“I guess you’re all curious about your own situations. To be honest, we are victims too, of course, also beneficiaries,” Luo Shengyi smiled at them.
Qi Meng’s evaluation of him was that he was domineering, liked to control the whole team, and had a natural leader’s charisma. Therefore, it was no surprise he spoke first, quietly listening as he explained the Master of the Six Dao Reincarnation and the Reincarnation World.
The three newbies showed no signs of disbelief. They listened attentively, remaining silent until the end, their expressions thoughtful.
“The quality of these newbies is pretty good…” Qi Meng inwardly praised.
The elegant, cold girl in the middle, holding a seven-stringed qin, slightly nodded and said, “Whoever could silently take me from my home must be at least a Tiandeng expert. Whether it’s the Reincarnation World or not will be clear once the mission starts. Let me first check the exchange list.”
Having said that, she walked gracefully and lightly toward the central light pillar.
The shrewd man in his thirties was momentarily stunned, then apologetically smiled at Qi Meng and followed to the central light pillar.
The gentle, calm scholar-like man bitterly smiled and said, “I learned martial arts only for self-defense and traveling, to see the vast landscapes, never expecting to engage in life-and-death battles. Never thought I’d end up in this Reincarnation World. May I know your honorable names? My name is Ge Hua’en.”
Very calm, good acceptance. As Qi Meng was about to reply, Luo Shengyi said, “Since we are teammates, sharing life and death, I won’t hide my name. My name is Luo Shengyi, I have already opened eight acupoints, and I’m skilled in boxing, with a modest reputation.”
“You are Luo Shengyi, the ‘Invincible Iron Fist’ ranked 31st on the Human List?” The shrewd man had just reached the central light pillar and turned back in surprise, not expecting the man in front of him to be an expert on the Human List.
Luo Shengyi lightly nodded and pointed to Qi Meng, saying, “This is ‘Crazy Monk of Thunder Blade,’ Zhen Ding.”
X! Who allowed you to reveal my nickname! Qi Meng glared at Luo Shengyi, quickly adding, “That’s just a rumor spread by the martial arts world. My real nickname is ‘Sword Shattering Star River.’ You can call me Xiao Meng.”
Qi Meng decided to keep his name until they were more familiar; he still needed to use his nickname while traveling the martial arts world!
The elegant, cold girl and the shrewd man looked at Qi Meng, observing his left sword and right blade, then slightly nodded, beginning to believe his identity.
“Never thought you two are Human List experts. I’m Cao Zhan, the branch leader of the Great River Gang, already having opened four acupoints,” the shrewd man said somewhat nervously.
Thinking of Qi Xia and Yan Wujian, Qi Meng suddenly felt a sense of nostalgia about the Great River Gang branch leader.
The elegant, cold girl calmly said, “Ruan Yushu of the Langya Ruan family.”
“Daughter of the Ruan family head?” Luo Shengyi asked without showing surprise.
Meanwhile, Qi Meng thought of the complete “Rescuing People’s Qin” from the Langya Ruan family without missing characters.
At this moment, everything went dark before him, and the Master of the Six Dao Reincarnation’s voice echoed in his ears: “The western barbarians are invading from the east, winning battle after battle. The court is in chaos, some advocating peace while others war. The pro-war faction has nominated Lu Guan, who once established the ‘Iron Mountain Army,’ to return and lead the troops to repel the western barbarians.”
“If Lu Guan returns, some high-ranking officials in court will be uneasy, so they send their experts to intercept and assassinate him. The Devil Sect also takes this opportunity to stir up trouble and plot mischief.”
“Lu Guan carries the hopes of the world, and many martial artists rush to help.”
“Main Task One: Escort Lu Guan safely to the capital and reunite with Luo Shengyi’s group. Success rewards 200 good deeds, failure deducts corresponding good deeds and prevents the start of Main Task Two.”
“Sub-Task One: Guide the newbies. After the task ends, each surviving newbie rewards 200 good deeds, failure incurs no penalty.”
“Sub-Task Two: Kill the notorious ‘Yue Xi Hu’ Gao Tong to gain the trust of Lu Guan’s head guard. Success rewards 50 good deeds, failure incurs no penalty.”
“Sub-Task Three: A Reincarnator died in this world, and the ‘Undying Seal Method’ manual was obtained by a nobody from the Devil Sect, who became a generation of evil lord. Kill ‘Evil Lord’ Guan Ying, cutting off the spread of the ‘Undying Seal Method.’ Success rewards 300 good deeds and the ‘Undying Seal Method’ manual, failure incurs no penalty.”
The light returned before him, and Qi Meng was slightly stunned because the last task completely caught him off guard. A Reincarnator’s death had provided the foundation for a nobody in this world to rise and become one of the top experts in this realm.
This made Qi Meng feel for the first time that the Reincarnation World was closely related to the Reincarnators, no longer just completing tasks and then leaving without a trace, like dust in the wind.
“Just exchanged for the Heaven Saber, and now encountering the Undying Seal Method. Could it really be Heaven Saber versus Undying…” Qi Meng thought with a leap in his thoughts.
“… ‘Yue Xi Hu’ Gao Tong has repeatedly tried to kill General Lu, who is in hiding here. Unfortunately, he is cunning, and at the slightest sign of trouble, he hides, making it impossible for us to assassinate him. Please, two righteous warriors, eliminate this scoundrel so that our escort of General Lu to the capital can proceed without worries,” a middle-aged man with a square face was telling Qi Meng and the elegant, cold girl Ruan Yushu about Gao Tong.
The three were in a simple house, with no one nearby. Obviously, General Lu was hiding elsewhere, and only by gaining the trust of this head guard could they meet Lu Guan and start the main task.
Qi Meng looked around and noticed only the cold, elegant girl Ruan Yushu. He realized that Ge Hua’en and Cao Zhan were with Luo Shengyi and would only reunite in the capital.
“General Lu is revered by all under heaven. Please tell us where Gao Tong is, and we shall go and take his head,” Qi Meng said, acting quickly but speaking cautiously.
From the beginning, he needed to establish an image in others’ eyes, which would benefit him when making unexpected moves. A cold, sword-and-sabre-focused expert was a suitable image for others to believe.
However, judging from the amount of good deeds reward, Qi Meng deduced that Gao Tong’s strength wasn’t too strong, and the difficulty of this task might lie elsewhere.
The head guard nodded in satisfaction, “Gao Tong is the leader of the Yue Xi Gang, always protected by guards whose skills are close to top experts. He himself is also quite strong, similarly close to top experts. However, the biggest problem is that he is cowardly, skilled in lightness kung fu and concealment. As long as his guards block us for a moment, he will flee. And Yue Xi is his territory; once he hides, even a Grandmaster might not find him.”
“Therefore, it must be a one-strike kill,” Qi Meng looked at the head guard, not asking what the standard of top experts was, as that would expose his lack of knowledge. Later, by observing Gao Tong and his guards’ movements, he could roughly know their strength range.
“Exactly,” the head guard then briefly described Gao Tong’s appearance, martial arts style, and favorite places to hang out, making it easier for Qi Meng and Ruan Yushu to assassinate him. He finally said, “I’m a family-born servant of the Lu household, named Lu Zhongqi. I’m older than you two, so you can call me Brother Zhongqi.”
After the two introduced themselves, they left the house and stepped onto the street.
Compared to the main world’s climate of late spring and early summer, it was already autumn here, with a cool and slightly chilly evening breeze, making Qi Meng take a deep breath involuntarily.
“At this time, if there’s nothing else, Gao Tong will definitely go to his own Yuexiu Building to drink and eat, possibly calling two courtesans, maybe discussing business. Let’s wait at Yuexiu Building,” although confident in his strength, Qi Meng wouldn’t boast about being able to kill Gao Tong under heavy protection without fully understanding his strength level.
Ruan Yushu lightly nodded, a faint polite smile appearing on her face, but it was clearly distant, making her seem even colder and more beautiful.
The two didn’t speak much and soon entered Yuexiu Building. Coincidentally, ahead was exactly Gao Tong’s group.
Gao Tong had a unique appearance, with several moles on his forehead, resembling a “King” at first glance, hence his nickname “Yue Xi Hu.” Qi Meng recognized him immediately.
He was protected by four agile men in front, behind, left, and right, with more gang members on the outside, forming a clear hierarchy.
“Judging from their steps and control when entering the building, they are at the level of having opened four acupoints,” after learning the Solitary Sword Style, Qi Meng’s eyesight had become even sharper.
He then looked at Ruan Yushu, “You go to the back street to wait, in case Gao Tong jumps out of the window to escape. I’m confident I can solve the problem head-on within five breaths.”
This was the worst-case scenario calculation. With Qi Meng’s abilities in the Divine Steps, Golden Bell Cover, and Solitary Sword Style, as long as he seized the right opportunity, he could break through Gao Tong’s guard circle within two or three breaths.
Ruan Yushu slightly frowned, “Actually, it doesn’t need to be this troublesome.”
“Hmm?” Qi Meng looked at her with a question in his eyes.
“We can just book the room next to Gao Tong’s,” Ruan Yushu’s beautiful eyebrows relaxed, calm and composed.
Qi Meng decided to witness her ability, so he spent a fortune to book the room to the left of Gao Tong’s.
After entering the room, Qi Meng casually ordered eight dishes, then sat down, listening to the sounds from the neighboring room, where there were sounds of musical instruments, but no indecent words.
“It seems Gao Tong is entertaining guests,” Qi Meng judged.
Gao Tong was very cautious, sitting away from the wall to avoid being killed by a divine weapon through the thick wooden board.
Ruan Yushu’s ears moved strangely, slightly nodding, then putting down her ancient seven-stringed qin and sitting to play.
“At a time like this, still leisurely enough to play the qin…” Qi Meng felt a bit strange.
The qin sound was sometimes thick, sometimes clear and mellow, like the sound of flowing water over mountains, profound and far-reaching.
With a flick of her slender fingers, the qin sound suddenly became high-pitched but not grating.
Gao Tong and others sat on opposite sides of the round table, listening to the courtesans playing the pipa, appearing elegant.
The qin sound had already weakened when it reached this side, and he didn’t feel disturbed. As someone unfamiliar with music, he found the qin sound from the opposite side more pleasant, as if it subtly matched his body’s rhythm, like the work of a master.
Suddenly, the qin sound became high-pitched, and Gao Tong felt his heart violently jump.
The qin sound grew higher, more intense, and more urgent, and Gao Tong’s heartbeat followed.
His brain was filled with blood, wanting to speak but unable to open his mouth, his vision blurring.
Zheng!
The qin emitted a piercing, killing sound, almost capable of penetrating metal and stone.
Peng!
Gao Tong seemed to hear the sound of his own heart “shattering,” his vision went black, and his body slowly slumped onto the table, knocking over the wine glass, liquid spilling, the aroma of wine spreading.
“Boss!” The guards around him rushed forward, seeing Gao Tong’s pupils dilated, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, already without breath. However, the blood at the corner of his mouth was not the black blood of poisoning but bright red blood.
How did the boss die? He died mysteriously!
In the room, except for Gao Tong, there was no anomaly at all!
Ruan Yushu stopped playing, slightly sweating on her forehead as she looked at Qi Meng, “Done.”
Qi Meng’s mouth twitched a bit. The Langya Ruan family, one of the fourteen great clans, indeed was extraordinary, possessing their own unique traits.
At this moment, the waiter brought the food, while the neighboring room and outside were in an uproar. Someone came to check, finding it was a couple’s romantic tryst, with no signs of anyone approaching this wall, so they retreated.
They had not yet figured out the cause of Gao Tong’s death, naturally unable to identify the killer.
Compared to Qi Meng and Ruan Yushu next door, the waiter delivering food, the chef cooking, and the people encountered along the way were more suspicious.
“Sub-Task Two completed, Gao Tong is dead, each person rewarded with 50 good deeds.”
The Master of the Six Dao Reincarnation’s voice entered his ears, and Qi Meng relaxed, checking the food before leisurely picking up his chopsticks to taste.
After eating a few bites, he noticed Ruan Yushu was staring at him enjoying the food without touching her chopsticks, her eyes occasionally sweeping over the dishes on the table.
“Eat, I’m treating you,” Qi Meng slightly puzzled, said with a smile.
Ruan Yushu lightly nodded, then picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of chicken.
Her movements were elegant, her eating manner refined, but her speed was terrifyingly fast. Qi Meng had only eaten seven or eight bites when she had already devoured half the meal like a whirlwind.
“Eh, you…” Qi Meng stared at Ruan Yushu in disbelief, unable to believe that such a cold, elegant, and beautiful girl could behave like this.
Ruan Yushu’s face slightly reddened, lifting her head, “You invited me to eat, so I… I’m usually not too polite.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage