Side Quest

Sure enough, 'Jiang Shi' quickly attracted the attention of the entire street, and even the noise gradually quieted down, with everyone putting down their work to come out and watch.

Looks like my character customization has reached the level of captivating beauty, Yan Qing thought.

However, the keywords 'Rainy Day,' 'Wet Body,' and 'Barefoot' should have added a lot to it.

At this moment, four loafers walked towards them. The reason they could be identified as loafers at a glance, besides their bare chests, idleness, uncouth appearance, and being full of literary affectations, was also because they didn't use umbrellas in the rain—not knowing to avoid the rain meant they could only be thugs.

The first reaction of the four thugs upon seeing 'Jiang Shi' was naturally to be stunned. It was clear they had never seen a more beautiful girl than 'Jiang Shi' in their lives, and they all showed lustful and captivated expressions. Just as Yan Qing was preparing to kill a few people to liven up the atmosphere, one of the thugs seemed to see something, his face filled with horror as he grabbed his companion and whispered a few words. The other thugs' expressions also changed drastically, and they quickly hid on the side of the road to avoid 'Jiang Shi.'

It was the first time Yan Qing had seen such sensible passersby. Were the local thugs this polite?

Could it be because 'Jiang Shi' carried a White Iron Straight Blade with her?

Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. 'Jiang Shi' was currently traveling in the rain without an umbrella, and she was holding a knife. Therefore, others' impression of her must be 'not very bright' + 'has a weapon.' On this street, she was at the top of the food chain, and the mere 'not very bright' thugs certainly wouldn't dare to provoke her—as if anyone here was bright!

But as time went on, Yan Qing felt more and more that something was wrong, because the passersby were not only avoiding her but also closing their doors and windows. 'Jiang Shi' was like Moses parting the sea. Before she even walked past, all the shops and houses in front of her closed their doors, and the pedestrians disappeared, leaving the entire town silent except for the rain between heaven and earth.

A team of tall horses suddenly broke through the rain, and with a series of neighs, they blocked the road. The riders, wearing raincoats and bamboo hats, dismounted one after another, walking towards 'Jiang Shi' with measured steps. Some took out chains, and some took down the spears from their backs. Although there were no words, the malice was evident in the wind and rain.

Yan Qing had no intention of avoiding them, letting 'Jiang Shi' grip the hilt of the sword with her left hand and lightly push the sword guard with her thumb, pushing the White Iron Straight Blade out an inch. This was the koi-mouth cut, which would increase the speed of drawing the sword by 0.2 seconds in the upcoming battle.

If the opponents were ordinary people, she would use ordinary people's tactics; if the opponents were The Heralds, Yan Qing also had The Heralds' tactics.

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

A pincer attack?

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

At the top of the carriage was a silk flag embroidered with the character 'Qian.'

The horses were good horses, each a black-haired, white-maned packhorse; the carriage was a good carriage, and even on this bad road and at this speed, the carriage body didn't shake much. The wheel tracks were deep and stable, and the carriage was almost the size of a house; the coachman was not an ordinary person either, because he wasn't wearing a bamboo hat or a raincoat, but his clothes weren't wet.

Even the coachman was a Herald with a defensive relic. What a grand display.

Because she didn't know whether the carriage was friend or foe, Yan Qing and the raincoat knights stopped their movements until the carriage slowly stopped behind 'Jiang Shi.' The curtain of the carriage rolled up like a roller blind, and before the person appeared, the voice arrived first.

"Why are you blocking the road?" The girl's voice was as cold as the rain: "If you dare to block this Imperial-bestowed four-horse carriage without a reason, it is equivalent to insulting the Baiyun Qian Clan. According to etiquette, granting you suicide is already a favor!"

Yan Qing raised an eyebrow at this. Blocking the road meant death?

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

The raincoat knight responded loudly, his voice piercing through the rain: "Reporting to the noble, this humble one is a County Yamen Constable. I received news that a Bandless Undocumented Person has appeared in the Eighteenth District, suspected of being a Taihu Rebel fleeing here. I have come here specifically to arrest them. Please wait a moment, and we will capture the rebel and return to report."

"Taihu Rebel?"

The girl looked at 'Jiang Shi,' who was caught between the two sides, soaked to the bone and all alone.

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

"We can only determine after interrogation." The raincoat knight said indifferently: "But it is certain that she is a Bandless Undocumented Person. In any case, she has already committed a major crime and must be taken into custody to await the county magistrate's judgment."

Bandless Undocumented Person?

It was at this moment that Yan Qing noticed that everyone here seemed to be wearing bands on their wrists. The raincoat knights were wearing black bands, which were visible with a stretch of their hands. The coachman and the girl were also wearing bands. The coachman had a black band, while the girl had a blue band.

Not only them, but everyone on the road, from the vendors to the thugs, all wore bands, but their bands were gray or brown, similar to the color of their clothes, which was why Yan Qing hadn't noticed this detail along the way.

"Hey, you." The girl asked, "Where's your sash?"

"I don't have a sash."

"Are you a Taihu Rebel?"

"No."

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

"I don't have a home." Yan Qing replied, "I'm going to a woodland to the east."

The girl was taken aback, "Could it be you're also going to—"

"Miss!" The coachman called out softly, and the girl immediately stopped talking.

At this moment, the raincoat-clad knights seemed to realize something and surrounded 'Jiang Shi' from four directions, saying in a nonchalant tone, "Miss of the Baiyun Qian Clan, please do not interfere with our official duties."

"How could Taihu Rebels appear in a place like this!" The girl said loudly, "Does she look like a rebel to you? She has nothing but a knife, not even shoes! She's clearly just an ordinary person!"

"Bandless Undocumented Persons are all uncivilized barbarians who defy the king's rule." The raincoat-clad knight said, "Does the Baiyun Qian Clan intend to harbor rebels?"

"Miss," the coachman said softly, "It's best not to..."

The girl gritted her teeth, her expression clearly unconvinced. She looked at 'Jiang Shi's' back several times, but in the end, she sat back in the carriage and said nothing more.

The coachman cracked his whip, and the four packhorses steered the carriage around them and continued forward.

"Try to capture her alive." The raincoat-clad knight instructed, "Don't hurt her, especially her face. Whoever hits too hard will be last in line later."

"I thought coming out in the rain was a bad job, at most we'd squeeze a few taels of silver, but I didn't expect to encounter such a good catch."

"If Old Huang and his group knew, they'd be green with envy."

"Heh, she can even use a knife, but I like them a little feisty."

Finally, I can fight.

Yan Qing controlled 'Jiang Shi' to draw the White Iron Straight Blade, preparing to seize the right position and retreat into the narrow alley. Perhaps because of the increased Vitality, Yan Qing's current skill level was close to his 17-year-old self. Perfect dodges and perfect parries came easily, so he wasn't afraid of fighting at all—in mortal-level combat, he could offset the equipment disadvantage with skill.

Neigh——

The carriage that was supposed to pass by suddenly returned, charging directly at the raincoat-clad knights. The raincoat-clad knights seemed to be wary of this carriage, not even attempting to slash at the horses, directly dodging out of the way.

Yan Qing was also about to dodge, but at this moment, the carriage curtain was rolled up, and the girl leaned out, reaching her hand towards 'Jiang Shi'.

"Get on!"

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

She strode forward, rushing towards the nearest raincoat-clad knight, and in the latter's astonished gaze, she unleashed a slash that cut through the rain.

The raincoat-clad knight's head soared into the sky, and the headless corpse fell powerlessly to the ground, blood spurting from the neck and shooting towards the sky.

The carriage stopped again, and everyone, whether it was the girl and the coachman, or the other raincoat-clad knights, stared blankly at 'Jiang Shi', who was shaking the blood off her blade. She was expressionless, her demeanor relaxed and elegant. If there wasn't a headless corpse lying at her feet, no one could have imagined that this beautiful girl had just beheaded a County Yamen Constable.

One down, three left. Yan Qing thought.

In the instant the girl extended her hand, two thoughts popped into Yan Qing's mind.

The first is the main quest: holding the girl's hand allows you to escape this place immediately.

The second is a side quest: kill all enemies (optional).

Obviously, as a single-player Brahmin and a lover of full-trophy games, Yan Qing would not miss any opportunity to clean the toilet (complete the side quest).

And running away is not Yan Qing's style of play.