I logged off, switched to Ranger, and first went to check on Han Qi at the medical clinic. The fellow was slowly coming around.
He wasn't particularly tall or sturdy, and his Root Bone looked average. He really didn't seem cut out for martial arts.
When I arrived, he was lying in bed with a book in his hands. Its title was Military Records of the Ten Dynasties of Tianqi.
It seemed to be a military treatise.
The moment he saw Mu Ye, he got up and fell to his knees.
"Benefactor!"
Mu Ye waved for him to get up. "Once you've recovered, go home. I returned the money you were swindled out of to your mother."
Han Qi was a snotty, tearful mess.
"Thank you, benefactor! I never thought that someone like me, Han Qi, would meet a benefactor one day... Sob..."
As he spoke, he started crying again.
Mu Ye found it rather amusing. This guy cried at the drop of a hat. He was clearly going nowhere in life.
Han Qi's father had been a soldier in the imperial army. After he died in service, the family's stipend was embezzled, and they were left without a source of income.
Still, Han Qi had lofty ambitions. At first, he studied the classics, hoping to earn an official post, serve his country, and sweep the world clean.
And, believe it or not, he actually passed the provincial examination and became a licentiate.
Later, when he sat the metropolitan examination, he couldn't afford to bribe the chief examiner. His essay was marked down as "illegible handwriting," and he ended up near the bottom of the results.
He was so furious he nearly fell ill. After that, he decided that studying literature couldn't save the country, so he might as well take up martial arts.
That was how he scraped together several years' worth of savings, came to Taiping City, and joined the Iron Leg Sect—only to get kicked out for stepping in with his left foot first. A ridiculous story.
Well, now neither literature nor martial arts could save the world.
In short, his life could be summed up in one word: miserable.
After taking a look around, Mu Ye switched to Ranger and went to train at the martial hall.
--
Shen Mansion.
"Aunt Yun, I can go to Chishui Village alone. Don't send anyone to protect me," Shen Qingchan said, confronting Madam Shen in her room. "I heard what you said that day. I don't need anyone!"
"Qingchan..." Madam Shen smiled faintly. "Shen Tianxing entrusted you to me, so of course I have to keep you safe. Don't worry. The person I've hired this time is every bit your equal. Do you know that your father met his end in Chishui Village? I know you're Third Grade, but this trip is bound to be perilous."
"Even so..."
"Why don't you hear me out first about the person I found?" Madam Shen said. "If you still refuse after I've finished, I won't argue another word!"
"Fine!" Shen Qingchan folded her arms over her sword and listened, her gaze calm.
She had already made up her mind. No matter what Aunt Yun said, she wouldn't agree.
Avenging her father was her responsibility alone.
Even if she died, she wouldn't regret it.
So Madam Shen slowly recounted Mu Huangtu's deeds.
"Second Grade in one month!"
"A Martial Arts Genius!"
"Brave and righteous!"
"Tenacious and hardworking!"
When Madam Shen finished, Shen Qingchan stood there, stunned.
"Is there really someone that incredible?" Shen Qingchan didn't believe it.
"You really ought to get out more..." Madam Shen said. "If you asked around, you'd find out soon enough. Mu Huangtu is a famous young hero in Taiping City. The story of what happened between the Iron Leg Sect and the Divine Fist Martial Hall? You could stop any young girl on the street and she'd tell you every last detail."
"In any case, he's nothing like the Demon Sealer, so deep and inscrutable. He's a talented young man—impetuous, but full of chivalrous spirit."
"Really?" Shen Qingchan fell silent.
Second Grade in a month was absurd. What kind of talent did that take?
No one in the Yunhai Sword Sect was that impressive.
"Even so, I..." Shen Qingchan quickly shook her head. Though she was curious, part of her instinctively resisted.
"I haven't finished..." Madam Shen said. "The young man is quite handsome..."
"..."
"Then... I'd like to see for myself whether he really has such exceptional Martial Arts talent." Shen Qingchan nodded solemnly.
"..." Madam Shen.
Meanwhile, Mu Ye was training at the martial hall when a notification suddenly appeared before him:
[Shen Qingchan's favorability increased: 10/100.]
"?" Mu Ye.
What the hell was that about?
Mu Ye was baffled.
He didn't think he'd ever met Shen Qingchan.
How could her favorability toward him have gone up?
--
The next day.
East Gate of Taiping City.
Mu Ye stood waiting quietly, holding the reins of a fast horse.
Chishui Village was about a hundred li from Taiping City—not too far.
After demons appeared there, Taiping City dispatched several Demon Sealers and summoned some of its famous heroes to subdue them. They had all failed.
The authorities still had a bounty posted, but no one dared take it.
This mission was to protect Shen Qingchan. As long as she stayed safe, that was all that mattered. Killing the demon in Chishui Village would be exceptionally difficult.
Of course, it wasn't entirely impossible.
In True Mode, players shared their abilities. If he could use spells, there was still a chance.
But protecting Shen Qingchan would be difficult.
And that was assuming nothing else went wrong along the way.
Before long, a clear voice rang out.
"Are you Mu Huangtu?"
Mu Ye turned his character around and saw Shen Qingchan in a blue-green martial outfit, also leading a horse.
She was still dressed as a man. The young swordswoman was strikingly beautiful, but her bold, spirited brows gave her an air that warned people not to trifle with her. The masculine outfit actually suited her very well.
Mu Ye nodded.
"My big brother told me about it. Shall we set off?"
Shen Qingchan nodded. He seemed all right, at least. He didn't waste words.
The two rode side by side out of the city. To save their strength over the hundred-li journey, they would naturally take the fast horses.
"This trip could end in death. If you want to turn back, you still have time," Shen Qingchan said. "The demon in Chishui Village isn't something an ordinary Martial Warrior can handle."
[1, I learned martial arts to slay demons and monsters. If you don't go to Chishui Village, I'll go sooner or later.]
[2, I'm no ordinary Martial Warrior.]
Ranger was a truly upright and righteous character. His innate ability, eagerness to help those in need, meant he couldn't do anything bad.
Mu Ye quite liked this character. Who wouldn't like a true hero?
Mu Ye chose option 1.
Shen Qingchan was slightly taken aback. It seemed she hadn't heard words like that in a long time.
Everyone learned martial arts to protect themselves.
Few people said they learned it to slay demons and monsters.
The two chatted as they rode, and before long, they were halfway there.
"There are two roads here. Both lead to Chishui Village..." Mu Ye pointed to the fork ahead. "One goes around Chishui River and then reaches the village. The other goes through Chishui Ridge, which leads straight there without crossing the river. But it's a mountain road, and bandits often hide there to rob travelers. It's more dangerous..."
"Which road do you think is better?" they asked each other at the same time.
They both paused.
"How about this..." Shen Qingchan said. "We each write our choice in the other person's hand. Then we'll see whether we're thinking alike. If we are, I doubt we'll have any disagreements on this journey."
"If we choose differently, we can go our separate ways. How does that sound?"
Mu Ye could tell that the young heroine still wanted to go alone.
Two options appeared.
Mu Ye thought it over, chose one, and wrote a character in her palm. Then they opened their hands at the same time.
"Mountain."
Shen Qingchan's gaze turned curious, and a faint smile appeared on her face.
[Shen Qingchan's favorability increased: 20/100]
Seeing her reaction, Mu Ye thought, This little girl is much easier to deal with than Madam Shen...
Before you continue