The Radiance from Within

Chapter 1

The incident had happened shortly after Weiwei's clicked on the decision to quit her guild. Instead of the server-wide announcement that she was expecting what happened was vastly different. In the sky where the server text would normally appear was a large shadowy figure glaring down on the masses.

"No, no, no. This won't do. How is it that a guild would muscle out their top player because of some nasty harpies?" The ominous voice started as it seemed to be glaring straight down on the Jade Seas Rising Tide guild house. "The most amusing thing is that all this time your male players were catering to their guild's so called beauty's when in fact none of them can hold a candle to a person who's beauty both inside and out that you thought you could ridicule. I had let it slide with that slanderous video only because the beauty's husband knew her worth and was willing to risk months of hard work for her. Not that there was really a contest with skill. Money cannot purchase skill." The shadow jabbed at the guild's top archer and tapped where its chin would be. "Which reminds me. The husband should be here as well, for moral reasons." Snapping it's long fingers to summon Yixiao Naihe from wherever he was located inside the game.

Yixiao Naihe looked disoriented until he saw his in-game bride with a terrified expression on her face and rushed to her side. "Weiwei are you alright?" He pulled her close.

"Dashen... I don't understand, what's going on?" Weiwei asked as she clutched her in-game husband's strong forearms. Naihe stated that he didn't know and held her tight in a protective embrace.

"Ah, yes our dashing hero in white. This server's best player. Whom I must admit I am very impressed with his skill using what should be the weakest support class and was able to PK so well. Imagine how powerful he would be if he was using a tank class or DPS. You would think that this guild would want to try to please our lovely top ten PK ranking heroine in red so she could try to get her spouse to join the guild. But instead they cater to an overly photoshopped banshee and her minions. All because they think that their, ahem 'Enchantress' being the prettiest in real life female on the server." The shadow gave a mocking chuckle as many males of the Jade Seas Rising Tide guild rose in defense of Xiaoyu Yaoyao and the other members of the Xiaoyu family.

"Men so blinded by false beauty." The shadow sneared. "I think it's long past time for me to teach you all a lesson. Everyone in this guild along with these two will be trapped here until an unbeatable quest of my choosing has been won. Don't worry about what is going on in the real world. It will seem as if little time has passed if the quest ever gets beaten that is." The shadow started to fade but changed it's mind at the last moment. "Oh, before I forget. Two more things" another snap of its fingers "no more filters for anyone you shall appear as you truly are in real life to each other. No makeup, no alterations. Be happy Xiaoyu harpies that I am leaving you with your surgical alterations. Also, you will be unable to speak to anyone outside who is present about what is going on. Whenever you try nothing but gibberish will come out." The shadow then exploded in a shower of fire . It's maniacal laughter echoed through the guild house halls.

Everyone gasped as they saw their fellow guildmates for the first time. Various avatars shrank, enlarged, some turned from male to female, and others turnt from female to male. Multiple members of the Xiaoyu family shrieked when they saw each other's makeup free faces. They attempted to cover their faces. They didn't want anyone to see any blemishes that they normally hid with cc cream and other heavy makeup tricks. People were gasping when they saw Yaoyao, while she was still pretty she barely looked anything like her pictures. She was more of the second string idol type of pretty but nothing truly outstanding about her looks.

No one was more shocked than her online husband and offline boyfriend. He had no idea that she wore such heavy makeup. It looked so natural. He was still in disbelief when he turnt to his ex-wife and her in-game spouse. Whatever he imagined to see he didn't expect to see the man his cousin was infatuated with holding onto the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Clear porcelain skin, rosy lips,and a perfect voluptuous figure. 'That's Luwei Weiwei? Why did she never show me her picture when I asked. She let us all believe that she was either a bio-man or that homely nerd girl that came to interview for an internship.'

"Look at Luwei Weiwei and her husband!" A voice shouted from the crowd. "She's not a bio-man after all and they are both so gorgeous! They must be models!"

The shout caused everyone to focus on the couple and for Weiwei to look up at her in-game husband for the first time. "Senior Xiao Nai?!" She gasped. It couldn't be. Her Dashen was Xiao Nai? The great master of the campus. No, no it had to be a dream. It had to be because she inferred to Cao Guang that her ideal was Xiao Nai. Any moment she would wake up from this crazy dream and realize that she ate too much before bed or something else that would explain everything that is going on.

"Bei Weiwei," Xiao Nai or was it Naihe whispered low enough for only Weiwei to hear. This was not how he wanted to reveal himself to her but the choice was out of his hands now. He only hoped that all the gestures that he has been doing will help her to trust him.

"Yo-you know who I am?" Was all that Weiwei could utter. It was another shock to her already frazzled nerves. How did the great master Xiao Nai know her name? While they studied in the same department there was no way that someone as grand would notice her... Although he did sit next to her in Professor Xiao's class. Why would he do that? Too many questions and not enough time to logically sort through her thoughts..

"Yes, I've known for sometime now." he gave a small smile at her response. He could tell that her brain was going every which if things weren't so dire he would have enjoyed her reaction. "Let's leave first. We need to regroup with the others and strategize." He released her arms but grabbed her hand to lead her out of the guild hall.

"Weiwei wait!" Leishen Nini called after her friend's retreating form.

Both Weiwei and Naihe stopped and turned to Nini. "Don't worry, Nini we are still friends, we will meet up again. I don't hold today's events against you." Weiwei gave a small smile and looked at her in-game husband to continue on to their destination.

The moment that Weiwei and Naihe left the guild house Leishen Nini turned her ere to the guildmaster. "I hope you are happy now!" she advanced to the guildmaster "I hope all of you are happy. Thanks to those witches the guild lost Weiwei! Weiwei who was one of the founding members of our guild. Weiwei, our top medicine maker. Weiwei who has saved each of us multiple times from wiping in boss battles. I can't count how many times she's saved us in raids! Don't you realise because of your callousness we are now trapped in this game?! What prestige has Yaoyao and her family brought to the guild? Huh? The reason why you people that it was okay to trash her was because you thought she might have been a bio-man? I look around and I see plenty of bio-men and bio-woman for that matter. The joke is on all of us; Luwei Weiwei is not only a bio-man, she is a gorgeous woman. I am ashamed to be a part of this guild. The ONLY reason why I am not resigning like Weiwei did is because I want to restore the honor that this guild once had. Because like Weiwei I too am a founding member of this guild." she sighed and turned away from the guildmaster and the rest of the guild members that were standing behind him. "The Jade Seas Rising Tide guild is nothing but a hollow shell that it once was. I can't even look at you guys right now. You make me sick." and with that Nini left the guild house to go find some mobs to take her anger out on.

Many of the guild members had the decency to look chastised but people like the Xiaoyu family, the guildmaster Zhan Tianxia, and Zhenshui Wuxiang were angry. Angry at whom? Well that was different with each one but they all silently agreed that this was all Luwei Weiwei and her husband's fault. Whether that was a good thing or bad thing was yet to be determined.