Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

  "That's right."

  Rascal took over the conversation, and he spoke in a similarly displeased tone. "If we didn't hold the fort for them in that South China Martial Arts Ranking Board of theirs, would they have this fame right now? We gave them popularity and prestige, but look at them, once they gained their benefits, they don't regard us as anyone important anymore."

  Once he finished speaking, he looked very angry. "The martial arts tournament they conduct doesn't even have any rewards. I reckon that they'll get a large share of the profit and all the benefits, that's why we wanted to ask whether you joined that thing. You mustn't get duped."

  Once he finished listening to their complaints, Tea Words chuckled. "Well, I can't really say. I'm quite familiar with the Three Lonely Wolves, and I know that they run themselves to the ground every day for this website. They're quite exhausted by it. I'm participating in it this time to help them."

  He might have said that, but he already regarded the duo in disdain…

  'You never provided any help when they created the website, and you relied on the ranking on their website to become famous in the university. Now you want to get a portion of their money through their fee collection system? Aren't you shameless?'

  Once he finished speaking, he picked up some food and ate it. Since he had already showed his stance in this matter, he did not want to continue talking to them.

  "If that's the case, then we won't bother you anymore. But we have to warn you, you should keep a clear head and know when you're fooled. Alright, bye!"

  "Have a safe trip to wherever you're going."

  The moment the duo turned around, Brother Tea Words looked up again and cast a glance at their figures that left behind a deep impression on others. He smiled and continued eating.

  In truth, even though the fee collection system South China Martial Arts Ranking Board had launched benefited everyone, there were quite a lot of people who coveted the gains. They were jealous of the Three Lonely Wolves who had created it.

  It was especially so for celebrities like Fatty. They consistently ranked before the Three Lonely Wolves, and they never regarded the trio as anyone important. However, as South China Martial Artists Ranking Board was revised, they felt as if the relationship between them had changed, and they immediately felt that things were unfair for them.

  Puffy God and NotaRascal were extremely displeased with the idea of having to look up to people who were ranked below them, which was why they got the idea to destroy Three Lonely Wolves' martial arts tournament.

  Before they met up with Brother Tea Words, they had already contacted quite a number of people who were famous celebrities on the ranking board and made sure that they would not join. Once those influential people did not enter the tournament, those who were not powerful would not waste their time either.

  However, what they did not expect was that while they contacted the people in secret, South China Martial Arts Ranking Board suddenly gave an additional announcement.

  [South China Martial Arts Ranking Board intends to use the profit gained from the fee collection system to launch a major event that will benefit its members—the University of South China Martial Arts Assembly!

  [The martial arts assembly will be organized to choose the strongest martial artist in the University of South China! All the members in South China Martial Arts Ranking Board are welcome to join!

  [The results post battle will be shown on another tournament ranking board.

  [Champion. He or she will receive 3,000 RMB and will be recommended to World of Martial Arts to fight against all the powerful players in the country.

  [Two Runner-up Scholars. They will each receive 2,000 RMB.

  [Three Flower Snatchers [1]. They will each receive 1,000 RMB.]

  The rewards were not great, but to students, this was very attractive!

  Once the board made this announcement, all the members instantly received the news, and the University of South China immediately boiled with excitement! The news not only dispelled many of the students' jealousy toward South China Martial Arts Ranking Board, it even forced a smidgen of admiration to rise from the bottom of their hearts.

  In less than half an hour, the number of people who joined South China Martial Arts Ranking Board increased by leaps and bounds, and the people who registered for the martial arts tournament went over five hundred very soon!

  The influential players who originally wanted to observe the development of the situation all let go of their restraints and doubts. One hundred or so Gate Realm players handed in their registration forms one after another.

  The tournament started showing signs of rising in popularity.

  In fact, some of the students in the universities nearby also heard of the news and wanted to join the tournament by taking advantage of the situation! Those people were naturally not after the rewards, but joining such a grand martial arts tournament.

  Their attention was not really on the rewards…

  What they cared about was the combat ranking board South China Martial Arts Ranking Board had launched!

  It would not record the strength of everyone's qi and martial arts, but the true ranks of the powerful in the University of South China.

  They were young, and they cared very much about reputation. They did not want others to say that they did not dare face the other powerful players from the University of South China later and had avoided fighting against them.

  In the boys' dorm, the Three Lonely Wolves, Happy, and Xu Xin, who had rushed into their dorm, watched the numbers skyrocketing on the registration list for their website, and the five of them clenched their fists in high-spirits.

  They made it!

  Chapter 58 - The Person in His Memories

  In the residential area outside the University of South China were Happy, Bai Lang, Chen Fan, Qi Ci, and Xu Xin, who had rushed over later. The five of them sat together and held a ceremony for the University of South China Martial Arts Assembly, which was about to be successfully launched!

  Qi Ci had suggested to rent this small house, because Xu Xin was a girl, and it would not be convenient for her to frequently go to and fro alone to the boys' dorm. Besides, South China Martial Arts Ranking Board would definitely be developed further in the future, and they would inevitably need to launch others events. Hence, they might need to convince more people to join their ranks.

  So, from that day on, that house would become the quintet's working space. It was a house with three rooms and one living room. Once their lectures were over, they could gather, think about how to raise money, and plan how to develop the website. After all, they were only about three hundred and fifty feet away from the entrance to the University of South China, so they would not need much time to come.

  Once he drank a glass of beer, Bai Lang, whose alcohol tolerance was really low, started to speak loudly. "Happy, once you had your heart broken, you started to have more and more wicked cool ideas… I, Bai Lang, will now officially announce on behalf of our organization that from today onwards, you are our damn military adviser!"

  "Thank you for your trust and how much you have taught me, my dear organization. I'll drink to this toast. My dear leaders, do whatever you want," Happy said with a smile. He enjoyed being enveloped in this sort of atmosphere. Hence, he did not bother himself with Bai Lang's chatter. He just filled his glass with beer and drank it all in one go.

  "Alright!" The whole group laughed.

  Xu Xin watched the four people with her cheeks flushed. She took tiny little sips of her beer.

  Once Bai Lang was done with his drunken prattles, Chen Fan took over.

  "Hey, did you hear? Puffy and Rascal had been persistently persuading the people at the top of the ranking board to not join the martial arts tournament. Even Tea Words was nearly convinced by them. Yet Happy's one move swept away all the obstacles! Not only did he dissolve their 'army', even the two bastards themselves fell from their high horses!

  "An hour ago, I re
ceived Puffy and Rascal's registration forms, and at that time, I was really ecstatic! Everyone!" When he reached the end of his speech, he lifted his beer glass. Bai Lang and Qi Ci stood up at the same time, and their gazes went to Happy.

  "Let's cut to the chase, once we finish our drinks, we won't let you try to weasel your way out of not drinking the entire cup!"

  Once they downed their bear in one go, they glared at Happy viciously, and only when Happy obediently drank his wine did the two of them sit down, as if they had won a battle.

  "Ahem." Qi Ci looked around and cleared his throat. "My turn."

  When he spoke, he lifted his beer glass. Happy's expression changed, and he rolled his eyes. He refused to drink this time and said as much. "Hey, hey, hey, dude, will you stop? Ah! No matter what, I made a contribution, right? With how you're behaving, this doesn't look like a commendation ceremony, but like you're publicly criticizing me or something."

  "You brat, let me tell you. Right now, we made the arrangements for Xu Xin to sit beside you. Are you going to drink or not when you have something so good going for you?"

  'This girl… Doesn't she understand she should say something to clear things up? Does she want to watch me make a fool of myself?'

  "If I have to drink, then I will! If I get drunk and do something inappropriate, even if you scream yourself hoarse, it'll be useless for you." Happy glared at Xu Xin "viciously". He gritted his teeth and downed the beer in one go!

  Xu Xin's face finally turned red. She glared at Happy in embarrassment and rage, but still took the initiative to fill his glass. Then, she said something that made Happy incredibly regretful. "Hmph. It's my turn now. As the only girl in the South China quintet, I'll take my sweet time drinking my beer. You, on the other hand, have to drink it all in one go!"

  Happy was instantly overwhelmed with the urge to cry despite having no tears. He did not expect that his threat would only show up to be arrogance on his part and lead to an even stronger attack from the enemy. He did not even have a chance to catch his breath.

  "Big sis… I'm sorry, I was wrong."

  "Oh, look at you. Drink three glasses of beer as punishment, and I'll forgive you."

  Happy could say nothing about that. He finally got to know Xu Xin's real personality. This girl was a veteran when it came to drinking! She was the type that would incite others to drink, but not drink herself!

  'You witch.'

  With "tears of humiliation" in his eyes, Happy drank the beer furiously, threw his glass away, and ran to the toilet.

  'Darn it… I haven't even started eating yet, and you lot already started bullying people? My stomach is protesting!'

  When he returned to the dining table, the Three Lonely Wolves had "slaughtering" each other after losing their original target. They finished around twelve bottles of beer in high spirits. The trio were slumped over the table, incredibly drunk.

  "You sure returned late." Xu Xin's facial color was the same as before. When she saw Happy return, she cast a glance at his pale face, and a hint of worry flashed through her eyes. Her next words had a slightly apologetic tone. "I heard them say that you're actually quite good at drinking. Why were you defeated with just two bottles?"

  "That's utter nonsense." Happy smiled wryly. "The last time I became drunk, it was because of you, and that was the first time I drank."

  Since the Three Lonely Wolves were already unconscious, there was no need for him to even think about lying. While he started grumbling about how they treated him in a rebellious fit, he extended his hand to pick up the teapot. "I haven't even started eating, and each of you toasted me twice. And… you're the worst. You're a girl, but you didn't even take pity on me and just added insult to injury."

  His complaints about his suffering were successfully heard. Xu Xin stuck out her tongue and took the initiative to pour warm tea for him.

  "Sorry. I didn't want to be a wet blanket. Besides, I heard that you could really drink. They said you drank white wine and beer in one go, that's why I… I'm really sorry. Treat this cup of tea as my apology to you."

  Happy sighed. He turned his head around to cast a glance at the trio, who were now slumped over the table, completely unconscious. He took the cup of tea Xu Xin handed to him. "Our celebration has almost reached its end, I guess. Let's eat some stuff, and I'll send you back."

  "Okay," Xu Xun obediently replied.

  When they finished the celebration, Xu Xin suddenly thought of cancelling Puffy God and NotaRascal's right to enter the martial arts tournament, but Happy rejected the idea.

  "But…" Xu Xin was a little reluctant to give up. "I don't have any thoughts about giving other people the money we gained, but if we have to give it to them, I'll just! Hmph! I'm so frustrated just thinking about it!"

  "They'll have to have the ability to get it before anything else," Happy said with a soft chuckle.

  Xu Xin stopped picking up food with her chopsticks and looked at Happy with a strange expression. "Puffy and Rascal are very powerful. They're currently placed second and third on the influence ranking board. I heard that they have a martial art that has already reached Grandmaster Realm."

  "So what?" Happy said, unmoved. "That ranking board is not accurate…"

  He did not forget that the top five people on South China's influence ranking board had been utterly defeated by him, a nameless player, and he was not the first one to do so!

  Those people had not truly registered as members of South China Martial Arts Ranking Board as of then, and while their currently abilities were lower than those of Tea Words and the others, their fighting power was not weak. They had already made a name for themselves in the game.

  Hence, what truly mattered was a person's experience and methods when it came to fighting against an enemy. Qi realm could not determine everything.

  When she heard Happy's steadfast tone, the s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e girl finally noticed something. She blinked and drew closer to him to whisper to him with a face full of curiosity and anticipation.

  "Happy, do you mean that you're going to join this martial arts tournament?"

  "Of course." Once he finished speaking, Happy's face suddenly turned unnaturally pale!

  He suddenly remembered something. Once he became famous in the University of South China, a woman had appeared beside him and stayed with him for around two years. If he joined the martial arts assembly and gained a ranking, would he attract her attention once more?

  Chapter 59 - Offline Martial Arts Tournament

  The perfect chance of scoring himself a date with the woman of his dreams was destroyed by the figure of the woman who had suddenly entered Happy's mind. Under Xu Xin's curious gaze, he walked in front of her with an absent mind. Without saying anything to each other, they returned to the university, and Happy sent Xu Xin to the girls' dorm.

  Xu Xin stopped on the stairs leading to the girls' dorm and looked at the pale-looking Happy in worry. "Are you alright?"

  Happy forced himself to smile.

  "I'm okay. I'll be fine once I go back and sleep."

  "Alright, then you should go back and rest." Xu Xin waved her hand.

  Happy did not hesitate. He turned around and dragged himself back to his dorm with heavy footsteps.

  *****

  "You have a phone call!"

  His phone rang. Happy picked it up his phone and looked at the call log. It was Xu Xin's phone number.

  "Hello?"

  "Have you rested?" The voice on the other end of the phone was incredibly gentle and warm. It made Happy's originally slightly cold heart become much warmer. He could not help but nod and let out a hum.

  "I'm a little better now."

  Xu Xin hesitated for a moment before she said, "Then, I'll see you tomorrow."

  "See you tomorrow."

  He hung up his phone, and Happy sat powerlessly in front of his computer. He took a few deep breaths, and his gaze landed on a name on the South China Martial Arts Ranking Board shown on his computer screen. His
gaze changed from its initial tenderness to confusion before it turned into pain and conflict. The emotions in his eyes continued changing, and after an unknown amount of time, he finally took in a very deep breath, and a resolute look appeared in his eyes.

  In his previous life, that woman had adored and worshiped him. She entered the depths of his heart later on, but in the end, she became someone who hurt and left him. This time…

  'I won't give you a chance to hurt me again!"

  Once the scene before him turned into that of a valley and he felt the bright sun high in the sky scorch the ground while exuding a bright light, Happy's cold mood became slightly better.

  Flutter...

  Soon after he gained a steady footing, a white messenger pigeon flapped its wings and appeared in front of him.

  Happy was slightly stunned, but he grabbed it in a familiar motion. He carefully took out the letter tied to the messenger pigeon's leg, cast it a glance, frowned, and opened the letter.

  It was not Whirlwind Young Li or any of his friends' handwriting. Instead, it was a letter from a person whom he had only met once and who could even be said to have such a bad relationship with him that they were enemies.

  The name written at the end of the letter was Nangong Ying.

  In her letter, she said that Dragon Tiger Sect did not ask for his forgiveness, but would use its actions to change all its terrible habits. Nangong Ying had replaced Long Meng as Dragon Tiger Sect's vice sect master and had laid down strict rules to restrict the sect's actions. She said that she was willing to use money to compensate for the two times they troubled Happy for provoking him. She also hoped that they could become friends or even companions in the future.

  Happy was not in a good mood. Hence, it was only natural that he did not pay too much attention to Dragon Tiger Sect's letter, neither did he bother himself with it.

  If there was anyone else in the area, they would definitely notice that Happy had become much fiercer and more serious in his training! Not only did he run like the wind when he activated Cloud Treading Steps and gave off a murderous aura, but when he circulated his qi, there was a very thick murderous aura about him. If Dragon Tiger Sect appeared at that moment, they might not be able to go back in one piece like before.