“I still need to go refine an array, so I won’t stay and exchange any more pleasantries with you.”
After planting the Blood Fiend Poison Gu, Elder Chu Sha seemed to have finally lowered his guard against Yin Huaichen.
He gave him a few brief instructions, telling him to ask Hu Tianlu if there was anything he did not understand. With that, he turned and departed.
Hu Tianlu acknowledged the order with a respectful nod, watching helplessly as Elder Chu Sha walked away. Only after the old man had completely disappeared did he slowly turn his head, fixing Yin Huaichen with a vicious, sinister stare.
Yin Huaichen’s expression remained perfectly calm.
“What are you staring at me for?”
Hu Tianlu spoke slowly, his voice low and measured.
“You’re afraid you didn’t tell the whole truth.”
What Yin Huaichen had taken from him was not merely the Blood Fiend Broken Token, it also included the Mysterious Law Flying Blades.
If Yin Huaichen were truly as loyal to Elder Chu Sha as he claimed, then why had he not handed over the Mysterious Law Flying Blades as well?
The corner of Yin Huaichen’s lips curled upward into a faint smile.
“Aren’t you hiding ulterior motives yourself?”
Hu Tianlu remained silent.
Yin Huaichen had already seen through him.
Although Hu Tianlu had become one of Elder Chu Sha’s subordinates, he was clearly harboring resentment in his heart, secretly scheming for his own benefit.
Otherwise, given the Rakshasa Alliance’s usual methods, if Elder Chu Sha had known that Hu Tianlu possessed a treasure like the Mysterious Law Flying Blades, there was no chance he would have let him keep it.
Which meant that Hu Tianlu had never mentioned the existence of the Mysterious Law Flying Blades to Elder Chu Sha.
Looking at Yin Huaichen’s composed expression, Hu Tianlu could tell that he fully intended to swallow the Mysterious Law Flying Blades for himself and had absolutely no intention of returning them.
He let out a cold sneer.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell him?”
Yin Huaichen merely shrugged.
“Go ahead and tell him but let me remind you, once you do, the item will become his.”
Hu Tianlu’s breathing hitched.
Yin Huaichen was right.
Hu Tianlu did not dare say a word.
As long as he kept silent, the Mysterious Law Flying Blades remained in Yin Huaichen’s possession, meaning there was still a chance he could seize them back someday but if Chu Sha learned about them and the blades fell into Chu Sha’s hands instead, then he would lose any hope of reclaiming them forever.
Yin Huaichen had grasped that weakness perfectly.
Right in front of Hu Tianlu’s face, he openly pocketed the Mysterious Law Flying Blades as though they already belonged to him.
“The Young Master and I come from the same origin. When you think about it…”
Yin Huaichen spoke leisurely, each word slow and unhurried.
“You’re the outsider here.”
“I can hide things from him and he still won’t kill me but as for you…”
As he finished speaking, he raised an eyebrow meaningfully.
Hu Tianlu’s expression shifted back and forth, his face alternating between light and shadow. Only after a long silence did he finally say,
“…You’d better pray I never get hold of any leverage against you.”
Yin Huaichen merely smiled without answering.
He watched as Hu Tianlu flicked his sleeve and strode away. Just as the man was about to step out of the main hall, Yin Huaichen suddenly called after him in a loud, clear voice,
“Third Master Hu, did you kill that little thief who stole your chest?”
The person he was naturally referring to was Xiaoxiao Yuxie.
Hu Tianlu’s footsteps abruptly halted.
A third rank martial artist had not only been toyed with by Yin Huaichen but had also allowed two martial artists who had not even entered the ranks to escape from his grasp one after another. It was undoubtedly the greatest humiliation of his life.
By bringing up that incident now, Yin Huaichen was deliberately slapping him across the face.
Hu Tianlu turned his head and cast Yin Huaichen a dark, venomous glance. Without saying another word, he strode away without looking back again.
Only Yin Huaichen and Li Mingrui remained in the main hall.
The terror had yet to fade from Li Mingrui’s face. Seeing Yin Huaichen look toward him, he instinctively took a step backward and stammered,
“Junior Brother Yin… no… who exactly are you? Could it be that you really are…”
Everything Yin Huaichen had said just now had not only fooled Elder Chu Sha, it had also left Li Mingrui completely bewildered.
He genuinely could no longer determine Yin Huaichen’s true identity.
“Senior Brother, have you gotten confused too?”
Yin Huaichen laughed.
“Of course I was bluffing him. If I were really from Nether Skeleton Valley, why would I have protected you just now?”
Li Mingrui froze for a moment.
That actually made perfect sense.
“Then everything you said just now…”
“I heard it from a storyteller some time ago.”
Yin Huaichen replied,
“Since getting caught would’ve meant certain death anyway, I simply decided to gamble.”
“Who would’ve thought I’d actually win the bet? All I can say is that the two of us are truly fortunate enough to have escaped with our lives.”
Only after repeatedly confirming that Yin Huaichen was not deceiving him did Li Mingrui finally let out a long sigh of relief.
“About what you said to Hu Tianlu just now… you took something from him? What was it?”
Yin Huaichen smiled.
“Nothing much. I just stole a little of his money.”
“Oh.”
Li Mingrui gave a simple acknowledgment and did not probe any further.
“Then what do we do now?”
“We’ll just take things one step at a time.”
Yin Huaichen turned his head and looked in the direction Elder Chu Sha had left.
“The two of us have both been implanted with Gu now. Even if we wanted to leave, we couldn’t. Anyway, the reason we came here in the first place was to gather information. Well, things have worked out nicely, we’ve gone straight into the enemy’s inner circle. I suppose you could call it an unexpected stroke of luck.”
“…”
Yin Huaichen’s thoroughly optimistic attitude left Li Mingrui somewhat speechless.
After a long while, he let out a deep sigh.
“I guess… that’s all we can do.”
At the very beginning, Yin Huaichen’s only objective had been to stay alive. His plan had been to use the Blood Fiend Broken Token to win Elder Chu Sha’s trust before searching for an opportunity to escape.
Who could have expected that Elder Chu Sha would immediately plant a Blood Fiend Poison Gu into him instead?
As a member of the Impermanence Palace, Yin Huaichen naturally knew just how horrifying the Blood Fiend Poison Gu of Nether Skeleton Valley became once it took effect.
The most troublesome part was that even if one died and resurrected, the Gu would not disappear.
Now, even if he wanted to flee, there was no escaping.
Fortunately, Yin Huaichen had always been optimistic by nature.
Now that he had successfully infiltrated the enemy’s ranks, from a certain perspective, he was one step closer to Xuanjizi’s relic.
Perhaps, in the end, he really would become the fisherman who profited from the struggle between the snipe and the clam, obtaining the Supreme Profound Sacred Qi for himself.
And besides…
Yin Huaichen had already begun considering whether there might be some benefits he could squeeze out of Elder Chu Sha.
With Chu Guangqiao’s relationship serving as a bridge, would it be possible to trick Chu Sha into handing over the Namo Seven Serpent Gu Scripture?
That was the foremost cultivation manual of Nether Skeleton Valley, passed down only to the direct line of the Valley Master’s successor.
Although it could not compare to an unparalleled divine art like the Supreme Profound Sacred Qi, it was still worthy of being classified as a Gold grade cultivation manual.
Mm…
Not yet.
The Namo Seven Serpent Gu Scripture was the very foundation upon which Nether Skeleton Valley stood. If Yin Huaichen dared to bring it up rashly now, then in the very next moment, Chu Sha would probably send him flying back to the city with a single palm strike.
It would be better to advance gradually and take his time…
Gently rubbing his chin, Yin Huaichen silently began calculating his next move.
…
Over the next several days, Yin Huaichen adapted to his new role with astonishing speed, throwing himself completely into the identity he had fabricated.
Not only did he constantly fuss over Elder Chu Sha’s well being, showing concern for him at every opportunity but whenever he found the slightest chance, he launched into an endless stream of praise and flattering compliments.
At the same time, he sincerely took the initiative to shoulder Elder Chu Sha’s burdens, acting in every way as though he truly belonged to Nether Skeleton Valley.
Elder Chu Sha was already advanced in years.
At first, he had remained wary of Yin Huaichen.
However, as people grew older, they often found themselves yearning for familial affection.
Elder Chu Sha was especially susceptible to such feelings. During his youth, he had been estranged from his own family and over the years, that longing buried deep within his heart had only grown stronger.
Yin Huaichen possessed an obedient, pleasing appearance and his sweet tongue made it even easier to win people’s favor.
After several consecutive days of being fussed over with genuine warmth and constant concern, Elder Chu Sha was practically being coaxed back into infancy by Yin Huaichen’s attentiveness.
Without even realizing it, he had already begun treating Yin Huaichen as one of his own.
With Chu Guangqiao’s connection acting as the bridge between them, the relationship between the two quickly grew much closer.
Sometimes, even Li Mingrui found himself unable to tell whether Yin Huaichen was merely putting on an act for the occasion… or whether he was genuinely being sincere.
In order to seize control of Blade Wind Stronghold, Elder Chu Sha had personally killed both the original Stronghold Chief, Helian Zheng and the Second Stronghold Chief.
Now, he was the true master and actual ruler of Blade Wind Stronghold.
Meanwhile, in order to stay alive, Hu Tianlu had willingly surrendered and sworn allegiance, allowing Elder Chu Sha to plant the poison Gu within him.
His original plan had been to use the death of the First Stronghold Chief as an opportunity to rise to power and become the one calling the shots in Blade Wind Stronghold.
However, during the several days since Yin Huaichen had arrived, Hu Tianlu had watched helplessly as Elder Chu Sha’s attitude toward Yin Huaichen grew warmer and warmer by the day. There were even faint signs that Yin Huaichen’s status was beginning to surpass his own.
The realization left Hu Tianlu increasingly restless, unable to sit still or find peace of mind.
Several days later, Yin Huaichen had already succeeded in earning Elder Chu Sha’s complete trust.
His status within Blade Wind Stronghold rose at an astonishing pace. He had even taken over the men who had originally served under the Second Stronghold Chief, becoming one of the few people within the stronghold who possessed genuine authority.
The bandits of Blade Wind Stronghold were experts at following whichever way the wind happened to blow.
Seeing how favored Yin Huaichen had become, they immediately changed their attitudes toward him as well.
Only a few days earlier, they had been searching every street in the stronghold in an attempt to capture him.
Now, whenever they saw him, they would obediently lower their heads and respectfully greet him.
“Boss Yin.”
Life could truly be described as smooth sailing, with fortune smiling upon him from every direction.
…
Inside the residence that had originally belonged to the Second Stronghold Chief, Li Mingrui stood in the main hall with a conflicted expression.
He turned around and looked toward Yin Huaichen, who was comfortably basking in the sunlight in the courtyard.
He looked as though he wanted to say something yet hesitated.
Yin Huaichen lounged comfortably in a luxurious rosewood grand master’s chair.
On the small table before him sat several plates piled high with fresh fruit.
Stretching out a hand lazily, he plucked a grape from one of the bunches and casually popped it into his mouth.
Mm.
Sweet.
As he chewed, he spoke in a slightly muffled voice.
“Senior Brother, stop pacing around already. You’re making my eyes dizzy. It’s already been so many days. Haven’t you gotten used to this yet?”
Li Mingrui fell silent for a moment.
“…You’ve certainly gotten used to it.”
Hadn’t he adapted a little too quickly?
Watching Yin Huaichen recline with one leg crossed over the other while leisurely eating grapes, Li Mingrui could not help feeling that the formerly gentle and well behaved young man now carried an unmistakable air of a bandit.
He could not resist wondering whether Yin Huaichen had once been a mountain brigand in a previous life.
After hesitating for quite some time, he finally could not hold it in any longer.
“Junior Brother, this can’t go on forever. It’s already been several days and we haven’t made the slightest bit of progress. We didn’t actually come here to become bandits…”
Yin Huaichen casually switched which leg was crossed over the other, settling into an even more comfortable position.
“Haste won’t help you eat hot tofu, Senior Brother. If you want to accomplish great things, you have to know how to be patient. Besides… haven’t I been getting things done?”
“What things have you been getting done?”
Li Mingrui stared at him with widened eyes.
“Eating grapes?”
“Or sunbathing?”
Yin Huaichen spat out a grape skin and slowly wagged a finger.
“Wrong.”
“Do you still remember what we came here for?”
“To gather intelligence, collect evidence, report back to the sect and eliminate Chu Sha…”
“Haven’t I been gathering intelligence?”
Yin Huaichen looked up at him.
“I’m already one of the stronghold chiefs with real authority now. Is there anywhere in Blade Wind Stronghold I can’t go? I’ve got a whole group of subordinates under me. Whenever anything happens anywhere in the stronghold, the news is reported directly to me immediately. Could intelligence gathering possibly be any more efficient than this?”
Li Mingrui found himself unable to refute the argument.
After a brief silence, he continued,
“But… we still don’t even know where that ritual array is.”
“One step at a time.”
Yin Huaichen smiled faintly.
“Don’t be fooled by how favored I seem right now. In reality, Chu Sha still hasn’t truly accepted me as one of his own. If I suddenly started asking about the ritual array, do you believe he’d turn hostile on the spot?”
That was, in fact, the truth.
Xuanjizi’s relic was of extraordinary importance.
For the sake of obtaining it, Elder Chu Sha had spent who knew how many years carefully arranging his plans.
How could he possibly allow Yin Huaichen to deceive him into handing it over with nothing more than a few clever words?
Although Elder Chu Sha appeared to indulge Yin Huaichen’s every request these past few days, granting him men, authority and influence, whenever he went to refine the ritual array, he never allowed Yin Huaichen anywhere near it.
Whenever Yin Huaichen tried to probe him for information, Elder Chu Sha simply kept his mouth tightly shut.
As a result, Yin Huaichen still knew absolutely nothing.
He had no idea where Xuanjizi’s遗物 was hidden within Thousand Mechanisms City, nor did he know what purpose the ritual array actually served.
Furthermore, the Gu inside Yin Huaichen’s body meant that he was effectively confined within Blade Wind Stronghold.
He was forbidden from leaving.
Even if he wanted to go outside to gather information and observe what the various sects inside Thousand Mechanisms City were planning, he simply had no opportunity to do so.
Fortunately…
That wasn’t a problem.
Yin Huaichen was a player.
His own body might not be able to leave but that did not mean his connections couldn’t.
Speak of the devil and the devil appears.
Just after Yin Huaichen finished biting into a crisp, rosy red apple, his friend communication interface suddenly rang.
He accepted the call.
“Brother Mu Yu.”
The one contacting him was none other than Mu Yu.
“Wuchang.”
Mu Yu said,
“I’ve been keeping an eye on everything you asked me to watch…”
After the group had separated that night, Mu Yu and the others had not remained at Blade Wind Stronghold for very long.
Once they finished their mission, they returned directly to Thousand Mechanisms City.
After all, with their current levels, Blade Wind Stronghold was still an area whose difficulty far exceeded what they could comfortably handle.
Over the past several days, Yin Huaichen had entrusted Mu Yu with monitoring the movements of the various sects within Thousand Mechanisms City, along with the progress of the players’ quests.
Mu Yu continued,
“You really called it. More and more people have started receiving quests related to Blade Wind Stronghold and over the last few days, something about Thousand Mechanisms City has felt off. Even the number of city guards has nearly doubled and the various sects have started making moves as well…”
Just as expected.
Everything was unfolding exactly as Yin Huaichen had anticipated.
Based on everything he currently knew, Blade Wind Stronghold, or, to be more precise, Chu Sha, was almost certainly the regional main storyline boss of Thousand Mechanisms City.
Since the letter Gu Xingxiu had asked him to deliver specifically mentioned the situation surrounding Blade Wind Stronghold, it meant that the various sects within Thousand Mechanisms City had already begun paying close attention to the matter.
Even if Li Mingrui never returned to report the news, the main storyline itself would continue advancing little by little.
Most likely, before long, the inevitable clash between Blade Wind Stronghold and the various sects of Thousand Mechanisms City would erupt.
The atmosphere throughout the city already felt like the calm before a violent storm.
The storyline would probably advance into its next phase very soon.
Mu Yu asked,
“You’re still at Blade Wind Stronghold?”
Yin Huaichen nodded.
“Yeah.”
Mu Yu said,
“Then you’d better be careful.”
The fact that Yin Huaichen had managed to survive inside the perilous Blade Wind Stronghold for so many days filled Mu Yu with admiration.
Thinking about Yin Huaichen’s strength, however, it also seemed perfectly reasonable.
Even so, he still could not help reminding him with concern.
Yin Huaichen asked,
“Careful about what?”
“Blade Wind Stronghold has become pretty strange lately.”
Mu Yu explained,
“Isn’t it true that more and more players have started receiving Blade Wind Stronghold quests? The entry requirements aren’t nearly as strict anymore. Think back to the first time we came here. Getting inside to complete quests wasn’t all that difficult but during the last two days, the defenses around Blade Wind Stronghold have become much tighter. The forums are full of players complaining that the quests are getting harder and harder.”
Only a handful of people had been able to enter Blade Wind Stronghold a few days earlier.
That was because breaking the illusion array guarding the entrance required a special token dropped by elite monsters, making the entry conditions extremely demanding.
However, after Mu Yu’s group completed part of the Blade Wind Stronghold questline, the storyline advanced.
Cracks began appearing within the illusion array protecting the stronghold.
As a result, entering Blade Wind Stronghold gradually became much easier for ordinary players.
What had originally been a high difficulty questline that only elite players could complete was now slowly opening itself to the general player base.
In just the past few days alone, nearly a hundred new player teams had arrived at Blade Wind Stronghold.
Yet although more people could now enter the map, the quests had not become any easier.
On the contrary.
Many players were killed almost the instant they revealed themselves, never even getting the chance to set foot inside the stronghold itself.
The corners of Yin Huaichen’s lips curved upward.
“I know.”
Mu Yu blinked.
“Hm? How do you know?”
Yin Huaichen replied,
“Because I’m the one in charge of Blade Wind Stronghold’s defenses.”
Mu Yu:
“?”
As a fellow player, Yin Huaichen understood players far too well.
Over the past several days, he had ordered his subordinates to repair every defensive weakness around Blade Wind Stronghold one by one.
He had even specially assigned an entire squad whose sole purpose was to counter the infiltration abilities commonly used by Warlocks and Mechanics.
With a player acting as an “inside mole” like him, how could it not become vastly more difficult for everyone else to complete their quests?
Mu Yu froze for a moment, clearly not understanding what he meant.
“What do you mean? What do you mean you’re the one in charge of the defenses?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you.”
Yin Huaichen replied at an unhurried pace,
“I’m now the second in command of Blade Wind Stronghold.”
Mu Yu:
“……”
???
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Cresvynia
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Remember to keep a positive moodChapter 2 · Have fun playing the gameChapter 3 · Skill completion rateChapter 4 · Strange and malevolent creatures roam outside the cityChapter 5 · 90% complete!Chapter 6 · Serving the sect is my dutyChapter 7 · First meetingChapter 8 · Fang LecangChapter 9 · A prestigious and righteous sect!Chapter 10 · Kill Chi BantuChapter 11 · Spoils of warChapter 12 · We’ve made a fortune!Chapter 13 · Thunder and fire extinguish goldChapter 14 · You found it?Chapter 15 · The so called degree of freedomChapter 16 · The secrets of life and deathChapter 17 · A minor leader of the first rank.Chapter 18 · What kind of luck do you have?Chapter 19 · Let’s Do itChapter 20 · The BOSS escapedChapter 21 · “A wound to the heart is also a wound.”Chapter 22 · Good people are always blessed.Chapter 23 · The Old Man of the Valley of BonesChapter 24 · It’s me, young master!Chapter 25 · Take it slow and steadyChapter 26 · The older they get, the stingier they becomeChapter 27 · You know this person tooChapter 28 · I saw Wei Wanzhou againChapter 29 · You’d better keep having this kind of luckChapter 30 · “Password lock” crackedChapter 31 · We’ve come to punish you!Chapter 32 · A boorish country bumpkin who knows no manners.Chapter 33 · You have crossed the lineChapter 34 · Now that we’re here, do you think we can leave?Chapter 35 · A trivial skillChapter 36 · Actually, I was just kiddingChapter 37 · Upgrade mission complete, rating: SSS!Chapter 38 · AwardChapter 39 · I have always been law-abiding and law-abidingChapter 40 · Are you coming back for dinner tonight?Chapter 41 · Purple Lightning Square Seal.Chapter 42 · A money-grubberChapter 43 · BetChapter 44 · Four Continents Chamber of CommerceChapter 45 · This was my third meeting with Wei WanzhouChapter 46 · Oh, you want to hit on me.Chapter 47 · The angry drizzle has stoppedChapter 48 · Thunder SpearChapter 49 · “Are you a devil?”Chapter 50 · The Impermanent Lord!?Chapter 51 · Loot everywhere..Chapter 52 · His identity remains a mystery.Chapter 53 · Why not show yourself?Chapter 54 · He confronted Li Mingrui.Chapter 55 · Auction