There was no other choice but to flee.

Ren Suo pondered the game's plot. Apparently, a heavenly calamity or disaster had struck the Martial World, and the Sanctuary, one of the Six Major Factions, had used their Stargazing Technique or something similar to deduce that Young Master Mu was responsible.

And it was true that Young Master Mu was a descendant of the Demon Lord; even though he wasn't responsible, he couldn't withstand an investigation.

Young Master Mu himself was actually a minor leader of the Skycraft Pavilion, one of the Six Major Factions, yet the Skycraft Pavilion joined the Sanctuary in pursuing him.

After realizing he was a descendant of the Demon Lord and had committed countless murders, his colleagues in the Skycraft Pavilion could no longer tolerate his presence.

Even if he thought about breaking out directly, there were even more people outside ready to encircle and suppress the protagonist.

For example, that Slovenly Taoist seemed capable of defeating Young Master Mu in combat. If Young Master Mu hadn't been able to replenish his Health Points and Inner Qi by consuming Resentful Spirit's Power, the Slovenly Taoist would have crippled him right from the start.

That Taoist had the Thunder Dragon, Firebird, and Sword Control Technique at his disposal, easily gaining the upper hand in battle. Even if Young Master Mu managed to break through and attack him, perhaps with a simple command of "Sword, come forth," the Taoist would activate the Myriad Swords Art and pin Young Master Mu to death.

Thus, the only way to avoid a BADEND was to run away!

What's more, the game's introduction already explicitly stated that this game revolved around the Demon Lord's descendant fleeing from the relentless pursuit of the Six Major Factions.

So Ren Suo's strategy wasn't "be bold, don't be timid," but rather "be slow, don't throw your life away"!

So the question was—how could he make Young Master Mu escape?

Waking up with a beautiful woman and then having Maid Xiao Suo come in to tip him off—that part of the storyline couldn't be omitted. Ren Suo restarted the game and discovered that Young Master Mu would inevitably jump out of the house on his own. Once outside, he would see his colleagues from the Skycraft Pavilion arriving in a war chariot.

At that point, Ren Suo had Young Master Mu take to his heels, but since the Skycraft Pavilion had surrounded him from all sides, Young Master Mu still had to fight his way out. Yet not long after breaking out, he would encounter the Slovenly Taoist...

Although this time Young Master Mu hadn't killed any Skycraft Pavilion colleagues, the Slovenly Taoist bellowed, "For the innocent civilians!" and with one strike shattered Young Master Mu's Qi Barrier.

If he wanted to break out with brute strength, I'd have to use Rippling Spring Sounds, Ren Suo thought.

Moreover, fleeing seemed meaningless, as the Skycraft Pavilion was too powerful, appearing to have connections all over the region. Once Young Master Mu waged war against the Skycraft Pavilion, the Slovenly Taoist would bring people to chase him down and slay him.

Soon, Ren Suo figured out the key to breaking through the situation: Flee, flee as quickly as possible, and don't encounter any of the Skycraft Pavilion's people!

Escaping without facing them would, at most, brand him as someone absconding out of guilt, but it wouldn't confirm if he was the Demon Lord. However, after a confrontation, even the Skycraft Pavilion would have no choice but to use all their strength to eliminate him!

But how to escape?

Ren Suo felt like he must have missed something, so he looked at the game's main interface, pondered for a moment, and clicked on "Life is as Tumultuous as the Tides, Men as Fickle as Water."

The title was still "Maid Xiao Suo's Secret Diary," but unlike before, there were now several more lines of inked records in the diary:

"This time, Young Master is doomed; the experts from the Skycraft Pavilion are coming to kill him."

"What if Young Master turns evil? What should we do then?"

"There's no escape. The Skycraft Pavilion has such great power; there's no escape..."

"Young Master has killed so many people!"

"What should we do?"

These records appeared to be nothing more than Maid Xiao Suo's worries and guesses, but from the content, it was evident that these records closely related to the ending Ren Suo had botched, as if Xiao Suo had foreseen Young Master Mu's fate.

However, these lines of text floated uncertainly, as if they might vanish at any moment. Ren Suo tried clicking on them with the mouse and found that the inked characters quickly disappeared, replaced by new lines of text:

"We must persuade Young Master to escape."

"Once Young Master turns dark, he won't even recognize me, so it's important to keep his mood positive."

"We must not offend the Skycraft Pavilion."

"It's best not to kill anyone; otherwise, it would only confirm Young Master's cruel reputation."

"What should we do?"

When Ren Suo tried clicking on the last line, "What should we do?" Maid Xiao Suo suddenly popped up, folding her arms and pouting as she pondered deeply, thought bubbles appearing overhead, "Ah, I can't think of what to do. Xiao Suo is so dumb..."

"Help Maid Xiao Suo think through a difficult problem: 14 Merit Points."

"Huh?"

Ren Suo crossed his arms as he read this game prompt, feeling utterly perplexed. The Krypton Gold feature this time is actually to help an NPC solve a problem?

And spending Krypton Gold can actually help an NPC?

So there's a cure for stupidity after all?

However, Ren Suo didn't rashly use the Krypton Gold option. Merit Points didn't grow on trees; he planned to save them for when they were truly needed.

So, he started the game again, and this time he quickly noticed something different—

After Young Master Mu left the bedroom and Maid Xiao Suo explained that the Six Major Factions wanted to eliminate him, Xiao Suo's dialogue subtly changed:

"Young Master, now the people from the Skycraft Pavilion and the Sanctuary are coming to capture you. This is indeed a moment of critical danger; you must not act rashly or fall into their trap! How about we discuss with Miss Ling'er to figure out a foolproof strategy so that we can leave safely?"

So that was it!

Ren Suo hadn't expected that the key to beating the game involved guiding Maid Xiao Suo's thoughts, worries, and guesses in "Maid Xiao Suo's Secret Diary." This would change her words and actions, thereby indirectly influencing the protagonist!

Ren Suo couldn't help but marvel. What clever gameplay! Though it's a bit like taking off one's pants to fart—pointlessly complicated. Why not just provide all the options directly and let me decide for Young Master Mu? Wouldn't that be better?

However, even though Xiao Suo gave another option, Young Master Mu still stubbornly shook his head. "No! If I run away like this, wouldn't I just confirm the stigma? Being persecuted by conspiracies and schemes, becoming a pawn in someone else's game? I. Will. Not. Do. It!"

To Ren Suo's astonishment, Young Master Mu completely ignored Xiao Suo's advice and jumped out to fight the Skycraft Pavilion again!

As a Demon Lord, is your pride really that strong? Don't you know what it means to be flexible? Ren Suo thought.

Returning to "Maid Xiao Suo's Secret Diary," sure enough, a new worry and guess had appeared: "Young Master's pride is too strong; I might not be able to persuade him..."

After clicking, this worry transformed into a solution: "We can only reason with him."

Starting the game again, Maid Xiao Suo's words had indeed changed. "Young Master! Have you heard the stories of enduring hardship and humiliation for a greater cause? As long as the green mountains remain, we won't lack firewood! As long as you preserve your strength for a useful purpose, you can accomplish great things! The Grand Historian was castrated but still managed to write the rhymeless Lisao, the ultimate masterpiece of historians. Young Master, you will definitely be stronger than the Grand Historian!"

Young Master Mu retorted, "Endure humiliation? I can't do that! I'd rather die standing than live on my knees! I choose to seek success directly, not to plead through compromise!"

And then, he dived out to fight the Skycraft Pavilion for three hundred rounds again.

Ren Suo was at his wit's end. You're a Demon Lord, so how can you be more upright and righteous than the heroes? In martial arts stories, Holy Maidens and Heroines often endure humiliation and serve a Devil Head, bearing his children and raising a family, only to wait for a moment of laxity to conspire with their past lover and kill him!

Now you're not being asked to eat shit, just to run away, yet you're making so much trouble...

After quickly leading Young Master Mu to his demise, Ren Suo opened "Maid Xiao Suo's Secret Diary," and, of course, a new entry had appeared.

However, Ren Suo merely clicked it and didn't pay further attention, instead tapping on "What should I do?"

The pondering image of Maid Xiao Suo appeared again. "Help Xiao Suo think through a tough problem: 13 Merit Points."

It was one Merit Point cheaper than the last time he checked.

Ren Suo guessed that the key to clearing this game probably lay in "Maid Xiao Suo's Secret Diary."

He had gradually discerned the correct way to clear the game through many bad endings, yet it seemed the number of bad endings was still insufficient, and thus Xiao Suo wasn't able to persuade Young Master Mu to escape.

And this Krypton Gold option likely allowed players to bypass the need to churn out bad endings over time, directly letting Xiao Suo learn the real way to clear the game, thereby enabling Young Master Mu to leave the novice stage.

Having weighed his options, Ren Suo resolutely chose to use Krypton Gold.

It wasn't because he had too many Merit Points to throw around; the main reason was that these bad endings weren't easy to achieve. Ren Suo had just botched it twice, which had led to the cost going down from 14 points to 13 points.

It was probably designed to require players to produce as many different bad endings as possible for Xiao Suo to inch closer to the actual path to clearing the game.

Ren Suo planned to pay this time to see what the clear path was, and then he could trigger specific bad endings based on that path.

After he paid, the thinking Maid Xiao Suo suddenly had an epiphany, her right fist slamming into her left palm, a lightbulb practically appearing above her head. "Oh, that's how it is!"

Ren Suo had no idea how many times he had started a new game; it must have been about ten by now.

Young Master Mu woke up from bed, came out with Ling'er, and then learned from Maid Xiao Suo that the Six Major Factions were hunting him.

At that moment, Ren Suo saw a scene that astonished him—

"Young Master!" Maid Xiao Suo ran straight over and embraced Young Master Mu, her eyes shining like stars as she said, "Young Master, you absolutely mustn't bother with those idiots from the Skycraft Pavilion. They can't even see through such an obvious trap; they aren't worthy of your trust! Young Master, you simply cannot place your precious life in the hands of such mediocrities, nor do you need to explain yourself to them! They're mortals incapable of discerning the truth! Killing them would only dirty your hands! Besides, fighting them would just satisfy the expectations of the puppeteer behind the scenes. You must control your own destiny! How can you, who are meant to dazzle and soar across the sky, allow those mortals to pull you down to the ground? Leave this battlefield they've prepared for you, seek opportunities elsewhere, and then crush them with honor and dignity!"

The 13 Merit Points were indeed well spent, Ren Suo thought.

Originally, it was 'can't win' + 'run away,' but now it suddenly turned into 'I'm above fighting you' and 'I won't fall for your traps.'

The level of reasoning jumped dramatically, evolving from 'let's slip away' to 'I, Young Master, act as I please and need explain myself to no one.'

Not just Young Master Mu, but even Ren Suo in front of the screen, was pleasantly flattered by these words, feeling as if he were enjoying an Emperor's treatment.

As expected, Young Master Mu finally conceded, "If that's the case, then I shall not demean myself by dealing with them. Hmph, I never expected you, Xiao Suo, to occasionally say something pleasant."

"Phew..."

Ren Suo exhaled deeply, now finally seeing hope for clearing the novice stage; this protagonist was truly damn troublesome.

DING-A-LING-A-LING-A-LING—

The alarm clock suddenly rang, and only then did Ren Suo realize it was already 6:45 in the morning. He hurriedly paused the game and woke up Little Jiu to get up and wash.

He hurriedly fried an egg, swiftly prepared a peach-shaped longevity bun, and made a serving of instant abalone sauce noodles. He took a can of chilled milk from the fridge for Little Jiu's breakfast. After Little Jiu, still drowsy, finished eating and drinking her milk, he held her small hand and walked her to elementary school. After waving goodbye to Little Jiu at the school entrance, Ren Suo leisurely strolled home, pondering the game "Inverted World" as he went.

The setting for "Maid Xiao Suo's Secret Diary" started with a thrilling hunt as its opening, against the Martial Arts backdrop of the Six Major Factions... However, this kind of opening—being hunted down—is quite a standard trope in Martial Arts games.

Assassinations, slaughtering the entire family, being born under a cursed star—these are common origins for protagonists in martial arts stories. If your martial arts protagonist has both parents alive, a peaceful home, a wife and children, it would make people feel like your protagonist shouldn't be this strong—all those poor antagonists should be the ones defeating you, you happy and carefree Successful and Showy Person!

Speaking of which, Young Master Mu, this protagonist, could be said to be the most troublesome protagonist Ren Suo had ever encountered, only comparable to the Rebel...

Huh?

Ren Suo slightly furrowed his brows, realizing that things were not so simple.

But he quickly relaxed his brow, thinking, I don't have the dozens of Skills Young Master Mu possesses. Unlike him, I don't have a wife to share my bed with. Young Master Mu has colleagues; I have none.

I'm just an idle tax thief; how could I have colleagues?

Ren Suo thought it over. The only thing Young Master Mu and I might have in common is our handsomeness; everything else is completely different.

At least one thing is completely different: if someone advised me to run away, I'd definitely slip away at the drop of a hat. How could I possibly care about dignity and all that?

Ren Suo thought to himself, I must have been spooked by "My Life is Not Your Game." How could I possibly become a protagonist again?

If I were to become a protagonist again, I'd definitely notice it in an instant!

At that moment, a message suddenly came to his phone. Ren Suo glanced at it and saw it was from the Tactical Bureau.

Lian River Countermeasure Bureau: "Recently, due to the increase in Spiritual Energy concentration, disasters have been frequent across the country. Special cases of Cultivators undergoing mutations have emerged. Mutated Cultivators may suddenly lose their sanity or fall into prolonged sleep; the cause is currently unknown but suspected to be related to Awakening. All registered Cultivators, please submit the mobile phone numbers of your emergency contacts (no fewer than three individuals, preferably within the city). This will allow medical institutions to contact them to assist with recovery treatment if a Cultivator undergoes mutation."

The Spiritual Energy concentration is rising further, causing Cultivators to mutate?

Ren Suo pondered. Is this similar to how excessive solar radiation can lead to genetic mutations?

Perhaps the rise in Spiritual Energy concentration deepens the Awakening? If so, falling asleep and losing sanity wouldn't be hard to understand. Indeed, Awakening is often accompanied by special circumstances, like Lin Xianyu's hand being continuously afflicted for several days.

But this had nothing to do with Ren Suo, as he was not an Awakener.

Still, he had to submit emergency contacts. Ren Suo thought about it and decided to choose his sister first, then Qiao Muyi and Dong Chengling, according to their Bond Level.

What? You're asking why I didn't choose Yu Kuangtu and Bai Ji as emergency contacts?

Why choose men when there are women available?

After submitting the mobile numbers, Ren Suo's phone automatically sent out three messages: to his sister, Dong Chengling, and Qiao Muyi. "I have chosen you as my emergency contact. In the event of an emergency with me (Ren Suo), medical institutions and the Tactical Bureau will contact you at the earliest time to assist me."

They all seemed to have gotten up early; soon, they each replied:

Ren Xingmei: "(°ー°〃) No problem! Even if you can't walk, Brother, I'll still help you get to the toilet!"

Let's hope that day never comes, Ren Suo thought.

Dong Chengling: "Yes, I have chosen you as my emergency contact as well."

That's right, I'm the professional choice for her, he mused.

Qiao Muyi: "TD"

Ren Suo thought: Well, a middle finger to you too!

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