Side Quest

Sure enough, "Jiang Shi" quickly drew the eyes of the entire street. Even the commotion gradually died down as everyone put down their work and came out to watch.

Looks like my face sculpting has reached the level of a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, Yan Qing thought.

The keywords "rainy day," "soaked," and "barefoot" probably helped a lot, too.

Four ruffians came toward him along the road. The reason he could identify them at a glance was not only because they had their chests bared, idled around doing nothing, had sharp, angular features, and were covered in the air of pretentious intellectuals, but also because they were walking through the rain without umbrellas. Anyone who did not even know to avoid the rain had a brain fit only for being a thug.

The four thugs' first reaction upon seeing "Jiang Shi" was naturally to freeze. Clearly, they had never seen a prettier girl in their lives, and without exception, they revealed lustful, entranced expressions. Just as Yan Qing was preparing to kill a few people to liven things up, one of the thugs saw something and suddenly turned terrified. He grabbed one of his companions and whispered a few words into his ear. The other thugs' expressions changed drastically as well, and they hurriedly hid by the roadside to avoid "Jiang Shi."

This was the first time Yan Qing had seen such a tactful passerby. Were the local thugs really this polite?

Could it be because "Jiang Shi" was wearing the White Iron Straight Blade at her side?

Come to think of it, that made sense. "Jiang Shi" was also traveling through the rain without an umbrella, with a blade in her hand. To others, she would inevitably seem like someone who was "not right in the head" and "carrying a weapon." On this street, she was an apex predator. Naturally, mere thugs who were "not right in the head" would not dare provoke her—as if anyone here had a right mind!

But as time passed, Yan Qing increasingly felt that something was wrong. The passersby were not merely avoiding him; they were even closing their doors and windows. "Jiang Shi" was like Moses parting the sea. Before she even reached them, all the shops and houses ahead had shut their doors, and the pedestrians had vanished to who-knew-where. The entire town had grown so quiet that only the curtain of rain between heaven and earth remained.

A troop of tall horses suddenly burst through the curtain of rain and blocked the center of the road amid their neighing. The riders, dressed in straw raincoats and bamboo hats, dismounted one after another and advanced toward "Jiang Shi" at an unhurried pace. Some drew out Chains, while others took the long spears from their backs. Though they said nothing, their hostility was plain in the wind and rain.

Yan Qing had no intention of dodging. He had "Jiang Shi" grip the hilt with her left hand and gently push her thumb against the guard, drawing the White Iron Straight Blade an inch. This was the Carp-Mouth Draw, which would increase her draw speed by 0.2 seconds once the battle began.

If the people on the other side were ordinary people, he would use an ordinary person's fighting style. If they were Messengers, Yan Qing had a way to deal with Messengers, too.

Just then, the sound of wheels and hoofbeats came from behind.

A pincer attack?

Yan Qing looked back and saw a four-horse carriage charging through the wind and rain.

A silk flag bearing the character "Qian" fluttered atop the carriage.

The horses were excellent, each a packhorse with black fur and a white mane. The carriage was excellent, too. Even on such a terrible road and at such speed, it barely swayed. Its wheel ruts were deep and steady, and the carriage compartment was nearly the size of a house. The coachman was no ordinary person either. He wore neither a bamboo hat nor a straw raincoat, yet his clothes were not wet.

Even the coachman was a Messenger equipped with a Defensive Token. What an imposing display.

Because he did not know whether the carriage was friend or foe, Yan Qing and the straw-clad riders both stopped until the carriage slowly came to a halt behind "Jiang Shi." The carriage's curtain rolled upward like a roller blind. Before anyone appeared, a voice rang out first.

"Why are you blocking the road?" The girl's voice was as cold and biting as icy rain. "If you dare obstruct this four-horse carriage bestowed by the Emperor without cause, you are insulting the Baiyun Qian Clan. By the rites, granting you permission to commit suicide is already a mercy!"

Yan Qing's brows rose. Blocking the road meant death?

It seems every place has its own set of difficult rules...

The straw-clad rider called out in response, his voice piercing through the rain. "Reporting to Your Ladyship, this humble officer is a constable of the county yamen's rapid-response squad. We received word that a Bandless Undocumented Person had appeared here at Eighteen Market and suspected that the Taihu Rebel had fled here. We came specifically to make the arrest. Please wait a moment. We will capture the rebel and return to report."

"The Taihu Rebel?"

The girl looked toward the drenched, solitary "Jiang Shi" standing between the two sides.

"You're saying she is the Taihu Rebel?"

"We can only determine that after taking her back for questioning," the straw-clad rider said indifferently. "But it is certain that she is a Bandless Undocumented Person. Regardless, she has already committed a grave crime and must be detained while awaiting the county magistrate's judgment."

A Bandless Undocumented Person?

Only then did Yan Qing notice that everyone here seemed to have a band tied around their wrist. The straw-clad riders all wore black bands, clearly visible whenever they reached out. The coachman and the girl also wore bands. The coachman's was black, while the girl's was blue.

Not just them—even everyone on the road, from peddlers to thugs, had a band tied around their wrist. Their bands were merely gray or brown, similar in color to their clothes, so Yan Qing had failed to notice this detail along the way.

"Hey, you." The girl asked, "Where is your band?"

"I don't have one."

"Are you the Taihu Rebel?"

"No."

"Where is your home? Where are you going?"

"I have no home," Yan Qing replied. "I'm planning to go to a forest to the east."

The girl froze. "Could it be that you're also going to—"

"Miss!" the coachman said sharply. The girl immediately stopped speaking.

At this point, the straw-clad riders seemed to realize something. They split into four directions and surrounded "Jiang Shi," speaking in an even tone. "Miss of the Baiyun Qian Clan, please do not interfere with us carrying out our duties."

"How could the Taihu Rebel possibly appear in a place like this?" the girl shouted. "Does she look like a rebel to you? Other than a blade, she has nothing—not even shoes! She is clearly just an ordinary person!"

"Any undocumented person without a band is a barbarian rebel who refuses the Emperor's civilization," the straw-clad rider said. "Could it be that the Baiyun Qian Clan wishes to shelter a rebel?"

"Miss," the coachman called softly, "it would be best not to..."

The girl gritted her teeth hard, her expression clearly indignant. She glanced several times at "Jiang Shi's" back, but in the end, she returned to the carriage and fell silent.

The coachman flicked his whip. The four packhorses went around the group, pulling the carriage onward.

"Try to take her alive if possible," the straw-clad rider ordered. "Don't hurt her, especially not her face. Whoever uses too much force will be last in line later."

"I thought coming out in heavy rain would be an unlucky job. At most, we'd get a few strings of cash. I never thought we'd run into such a beauty."

"If Old Huang's group heard about this, they'd probably die of envy."

"Heh, she even knows how to use a blade. But I like them spirited."

At last, it was time to fight.

Yan Qing controlled "Jiang Shi" as she drew the White Iron Straight Blade, preparing to seize the position on the right and retreat into the narrow alley nearby. Perhaps because his vitality had increased, Yan Qing's current control had caught up with his seventeen-year-old self. Perfect Dodge and perfect parries came at the slightest motion, so he was not afraid of fighting at all—against mortal-level opponents, his skill alone could offset his equipment disadvantage.

Neigh—

The carriage, which should have continued on, suddenly turned back and charged straight toward the straw-clad riders. The riders seemed deeply wary of the carriage. They did not even try to strike the horses, simply dodging out of the way.

Yan Qing had intended to dodge as well, but at that moment, the carriage curtain rolled up, and the girl leaned out and extended a hand toward "Jiang Shi."

"Get in!"

Faced with the girl's invitation, "Jiang Shi" moved.

She strode forward and charged at the nearest straw-clad rider. Under his astonished gaze, she slashed out, the blade cutting through the curtain of rain.

The straw-clad rider's head flew into the sky. His headless corpse collapsed limply to the ground, a stream of blood spurting from his neck toward the heavens.

The carriage stopped again. The girl and coachman, the other straw-clad riders—everyone stared blankly at "Jiang Shi" as she shook the blade, flicking off the blood. Her expression was impassive, her bearing relaxed and elegant. If not for the headless corpse at her feet, no one could have imagined that the beautiful girl had just beheaded a constable of the rapid-response squad.

One dead. Three left, Yan Qing thought.

The instant the girl extended her hand, two thoughts had occurred to Yan Qing.

The first was the main quest: grasping the girl's hand would allow him to escape this place immediately.

The second was the side quest: kill all enemies (optional).

Clearly, as a single-player Brahmin who loved games with every trophy, Yan Qing would never pass up a chance to clear a toilet—complete a side quest.

And running away was even less his style of play.