There was less than an hour until Black Wind Mountain's ambush. Whirlwind Young Li's due arrival allowed Happy to let out a breath of relief. He stood at the river bank and wrapped his fist in his palm as a salute.
During his three years in World of Martial Arts, Happy had developed a habit. He would unintentionally follow the practices of a true wandering martial artist, causing Eastern Green Gate and the others to feel excited. They quickly returned the salute respectfully, and at the same time, they felt a little flattered.
"Greetings, eldest senior brother!"
"Eldest senior brother!"
"Big Brother Happy!"
Their addresses were different, but Happy did not mind. He wrapped his fist in his palm and greeted them with a smile on his face.
Whirlwind Young Li had been worried that his eldest senior brother would dislike having so many people around him, but when he saw this, he instantly felt relieved. Then, he introduced the people to Happy while feeling extremely proud of himself.
"Eldest senior brother, these are the friends I made in the game. All of them want to bear witness to your elegance. This is Eastern Green Gate, it's not Eastern Green Fate, but Gate, G-A-T-E—"
"Ahem." Eastern Green Gate's face turned red for a moment, which was something rarely seen. He wrapped his fist in his palm again as a greeting. "I've heard of the elegance of Murong Clan's eldest senior brother, Blue-robed Noble Sword User for a long time. Now that we've met, you do live up to your name!"
"You praise me too much."
Happy nodded and smiled.
"Azure Wolf, Qian Kunzi. These two are my coursemates. We're still studying in university right now." Whirlwind Young Li pointed at a young man who had some acne on his face, along with the man who stood beside him and was taller than him by a head.
"Eldest senior brother."
"Hello."
The other two looked rather similar and were twins. The older of the two was called Xuan Kun, and the younger was known as Xuan Zhong. Their names and appearances made them look wild, like weeds in a field. Their voices were also abnormally loud.
"Hello, eldest senior brother!" the both of them yelled at the same time.
Happy waved at them with a smile.
"Let's disembark. Come on."
Azure Wolf had intentionally stayed a little behind the group when he got on the boat. He quietly knocked against Whirlwind Young Li's elbow and whispered, "Young Li, bro, your eldest senior brother is so pleasant. I thought that the Blue-robed Noble Sword User would also look down on everyone, just like Murong Fu, but he's actually very approachable."
"That's only natural!"
Whirlwind Young Li raised his chin smugly before he remembered his eldest senior brother's rather easy task. He quickly got off the boat and walked over while he gathered all the lancet knives together.
"Eldest senior brother, the throwing knives you wanted."
Happy took them without being modest, but he did not bring out any money. He put away the five sets of heavy lancet knives into his Universe Bag, and the six people were stunned when they saw this.
They put all their items into their bags, and since their bags could not change shape, it felt very heavy when they carried them over their backs. They would not have such an easy time like Happy.
The five sets of lancet knives had actually disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Eldest senior brother, what's this treasure?" Whirlwind Young Li did not disappoint the others and seized the opportunity before the others to be a curious cat. He pointed at the tiny, inconspicuous bag hanging by Happy's waist with an abnormal amount of surprise.
"A Universe Bag."
Happy provided them an explanation with a smile, and the six were so envious that they were practically drooling with desire.
Whirlwind Young Li's eyes lit up.
"By the way, are you also doing the storyline missions from Black Wind Mountain? I heard from Eastern Green Gate that this mission seems to be quite difficult. Do you need our help?"
"Oh?"
Happy cast Eastern Green Gate an astonished glance, and he quickly said, "Brother Eastern Gate, may I know what part of the mission you completed?"
He had already taken note of Eastern Green Gate just then because not only was his attire a little similar to Happy's own, but the way he held his sword and his temperament were also extraordinary. He should be quite powerful, but Happy did not expect that he had also triggered this storyline and mission.
If he had experience, it would be great. It would save Happy the time needed to explain the dangers of Black Wind Mountain and the situation in Water Revival Village.
However, he did not know that his question put Eastern Green Gate into a very awkward position that he could not get out of…
Eastern Green Gate smiled in embarrassment.
"Eldest senior brother, I'm sorry that you have to listen to me make a fool of myself. When I triggered the storyline accidentally, I died while at the periphery of Black Wind Mountain. I did not manage to complete the mission. Um, what is this about parts? I thought we just had to save Xiu Niang?"
Happy instantly understood what he meant.
But it was not surprising either. Third Bandit Chief of Black Wind Mountain had extraordinary abilities, or at least, his abilities were extraordinary to the new players. If a veteran like him had to rack his brains to think of a plan to defeat him, Third Bandit Chief would be much harder to deal with for new players.
Happy told the others his mission status at once, and at the same time, he told them that he wished to receive their help.
"Oh goodness… You actually managed to kill Third Bandit Chief alone?!"
Whirlwind Young Li's actions became exaggerated because of his excitement. His eyes were filled with sparkles that blatantly said "You're so amazing!"
Happy was instantly embarrassed. He immediately put away his smile and voiced his thoughts.
"But the situation has become much more complicated and dangerous. To avoid Water Revival Village from running into danger, I intend to ambush the people from Black Wind Mountain while they are on their way! But if we do this, it'll be incredibly dangerous! Brother Eastern Gate, could you come with me to attack them head on? The others, I hope that you can help me temporarily attract enemy fire."
"No problem!"
"If worst comes to worst, we'll just die once!"
"Eldest senior brother, since you made your request, we'll definitely help you!"
Whirlwind Young Li's friends seemed to be unexpectedly forthright and hot-blooded. All of them agreed to help without exception. They did not treat their lives as anything important.
Regardless of whether they knew that the loss for a new player's death was insignificant, Happy was still very touched when they agreed to this matter without any hesitation even after he told them of the dangers.
"I won't say anything else, but regardless of whether we succeed in this mission or not, I will throw a feast in Jade Gate Restaurant. We'll not leave until we're drunk!"
"Jade Gate Restaurant, the place where wine is super-duper expensive, and there are beautiful waitresses who will drink with us?" Whirlwind Young Li's eyes shone with a light that only men would understand.
'Hang on… I know it's super-duper expensive, but what's with having beautiful waitresses drink with us?'
Happy was taken aback for a moment.
But the other people had already responded at that moment.
"Alright, awesome!"
"Eldest senior brother!"
"Just tell us what you need us to do."
Aside from Eastern Green Gate, the other people had abnormally excited faces. Happy had no idea whether it was because of him or because of Jade Gate Restaurant.
'Oh, well. Who cares?'
When he saw how excited they were, Happy did not have the heart to ruin their mood. He brought the group to Water Revival Village.
"This is Water Revival Village.
"Black Wind Mountain is the mountain over there. There are only two paths from this place to there. I reckon that Black Wind Mountain's forces are already heading over, but I don't know the exact route they're taking. That's why I need you to help me confirm this matter."
"This is easy, let me do it." Whirlwind Young Li patted his chest and said, "My martial arts might not be able to compare to all of yours, but my body movements aren't anything to be looked down upon. Scouting out information is as easy as pie."
"Alright." Happy nodded, then gave him a reminder. "Go to the mountainside to the north and find a place to hide yourself. If you see any activity, send a message through the messenger pigeon immediately! We'll arrive as soon as possible! If they come from the south…" He turned his head around and looked at the tall young man. "Azure Wolf, please send me a messenger pigeon as well."
Azure Wolf nodded without hesitation.
At that moment, Eastern Green Gate suddenly spoke. "What if Black Wind Mountain moves in two groups? What should we do then?"
"That'll be even better." Happy put on a smile that said he had been prepared for this since a long time ago. "I'd much rather that they split up and move in two groups! After all, there's only one second bandit chief, and he can only stay in one group.
"Help me keep a lookout and see whether there is someone who stands out. If there isn't anyone among them who is especially powerful, please lure them away. Try to stall for as long as possible. The longer you can stall, the better."
"Got it."
Whirlwind Young Li and Azure Wolf nodded in excitement and nervousness.
Who would have thought that half an hour ago they were still waiting for a local rascal who had yet to reach Gate Realm with another group of players in a tavern, while now they had to face off against a huge group of fearsome Black Wind Mountain Bandits…
"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.
Translator's Note:
[1] Hu Ge: A Chinese actor and singer born in Shanghai.