Chapter 919: A New World

In the pristine white hospital room, the frail Xu Yao leaned against the peaceful hospital bed, her hands tightly gripping Huan Kai’s arm. Clear traces of tears remained beneath her furrowed brows.

It had been some time since Huan Kai opened his eyes again.

Click.

A nurse came in to check on the patient. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw the man who was said to have been in a vegetative state for a year and a half suddenly wake up, his eyes clear as he gazed at the girl leaning against the bed. Her expression immediately became more complex.

“Doctor…”

The nurse was about to shout when the man in the bed raised his hand to silence her.

After lying there for so long, a regular patient’s weak body and eyes could no longer convey any consciousness. But the nurse sensed a powerful, gentle spirit and an undeniable sense of authority in the eyes of this man named Chen Kaixin.

It was hard to imagine that a frail patient could possess such a gentle yet authoritative gaze—just like their hospital director… though younger and more energetic.

“…Come here.”

The nurse saw the man in the bed nod slightly with effort, his meaning clear in his eyes. She pointed at herself and tiptoed closer. Fortunately, the man’s gaze was calm and harmless, and his earlier look at Xu Yao had been filled with pity and sorrow. Otherwise, the nurse would never have been so indulgent as to obey a possibly delirious patient.

“Did I be in a coma for a long time?” Huan Kai found it hard to get used to his own voice—hoarse and unpleasant.

The nurse replied with an exaggeratedly excited expression, “Mm-hmm, almost a year and a half. The doctors said you might never wake up again… Look at the calendar…” She even took out the calendar beside him to show him, fearing he might not believe her.

Then, realizing that time could be distressing for the patient, the nurse glanced at Xu Yao, who was still in a daze. “It’s all because of this girl. She comes here every month to take care of you for a few days to make sure you’re fine… I heard she even hid it from your parents, taking care of you alone, saying it was to atone for her sins. But such a kind girl—how could she have done anything wrong? She brought you to the hospital by herself just now, crying like a broken thing.”

The nurse looked at Huan Kai and Xu Yao with a mixture of suspicion and pity.

“…”

Huan Kai’s gaze became even gentler, and he managed a faint smile.

“It’s none of her business. I remember I was in a bad mood, drank some alcohol, and fell. Now that I’m awake, please ask the nurse to call a doctor to check on me. Also, could you bring a blanket so she can sleep quietly for a while longer?”
“Understood.”
The female nurse, clearly an emotional person, gave a nod, turned gently, and rushed out of the ward…
After the nurse left, Happy tried to sort out her thoughts a bit.
Many things from her past life might have been misunderstandings.
Apart from Blood Cloak and Yipin Hall’s tactics to compete for a spot among the top eight globally, Xu Yao might have simply been exploited by Blood Cloak out of grief over her mother’s death and due to a message that wasn’t delivered in time, leading her to do things she later regretted.
Although Happy considered herself the biggest victim of these misunderstandings—having lost everything without reason, even a year and a half of her time and health—seeing Xu Yao carrying all that burden on her frail shoulders, what ice couldn’t melt?
The door to the ward was quickly opened again. Several young nurses and a few older doctors in white coats slipped in quietly.
“The doctor is here.”
The older doctors immediately went to the other side to check on Happy.
After examining her blood pressure, skin color, breathing, heartbeat, and pupils thoroughly, they were all amazed!
“Who says young people can’t create miracles?”
“Caring for her boyfriend who was in a coma for a year and a half until he woke up—this is a miracle.”
The older doctors were extremely excited, laughing as if it were a festival.
Happy, aware of her own condition, asked softly, “Doctor, how long do I need to rest before I can recover?”
“Well, your girlfriend has taken good care of you. Given your current condition, you should be able to walk normally within a month, and fully recover in two to three months.”
The doctor, clearly following the instructions from the previous nurse, spoke very gently, afraid of disturbing Xu Yao who was still asleep. He also spoke kindly to Happy: “Rest well, young man. Don’t worry too much about other things… Your health and your loved one are the most important.”
“I know, thank you, doctor.”
At the door, a group of young nurses gathered around the previous nurse, pointing at Happy and Xu Yao and chatting:
“…It’s true. You couldn’t tell when she was in a coma, but now she does seem a bit like the Frog Prince…”
“Shh, be quiet.”

“The prince has woken up now, and from then on, the princess and prince lived happily ever after, hehe…”
A group of girls chattered for a while before being chased out of the ward by the doctor, leaving only the nurse who had taken care of him initially.
The nurse shyly walked over to the bedside:
“I’m sorry; they insisted on coming along…”
She apologized for bringing a bunch of gossiping girls with her.
Happy forced a smile:
“It’s okay. As long as I wasn’t disturbed, that’s fine. By the way, have you played ‘Jianghu’?”
“Of course!”
The nurse’s eyes lit up:
“My boyfriend is trying to get me to play it too. We go by the name ‘Sun and Moon Swordsmen Couple’ in the game. Pretty cool, right?”
“Hehe, that’s great. Could you tell me about the current situation in Jianghu? Like, the strongest guilds in the Central Plains, their strength, and anything else you know.”
“Oh, right. Here, take this.”
Seeing Happy become enthusiastic about talking about ‘Jianghu’, the nurse seemed to remember something and turned to take a box from a cabinet nearby.
“What is it?”
“It was brought by your girlfriend. She said if you woke up, she’d give it to you, so you might not fall into a coma again…”
As she spoke, she opened the packaging. Inside was a game helmet that seemed to be quite old.
Happy’s eyes shone.
It was the game helmet he had used for three years. He thought Xu Yao had thrown it away, but she must have kept it. She even brought it to the hospital, probably hoping that seeing the helmet upon waking would prevent him from falling into a coma again…
She naturally didn’t know that his sudden coma was due to another person named Chen Kaixin.
“It’s so old. It’s from the first generation of helmets.”
The nurse held the helmet in her hands.
Happy was surprised.
“First generation? What does that mean?”
“You don’t know? A year ago, ‘Jianghu’ updated its resources, and the game helmets were replaced too. They’re more stylish and have more features—way better than the old ones.”
“What features?”
Happy pressed for details.
“Well, many. Like ‘Returning to Jianghu’, ‘Legend of the Emperor’, ‘Mystical Weapons’… and many more powerful players.”
The nurse rattled off a bunch of information:
“For example, ‘Returning to Jianghu’ is for those who suffer too harsh punishment for dying in the game, or those who stop playing after a month. They can regain their original information through this feature. Prisoners who face excessive punishment can be released early, but they end up in the exile lands outside the realm…”

“I won’t stop playing just because I delete my account. In fact, account information can be restored. In this world, the authorities will freeze and safeguard your data, keeping everything safe until you return—just like hermits who withdraw from the world.”
Happiness’s eyes lit up at these words!
Then, with a sudden thought, he turned to the nurse: “Do you know about me?”
“…”
The nurse nodded honestly: “Every time she comes here, Xu Yao is very lonely. I always chat with her, and she tells me things about you. She seems reluctant to talk about herself; only when talking about you does she become animated, saying how amazing you are in the game… saying you might even make it into the top eight of ‘Global Swordsmanship at Huashan’… She always cries silently after saying that.”
“Have you been by herself all these years?”
“Mm. Although many doctors and patients’ families in the hospital really like her, with everyone respecting and taking care of her, no one disturbs her.”
The nurse’s tone carried an undertone of explanation.
Happiness, however, fell into deep thought.
Bloodclothes… Had this guy left after using Xu Yao, or did things break down because of him? Never mind, he decided to put that aside for now.
“Tell me about things in this world.”
“What do you want to know?”
“That battle at Global Swordsmanship at Huashan—what was the ranking later on?”
“It’s been so long; I don’t remember. Wait a moment, I’ll check.”
The nurse rushed out excitedly and quickly returned, holding a sleek tablet.
Unnoticed by Happiness, Xu Yao, who had been tightly gripping her palm during the nurse’s two trips in and out, had already woken up. She fluttered her trembling eyelashes but held back from opening her eyes. From a spot where Happiness couldn’t see, two tears rolled down as she bit her lips tightly.
The information on the official website was well-preserved. Despite a year and a half passing and many events taking place, the records of Global Swordsmanship at Huashan were quickly retrieved by the nurse.
“The first place was Meiying, the leader of Xifeng Tower; from second to seventh were foreigners… their names are so long…” The nurse paused, glancing subtly at Happiness and Xu Yao with a flicker in her eyes.
Happiness seemed to sense something and smiled: “No need to explain the foreigners. Was Bloodclothes in eighth place?”
“Oh.”
The nurse nodded like a guilty little girl. It was hard to imagine a nurse with a boyfriend being as cute as a child.
“I already knew before anything happened. Don’t worry about me; I’m fine.”

Happy understood. She was worried that Bloodclothes’ ranking might upset her and cause further adverse reactions, so she quickly changed the subject:
“You must be aware of the power dynamics in the Central Plains now, right? Is it still Yipin Tang that holds sway, or Xifeng Tower?”
“It seems neither. After that grand event, many major incidents occurred in the martial world. Yipin Tang faced attacks from many people and even public criticism… It was related to you guys. Later, Bloodclothes left Yipin Tang to pursue her own path, and Yipin Tang continued to suffer attacks, eventually being overtaken by Xifeng Tower. Now, the greatest expert in the Central Plains martial world is Shadow, but… those who control the power structure there are a group of guys called Wild Wolves.”
“Hm?”
Happy was shocked.