An IQ of 250, But Loyal and Righteous

Before the simulation began, Chen Yi adjusted his equipped traits.

He currently possessed no martial arts cultivation, so he could equip a maximum of three traits. The "Simulator" trait was mandatory; otherwise, he couldn't run the simulation.

Since this was just a simulation, there was no need for "Hyper-Beast Pain Sensitivity."

He could just endure getting beaten or injured in the simulation; it wasn't as if his real body would feel the pain anyway.

[The tide arrives on the Qiantang River; today I finally know my true self.]

[Your hometown was slaughtered, and all your relatives perished. Under this immense shock, you awakened the memories of your past life, realizing that you are a transmigrator.]

[Thanks to Da Chun's quick thinking, he pulled you into the river to escape.]

[While unconscious, the two of you drifted into the territory of Qinghe County. You were picked up by the Black Stone Gang and forced to work as coolies on the docks under their control.]

[Under the Black Stone Gang's whip, you and the other laborers live like the walking dead, not knowing if you will see tomorrow.]

[Year 1, Age 18.]

[Beginning trait draw...]

[Draw successful!]

[ "White Streak in the Waves" (White): Water affinity strengthens. Swimming ability improved to the level of a national athlete. ]

[Do you wish to adjust your traits? (Your simulation self will not actively adjust traits; this option only appears during the annual trait draw, allowing 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?"

The time in the simulation seemed to follow reality. He had already drawn a trait this year in the real world, yet 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, so being good at swimming certainly wouldn't hurt.

[You have replaced "Hunger Resistance" with "White Streak in the Waves".]

[You realize that the simulation has begun.]

[You have a strong desire to do whatever you please, but your current strength is meager and your situation is precarious. Acting recklessly would be a death sentence.]

[You suppress the restlessness in your heart. You know you must survive longer in the simulation to draw 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 laborers 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.]

[Nightfall.]

[Just as you are preparing to rest, you hear the voice of the foreman, Wang Qiang.]

[ "I need three men. I've got a cushy job for you!" ]

[A good thing? You don't believe it for a second. You feign sleep.]

[ "Chen Yi! Stop pretending to sleep. I saw you taking a leak by the river just now!" ]

[Helplessly, you have no choice but to get up and walk over, otherwise Wang Qiang will definitely beat you before forcing you to do the "cushy job".]

[Wang Qiang speaks to the three of you laborers.]

[ "Tomorrow, before the first light of dawn, someone will take you to the Ten Mile Pavilion ten miles downstream to deliver a meal to the River God! Once the job is 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 to be the River God's meal?

If you're dead, what's the point of the Yihong Courtyard?

Chen Yi had heard some of the older coolies say that there was a river demon in the Qing River that loved to eat people.

Every time its craving hit, it would stir up wind and waves to capsize boats.

Later, the Black Stone Gang arrived, and the incidents of the river demon causing waves decreased significantly.

The old men believed that the Black Stone Gang had made a deal with the river demon to voluntarily send a few people down for it to eat every month, so it wouldn't interfere with the canal transport.

Judging from the simulation content, this was likely the truth.

"That means I have to hide tonight..."

Thank goodness for the simulation; he knew the news in advance. Chen Yi secretly made a note of it.

But he wondered if his simulation self could survive this ordeal.

[ "Damn it!" ]

[You curse inwardly, knowing you are doomed.]

[In that case, escape tonight!]

[In the latter half of the night, when everyone is fast asleep, you leap into the water.]

[You are going to swim to the opposite bank!]

[The currents of the Qing River are turbulent. Before, 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 Streak in the Waves" trait. You can gamble on it!]

[Staying here means you won't live to see tomorrow evening anyway!]

[You thrash vigorously in the water. Your swimming technique has indeed improved vastly. Swimming to the other side like this will be no problem at all!]

[Haha! I'm going to be free!]

[Hearing the splash of water, a group of laborers on the dock stand up and shout.]

[ "Chen Yi has run away! Someone come quick!" ]

[What the hell! Was everyone pretending to sleep?!]

[The laborers are so alert because you are all under a system of collective punishment.]

[If one person runs, everyone in the same team is implicated. The punishment ranges from a severe beating to death by a thousand cuts and being hung from the sails.]

[The people of the Black Stone Gang are alerted.]

[Wang Qiang lets out a cold snort.]

[ "Let's see if you can swim faster than our boat!" ]

[Wang Qiang leads men onto a boat. Just as they are about to weigh anchor and set sail, a fire suddenly blazes into the sky on the shore.]

[ "Hahaha! It's on fire!!" ]

[Da Chun has tipped the brazier used for lighting the dock onto a pile of goods that hasn't been shipped yet.]

[The fire ignites instantly, and the entire dock turns into chaos.]

[ "Quick, put out the fire! If this batch of goods burns, the Gang Leader will slaughter us!" ]

[Wang Qiang can no longer bother chasing you; he hurriedly leads his men to fetch water and fight the fire.]

[Amidst the firelight, you vaguely see a group of Black Stone Gang members, cursing and swearing, rushing towards Da Chun with machetes in hand.]

[Blood splatters five paces.]

Seeing this, Chen Yi was visibly moved.

Da Chun had already saved him once back in Luoding Village.

He didn't expect that in the simulation, upon discovering Chen Yi was trying to escape, Da Chun would help him again without hesitation.

He even sacrificed his life.

Chen Yi looked at Da Chun beside him.

At this moment, because he hadn't eaten enough, Da Chun was squatting on the ground, drooling as he watched the thin porridge in someone else's bowl.

He might not have a high IQ, but he was loyal and righteous.

Chen Yi thought to himself that if he ever had the ability to escape the Black Stone Gang in the future, he would definitely take Da Chun with him.

[ "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 survive!]

[Live until the day you find an opportunity for cultivation!]

[Then inherit the cultivation base from the simulation to reality, and help the real you and Da Chun escape the oppression of the Black Stone Gang!]

[Exerting all your strength, you swim through the icy, turbulent river water to the opposite bank.]

[Heaven be praised, neither the River God nor the river demon appeared.]

[Perhaps it had already received news from the Black Stone Gang and was waiting at the mysterious feeding spot downstream, so it didn't notice the situation upstream.]

[After coming ashore, you face a choice regarding your next step.]

[1. Go to Baiyun County to seek refuge with 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 for a moment.

Option three was clearly a joke and was immediately eliminated.

Should he seek refuge with Third Sister or hunker down in the wild?

Chen Yi actually had three siblings.

When he was eight years old, his eldest brother and second sister went into the mountains to gather resources and disappeared; to this day, there has been no news of them.

When he was fifteen, Third Sister married into a family in Baiyun County Town.

"I remember that Third Brother-in-law is a martial artist. If I go seek refuge with Third Sister, I should be able to come into contact with the Martial Dao. Perhaps I can ask how to acquire a Root Bone, or whether it is possible to cultivate without one?"