Chapter 2: An Immortal Family, Following Liu Xiu

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Gu's calm words exploded directly in Gu Yi's ears like a thunderclap.

In that instant, Gu Yi even heard the sound of his own heartbeat accelerating.

Everything, absolutely everything, was exactly the same!

[Extracting ancestor information.]

Gu Yi suddenly remembered the prompt from just before the game started.

For a moment, he couldn't help but swallow hard, and even his hands began to tremble slightly.

Could it be... that this game can affect reality?

And the characters he could control inside... were his own ancestors?

This thought dealt a blow to Gu Yi's worldview, but everything right now was proving it to be true.

He remembered very clearly that before this, his family had never once mentioned anything about their ancestors.

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

it would be impossible for them not to have been mentioned for so many years.

Thinking of this, Gu Yi couldn't help but take a deep breath, and countless thoughts surged up in that instant.

If this were truly the case,

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

Not to mention that kind of wealth accumulated over thousands of years.

Just based on the family's foundation... in the current era, it would be enough to just lie flat.

Thinking of this, Gu Yi suddenly became excited.

"What's wrong with this child?"

The elderly couple drinking porridge at the dining table also noticed Gu Yi's abnormality and couldn't help but ask.

"I'm full."

Gu Yi didn't waste any words; without the slightest hesitation, he rushed into his room, closed the door, and immediately picked up the game console again.

At this moment, perhaps because it hadn't been operated for a long time, the game console's screen had gone black.

But the moment Gu Yi touched it,

the screen lit up again as if it had sensed him.

It wasn't the game screen Gu Yi had imagined, but the initial starting interface.

It was still those two desolate large characters and various options.

The only difference was that [Start Game] had changed to [Continue Game].

This time, Gu Yi didn't rush to choose to continue the game, but looked at the final [Notes] and clicked on it directly.

If everything was truly as he thought and this game could affect reality, he had to understand this game carefully first.

A prompt popped up instantly.

[Notes.]

[1: The player needs a massive amount of Achievement Points each time they merge with and control a character.

(Note: Players can obtain Achievement Points through the achievements of family members, but the person the player is personally controlling cannot earn Achievement Points.)]

[2: This game cannot be paused, saved, or time-reversed; the player only has one chance, and the game's progress will move forward continuously.

If all direct descendants of the family are wiped out, it is considered a game failure.

Everything the player did in the game will be erased, and history will be completely restored.

(Note: The game will have a cutoff point three hundred years before the player's current time to ensure the player does not disappear due to changes in history.)]

[3: If the player's family changes history, history will continuously self-correct as time passes.

(Example: If the player makes a change different from original history at the beginning of the Eastern Han, if there is no follow-up, the impact caused will become weaker and weaker over time until it is completely restored.)]

[4: The player merging with and controlling a character is not equivalent to completely controlling the corresponding person.

It only influences the overall thinking of the corresponding person, causing them to make choices that meet the player's needs whenever they face various options.]

[5: Achievement Points can be used for item draws; one draw for every ten thousand Achievement Points, and powerful items of different grades can be obtained.

(Note: Item grades are divided into: Divine, Heaven, Earth, Profound, Mortal.)]

"It can actually affect history!"

Looking at these prompts one by one, Gu Yi instantly confirmed this point.

His entire mind couldn't help but surge with thoughts.

Everything he had just thought of surged up again in this instant.

Being able to affect history...

Doesn't that mean he has the opportunity to build a family that spans the long river of history!

He took a deep breath to calm his surging thoughts and began to carefully analyze these notes one by one.

First, let's look at this first prompt.

Although Gu Yi didn't play games much, fortunately, his comprehension ability wasn't weak.

He instantly understood the core meaning of this prompt.

That is, he couldn't ensure that he could control every generation of the family!

Just based on this point, Gu Yi instantly realized the difficulty involved.

In China's five thousand years of history, how many illustrious families have completely declined or even been wiped out because of one generation?

Not to mention that the game's time was still in the feudal era!

If even one mediocre person appeared in the family, they would likely face the risk of the game ending!

And the second and third points relieved Gu Yi's biggest worry.

That is, if the family were wiped out and the lineage interrupted, or if a major change were made, their family wouldn't disappear.

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

"at the very least, the entire family must not be wiped out throughout history, and before approaching the modern era, the family must always maintain a powerful influence."

"Only in this way can the correction of history be offset and things be left behind?"

Gu Yi thought of this instantly, and his expression became increasingly serious.

The difficulty was a bit too high!

Actually, compared to always maintaining absolute influence, the difficulty of just leaving a legacy is relatively smaller.

As long as there are enough people and they don't do anything dangerous,

it is still very simple to pass it down.

But if one wants to change reality, one must always maintain absolute influence; the difficulty of this is truly unimaginable!

"But fortunately, there are items..."

Gu Yi exhaled a deep breath, taking the opportunity to soothe his tense emotions.

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

"Wait, Divine-grade items are the best?"

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

Damn it!

The good mood from just a moment ago was swept away instantly.

What a huge loss!

Although he didn't know the probability of this game's draws, even if his probability was high, it was still a loss!

Liu Xiu!

What will you use to pay me back for what you owe me!

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

A Divine-grade item!

Gu Yi could imagine what kind of impact this item's effect, combined with some operations, would have on the entire family in history!

And he had just wasted it like that!

Gu Yi gritted his teeth and calmed down for a long time before gradually easing up.

"It's a good thing I didn't casually comment on Liu Xiu just now!"

"If something had gone wrong and the game had ended directly, that would have been a truly huge loss."

Gu Yi felt a lingering fear, but after a moment's thought, it wasn't unacceptable.

Now it seemed that after his unintentional operation just now,

his ancestor had already made contact with Liu Xiu.

It wasn't entirely without gains.

Gu Yi kept comforting himself, then immediately exited this interface and clicked on [Game Achievements].

[Game Achievements.]

[No unlocked achievements yet.

(Note: After achieving an achievement, it will be unlocked here. Players can not only obtain Achievement Points based on different achievements, but some rare achievements also come with rare effects.)]

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

Gu Yi just took a simple look and closed the interface, then clicked the [Continue Game] button.

It was completely different from his previous casual state.

This time, Gu Yi stared intently at the screen.

Accompanied by a loud bang.

The bleak background image shattered instantly, followed by a completely unfamiliar scene.

Before Gu Yi could even react.

The scene before his eyes blurred instantly, and the screen, which was not very large, gradually disappeared.

The entire game scene occupied Gu Yi's entire field of vision in that instant.

The setting sun was like blood, hanging on the horizon.

Broken swords and shattered halberds were stuck in the blood-stained soil.

Smoke swirled, charred vegetation gave off a burnt smell, a pungent bloody scent filled the air, and not far away, one could even see giant craters created by meteorites.

He seemed to have been brought into the perspective of a person.

Everything was so real.

It was as if it were truly the transmigration described in web novels.

But Gu Yi could clearly feel that he was still in his own room.

Everything before his eyes was just a game.

Sure enough, the next moment.

Memories flooded into his mind, just like watching a movie.

In an instant.

Gu Yi understood exactly what was going on now.

The Battle of Kunyang had actually already been fought.

His ancestor had chosen to follow Liu Xiu to fight because of his words, and had performed great service in the Battle of Kunyang.

And the Celestial Phenomenon Card he had activated had also taken effect.

Meteorites fell to the ground, destroying the enemy camp.

This battle was a great victory!

"This..."

Gu Yi's heart beat faster and faster.

For someone living in a peaceful era, this cruel and realistic scene before him was simply too shocking.

Gu Yi almost instinctively thought of the four words "End Game" in his mind!

The next instant, his vision returned completely to normal.

He had returned to his room once again.

And the previous scene reappeared on the game console screen.

"Hoo~"

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

But his wildly beating heart could not be calmed down no matter what.

There was no help for it; this was human nature.

Even constant psychological suggestion was useless; he could only adapt slowly.

Gu Yi did some mental preparation, and only then did he fix his gaze on the screen again.

He stared at the screen seriously for a few seconds just like that.

That familiar scene happened again; the original room image gradually became blurred, and the previous scene covered it once more.

"Brother Gu."

Before Gu Yi could make any move.

A familiar male voice came from behind Gu Yi. Gu Yi immediately intended to turn his head to look, and the perspective changed directly at this moment.

He saw Liu Xiu, dressed in battle armor, walk out.

Looking at him with a smile, he said: "Why is Brother Gu here?"

"This great victory is all thanks to Brother Gu's help. Brother Gu, rest assured, I will certainly report this to the imperial court to honor Brother Gu's achievements!"

The corresponding memories surged up instantly.

Gu Yi also learned the cause and effect after he had just made his choice.

His ancestor was an Infantry Captain of Dingling, and because of his words, he made a different choice, taking the lead in bringing his seven hundred brothers to choose to help Liu Xiu.

Because he acted first, it influenced many people in the city.

After this great battle, he had displayed extraordinary martial arts.

Now, those people from Dingling had gradually chosen to follow his ancestor.

So... is Liu Xiu trying to win him over?

Having figured this out, Gu Yi did not hesitate at all and immediately said: "General, you are too kind. This battle relies entirely on the General's might."

"If not for the General's bravery, how could our army have achieved such a great victory?"

Gu Yi naturally had to choose to follow Liu Xiu.

If it were just an ordinary game, that would be one thing; he would definitely conquer the world himself.

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

After all, according to historical records, Liu Xiu did not treat his meritorious officials the same way his ancestor Liu Bang did after founding the nation.

As for going to conquer the world himself...

Gu Yi completely abandoned this option.

Never mind whether he could conquer it; even if he could, then what?

What Gu Yi needed was not just the family's influence, but the most critical inheritance!

From ancient times to the present, where is there a dynasty that lasts forever?

The game requires that the direct descendants cannot be completely wiped out.

If he really became the Emperor, Gu Yi could be certain that within a few hundred years, his family would definitely be wiped out!

He naturally would not do that.

Hearing this, the smile on Liu Xiu's face became even brighter: "Brother Gu, no need to be humble. Come, enter the city with me."

"How can this victory celebration be without Brother Gu?"

Liu Xiu made a gesture of invitation directly.

And Gu Xiao in this game, just as the prompt said, after Gu Yi had decided to follow Liu Xiu, did not say much more and immediately followed Liu Xiu into the city.

Gu Yi stared intently at everything on the screen, his thoughts surging.

"According to history..."

"After the Battle of Kunyang ends, Liu Xiu will face the greatest low point of his life, and only after going to Hebei and marrying Guo Shengtong will he gradually rise and subsequently establish the Eastern Han."

"And the entire Eastern Han period is a hotbed for all the great clans."

"As long as I ensure my status in Liu Xiu's camp, although the entire family's influence is not enough right now."

"But as long as the Eastern Han is established, relying on the relatively stable time that follows, it is entirely possible to make the entire family grow strong."

"As long as I pay attention to the limits and ensure that the family's education does not have problems."

"Passing through the Eastern Han period safely should not be a problem."

"I still don't know how many achievement points it will take to integrate into the controlled character... but as long as the family can remain stable, saving up achievement points for these many years, by the time of the Three Kingdoms chaotic era, I should be able to save enough achievement points."

Relying on his knowledge of history in his mind, Gu Yi quickly determined the development direction of the entire family.

And just at this moment, Gu Xiao had already followed Liu Xiu into the city.

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"Gu Xiao, courtesy name Zhanhong, a native of Dingling, Yingchuan.

In his youth, Xiao possessed courage and strength that surpassed others; he was resourceful, eloquent, and well-versed in military strategy, and his fellow villagers all considered him extraordinary.

At the beginning of the Gengshi era, Wang Mang sent the Grand Minister Wang Xun and the Grand Minister of Works Wang Yi to lead a million troops to besiege Kunyang, with banners and heavy equipment stretching for a thousand miles.

At that time, the Green Forest Army held the city; the few could not withstand the many, the city was in peril, and the people were in a panic.

Guangwu was then a Lieutenant General, and he was determined to break through the siege to mobilize troops to relieve the city, but the various generals hesitated and none responded.

Xiao alone perceived the divine martial bearing of Guangwu and deeply agreed with his strategy, so he rose up, led a hundred of his own troops to follow him to the death, and served as the vanguard for the various armies.

On the way, they encountered interception by the Mang army; Xiao held his spear and leaped on his horse, breaking through the enemy lines, invincible, and finally helped Guangwu rush to Yan and Dingling to mobilize all the camp troops.

When he returned to Kunyang, heaven's thunder split the clouds, the wind and rain were dark and gloomy, and Guangwu took advantage of the momentum to launch a general attack. Xiao again led the elite troops as the vanguard, broke into the enemy formation, killed generals and captured flags, his shouts shaking the earth; the Mang army was routed, corpses lay for a hundred miles, and the river ceased to flow.

Once Kunyang was victorious, the world was shaken, and the fall of the Xin-Mang was thus determined.

Guangwu patted his back and sighed: 'Zhanhong's courage is like gold and stone; he does not look back in the face of danger. You are truly my Fan Kuai! For the merit of Kunyang, you are the first among all.'"

———— "Book of the Later Han: Biography of Gu Xiao"

(End of this chapter)