Chapter 31: Eight Trigrams, Nine Palaces
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When Happy, Eastern Green Gate, Azure Wolf, Xuan Zhong, and Qian Kunzi reached their companion, they witnessed Whirlwind Young Li slump to the ground to reveal the second bandit chief's fierce and villainous face.
"Young Whirlwind!"
"Young Li!"
The four could barely suppress the anger in their heart. They wanted to fight against the second bandit chief with everything they had, but they did not know that the rage in the second bandit chief's heart was greater than theirs.
The death of around forty of his brothers from Black Wind Mountain and the injuries on his body filled him with humiliation and anger. He withdrew his broadsword and kicked aside Whirlwind Young Li's corpse. Then, he strode forward to kill them.
The remaining seven Black Wind Mountain Bandits followed closely behind him!
No, there were only five left.
At the instant the second bandit chief kicked aside Whirlwind Young Li's corpse, Happy's eyes filled with anger. He did not say another word and just threw two lancet knives from his waist. They sliced through the dark forest, traveling in a line, with neither being before the other. They hit the two subordinates beside the second bandit chief.
Before the duo could even grunt, they were pushed back by a strong force. The momentum threw them off their feet, and with a loud thud, they died beside Whirlwind Young Li.
Eastern Green Gate and the others were behind Happy, and he did not move back any longer!
His handsome face was so dark that it looked like there were thunderclouds around him. There was strong murderous intent in his eyes, and his gaze was as cold as the stars. He stared at the Black Wind Mountain Bandits that rushed toward him from the second bandit chief's sides, and two lancet knives slid into his grip as if they had spirit. There was not the slightest pause in his movements; the lancet knives just slid into his grip like how dust filled into the air!
Happy could no longer retreat.
The second bandit chief was there. If he retreated, Eastern Green Gate, Qian Kunzi, Xuan Zhong, and Azure Wolf would all be in danger!
They had come to help him with the mission and not to die there for him…
Xuan Kun and Whirlwind Young Li had already died! But nothing could happen to the others!
Happy's gaze was cold and resolute. He flicked his wrists, and with a barely noticeable sound, the lancet knives instantly sank into the throat and neck of two more Black Wind Mountain Bandits…
At that moment, Eastern Green Gate felt like his vision had become blurry. He thought he saw a faint layer of white light covering the two lancet knives Happy had brought out.
'My eyes must be playing tricks on me…'
Eastern Green Gate shook his head and looked again. He was just in time to see Happy attack the third time!
This time, it was even clearer.
The lancet knives were indeed enveloped by a faint layer of white light, but Happy did not seem to have noticed this abnormality even though he had the lancet knives in his grip.
His speed became even faster, and his throws were even more resolute!
Even the people who stood behind Happy could not see the trajectory of the lancet knives. They just saw two people fall down while grabbing onto their chests.
Once he swiftly killed the last three Black Wind Mountain Bandits, Happy finally felt relieved. He whispered to the four a word of caution to tell them to be careful before he drew his Noble Sword, which still had the purple tassel on it. It was drawn from the sheath with a loud click, and he rushed to the murderous second bandit chief, who was now alone.
"You're just asking for death!"
The second bandit chief was filled with rage. He roared, and his speed increased drastically. He spun on his feet, and his broadsword came swinging down in an arc.
"No wonder you turned into an outlaw! As expected, you're just a barbarian who only knows how to rely on your strength!"
With the Noble Sword in hand, Happy was no longer agitated. His heart and mind became one, and his expression was calm.
His feet tapped against the ground and used the Eight Trigrams Steps. His body moved freely, and he nimbly avoided the brunt of the second bandit chief's attack. He attacked with his sword to the southwest, and his sleeves fluttered loudly in the roaring wind.
The Noble Sword never wavered in its tracks. Happy swung it and drew back freely. When he delivered his attacks, his sword was stable. Its tip went straight to the second bandit chief's arms, thighs, and other body parts that were not protected by the leather armor. He forced the second bandit chief to focus on defense.
Saber techniques were fierce and strong, and they placed an emphasis on linking up attacks. Once they were executed, the might of the saber could not be blocked!
But the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword was not afraid of this.
This martial art drifted about and changed eternally. It won against its opponents through speed. When its user withdrew, they would be able to find a way to survive, and if its user moved forward, they could drive their opponent into a corner.
It had enough to spare in terms of both offense and defense. As long as Happy did not run into opponents whose strength was much greater than his, he was confident that he could fight against whoever it was that happened to be his opponent for a while.
If it were not for the fact that he had used the lancet knives too frequently, using up all his qi, he might not have been forced to use his other skill—the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword—to deal with the second bandit chief.
Happy intended to keep what little remained of his true qi in his Dantian Region so that he could kill his enemy in one shot at a critical moment, instead of attacking in a rush like what he did right then. He just landed some insignificant damage on the second bandit chief before slipping away.
"Eldest senior brother, don't let him get away!"
"You have to take revenge for my brother and Young Li!"
The four did not stop cheering Happy from the side, but that was all they did. Including Eastern Green Gate, none of them had the courage to rashly join the battle against a powerful martial artist at the peak of Gate Realm.
Even though Happy's sword technique did not seem to have reached the tenth realm, he still remained calm under the second bandit chief's fierce attacks, which had a power similar to fierce wind blowing at fallen leaves. Happy moved back and forth with ease, and Eastern Green Gate came to a conclusion that he could not do this after he examined himself.
The four were new players after all. They did not have much experience and could not tell that Happy used his experience of martial arts to fight freely against the second bandit chief. They could only see that Happy could fight on equal ground against the second bandit chief in a close-quarters fight, and they were incredibly excited.
Whenever the second bandit chief roared and cursed Happy, the four would respond by cursing up a storm at the second bandit chief.
However, as time passed, the four gradually noticed that there was no end in sight to the fight.
One attack came after another.
As they continued watching, they gradually discovered that the skills used had become old. Nothing new was being shown by either side.
Qian Kunzi's lips twitched.
"Er… Say, don't you guys… find this strange?"
"What?"
Azure Wolf was high in spirits as he watched the fight, so he had responded without even turning his head around.
He practiced saber techniques, so from the second bandit chief's fierce and strong attacks, he felt that he had gained a little enlightenment, and he was filled with gusto.
However, to the others, this was not much. The second bandit chief's unrelenting strikes were a little shameless, but Happy's situation was even stranger. He moved at an appropriate speed, and his attention was focused entirely on the fight. With time, his movements became even lighter and gained an otherworldly air. He looked like a martial arts fanatic who had forgotten everything around him so nothing could make his attention waver.
They watched for a long time, and Eastern Green Gate finally realized in grief that the duel to the death between the duo had turned into a session of two people comparing notes about their martial arts by sparring!
Happy did not show any intention to use his throwing knives. The second bandit chief could not let go of the death of his brothers, and fighting for a long period of time was not beneficial for him. The more he fought, the more agitated and angry he became. Then, a faint aura swiftly appeared. It attached itself to the broadsword, and it began to glow with a faint light.
Happy's eyes focused, and a hint of happiness appeared in his eyes.
"Just in time!"
He turned the tip of his sword, and a whistle arose! His momentum suddenly changed. His gentle defenses and counterattacks from before were gone, and the force of his strikes became much swifter and fiercer! The fallen leaves in the forest moved quietly along with the wind from the sword.
As the wind roared, it blew against all the other objects in the forest even more violently. In fact, it blew against the second bandit chief's leather armor, and since it was inlaid with metal, it caused breathtaking sparks.
When the saber and sword crossed each other, their users' murderous intention could be seen. Wind blew, and the leaves danced madly in the air!
Even though the force of Happy's strikes had changed, he was still at a disadvantage. There were many times when he dared not clash head on with the second bandit chief, and this gave his opponent greater momentum. Things seemed to be progressing in a dangerous direction for Happy.
At this moment, Happy finally stopped preserving his strength. When he retreated, he managed to find time to draw a lancet knife and threw it, thus rectifying the situation in which he was bound to lose.
It was a short clash since the situation of the battle changed, but the of both sides were incredibly dangerous. If either person was the slightest bit careless, they would die.
The four people watching felt their hearts tremble violently!
It was only then that they realized that the two people who had been fighting for a long while had just revealed their true abilities.
In truth, the second bandit chief had been hiding his true strength all along, and it was the same for Happy!
"The eldest senior brother of the Murong Clan… what a man you are…"
Eastern Green Gate had watched the fight for a long time and shook his head repeatedly in disbelief. In the end, he let out a long breath in regret.
Before he finished speaking, the second bandit chief's calf was sliced by another lancet knife. With wounds left from every single time he clashed swords with Happy, he now looked like a bloody mess and appeared extremely terrifying.
"My resolve to kill you will never change! You brat, I will come and take revenge on you someday…" The second bandit chief's movements became slower, and finally, the thought of retreating rose in him.
However, Happy did not intend to let this "old friend" who had been fighting against him for so long escape in one piece!
When he was forced back by a slash from the second bandit chief's broadsword, he put his Noble Sword into his Universe Bag without hesitation. At the instant the second bandit chief turned around and jumped into the air, two lancet knives slipped into Happy's hands at the same time…
Clang!
Thud!
The second bandit chief swung his sword to block the knives, but unfortunately for him, he only managed to block one of them… With a chilling glare, the other one sank into his chest without facing any obstructions!
Chapter 32: Path of Hidden Weapons
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Battle Assessment: Class A. Your understanding of Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword has increased. Your understanding of Lancet Knife Throwing Technique has increased."
At the moment the second bandit chief died, the system's notifications repeatedly rose up.
"You killed the second bandit chief of Black Wind Mountain. You have received 150 Chivalry Points and 50 Reputation Points. You currently have 1,050 Chivalry Points and 150 Reputation Points.
"Mission: Black Wind Mountain's rage is complete! You now enjoy the support of all the people from Water Revival Village. The village mayor has already reported this matter to the government office in Gusu City. You received 150 Reputation Points!
"Please return to Gusu City and search for Gusu City Government Office so that you can receive your reward of two thousand taels of silver crumbs."
The mission was finally over…
Happy could not help but release a breath of relief!
Even though there was no third part of the mission and the final Boss of Black Wind Mountain never appeared, he was already satisfied with this.
After all, the boss of Black Wind Mountain was a powerful martial artist in Blessed Realm. He was unlike these mini-Bosses who were just in Gate Realm that had just started building up their qi so its effects were small. All NPCs in Blessed Realm had unique abilities. They were people who could fight against ten enemies alone. If Happy went up against someone like that, he would truly be acting recklessly.
However, Happy was puzzled.
He killed the second bandit chief and received an honest-to-god Class A battle danger assessment, but he did not receive any rewards regarding an increase in his martial art realms, which he expected to happen.
'Excuse me?!'
He had been dancing around in circles with the second bandit chief all this while and forced out all of the second bandit chief's true abilities, but the system had only symbolically increased the level of his two martial arts. It was a completely different treatment from the time he dealt with the tomb robber.
Feeling gloomy, Happy could not be bothered to receive the spoils of war he obtained from the second bandit chief. He lowered his head and studied the levels of his martial arts. Even though their realms did not increase, he had gained some degree of epiphany during his battle against the second bandit chief and the mountain bandits. His attacks had become faster, which was something that had left a deep impression on him. That feeling was clearly…
'As I expected!'
His Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword had reached the tenth realm when he fought against the second bandit chief. The small epiphany he gained had allowed him to reach Level 93.27 for this skill.
There was a notification that he previously overlooked for Lancet Knife Throwing Technique.
[The path of hidden weapons is not a path taken only by weaklings! Sometimes, you will need greater power and courage to fight against powerful enemies, and you did it! Your Lancet Knife Throwing Technique has now reached a breakthrough and moved from the ninth realm to the tenth realm!]
Along with Shaolin's Long Fist, Happy now had three martial arts in tenth realm. With the completion of the two missions, two of his martial arts had reached the tenth realm, and the rewards could be described with one word—amazing.
Happy's extremely happy expression did not escape the four people's eyes.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Happy!"
"Remember to treat us to a meal."
Even though everyone felt that it was a pity that Xuan Kun and Whirlwind Young Li were sacrificed, the spoils of war they received along the way were so great that they still clicked their tongues in amazement. When they piled up all of their rewards, they found that they had more than six thousand taels of silver crumbs, and they had also received a few decent scimitars and longswords.
When he saw the group bringing out the money they looted and placing it before him, Happy frowned. He raised his head and met their gazes.
"Let's split it into seven portions, and give my portion to Whirlwind Young Li and Xuan Kun. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to complete this mission so easily."
"Senior Brother Happy, if you have a good opinion of us and truly think of us as your brothers, then don't say such words. Keep the money. If we take your money, then wouldn't this turn into a business deal?" Azure Wolf said frankly without much thought.
Eastern Green Gate and Qian Kunzi were stunned when they heard the first part, but when they listened to the second half of what Azure Wolf had to say, they nodded. "That's right. Senior Brother Happy, if we run into anything else in the future and need your help, does that mean we have to pay you as well?"
Happy had nothing to say about this. He smiled wryly, since he found himself at a loss for a reply.
"All this talk about money will just ruin our relationship. Senior Brother Happy, just keep the money!"
"That's right. Whirlwind Young Li and my brother have already received the news. They're waiting for us at the entrance to Jade Gate Restaurant for the drinks."
"Alright!"
Happy stopped trying to say anything else. He stuffed the money into his Universe Bag along with the leather armor, broadsword, another Universe Bag, one martial arts manual, and some money from the second bandit chief. He did not pay much attention to what he looted from the corpse.
"Let's go and drink!"
"Haha!"
"Let's go!"
Eastern Green Gate and the other three laughed and clapped before they followed after him excitedly.
*****
The two people who were revived in Guanlin Temple met up with Happy and the others once they rushed back to the city and arrived at Gusu City's Jade Gate Restaurant. They managed to swiftly gather together because they knew where they would meet. Then, under countless curious, surprised, and envious gazes from the people on the streets, they stepped on the very expensive stairs of Jade Gate Restaurant.
This place could be said to have a very eye-catching presence in Gusu City.
Perhaps some people did not know the Blue-robed Noble Sword User, but there was no one who did know that Jade Gate Restaurant used white jade to make their stairs as well as gold and silver to make their vessels. It had carved railings and jade tiles along with beautiful waitresses to serve their customers. The extravagant air could be sensed from a distance, and the shops around it looked dull in comparison.
However, there had been few players who had gone into Jade Gate Restaurant to spend their money since the day the restaurant was open for business.
There was one simple reason for it.
Even a small pot of tea in Jade Gate Restaurant, which was called the Iron Goddess of Mercy, cost five hundred taels of silver crumbs, and that was the cheapest drink sold in the restaurant!
A new player could earn at most around one or two hundred taels of silver crumbs a day if he went out to farm for money. If competition was great, they would earn even less. There would be times when a player would spend even more than they earned.
Hence, there were very few players who could go into Jade Gate Restaurant.
When a player went in there to spend their money, the news would quickly spread through all the streets in Gusu City.
The news of the Blue-robed Noble Sword User entering Jade Gate Restaurant with six other players was received by quite a number of players, and the word spread far and wide.
Everyone began to ask about the identities of the other six people.
*****
"Junior brother, Xuan Kun. We will give our first toast to you!" Happy stood up by the window and lifted his wine cup earnestly. "I'll first drink it to show my respect to you!"
Once he finished speaking, he threw his head back and emptied the cup in one go!
When the stiff drink entered his throat, a dash of red swiftly crept up his handsome face. Happy exhaled, and he felt his whole body burn. He laughed, "This is good wine!"
The others got up and toasted each other too.
Eastern Green Gate and Whirlwind Young Li's facial color remained the same, but they also felt the burn of the alcohol!
"This is strong wine!"
"Indeed."
But the others were not so good at drinking.
"My gosh… This wine… Ack, it burns… Water… Where's the water?"
Xuan Kun and Xuan Zhong were, after all, still students, and they lacked experience in drinking wine. They might have boldly and heroically taken a big gulp, but the moment they swallowed half of it, they nearly spat out what remained in their mouths.
They were even worse than Happy. Their faces went red, and their throats burned. They looked as if they were seconds away from spitting fire. While they wiped their tears, they let their tongues hang out of their mouths and fanned them as they searched for water, causing the others to laugh in amusement.
"You sure you're okay?"
"You were the one who was the most gung ho about picking stiff drinks just now, but look at you now! HAHAHAHA!!!" Whirlwind Young Li grinned and laughed so much that his cheeks went sore.
"My little brother… picked it…"
Xuan Kun finally got a beautiful waitress to give him a cup of water. He quickly rolled his eyes and claimed his innocence, but the red on his face did not go away.
Happy talked about some of the things he had learned that could help people increase the realms of their his martial arts quickly, and he pushed the atmosphere of this banquet to its climax!
After drinking three pots of wine, Xuan Kun and Xuan Zhong turned into real-life Guan Yus [1] and lay passed out on the ground…
Qian Kunzi and Azure Wolf might not have ended up on the ground, but they were not much better. They nearly treated the beautiful waitresses by their sides as their bolsters.
Only Happy, Whirlwind Young Li, and Eastern Green Gate remained seated by the table without swaying.
As Whirlwind Young Li stared at the food on the table, he felt his heart ache.
"One meal costs two thousand three hundred taels of silver crumbs. This is blatant extortion... Hic… Next time, even if someone points a gun at me, I ain't coming here… Darn it all, I'm so poor I'm going crazy…"
Whirlwind Young Li spoke with a lisp, and all his words were nonsense. His breath also stank of alcohol.
Only Eastern Green Gate's head remained clear. He thus changed the topic of conversation.
"Senior Brother Happy, you should not be too far away from Gate Realm now, right?"
'My qi realm?'
Happy was taken aback for a moment before he suddenly remembered that he had indeed not paid any attention to the increase of his qi over the past few days.
His Lancet Knife Throwing Technique had increased by a few realms. It was close to Grandmaster Realm, and so was Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword. This meant that Happy might have received quite the increase in his qi.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Mogumoguchan
Mogumoguchan
Translator's Note:
[1] Guan Yu: His statue's face is red. Have a look: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/10/world/asia/indonesia-chinese-statue-islam-muslims-protest-guan-yu.html
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
6 Power
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