Then I would like to see if he truly has such high martial arts aptitude

Logging off, I switched to the Thief character. I first went to check on Han Qi, who was receiving treatment at the medical clinic, and found that the guy was slowly waking up.

He wasn't tall, nor was his build sturdy. His foundation looked average; he really didn't seem like the material for martial arts.

When I arrived, the guy was lying on the bed reading a book. The title displayed was Military Records of the Ten Dynasties of Tianqi.

It seemed to be a military treatise.

Seeing Mu Ye arrive, he immediately got up and knelt:

"Benefactor!"

Mu Ye waved his hand, signaling him to get up: "Now that you've recovered, you should head back. I've already returned the money you were swindled out of to your mother."

Han Qi was a mess of snot and tears:

"Thank you, Benefactor. I never thought I, Han Qi, would one day meet a noble person... wuwuwu..."

As he spoke, he started crying again.

Mu Ye found it somewhat amusing. This guy, crying at the drop of a hat—he clearly didn't have much of a future.

Han Qi's father had been a soldier for the imperial court. After he died in action, their family had lost their source of income because his military pay had been embezzled.

However, this man had grand ambitions. Initially, he studied poetry and books diligently, wanting to pass the imperial examinations, serve the country, and bring order to the world.

Believe it or not, he actually succeeded. He passed the provincial examination and became a xiucai.

Later on, during the metropolitan examination, because he didn't have the money to bribe the chief examiner, he was failed on the grounds that his handwriting was too ugly, leaving him at the bottom of the rankings.

He was so angry he almost fell ill. After this incident, he decided that studying literature couldn't save the country, so he simply went to learn martial arts.

That led to the absurd incident where he saved up money for years, came to Taiping City, and tried to apprentice at the Iron Leg Sect, only to be kicked out because he... stepped in with his left foot first.

Well, now neither literature nor martial arts could save the world for him.

In short, one word: miserable.

After taking a look, Mu Ye switched to the Ranger and went to the martial arts hall to train.

Shen Mansion.

"Aunt Yun, I can go to Chishui Village by myself. You don't need to send anyone to protect me." Shen Qingchan was confronting Madam Shen in the room. "I heard everything you said the other day. I don't need it!"

"Qingchan..." Madam Shen smiled slightly. "Shen Tianxing entrusted you to me, so naturally, I must protect you. Rest assured, the person I've hired this time is no worse than you. Do you know that your father met his downfall in Chishui Village? I know you have the strength of the third rank, but this trip will surely be extremely dangerous."

"Even so..."

"Why don't you listen to what I have to say about the person I've found first?" Madam Shen said. "If you still refuse after hearing me out, then I won't say another word!"

"Fine!" Shen Qingchan held her sword in her arms, her gaze calm as she listened.

She had already made up her mind; no matter what Aunt Yun said, she would not agree.

Avenging her father was a matter for her alone.

Even if she died, she would have no regrets.

And so, Madam Shen slowly began to recount the deeds of Mu Huangtu.

"Second rank in one month!"

"A martial arts genius!"

"Gallant and righteous!"

"Tenacious and hardworking!"

After listening, Shen Qingchan stood frozen in place.

"Is there really such an impressive person?" Shen Qingchan was skeptical.

"You, you really should go out more..." Madam Shen said. "If you went out and asked around, you would know. This Mu Huangtu is a very famous young chivalrous hero in Taiping City right now. Regarding the incident between the Iron Leg Sect and the Divine Fist Martial Hall, you could pull any young girl off the street, and she could tell you the whole story clearly."

"In short, this person is not as deep and inscrutable as a Demon Sealer. He is a young, reckless, and chivalrous genius."

"Really?" Shen Qingchan fell silent.

Second rank in one month was too exaggerated. What kind of talent was that?

Not even the Yunhai Sword Sect had anyone that impressive.

"Even so, I..." Shen Qingchan quickly shook her head. Although she felt a bit of curiosity, she instinctively resisted.

"I haven't finished yet..." Madam Shen said. "This young man is quite handsome..."

"..."

"Then... I suppose I would like to see for myself if he truly possesses such high martial aptitude." Shen Qingchan nodded seriously.

"..." Madam Shen.

At the same time, far away at the martial hall, a notification suddenly appeared for Mu Ye:

[Shen Qingchan's favorability increased 10/100.]

"?" Mu Ye.

What kind of situation is this?

Mu Ye was puzzled.

I don't think I've ever met this Shen Qingchan, have I?

How could my favorability rating have increased?

The next day.

Taiping City East Gate.

Mu Ye stood quietly, holding the reins of a fast horse.

Chishui Village was about a hundred miles away from Taiping City, which wasn't very far.

When demons had appeared there previously, Taiping City had dispatched several Demon Sealers and conscripted some of the city's famous martial artists to subdue them, but they had all failed.

The government still had a bounty posted, but no one dared to take it.

The goal of this mission was to protect Shen Qingchan; as long as she remained unharmed, it would be fine. Trying to slay the demons in Chishui Village would be exceptionally difficult.

Of course, it wasn't entirely impossible.

In Reality Mode, if he could share abilities with the player and cast spells himself, there would still be a chance.

But protecting Shen Qingchan well would be a bit difficult.

And that was assuming there were no other unexpected incidents along the way.

Before long, a crisp voice rang out:

"Are you Mu Huangtu?"

Mu Ye controlled his character to turn around and saw Shen Qingchan dressed in a green scholar's robe, also leading a horse.

She was still dressed in men's clothing, but this young swordswoman was born with great beauty. However, her spirited, heroic eyebrows always gave off an impression that she wasn't someone to be trifled with, so this male attire actually suited her quite well.

Mu Ye nodded and said:

"My brother told me about it. Shall we set off now?"

Shen Qingchan nodded. This person was actually alright; he didn't talk nonsense.

And so, the two rode their horses side by side out of the city. To conserve stamina for the hundred-mile journey, they naturally had to ride fast horses.

"This journey is fraught with uncertainty. If you wish to turn back, you still have the chance," Shen Qingchan said. "The demons in Chishui Village are not something an ordinary martial artist can handle."

[1. I have mastered martial arts for the very purpose of slaying demons. Even if you don't go to Chishui Village, I will go sooner or later.]

[2. I am no ordinary martial artist.]

The Ranger was a truly upright and righteous character. His innate ability, Righteousness, destined him to be incapable of doing anything evil.

In truth, Mu Ye quite liked this character. Who wouldn't like a true hero?

Mu Ye chose 1.

Shen Qingchan was slightly taken aback. In this day and age, it seemed she hadn't heard such words in a long time.

Everyone practiced martial arts for self-preservation.

Rarely did anyone say they practiced martial arts to slay demons.

The two exchanged a few simple words along the way, and before long, they reached the midpoint.

"There are two paths here, both leading to Chishui Village..." Mu Ye pointed to the fork in the road ahead. "The first is to bypass Chishui River to reach Chishui Village. The second is through Chishui Ridge. You don't have to go around the river, and it leads directly to Chishui Village, but it is a mountain path. Bandits often hide there to rob travelers, so it is quite dangerous..."

"Which path do you think is better?" The two spoke at the same time, asking each other.

They both froze after speaking.

"How about this..." Shen Qingchan said. "Let us each write our choice in our palms, shall we? Let's see if we are at least on the same page. If we are, then there surely won't be any disputes on this journey."

"And if they are different, then we shall go our separate ways, how about that?"

Mu Ye could tell that this young swordswoman still wanted to be alone.

At this moment, two options appeared.

After a moment of thought, Mu Ye chose one, wrote a character in his palm, and then they both revealed their hands simultaneously.

"Mountain."

Shen Qingchan's eyes turned subtle, and a hint of a smile appeared on her cheeks.

[Shen Qingchan's favorability increased by 20/100]

Seeing this, Mu Ye thought to himself, this little girl is much easier to deal with than Madam Shen...