But that was a pretty good training spot for Happy.
Most of the members of Black Willow Mountain Manor had reached Life and Death Realm, so if he ventured slightly deeper into the area, he was able to find a group of black-robed people equipped with soft body armor. Happy only needed to carefully handle three of them before throwing knives at them from behind. At the same time, he could also increase the levels of his high-tier lightness skill, Swimming Dragon, and Shadowless Knife.
Over a few days, Happy threw an uncountable amount of throwing knives. He was probably beyond tens of thousands. While increasing the level of his hidden weapon technique intermittently, he managed to push it to the eighth realm, so his progress could be considered to be pretty good.
However, his throwing knives only split into two, and the damage was not enough. It could not even reach two thousand.
"How dare you?!"
"Who dares invade Black Willow Mountain Manor?!"
A loud, mighty, and furious roar rang through the air, and it made even more men in charge of protecting the manor to surge over from all directions.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Three old men with white beards and brocade robes appeared. One of them traveled in front of the other two. They landed in front of Happy arrogantly while the veins on their temples bulged out. Their gazes were fixed on his face fiercely. "It's you again!"
"I'm really sorry for being here again," Happy replied without batting an eyelid. He swept his gaze over the increasing number of Black Willow Mountain Manor members underneath with calm.
"You brat! How dare you treat Black Willow Mountain Manor as your backyard?!" The old man in the lead glared at him. "Second, third, support me from the sides! I'm definitely going to kill this arrogant brat today!"
An astonishing presence swiftly surged within Black Willow Mountain Manor. A round, golden and silver weapon landed in the old man's hand in a strange fashion, and the tiles under his feet shattered. He used the force generated to charge forward swiftly. The silver hoop shone with a piercing, circle-shaped arc in the air and arrived in front of Happy as quickly as lightning.
The other two men brought out their own weapons as well. One of them had a mighty and domineering Lionhead Nine-ringed Golden Broadsword, while the other had a pair of Flaming Gloves. The men stood near the old man and locked down Happy's escapes from the left and right after forming a triangle.
Because of that, even if Happy retreated, it would be impossible for him to escape their encirclement. It was also impossible for him to shake them off with his speed.
However, their wishful thinking clearly did not work.
Bang!
The silver circular hoop viciously slashed the afterimage Happy left behind on the spot. A huge hole was formed at the roof above the main hall. Happy had activated his Phantasm Body Movement Skill to avoid the attack during the critical moment.
Fighting against Ninja King for an extended period of time had allowed him to get used to the speed of those in Moksha Realm. He could seize the perfect moment to attack and dodge.
Besides, third-echelon Golden Boots had a rather high increase in Body Movement and movement speed. A mere Black Willow Mountain Manor Master would not be able to kill Happy if he fought against him alone.
Happy tapped against the ground and moved like a swimming dragon to charge out from behind the manor master. He was so relaxed while doing it that he deceived the second and third manor masters…
"Where do you think you're going?!"
The manor master was exasperated. He executed a palm strike after he turned around, and he was just in time to go up against Happy's sword slash. The manor master was sent crashing through the roof tiles and fell into the main hall, whereas Happy used the force from the manor master's palm to speed up. He shot out of the manor like an arrow that left its bow.
A large group of Black Willow Mountain Manor members flipped over the walls and chased after him. The three manor masters further behind shouted in anger and exasperation.
Happy ran calmly while he threw throwing knives at the group behind him.
Usually, he needed to aim to throw his throwing knives, since he could only absorb EXP if he hit his target, but there were hundreds of Black Willow Mountain Manor members behind him. They were packed in so tightly that as long as Happy was not too unlucky, he would hit two without aiming.
Just like that, Happy led the large group of Black Willow Mountain Manor in circles around the manor. As for the three manor masters, they retreated after chasing Happy for a while. They seemed to be unable to leave the manor for too long.
In less than half an hour since Happy started training, he suddenly heard a faint sound of branches breaking in the distant forest.
"Who's there?! Come out!" Happy warily shouted out in that direction and gripped two Soaring Eagle Swords in his hands.
The moment he finished speaking, a pretty, purplish-red figure shot out of the forest. The woman had clear eyes and a clean face, and she was using an indescribable look to stare at him.
"Why are you here?" she asked in a voice that sounded like bells.
Happy was stunned and, without hesitation, threw the two Soaring Eagle Swords he held in his hands into the crowd behind him.
Chapter 394 - Rescue Mission
The woman was Momo, who had once occupied Little North's mind day and night. She had vanished during Happy's fight against Lu Mingyue at the entrance of the royal mausoleum, and even though she had a Bamboo Hat over her head and her face was covered by a white veil, the familiar figure and the cold presence that was unique to her allowed Happy to recognize her within a moment.
"Why are you here?"
When he saw Momo appear alone in Black Willow Mountain Manor in all her icy glory, Happy could not help but be puzzled, and a strange look appeared in his eyes.
"I'm here on a quest. Why are you here?"
Momo was not as relaxed as Happy. She arrived in front of him like a rainbow and lifted her white veil. She cast a glance through the gap at the group of Black Willow Black Manor members who were very aggressive and fierce behind Happy.
"Did you receive the rescue quest as well?" she asked with bafflement.
"What rescue quest? I'm just grinding here…"
Happy seized the chance to glance at Momo's face when she lifted her white veil to reveal a gap. To his surprise, he found that some of the passion and naivety had vanished from her eyes, and there was a coldness that could not be described within them. Her eyes only became slightly gentler when they were directed at him.
"You're grinding here? There are three Moksha Realm fighters in Black Willow Mountain Manor. You're pretty gutsy."
When Happy heard about the quest, he immediately understood why the three old monsters would allow him to act so impudently outside the manor—there were actually some secrets hidden in the manor. But the rescue quest should be somewhat tough on Momo.
In answer to her words about the old men, he smiled faintly.
"You knew there were Moksha Realm monsters guarding this place, and you still dared to take it up?"
Even though Happy had witnessed Momo's skills outside Wuhu's ancient tomb and knew that her sword techniques were good as well as that she was equal in strength with Little North, that was not enough. If she wanted to complete a rescue quest in which three Moksha Realm monsters were her opponents, it would definitely be incredibly hard.
When she heard that, Momo could not help but sigh gently. "The quest originally asked me to sneak in to search, so it was fine, but now I won't be able to do it. Those three old monsters are on guard, and they will defend the place tightly. It's impossible for me to sneak in now."
Happy was rendered speechless.
"Haha, I didn't intend to do this. It was an accident."
A quest that involved three Moksha Realm NPCs as enemies was definitely not an easy quest, and it seemed like his act of training in the area brought gr
eat trouble to Momo.
She moved in front of him in a relaxed manner, and her tone was calm. "You didn't know, so it's not your fault. Besides, last time, if it weren't for you, I'd have died because of that pervert, and I wouldn't have been able to receive this quest through a combination of coincidences. I have to thank you for it, you know… What are you looking at?"
As she spoke, she suddenly noticed that Happy was sizing her up, and his gaze was incredibly strange.
In truth, while they were talking to each other, Happy had noticed that Momo was actually keeping up with him for some time, so it was only natural for him to feel surprised. "You're in Life and Death Realm?"
Momo nodded. "Yup, what's wrong?"
"No wonder. Your lightness skill is really good," Happy said in amazement.
Since Happy had Grandmaster Realm Phantasm Body Movement Skill and a third-echelon Golden Armor Set, aside from Lu Mingyue and a handful of other people, there were few players who could catch up to him, even if they activated Life and Death Realm.
Momo did not seem too fond of talking. When she heard Happy praise her, her tone changed, and she changed the topic of conversation.
"I couldn't help in the matter regarding Beautiful Robes Faction. Are you alright now?"
"Thank you for your concern," Happy answered politely.
The moment he said that, he felt that the atmosphere was a little strange. Momo had changed from a young and passionate swordswoman into someone who was a little too polite. He wondered whether it was because the event with Lu Mingyue had affected her too deeply.
"I'm okay now."
They charged forward together for some time without saying anything, and the atmosphere turned a little stifling.
Happy turned around again to use the people of Black Willow Mountain Manor to train his Shadowless Knife.
When Momo noticed Happy's actions, she seemed to notice that the atmosphere between them was a little cold, and she said, "When you attack Class One Hall, you can send a letter to me."
"Hey! What are you—" Happy felt his heart tremble when he saw that. He quickly increased his speed and stopped Momo when she approached the wall. "WAIT!"
She stopped with a puzzled expression and turned around. "What's wrong?"
Happy had an anxious expression on his face as he shouted at her. "Didn't you say that I alarmed them? It's not suitable for you to sneak into Black Willow Mountain Manor. If you go now, aren't you just marching to your own death?"
Momo clearly hesitated for a while before she stared into Happy's eyes and said, "I still want to try. I've been working on this quest for six days and six nights. I've completed seven quests, and Black Willow Mountain Manor is my last stop. I'll be filled with regret if I give up now."
"Can't you come at another time?"
Happy was dazed. He suddenly thought of a possibility, and his heart instantly began to tumble violently.
'Could this be a time-limited stealth mission?
'If that's the case, the higher the difficulty, the greater the rewards of the quest will be. Perhaps the quality of the rewards will even be among the top in the game…'
With resignment in her voice, Momo said exactly what Happy had expected. "The news of a rescue effort will be exposed before nightfall. At that time, the person will be escorted away, so I only have one chance."
He did not think his training would have caused him to accidentally disrupt an important series of hidden quests for Momo. She might have been rewarded for it with an ultimate technique, a divine vessel, or a demon vessel.
When he thought of that, Happy's gaze focused.
"Since an outside force has disrupted this quest, that outside force is allowed to join, right?"
Happy had some experience regarding the prohibitions of the many quests in the game, and he soon thought of a way to get involved and to help her with the quest.
Momo was stunned for a moment. After some time, she nodded. "I think you can, but…"
"The difficulty of the quest will correspondingly increase?" Happy quickly finished her sentence so that she could not do so herself.
Momo was stunned. She could not help but lift her white veil again, and surprise was revealed in her eyes. "You want to help me?"
If it were any other player, Momo would definitely be unwilling to let them help her, because the increase in difficulty would be beyond what she could handle, but Happy was different. He could use his own strength to fight against Ninja King with brute force, and he could retreat alive from Black Willow Mountain Manor. If he came along, he would only need to hold two of the manor masters in Black Willow Mountain Manor and buy her some time. It would be enough for her to have a good chance to finish the quest.
"I'll feel guilty if I messed up your quest. Tell me what I need to do," Happy's spoke in a clear voice.
Momo was delighted, but she said hesitantly, "But the people behind you…"
Happy understood her meaning. "Those are easy. Give me twenty minutes."
He quickly turned around and threw the throwing knives in his hands. Then, in the same motion, he brought out his tri-colored Noble Sword. Golden light shone around him, gathering together to form a golden bell. He then jumped into the air and, with the wind howling thunderously from his movements, charged into the large group of Black Willow Mountain Manor.
Boom!
Chapter 395 - Explore the Manor
"I've basically killed all the normal members of Black Willow Mountain Manor. I reckon that there are only the guards left aside from the three Moksha Realm monsters."
Happy and Momo leaned against the wall around the courtyard of the manor, which allowed them to see the mess on the roof of the main hall. They also took note of a few unarmed maidservants working hard in cleaning up the tiles.
Once Momo saw the situation in the manor, she turned her covered head to Happy with puzzlement in her eyes. "You did this?" she asked softly.
"What? Those holes?" Happy soon registered what she meant, and he answered dismissively, "They have nothing to do with me. Those three monsters tore through the roof because they were bored. Strange, where did they go?"
'I'd be an idiot if I believed you!' Momo thought in her heart, but she did not say it. "Now that you lured away the people from Black Willow Mountain Manor, the defense of the manor should have decreased. They will definitely tighten it inside then, so their men should all be beside the person I want to save. It won't be easy."
"It's fine. We can just lure them over."
When that sentence entered her ears, Momo did not even have time to turn her head around to give any sort of reaction before Happy slapped the top of the wall and flipped over it to land in the garden as if he was weightless.
"Wait for my signal."
Momo's eyes went wide, but she nodded. Then, she stared at Happy as he dashed forward through the shadows in the garden, passing by the maidservant like a phantom.
"Was there something?"
"Wind, I guess."
The maidservants clearly did not know martial arts. They only felt a slight breeze blow past them. One of them turned their head around in puzzlement, but found that there was nothing. She shook her head and continued to clean up the tiles in the main hall.
*****
In the beginning, Happy's intention was to act in a flashy manner so that he could lure out the three old Moksha Realms monsters, but he suddenly thought that it was still early and Black Willow Mountain Manor had weak defenses right theen, so it would be better for him to take a stroll around to see whether there was anything he could get.
He was in a nest with three old Moksha Realm monsters serving as its garrison. They should have some valuables aside from using the place to keep watch over a few important hostages.
He had lost a group of practice dummies, so no matter what, he had to find a few items as compensation.
Black Willow Mountain Manor was very big. There were quite a number of lofts, and naturally, there were maidservants in charge of
providing service to the people. However, it was not the first time Happy came to Black Willow Mountain Manor. He was very familiar with the layout, and he passed through many corridors. He easily avoided the maidservants who did not know martial arts, and he soon found a loft that was rather grand and luxurious.
"The few of you, go to the main hall and help clean up the place. You must repair the manor before night falls, or else, when the third master returns, we'll all be scolded."
The maidservants subserviently nodded and left the loft.
But the middle-aged woman did not leave. Instead, she jumped to the top of the loft to observe the situation outside.
'Nice chance.' Happy grinned and landed on the floor from the eaves of the veranda.
As a veteran who had played the game for more than three years, while he had never led women astray by flirting with them in the past, he did a lot of sneaking around in other people's property. He landed without a sound, and with a light tap, he vanished from the spot like a plume of smoke.
Just as he expected, once the maidservants were sent out, the middle-aged woman got busy with watching the area outside the manor. She did not expect that someone had already snuck into the manor, and that they might have made their way into the loft right under her nose.
The bright and luxurious hall was incredibly grand. There was a red carpet, furniture made of sandalwood, a Chinese square table, palace lamps, and all sorts of small items that dazzled people's eyes. Happy felt as if he had entered the palace.
However, he felt nothing for those items.
The jade items were worth tens of thousands of taels of silver at best. And if he truly touched them, he might trigger some trap. No noble person would want to gain wealth through immoral ways, only the righteous ways, so Happy would not do such a thing where he would ignore what was important for something that was secondary.
Sword Among Us c1-1268 Page 200