Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

  The group nodded quietly.

  "Then, should we investigate a little more?"

  Thunderous Battle was already in the mood. When he looked at Happy, he began exuding the airs of a new and still inexperienced sect master, even though that feeling was faint for the time being.

  "Investigation will take too long. I know a pretty good place," Happy mentioned a city that none of them had ever gone to.

  But to his surprise, Dawn Lotus raised her hand and blurted out a few words.

  "I know this place. I heard about it online. There's an ancient forest there, and plenty of high-level beasts and snakes. It seems to be very dangerous. But I heard that there are plenty of medicine everywhere in the forest, which has attracted many herbalists. Besides, there are also a few decent steel mines as well as metal mines around."

  The group's eyes swiftly brightened up.

  "That's great!" Thunderous Battle was incredibly excited. "This place is practically a natural resource pool. Happy, how did you learn about it?"

  "I searched about it online." But even though Happy said those words, he became nervous in his heart.

  He did not expect that that place would have already spread online. Many of the big guilds and sects would definitely not let go of a city with such great resources. If Thunderous Battle really set the sect there, they might not have a good time.

  However, when Happy spoke of his worry, Thunderous Battle did not agree with him. He was filled with a heroic spirit as he clenched his hand into a fist.

  "We'll just treat it as a trial. Don't worry about it! If they come at us, we will fight back. We will resist them with everything we have. Even if the people from Class One Hall or Towering Palace come over, I will go up and meet them. There's no need to worry about it."

  "Don't forget that you don't have a single person in your sect just yet. Even if you manage to get those people to your side, if you want them to go up against Towering Palace, it'll be better if you just ask them to quit the sect," Happy said with a scoff after he recovered from being rendered speechless by Thunderous Battle's words.

  It was clear that Thunderous Battle was too excited right then!

  Happy's act of being a wet blanket managed to snap Thunderous Battle out of his excitement in time. He realized that he was a general without an army. Even if he drew a group of people over, he could not quickly push them up to standard. It was impossible for them to go up against the top three sects straight away. It was no more than wishful thinking on his part.

  "Once we reach Baokang in Hubei Province, don't be in a hurry to set up the sect. We have to understand the situation first. I will have a group of people from Beautiful Robes Faction work with you to help you gain your footing in Baokang," Happy said calmly, "Naturally, I will stay there for a while to protect you. But later on, both of you will be the ones in charge of developing the sect."

  He paused for a moment to say something to Little North, since he looked as if he wanted to say something but could not find the words to do so. "I know what you want to say. In truth, I've already taught you everything I know. From now on, follow Big Brother Thunder and listen to him. Don't be swayed by your emotions just because you're young and impulsive. Shennongjia [1] is a very good place to train. Don't let me down."

  Little North was still hesitant. He wanted to follow Happy around, but he also wanted to build and lead the sect with Thunderous Battle. Once he heard his words though, he s.u.c.k.e.d in a deep breath and nodded vigorously.

  "Boss, don't worry. I definitely won't let you down!"

  Happy nodded and cast his gaze on Whirlwind Young Li.

  "Young Li, when you're free, do ask Eastern and the others about whether they're willing to join us… By the way, where is Ghost's Worry? Why isn't he around?" He paused for a moment, and it was only then that he remembered that someone was missing.

  "Him?"

  Eleventh Crane and the others looked at each other with lamenting expressions.

  "It's kind of strange. He was normal when we went to protect the tribute around two months ago, but once we came back, he quit the Murong Clan without a single word. I heard that he joined an evil faction. We don't really keep in contact with each other anymore."

  "Is that so?"

  Happy frowned for a moment, but he felt at ease immediately after. There were still certain things that progressed in the manner as they did in his previous life. Ghost's Worry found his chance, and soon, he would return as an outstanding figure.

  "How about this? Go to Baokang and investigate the area first. I still have a quest at hand. Once I'm done, I will immediately head over to find you."

  "Alright!" Thunderous Battle nodded. Then, he looked Happy deep in the eyes and said, "But you're the one in charge of naming the sect!"

  "... Alright."

  Happy soon understood what he meant. He nodded with a smile and agreed to it readily.

  Chapter 299 - Three Girls

  Happy was shocked by the faint vibrations from his phone at one in the afternoon.

  'Yes, it's about time that I should have my lunch!'

  He logged out of the game, removed his helmet, and got off his soft bed.

  When he looked around, aside from a clean and tidy study table and a large closet with sliding doors, he could see no signs of dirty socks or dirty laundry anywhere. The sun outside was bright, and the area around him was refreshing and large. It left Happy slightly surprised, moved, and dubious.

  He changed into a new set of clothes and pushed open the door. A nice aroma of food that stirred up his appetite instantly came wafting into his nostrils!

  "It smells so nice!"

  Happy's smile grew brighter. He felt that his decision of moving out was indeed a wise one. Not only did he avoid the nightmare of being observed like he was some sort of endangered species, there was also someone who would send him food right on time every day. The quality of his food had also become better, so his life was truly luxurious right then.

  While Happy smoothed out his clothes, he moved to the living room and spoke at will. "I can tell from the smell that it's the aroma of sweet and sour ribs. Whoa, you seriously so kind to me, I love you to bits…"

  He took a turn, and six pairs of beautiful eyes fixed on his face while sitting around the dining table. In an instant, Happy found himself unable to say one particular name that was already at the tip of his tongue—Whitey.

  There were three beautiful and charming girls sitting by the dining table.

  There was an exquisite and beautiful lunch box on top of it. Aside from sweet and sour ribs, there was also a few dishes that let out hot waves of steam as well as the nice aroma of food. Happy could tell at first glance that it was not made by the university, much less the Three Lonely Wolves.

  When he saw it, no matter how thickheaded Happy was, he could already guess that his three brothers to whom he had given that extremely glorious task to bring him food had handed the wondrous chore to the other person who had the key to their base—Miss Xu Xin.

  It was no wonder then that there was such a rich and alluring lunch on the dining table!

  But Happy was a little puzzled by the appearance of the other two girls.

  It was Phoenix Dances and Glutinous Rice.

  For some unknown reason, they were staring at him with a strange look. They would occasionally turn their heads around to look at Xu Xin, who had a slightly red flush on her cheeks. Their expressions were really peculiar.

  "Urk, why are you here?"

  Happy did not expect that Phoenix Dances would come over on his first day of retreating to their secret base. 'Three Lonely Wolves, your willpower is seriously weak! How could you betray me so quickly?!'

  He smiled and sat across the three girls.

  "Whitey was supposed to be the one sending you your food today, but he said that he had something come up at the last minute, so he asked me to bring you your food. Take a look. Does it suit your tastes?"

  The blush on Xu Xin's face
slowly grew fainter, and she tried her best to make her voice calm. Even though her mind had run wild when Happy said those words just then, she soon came to realize that he might not have noticed the call on his phone when he woke up. It meant that his words weren't sincere.

  "It suits my tastes, of course it suits my tastes! Whenever they brought me food, it was never something so good. Thanks!" Happy quickly answered, but right when he finished speaking, he found that he still could not ignore Phoenix Dances and Glutinous Rice's existences.

  He then redirected his gaze to them. "Did you come here together?"

  "When I came over, they were already standing at the entrance. I thought that they were thieves at first, so I was shocked."

  Xu Xin turned her head to the side while saying that, and Happy was instantly stunned. It was the first time he heard Xu Xin talk in such a manner. She seemed to be very unhappy.

  When he went to observe Phoenix Dances and Glutinous Rice's expressions, he found that Phoenix Dances had already turned her head to the side in great disdain.

  "As Beautiful Robes Faction's master, I believe that there are certain things that I must discuss with Happy immediately. Whitey's the one who told me the address. I only waited at the door. You're the one making a fuss out of this."

  Happy said nothing, but he blinked in astonishment. He understood what was going on then

  'Looks like things weren't very pleasant between them when they met at the entrance!'

  "What about you, Glutinous Rice? Why did you come here?"

  When he saw that the two girls were confronting each other with a hostile air between them, Happy found himself unable to speak to any of them. He could only turn away to search for some sense of harmony from Glutinous Rice.

  That girl knew how to behave in such a s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e situation. She looked at Phoenix Dances before she looked at Xu Xin. Then, she said obediently and honestly, "I came over with Big Sis Phoenix Dances to talk to you about certain matters."

  She could tell that the two girls beside her seemed to be fond of Happy. One of them came over intentionally to see him, while the other had the time between the two of them destroyed.

  The atmosphere was a little tricky.

  "Have you eaten?"

  "I have."

  "Happy, your food is about to get cold."

  When Xu Xin spoke the gentle reminder with a pair of watery eyes, her womanly charms were turned to the max, and Happy instantly felt as if half his bones had become limp.

  "Got it!"

  He stood up reflexively and told Phoenix Dances and Glutinous Rice to wait a moment before he rushed into the bathroom.

  "Hmph!"

  Right after Happy left, the atmosphere in the living room immediately changed. Phoenix Dances turned her head around and glared at Xu Xin with hostility. Xu Xin turned away resolutely, refusing to look at her to show the disdain in her heart.

  Glutinous Rice was stuck between them, and she twiddled her thumbs with great unease on her face, but it was too late for her to regret anything.

  'I forgot to look at the Chinese almanac before I came out. Ah, I can't stand it anymore! My fate today… is definitely the one that says nothing will go the way I want it! It's definitely that fate, I'm willing to bet my money on it!'

  *****

  Xu Xin looked at Happy proudly and said, "Eat first. I want to see if my cooking skills have become worse."

  Happy was stunned before surprise entered his face. "Cooking skills? You made this yourself?"

  "Of course. It's one o'clock now. Try it. See if the taste is up to your liking." Xu Xin's smile remained in its place, and when it was coupled with the hot dishes on the table, Happy felt moved. He nodded, picked a sweet and sour rib, and put it into his mouth.

  "Wow!"

  He gave her a thumbs up.

  "It's sweet, but it's not a taste that will make me sick of it anytime soon. Yes, it's really tasty."

  As he spoke, he ate a few more sweet and sour ribs in one go.

  "Then, since I have time, why don't you pay me food expenses, and I'll cook for you?" Xu Xin's suggestion tempted Happy. Yet when he was about to nod, he felt a chill rise from his side.

  "If you eat too much sweet stuff, it won't be good for your oral health."

  But who was Phoenix Dances? If none of the boys in the University of South China had been able to control her, there was no way an obedient and demure girl who only had pretty good grades could scare her.

  "Hey, Great Beauty Xu, if you do this, others will think that you're living together. Your boyfriend will definitely be displeased if he saw this."

  Xu Xin snorted softly. "I don't have a boyfriend."

  "You don't have a boyfriend? If you don't have a boyfriend, then why are you being so nice to a boy? Do you have ulterior motives? And you're even offering to cook for him every day. You're so shameless." Phoenix Dances raised her chin in Xu Xin's direction. Her words were quite sharp.

  "What does it matter to you? Happy and I are both developers for South China Martial Arts Ranking Board. This is the office the five of us rented after we collected money for over five months. Why are you being so meddlesome when we're just eating in our office?! You're the one who's strange. You ran to our office and started acting all presumptuous. What's with you?"

  Phoenix Dances was instantly stunned.

  She had only come to know that Happy had begun to stay off campus when she saw the Three Lonely Wolves were moving some furniture. She thought that Happy had decided to rent an apartment by himself, which was why she was so jealous of Xu Xin, but she did not expect that it would be an office…

  'This is so embarrassing!'

  Chapter 300 - “I Have Decided to Step Down”

  For a man, having the woman of his dreams eating lunch with him was definitely an overwhelmingly happy occasion, but to Happy, the meal was a little terrifying!

  By his side was the usually gentle and quiet Xu Xin, but at that moment, she gave off the air of the mistress of the "base", which was something rarely seen. She continuously placed food in Happy's plate, and it made him feel that she was being very hospitable. It also made his heart feel warm.

  On his other side were two other girls. He could ignore Glutinous Rice, but Phoenix Dances was clearly glaring at him, and it made him feel as if there was a glacier beside him…

  One side was warm, and the other side was cold.

  Happy was stuck between ice and fire, and he felt horrible, as if he was sweating because it was cold and hot at the same time.

  After laboriously finishing his meal, Happy burped in satisfaction and handed his cutlery to Xu Xin in the spirit of machismo. He knew that if he let Phoenix Dances continue waiting, there was no telling what she would do.

  "I'll wash the dishes. Please take your time and talk."

  Xu Xin smiled faintly and left the living room with the cutlery in a great show of "consideration".

  "Hmph, you sure are living your life to the fullest right now."

  "It's alright, haha." Happy rubbed his nose while he laughed in embarrassment. "This first meal can be considered a housewarming meal, I guess. It's rare that I can eat something so good… By the way, you said that you have something urgent to tell me. What is it?"

  "Beautiful Robes Faction obtained more than seven high-grade masterpieces in the royal mausoleum. We also obtained some other items. When we totaled them, we had earned more than three hundred thousand taels of silver, and they made our faction storage richer. But these are not enough for Beautiful Robes Faction's development. I think that you won't be using your masterpieces for the time being. Hence, we've decided to buy all of your masterpieces and weapons with cash."

  "Cash? Buy?"

  Happy could not wrap his head around it, and he quickly said, "Actually, you don't have to tell me this. I was prepared to send it to you. Wait, what's with you saying that you'll buy it?"

  At that moment, Glutinous Rice spoke up as well. She explained their thoughts in a serious to
ne.

  "In truth, we considered it as a group operation, but it was only later that we learned that the royal mausoleum is a hidden quest for the Murong Clan. Even if we didn't have Little Jade's calming incense, you could have went in to carry out your clan's quest. Hence, the higher ups of Beautiful Robes Faction have come to a general consensus that your loot cannot be considered as part of the faction's loot."

  Phoenix Dances nodded in silence.

  Happy thought about it with a frown.

  'I see!'

  "Even if it's a hidden quest, why can't I just change all of my loot into contribution points and put them in the faction storage? Why exchange it with me with cash? Has the cash flow in the storage encountered problems?"

  "No!" Phoenix Dances shook her head. "The faction has been developing really well over this period of time. Even though we bought a lot of equipment during the early stages of the game, we have practically monopolized some of the beneficial areas in nearby cities, hence, the rewards we gain every day are very astonishing. The reports last week showed that our cash flow has already surpassed five million taels of silver."

  "Five million…"

  Happy was astonished. He did not have any experience in managing a sect, so he did not expect that Beautiful Robes Faction, which had needed to contact others to buy a few high-tier martial art manuals during its early days, would actually be able to grow so fast.

  "If you bring out a part of the five million taels of silver from the cash flow, it'll be enough for you to buy all the items I got from the royal mausoleum."

  "But that's not the problem," Glutinous Rice said. "The students from the Economics Department have observed and investigated the float rate of the money exchange rate in the market within World of Martial Arts as well as the increase and decrease in prices for the masterpieces. They then came up with an assessment."

  'Observation? Research? Assessment?'

  Happy was stunned. His mind was instantly filled with questions!