The last Third Grade expert was Chen Tianshang of the Chen Family, another prominent clan in Taiping City.
The Chen Family relied on the Hundred Artifacts Villa, a rather famous establishment. They said it had begun as a Blacksmith Shop that forged weapons for the first army of the Tianqi Dynasty. Later, it followed the dynasty's first emperor on his campaigns across the land, forging many renowned weapons for him.
After the Tianqi Dynasty was founded, the blacksmith who had followed the emperor to power helped establish the Hundred Artifacts Villa, which specialized in crafting all kinds of weapons for the imperial court.
It was, by any measure, a genuine imperial power.
Later, after the Tianqi Dynasty weathered several rebellions, the Hundred Artifacts Villa got involved in one of them and nearly fell.
But a centipede could still wriggle after death. The Hundred Artifacts Villa ultimately survived, and in this chaotic age, its unique weapon-making techniques made it a force no one could afford to underestimate.
"Of the five Third Grade experts, the records don't specify anything about the Nanyue Blade Sect. For the rest, Madam Shen has noted that they're highly likely to be colluding with the Feng Mansion..."
Mu Ye mulled it over. If he wanted to become the Young Hero, he would surely have to use these people as stepping-stones.
"And then there's the Feng Family..."
There wasn't much information on the Feng Family. The records mainly said that Feng Wuque was Third Grade.
That was because he was the only young Third Grade expert the Feng Family had produced in all these years. The rest had no talent for martial arts.
Even Feng Wuque's father was only First Grade.
"Actually, there should be another expert who's close to Fourth Grade—or might even be Fourth Grade..." Mu Ye narrowed his eyes.
Madam Shen couldn't uncover anything about that old man guarding the pavilion.
He was probably Feng Wuque's trump card.
Fortunately, Mu Ye had visited the Feng Family ahead of time. Otherwise, if a Fourth Grade expert had appeared suddenly at the very end, Mu Ye might have made it out unscathed, but Madam Shen might not have been so lucky.
After he finished reading the information, the carriage came to a stop.
They had arrived at the Feng Mansion.
At the same time, a notification appeared.
[Shen Mansion Side Quest: Beside One's Pillow (3) has begun.] [Quest objective: Ensure Madam Shen returns safely.] [This side quest is rated two stars and is relatively long. A rating system has been enabled. It includes two special achievements: "Young Hero" and "Dynasty Widow." Challenge at your discretion. Once completed in True Mode, the side quest will close.]
Mu Ye's eyes lit up. Ratings and special achievements were usually only available in stages.
This was the final part of the side quest, and he hadn't expected it to have them too.
It seemed that the further he got in these side quests, the greater the rewards and the difficulty became. They might even rival the main stages.
"Two more challenges..."
In that case, he'd first play normally and see what was difficult.
Mu Ye followed Madam Shen into the Feng Mansion.
The banquet began soon after. Everyone named in the records was there, and Mu Ye committed each person's face to memory.
"Feng Wuque is pretty handsome..."
Many people had come to the banquet, including merchant families from Taiping City, proprietors of famous shops, martial arts school owners, and noble ladies from wealthy clans—all prominent figures in the city.
Some of them had attended the Shen Mansion's sacrificial banquet.
The banquet wasn't as grand as the one at the Shen Mansion, but the guests here were far more influential.
Halfway through the banquet, Feng Wuque did exactly as Madam Shen had predicted and made his move:
"Demons and monsters now surround Taiping City. The events at Chishui Village a few months ago are still fresh in our minds. My Feng Family feels deeply for the suffering of Taiping City's people and is willing to relieve the people's troubles. But a man alone can hardly accomplish anything, and even our thousand-strong Xifeng Army is hard-pressed to face the demons..."
"But if everyone is willing to unite, then those mere demons will be no match for us!"
"My Feng Mansion is willing to establish the Taiping Martial Alliance. Those who join will be under unified command and protected by my Xifeng Army. We'll work together to resist the demons outside the city."
"Then we'll surely bring true peace back to Taiping City!"
"Will you join us?"
The fox's tail was finally showing.
What a load of crap, Mu Ye thought. His words were grand, and he did have some clout.
In truth... just thinking about what had happened at Chishui Village sent a chill down Mu Ye's spine.
Soon, the crowd responded, with many voicing their support and saying they wanted to join.
"You're just a green kid. Why should we take orders from you? Who do you think you are?"
Still, there were those who refused to be swayed.
"That's easy enough..." Feng Wuque laughed. "Let's settle this through martial arts, shall we? Everyone here is among the best in Taiping City. I'll take the main ring. Whoever comes out on top will become the city's one and only hero and lead the Taiping Martial Alliance. Surely no one here will object?"
"Then let me see what you're made of..."
And so the fighting began.
Feng Wuque was astonishingly strong. With a casual move, he sent the Martial Warrior who'd spoken out flying to the ground.
Next, someone with enough weight had to step forward. The obvious choice was Chi Haolong, leader of the Chishui Gang.
He was a famous Third Grade expert and a hero in his own right.
The two fought to a standstill, but in the end, Feng Wuque narrowly won.
"Feng Wuque's Wind King Leg seems to be only at the seventh level... Is he that useless?"
"Seventh-level Wind King Leg opens more than two hundred acupoints. Feng Wuque's actual strength seems to be over three hundred... Looks like he's cultivated other secret martial arts too..."
Soon, the others stepped into the ring one after another.
Mu Ye could tell that although their fights looked evenly matched and exciting, each of them held back at just the right moment, letting Feng Wuque win by a narrow margin without wearing himself down too much.
When the matches were over, everyone was convinced.
"Would the Shen Mansion be willing to join the Taiping Martial Alliance and accept the protection of my Xifeng Army?"
At last, Feng Wuque revealed his wolfish ambition. "Madam Shen, demons are dangerous. If you don't join, you'll have to be extremely careful! After all, demons appeared at your manor just a few months ago..."
The veiled threat was delivered without a hint of open hostility.
[1. Step forward and challenge him.] [2. Remain silent.] [3. ...]
Two options appeared.
Mu Ye thought for a moment, then chose the first.
After he made his choice, Feng Wuque smiled.
"Demon Sealer Mu Xinghe, I know you... Since you want to challenge me, come and give it a try."
"But if you want to challenge me, you'll have to fight them first."
[1. Defeat Feng Wuque by force and take Madam Shen away.] [2. Defeat them one by one.]
Mu Ye tried the first option. After he selected it, Feng Wuque didn't say anything and still chose to fight.
The battle ended quickly. Even without syncing with the player, the Demon Sealer was now close to Fourth Grade. After a fierce battle, he forced Feng Wuque to use several secret martial arts, yet still won.
He successfully took Madam Shen away, but because he had challenged them midway through, he hadn't earned enough prestige. The others refused to acknowledge him. Although he had taken Madam Shen away, he'd only completed the quest at the most basic level.
And the Shen Mansion's crisis remained unresolved. As soon as they left the mansion, the Xifeng Army surrounded them...
He reloaded and chose to defeat them one by one.
During the process, Mu Ye quietly memorized all the secret martial arts used by the Third Grade experts. By fighting them through the character, he recorded their strengths and even their habits in battle, reloading several times to study them.
Only after he understood them by over ninety percent did he challenge Feng Wuque. This time, Feng Wuque watched for a long while and had time to recover. In the fight, he seemed to have taken some kind of powerful drug; he was astonishingly strong, as though he'd activated some secret technique.
In the end, both of them were gravely wounded.
"Interesting..."
Seeing this, Mu Ye knew that with the Demon Sealer's strength alone, this was as far as he could get in normal mode.
But Mu Ye wasn't satisfied. He wanted to see more outcomes, to make sure he'd leave nothing to chance in True Mode.
"But what if I upgrade the Demon Sealer's abilities? What could you do then, Feng Wuque?"
Mu Ye smiled faintly and took out the Ability Upgrade Book.
Before you continue