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2.28% Sword Among Us / Chapter 29: Money-consuming Hidden Weapons

Chapter 29: Money-consuming Hidden Weapons

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Senior Brother Happy!"

"It's kind of embarrassing if you call me that way, why don't you just call me Happy?"

"Heh heh, you're Whirlwind Young Li's senior brother, so you're our senior brother as well. I can get in the right mood when I do this." 

"That's right, it's just like in the movies. I feel like you really have the air of a wandering martial artist, Senior Brother Happy."

"By the way, now that we've met him, don't you think that Senior Brother Happy resembles someone?"

"Who is it?"

"Hu Ge[1]!"

"Hey, aren't your attempts to suck up to him getting too obvious?'

Happy was completely speechless.

After Whirlwind Young Li and Azure Wolf left, he waited quietly outside Water Revival Village with Eastern Green Gate, Qian Kunzi, Xuan Kun, and Xuan Zhong. He had never expected that the four would use that time to tease him.

"Haha…" 

When they saw how red Happy was due to embarrassment and noticed the look of resignation on his face, the four laughed, and their relationship became closer. 

"By the way, why do you need so many throwing knives?" Eastern Green Gate suddenly drew the topic away from all the teasing. "I heard that hidden weapons are very difficult to train, and their accuracy is very low, and they're very costly as well. 

"The disciples from Tang Sect on the official website's forum are almost driven mad, and they're cursing every single day…"

"Why?" Before Happy could reply, Xuan Kun and Xuan Zhong spoke up with curiosity.

"No money, I guess." Eastern Green Gate spread his arms and shrugged. "The people from Tang Sect are pouring out their woes every single day. Forging a set of hidden weapons means throwing away a bunch of money, and when you throw it out, you won't be able to get it back. 

"If you hit wild beasts, their pelts will be damaged, and you won't be able to sell it for much. If you look for higher-level brigands, you will either not be able to hit them, or before you even have a chance to hit them, you'll die. 

"The people on the official website are saying that if you don't have the money to practice higher-level martial arts, it's best for you to not learn how to use hidden weapons in the beginning."

Happy might have told him that he had killed the third bandit chief earlier, but he did not tell them what skill he used. Naturally, they did not know that his Lancet Knife Throwing Technique had already reached the middle of the ninth realm. 

When he heard this, Happy nodded, because he had prior experience of it. 

"Hidden weapons are indeed very difficult to train…" Happy then changed his tone. "But it's not as bad as they say."

He remembered that in his previous life, all the Tang Sect disciples who wandered the lands were powerful martial artists, especially during the first few months. Once they mastered the hidden weapons, all the Tang Sect disciples walked with their heads held high. Even though they faced powerful martial artists who were in the same realm as they were, they could easily fight against two or three of them by themselves. They could drive other people mad from the distance!

There was no other reason behind this. The long-range damage, speed, and ability to stay hidden was something that other martial arts found difficult to compare to. 

Before their qi increased to Blessed Realm, players' ability to determine where something came from based on sound was very low. It was very difficult for them to avoid hidden weapons, and once they had their vitals hit in an ambush, they would face grave danger. If they came off with light injuries, fighting ability would only be slightly affected, but if they came off with heavy injuries, they might die straight away!

There was a reason why hidden weapons were difficult to train and reach a breakthrough. 

Once Happy provided the others a general description of the hidden weapons, Eastern Green Gate and the others had shocked and enlightened expressions. Then, they did not forget to ask him about the realm of his Lancet Knife Throwing Technique. 

"I just reached the ninth realm for that technique."

Happy found that there was no reason for him to hide things from his friends. 

When the four people heard it, they were in high spirits. 

"How's the power?"

Happy thought about it for a while before he said in a reserved manner, "If I'm up against normal mountain bandits, I now have a 50% chance to kill them in one shot."

The four's eyes instantly went wide.

Happy could oneshot a Gate Realm mountain bandit they needed to work together to kill?!

When he saw their surprised expressions, Happy smiled coyly. "I was lucky. I managed to kill a tomb robber a few days ago, and when I completed the quest, I got around two thousand taels of silver crumbs and this Universe Bag from him. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the money to support my practice of Lancet Knife Throwing Technique. I was actually thinking about farming some money today, but I ran into this quest instead."

Happy's honesty made the four feel touched. 

As they spoke, the topics they discussed became even more packed with information. 

Without them even noticing it, evening drew close. 

Rustle!

Happy turned his head around and gingerly caught a messenger pigeon that flew right in front of him. 

Once he spread out the letter, a solemn expression appeared on his face. 

"They're coming from the south!"

The four became excited. 

"Then what should we do?"

"Send a message to Young Li. Tell him to hurry up and rendezvous with us in the south. We'll have to move now. We absolutely must not let the Black Wind Mountain Bandits take even half a step near Water Revival Village!" Happy's tone turned cold. 

As the messenger pigeon flew out again, the five nodded at the same time and swiftly left for the south of the mountain through the main road. 

Soon, they ran into Azure Wolf as he rushed down the mountain. 

He ran down impatiently, and when he saw Happy and the other four in the distance, he immediately cried out loudly in excitement. 

"They're behind me!"

"Search for a few different places and hide separately." Happy quickly stopped and turned his head around to everyone again. "Be careful. If you catch the attention of the mountain bandits, think only about making them run in circles. You must be careful."

"We get it. Don't worry."

The five quickly ducked into the bushes by the road. 

Happy stood where he was for a while. Soon, he saw an abnormally dazzling firelight move down the mountain.

Under it were around fifty black-robed mountain bandits. They had torches lifted high and were heading down the mountain rather quickly. There were shining swords and sabers held in their hands, and they looked murderous. 

'Very good.'

When he saw the forces dispatched from Black Wind Mountain, Happy was not alarmed, but was instead happy. 

'All of them have torches…'

He was originally worried how he could handle the mountain bandits if they ran into the bushes and forest, but the mountain bandits from Black Wind Mountain were kind enough to solve this rather troublesome problem for him. 

Mountain bandits with torches in their hands were like walking targets that were very distinct to the eye. The enemy was out in the open, and Happy was hidden in the dark. It was exactly what he had hoped for. 

He moved dozens of feet forward and quietly hid himself in a bush next to the road!

The fifty Black Wind Mountain Bandits were like a fire dragon. When he drew closer, Happy could vaguely see that they had their faces covered in black facemasks, which was quite noticeable among the crackling of the fire. Only a pair of ruthless eyes could be seen. A fierce presence radiated off them as they headed for Water Revival Village with white strips bound around their arms. 

When the mountain bandits draw near, Happy narrowed his eyes slightly. He swept his gaze across the group and swiftly found the person who was dressed in a more unique attire!

That man was in the middle of the group, and he had a shiny black leather armor. He held a ringed broadsword in his hand, and his footsteps were steady. He swept his gaze past the bushes by the side with a somber gaze, looking quite wary of his surroundings. 

It was the second bandit chief of Black Wind Mountain!

Happy was slightly startled.

The second bandit chief's wariness and the leather armor gave him a headache. By the looks of it, the leather armor was inlaid with soft metal pieces that connected together. 

There was no need to describe just how well it could protect the body! It would definitely be very difficult for the lancet knives to hurt him. 

Happy did not even need to think to know that the man had to have learned from the third bandit chief's death and had intentionally changed his equipment into leather armor to defend against the throwing knives. 

However, there was still hope. At least he had not gotten himself a full set of leather armor. He only protected his torso, which meant that his neck, head, and his limbs were still exposed. He did not reach Class S danger—Determined to Die.

While Happy thought about this, the Black Wind Mountain Bandits entered the range of his lancet knives. Happy silently narrowed his eyes and quickly brought out two of them. A faint ruthless presence turned into two rays of cold light under the cover provided by the rather dark sky, and they sliced through the air without a sound.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Mogumoguchan Mogumoguchan

Translator's Note:

[1] Hu Ge: A Chinese actor and singer born in Shanghai.

Chapter 30: Kiting

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"How dare you?!"

Almost the moment the lancet knives left Happy's hand, the second bandit chief roared, and he jumped into the air from the group of Black Wind Mountain Bandits! He bent his knees and looked like an eagle that dove from high above toward the place where Happy had hid himself!

It seemed like all the people in the world of martial arts loved doing this—oppressing others by force!

Happy's Lancet Knife Throwing Technique had reached the ninth realm. His skill and speed was much more accurate and faster than before. When he saw the bandit's actions, he was neither happy nor alarmed. The moment two short grunts rose into the air, two other throwing knives left his hands at the same time. One of them was above the other, and they shot straight toward the second bandit chief's head and lower body. 

Their speed was incredibly fast, and when they attacked, their strikes were fatal…

The second bandit chief roared in anger in the air. He spun viciously and miraculously avoided the two fatal throwing knives. 

Thud! Thud!

The lancet knives grazed past the second bandit chief's body and stabbed into the tree bark. The sounds that rose when they sank into the tree were heavy and dull.

'As expected, he's much more difficult to deal with compared to the third bandit chief…'

"Kill them!"

Happy did not panic. He suddenly shouted, and another two throwing knives charged swiftly toward the second bandit chief. 

At the same time, the six other people hidden by the roadside revealed themselves. 

Qian Kunzi, Eastern Green Gate, Whirlwind Young Li, Azure Wolf, Xuan Kun, and Xuan Zhong all rushed forward. Their shining weapons worked together with Happy's dull throwing knives, and they finally made a surprised look appear on the second bandit chief's face, even though the man had kept his cool all this while. 

The youth had actually called for reinforcements!

From what he knew, when Happy killed the third bandit chief, he had come alone. The only helpers he had were the three villagers who were called to divert the attention of the other mountain bandits…

Alarm appeared on the second bandit chief's face!

The brief loss of composure was exploited by Happy. His lancet knife made use of the opportunity and went straight into the second bandit chief's shoulder. The sharp pain shocked and enraged the second bandit chief, but his level-headedness made him press his hand against his shoulder and move back. With an even faster speed, he returned to the Black Wind Mountain Bandits and shouted at his brothers, "Attack them together!"

With that command, around forty Black Wind Mountain Bandits drew their weapons. They shouted and pounced on Happy and his friends. 

Happy retreated into the bushes calmly and reminded the other six loudly. "Act based on the plan!"

Whirlwind Young Li and the others did not leave immediately. Instead, they quickly spread out and ran off into different directions!

The second bandit chief remained at the back of the group. He could not see the situation in the forest clearly, and because of it, he did not know that his forty or so brothers had instantly been divided into smaller groups and led into different directions. 

When the second bandit chief noticed that there was a prolonged absence of any sound of activity in the forest and that his brothers were going further and further into the distance, he finally realized that there was something off about the situation, and a hint of uneasiness appeared on his face!

"Come back!"

But unfortunately for him, when he gave the order, the mountain bandits could no longer hear him. 

'This is bad.'

The second bandit chief gritted his teeth and pulled out the throwing knife in his shoulder. He stopped the blood before he viciously lifted his broadsword and ran into the forest in hot pursuit. 

Happy had left the earliest. Hence, practically all the Black Wind Mountain Bandits' attention was focused on Whirlwind Young Li and the other five. When those extremely violent and wicked people chased them into the depths of the forest, they noticed that the brothers around them had started dwindling in number, and they finally realized that something was off. 

"Urk!"

Two extremely faint grunts came from the back. Some of the mountain bandits turned their heads around to look, and they were just in time to see two of their brothers at the very end of the group roll over and fall to the ground. 

Shick! Shick!

The throwing knives came nonstop. They brought with them a faint sound of air being sliced apart, and they swiftly claimed the lives of two more mountain bandits. 

"Get the money."

The remaining six mountain bandits were no longer a threat to Happy. While he spoke, he drew his sword. In the dim firelight, a cold glare shone, and two torches fell to the dust on the ground along with their owners. 

It became darker in the forest. 

The remaining Black Wind Mountain Bandits simply could not tell where the hidden weapons came from. Fear blossomed in their hearts, but at that moment, Happy swiftly charged out from the bush behind them…

"It's him!"

"Kill him!"

The fear of the unknown was the most terrifying. When they saw their real enemy appear, the remaining four bandits actually regained their courage. They lifted their torches with one hand and their blades with the other. 

But Happy did not intend to waste time with them!

Whoosh!

"Ah!" 

"Urgh!"

Before the two by his side could get closer, they flipped over and fell. The spot where they were struck by Happy's throwing knives were swiftly dyed dark red. 

The terrifying throwing knives caused the final two to come to a swift stop, and they completely lost their courage! They turned around and fled with pale faces…

But unfortunately for them, they forgot that with such a distance between them and Happy, it was impossible for them to escape from his throwing knives!

Qian Kunzi saw the final two mountain bandits fall to the ground with knives in their backs. Since the start of the fight, he had watched it with his mouth open in surprise. He felt like he had just seen a crisply executed chase in the world of martial artists. 

The ten Black Wind Mountain Bandits who had been after him had died in the blink of an eye. If the others knew about this, things would turn chaotic. Qian Kunzi quickly recorded all of this in his mind and answered to Happy's orders in extreme enthusiasm. He ran to the side of one of the corpses, extended his hand, and began groping about…

He might not be able to kill mountain bandits, but he could certainly handle their money and valuables. 

'Yes, no matter how many of them appear, I'm not scared!'

Qian Kunzi crouched down among the corpses that were scattered all over the ground and lowered his head to snicker nonstop. He looked incredibly sleazy. 

*****

It was incredibly easy to locate the mountain bandits in the dark woods when all of them had torches in their hands. Once Happy dealt with Qian Kunzi's pursuers, he went to Azure Wolf's side. He had fewer people on his side, only seven bandits. Happy immediately repeated his actions. He quickly got rid of the bandits in a few neat motions and let Azure Wolf handle the wrapping up. He did not stop using Complete Reality Qi Cultivation Technique to circulate his qi and restore his qi while he rushed off to another batch of firelight. 

By then, more than one-third of Black Wind Mountain Bandits had died. 

However, the situation of Happy's party was not very good either…

The second bandit chief had lightness skill, and he had already caught up to Xuan Kun. 

Even though the young man kept running to places that had a complicated terrain, the second bandit chief had a lot of qi, and his speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, he blocked the path. Xuan Kun's face instantly turned pale, and he used all his strength to shout loudly, "Eldest senior brother, be careful!"

When he heard a voice from another group of light deep in the forest, Happy froze for a moment before anger flashed briefly in his eyes!

The inevitable sacrifices had finally happened. 

Xuan Kun died in battle!

But once he remembered that he would soon be revived in Gusu City's Guanlin Temple [1], the negative emotions were soon replaced by calmness. 'Xuan Kun has died. I can't let anyone else be sacrificed in vain!' Happy moved, and he swiftly ran to the group of light to the east. 

That was where Xuan Zhong was. 

When he remembered that the second bandit chief had already entered the forest in hot pursuit and that every single one of them bore the risk of dying, Happy instantly increased his speed of killing the Black Wind Mountain Bandits!

The Lancet Knife Throwing Techniques became the God of Death in the forest at night. Every single time the lancet knives whisked through the air, they would take at least two lives. 

The speed and frequency at which Happy attacked increased, and his attacks became even more ruthless!

At that moment, the Blue-robed Noble Sword User became even more unfathomable in Eastern Green Gate, Xuan Zhong, Azure Wolf, and the other people's eyes. The elegant and passionate Eldest Senior Brother Happy had turned into an experienced killer. 

Wherever he went, no one was left alive!

His attacks were even more astounding than those of Flower Snatcher Li Xunhuan[2].

When all the Black Wind Mountain Bandits on Eastern Green Gate's side were killed, the second bandit chief intercepted Whirlwind Young Li… 

Even though Whirlwind Young Li had sharp movements, extraordinary speed, and kept using the objects behind him to stop his opponent in his tracks, these things were of no effect before the second bandit chief. 

Whoosh!

Before long, a dark black figure stopped in front of Whirlwind Young Li. He turned around slowly and saw that the level-headed expression of the second bandit chief was replaced by ruthlessness and anger. 

Around forty out of his fifty brothers had been killed by a nameless brat as if he were keeping them chasing after his comrades, but making sure that they were at a distance where they could not attack them [3]…

The second bandit chief gritted his teeth and hissed, "Damn it!"


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Mogumoguchan Mogumoguchan

Translator's Note:

[1] Guanlin Temple: Also known as Temple of Guan Yu and Wu. It is a temple dedicated to General Guan Yu.

[2] Li Xunhuan: He is the protagonist from Little Li Flying Dagger, also known as Xiaoli Feidao. He was born in a family of scholars and earned the position of tanhua, Flower Snatcher (探花; third best candidate) in the imperial examination. (Source: Wikipedia)

[3] This is obviously kiting, all you gamers know it's kiting. Don't lie.

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