Chapter 189 – My Lady Heroine in the Holographic Online Game – Martial Arts Arena (03)
The best way to forget sorrow is not to avoid it, but to face it head-on—and to do things that bring joy.
On the way home, Qiu’er and Xiao A analyzed the male lead’s performance in detail and came to a conclusion: he regrets it. Let him cry all he wants—he’ll definitely stop at nothing to start chasing after Tang Tang now.
As for joyful things, Qiu’er had plenty of snacks stored in its little pouch space—especially all kinds of nuts.
After being cheered up by the two systems’ playful antics, Bai Tang felt much better.
When they got home, Bai Tang was surprised to find that Bai Luo had actually bought a gaming pod.
“From now on, Tang Tang will be under my protection!” Bai Luo declared with hands on his hips, laughing boldly.
Bai Tang: …
Xiao A: “Is this guy stupid or what?”
Qiu’er: “Could be. Better keep Tang Tang away from him.”
With his arm around Bai Tang’s shoulders, Bai Luo led him to the room and asked, “Tang Tang, are there any characters in this game that would suit someone as wise and mighty as me? Any recommendations?”
Bai Tang hadn’t been in the game long himself and hadn’t played much yet. He searched his memory and had to admit—the game had a remarkably high degree of freedom.
Though the game’s main setting was martial arts-based, it also had a touch of fantasy. There were props that let players transform into flowers, plants, or small animals. The costumes were beautiful, and there was no forced questing. You could fight if you wanted or just relax if you preferred.
There were over a dozen sects and character classes in the game, and Bai Tang couldn’t remember them all. “Second Brother, you should just log in and check it out yourself. I think any character would suit you.”
“Really? Then I’ll make sure to choose carefully. Tang Tang’s safety is in my hands,” Bai Luo said with a grin, scratching the back of his head.
Qiu’er: “Pfft. I’m the president of the Squirrel Brain Association. I refuse to acknowledge that someone like him is a member.”
Xiao A: “Squirrel Brain Association? That sounds like an insult…”
The three Bai brothers each had their own charm. The eldest, Bai Rui, was calm and reserved; the second, Bai Luo, was carefree and boisterous; the youngest, Bai Tang, was delicate and adorable. Everyone envied the Bai family—not only did they have many sons, but the brothers also got along well. There was no infighting over inheritance or anything like that.
Bai Tang lay down in the gaming pod, a completely novel experience for him. He closed his eyes and allowed the pod to connect to his brain.
When he opened them again, he found himself lying on an antique-style bed, rich with classical elegance.
This was Bai Tang’s in-game home, something he had splurged on—and it was indeed luxurious.
He curiously touched everything around him. The textures felt incredibly real, and the clothes he wore were identical to those from when he’d traveled to ancient times. It was, in a word, a perfect recreation.
To prevent criminal behavior, the game requires that players’ in-game appearances be at least 80% similar to their real-life looks. Bai Tang looked at himself in the bronze mirror—he still looked like himself, though his skin appeared more delicate and his hair longer.
Bai Tang had chosen the sect [Medical Immortal Valley], which specialized in both healing and poisoning—capable of saving lives or taking them, righteous or wicked depending on the user.
The original player had intended to play a support-type character, like a healer, and team up with Qi Hongyi to roam the martial world. However, Qi Hongyi had repeatedly refused to form a team with him, because the original player was simply too terrible at the game.
Medical Immortal Valley wasn’t exactly strong in combat to begin with—it relied heavily on poison and sneak attacks. But the original player couldn’t even remember the different types of poisons and often used the wrong one, knocking out his teammates instead of the enemy.
Because of this, Bai Tang had gained a certain level of fame in the martial world—though unlike the heroes who were admired, he was someone others avoided like the plague.
Not long after, Bai Tang received a friend request. Even though the sender had glued on a mustache, those charming, peach-blossom eyes gave him away instantly—it was Bai Luo.
“Well, how do I look? Do I have the heroic air of a true martial artist?” Bai Luo asked. If he hadn’t spoken, it would’ve been fine—but the moment he opened his mouth, that over-the-top, adolescent energy came rushing out.
“Totally! You look great, Second Brother,” Bai Tang praised. Bai Luo’s appearance was straight out of a martial arts drama Bai Tang had seen before—mustache, mysterious expression, the whole package.
Satisfied, Bai Luo grinned and said he had a surprise for Bai Tang, then sent him a location and told him to hurry over.
In any game, there are always real-money (RMB) players—and Bai Luo was one of them.
He had spent a fortune to instantly max out all his skills. After that, he checked the weapon rankings and found Qi Hongyi’s in-game alias among the top ten. He opened the profile and compared stats. Then he found a couple of newbie players to test his skills, and after winning easily, his confidence soared. Feeling unstoppable, he issued a public challenge to Qi Hongyi in the game’s martial arena.
[[Game Announcement]: Brother Luo has challenged Hong Qingge to a duel. The two will cross swords at the Martial Arts Arena in half an hour.]
The message was repeated several times in the global chat, and players across the server were shocked.
Who was this Brother Luo? No one had ever heard of him before, yet he had the guts to challenge Hong Qingge? The courage of today’s youth was truly commendable.
Passerby A: “I looked him up. This Brother Luo only created his account tonight. He bought all his skills with real money.”
Passerby B: “No way—seriously? Maybe he’s a high-level player using a new account?”
Passerby C: “New update—Brother Luo’s even opened up a betting pool so people can place wagers on who’s going to win…”
Passerby D: “No way. D*mn—he’s rich! Brother Luo, please let me cling to your coattails!”
Passerby E: “I’m betting on Hong Qingge. He’s ranked #1 on the weapon leaderboard—there’s no way he’s going to lose…”
Spectators and gossip-hungry onlookers quickly placed their bets, the majority backing Hong Qingge. Seeing this made Bai Luo seethe with anger.
Ranked first on the weapon leaderboard, huh? Just wait—I’ll have you crying when you’re forced to step down.
Bai Luo fired off another message to Bai Tang: “Tang Tang, hurry up! Come witness your second brother’s glorious duel!”
While rushing over, Bai Tang saw that the entire Jianghu chat channel was lit up with messages about the fight. He asked, “Who’s Hong Qingge?”
Xiao A: “The male lead.”
Qiu’er: “That shameless scoundrel.”
Bai Tang: Has Second Brother lost his mind? He actually challenged the male lead?
In the original plot, Qi Hongyi had never lost a single match.
Qi Hongyi’s character belonged to the Tang Sect, a faction that used puppets and fans as weapons. Elusive and unpredictable, it required precise technique and agile movement—definitely a class for skilled players.
Meanwhile, Bai Luo had chosen a Warlord class, wielding a red-tasseled wooden spear. Its fighting style was fierce and aggressive.
For players unfamiliar with skill mechanics, there was only one approach: charge recklessly.
The Warlord class didn’t require much brainpower—just muscle memory. As long as you memorized the moves and exploited your opponent’s openings, you could win purely on brute force.
By the time Bai Tang arrived, the duel arena was already surrounded by layer upon layer of spectators. Since in-game appearances resembled real-life looks, Bai Tang’s 170 cm (5’7″) height made him seem quite small in the crowd. He stood on tiptoe and could just barely make out two figures fighting on the stage.
Well—calling it a “fight” might’ve been generous. It was more like a one-sided beatdown.
The Warlord was a melee class, while the Tang Sect specialized in ranged attacks. Bai Luo was being run in circles by Qi Hongyi, completely toyed with. He was forced to tank damage while not even managing to touch the hem of the opponent’s robes.
The crowd erupted in wave after wave of cheers—all from the players who had bet on Hong Qingge.
In just a dozen or so moves, Bai Luo was knocked off the stage by Qi Hongyi, landing right at Bai Tang’s feet.
[[Game Announcement]: Brother Luo vs. Hong Qingge — Victory goes to Hong Qingge!]
The crowd cheered even louder—after all, who wouldn’t be happy when money’s involved?
A young woman in green ran past Bai Tang and straight to Hong Qingge, who had just stepped off the stage. In a sweet, delicate voice, she said, “Brother Hong, you’re amazing! Truly invincible—no one can match you!”
After speaking, she shot a glance at Bai Tang, who was crouched on the ground. But unlike before, he didn’t rush over to Hong Qingge the moment he saw him.
“Second Brother, are you alright?” Bai Tang asked worriedly, quickly taking out a few healing pills from a medicine bottle.
This game was extremely realistic—not just in appearance, but even the pain felt 70% as intense as in real life. Bai Luo felt like there wasn’t a single part of his body that didn’t hurt. After swallowing the pills Bai Tang handed him, the pain finally began to ease a little.
“Sorry, Tang Tang… Second Brother just wanted to help teach that guy a lesson…” Bai Luo said, defeated, sitting heavily on the ground.
Bai Tang shook his head. “That’s not true. You’re just new to the game and not used to it yet. I don’t really like all the fighting in Jianghu. Second Brother, help me hunt beasts instead—I prefer the casual mode.”
The boy’s soft, gentle voice was like an instant remedy for Bai Luo’s bruised pride. He glanced provocatively at Qi Hongyi as if to say, I’ve got a little brother who cares about me—do you?
Qi Hongyi, of course, recognized Bai Tang as well. He stepped forward and grabbed the boy’s wrist just as he was about to walk away.
“Tang Tang, y-you… are you doing alright today?”
Qi Hongyi hadn’t meant to say that—but somehow, that dumb question was what slipped out of his mouth.
Bai Tang pressed his lips together and looked over at Jiang Yiran, who was wearing the same colored outfit as Qi Hongyi. “Thanks for your concern. I’m doing just fine.”
With that, he helped support Bai Luo and turned to leave.
Jiang Yiran took in the whole scene and asked, feigning confusion, “Brother Hong, did you two have a fight?”
When you play in a team for long enough, you start to learn a bit about your teammates’ real lives. Jiang Yiran didn’t know Qi Hongyi’s true identity, but she genuinely liked him—both for his looks and for his gaming skills.
Love is selfish. And since Hong Qingge clearly didn’t return her feelings, Jiang Yiran felt no guilt at all about trying to drive a wedge between Bai Tang and Qi Hongyi. In her eyes, she was saving them from a future doomed relationship.
Naturally, after Bai Tang started to oppose her at every turn, she expected Qi Hongyi to step in and smooth things over, like he always did. And if Bai Tang went too far, he would usually even scold him a little.
She thought it would be the same this time—but to her surprise, Qi Hongyi said nothing. He just stood there, silently staring in the direction Bai Tang had gone, lost in thought.
The true bystander, Qiu’er: “Serves him right.”
First-time spectator of the male lead’s drama, Xiao A: “If you’re still not chasing after him, enjoy being single forever.”
After a long silence, Jiang Yiran suddenly heard Qi Hongyi ask, “What should you do if you accidentally made a friend angry?”
Jiang Yiran thought he was talking about a real-life friend. “Apologize, of course.”
“What if they don’t accept the apology?” Qi Hongyi pressed his lips together as he thought about how Bai Tang had formally broken off their engagement.
So now, they were no longer fiancés. But given the close ties between the Bai and Qi families, didn’t that still make them friends?
How was he supposed to win Tang Tang back as his fiancé? Asking for advice online—urgent.
“An apology isn’t something you just say—it’s something you do. If you start doing nice things for him, how could he keep ignoring you? Over time, he’ll forgive you naturally,” Jiang Yiran said confidently.
Then she added curiously, “Brother Hong, what exactly happened?”
If you want to pursue someone, you need to understand their life and habits. That was Jiang Yiran’s current approach. She would often try to get information indirectly, hoping to learn more about Qi Hongyi’s real life. But aside from the situation with Bai Tang, she knew practically nothing about him. Even the Bai Tang incident—she only found out because Bai Tang showed up and made a scene.
After hearing her advice, Qi Hongyi suddenly felt enlightened. He thanked her, “Thanks. I know what to do now.”
And with that, he used lightfoot movement and dashed off in Bai Tang’s direction.
The abandoned Jiang Yiran: ???
Author’s Note:
Today’s update! I had plans tonight, so I stayed up late to get this chapter out for everyone.
This version of the male lead has terrifyingly low emotional intelligence. I honestly don’t even know how to write him chasing after his wife anymore (covers face).
Let’s have the male lead chase slowly from now on. Second Brother Bai is going to take Tang Tang on an adventure through the Jianghu. Qiu’er and Xiao A are basically expert commentators at this point.