The sudden mission left Yun Che at a loss. He had been given no choice at all!
A few breaths later, he quickly calmed down. Since it was already settled, complaining would do no good. He might as well think of a way to deal with it.
Yun Che remembered this mission. In the storyline, it had been issued by the Great Yuan Empire's imperial family. The objective had been to locate a branch of the Demon production facility, not something as difficult as wiping it out.
The crucial point was that not a single one of the many closed-beta players had completed it. Instead, they had lost plenty of equipment after repeatedly dying under mysterious circumstances.
Only now did he learn that the so-called Demon production facility was actually inside the Sacred Profound Sect, reputedly the greatest sect in Great Yuan. How were the players supposed to find it?
"How underhanded. I remember plenty of players cooperating with disciples of the Sacred Profound Sect back then, only to end up dying out in the field. Most of them were probably set up by those sect members."
Yun Che secretly gritted his teeth. Although he had only been playing a game back then, he had also died several times for this mission. Just thinking about it pissed him off.
"The Sacred Profound Sect's leader is an Emperor Realm expert. Under him are four King Realm peak masters and twelve Grandmaster Realm elders, not to mention plenty of Innate Realm disciples. Against a monster like that, I wouldn't stand a chance even if I fought until I was reduced to ashes. I'd better survive the four great bandits' siege first!"
With a book on culture and history tucked under his arm, Yun Che headed toward Class Nine's classroom. The Dean had not announced a suspension of classes, so he still had to fulfill his duties as an academic instructor.
On the way, Yun Che considered his next steps.
Ye Qingshuang's crisis had been resolved for the moment, but there was still the crisis facing King Qin, the lord of this fief.
Unless something changed, he would most likely still be gravely wounded by the leader of the four great bandits.
The injuries were secondary. What mattered was the trusted confidant at King Qin's side. Yun Che could not let him launch a fatal sneak attack on King Qin as he had in the storyline, then cut off his head and hang it above the city gates. If that happened, it would all be over.
"This won't be easy! King Qin trusts this confidant enormously and practically treats him as a son. He even taught him the Qin Family's secret combat technique, the Frost Heaven Severing Sword. The Qin sisters trust him, too, and he hasn't given himself away at all."
"If I openly tell King Qin that his godson is actually Red Skull's mole, he probably won't believe me. He might even slap me a few times. That would do more harm than good."
"No, I have to find a way to make him expose himself. That bastard is a Grandmaster Realm expert, too. Killing him in secret won't be easy!"
As he was thinking, two promising young men approached him. Yun Che looked up, his expression flickering with surprise.
They were none other than King Qin's godson, Qin Lang, and his older brother Yun Jin, whom he had no desire to deal with yet.
How did these two sneaky bastards end up together? This doesn't look good!
Both seemed to be superb actors worthy of an Oscar. The instant they saw Yun Che, warm smiles blossomed on their faces.
"Greetings, young master." Qin Lang adopted a humble attitude as he greeted Yun Che, addressing him as the family's son-in-law.
"Oh, there's no need for that title. It only makes us sound distant. If you don't mind, I'll call you Brother Qin from now on. Let's address each other as brothers."
When it came to acting, Yun Che was no worse than either of them. If they wanted to put on a show, they could all play along! They would see who acted whom into an early grave.
Qin Lang smiled faintly and nodded amiably, but inwardly he was utterly scornful. Hmph. A worthless piece of trash thinks he's worthy of calling me his brother?
Yun Jin wore white swordsman's attire and kept his sword in hand. Without a close look, anyone would surely have mistaken him for Yun Che.
"Little brother, I never imagined you'd enjoy such good fortune. Since you're all right, why haven't you come back to the Yun Family to have a chat with your older brother?"
Yun Che sighed softly, his face full of helplessness, and gave a bitter smile. "You know my situation, Brother. As a live-in son-in-law, I don't get to make my own decisions. The day after my wedding night, I was forced to come to Falling Moon Academy as an academic instructor. You must have heard something about that."
Yun Jin gently patted his younger brother's shoulder in consolation, but inside, jealousy had already driven him mad. Hearing the words "wedding night" in particular made him grind his teeth with hatred.
She should have been my wife. Mine!
Instead, because the truth had been concealed from him, he had missed out on that romance for nothing.
Although his inner rage had already risen into his throat, Yun Jin still wore an expression of happiness for his younger brother.
He did not ask whether Qin Keyi practiced a technique that harmed people's souls. In his view, even if he asked, his dishonest younger brother would probably only feed him lies.
Thus, he had brought the letter of introduction from the Qin Prince's Residence to Falling Moon Academy. His first purpose was to further his studies and learn more powerful combat techniques. His second was to see how his dear younger brother was doing.
From the other instructors, he had learned that Yun Che was in charge of the worst class, Class Nine, and that only one student attended his lessons.
Even that sole student only attended because she was a well-behaved girl who never skipped an instructor's class.
Hearing that his younger brother was doing poorly had lifted his spirits.
"Little brother, I've heard about your situation," Yun Jin said with a sigh, leaving Yun Che baffled. What have you heard? What's with all the sighing?
Before Yun Che could ask, he continued, "Being an academic instructor has never been a particularly popular job! Every beginning is difficult. Keep your feet on the ground and take it slowly. I believe you can do it."
Understanding flickered in Yun Che's eyes. So he was talking about his classes. Did Yun Che care? Not in the slightest!
"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Brother. I won't give up."
"If there's nothing else, I still have a class to teach, so I won't stay and chat."
As he spoke, Yun Che nodded slightly to Qin Lang and walked past the two with his culture and history book tucked under his arm, using the Divine Hand along the way.
Watching his younger brother walk away, Yun Jin nearly burst out laughing. Was there really any need to start a class on time when it had only one student?
Ding! Retrieval successful. Congratulations on obtaining a second-grade Meridian-Opening Pill. Ding! Retrieval successful. Congratulations on obtaining one secret letter from Red Skull.
Surprise flickered in Yun Che's eyes. It was not that he particularly prized a mere second-grade Meridian-Opening Pill, but Yun Jin badly needed it. Taking this pill could improve an Acquired Realm cultivator's chances of quickly breaking through a minor realm. Also known as the Minor Breakthrough Pill, it was very popular among Acquired Realm martial artists.
"Red Skull's secret letter? Have I gotten my hands on another dirty secret?"
A wicked smile curved Yun Che's lips. If that was the case, he would be more than happy to lend a hand and stir up a little trouble.
[Tomorrow evening at eight, two honored guests at Full River Tower. Be sure to receive them with care. Note: one is Xu Fei, son of Xu Asi. Do not slight him.]
After reading the secret letter, Yun Che fell into thought. This incident did not seem directly related to the upcoming storyline.
Still, just to be safe, he decided to go over the following evening and see what was happening.
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