A Brain is a Good Thing, Hope You Have One

Chapter 8: Brains Are a Good Thing, Hope You Have One

Knock knock knock. The sound of knocking rang out.

Lu Xun and Ji Li exchanged a glance.

The reason was simple—they hadn't heard any footsteps at all!

This inn could be understood as an ancient Chinese building, where footsteps on the wooden floor were far louder than on tiled ground.

What's more, Ji Li had trained in martial arts since childhood, her hearing far sharper than an ordinary person's, yet she truly hadn't heard a single sound!

So, the visitor either had exceptional lightness skill, or they had floated over.

They'd run into an expert!

Ji Li placed her small, chubby hand on the Wedding Dress Sword, on high alert as if facing a great enemy.

Lu Xun, after a moment of surprise, regained his composure and raised his hand to signal Ji Li to calm down. He rose unhurriedly and opened the door.

Standing at the doorway was Murong Yan, whom they'd briefly met before.

Given her size, walking without sound was quite eerie.

The moment the door opened, Murong Yan and Lu Xun locked eyes. Seeing that face a second time, she still felt a slight daze and loss of focus.

She peeked inside, then gave a simple, honest smile and said, "Sorry, wrong room."

After cupping her hands toward Lu Xun and Ji Li, she left.

Her appearance felt a bit inexplicable.

After closing the door again, Lu Xun furrowed his brow slightly. He couldn't quite figure it out.

Murong Yan was a cultivator—how could she not sense that there were two people in the room?

And if she were returning to her own private room, would a normal person knock first?

Entertaining herself with thin air, .jpg?

Her appearance this time definitely wasn't just a case of "wrong room" as she claimed; it had to have deeper meaning.

Lu Xun scanned the room and finally fixed his gaze on the Wedding Dress Sword.

Looking closely, he immediately noticed something off about it.

The basic information of the Wedding Dress Sword appeared before him, but it had changed from before.

"[Sword Name: Wedding Dress (Yellow)]" "[Note: This sword has been enchanted with a low-level concealment spell.]"

Lu Xun couldn't help but smile.

It was indeed the Heavenly Dust world he knew.

It was indeed the cultivators he remembered.

At this moment, in the eyes of martial artists and low-level cultivators, the Wedding Dress Sword was no longer a Magic Sword but an ordinary longsword, only slightly better-looking.

Once a weapon's grade surpassed Mortal Iron, it possessed spiritual resonance.

A cultivator could spot its extraordinary nature at a glance, and even a martial artist could faintly sense it.

Thus, a Magic Sword in the martial world stood out like a husky among wolves.

Now that Murong Yan had cast a concealment spell on it, others couldn't easily tell it was a Magic Sword.

Of course, high-level cultivators were an exception, since Murong Yan wasn't much of a great cultivator—how strong could a Novice Village guide be?

The term "possessing a treasure invites calamity" was easy to understand.

Ji Li was young and merely a martial artist, carrying a Magic Sword on her person, which would easily invite covetousness.

Lu Xun guessed that her being chased likely had something to do with this.

For Murong Yan, this was just a small favor, but for Ji Li, it meant fewer troubles while traveling the martial world.

A large portion of cultivators in the Heavenly Dust world were like Murong Yan.

Things like killing for treasure certainly existed, but it wasn't like some xianxia novels where every cultivator was utterly selfish, acting like ruthless thugs who'd rob and kill at every chance.

Most cultivators in this world focused their attention on the word "cultivation."

And many believed that life itself was the grandest cultivation.

Thus, "how to live" and "what kind of person to become" were major matters in a cultivator's eyes.

Many players were addicted to this game world because many chivalrous figures had a chivalrous spirit, and many cultivators had an immortal aura—that was the best xianxia in the players' hearts.

Lu Xun stopped looking at the Wedding Dress Sword, a smile spreading across his face.

"This world is as comfortable as ever."

On the other side, back in her own room, Murong Yan also smiled slightly, her chubby face looking even more simple and honest with the grin.

A few more minutes passed, then Lu Xun and Ji Li headed out.

They found a suitable shop and sold those annoyingly heavy weapons. Ji Li was overjoyed when she received the silver.

This little girl still hadn't noticed the change in the Wedding Dress Sword, it seemed. Her mind was impressively spacious.

Ji Li bounced happily ahead, while Lu Xun followed behind, drawing frantic sidelong glances from passersby and making the hearts of roadside young ladies flutter.

He paid none of it any mind. He was thinking about things, a bit distracted.

As far as he recalled, the reason he remembered Murong Yan as one of the mentors in Greenwood County's Novice Village was because he'd gone there to do a quest once, so she left an impression.

Though he didn't understand why Murong Yan had appeared in Wei County three years ago to the day, her presence had indeed been helpful to Lu Xun.

The number of players in "Heavenly Dust" was uncountable. As the hottest game of the 22nd century, its concurrent online player count was staggering.

And from this sea of players, a vast number of new-account starting methods had been summarized. Among them, only three starting methods were considered infinitely close to perfect.

One of those starting methods, Lu Xun was preparing to attempt. Murong Yan might be able to provide help with it.

No, she could definitely provide help!

The key was Ji Li.

It depended on whether this former mount, now Tool Person, was up to the task.

Ji Li walked ahead. In her good mood, she'd occasionally bounce lightly on her toes as she walked.

She turned her head to look at Lu Xun and said, "Why are you walking so slowly?"

Lu Xun smiled at her, an exceptionally warm smile.

Ji Li felt like she was bathed in a spring breeze. The whole world seemed to brighten.

Her little heart pounded wildly, beating faster and faster.

Terminal Appearance Control, beyond saving.

Lu Xun pointed at a small teahouse by the street and said, "Want to sit inside for a bit?"

Ji Li nodded.

Perfect. Time for some information extraction.

They chatted for a while, and Lu Xun roughly learned Ji Li's current situation.

How to put it... a textbook protagonist template.

Stumbled upon a magical artifact and a cultivation technique, then her parents were killed, she was hunted, carrying a blood-deep vendetta.

The early-game cheat item and early-game main quest were both very clear!

But thinking that she was only sixteen years old and had been through so much yet still maintained her innocence and kindness, Lu Xun felt a bit of a pang.

Of course, if she'd stop insisting on making him her Cauldron, that would be even better.

Still, these problems could all be solved now.

He looked at Ji Li and said, "We got lucky. We ran into a real cultivator."

"Ah! Where?" Ji Li's eyes immediately lit up.

"Haven't you noticed that woman—uh, the one who knocked on the wrong door—doesn't make a sound when she walks?" Lu Xun said.

"I did notice!" Ji Li looked at Lu Xun, a bit embarrassed. "I was going to discuss it with you after we left, but... then I forgot."

Lu Xun: "..."

See this chest? Impressive, right?

Don't be jealous. It was bought with brainpower.