Black Heaven Secret Treasure
When Liu Feng regained consciousness, he found himself in a tavern, where some martial arts practitioners with swords and knives were drinking and eating. Judging from the synopsis, this mission should be set in a martial arts world, but it's unclear what the martial arts situation will be like in this world.
"But no matter what, I should first gather intelligence and then develop my skills in secret. At least I need to acquire a skill first." Liu Feng thought to himself. His current strength was not high, in fact, it could be said to be very poor. If he were to fight someone openly, he estimated that anyone who had practiced a few moves could defeat him if they were careful.
Feeling himself down, Liu Feng noticed the game had thoughtfully provided him with a set of black, fitted clothing. He also had some silver coins in his pocket—not too much, not too little, given the game's nature. Liu Feng asked the innkeeper to pack some dry rations and was about to ask for some information when he heard screams and shouts coming from the street outside, along with the rapid sound of horses' hooves.
"Qiu Shao, don't even think about running away. You infiltrated my sect, killed my junior brother, and stole my sect's secret treasures. You'd better surrender obediently, and I might spare your life." A cold, stern voice rang out, the voice seemingly carrying a powerful force, and even though it was spoken at an extremely fast pace, everyone could hear it clearly.
Liu Feng quickly went to the window and looked out. He saw two people riding horses, galloping through the bustling city. The one in front was a young man in a tight-fitting outfit, holding a sheathed longsword. As he rode ahead, whenever a pedestrian couldn't dodge in time, he would swing his sword, and a burst of white energy would shoot out, striking the person's pressure point with perfect timing. The person would be jolted away from the horse, only suffering a slight fright, but otherwise unharmed.
The man chasing behind on horseback was dressed in white, his handsome face covered in frost. This wasn't just a figure of speech; his face was genuinely covered in a layer of frost, making him appear like white jade from a distance. The words he had spoken earlier were from his mouth.
The two men dashed past in a flash, and immediately a martial arts practitioner in the tavern exclaimed in surprise, "Qiu Shao, is that Black Fiend Qiu Shao?"
Amidst the discussions, Liu Feng roughly understood the ins and outs of the matter. Qiu Shao, the Black Scale Sword, made his first appearance in the martial arts world by killing the South Mountain South Mountain Twin Heroes with a spiritual weapon of unknown quality. Because the sword was covered with jet-black scales, it was called the Black Scale Sword.
Later, rumors spread throughout the martial arts world that the Black Scale Sword was a remnant of a Heavenly Spirit Weapon. The boy Qiu Shao was not particularly strong, but he was able to kill the South Mountain Twin Heroes by relying on the advantage of the Spirit Weapon. At that time, everyone wanted to capture Qiu Shao and seize the Black Scale Sword.
When Qiu Shao encountered those who came to steal his sword, he would never fight them head-on, but would usually run away immediately. However, in the end, those who chased him were all seriously injured and suffered heavy casualties, but the Black Scale Sword remained in Qiu Shao's hands, and he himself remained An'an, which was extremely strange.
Later, Qiu Shao did indeed reveal the fact that his internal energy cultivation was not strong. He only had three special skills: first, the skill of escaping and saving his life; second, his skillful use of hidden weapons to strike acupoints; and third, his extraordinary nature of causing trouble wherever he went.
What's even more bizarre is that wherever he goes, something happens. For example, when he was invited by a friend to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Strange Moon Sect, the old leader of the Strange Moon Sect died a violent death. All the evidence pointed to Qiu Shao, but Qiu Shao later presented evidence in a reasonable way and found that the murderer was none other than the friend who invited him to the Strange Moon Sect.
If that was a deliberate frame-up, there's something even more sinister going on. Everywhere he went, all his schemes and tricks were exposed, and all sorts of old grudges were brought to light. That rising star in the martial arts world was the son of a villain from back then, that sect heir was the son of the leader of a rival sect, that renowned figure in the martial arts world was the notorious bandit of Jiangnan back then, and what wicked things this senior figure did decades ago.
In short, wherever Qiu Shao, the Black Scale Sword, went, all sorts of conspiracies were exposed and all sorts of dark histories were revealed. Yet, this whistleblower remained healthy and lived a carefree life, which is why some people called the Black Scale Sword Demon God.
What's even more sinister is that, despite knowing his reputation, some people still foolishly plot to kill him in front of this scoundrel, either to cover up their dark past or for some incredible treasure.
As for the White Frost Prince who was chasing Qiu Shao, his name was Xu Yibai. He was the young master of the local sect, the Cold Jade Sect. Not only was he highly skilled in martial arts, but he was also exceptionally handsome. He had been wandering the martial arts world since he was fifteen years old and was very famous. He was known as the Cold Prince and was the dream lover of many noble ladies and martial arts heroines.
Qiu Shao fled ahead, with Xu Yibai in pursuit. Qiu Shao then leaped from his horse onto a rooftop and vanished in a flash. Xu Yibai quickly abandoned his horse and gave chase.
A short while later, Qiu Shao suddenly darted out of the alley again, whistled, and his horse came galloping over. Qiu Shao mounted the horse, and only then did Xu Yibai emerge from the alley, still covered in dirt. His horse was nowhere to be found.
As Qiu Shao rode his horse away into the distance, he shouted in his nonchalant tone, "Xu Yibai, you killed your junior brother yourself, how can you blame me? As for the secret treasure, the Black Heaven Secret Treasure is available to everyone, when did it become the secret treasure of your Cold Jade Sect?"
As Qiu Shao spoke, some of the martial arts figures in the tavern gasped. Originally, the fact that Qiu Shao and Xu Yibai clashed was huge news. But judging from their conversation, it involved a murder. Recalling the Black Fiend's past deeds, most of the people here would have shown Eight Trigrams expressions and discussed whether their junior brother had really been killed by Xu Yibai.
However, once the Black Heaven Secret Treasure appeared, the atmosphere in the inn changed. The martial arts practitioners all became preoccupied and serious. After whispering to their companions, they lowered their heads and left the inn, presumably to chase after Qiu Shao. Before long, everyone in the inn had dispersed.
Liu Feng also ran out of the tavern. There were many vendors who had set up stalls on the street, but they all packed up and left. The street was a mess, with some people lying on their backs. The once lively street suddenly became deserted.
"So, how should I chase after it?" Liu Feng suddenly realized. He didn't know the way, couldn't ride a horse, and even if he caught up, it was highly unlikely that the Black Heaven Secret Treasure would fall into his hands. He wasn't the protagonist of some third-rate novel; his luck couldn't possibly be that good.
"Let's stick to the basic strategy and see if we can pick off one or two of those experts and get a few modules to assemble a skill as soon as possible." Liu Feng thought of the goal he had set earlier, so he asked the people in the tavern where the nearest clinic was and headed towards it. With so many martial arts figures, surely a few would get into a conflict and get injured.
I'm still experiencing writer's block, so including the Xu Ming donation from the chubby guy under the shade of the tree today, I'm three chapters behind again. I'm really sorry for the unstable updates these past two days; I'll need to take Xu Ming to adjust.