Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

  "That's how World of Martial Arts is. If you don't improve, you'll fall behind." Happy sighed with a myriad of emotions in him and said, "In truth, Miss Yue, you've done pretty well by taking in thousands of female disciples from Emei Sect when you built Moon Reflection Temple.

  "But you didn't make sufficient preparations to become a leader, and you didn't choose your temple's location well. You also didn't focus on your advantage. As for the people you mentioned, all of them have pretty good experience, have gone through a lot of things, and have a lot of resources. You had to start acc.u.mulating everything from the start. Don't lose heart."

  No matter what, the two of them were acquainted with each other, and Happy knew that Yue Hua was actually a straightforward and bold woman.

  She was most likely implying that she wanted to be affiliated with Mu Clan, but Happy was pretty sure that if he took over the burden from Yue Hua, she would soon vanish from the game.

  Her regrets and self-blame would cause her to leave. In fact, she might even be traumatized already.

  "Based on my observations over the past few days, even though Emei Sect has some innate inadequacies, you have rich resources. Not only are your ores rather concentrated together, you also have a lot of intelligent beasts lurking around the area, such as Golden Arm Apes, Immortal Cranes, Golden Coin Leopards, Iron Back Bears, and many others. Regardless of whether it is materials for armor or martial art manuals, you can get a lot of them here! You also have few cities in the area.

  "You managed to set up your Emei Sect in this place full of such great resources around you that even I am envious. If you could gather up all those resources and use them for your temple, you would definitely have a place in the game in the future."

  While Happy shared his thoughts, Red Coral and Black Rose got rid of Black and White Fiends and walked over to join the conversation.

  "That's right. Those intelligent beasts' pelts are all grade one materials. They're all incredibly precious. In truth, we've wanted to talk about this with Mu Clan since a long time ago to set up a branch over here and take the first step to excavate the resources here in Emei.

  "It's a pity though that this place is to the north of Changjiang and is very close to Class One Hall's territory. Once something happens, Mu Clan won't be able to take care of it. That's why we didn't mention it."

  "But I'm worried that I won't be able to do it." Yue Hua shook her head in agony.

  "It's fine, I'll help you." A thought appeared in Happy's head due to Red Coral enlightening him. He thought of a plan that could benefit both sides. "You can be in charge of excavating those resources, and Mu Clan will be in charge of taking them. If you have any questions, you can tell Rose and Coral. They'll be in Emei Mountain for a while, and they can help you."

  Chapter 461 - What Should I Do to Save You…?

  The problem of Moon Reflection Temple was actually not complicated. It was a product born from a group of girls' pride. Even though they had built a temple that stood apart from worldly affairs, they lacked leadership and direction. They could not find a way for them to develop while they were lost.

  Red Coral and Black Rose, in comparison, lacked a chance to show off their abilities. It was rare for them to have such a major task land in their hands, and both sides readily became partners. Naturally, Red Coral and Black Rose began to give instructions in a straightforward manner.

  They only used one afternoon to get the thousands of Emei Sect disciples in Moon Reflection Temple to start working!

  Under Black Rose and Yue Hua's leadership, they easily conquered a few regions that the Emei Sect disciples originally did not dare to enter. At the same time, they mobilized their forces to begin a rather large scale operation in the areas where the intelligent beasts resided. Once they became familiar with the intelligent beasts' strength and information, they began to hunt them down for real.

  On top of that, they also involved themselves in the excavation of ores. The city that was the closest to Emei Sect was dozens of miles away from it. Besides, it was a region where a great sect was located. An ordinary player sect would not dare to step into such a place. Once they caused any accident, it would lead to a large conflict, and the great sect would place bounties on their heads as well as issue quests to kill them. Even though the great sect in question there was Emei Sect, no one dared to have thought of encroaching upon them.

  When Jade Coral, Black Rose, and Yue Hua led the group of Emei Sect disciples for larger activities, as the only male in the group, Happy quietly left their team and went to the back of Emei Sect's mountain.

  It was the place where Zhou Zhiruo trained!

  Mistress Annihilation's death dealt a great shock to Zhou Zhiruo.

  To retrieve Heavenly Sword, she poured all of her time in training!

  Even though he did not know when that day would arrive, he was sure that Zhou Zhiruo would not give up on Heavenly Saber. With Lu Zhangke's information and support, Happy was certain that he would be able to retrieve it.

  When he arrived at the place where Zhou Zhiruo trained, his expression changed. He saw Zhou Zhiruo standing in the training ground stiffly, and there were tears on her face. She looked sad and lonely…

  "Young Swordsman Happy, you still haven't gone down the mountain?"

  At that moment, when Zhou Zhiruo saw Happy walking out from behind the fake mountain, a flash of warmth and gratitude shone in her eyes. "Thank goodness. Please help me release my acupressure points. My eldest senior sister stole the sect leader's jade ring…"

  Happy had accompanied Zhou Zhiruo while helping her along the way, and he had also completed many quests that were rather difficult from Emei Sect. Their relationship had progressed from mere trust to bosom buddies.

  'I knew it!'

  Happy frowned and quickly went to Zhou Zhiruo.

  He pushed his index finger and middle finger together to tap two of her acupressure points on the c.h.e.s.t. Zhou Zhiruo g.r.o.a.n.e.d and shuddered, then two faint blotches of red appeared on her face.

  "Miss Zhou, what exactly happened?"

  When Zhou Zhiruo heard his question, a miserable look of resignation appeared briefly on her face.

  "My eldest senior sister and a group of senior sisters could not accept that I was promoted over them. They worked together and sealed my acupressure points before snatching the sect leader's jade ring. They intend to elect Senior Sister Ding as the sect leader during the official appointment ceremony."

  The system's notification arrived then.

  "Ding!

  "Obtained Zhou Zhiruo's affection! Affection rate increased!"

  The quest notification that Happy expected never rose. The system only notified him that he gained Zhou Zhiruo's affection after helping her, but they were still bosom buddies. It caught Happy by surprise because he was not involved in the plot.

  "... What do you intend to do now?"

  Happy never gave up, because there were benefits behind becoming bosom buddies with NPCs. Even if there were no quests, they could still obtain content about the plot.

  "My mistress was the one who personally gave me the position of the sect leader. Even though I do not have much power, I have my moral integrity. I will catch up to my senior sisters and persuade them to return the jade ring. I will not fail to live up to the duty my mistress' gave to me! Otherwise, I will let down my mistress for taking care of me and teaching me for more than ten years."

  There was determination on Zhou Zhiruo's face.

  Happy sighed with a heavy heart.

  "When we were at Eternal Peace Temple, I did not manage to protect Mistress Annihilation, and I feel guilty and ill at ease. Now, no matter what, I will not let the jade ring be handed over to thieves. I'll help you get the jade ring back."

  "Young Swordsman Happy, you are very chivalrous, and I should be grateful to you, but this is a private matter of Emei Sect, and I do not wish for any fights to happen. I wish to resolve this on my own. So please, forgive me."


  Zhou Zhiruo cast a profound glance at Happy and did not reject his kind will with her words. Once she finished speaking, she asked for forgiveness from him before going after Ding Mingjun and her group.

  Happy knew that the plot had started, but he did not seem to be part of it. Even so, he was not discouraged. He waited for Zhou Zhiruo to leave into the distance before he followed her. He went after her at a slow pace.

  *****

  "Ding!"

  A few Emei Sect disciples who had been training with a Black Python suddenly heard the system notification.

  "Golden Flower Granny came to seek revenge on Emei Sect, and she is searching everywhere for Emei Sect's leader!

  "Stop Golden Flower Granny from taking away Sect Leader Zhou Zhiruo!"

  All Emei Sect disciples near Emei Mountain received that notification.

  In the beginning, many people did not approve of taking up the quest.

  Golden Flower Granny was a powerful martial artist who was at the same level as Mistress Annihilation. She was in Inaction Realm, and for Emei Sect disciples to go and fight her was the same as bringing a lamp into a toilet made of grass. They would just be rushing to their deaths.

  "Control Miss A'li, and you will complete the requirement to save Sect Leader Zhou Zhiruo. Those who knock A'li unconscious can choose a Life and Death Realm sword technique manual from the inner sect elders of Emei Sect!"

  Boom!

  Countless people on Emei Mountain were tempted.

  *****

  Golden Flower Granny had already stopped Ding Mingjun and the group of Emei Sect disciples at the foot of the mountain. Even though Ding Mingjun had seized the jade ring of the sect leader, she knew how powerful Golden Flower Granny was. Even though she had been talking day and night about looking for Mistress Annihilation, Ding Mingjun did not dare to say anything, even if she was angry. She could only say that her mistress had already passed away.

  "Passed away?" Golden Flower Granny fell into a daze and mumbled for a while before she glared at the women. "Then who is your new sect leader? You haven't decided on one? Stop trying to evade the question. If there is none, then I, Golden Flower Granny, will kill all of you one by one today!"

  Just when Golden Flower Granny was prepared to attack, Zhou Zhiruo appeared.

  "Wait!"

  Happy also reached the area. He saw Zhou Zhiruo catch the sect leader's jade ring Ding Mingjun threw at her in a panic and looked worked up after regaining what she lost. The Emei Sect disciples, in the meantime, were greatly disappointed by Ding Mingjun's irresponsible act.

  When they saw Golden Flower Granny leave with Zhou Zhiruo, the group prostrated themselves on the ground behind them.

  "We respectfully send off Sect Leader Zhou!"

  Happy said nothing and just sighed in his heart.

  Up till then, Zhou Zhiruo retained her pure heart, and she was still a kind girl. If she had not run into Zhang Wuji, who was incredibly popular with girls but kept wavering between them since he was ignorant of their feelings, she might not have been forced onto the path of no return.

  "What should I do to save you, Zhou Zhiruo?"

  He sighed gently while drifting through the forest.

  Chapter 462 - Foreign Players Entered

  Golden Flower Granny was not easy to deal with, but A'li, who was in Life and Death Realm, was incredibly easy to deal with!

  Thousands of Emei Sect disciples surged forward in order to obtain the Life and Death Realm martial art manual from Emei Sect's elder. They went to attack Golden Flower Granny's group wave after wave.

  They had to save Zhou Zhiruo, who had her qi sealed, and capture A'li, who had a poisonous martial art, but whose qi was not great enough.

  There also had to deal with Golden Flower Granny, whose strength was unfathomable!

  Many people thought that they could have a chance to gain some sort of benefit if they had many people in the area, but the truth was that while Golden Flower Granny's hidden weapons were not as strong as those of Flying Dagger Little Li, she could still easily kill a group of people in Life and Death Realm.

  *****

  The news of Golden Flower Granny going on a rampage in Emei Sect swiftly spread through the entire game. Even though there were thousands of Emei Sect disciples, they could do nothing about Golden Flower Granny. They could only watch helplessly as Golden Flower Granny and A'li left Emei Sect's territory with Zhou Zhiruo.

  The small main quest appeared quickly, but vanished just as quickly.

  Originally, a failed quest would not stir up many people's attention and discussion, but when this quest appeared, another quest that came from the same origins as it showed up in the game!

  It happened in Spirit Snake Island!

  Chen You of Beggar's Sect had brought his people to Spirit Snake Island along with a group of other Beggar's Sect players.

  Originally, it was normal for Beggar's Sect to have such a quest, but what attracted countless players' attention was that when the people from Beggar's Sect entered Spirit Snake Island, something unbelievable happened.

  Someone from Daiei [1] traveled miles across the seas and entered China's Spirit Snake Island, and he even gained Xie Xun's trust.

  A foreigner who did not belong to China had actually managed to obtain Xie Xun's trust, and he even helped Xie Xun defeat Beggar's Sect's disciples. For that, he received the legacy of Golden Haired Lion King Xie Xun's Lion's Roar, and countless martial artists from China grew furious, but soon, they fell into deep thought.

  They could understand why Golden Haired Lion King Xie Xun did not believe in the martial artists from China. The foreigners did not understand Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber's plot, and because of it, Xie Xun's wariness of them was lower.

  But a foreigner had actually managed to enter China and interfere with the quests, which obviously led to disputes in China. It was something that many Chinese martial artists could not accept. In fact, they even thought about whether they could get similar fortune if they went to other countries.

  After all, during the Yuan Dynasty, Genghis Khan had nearly conquered all of Eurasia. He had even managed to go to Japan. If was not stopped in his tracks by a storm, he might have even set up his flag there. At that time, a lot of China's culture had spread out.

  It was an introduction.

  However, an unprecedented wave of attention toward the progress of the foreign countries within World of Martial Arts stirred up in the official website!

  Even though the Eastern style martial arts game was stuck with the sign that it was a game from China and practically everyone played it as a game purely set in China, the Life and Death Realm player from Daiei allowed them to understand that the popularity of World of Martial Arts was not limited to only their country…

  Many foreigners as well as foreign guilds paid close attention to it! They were also fighting for it!

  Gradually, the progress of America, Europe, other Asian countries, and other western countries were posted on the Chinese official website by many players who had social connections.

  Europe and America's progress in the game was somewhat slow. They seemed to still be wondering about what qi was. They were interested in it, but unfamiliar with it. As of then, there were few people who had reached the highest qi realm among players—Life and Death Realm.

  On the other hand, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, and other places who were familiar with Chinese culture were not that far behind China. They were only a small distance away.

  Not only were countless Chinese players shocked by this, there were even many sects and players who grew restless.

  Many people got envious of Towering Palace's great foresight.

  After Thunderous Battle spoke to Happy about it, the Three Lonely Wolves, Phoenix Dances, and Tea Words appeared together!

  "Did you hear about the matter at Spirit Snake Island?"

  When Happy opened the door, he sniffed a nice fragrance. It was from Phoenix Dances, who rushed in impatien
tly. She quickly stated her intention for coming.

  "A group of barbarians appeared at Dali as well. No one could understand what they were saying, but they had no problems in accepting quests. They even attacked quite a few of the headquarters of the sects over there."

  "I don't think you should be worried about this right now, should you?"

  Happy was experienced in the game, and he had seen all of it before. Naturally, he knew of the strength of the foreigners, and it was not enough for them to fight against the martial artists from China right away. A small disturbance and individual incidents would soon be squashed, so there was no need for them to be worried.

  However, when he returned to his couch to sit down, Phoenix Dances followed him and placed her hands against the back of his couch, her arms on either side of his head. She then stared into Happy's eyes at close proximity.

  "Who said that we don't need to be worried?!" she asked.

  It scared Happy out of his wits.

  "World of Martial Arts is a game with ancient China as its setting. If some small countries bully us, we'll be humiliated and embarrassed."

  "It's not just ancient China, it's the ancient setting of the entire world…" Happy pulled off Phoenix Dances arms from above his shoulders. "Don't worry, they're nobodies. They won't be able to do anything."

  The Three Lonely Wolves and Tea Words sat on the couch across from the two people in tacit agreement. They just watched Happy push Phoenix Dances down to sit beside him.

  "Did you come over for this?"

  Chen Fan had a serious expression. "Of course. This isn't a small matter. It's our national prestige, can't you see it?"

  "It's just a game. Stop dragging in all this other nonsense. What do you think Towering Palace has been doing all this while? They've been going to Goryeo, Western Region, and the uncivilized regions whenever they're free. Are you saying that you're the only ones allowed to go to their places, and no one else is allowed to enter? The imperial court isn't even bothered by this, so why are you bothered? Are you more important than the imperial court now?"