"The six great sects have been ambushed, and the martial artists will definitely blame this on Ming Cult! Cult master, since you've already decided to revive Ming Cult, we must take this matter into our hands," Yang Xiao said when he walked up. His gaze moved back and forth between Happy and Zhou Zhiruo's faces.
Happy felt as if he had just been sliced by a knife.
Chapter 425 - Ride Together
While Zhang Wuji, Song Yuanqiao, and Yang Xiao discussed the matter, Shaolin Temple, Mount Hua Sect, and Kunlun Sect also sent some of their people back with the news. Blood Robes was among them, and when he saw Happy in the headquarters of Ming Cult, a fierce look flashed in his eyes, but it soon faded away.
"The six sects have indeed met with an accident." Yang Xiao had a solemn expression on his face.
"Ming Cult has just gone through a major change right now, and we have not recovered our strength. Even if we go, we cannot do anything significant. Cult master, I believe that this matter is not as easy as it seems. We must notify the six sects in case the matter at Light Summit repeats itself."
"Bright Left Messenger Yang is right!" Song Yuanqiao nodded vigorously. "I will return to Wudang Sect and tell what happened in this place to all the martial artists in the world. But we cannot just ignore the safety of the elites of the six sects."
When he said that, he turned toward Happy, Blood Robes, and two other players. "You are people with outstanding talents, and you are also unfamiliar faces. You will not attract the attention of the dogs of the imperial court. I want to give you the task of investigating the whereabouts of the elites from our sects. They will definitely leave some hints behind if so many people have been captured."
"Great Swordsman Song is right…" Yang Xiao swept his gaze over the four people. "Do any of you have any opposing opinions?"
The other three did not say anything, because in the end, Yang Xiao's gaze landed on Happy, who was the first to arrive at Light Summit.
Happy had come to investigate the matter since the start, so it was only natural that he would not reject the request.
"The survival of the elites from the six sects is unknown, and we are also worried. We are willing to be at your service!"
Yang Xiao's expression became much gentler.
"Very good, I will give you three days' time to search for the whereabouts of the elites from the six sects. At that time, I will send someone to notify you."
"Miss Zhou, will you stay?" Song Qingshu suddenly butted into the conversation. "We can let them handle this matter. Come down the mountain with us and return to our sect. You can stay at Wudang Sect for a while while we send someone to notify Emei Sect."
"Thank you for your kind will, Great Swordsman Song, but I do not know whether my mistress is still alive, and I feel uneasy."
Zhou Zhiruo's tone was cold, and she did not even look at Song Qingshu. But she did not sneak a look at Zhang Wuji either. Zhang Wuji opened his mouth as if to say something, but he did not do so in the end.
"Young Swordsman Happy, I will search for my mistress with you."
When Zhou Zhiruo said that, Happy only answered her after a long time had passed.
That was because at the same time he received the quest from Yang Xiao, he received another quest. He was surprised when the system notified him that Zhao Min knew about his existence and that she had sent a powerful fighter she had enlisted to wait for him at the foot of the mountain. He was waiting there to ambush, and he had to think about it carefully.
At that moment, he also received another system notification telling him that Song Qingshu now hated him, and even Zhang Wuji cast him strange looks. After seeing that, Happy could not help but smile in a wan manner.
Beautiful girls always bring trouble. These words were indeed true!
He just had some trouble knocking at his doorstep out of the blue.
Once Song Qingshu became an outstanding person, he might end up being another great deal of trouble!
'Oh well!'
Happy wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed to bid farewell to the people. Then, he left Light Summit together with Zhou Zhiruo trailing behind him.
Blood Robes stared in the direction in which Happy and the others disappeared with sparkling eyes. He lingered a little longer in Ming Cult before he left the mountain. Even though he had previously been very high in morale, when he saw Happy easily kill Xiao Shan with one slash, Blood Robes became wary of him and grew to regard him highly in the end.
If Happy fought against him in Light Summit, he might not have survived!
It was precisely because of that wariness that Blood Robes had resolutely given up on the quest to search for the elites from the six sects once he got down the mountain. They would run into each other multiple times during the three days of the quest, since they would be traveling on the same path, and logic and reason made him unwilling to take the risk.
*****
When Happy left Mount Huangshan, he found tracks left behind by a group of carriages on the government-made road not too far away.
"The tracks are new and deep. They should be headed in that direction." Zhou Zhiruo's reaction was not slow. "We have to chase after them."
Happy knew that Zhou Zhiruo was smart, and he was happy to have an easy time, which was why he decided to just let her display her intelligence while he admired the beautiful "scenery" from the side.
Speaking of which, the beauty mark at the center of Zhou Zhiruo's forehead was truly like the final critical touch to a painting that brought it to life, though in this case, it transformed Zhou Zhiruo from a startling beauty into a goddess among mortals.
Zhou Zhiruo was the center of many players' attention while they traveled.
The golden brand of the top-ranked player on the Famous People Rank was capable of intimidating people.
Happy looked around before he said, "Miss Zhiruo, we won't be able to catch up to a fleet of carriages with just the two of us. They're people from the imperial court, and they'll change carriages repeatedly once they enter the city. Even if we spend all our energy, we won't be able to catch up to them."
"Once we enter the city, I'll have to trouble you to get us two horses, Senior Brother Happy."
"I can do it now."
Happy summoned Hoof Shadow straightaway and jumped on it before he extended his hand to Zhou Zhiruo. "My horse can carry two people just fine."
Zhou Zhiruo said nothing, but her face turned red.
However, when she thought of the predicament her mistress and sisters were in, she did not reject it.
Hence, a sight that made the jaws of an innumerable number of players to fall slack appeared. Zhou Zhiruo took Happy's hand and landed on Happy's horse. She even sat down in front of him.
"No way, seriously?"
"Giddy up!"
When the beautiful lady entered his arms, Happy shouted loudly, and his Hoof Shadow ran off at full speed.
It was not as if Happy had not touched beautiful female NPCs in his previous life, but it was his first time touching a beautiful girl like Zhou Zhiruo. He did not dare to do anything inappropriate with her though. There was a distance between the two of them, and aside from the occasional inevitable touch, most of the time, Happy still retained his gentlemanly behavior.
The two humans and one horse rushed to the nearest city at the speed of lightning.
*****
The matter with Happy stirred up a large storm in the world of martial artists.
Even though various players had cursed up a storm for the final battle at Light Summit, which the official developers had launched, those curses still could not drown out Happy's light!
First, he had defeated a Life and Death Realm NPC in a prideful manner with one shot before the battle of Light Summit and entered the camp of the six great system-allocated sects. He had an extraordinary performance during the battle as well, and he also rushed into the sea of fire at the first moment. At the time the six great system-allocated sects fought against
Ming Cult members, he also killed Xiao Shan and sent the heavily injured Zhang Wuji flying with one palm.
Even though Zhang Wuji had been severely wounded at that time, the sight of both of them being sent flying out of the battlefield which had dust flying all over the place at the same time had still made quite a number of people incredibly envious of him!
He was a person who had no match in the world!
Yet Happy had managed to not get injured or suffer any loss before Heaven and Earth Great Shift as well as Nine Yang Divine Skill. Because of it, Happy's strength in the players' eyes could be described as unfathomable.
Even though the scandal between Zhou Zhiruo and Happy swiftly spread out, there were still a lot of people who paid attention to the battle at Light Summit, especially the one from Happy's first person point of view.
Once Happy had Zhou Zhiruo settled down and logged off, the manager of the pay-to-view battle replay system immediately received his call!
Chapter 426 - Visiting Eternal Peace Temple at Night
The thousands of people escorting the elites from the six great system-allocated sects were from the imperial court. They had a vast and mighty caravan, and it was impossible for them to not leave behind any tracks. Happy and Zhou Zhiruo soon heard rumors in the streets and went along the path through a river to chase after the imperial court until they arrived at Eternal Peace Temple at Mount Kun.
"It's this place." It was the same place as in the original novel.
Happy felt at ease.
If they acted together later, they would be in danger, so he convinced Zhou Zhiruo to settle down in an inn while he logged off. When he returned, it was already midnight, and he snuck into Eternal Peace Temple alone.
The defense of Eternal Peace Temple was incredibly tight.
However, Happy was rather at ease, because based on what he knew, Zhao Min should have gone to meet Zhang Wuji, and with her were the famous Xuanming Elders. Hence, even though the defense was tight, it was not impossible for Happy to do something.
Sneaking into a place at night was something that he had done before. With familiar ease, he brought out the traveling clothes for night time, which he had bought while he was in the city. He changed into them, then quietly jumped into Eternal Peace Temple over the heads of two squads of Yuan Dynasty soldiers.
Changing into traveling clothes for night allowed him to get rid of the sounds from his robes. He wanted to become one with the night and not be discovered. The better the craftsmanship of such clothes, the worse the visibility would be. This meant that as long as the enemy was a certain distance away, they would not notice their target dressed in night traveling clothes.
Eternal Peace Temple was a small temple, and it occupied only a small space.
However, once the monks inside it were called up by the imperial court, they were contained within a small courtyard behind the mountain, and they were not allowed to move about as they liked. The elites from the six factions were hidden in the tall tower.
*****
At night, a black puff of smoke moved about various shadows as swiftly as lightning. It avoided the Yuan Dynasty soldiers who intersected with each other as they patrolled around the area and moved back and forth repeatedly. The puff of smoke gradually approached the Mahavira Hall in Eternal Peace Temple. It was just one wall away from the tall tower of Eternal Peace Temple.
The clouds were dark and the wind strong, but Happy did not dare take another step forward.
There was a sentry every three steps from the Mahavira Hall to the tall tower. Quite a number of Yuan Dynasty soldiers were equipped with heavy armor and Divine Crossbows as well. There were a lot of them, and they looked like steel monsters!
The defense of those with heavy armor was incredibly great. They could easily withstand the attacks from a Moksha Realm fighter and not suffer a lot of damage. Only if the attacks were from an elite from Inaction Realm could a palm strike seep through the heavy armor and injure the person protected by it.
Even if the teachers from the six great system-allocated sects moved over those people's heads, once ten thousand arrows were released in one go, they would lose at least half their of their life.
'This won't be easy.'
Zhou Yu quietly scowled at the tall tower that was 164 feet away while hidden in a dark corner behind a broken tower where he could not be discovered by Yuan Dynasty soldiers.
He was the player with the highest acc.u.mulated points among the Ming Cult disciples, and he had also received approval from Zhang Wuji to search for the whereabouts of the elites from the six great system-allocated sects. Even though he arrived later than Happy, he still managed to enter Eternal Peace Temple once night arrived.
At the same time, he also noticed that the people from Shaolin Temple and Kunlun Sect had snuck in as well. They were hidden in two other shadows near the tall tower, but since it was night and he was dressed in night traveling clothes, the other two did not notice him.
Zhou Yu said nothing.
He sized up the situation at the tall tower. It was clear that if he tried to force his way in, he would die. He settled down then and carefully surveyed the area as well as paid attention to the other two people's actions.
The other two had clearly noticed the great killing intent near the tall tower and stayed obediently in their place. They did not dare to get close.
However, before they could locate the elites from the six sects, they could not be certain that the people from the six great system-allocated sects were detained in Eternal Peace Temple, which meant that they could not complete their quest.
The trio waited.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a violent gust blew past them!
The chill stimulated the trio.
The hundreds of heavy armored warriors near the tall tower stood quietly in their original positions, but at that moment, Zhou Yu clearly heard a faint noise!
Since he was located closer to the tower and Mahavira Hall, he could clearly hear a barely audible sound mixed in with the mountain gust. It seemed to be the sound of hidden weapons.
'There's someone else in Eternal Peace Temple!'
Zhou Yu frowned and moved past a squad of Yuan Dynasty soldiers who approached him. A few seconds later, he returned to the spot from which he used to observe the situation just then.
At that moment, he discovered a black shadow moving above Mahavira Hall as lightly as a swallow under the dazzling light near the tall tower. He walked on ropes as if he was walking on even ground, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived above the tall tower.
When Zhou Yu saw that person reach the tower and how it was impossible for the Yuan Dynasty soldiers to notice him, he suddenly had a question.
'Who is that person?'
Zhou Yu was certain of who the other two people in Eternal Peace Temple was. One of them was Shaolin Temple's Heaven Does Not Forget, and the other was Kunlun Sect's Lonesome Wind.
There were only two more people who had yet to appear—Blood Robes and Happy!
'It's him!'
Zhou Yu swiftly figured out the identity of the person in the tower, and he could not help but feel shocked. He scowled, and a strange sense of disappointment filled his c.h.e.s.t.
Happy had managed to successfully injure Zhang Wuji while Zhang Wuji was under their protection during the battle at Light Summit, and Zhou Yu could be considered to have lost.
Right then, Happy seemed to have also gone ahead of him in the quest to find the elites from the six great system-allocated sects.
As Zhou Yu stared at the figure who shot into the tall tower, his gaze became complicated.
Happy had relied on quietly placing hooks and linking ropes to them to open up a path in the sky that led from Mahavira Hall to the tall tower. He then blended into the sky like a nocturnal bird and landed on the third floor of the tall tower.
'Success!'
At that moment, Happy knew that as long as he could ascertain that the elites from the s
ix sects were detained there, he could go back and report to Zhang Wuji. Then, he would finish his quest.
He carefully stood outside the tower and peaked inside through the side of a small window. There were two Yuan Dynasty soldiers having a drinking competition beside a small table.
When he looked further inside, he saw steel bars that were formed within a short time.
The group of people in white sitting inside… were Emei Sect disciples?
Happy felt his heart tremble and was stunned for a moment. He did not think that such a coincidence would happen that he would actually arrive in the floor detaining the Emei Sect disciples. When he looked further inside, he did recognized Ding Minjun, Bei Jinyi, and Mistress Annihilation, who looked dejected but still wild and angry.
Just when Happy was prepared to leave, the system notification suddenly reached his ears.
"Ding!
"Noticed Mistress Annihilation.
"Will you kill the Yuan Dynasty soldiers and sneak into the tower to release Mistress Annihilation?"
'I'd have a few screws loose in my head if I saved her.' Happy was filled with contempt toward the quest the system spontaneously gave him.
Anyone with a brain knew that Mistress Annihilation did not have any strength right then, and it was impossible for him to bring her out of the tower. It was clearly a trap, and he was not so rash and emotional that he would lose his senses.
But when he was about to turn around, he suddenly heard a commotion downstairs.
"We captured another one!"
"Hehe, this girl is rather beautiful…"
"Let me go!"
Zhou Zhiruo's voice was like an invisible hand that pinned Happy firmly on the tall tower right when he was about to leave.
In the end, Zhou Zhiruo still ended up being captured and sent into the tall tower.
Chapter 427 - Emei Sect, Ring of the Leader
Sword Among Us c1-1268 Page 216