Chapter 114: The Truth of the Past

Yan Jiu nodded. "Our one-year contract with the escort agency had expired. After tallying everything up, aside from paying back the tens of thousands we owed friends in reality, we had made a profit of over thirty thousand. In-game, we had also earned seven thousand taels of gold. After discussing it for a long time with Old Four, we sold the agency and prepared to head south."

Zhang He remarked, "I suspect you weren't heading south just to wander the pugilistic world."

Yan Jiu frowned. "It was Old Four who insisted. We spent a great deal of money gathering information along the way, and that was how we finally learned the truth about the Battle of the East Sea."

Chen Guangxi asked in surprise, "The Battle of the East Sea has been the subject of endless rumors in the martial arts world for the past year or two. Could it be that there was actually some hidden story behind it?"

Yan Jiu replied, "No, there was nothing wrong with the battle itself. Miss He was indeed defeated by Ghost Shadow Longkong. The problem occurred in Shanghai City after Miss He resurrected."

Fourth Miss added, "Ghost Shadow Longkong challenged Miss He by sending a formal letter of battle in the most honorable way. Because they were both celebrities, they didn't want outsiders watching the duel, as it would affect their performance, so they agreed to meet at the East Sea. But everyone knows that to reach the East Sea, one must pass through Shanghai City."

Zhang He said, "I understand now. A large group of enemies had already set a dragnet near the Stone of Three Lives at the East Gate of Shanghai City. Whether Miss He lost or Ghost Shadow Longkong resurrected, they had an opportunity to strike."

Fourth Miss said indignantly, "The most vicious group was the one led by Jin Mailang. They spent a fortune recruiting many master poisoners to set up high-level poison arrays at the city gates. Anyone who resurrected at the Stone of Three Lives would be poisoned immediately, their attributes severely crippled."

Chen Guangxi sighed. "I understand now. So, Miss He was ambushed. I always found it strange. Back then, Miss He was already a heaven-defying 6th-rank master, even higher in class than Ghost Shadow Longkong. Even if she lost some of her advanced martial arts after being defeated, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Ordinary 2nd or 3rd-rank players should have been like mosquitoes to her. Even if surrounded by thousands, she should have been able to escape unscathed. How could she have been killed repeatedly?"

Only now had the truth behind the grudge between He Rijiun Zailai and Ghost Shadow Longkong come to light. Zhang He sighed inwardly; the treachery of human hearts in the martial arts world was far more dangerous than any martial art. Sometimes, even if you are peerless, you can never be too careful.

Yan Jiu said, "We have nothing to say about that battle, as Ghost Shadow Longkong defeated Miss He fairly. But for those people to use such despicable methods to harm others—that is truly shameless."

"You are wrong," Zhang He corrected him calmly. "No matter the means, his goal was to defeat his opponent. If you find him despicable, you can use despicable means to deal with him as well."

Yan Jiu actually blushed slightly. "Miss He's misfortune has already taught me that lesson."

Chen Guangxi couldn't help but ask, "I still don't get it. Is Miss He a fool? After she was defeated and resurrected, seeing the poison arrays and the crowd of enemies, didn't she know to log off and avoid the trouble? Dying and resurrecting, only to die again—being killed repeatedly would certainly cause her to drop in realm."

Zhang He smiled bitterly. "Of course you wouldn't understand."

Chen Guangxi was stunned. "Why?"

Zhang He stared into the night. "When Miss He first debuted, she was already a top-tier master. After she entered the world, she rarely encountered an equal and almost never tasted defeat. Over time, she inevitably developed a sense of pride. That is something no one can avoid. And then, at the East Sea, she lost to Ghost Shadow Longkong, who was a lower rank than her. How do you think she felt then?"

Chen Guangxi said firmly, "Definitely furious, with serious consequences."

"Correct!" Zhang He praised. "She must have been agitated and unwilling to accept defeat. When she resurrected and found a crowd of enemies by the Stone of Three Lives, what do you think she did?"

Chen Guangxi froze, then smiled. "If it were me, I would have thought these bastards were looking for death."

"And the result?" Zhang He glanced at him.

Chen Guangxi said with some frustration, "The result was that instead of venting my anger, I was ambushed."

Zhang He laughed. "And at that moment, were you satisfied?"

Chen Guangxi gritted his teeth. "How could I be satisfied? I would go again. I don't believe the Monkey King can escape the Buddha's palm!"

The smile on Zhang He's face deepened. "If you went again and were ambushed again, would you still go back?"

He didn't wait for Teacher Guangxi to answer. "You definitely would. Because by then, you would be fighting so intensely that you'd have lost the ability to think. By the time you realized it, it would be too late."

Chen Guangxi was silent. "Perhaps... perhaps you are right, brother. If I were Miss He, my end might have been even more miserable."

Zhang He smiled. "Your greatest virtue is telling the truth. In fact, you are absolutely correct. If a grown man like you would behave that way, let alone a woman like Miss He—and you know, women's tempers are generally not very broad. Miss He's tragic fate was, to a large extent, of her own making."

"Nonsense!" Fourth Miss flared up again.

Zhang He said calmly, "I am not speaking nonsense. Think about it: if she hadn't been careless, arrogant, and prideful, how could she have been defeated by Ghost Shadow Longkong? You must remember, her class rank was not inferior to his at the time."

Fourth Miss was left speechless; Zhang He's counterarguments always left her with nothing to say.

Zhang He looked at the two of them, his gaze filled with complexity. "So, I can basically determine what happened next. Fourth Miss, you worshipped Miss He so much that you naturally wouldn't accept it. But with your strength and influence, trying to deal with Jin Mailang was a pipe dream. So, the two of you siblings decided to join the Famous Sword Manor to infiltrate Jin Mailang's organization. Your goal wasn't just to eventually destroy him, but to subvert his sect and ruin his life's work."

Chen Guangxi asked blankly, "Why do it that way?"

Zhang He explained, "The logic is simple. They couldn't kill Jin Mailang. Even if they could, killing him would at most cause him to drop some gear, lose a martial art, or fall a rank, which wouldn't shake his foundation. But revenge through infiltration is different. Destroying the sect he spent his life building is the most severe blow imaginable. If their revenge plan succeeds, they might be listed in 'A Fan Ti's' *Top Ten Golden Spies of the Dynastic Era*, and Jin Mailang would be so furious for months he wouldn't be able to eat or sleep."

He paused and smiled, "And the best part is, one of them is a protector of the manor and the other is the chief steward. They eat the boss's food, drink the boss's wine, use the manor's weapons and equipment, command the disciples, and practice the manor's martial arts. In the end, they might even replace the boss as the next sect leader. If you were the boss, I imagine you'd be spitting blood, right?"

Chen Guangxi couldn't help but smile bitterly. "If it were me, I wouldn't just be spitting blood; I'd probably go insane. But I still have to say, Yan Jiu, you two are truly perverted. Using such vicious tactics..."

"This is the same as how Jin Mailang dealt with Miss He back then. It's called giving him a taste of his own medicine." Zhang He smiled, then turned back to look at the two of them with a sigh. "However, while your methods may not be honorable, your entire situation stems from Miss He. The fact that people like you are treating Miss He this way shows that the term 'martial arts righteousness' isn't always a lie. Rumor has it that Miss He has withdrawn from *Dynasty*, but if she knew you were seeking revenge for her, she might even feel proud of her own journey in *Dynasty*."

Hearing these words from the mouth of their enemy, Fourth Miss felt her blood boil with excitement.

In *Dynasty*, there are hundreds of millions of players, each with their own path. Some want to get rich, some want to dominate the martial arts world, some want to win the heart of a beauty, and some want to roam the world with their swords. But others are simply there to experience a different life—to realize the justice and vengeance they cannot achieve in reality. *Dynasty* truly gives every player a different life experience.

But Yan Jiu sighed. "It's just that, according to what you say, our situation has likely been exposed. To think we endured humiliation for a year, only to fail at the last moment. I... I really..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but how could Zhang He and Chen Guangxi not see his reluctance?

Zhang He said calmly, "Failure isn't necessarily certain. If you are willing to cooperate with me, there is still a glimmer of hope for your revenge."

"Oh?" Fourth Miss's eyes lit up again. "What hope?"

Yan Jiu immediately regained some of his vigilance. "What can you do? Do you really think you can change the situation on your own?"

Seeing his wary expression, Zhang He couldn't help but laugh. "The Great Elder is willing to cooperate with me. Do you think you are more capable than the Great Elder?"

He brought up the Beggar Sect's reputation again. Chen Guangxi urged, "That's right, Brother Wu is correct. We are now going to flush out the culprit and tear this bastard to pieces."

Yan Jiu stared at Zhang He for a long time before relenting. "Fine, I can cooperate with you. But I must say this first: you should know that if you try anything, it won't be difficult for me to finish you off."

Zhang He laughed. "You could finish me off right now, but I have a few final questions I'd like to ask."

Yan Jiu said, "Go ahead!"

Zhang He asked, "How did you manage to get in touch with that mysterious person? I'm very curious about that."

Yan Jiu sighed deeply. "That was the work of Elder Chen and Third Miss."

Teacher Guangxi was immediately stunned. "What does that have to do with me? Yan Jiu, you don't think Cuihua and I are that mysterious person, do you?"

Yan Jiu shook his head. "Of course not, but the two of you were the fuse for today's assassination plan."