Chapter 106
The main commercial avenue was called Vermilion Bird Street—the most bustling cluster of game points in the entire mini Chang’an City.
Here, Ba Yuqing and Jiao Yu suddenly realized that the games in the smaller side streets were basically just warm-ups. Once you entered this place, the Lantern Festival game mode truly began.
Because not only were there all kinds of game points here—there were even event NPCs!
The two of them: mind-blown.jpg
“Miss, please have mercy… could you spare me a bowl of sweet rice dumplings?”
Outside a dumpling stall, an old woman in ragged clothes hunched over, her face full of misery as she begged them pitifully.
Her acting was unreal—one glance and you’d feel your heart twist.
So even though Jiao Yu and Ba Yuqing—two innocent students who hadn’t entered society yet—knew it was fake, they still couldn’t get past their conscience. They paid 10 StarCoins, bought a bowl of sweet rice dumplings, and handed it to the old woman.
But the moment she took it, her expression changed. She glared at them, spat with a loud “Pah!”, and complained angrily:
“Oh wow, look at what you’re wearing—look at your skin—you’re obviously rich. And you only ‘donate’ a bowl of dumplings to me? You two girls are so stingy!”
Jiao Yu & Ba Yuqing: “?”
They were stunned.
Clearly, they hadn’t expected there to be such a disgusting NPC.
Watching the old woman wolf down the dumplings in seconds, then roll her eyes at them and immediately go hunt for the next “sucker,” Ba Yuqing almost lost it and stepped forward to teach her a lesson.
But she’d barely taken two steps when someone grabbed her.
“Hey, hey, don’t act on impulse. Impulse won’t help. That’s an event NPC—first, you can’t kill her, and second, if you hit her you’ll get arrested by the constables for 20 minutes.”
That sentence completely broke Jiao Yu and Ba Yuqing’s defenses.
Ba Yuqing’s face went cold and she said nothing, but Jiao Yu snapped furiously:
“So we just let that disgusting NPC keep scamming players?”
The girl who stopped them sounded painfully resigned—clearly someone who’d been scammed too:
“What else can we do? We can’t hit her, we can’t out-cuss her, and in the end we can only accept bad luck.”
Then she sighed heavily.
“But NPCs as shameless as her are still pretty rare. Most event NPCs are actually nice. Like earlier, a girl who was touring the restaurant district ran into a ‘selling herself to bury her father’ event. She used some silver she’d won from a game to do a good deed, and she actually got 5 stamps!”
She looked envious as she spoke.
“Ugh… why don’t I ever get that kind of luck?”
Jiao Yu & Ba Yuqing: +1
After hearing more gossip from this helpful girl about what had been happening on Vermilion Bird Street, they finally understood: event NPCs were a real thing here.
Some were good, some were bad. Meet a good event NPC, and you could get a lot of stamps. Meet a bad one… and you’d probably just get mad enough to explode.
As for how to tell good from bad?
People had summarized one rough rule: If the NPC directly asks you for StarCoins, they’re basically a bad NPC; If the NPC only asks for items/props, they’re a good NPC.
The two nodded, suddenly enlightened, and thanked her for the lesson.
After separating from the kind stranger, Jiao Yu and Ba Yuqing stayed on Vermilion Bird Street.
Under the night and mist, the street draped in colorful ribbons and lanterns looked like a celestial palace.
But somehow… garbage had slipped into heaven.
Just as they were finally calming down, they saw that familiar miserable face again.
Damn it—that old woman was scamming people again!
“Are we really just going to let her keep scamming people?” Jiao Yu fumed.
Even if it was “just an NPC,” the behavior was infuriating. Jiao Yu’s sense of justice flared—she wanted to call the police and get her arrested.
Ba Yuqing felt the same. In fact, she wanted to beat some sense into her before calling the police.
And then—
A team of constables appeared: official uniforms, sabers at their waists, shackles in hand.
From their outfits and the whispering of nearby NPCs, Jiao Yu and Ba Yuqing realized these were the people who maintained city security.
They looked at each other, and a bold idea formed.
Seeing the same itch-to-try in each other’s eyes, they turned in sync and ran toward the constables.
When the constables barked “Who goes there?!”, the two of them clearly and logically reported what had happened, and pointed out the old woman who was currently scamming someone.
The old woman tried to flee the moment she sensed trouble—but nearby players pinned her down and delivered her straight into the constables’ hands.
There were countless victims. Once the constables caught her, everyone immediately started angrily recounting how they’d been scammed.
Unbelievable!
This old woman was a pro—she’d scammed that many people?
The constable’s face darkened. He swept a hand over her head, and a bright red [35] appeared in the air.
He exclaimed: “Night has only just begun—barely forty-five minutes—and you’ve already scammed 35 people? Looks like we have no choice but to detain you.”
No matter how the old woman begged, the constable remained stone-faced and shackled her.
Before leaving, they even returned to thank Jiao Yu and Ba Yuqing.
“Two young ladies, thank you for your important contribution to city security. This is a gift for those who act bravely and righteously—please accept it.”
He pulled out two sachets. In the center of each sachet, a red silk thread embroidered the character meaning “bravery”.
Clearly, it symbolized the “brave, righteous act” he’d mentioned.
Still not fully understanding, the two accepted the sachets and thanked him seriously. Then they avoided the crowd, found a quiet spot, and opened them.
The moment the sachets opened, a few green glowing specks floated out—flickering like fireflies.
They drifted slowly to the backs of their hands. When they touched the red stamp mark on the left hand, they vanished silently.
[Earth Commerce Announcement: Congratulations to player number [1] for obtaining 10 stamps.]
[Earth Commerce Announcement: Congratulations to player number [789] for obtaining 11 stamps.]
Jiao Yu blurted in shock, “I got 10 stamps.”
Ba Yuqing said in surprise, “I got 11 stamps.”
They spoke at the same time.
Jiao Yu: “Huh? Why do you have 11?”
Ba Yuqing: “Why do you have one less than me?”
Comparing, they found a problem.
Putting aside the fact that NPC gift sachets could drop stamps—even the number of stamps from the same sachet could differ?
And opening sachets gave more stamps than playing games!
And also—
Jiao Yu’s eyes lit up as she asked her best friend, “Do you remember that helpful girl mentioning someone who helped with the ‘selling herself to bury her father’ event and got 5 stamps?”
Ba Yuqing nodded and answered directly:
“This shows you can get stamps from event NPCs in general—and the more troublesome the event NPC, the bigger the reward after you resolve it.”
Looking into Ba Yuqing’s eyes, Jiao Yu suddenly felt unbelievably happy.
Hahahahaha! She knew it—she couldn’t be that unlucky!
Who runs into a freak NPC the moment they start playing?
Turns out this wasn’t bad luck.
It was good luck!
What “weird event NPC”?
That was basically a walking lucky gift bag!
Once you changed your perspective, the whole world felt fresh and bright.
Jiao Yu grabbed Ba Yuqing’s hand and started running.
“Come on! Let’s go to the central redemption tower and see the prizes. If the prizes are good—then we grind!”
If they’d found a way to collect tons of stamps, then they absolutely had to grind it hard before other people discovered it.
But there was one condition:
Tonight’s prizes had to be rich enough—and tempting enough.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth sacrificing a beautiful night to chase down chaotic event NPCs.
The Central Redemption Tower
The central redemption tower stood in the very middle of the mini Chang’an City.
The mini Chang’an City was arranged in a tidy grid—streets aligned like latitude and longitude. Every street connected at intersections. Without signposts, it would be a natural maze.
But because there were signposts—and the central redemption tower was visible—the grid layout actually made it easy to roam around.
To go anywhere else, you needed a map. But to reach the central tower, you didn’t. You just looked for the tall tower and walked toward it. Unless you were spectacularly directionless, it was basically impossible to get lost.
Jiao Yu and Ba Yuqing had been on Vermilion Bird Street, which was the closest street to the central tower. So it took them only seven or eight minutes to arrive.
The tower rose layer upon layer, piercing into the sky.
It was stunning.
And it was also… cold and aloof.
Because the central redemption tower had an entry requirement:
You needed at least 15 stamps to enter.
The event had only been running for about an hour.
Subtract the time spent being shocked at the city entrance, taking selfies, sightseeing like tourists, and so on… most people probably hadn’t even played games for half an hour yet.
And even so, people weren’t in a rush. They strolled leisurely, browsing as they walked, sometimes spending money at snack stalls to try sample portions.
So at this point, the number of people who: knew about the tower, wanted to go there, and had already saved 15 stamps…
…you could probably count on two hands.
The tower’s redemption was based on floors:
First floor: cheapest prizes.
Second floor: the next tier.
…
Top floor: the grand prizes.
After entering, they saw no one on the first floor—only wooden cabinets filled with items and an announcement board.
[Central Redemption Tower – First Floor Redemption (Self-Service): 15 stamps can be exchanged for one plush card / postcard card. After exchange, you may receive one plush / one postcard for free.]
Jiao Yu’s eyes went wide in shock.
Holy—holy—holy!
Postcards. It was actually postcards!
Aaaaaaaaah!
“The Chang’an: Impressions” set—the “Chang’an: Impressions” she’d failed to snag before—was waving at her now.
Jiao Yu, who had been pretty chill about the games, instantly turned into someone injected with adrenaline, excited enough to cry.
If 15 stamps could be exchanged for one postcard, then to get a full “Chang’an: Impressions” set she’d need 60 stamps.
Go. Move. Now.
What are we waiting for? Time to grind!
She didn’t even want to look upstairs. If she could see what she wanted most on the first floor, then she was certain the upper floors were even crazier.
In that case, why waste time browsing? Better to spend that time earning stamps—and come back to redeem later.
But she couldn’t pull Ba Yuqing away.
Ba Yuqing frowned and stared into a corner, snapping coldly:
“Who’s there? Come out.”
Busted, Xie Xingchen rubbed his nose awkwardly and walked out with an embarrassed face.
He’d originally positioned himself as the mysterious tower master who stayed on the top floor and never came down.
But players loved Chang’an City too much. He’d been here for a full hour and hadn’t seen a single person.
So the moment two people finally arrived, he came down to watch the fun.
He hadn’t expected to be spotted instantly.
Xie Xingchen: this is awkward.jpg
Seeing him, Jiao Yu squealed and shouted reflexively:
“BOSS! XIE!”
Then, by pure instinct, she immediately turned to face her camera and snapped a quick check-in selfie.
Click.
The whole sequence was so fast the other two didn’t even react in time.
By the time Xie Xingchen realized what happened, Jiao Yu had already posted it and was looking at him with an obedient, well-behaved expression.
Xie Xingchen: “?”
Xie Xingchen: Wait—why am I getting the kind of treatment only famous tourist landmarks get?
He was laughing and helpless.
His handsome face wore a deeply weird expression.
But honestly, even Ba Yuqing’s face looked weird at this moment.
Because Jiao Yu was way too excited.
If Ba Yuqing wasn’t mistaken, Jiao Yu hadn’t even been this excited in front of her favorite celebrity before.
As someone who never chased idols, Ba Yuqing couldn’t understand this level of fanaticism.
For her, she bought Earth Commerce products and liked them—sure. But liking products didn’t mean she’d transfer that obsession onto the owner, like fans idolizing a star.
Because she just wasn’t that kind of person.
But people like Ba Yuqing were the minority. Most people were like Jiao Yu—they saw Xie Xingchen through a “fans looking at an idol” filter.
So after Jiao Yu posted the photo, one of her friends reposted it to StarBlog, which quickly drew a crowd.
And then—
The topic #BossXieCentralRedemptionTower skyrocketed and shot straight onto trending.
Many people who saw the trending topic immediately rushed toward the central redemption tower, just to take a check-in photo with Xie Xingchen like Jiao Yu did.
The three of them didn’t know any of that yet. Since there was still no one in the tower, and he was bored, Xie Xingchen kindly took them up to the top-floor redemption area.
And the moment they got there—things got insane.
No girl could refuse beautiful Hanfu.
No girl could refuse gorgeous jewelry.
Aaaaaaah!
Why do clothes this beautiful even exist in the world?
And if they exist, why are there so many styles?
Want this one. Want that one. Want this one too…
Oh my god—how are you supposed to choose when you want them all?!
Not just Hanfu—those accessories too. Everything was irresistible.
Jiao Yu was so excited her face turned red. Even Ba Yuqing—usually calm—had eyes that shone.
Ba Yuqing didn’t love the ethereal “fairy” styles, but she felt a strong pull toward one green outfit that looked full of heroic spirit.
She didn’t know what “heroic spirit” was, but when she saw that outfit—upright like green bamboo—she felt a sense of righteousness in it.
Following her gaze, Xie Xingchen also spotted the outfit named “Green Bamboo.”
He smiled and explained:
“This outfit is one of the high-end Hanfu pieces. It’s called [Green Bamboo]—a style with strong heroic spirit. Don’t let the simplicity fool you. There’s hidden embroidery sewn into it. When you move, as the sleeves and hem flutter, you’ll see faint green bamboo embroidery appear. The craftsmanship is extremely refined.”
The two girls were drawn in by his explanation.
And then—
Xie Xingchen smiled. “This [Green Bamboo] costs 1,000 stamps to exchange.”
Damn it (literally: a plant)!
Fifteen stamps for a postcard felt reasonable. A thousand stamps for an outfit also felt reasonable.
But the problem was… the Lantern Festival event ended at 3:00 a.m. tonight.
It was already 9:00 p.m. That left only six hours. How were they supposed to get 1,000 stamps? And they couldn’t crowd-fund either!
They stared at Xie Xingchen with pure grievance. He almost would’ve been kinder not saying anything at all.
That feeling of wanting something badly but having no way to get it was the worst.
And based on his description—and the “Chang’an: Impressions” postcards with the ginkgo beauty—they also knew clothes weren’t enough. You needed matching accessories, and not just one. A full look would require many pieces.
Xie Xingchen continued, utterly calm:
“Accessories require different stamp amounts depending on how exquisite they are. If you want this phoenix crown, it’s 2,000 stamps. But if you just want a round fan, 300 stamps is enough.”
He was describing the original premium versions.
When he saw their faces about to crack, he cheerfully pointed them to the simplified Hanfu and accessories.
“These simplified Hanfu and accessories cost fewer stamps. If you don’t have enough stamps, you can redeem the simplified versions.”
Sure, sure—but once you’d seen the premium versions, who could accept the simplified ones without suffering?
If money could buy them, they would’ve borrowed StarCoins to get them.
But these were event rewards—grinding might not even be enough.
Still, it was a blessing they were event rewards. If they were sold for money, it wouldn’t even be their turn—rich people would outbid them instantly.
Seeing the two young girls—especially the “cold” one—looking dejected, Xie Xingchen smiled to comfort them:
“Don’t worry. If I’m willing to put these prizes out, I’m not going to let them go undistributed. Even though 1,000 stamps sounds like a lot, there are special stamps that can be converted into multiple basic stamps. You’ll see the conversion prompt when you exchange items.”
Special stamps could convert into multiple basic stamps?
Their interest instantly reignited.
Jiao Yu asked eagerly, “Boss Xie, what’s the most special stamp worth in basic stamps?”
Xie Xingchen smiled. “One thousand.”
One thousand basic stamps!
That’s literally one outfit!
Jiao Yu and Ba Yuqing’s eyes lit up again.
But when they tried to ask more, Xie Xingchen only smiled and said nothing.
Two minutes later, he ushered them back down and out of the central redemption tower.
But as they went downstairs and looked out, Xie Xingchen saw a mass of people sprinting wildly this way.
Sensing danger, he immediately slipped away first.
Jiao Yu & Ba Yuqing: “?”
Before they could ask what was happening, Xie Xingchen vanished—and a wave of people rushed in.
They charged into the tower laughing and shouting as they ran.
“Faster, faster—don’t let Boss Xie escape!”
“Hahahaha I’m here to check in too! I can’t believe Boss Xie was here—he’s really good at hiding!”
“Huh? The photo clearly showed him on the first floor redemption area. Why is he suddenly gone? Did he go up to another floor?”
“Then what are we waiting for? Go find him! If you find him, shout! I’m finishing my ‘check in with Boss Xie’ mission tonight no matter what!”
Countless people ran up and down, trying to locate Xie Xingchen, but even after searching ten floors top to bottom, they couldn’t find him.
However, once they’d come down from the top floor, their attention wasn’t on Xie Xingchen anymore.
When they saw the top-floor exchange items, everyone went crazy taking screenshots, snapping photos, and posting them to StarBlog.
Especially beauty lovers—they looked like they’d lost their minds. They sprinted from the tenth floor down, eyes blazing, and threw themselves back into grinding stamps. And those who reacted slower, seeing others run, ran too.
Others—after realizing they could never possibly collect enough stamps—slowed down. They took photos everywhere, organized them, posted them to StarBlog, and farmed a wave of traffic for themselves.
[Professional Slacker]: Damn, is Earth Commerce going THIS hard? There are THIS many things to exchange? Screw the boss. I’m not working overtime. I’m going to play. Worst case I’ll come back tomorrow and switch companies.
[Super Pretty Little Fox]: Waaaah I’m going all in too. I have to get these beautiful clothes and jewelry. Paid team-up—anyone willing to help me win stamps, DM me!
[Stars Everywhere]: While you’re still typing essays, I’m already at Starlight Plaza. Good lord—everywhere I look it’s people. This is the most people I’ve ever seen in my life. This queue has to be 30 minutes, right?
Earth Commerce already had huge popularity. Before this, they’d been secretive and said almost nothing. Yet just one event could pull in over a hundred thousand people.
Now with multiple trending topics, check-in photos of mini Chang’an City, NPC check-ins, bizarre event check-ins, Boss Xie check-ins, and—most lethal of all—the drool-worthy prize tower screenshots…
The hype exploded.
Even people who couldn’t go earlier, or who generally hated crowds and had social anxiety, got fired up.
Can’t go?
Not possible.
If there’s no chance, you make a chance and go anyway.
Social anxiety?
Heh. Just talk less.
Because these prizes absolutely couldn’t be missed!
If you missed them, who knew whether they’d ever come back?
If they didn’t come back, they’d become limited editions forever!
[EatEatEat I Love Eating]: Wait for me—we’re charging together!
[Silly Duck]: Boss Xie wait for me, I’m coming~
[Long Green Hair]: Hahahaha time to compete in skill and luck again. Tonight I’m taking the prizes home!
In an instant, the StarNet world was in an uproar.
Ordinary users, rich idle elites, talented military academy students, resource-rich small planet lords—after seeing the exchange prizes on the top floor, everyone surged into the StarNet marketplace and rushed straight toward the Lantern Festival event site hosted by Earth Commerce:
Mini Chang’an City.
Everyone: Bunny wiggling its butt.jpg
Everyone: Waving a little handkerchief—prizes, here I come~.gif
![After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar]](https://i1.wp.com/panda-translations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20220822190944_300_420.jpg?resize=151,215 "After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar]")
