Twin Heroes of the Northern Desert, the Player's Secret

The so-called master's voice boomed like a great bell, rough and wild, brimming with Malevolent Energy:

"A bunch of trash! I taught you for all these years, and now you can't even deal with a newly initiated Mount Hua disciple? He even killed so many of you in return?!"

"Master, Ji Shu's sword was too fast. It surpassed all our expectations!"

The one addressed as master also had a deep, rough voice, but it trembled faintly. His emotions were clearly unstable; he was still shaking in lingering terror.

"He is merely an initiated disciple. Even Yue Buqun does not frighten me."

The "master" snorted coldly. "Later, you will lead the way. We will go meet this so-called initiated disciple, Ji Shu!"

"No need!"

Crack!

Ji Shu pushed the door open and entered. Three burly figures came into view.

One of them was the man who had escaped earlier.

Of the other two, one was fair-skinned, held a sharp sword, and had blood at the corner of his mouth.

The other was dark-skinned, with nine incense scars on his head. He wielded a monk's staff and looked like a monk.

Hearing the movement, the three all turned to look. Seeing a man and a woman, both unfamiliar and bearing extraordinary temperaments, two of them could not help but stare in surprise.

The burly man's pupils contracted. He instinctively backed away two steps and cried out in alarm, "It's... it's Ji Shu!"

"Ji Shu?!"

The monk glanced sideways and sized Ji Shu up. His lips curled into a cold smile. "I was wondering what kind of god Ji Shu was. Turns out he is just a pretty boy."

Ji Shu's appearance and bearing had undergone earth-shaking changes compared to when he had first crossed into the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.

At the beginning, both his appearance and temperament had been within the range of an ordinary person.

But as one fist technique and sword art after another reached perfection, and his two internal cultivation arts both reached their peak, Ji Shu's bearing became utterly different from before. He possessed grandeur and sharpness within his refined elegance. Standing among a crowd, he was like a crane among chickens.

His appearance had also been continually tempered by his internal cultivation and Sword Qi. His complexion grew ever fairer, while his entire face seemed to have been carved by blade and axe, becoming increasingly defined.

Exercising and losing weight could make a person more energetic and attractive.

The effects of martial training in this regard were clearly a hundred, even a thousand times greater than ordinary fitness training. Of course, that referred to internal cultivation reaching perfection and Sword Qi achieving great mastery. Ordinary martial artists certainly could not attain results like Ji Shu's!

That was why, the first time he heard someone call him a pretty boy, even Ji Shu was briefly stunned. I, Ji Shu, am a pretty boy?!

"Yet you could not even beat a pretty boy."

The fair-skinned man cast a cold glance at the burly man. "What a disgrace to the disciples of our Twin Heroes of the Northern Desert!"

The man rolled his neck toward Ji Shu and said, "Kid, will you kill yourself, or kneel and beg for mercy so we can beat you to death?"

"I would like to know why the disciples of the Twin Heroes of the Northern Desert wanted to kill me."

Twin Heroes of the Northern Desert?

Ji Shu quickly recalled who these two were. They were notorious figures of the Evil Path, people who specialized in eating human flesh!

"Why kill you?"

The fair-skinned man was White Bear.

The dark-skinned monk was Black Bear. Black Bear grinned savagely and said, "Do we need a reason to kill a mere Mount Hua Sect disciple like you?"

He burst into laughter. "How laughable. Who gave you the courage and confidence to come here openly and question us? Pretty boy, kneel for me!"

He suddenly struck, slamming a palm heavily toward Ji Shu's shoulder. Whoosh! Whoosh! The palm came with howling wind, its force powerful enough to shatter gold and sever jade. If an ordinary Mount Hua disciple took this palm, even if he did not die, he would be crippled.

Yue Lingshan cried out in alarm.

The burly man's face was full of expectation.

Ji Shu calmly extended a finger toward the incoming palm. Pfft! With a crisp sound, streams of tiny Sword Qi sliced the palm into pieces, scattering them across the floor.

"Ah!"

Black Bear screamed miserably.

White Bear was stunned. Before either of them could recover, Ji Shu suddenly drew his sword. With two flashing strikes, two massive heads flew into the air and rolled onto the ground.

Whoosh!

Ji Shu moved like a phantom, instantly returning to where he had stood. Looking at the burly man's blank, terrified face, he said, "Speak. Why did you want to kill me?"

The burly man trembled all over, his legs turning weak as he involuntarily dropped to his knees. His lips quivered as he said, "If I tell you... will you let me go?"

Black Bear and White Bear's heads lay on the ground not far in front of him.

Their eyes were wide open, their faces filled with shock, confusion, helplessness, and unwillingness... Clearly, even in death, neither had expected to die so cleanly and decisively! They had not even had the chance to use a second move before being killed!

The mighty Twin Heroes of the Northern Desert, tyrannical figures who had roamed the Northern Desert, had died here just like that!

The burly man shivered like a leaf.

"You speak first."

Ji Shu flicked the sword in his hand, sending the blood from its blade flying. He sheathed it, his voice calm and unreadable. "If you do not speak, you die now. If you speak, you may not die. Choose."

"I... I'll speak."

Seeing Ji Shu sheath his sword, the burly man felt a faint spark of hope. Perhaps he might survive?

"My name is Hong Yi. I am the nephew of Hong Hao, a general of the Hong Kingdom in the Blue Star world. I... I received a secret order from my superiors to gather all Players around Luoyang who had achieved some cultivation and carry out an assassination plan against you. This truly has nothing to do with me. It was not me who wanted to kill you. I had no choice. I had to obey orders, or my superiors would kill me for disobeying their commands!"

"So you are a Player."

Ji Shu was thoughtful.

His surname was Hong.

And he was Hong Hao's nephew.

It seemed this incident was most likely connected to Hong Chen on Mount Hua. Other than that fellow, who else would think of killing him?

Since entering Mount Hua, he had barely left the area beneath the Old Sophora Tree. He had stayed at home, drawing in Qi Mechanism and cultivating martial arts. Thinking it over, the only Player who likely had any grudge against him was Hong Chen.

Ji Shu questioned Hong Yi and learned that Hong Chen was his cousin. Ji Shu understood, then asked, "Where is your Players' headquarters?"

"I don't know. The higher-ups would never tell us. Their organization is extremely tight-knit. They monitor and control Players throughout the entire world. Players at my level who disobey orders will not meet a good end, let alone ordinary Players."

"So that is why the Tower of the Multiverse in the Blue Star world is so tightly sealed off?"

"You could say that."

Hong Yi said, "Within the Tower of the Multiverse lie worlds beyond worlds, and they are extraordinarily remarkable. By entering them, one can learn many profound arts, even techniques that extend one's lifespan. Those with exceptional fortune may also obtain treasures that prolong life. To the higher-ups, this is an absolute secret! They want to control every Player and make Players explore the various worlds. Any good treasures or peerless cultivation arts they obtain must be handed over immediately, or they will be dealt with as traitors to the nation!"

"..."

Ji Shu's eyelids twitched wildly, his expression turning subtle.

Hong Yi did not notice. With his head slightly lowered, he continued speaking to himself. "In the past, it was not as if no Players secretly kept treasures for themselves. But if they were discovered, not only would they die, their families in the Blue Star world would die as well!"

Wishing you all:

May the New Year bring flourishing blessings and soaring fortune; may the festive season bring you good luck and all your wishes fulfilled!