Chapter 87: The Heroine of Mirror Lake

Chronicles of Huaxia: January 25, 1900, the Huaxia Daily was officially launched in Xiangdao, with Chief Editor Chen Shaobai and Deputy Editor, the foreigner Wang Ying.
A notice in the Huaxia district drew the attention of all players. The formal inception of the Huaxia Daily was not unexpected, but what surprised everyone was that a foreigner had become the deputy editor of the newspaper. In the political attributes of players, propaganda was one category, meaning that excelling in publicity was equally important. If one could connect with the deputy editor of the Huaxia Daily and she wielded her pen to report on a player in the newspaper, fame would surely follow.
Players eager to become leaders rushed to the post office to write letters to Wang Ying, hoping to collaborate with her, but their efforts were destined to be in vain. Wang Ying had set up a refusal to accept mail; if the postman delivered the letters to Xiangdao and she insisted on not accepting them, the post office would return the letters to their senders.
Player Wang Ying, congratulations on cooperating with NPC Chen Shaobai to complete the task issued by Mr. Sun Wen. You have become the deputy editor of the Huaxia Daily, your reputation increases by 5 points, and your propaganda increases by 3 points.
The Huaxia Daily was a highly influential newspaper, and after the system-wide announcement, Wang Ying received a reward of 8 attribute points. During the early stages when Chen Shaobai was raising funds, she had invested a considerable amount, and she participated throughout the newspaper’s establishment. Now, at last, her efforts bore fruit.
Chen Shaobai, styled Kuishi, was counted among the “Four Great Outlaws” by the Qing court alongside Sun Wen, You Lie, and Yang Heling, and had traveled to Taiwan to found the Xingzhong Association. He was one of the veteran revolutionaries. Learned and talented, Wang Ying was fortunate to become his student. Though she had no gaming experience, her aptitude for learning made her well-suited to the path of publicity.
After the successful launch of the first issue of the Huaxia Daily, Wang Ying left her office and came down to the first floor, where she saw “Aunt” dressed in martial attire practicing her sword dance. She approached and said, “Aunt, your sword dance is truly beautiful.”
The female NPC sheathed her sword and smiled at Wang Ying. “I do not practice sword for beauty, but for killing. If you return to southern Hunan with me, I will teach you swordplay.”
Player Wang Ying, NPC Qiu Jin wishes to teach you the skill ‘Fencing’. Do you wish to accept?
If it had been another player, faced with such a good fortune, they would have accepted without hesitation. Wang Ying, however, had no gaming experience and was a quiet girl in real life, uninterested in fencing. As deputy editor of the Huaxia Daily, she was responsible for reviewing the submissions from NPCs and publishing those she found suitable. This work allowed her to familiarize herself with the thoughts of many famous figures of modern times, which Wang Ying found fascinating.

To practice fencing would mean following Qiu Jin back to southern Hunan and temporarily leaving her newspaper work, which she was unwilling to do. So she shook her head and replied, “Aunt, I am doing well at the newspaper, and I’m only interested in writing, not in martial arts.”
Qiu Jin shook her head in disappointment. “All you Wang family members are the same—always devoted to scholarship. But the Qing court is rotten to the core; how can reading books save this country?”
Depending on a revolutionary faction-like organization is equally futile, Wang Ying thought to herself, though she dared not say it aloud. Seeing Qiu Jin somewhat depressed, she comforted her, “Aunt, everyone has their own strengths! Given my character, I am better suited to literary work at the newspaper. I have a friend who enjoys martial arts; perhaps I could introduce them to you sometime?”
Qiu Jin replied with little enthusiasm, “We’ll talk about it later. I’ve been in Xiangdao for over ten days now; tomorrow I’ll set out for southern Hunan. Xiangdao harbors some Qing court agents; you must be careful.”
Wang Ying nodded. “I’ll take care, Aunt. When are you leaving tomorrow? I’ll come with Brother Yuanpei to see you off.”
“At ten in the morning, at the docks,” said Qiu Jin, before returning to her room to pack.
Wang Ying never expected, as such a novice player, to meet the illustrious Qiu Jin so soon. Besides herself, Chen Shaobai had another NPC student called Wang Yuanpei, nephew to Wang Tingjun, who served as a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue and happened to be Qiu Jin’s husband.
Wang Ying had not yet completed her clan quest. In the game, she and Wang Yuanpei referred to each other as siblings; Wang Yuanpei once said she was likely from a branch of the southern Hunan Wang clan and could visit Hunan to seek her ancestors. If Chen Hao had heard the NPC speak so plainly, he would have realized the clan quest had been triggered, but Wang Ying, oblivious, replied that she had no plans to visit Hunan, missing the opportunity.
Because she called Wang Yuanpei brother, Wang Ying also addressed Qiu Jin as “Aunt.” With Wang Ying’s belief in republican democracy and her assistance in running the newspaper, Qiu Jin was very affectionate toward her. Whenever she had time, Qiu Jin would share revolutionary ideas with her and, as just now, offered to teach her swordplay, though Wang Ying remained uninterested.
Wang Ying was eager to recommend Chen Hao to Qiu Jin, so he could learn a new skill in the game, but she did not know his in-game name and could only vaguely promise Qiu Jin she would recommend a friend in the future.

Had Chen Hao known he could learn fencing from Qiu Jin, he would have been thrilled. Qiu Jin, famed as the “Heroine of Mirror Lake,” excelled at riding and fencing. By studying under Qiu Jin, one could not only foster good relations with revolutionary NPCs, but also learn horsemanship and possibly improve cavalry proficiency.
When the system announced Wang Ying’s appointment as deputy editor, Chen Hao was not online; otherwise, he would have suspected that Wang Ying and Wang Ying were the same person. After Wang Ying left the hospital, Chen Hao applied his medicine and departed with Ban Qianqian, whose mood was still unsettled, and so he had no intention of logging into the game for now.
Walking with Ban Qianqian toward the school, they had not gone far when she suddenly clung to him tightly. “Brother, you aren’t sending me back to the dormitory, are you? I never want to live in that room again.”
Chen Hao fully understood Ban Qianqian’s feelings. Though nothing catastrophic had happened, only Dong Xiaohui and Lily, who participated in her abduction, would be detained by the police; the other girls should be fine. However, the incident had left a shadow in Ban Qianqian’s heart, and she could no longer face her roommates if she returned.
Chen Hao had no intention of sending her back to the dormitory, but he was still somewhat shy. Even though there was nothing improper in his thoughts, suggesting they get a hotel room was hard for him to voice.
“Brother, let’s find a hotel to stay in for now! You risked everything for me at the KTV, so I believe you won’t harm me,” Ban Qianqian said, raising her head.
Seeing the once cheerful and adorable Ban Qianqian now so anxious, Chen Hao’s heart ached. He hated himself for failing to protect her. He had never aspired to much in life, thinking a peaceful existence was enough. But his helplessness this time made him yearn to become stronger. Society in reality was ruled by money and power, and with the game ‘War’ unlocking human potential, personal ability would become increasingly important. He would strive to improve himself in both game and reality.
Chen Hao previously bore no grudge against Zhou Shi, but after this incident, he hated him bitterly, for Zhou Shi had hurt Qianqian. In reality, Chen Hao was temporarily powerless—he could not always rely on Wang Ying—but in the game, he would sabotage everything Zhou Shi had. (PS: We’re at Sanjiang now, another new week, please click, recommend, and bookmark.)