Shi Lai Returns

[You have received empowerment from the Three-Star Saint Soul Beauty Record at fifth-tier mastery. Your charm has increased slightly.]

[You possess the original Three-Star Saint Soul First Model, which moderately increases charm. Your innate charm is exceptional. Your charm has met the requirement. Your One-Star Saint Soul Woman of the World has received an exceptional promotion to Two-Star.]

[Your Saint Souls Woman of the World and First Model have leveled up, granting a large amount of experience.]

[Your level has increased.]

Amid the system notifications, Zhang Duo'er could not help breaking into a smile. Already possessed of an exquisite beauty, she now smiled like a hundred flowers blooming, eclipsing all the newly empowered women around her.

Even the worldly Master Dong's eyes lit up. After a moment's hesitation, she said softly, "Duo'er, come see Mama in a little while."

[Ding! You have activated a special quest: Needle God Song Sage. Please speak to Master Dong for details. Quest reward: Five-Star Saint Soul, Needle God Song Sage.][Accept?]

A trace of surprise flashed through her eyes, and she answered softly, "Understood, Mama Dong."

After using the Three-Star Saint Soul Beauty Record on the last woman, Xia Yi walked back, admiration on his face. "This young lady has grown even prettier. I wonder what sort of family could have raised a girl like you?"

Zhang Duo'er smiled faintly. "Just a little village. My parents are both ordinary people."

"That's rare indeed. You've been in Lieyang City for many years, haven't you? Where did you hear the word 'model'?" Xia Yi asked again.

Model? Where did I hear it? Zhang Duo'er was momentarily distracted, inwardly surprised. That's right, model comes from English. When I first mentioned it to Mama Dong, she seemed to accept the word right away!

Master Dong gave a chuckle. "You don't need to have been here for years. That's old stuff left over from centuries ago. You hear things like clothing models all the time. But it really is a strange word. Who knows what our predecessors were thinking back then?"

Zhang Duo'er's faint smile froze on her face again. Even the special Saint Soul she had wanted to try to obtain slipped from her mind... Could there have been earlier players?

Xia Yi smiled without speaking. If I knew how to walk a catwalk, would you have had any chance at First Model?

"Since she doesn't know this, the girl probably hasn't been here long. Her level is about the same as Shi Lai's. Has she been here about as long, or exactly as long? Speaking of that kid Shi Lai... can he still 'log in'?"

"Whew!" Breathing the smog-free air of the Saint Soul Continent again, Shi Lai exhaled heavily.

He had not logged in for an entire week.

Partly because his school had a monthly exam and he needed to focus on preparing, and partly because... though he did not want to admit it, that one dead player had indeed frightened him a little.

Yet he felt he had performed exceptionally well in the monthly exams yesterday and the day before. The Saint Soul Continent had given him so much, especially the comprehension awarded at settlement. It had brought him a mysterious improvement, as though his mind had suddenly been enlightened.

Besides, he had realized that he could no longer give up the Saint Soul Continent, either. He could not bear to leave this exciting, novel life, or the friends he had met here.

Yes, by this point, Shi Lai finally no longer treated this place as merely a game.

"I'll go find Grandpa and learn a Saint Soul first!"

He rushed out of the deserted alley just as several people came around the corner ahead. Shi Lai yelped and slammed on the brakes, but a young man dressed as a guard moved with astonishing speed, stepping forward and drawing his saber. Its hilt slammed straight into Shi Lai's chest!

Shi Lai fell to the ground with a thud, and then a saber was pressed against his neck!

He still had not quite registered what had happened. His mind was blank as he stared dumbly at the group before him.

There were four of them. In the middle stood a handsome young gentleman of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, dressed in fine silk, with precious jade and a fine sword at his waist. Beside him was a middle-aged man in plain clothes, holding a sword in both arms, his eyes weathered. Farther to the sides were two guards, one of whose sabers was currently...

Huh? Currently pressed against my neck?

I'd already stopped just now!

That's going too far!

[Ding! Based on your level, you can only obtain the following information.]

[Name: Hu Si]

[Age: 31]

[Level: ???]

...

[Threat level: Extremely lethal]

...Never mind, never mind.

"Hu Si, put your saber away!" the young gentleman said hurriedly, bending slightly to help Shi Lai up. "Did we frighten you, young man?"

"Careful, Second Young Master. That's a dead end in there. He could be an assassin," Hu Si said, stopping him.

The young gentleman's smile did not fade. "Young man, you shouldn't relieve yourself just anywhere."

"Second Young Master, I didn't smell any fresh urine," Hu Si said, still barring his way.

The young gentleman shook his head. "Then perhaps this young man simply took a wrong turn."

Hu Si considered this, then nodded and put his saber away.

Shi Lai blankly reached out and let the young gentleman pull him up. Scratching his head, he chuckled. "It's fine, it's fine. Just a misunderstanding. I was running too fast."

"As long as you're all right. Hu Si worries too much about my safety and gave you a fright. I apologize on his behalf."

The young gentleman nodded. "Young man, is the Xiyuan Marquis Residence down this road?"

"The Xiyuan Marquis Residence? Song Ziyu's place?" Shi Lai thought for a moment. "I think so? I haven't been here long myself, so I'm not too sure."

"See? He doesn't know his way around," the young gentleman told his guard, turning his head before asking Shi Lai again, "You know the Xiyuan Marquis's son?"

"Yeah, he's our, uh, senior fellow student in the Beginner Class," Shi Lai said.

"Oh? So you're a Holy Academy student?" The young gentleman looked mildly surprised, then asked thoughtfully, "You wouldn't happen to be... Shi Lai?"

"Huh, you know me?"

"Haha, a first-year student claimed one of the places among Lieyang City's Holy Academy's Four Little Talented Scholars. Of course I've heard of you." Delighted, the young gentleman turned to Hu Si again. "See? How could he be an assassin? There aren't that many assassins around."

He had barely finished speaking when a sudden whistling howl cut through the air! A poisoned arrow came from somewhere unknown and buried itself in Shi Lai's lower back, piercing straight through him! Without losing its force, it shot toward the young gentleman!

[Victory and defeat are commonplace in battle,

Young hero, please try again.]

Shi Lai stared in bewilderment as the scene turned black and white. What the fuck! With a thought, he reloaded his save.

The scene returned to shortly after the saber had been placed against his neck. This time, he kept anxiously on guard. Three minutes later, sure enough, another arrow came flying!

Shi Lai twisted aside, drew his sword, and knocked the arrow away with a slash. Looking closely, he saw a man on a rooftop several dozen meters away, his face covered with black cloth and a huge bow in his hands. Surprise in his eyes, the man shot Shi Lai a hateful look, then turned to flee.

But just then, to the sound of a sword sliding back into its sheath, the masked man toppled stiffly over!

Only several seconds later did jets of blood spurt from the back of his head!

A moment later, screams rose from the passersby who had realized what had happened!

The middle-aged man holding his sword looked as though he had never moved. He said mildly, "You've had a fright, Young Master."

Then he looked at Shi Lai, inwardly surprised but showing nothing on his face. "A One-Star Tianshu dodging a hidden arrow from a Three-Star Tianji death warrior. Not bad."

"Master Tian!" The young gentleman, however, was rather angry. "You must have discovered the assassin long ago, didn't you? Why didn't you act sooner? What if young Shi Lai hadn't blocked that arrow?"

"My only responsibility is to protect you." Tian Qi's expression did not change. He then asked Shi Lai, "The Saint Soul you used on Hu Si earlier was quite unusual, secretly probing another person's Three Souls. Who taught you?"

Shi Lai froze, greatly surprised.

He noticed my Detection Art!

He's only the second person to notice. Even that damned tiger or whatever didn't notice when I used Detection Art on him!

And he's so indifferent to whether I live or die, just like Grandpa when we first met...

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked tentatively, "If I use it on you a thousand times, how about teaching me a powerful Saint Soul?"

Tian Qi frowned. "Hmm?"