In the end, a player took the initiative to upload a battle replay online, and it was shared like crazy.
It showed the Nine-tailed Fox who had come to another city near Wuhu after she left the county. She was held back outside the city by two Six Doors constables who were dressed in black and white tight-fitting robes respectively. They fought against each other, and both parties were injured. In the end, they vanished from the battle replay.
[Tsk, tsk, so dangerous!]
[Thank goodness the Nine-tailed Fox didn't rush over here. I was in that city…]
That reply to the thread on the forum was soon rebuked by a group of people saying that the speaker was not aware of what was going on.
[Idiot! It would have been good if she rushed in! We just needed to log off for a while to avoid not dying, and when we logged in again, we would have been rich!]
[Urk…]
In many players' eyes, the unprecedented disaster turned into a grand banquet that allowed nobodies to easily get rich. They actually cursed the two Six Doors constables who chased away the Nine-tailed Fox, blaming them for making them lose the chance to get rich.
"These people want to get rich so badly that they've gone mad."
Chen Fan could not help but laugh before leaving the table. He was just in time to see Happy log out of his game and was stunned for a moment. "By the way, you seem to have been in Wuhu lately, right?"
Happy sighed in exhaustion and nodded.
Chen Fan froze and immediately became nervous. "Are you alright?"
"Are you talking about the Nine-tailed Fox?" Happy scratched his arm.
When he heard Happy mention the Nine-tailed Fox, Chen Fan became even more nervous. He quickly rushed off his bed. "Are you okay?"
"You're the one not okay in the head. Look at me, do I look like I'm in trouble?"
"Oh, I thought you ran into the Nine-tailed Fox."
Chen Fan looked as if a huge burden had been taken off his shoulders, and he explained himself once he let out a breath of relief. "If you die once at this moment, the losses you'll suffer will outweigh the gains. Over the past few days, Beautiful Robes Faction has been discussing whether we should ask you to come and help us in a hidden sect quest."
"Hidden sect quest?" When Happy heard this, he was immediately alert. "On what scale?"
Hidden sect quests were very difficult to trigger. Unless the person who triggered it had abnormally high reputation points or extraordinary luck, it was very difficult for them to trigger a single decent quest in a year.
The smaller ones could be done alone, such as finding something, or those that had a lot of twists and turns. They would also give extraordinary rewards, but there was no need for Happy to join such a quest. Sect quests that would require his help were high-grade ones and of a very large scale. Their rewards would also be great. In fact, there was a possibility that an ultimate technique would be given to them, and it could be learned by the entire sect.
"It's rather large, and there's no limit to the number of people we can bring. We can get quite a number of masterpieces and even divine vessels. Also, I heard that there will be seven other sects who will join this quest. If Beautiful Robes Faction is the only one participating in it, it might be very difficult for us to get it, which is why we've discussed bringing you along to clear the quest!"
When Chen Fan mentioned divine vessels, Happy moved a little, and he cast him a glance in surprise. "Divine vessels? Are you certain?"
"Absolutely!" Chen Fan answered firmly.
'Seven great sects. Could it be that quest?'
Happy frowned a little. He remembered that he had received a letter from the Murong Clan Lady before he logged off the game, and he could not help but ask in puzzlement, "Is the location of the quest in the tomb of the Yan Dynasty? Is it a royal mausoleum?"
"You know about this as well?" Chen Fan looked incredibly surprised.
Happy rolled his eyes at him. "Duh. Murong Clan has the blood of Yan Dynasty royalty flowing in their veins. If you're going to run off to Murong Clan's ancestral graves to do stuff, how can I not know?"
"Then what should we do?"
"I know about this quest as well. But the quest didn't mention any divine vessels as rewards. How did you get to know about this? Who's the person who triggered the quest?" Happy asked with a face full of puzzlement.
"Oh, it's Xu Yao!"
Chen Fan's answer made Happy suck in a sharp breath. "It's her? Which clan or sect does she belong to?"
In his memories, Xu Yao never had the ability to trigger such a high-level hidden quest.
"Oh, she joined Mount Hua Sect recently because she heard that it's very easy to get reputation points there. Her sect is also very kind to her. But that quest's rewards are too great, so she thinks that it's better if she left it for Beautiful Robes Sect so that we can make Beautiful Robes Sect stronger and develop it even further."
Chen Fan did not notice that Happy's expression had become slightly strange.
"Alright… alright," Happy mumbled. "Looks like I'll have to go back to Murong Clan as well."
Things had progressed in a manner that had a very clear change from the progression of events in his previous life. Xu Yao wanted to use another method to get closer to him, which gave him a very uneasy feeling.
Someone might have given Xu Yao some pointers beforehand for the quest in the mausoleum so that she would take the initiative to come into contact with it.
'Does that person want me to expose myself beforehand?'
Chapter 254 - Mount Hua’s Summit, Sword Dance Summit
Once Happy quickly ate his dinner, he rushed back to his dorm so that he could meet up with Little North, Thunderous Battle, and All-powerful Medicinal Stone outside White Tiger Forest!
"Little North, Thunderous Battle, I asked you about joining Beautiful Robes Faction last time. Have you thought things through?"
"I have no problems with it. Wherever you go, I will follow, boss," Little North answered firmly.
Thunderous Battle was silent for a little while before he nodded. "I can join you. It's not very good for me to play the game alone all the time. But Happy, you know as well that I like my freedom. I don't quite like people commanding me. If that happens…"
"I know what you mean. You will just be a member and can move around freely at your usual hours. But when it comes to matters regarding the glory of the faction, I hope that you can provide some help as well. If you can't, there's no meaning for you to join the faction. It'd be better if you didn't," Happy said while looking at Thunderous Battle.
Happy did not compromise completely because they knew each other well and allowed Thunderous Battle to stand completely above Beautiful Robes Faction. If that were the case, it would be better if they were just normal friends.
Thunderous Battle nodded under Happy's steadfast gaze. He seemed to have come to some sort of realization.
"Alright, I understand."
He managed to get these two to join his faction without any surprise. Then, Happy turned his attention to All-powerful Medicinal Stone.
The man instantly panicked and quickly waved his hands while crying out, "Aaaahhhh, kid, don't even think about it. You're asking me, an old man in his thirties, to play around with a group of children? Even though being young is good, it's still too… you know, that. Yup. That's how it is. We'll still be friends in the future and maintain contact with each other, and I think that it will be enough. If you need any help, you can come to me, and when I need your help, I will come to you."
"Alright!" Happy smiled and did not bother to waste his breath. "Just now, I received a quest from my clan, so I have to immediately leave for a period of time. Little North, Big Brother Thunder, you can make your own decision. This time, it is a faction quest. I want to bring you to meet up with the people in the faction."
Little North and Thunderous Battle instantly understood what had transpired.
"Since I have to take a two-day journey, I won't fo
rce you two to come with me."
"I'm going! Why shouldn't I be going?! I heard that Beautiful Robes Faction's master is a beauty… Heh heh, I wonder if she'll take a fancy to me if I give her a Phantasm Body Movement Skill later."
"What about the Momo that you've been dreaming of day in and day out?"
Thunderous Battle rolled his eyes at Little North. He remembered that Little North had been constantly talking about how he had not met the girl with the long purple gown again, and that he would definitely confess the next time he ran into her, among other such related stuff.
Little North froze up, feeling embarrassed.
He lowered his head and patted it a little. Then, with the abilities of an Academy award winning actor, he displayed the classic action of Steven Chow and said, "Sigh… Men who are too popular really have it tough." His tone and his expressions were very similar to those of the actor, which showed just how great his acting skills were.
All-powerful Medicinal Stone ignored Little North's acting and said to Happy, "Wuhu will not be peaceful for the time being. Since Fox Cave is gone, I don't have any intentions to stay in this place. It'd be best if I leave this dangerous area soon. You peeps go on ahead, I'll go and try to cause more trouble for Class One Hall."
Happy nodded. "Alright, good luck!"
"Yup, luck be with you too."
"What about you, Big Brother Thunder?"
"We're going together!" Thunderous Battle answered in a very simple and direct manner. He brought out his Horse Plate and summoned Hoof Shadow.
The three of them jumped on their horses at the same time.
"Giddy up!"
A loud sound rose a moment after. Thunderous hoofbeats could be heard, and they swiftly crushed the tranquility outside White Tiger Forest.
*****
A day later, at the moment the morning sun rose above the summit of Mount Hua, the first rays of light shone on Mount Hua's Sword Dance Summit, and a grand banquet appeared before countless players…
Whoosh!
There were thousands of Mount Hua disciples gathered on the mountain that could accommodate more than ten thousand people at the summit. They stood tall with their swords held aloft, and their white robes fluttered madly in the wind!
At that moment, the three sect elders stood sternly on the platform across Sword Dance Summit. They inspected the whole area, then one of them suddenly gave an order.
"Prostrate!"
His voice spread far and wide, and it lingered in the air for a long time.
Boom!
Thousands of Mount Hua disciples obeyed and acted.
The forest of swords started moving uniformly.
Thousands of longswords formed thousands of harmonious sword shadows under the morning sun. The scene was very dazzling and neat! The thousands of people finished in one breath and quickly put away their swords. They then hugged their sheaths, held them high, and drew their swords again. Their movements were like water and contained astonishing strength.
In the end, they pointed their swords at the sky in the south.
Whoosh!
Sunlight shone on the tips of the swords, dazzling and bewitching those who saw it!
It was the sword dance session Mount Hua Sect organized once every month.
It was attended by NPC disciples. However, the disciples in Blessed Realm could also enter to replace one of the NPC disciples. They could move according to their heart and sense the profundity of swinging their swords with ten thousand people in the morning to receive the purest energy from the world, which baptized their souls and bodies.
It was Mount Hua!
"This is the day the world shall speak of the sword, and this is Mount Hua's summit."
The Sword Dance Summit was a holy land where countless brilliant heroes would pour out their minds and souls to learn how to wield the sword. This was also the place where the heroes of the world would meet for a decisive battle.
Mount Hua Sect was the organizer. They were one of the seven great sects and clans and the organizers of the triannual Sword Among Us tournament. Once they combined generations of sword techniques from elites and their spirits, they continued to create new and innovative sword techniques. At the same time, the grand occasion of the disciples of Mount Hua performing the sword dance was formed.
It was also precisely because the game had preserved the spirit of Mount Hua Sect that the unprecedentedly grand occasion made Mount Hua Sect one of the most popular sects among the seven great sects. They could actually contend with Shaolin Temple and Wudang Sect.
*****
"Junior sister."
A few people chased after her from behind her while holding out their leather skins.
"Come, drink some mountain water to quench your thirst."
"Why don't you drink mine. I just filled up my leather skin today. The water is still cold right now."
Little Jade[1] did not seem to be at a loss in front of her senior brothers' enthusiasm, which was clearly showed on their faces. But she did not show any signs of annoyance either.
"Don't need to, senior brothers, I have mine."
Once she was done speaking, she brought out a bamboo tube from her Universe Bag and took a sip from it.
"Hehe, Little Jade, let's go and grind in White Tiger Forest today. I managed to farm three White Tiger Pelts on my own yesterday."
"That's nothing. Junior Sister Little Jade, fighting against tigers every day isn't something worth boasting about. Sometime ago, I found an herb mountain protected by Bloods.u.c.k.i.n.g Wood. I used up all my energy to pick around ten tuber fleeceflowers from it. There were also quite a lot of other valuable herbs there. Why don't we go there today?"
"Enough with it!"A loud voice rose from behind and instantly drowned out the voices of the men who were eager to invite Little Jade to form a party with them to do some level-grinding. "Little Jade has something to do today. You lot can go away now!"
Once the men recognized the speaker, they knew that were that there was no hope for them to form a party with Little Jade anymore. They left, and a young man with a loose brocade robe walked forward in a majestic gait. He arrived in front of Little Jade and spoke in a very casual tone.
"Little Jade, you should have time to accompany me today, right?"
The young man was the eldest senior brother of Mount Hua Sect, and he was the person with the greatest Comprehension and accomplishments in the sword dance session—Lonesome Ice.
But the expression of Little Jade, who had always been very tolerant toward other people, suddenly changed. Her face turned cold, and she uttered only two words.
"Get lost!"
Once she finished speaking, she turned to her other sect members.
"Thank you for your kind will, senior brothers. I have to travel far today, so I will not be able to play with all of you. Sorry. Goodbye!"
Under Lonesome Ice's awkward gaze—he wanted to bury himself in a hole and die—and her other senior brothers' stunned expressions while they tried hard to suppress their laughter, she turned around and descended down the mountain.
Translator's Note:
[1] Little Jade: Xu Yao's in-game name. Her full in-game character name is Jade Lake's Immortal.
Chapter 255 - Royal Mausoleum, Ninja
The royal mausoleum might sound very grand, but in China, who had thousands of years of history and an equally old culture, there were plenty of emperors' tombs belonging to various dynasties. Yan Dynasty was just a small splash throughout the stream of time that formed China. Besides, with this sort of background, this dynasty which still had royal descendents and had yet to have their thoughts of restoring their dynasty vanquished from their minds, was bound to never be able to see the light. It would never be tolerated or accepted by the imperial court.
Yan Dynasty's royal mausoleum was a secret that had to be hidden. Murong Clan did not even dare to openly worship their ancestors there!
*****
"This place has good atmospher
e."
After traveling for two days, Happy and his party arrived ahead of the others in Yan Dynasty's royal mausoleum. The bamboo forest around it was lush, and the area was quiet. It was a very good place, and Little North could not help but open his mouth to praise it.
Thunderous Battle also looked around. While he admired the view, he also enjoyed the refreshing breeze blowing against his face. "This is such a big place, and they actually used it to build a royal mausoleum? What a waste of natural resources."
Happy did not join the conversation.
From the moment he entered the bamboo forest, he noticed that there was something off about the atmosphere. When he circulated his qi, he could clearly sense that there were quite a few pairs of eyes that had been cast on his party.
It was not the first time he came to Yan Dynasty's royal mausoleum. He knew the place better than everyone else.
His Hoof Shadow trotted forward slowly. It had its beautiful eyes lowered and occasionally looked around the area, taking note of the shadowed places where the bamboo forest was the most lush. Then, it would let out a snort with great scorn. It did not slow down. It just continued moving forward leisurely.
Whoosh… Crack, crack, crack…
The sounds of robes fluttering and people stepping on bamboo leaves reached their ears.
Little North and Thunderous Battle finally noticed something wrong. Their bodies tensed up, and they looked in the direction from which the sounds came with wary looks. They were in time to see a vague black figure disappear behind a bamboo tree not too far away.
Similar sounds came from all around them.
The two of them turned their heads left and right and found similar black shadows appearing in all directions. They moved incredibly quickly, and Little North as well as Thunderous Battle could even see the unique cold glare that belonged to premodern combat weapons.
"Looks like we've been surrounded. Haha…"
Thunderous Battle was not afraid. Instead, he was delighted. He laughed and drew his sword from his back. He held it in an icepick grip. Then, he looked around the bamboo trees, and the fighting spirit in his eyes began to burn. He looked like he could scarcely wait to begin fighting.
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