Inside the courtyard, most of the people who had come with Jiang Tianxiong had prepared rain hats, and the raindrops pattered on them.
This group was led by Jiang Tianxiong, who was known as the Heluo Hero; there were also Shang Heming and Shang Zhongren, the leaders of the Eight Trigrams Sect.
Shang Heming was the founder of the Eight Trigrams Sect. He adopted the strengths of Wudang Tai Chi and created the Eight Trigrams Saber Technique and Eight Trigrams Palm Technique. The moves were swift and dangerous, which did not conform to the Daoist tradition of self-cultivation, so he was despised by Daoist.
Shang Zhongren, also known as Jian Hemingci, possessed a masterful Bagua saber technique, his moves ruthless and unforgiving—earning him the nickname "The Turning Chain Saber."
These two men were both somewhat famous in the martial arts world, but for some reason, they also came to get involved in this mess.
Others might not know, but Li Wei certainly did. Look at the few "suspected reincarnators" behind those two; they must have paid some price to bring these two powerful allies here, perhaps even the "Marrow-Cleansing Pill" that was the mission reward.
This reward can be used personally or as leverage to seek help from experts. This is probably the original intention behind Yellow Paper's designation of this item as a reward.
Looking at the courtyard again, because of this sudden group of people, the power dynamics changed from two parties to three.
"Hehe, isn't this Master Jiang and Sect Leader Shang? What brings you into someone's residence in the middle of the night?" Yasha was initially taken aback, but her expression relaxed when she realized that none of the group were experts who could threaten her.
She was relaxed, but Jiang Tianxiong and the others were in a state of utter confusion!
Why would there be members of the Demonic Sect here, especially two extremely difficult opponents like Yasha and Mahoraga? Jiang Tianxiong and others were puzzled. However, when they saw that Huashan Sword Sect Shangguan Sui and that Mount Hua were both injured and lying on the ground, an idea came to them.
"You demonic cultists are the enemies of the orthodox martial arts world. I, Jiang, have heard that you intend to seize Mount Hua, so I have brought my men to stop you. Yasha, you should stop committing further murder and retreat as soon as possible!" Jiang Tianxiong's voice was firm and righteous, truly befitting the title of the Great Hero of Heluo Hero.
Shang Heming, standing to the side, was also a shrewd and experienced man. Although he knew that Jiang Tianxiong had not come to help the Huashan Sword Sect, he couldn't let this good reputation slip by. Otherwise, how could he explain his actions of bringing people to Mount Hua in the middle of the night?
"Indeed, my Eight Trigrams Sect has come to lend Brother Shangguan a hand. You fiends, retreat at once, or don't blame my Bagua Palm for being ruthless!"
Pooh!
Li Wei felt a surge of turmoil. These two were utterly shameless. They stole the sword manual, but they had to pretend to be so great and righteous. Jiang Tianxiong and Shang Heming were truly a pair of scoundrels.
Listening any further would only offend his ears, so Li Wei quietly slipped out, circled around the outside of the wall, opened a window, and climbed into the room where Shangguan Ye and the Mount Hua had come out.
This is a study, which should belong to Shangguan Ye. Li Wei lightly touched the ground with his toes and quickly walked to the desk, carefully searching through it.
All items in the mission world have attributes, but Li Wei, who has temporarily lost his "Eye of Perception," can only summon the Yellow Paper and touch the items one by one to make a judgment.
There were quite a few books here, but none of them were "Upper Clear Sword Marrow" or "Sword Manual." There were some books on basic sword techniques and training outlines, and Li Wei, adhering to the principle that even a fly is still a piece of meat, accepted them all.
Next, it was time to ransack the huge bookshelf behind the table, but just then, something unexpected happened.
Li Wei spotted someone.
The man was hiding behind the bookshelf. At the same time that Li Wei discovered him, the man also saw Li Wei.
Instantly, both of them were stunned. Even someone with Li Wei's high level of Detection hadn't noticed that there was someone hiding in the room. Seeing that the person was about to scream, Li Wei quickly reached out and covered her mouth.
Why say "she"?
It's very simple: this person is a woman, and an extremely beautiful woman at that.
At this moment, she was terrified and tried to struggle to escape, but how could Li Wei let her have her way? Seeing that she was getting annoyed by her movements, Li Wei threatened her in her ear, "Move again? If you move again, I'll strip you naked!"
He hadn't initially thought those words were particularly intimidating, but the girl was clearly frightened. Her large, teary eyes were filled with terror, and she stopped struggling. Only then did Li Wei take a closer look at her.
If I had to describe her in two words, it would be "beautiful".
Li Wei had seen many beautiful women, but none could compare to the girl in front of him. It wasn't because of her looks or figure— Zheng Yutong was already the best in those areas—but because of her skin.
Her skin was as smooth as jade, like a porcelain doll, as if it had been soaked in milk, as if water could be squeezed out at the slightest touch. Li Wei would bet that this was the girl with the best skin he had ever seen, bar none.
Looking at her clothes, which are typical of women of that era, she exudes a heroic spirit.
"I can let you go, but you mustn't scream. There's a group of notorious thieves outside. If they hear you, you'll be in big trouble!" Li Wei wasn't very good at scaring girls, but this girl was clearly simple-minded and actually believed him.
Releasing his hand from hers, Li Wei prepared himself; if she screamed again, he would have no choice but to burn her until she passed out!
Fortunately, although the girl looked extremely frightened, she didn't scream anymore. She just leaned against the corner behind the bookshelf, shrinking her body as much as possible.
Who are you? Why?
"Would she be here?" Li Wei first suspected that the girl might be a reincarnator, but clearly, based on many signs, she was not.
After entering this world, or rather, after encountering Shangguan Ren, who cultivated the Caihua Manual, Li Wei devised a method to identify whether someone was a reincarnator without relying on his Eye of Perception.
First, there's the breath.
Everyone has a unique aura; some are strong, some are weak. Birds of a feather flock together, and people from different circles and environments have different auras, not to mention people from different worlds.
The other aspect is the details of clothing and behavior.
From the smallest details like how hair ties, belts, and shoelaces are tied, there are patterns to be found. Even the way someone walks or the way they drink and eat can reveal whether that person is a "native" of this story world.
Li Wei relied on these methods to identify those who had surpassed the level of reincarnation in the hospital.
The girl before them was flawless in every way—from her aura and eyes to her mannerisms and the way she dressed and accessorized. Without a doubt, she was not a reincarnator.
But she was secretly hiding in Shangguan Ye's room. So, who exactly is she?
Upon hearing Li Wei's question, the girl lowered her head timidly, showing no intention of answering. So Li Wei shamelessly resorted to threats and intimidation once again.
Threatening to undress and making indecent advances—for women in ancient times, nothing was more terrifying than these words. Therefore, it was easy for Li Wei to extract information from this young girl.
However, her identity made Li Wei frown.
"Shangguan Yuer, daughter of Shangguan Ye, the sect leader of the Huashan Sword Sect Shangguan Ye, is gentle and virtuous. She dislikes martial arts, but has an amazing ability to comprehend martial arts knowledge."
It turns out she is Shangguan Ye's daughter.
Li Wei is unlikely to be ruthless towards a woman who poses no threat, especially since she might know where the "Upper Clear Sword Marrow Manual" is hidden.
Unexpectedly, when Li Wei inquired about the "Upper Clear Sword Marrow Manual," Shangguan Yuer displayed a strange expression. She looked at Li Wei for a long time before softly saying, "Although Yu'er is young, I can tell you're not a bad person. If you rescue my father, Yu'er will tell you the location of the 'Upper Clear Sword Marrow Manual'!"
Bite!
As always, the poisonous paper appeared as if by ghostly apparition.
"Mandatory Task Selection: Help Shangguan Yuer rescue Shangguan Ye and ensure his survival. Rewards upon completion will be determined based on task evaluation. Failure to complete the task will result in the deduction of your character's points!"
There's a mission!
Li Wei hesitated. He knew that a forced selection mission was a mission in the mission world where the reincarnator had to choose whether to accept it. However, unlike random missions, this kind of mission would definitely affect the main quest.
Whether to help or not, Li Wei was unsure of what to do.
In fact, if there weren't so many people outside, he would have chosen the most direct method: killing Shangguan Ye directly. In that case, the quest item "Upper Clear Sword Marrow. Sword Manual" would have had a high chance of dropping.
However, this was merely Li Wei's speculation. If he killed Shangguan Ye and the sword manual didn't fall out, then Li Wei would be in a completely passive position, and might never be able to obtain the "Upper Clear Sword Marrow Manual".
This is why Li Wei decided to look in this study first.
After a quick weighing of the pros and cons, Li Wei chose to accept the task.
He suddenly thought of another possibility: this Shangguan Yuer might be the most important part of this mission.
"I promise you, but I need to get you out of here first!" After accepting the mission, Li Wei didn't allow Shangguan Yuer to refuse. He picked her up, climbed out the window, and quickly sped towards the distant woods.
Although it only lasted for a dozen seconds, the small girl in his arms brought Li Wei an unprecedented feeling.
Even through the fabric, the soft, supple skin invigorated Li Wei; moreover, the girl's unique fragrance captivated him.
After settling Shangguan Yuer in, Li Wei quickly returned. He had to make sure that Shangguan Ye hadn't been killed by those people.
Li Wei climbed over the wall and saw that Shangguan Ye was still alive, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Rescuing Shangguan Ye under the current circumstances will definitely not be an easy task. It can be said that this group, including Yasha and Jiang Tianxiong, are all eyeing Shangguan Ye covetously, and they will have to go all out to save him.
Therefore, there is no need to continue hiding our strength!
Li Wei chuckled. Since entering the world of the Legend of Wulin, he had chosen to remain hidden for the sake of his missions. However, this made him very uncomfortable. Coupled with the manipulation and coercion from the An Hei of the real world, Li Wei's dissatisfaction had reached a certain level. Now, it was time to release his pent-up frustration.
Looking at the four forces in the courtyard, Li Wei's eyes revealed a strong fighting spirit. He first channeled his Innate Skill to the eighth level, but the True Qi-Controlling Formula powerfully restrained this true energy. When the True Qi-Controlling Formula, which was only at the first level, could no longer restrain the Frenzy power, Li Wei chose to release it.
Poison!
The force surged forth like a floodgate being opened, causing everyone in the courtyard to show a hint of shock as they looked up sharply in the direction where Li Wei was.