’s eyes brightened with undisguised delight. “This bow is exactly what I wanted. I’ll offer three hundred gold. Will you sell it?”

To have the buyer name a price right away surprised Shen Ce, but he appreciated such straightforwardness. The price was fair, so he nodded without hesitation.

“Ding. Player [Han Qishao] requests to trade with you.”

Shen Ce quickly accepted. When he saw the three hundred gold coins appear on the trade panel without any haggling, he glanced up at Han Qishao—most players would wait to see items on both sides before confirming, wary of scammers who lurked even in "Heaven’s Dominion." Was Han Qishao simply unwary, or did he trust Shen Ce’s character? Shen Ce didn’t believe a man like Han Qishao would be careless, and as for trusting his character—well, that was hardly plausible. So he simply stopped thinking about it, placed the Cloudsplitter bow on the panel, and confirmed the trade.

After the deal went through, Han Qishao’s smile only deepened. “Aside from the bow, do you have any other gear, Zero?”

Raising his brow, Shen Ce produced the warrior belt he’d just identified and the steel blade dropped by the Bloodwolf Berserker’s group. “Two more warrior items, both with solid stats, Sev—”

“Watch out!”

Before Shen Ce could finish the word, Han Qishao suddenly tackled him to the ground. Three earthen spikes hurtled down, smashing into the spot where Shen Ce had been standing and gouging a deep hole in the earth.

“You have been attacked by an unknown player. Retaliation within fifteen minutes will not incur a murder penalty.”

The oppressive presence of hostile players made Shen Ce uncomfortable, and he quickly frowned. Han Qishao, seemingly oblivious, only pulled him closer, the contrast between his black attire and Shen Ce’s white making them appear as two sharply defined opposites.

“Disgusting! A pair of filthy lovers!”

The crude insult made Shen Ce’s expression darken. He stowed the warrior’s belt and steel blade back into his inventory, then pushed Han Qishao aside.

He looked up, eyes narrowed to slits. The speaker was no stranger, nor was the one who’d cast the earth spell—both were the same pair he and Sairus had killed in Frostleaf Plains days before, causing them to lose a level. Next to them stood a young woman dressed as a priest, though not the same one as before.

Shen Ce’s gaze was razor sharp as he looked at the trio. Rising to his feet, a cold, chilling smile curled on his lips.