Sword Among Us

When Happy returned to the game, it was so dark around him that he could not see a thing. He had to get familiar with the darkness for some time before he gradually got used to his surroundings and was able to see around himself.

There was still the residue of a bonfire on the ground, but All-powerful Medicinal Stone was nowhere to be found. A white pigeon suddenly appeared in front of Happy, flapping its wings. The fluttering sounds instantly broke the silence around him.

He took the letter and opened it.

[I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll be off first!]

The person who wrote the letter was All-powerful Medicinal Stone.

Right after he finished reading, another messenger pigeon appeared.

Flap! Flap! Flap!

Happy was stunned.

It was also a letter from the unkempt man. This time, there was more content there. He spoke about the battle that happened all over Mount Song right then, and he also cautioned Happy to be careful.

Happy folded the letter and brought out his map to take a look. Just as expected, there was only one red dot on the map. All-powerful Medicinal Stone was already three-tenths of a mile away from him!

Happy put away the map. He could already make a general guess of what happened. The unkempt man could not withstand being lonely and should have gone over to watch the fight. With how restless and fidgety he was, it was very difficult for him to stay in one place for a prolonged period of time.

Besides, he was a loner who was rumored to love taking part in trouble and dishing out wild cards whenever he could.

“It’s better if he left. Now I can go over there.”

With the thief missing from his side, Happy instantly felt as if he had been relieved of a great burden. His body became light, and with the night wind blowing in his favor, he headed to an even darker spot with familiarity.

Soon after he left, a group of full-equipped players who had extraordinary presences charged to where Happy was from the depths of the forest.

Someone from the group cast a glance at the map and said viciously, “He already left. We were too late.”

Before he finished speaking, a sonorous voice rose into the air. “Don’t make your conclusion so soon. He just logged in, so he should not be too far away. Send a messenger pigeon to fourth right now, and have him look for Half Immortal to tell another fortune and figure out the coordinates of the brocade box. As long as we can determine the direction, it’ll just be a matter of time before we find him.”

When the messenger pigeon flapped its wings and left the forest, the master of the sonorous voice let out a smug snort through his nose.

“Hmph, when I heard magpies chirping by my ears today, I knew that I’ll definitely be lucky. The thirteen staff-using monks lost three brocade boxes, and those people only know that two of them have been stolen, but they didn’t know that the bandit leader, who had the third brocade box, was killed… Heh heh, it’s entirely their fault that we Seventeen Swordsmen of Yan Mountains will become rich!”

“Big brother, you’re really wise! There are now fewer than one hundred tributes left in the game. When the emperor’s birthday arrives, the number will definitely be reduced even further. If we can get one, our names will definitely ring through the entire game!”

The sonorous voice rose again. “There is no ifs in this! We will definitely be able to get that brocade box! Alright! Everyone, rest where you are. Remember, don’t light a fire and alert the enemy. Also, Mount Song is filled with people right now. It won’t be good if someone sets their sights on us.”

The group voiced their obedience!

Soon, a messenger pigeon flew through the sky and stopped at the person’s arm.

He opened the letter, looked at it, and quickly tore the paper before he flung the pieces into the wind.

“He’s heading southeast! There’s only a cliff over there, so he won’t be able to escape! After him!” he ordered in a cold and fierce voice.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Their spirits lifted, the group ran through southeast.

Soon after they left, faint sounds of people rushing forward could be heard from the depths of the forest again. Two men in black chased after the group who had just left. They appeared on the now empty spot like phantoms, and when they landed on the ground, they made no sound. Their gazes were cold and aloof.

“Hey, we got lucky.”

“I didn’t expect that the group we trailed by accident would have such a discovery. Let’s go, don’t alarm them. Once both parties have been injured badly, we’ll clean up the mess.”

“Let’s go!”

With the intention to be the third party who would benefit after two parties fought against each other, the duo swiftly melded into the endless darkness.

*****

Happy was not God. Hence, he naturally did not know that two groups of people had already fixed their sights on him. He continued doing things his way. He ran with the wind under his feet and headed to a certain spot based on his previous life’s memories. He never stopped moving.

Coupled with Happy’s understanding of the layout of Mount Song, the speed of Grandmaster Realm Cloud Treading Steps allowed him to appear like a black leopard that seemed to be leaping on even ground. He was incredibly agile and moved around freely.

Since he had to avoid some of the areas where high-leveled beasts wandered, Happy would occasionally change his direction. Hence, even though the group of people were certain that he was headed southeast, they could not catch up or close the distance between them.

The self-proclaimed Seventeen Swordsmen of Yan Mountains kept stopping on their journey. Their progress on the bumpy mountain road was slow. When they were careless, they would run into high-leveled wild beasts, but they did not dare to engage them. They would either be forced to fight them for a while before escaping, or have to bypass them…

They cursed under their breaths, but they did not know that they were drawing further and further away from Happy!

Gradually, Happy left the dense forest and slowed down a little. He walked around calmly with the light from the stars shining on him until he reached a small, dilapidated temple.

There were a few old trees of various shapes that Happy could not name planted around it, and a faint, yellowish light from a lamp shone from inside. There was also a very faint smell of incense drifting about in the air. The small temple looked incredibly ancient and like it had set itself apart from the world.

“Patron, please stay where you are.”

When he arrived in front of the stairs, someone suddenly chanted the name of Buddha behind him. Happy did not even need to turn his head around to know that the person who spoke was a middle-aged monk in a gray robe.

He turned around slowly. Under the moonlight, the gray-robed monk’s shiny head and Jieba dots were incredibly eye-catching. He had his palms placed flat against each other, and his eyes were lowered. His expression was stern but peaceful.

“This place is where my Master and his disciples meditate. I wonder what purpose do you have for visiting so late at night, patron.”

Happy respectfully placed his palms together to greet the monk while he answered. “Master, please do not blame me. This humble person has devoted himself to Buddha for many years. It was just a spur of the moment that made me wander about the mountain at night, but I lost my way and discovered this temple over here. It is not my intention to bother you. But I do believe that Buddha is merciful, which is why I have been led to this place so that I would not end up in a wild beast’s belly.”

“Amitabha!” the gray monk said the name of Buddha again with a smile. “Buddha is kind and merciful to all people in the world. Since you are an incense-pilgrim who entered the mountain, enter the temple and stay the night. You may leave tomorrow morning.”

Right when he finished speaking, the beep of the system notification sounded in Happy’s ears. “Noticed an eminent monk in the temple deep in the forest. Triggered Quest: Ways of Buddha.

“Quest completion requirements: Enter the temple and think of a way to enter the inner room. Listen to the teachings of Zhi Heng’s master, Master Xuan Kong.

“Quest reward(s): Increase Comprehension x1.”

When he received the notification from the system, a relieved expression instantly appeared on Happy’s face.

This quest was indeed available for non Shaolin disciples as well.

Without changing his expression, Happy pushed his palms together and nodded.

“Thank you, master.”

Zhi Heng did not say anything else. He walked up the stairs in a relaxed manner and stood in front of the temple door before he made a gesture to invite Happy in. He was so fast that Happy did not even have time to catch his movement.

Even in his current life, he still could not tell just how high was Monk Zhi Heng’s qi realm!

When he thought of this, Happy pushed down the excitement in his heart. He sucked in a deep breath and calmly walked into the small temple.

Creak!

Zhi Heng shut the door of the temple with a dull thud that traveled into the distance, leaving even the moonlight outside.