Chapter 2: Eternal Clan, Following Liu Xiu

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Lao Gu's calm words exploded like thunder right beside Gu Yi's ears.

In that instant, Gu Yi even heard his own heartbeat growing faster and faster.

Everything—everything—was exactly the same!

【Extracting ancestral information.】

Gu Yi suddenly remembered the prompt before the game had started.

At once, he swallowed hard, his hands beginning to tremble faintly.

Could this game actually affect reality?

Even the characters you control… are our own Laozu?

This thought shook Gu Yi's worldview, yet everything before him now proved it true.

He remembered clearly: before this, his family had never mentioned anything about Laozu.

Given Lao Gu's personality, if there truly were records,

he would never have stayed silent for so many years.

Thinking of this, Gu Yi took a deep breath, and countless thoughts surged into his mind at once.

If this were truly the case,

wouldn't he have the chance to build an unparalleled family?

Never mind the accumulated wealth of thousands of years.

Just the family's foundational strength alone would be enough to let him live in complete ease in this era.

Thinking of this, Gu Yi instantly grew excited.

"What's wrong with this kid?"

The elderly couple at the dinner table, still sipping porridge, noticed Gu Yi's odd behavior and asked.

"I'm full."

Without a word, Gu Yi didn't hesitate—he rushed into his room, shut the door, and immediately picked up the game console again.

At this point, due to prolonged inactivity, the console's screen had gone dark.

But the moment Gu Yi touched it,

the screen lit up again, as if sensing his presence.

Yet it wasn't the game screen he expected—it was the initial interface once more.

Still those two bleak, massive characters, and all the options.

The only difference: 【Start Game】 had changed to 【Continue Game】.

This time, Gu Yi didn't rush to select Continue Game—he turned his gaze to the final option, 【Notes】, and tapped it directly.

If everything was truly as he suspected—that this game could affect reality—he needed to understand it thoroughly first.

A prompt instantly popped up.

【Notes.】

【1: Each time the player controls and merges with a character, it requires a massive amount of Achievement Points.】

（Note: Players can gain Achievement Points from the achievements of family members; the player's directly controlled character cannot earn Achievement Points. ）

【2: This game cannot be paused, saved, or rewound. The player has only one chance; the game's progress moves forward continuously.】

If all direct family members are eliminated, the game is considered lost.】

Everything the player does in the game will be erased; history will revert completely.】

（Note: The game will end three hundred years before the player's current time, ensuring the player does not vanish due to historical alterations. ）

【3: If the player's family alters history, history will gradually self-correct over time.】

（Example: If the player makes a change different from original history during the early Eastern Han, and no further actions follow, the impact will weaken over time until it fully reverts. ）

【4: Merging with and controlling a character does not equate to complete domination of that person.】

It only influences the character's overall mindset, causing them to make choices aligned with the player's desires when faced with decisions.】

【5: Achievement Points can be used for item draws—one draw per ten thousand points, yielding powerful items of varying tiers.】

（Note: Item tiers are: Divine, Heaven, Earth, Mystery, Common. ）

"It really can alter history!"

Reading these prompts, Gu Yi instantly confirmed it.

His thoughts surged uncontrollably.

Everything he had just imagined surged back into his mind at once.

To alter history…

That meant he had the chance to build a family spanning the entire river of time!

He took a deep breath, steadied his turbulent thoughts, and began carefully analyzing each note.

First, the first note.

Though Gu Yi rarely played games, his comprehension was strong.

He instantly grasped the core meaning.

That he could not guarantee he would control every generation of his family!

Just this one point made Gu Yi immediately realize the difficulty.

In five thousand years of Chinese history, how many illustrious families collapsed—or were wiped out entirely—because of one mediocre generation?

Especially since the game's timeline is set in the feudal era!

If even one generation of the family produced a mediocrity, the game might end.

And the second and third points eliminated Gu Yi's greatest concern.

That is, even if the family was wiped out and its lineage severed, or if it underwent major changes, this family would not vanish.

"In other words, to achieve the effect I want."

"At the very least, the entire family must survive throughout history and maintain strong influence right up until modern times."

"Only then can it counteract historical correction and leave something behind?"

Gu Yi instantly grasped this point, his expression growing even more serious.

The difficulty is too high!

In fact, compared to maintaining absolute influence throughout, the difficulty of simply preserving the lineage is relatively lower.

As long as the population is large enough and they avoid dangerous actions.

It's still quite simple to preserve the lineage.

But if you want to alter reality, you must maintain absolute influence at all times—this difficulty is truly unimaginable!

"But luckily, there are items."

Gu Yi exhaled deeply, using the moment to soothe his tense emotions.

But then he noticed the next two prompts, his expression freezing instantly.

"Wait, the divine-level item is the best?"

"Then what about my Celestial Phenomenon Card just now?"

Fuck!

His good mood vanished in an instant.

I got ripped off!

Although I still don't know the game's draw probabilities, even if my odds were high, I still got ripped off!

Liu Xiu!

What are you going to give me to repay what you owe me!

Gu Yi wanted to roar, feeling as if his heart were bleeding!

A divine-level item!

Gu Yi could already imagine how, with just this item's effect and some clever maneuvering, the entire family could leave a massive mark on history!

And yet I wasted it!

Gu Yi clenched his teeth, calmed himself for a long while, and gradually eased his anger.

"Thank goodness I didn't casually judge Liu Xiu just now!"

"If I'd messed up even slightly, the game could've ended right then—truly a catastrophic loss."

Gu Yi felt a lingering sense of dread, but then he realized it wasn't entirely unacceptable.

Judging from what just happened, through my unintentional actions just now.

My ancestor has now connected with Liu Xiu.

It's not without gain.

Gu Yi kept reassuring himself, then immediately exited the interface and tapped 【Game Achievements】.

【Game Achievements.】

【No unlocked achievements yet.

(Note: Achievements will be unlocked here upon completion; players can earn achievement points based on the achievement, and some rare achievements come with rare effects.)】

Compared to the previous notice, the Game Achievements interface was much simpler.

Gu Yi glanced at it briefly, closed the interface, then tapped 【Continue Game】.

Completely different from his previous casual state.

This time, Gu Yi stared intently at the screen.

With a loud bang.

The desolate background image shattered instantly, replaced by a completely unfamiliar scene.

Before Gu Yi could react.

The scene before him blurred instantly; the small screen gradually vanished.

The entire game's visuals now completely filled Gu Yi's entire field of vision.

The setting sun glowed like blood, hanging in the sky.

Broken swords and shattered halberds stuck in blood-soaked earth.

Smoke curled, charred plants and trees emitted a burnt odor, and the acrid stench of blood filled the air; not far away, he could even see massive craters left by meteor impacts.

He felt as if he'd been thrust into someone else's perspective.

Everything felt utterly real.

As if he had truly transcended, just like in those online novels.

But Gu Yi clearly sensed he was still in his own room.

This was all just the game.

Sure enough, the next moment.

Memories surged into his mind like watching a movie.

In an instant.

Gu Yi understood exactly what was happening.

The Battle of Kunyang had already ended.

My ancestor, following my words, followed Liu Xiu and Achieved Great Merit at the Battle of Kunyang.

And the celestial phenomenon card I activated had already taken effect.

Meteorites fell to earth, destroying the enemy camp.

This battle was a great victory!

"This"

Gu Yi's heartbeat grew faster and faster.

The brutal yet real scene before him was far too shocking for someone who had lived in an era of peace.

Gu Yi instinctively thought of the four characters: End Game.

The next instant, his vision returned to normal.

He was back in his own room.

And the previous scene reappeared on the game screen.

"Phew~"

Gu Yi took a deep breath, trying to quickly calm his emotions.

But his wildly pounding heart refused to settle.

There was nothing to be done. It was only natural.

No amount of mental self-reassurance helped—he could only slowly adapt.

Gu Yi built up his mental resolve, then turned his gaze back to the screen.

He stared intently at the screen for several seconds.

The familiar scene occurred again: the room's image gradually blurred, and the previous scene once more overwhelmed it.

"Brother Gu."

Before Gu Yi could react,

a familiar male voice came from behind him. Gu Yi immediately turned to look, and his perspective shifted instantly.

There stepped out Liu Xiu, clad in battle armor.

He smiled at him and said: "Brother Gu, what are you doing here?"

"This great victory was thanks entirely to your help, Brother Gu. Rest assured, I will report it to the court to recognize your Merit!"

The corresponding memories surged into his mind.

Gu Yi now understood the full chain of events following his choice.

His own Laozu Sect was the Captain of Dingling's infantry; because of his words, he made a different choice and led his seven hundred men to support Liu Xiu first.

His early action influenced many within the city.

After this great battle, he demonstrated extraordinary martial skill.

Now, those from Dingling were gradually coming to follow his Laozu Sect.

So… Liu Xiu was trying to win him over?

Once he understood this, Gu Yi did not hesitate—he immediately said: "General, you flatter me. This victory is entirely due to your might."

"Without your bravery, how could our army have won so decisively?"

Gu Yi naturally chose to follow Liu Xiu.

If this were just an ordinary game, he would have carved out his own empire.

But under the current circumstances, following Liu Xiu was the best choice.

After all, according to historical records, after founding his empire, Liu Xiu treated his meritorious subjects far differently than his ancestor Liu Bang.

As for carving out his own empire—

Gu Yi completely discarded that option.

Forget whether he could even succeed; even if he could, what then?

What Gu Yi needed was not merely his family's influence, but above all, the crucial inheritance!

Since ancient times, which dynasty has lasted forever?

The game requires that no direct descendant be entirely wiped out.

If he truly became Emperor, Gu Yi was certain his family would be utterly extinguished within a few centuries.

He would never do such a thing.

Hearing this, Liu Xiu's smile grew even brighter. "Brother Gu, no need for modesty. Come with me into the city."

"How could the victory banquet be complete without you, Brother Gu?"

Liu Xiu gestured with a polite wave.

And within the game, Gu Xiao, as the prompt had indicated, said nothing further once Gu Yi had decided to follow Liu Xiu—he immediately followed Liu Xiu into the city.

Gu Yi stared intently at the scene before him, his thoughts churning.

"According to history…"

"After the Battle of Kunyang, Liu Xiu would soon face the lowest point of his life, only beginning to rise again after going to Hebei and marrying Guo Shengtong, eventually founding the Eastern Han."

"And throughout the entire Eastern Han period, the great clans found their fertile ground."

"As long as we secure our position within Liu Xiu's camp, even though our family's influence is still weak now,"

"once the Eastern Han is established, with the relative stability ahead, we can surely grow our family's power."

"As long as we maintain restraint and ensure our family's education remains sound,"

"we should easily weather the Eastern Han period."

"I still don't know how many Achievement Points it will cost to merge with the controlled character—but as long as our family survives safely, saving these years' Achievement Points should be enough to accumulate what we need by the chaotic Three Kingdoms era."

Relying on his knowledge of history, Gu Yi swiftly determined the future direction of his family.

At that moment, Gu Xiao had already followed Liu Xiu into the city.

──────────

Gu Xiao, styled Zhanhong, was a native of Dingling, Yingchuan.

In his youth, Xiao possessed great courage and strength beyond ordinary men; he was sharp-witted and strategic, well-versed in military tactics, and all in his hometown marveled at him.

At the beginning of Gengshi, Wang Mang sent Grand Tutor Wang Xun and Grand Engineer Wang Yi to lead a million troops and encircle Kunyang; their banners and supply wagons stretched for a thousand li without end.

At that time, the Green Forest forces held the city, outnumbered and outmatched; the city was in dire peril, and the people were filled with panic.

Emperor Guangwu, then a deputy general, resolved to break out and summon reinforcements to relieve the siege, but the other generals hesitated and offered no response.

Xiao alone perceived Emperor Guangwu's divine bearing and deeply understood his strategy; he rose at once, rallied a hundred of his personal troops, swore to follow him to the death, and led the way for the other armies.

On the way, they encountered Wang Mang's forces blocking their path; Xiao charged forward on horseback, spear in hand, shattered the enemy's front line, broke through their ranks, and swept all before him, ultimately helping Emperor Guangwu reach Yǎn and Dingling to summon all the garrison troops.

When they returned to Kunyang, thunder split the clouds, wind and rain darkened the sky; Emperor Guangwu launched a full-scale assault. Xiao again led the elite vanguard, stormed into the enemy formation, slew generals and seized banners, his cries shaking the earth; Wang Mang's army collapsed utterly, corpses piled for a hundred li, the river's flow halted by the dead.

After the victory at Kunyang, the entire realm trembled; the fall of the Xin dynasty was sealed.

Emperor Guangwu patted his back and sighed: "Zhanhong, your courage is as unyielding as Jin Shi; you face peril without regard for yourself—you are truly my Fan Kuai! Of the Merit at Kunyang, you stand first."

———— Records of the Later Han. Biography of Gu Xiao

(End of Chapter)