The Chigurh Legion

The light of two Signs flared in succession.

Chen Xu's was the red Igni Sign, and elemental flames surged forth!

With the boosts from his potion and equipment, his Spirit attribute had reached 5. Moreover, [Signs] ran on Source Power, so he could adjust their output at will as long as he did not exceed his Constitution's limits.

Draining nearly half the Source Power in his body at once brought the power of his Sign almost on par with Geralt's after taking potions.

[Bong Chigurh used the Axii Sign on you

Will check: 2

Check failed! Duration: 1 second! You have been beguiled]

Fortunately, Bong's [Sign] came from his identity, the equivalent of a plug-in loaded through [Identity Memories]. His proficiency was clearly lacking.

When Chen Xu came to his senses, a scorched stench filled the air, and Bong, charred black all over, was already locked in battle with Guan Chuan!

That was the advantage of having teammates.

Otherwise, his only option would have been to turtle up behind a Quen Sign.

[Whirl]!

Source Power moved at his will and flowed out along the blade, immediately taking control of the battle.

Gram's peerless sharpness made Guan Chuan instinctively want to pull away, but Chen Xu shouted him down:

"Attack together! Don't worry, I won't cut you!"

The moment the swordsman started to withdraw, their opponent immediately had room to handle the fight with ease. That added pressure was essential.

Seeing that Gram's rapidly spinning edge really did not so much as nick him under Chen Xu's precise control, Guan Chuan steeled himself.

He squeezed out the wisp of true qi he had just recovered, and an inch and a half of sword light extended from his sword's tip again!

Annisha also endured the intense pain and set his nasal bone back in place. His body swelled to its limit, and his Strength had already broken past the 10-point mark!

Through his supernatural vision, Chen Xu could observe his beard slowly growing and his Adam's apple protruding.

He leaped up, gathering all his strength into a jumping cleave with tremendous force.

Blood qi erupted! A shock wave no weaker than the Aard Sign burst from Bong's body, blasting away the two men entangling him.

This was probably the [Blood Explosion Technique] that Detection had revealed. In the end, skills that actually belonged to you were easier to use.

Its power was considerable, and it covered all 360 degrees without a blind spot.

He clearly did not want to take the force of that jumping cleave.

But Chen Xu curled his hand, and a vine that had long been lying in wait suddenly burst from the ground.

[Intermediate Nature Element Affinity] barely let him control the vine enough to hook the enemy's ankle.

Bong snapped the vine with a slight exertion, but that brief hindrance was enough. Metal rang against metal, and he had no choice but to take the blow head-on!

The sword he raised to block was driven all the way down, and the skin and flesh of his shoulder split open instantly.

That was also the only wound on his body.

"These are Anton Chigurh's orders!" He emphasized every word, staring at the three before him with an ugly expression.

Chen Xu and Guan Chuan remained unmoved. One had no idea what he was talking about; the other was most likely just bullheaded.

Only Annisha seemed to show fear in his eyes.

"Back out now, and I can let bygones be bygones."

Noticing Annisha's expression, Bong immediately launched a psychological offensive, only for Chen Xu and Guan Chuan to stand in front of him.

"We'll meet again soon." Seeing that nothing more could be done, he immediately put away his weapon and backed off without the slightest hesitation.

As though he would have them in the bag the next time they met.

Chen Xu's side had no intention of pursuing him, either. Their chances of success were low, and besides, one member of the team was still wavering.

Worried about another ambush, the three returned to Crow's Perch together.

"Are you really that scared of this Anton Chigurh?" Chen Xu asked, gripping the reins.

"Does he have that much influence? The Chigurh Legion?"

He clearly had considerable fighting ability. How could he be so timid?

"It's not the Chigurh Legion that's terrifying. It's Anton Chigurh." Annisha did not think he was a coward. Guan Chuan, on the other hand, readily admitted that the man was not someone to mess with:

"He's a dark elf from the Navia Star Cluster. He advanced to Qi Sensing after just one battlefield. And he's killed no fewer than twenty Chosen on the Mortal Tier level rankings, not counting any whose names might have been hidden.

"He's an elven supremacist fanatic. Every member of the Chigurh Legion is an elf, and their main goals are plundering lower-tier Chosen and monopolizing battlefield resources.

"Some people say he's already close to Mortal Transcendence.

"He was also the first to start going after people in real life outside the battlefield. A complete psycho."

Guan Chuan glanced at Chen Xu and swallowed the words "just like you" before they could slip out, then recounted the story of Anton Chigurh's face-to-face meeting with his former boss.

"Is he on this battlefield?" Chen Xu felt a little apprehensive too.

"Could be." Annisha wore an expression that said, You finally get it.

Anton Chigurh and I entered the battlefield at the same time. Would I make this up?

Caution is the only reason I'm still alive!

"Then isn't this whole damn battlefield one giant cesspit? Don't the gods do anything?" There was not even a limit to the strong preying on the weak. Was this the tragedy of serving a weak god?

"They do. Nobody knows where a Chosen will descend.

"If... it weren't for you, the five of us Chosen together could have dealt with that guy easily.

"Besides, a battlefield is a battlefield. Why would the gods on high care whether you or I live or die?

"Haven't you noticed how cheap the points cost for leaving early is? If you can't win, just run.

"The Chosen who posted in the battlefield's public chat when you killed Randall earlier was a legion dog too, but they only accept people at Qi Sensing Level or above.

"People with different identities are usually miles and miles apart. I'm still wondering how you got over here."

In the eyes of Guan Chuan and the other [Soldier] Chosen, Chen Xu was also one of the people encroaching on their hunting grounds.

"Annisha's just a coward. At worst, we leave early! As long as you don't expose your real information, screw the Chigurh Legion!" Ignoring his teammate's furious glare, Guan Chuan kept laying out the plain truth.

The sky gradually darkened, but Crow's Perch was brightly lit.

The baron was holding a banquet for his wife, Anna, and his daughter, Tamara, who had returned home.

Anna saw that even though her youth and beauty had faded, the baron still refused to abandon her. Their relationship was already showing signs of easing.

This made Chen Xu inwardly lament how unfair it was to Philip. His daughter Tamara, meanwhile, seemed to have decided, because of her father's courage and changes, to try to forgive the baron for his years of violence toward her mother.

In short, the same thing still applied: their family affairs were not for outsiders to worry about.

Offering witchcraft as a means of winning love had only been an option he could not help giving when his compulsiveness kicked in.

Had the baron actually wanted it at the time, he would certainly have regretted it.

Geralt, who had finished resting and preparing that afternoon and originally intended to head straight to Novigrad to search for Ciri, was warmly persuaded to stay.

Along with Chen Xu and the sorceress, he was one of the banquet's most important guests.

Fine wine, fine food, Velen folk dances, a fistfighting tournament, and Gwent drinking games...

Chen Xu lost several games in a row, then could not resist Cheating to win a pile of crowns. He even "accidentally" won the baron's special spy card.

The other card players vaguely sensed something was wrong and refused to join in any more games.

Nobody would play with him anymore.

Gretka was the happiest of all, running about like mad, with something of the air of children celebrating New Year in Chihuang twenty years ago.

Guan Chuan and Annisha came over and promptly transferred the right to challenge the Sergeant and a total debt of 320 points to him.

Ever since receiving Chen Xu's information, they had not spent a moment idle over the past two days. Their gains in experience and points had already far exceeded those debts.

The championship challenge for all of Velen brought the banquet to its climax.

On one side stood the commander of the baron's soldiers; on the other, a top swordsman capable of crossing blades with a witcher.

Everyone thought they were evenly matched. In reality, to avoid disappointing the audience, Chen Xu deliberately left a few openings, creating the illusion of one close call after another.

Gretka kept crying out in alarm. Only Geralt curled his lips into a smile, seeing that he was showing off.

[You have completed the normal quest [Fists of Fury: Velen Championship]

Time taken: 2 minutes 13 seconds (gold), difficulty (bronze), audience satisfaction (gold)

Overall assessment: A spectacular fake!

Experience +120, points +80, skill points +1]

The banquet lasted late into the night. Utterly exhausted, Chen Xu excused himself first.

As he passed the reception room, he actually spotted an old maid wearing Gretka's emerald around her neck:

"That's a lovely necklace. A gift from your husband?"

"I bought it my-myself." The woman acted very unnaturally.

Chen Xu focused his gaze on it. Its quality and shape were exactly as he remembered. Seemingly casually, he asked, "Who did you buy it from, and for how much?"

She looked even guiltier. "A friend... two-fifty crowns..."

He nodded, then stood at the window and called Gretka back. Pointing at the gem hanging around the woman's neck, he asked:

"Take a look at this. Does it look familiar?"

"Oh! How did it get here? I've been looking for ages!" Gretka instinctively reached out to touch it, only for the old woman to slap her hand away.

"Mine!"