Chapter Twenty-Seven: Is There Such a Thing as Noble Blood?

"Extra! Extra! Big news!" Chu Bo’s voice boomed through the office lobby, drawing everyone’s attention. "Haha, last night our great hero from Yangzhou, the Guest in the Clouds, appeared in Yizhou. He scared off all the local gangs—what a display, truly awe-inspiring..."

Nearly everyone in the branch was a devoted fan of "Dynasty," and his announcement piqued their curiosity.

The young clerk, Yu Yan, chimed in, "The Guest in the Clouds? Isn’t he one of the famed Three Swords of Yangzhou?"

Chu Bo replied excitedly, "Who else could it be? He’s the top master in Yangzhou, a six-transcendence hero. I heard yesterday the Qingcheng Sect robbed a security firm’s red cargo. Guess what the cargo was?"

"What was it?" asked the colleagues, their interest mounting.

Chu Bo answered, "A piece of the forging blueprint for the Deer-Slaying Blade."

Zhang He felt a jolt—no wonder so many factions coveted that red cargo. It turned out to be the priceless Deer-Slaying Blade.

Actually, Zhang He had heard of the "Deer-Slaying Blade" quest before: ‘When Qin lost the deer, the world chased it; only the victor claims the deer and slays it,’ meaning the Deer-Slaying Blade.

The Deer-Slaying Blade was a mystical weapon, its true powers unknown, for it had never been crafted. It was said only a supreme swordsmith, using rare materials, could forge it, and the blueprint was split into thirteen parts hidden across various quests, forming a grand story arc.

The difficulty of this quest was infamous, almost fiendish; three years since "Dynasty" launched, no one had managed to gather all the blueprints, let alone find a master smith and the arcane materials required.

But Chinese players, renowned for their tenacity, were unrivaled globally. No matter how hard the quest, they welcomed the challenge—it only proved the Deer-Slaying Blade’s legendary status, possibly rivaling the fabled Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.

Now that someone had obtained a part of the blueprint, it was truly remarkable, and it explained last night's events.

After the Wei Yuan Security Bureau lost its cargo, they must have asked Zhong Shuman to act as a go-between and contacted the Guest in the Clouds. Last night, the Guest in the Clouds stunned all the factions in Yizhou with a single sword stroke; Zhang He, in ghost mode, had witnessed the arrival of Lord Tianlong afterward.

Before the Guest in the Clouds, the chief escort, Lord Tianlong, behaved like a humble turtle, his attitude deferential, his tone respectful. In the end, the Guest in the Clouds returned the brocade box to Lord Tianlong and promised to escort the cargo to the designated location. Lord Tianlong was effusive in his gratitude, while the factions of Yizhou dispersed in disappointment.

The Guest in the Clouds, with nothing better to do, was simply accumulating chivalry points to enhance his reputation as a hero, paving the way to become a renowned figure in the future.

But Zhang He, who had witnessed the entire scene, felt a surge of inexpressible anger. For these heroes and escort chiefs, they were respected figures, but people like him were mere novices, commoners. The heroes gained fame, the security firms earned rewards, the factions retained their honor—but what about the grassroots players? If they died, so be it; like weeds, their lives were insignificant. Even if mistakenly killed by a hero, people would say it was an honor to die by their hand, that it was a privilege, since not everyone was worthy of being slain by the Guest in the Clouds.

Heroes could claim novice deaths were accidents—but for ordinary folk, did they deserve to die? Were they nothing more than pondweed, drifting without support, pulled and trampled at will?

"Are princes and generals born to greatness?" Zhang He thought this phrase more and more apt, and many of his views had been overturned by "Dynasty." So now, he paid little heed to Chu Bo’s gossip, quietly opening his computer and carefully organizing his files.

If you thought he was working diligently, you’d be wrong. He was simply compiling technical posts from the forum by "If You See."

The player forum was also a gathering place for eccentric personalities. The Chinese "Dynasty Storm" forum boasted over 230 million registered users; even in the dead of night, there would be at least hundreds of thousands online. It was a world unto itself—not necessarily filled with swords and blood like the game, but equally vibrant and tumultuous.

There were many notable figures on the forum. For example, there was "Afanti," known as "Dynasty’s Encyclopedist," who knew the origins of nearly every famous figure in the Central Plains. There was the gossip king "Master Cooked," who broke sensational news. There was the trio "My Spring Giant Rod, My Phoenix Giant Beauty, My Former Giant Mother," who specialized in shocking commentary on major events.

These longtime forum users were, of course, also players in the game, with their own unique skills. Compared to their fame, "If You See" was rather insignificant. It was by chance that Zhang He stumbled upon "If You See’s" technical posts buried deep in the forum. Most of these posts were brief and hard to understand for those lacking insight.

Not only did Zhang He comprehend them, he found that "If You See" was exceptionally perceptive, greatly aiding his own development. Zhang He suspected that "If You See" was either a regional lord or a famed master in "Dynasty," though their identity remained unknown.

While Zhang He was eagerly compiling these posts, Jiang Yao approached him slowly. "Zhang He, so focused!"

Zhang He hurriedly closed Word documents in a flurry. Jiang Yao didn’t call him out. "Zhang He, what about the task I gave you last time? Did you do it?"

"I did!" Zhang He, used to playing roles and doing business in "Dynasty," lied convincingly, pretending to tidy up his desk as if about to leave. "I’ll go visit the client soon."

Visit the client? In reality, he planned to sneak out for a bowl of noodles at a shabby food stall, wander about for a bit, then head home to log in.

But there was a subtle smile in Jiang Yao’s eyes, as if she was genuinely pleased with Zhang He’s recent changes.

"You can do it!" Jiang Yao encouraged him, then changed the subject. "Have you found a place to live?"

Zhang He stood up and nodded. "I have, Sister Yao. Thank you for your help. If I close this deal, I’ll treat you to dinner."

This wasn’t just a simple lie—it was a convincing performance.

Jiang Yao nodded with satisfaction. "Good, once you get your first deal, the rest will be easier. If you really make it, I’ll treat you instead."

Zhang He feigned checking his phone for the time, and Jiang Yao, quick-witted as ever, added, "Go on, I won’t keep you."

He grabbed his battered computer bag and hurried out, unsure why, but he was somewhat intimidated by Jiang Yao.

It wasn’t the usual reverence for a superior, but something inexplicable. In the branch, Jiang Yao was always dignified and meticulous at work, but when it came to personal matters, she was closed off, her aloofness reminding Zhang He of the cold, distant Zhong Shuman from the game.

Yet Jiang Yao clearly cared about Zhang He, something he himself could sense, and even colleagues like Chu Bo and Yu Yan noticed. If a woman cared for a man, or simply cared for someone out of affection, Jiang Yao certainly hadn’t reached that level. Zhang He shook his head decisively, banishing the unsettling thought.

But if it was purely a superior caring for a subordinate, why had she introduced Ma Junmei to him? Wasn’t that mixing in personal motives?

Could she have noticed his charming looks and decided to introduce Ma Junmei? In life, the word "introduce"...

Honestly, Zhang He was presentable enough, with a muscular build that could be called robust, though he was a bit too dark-skinned and short.

Of course, Zhang He’s fanciful notions were quickly dashed when Ma Junmei greeted him at home with a cold splash of reality. "You think your looks are enough? Come help me."

"What is it?" Zhang He asked, curious, as he saw Ma Junmei struggling upstairs with two plastic buckets. The contents nearly made him tumble down the stairs: the left bucket held plates, bowls, pot lids, chopsticks, soup spoons, spatulas, rice scoops, and at the bottom, an electric frying pan. Zhang He estimated it weighed about thirty pounds.

The right bucket was even more astonishing—enough to stock a general store: a barbecue rack, a sewing kit, a coffee pot, three bottles of mineral water, a plastic bag of mixed tomatoes and potatoes, numerous teacups, plenty of chargers and data cables, two mops, and a large bag of toilet paper.

"Outdoor cooking?" Zhang He asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Outdoor cooking, my foot! Stop dawdling and help," Ma Junmei snapped.

Zhang He quickly took the bucket. "Whose stuff is all this?"

Ma Junmei replied, "Your new neighbor, renting unit 1 on the second floor. All theirs."

"Oh?" Zhang He became more curious. Who else would rent in such a godforsaken place?

"It certainly won’t be a beauty," Zhang He thought. As soon as he set down the bucket, a hearty voice echoed from downstairs. "Landlord, landlord, sorry to trouble you. I’ve got so much stuff, could you give me a hand?"

Up the stairs came a man and a woman, their closeness suggesting they were a couple.

"Is this my new neighbor?" Zhang He asked.

"That’s me!" The man laughed warmly, then clasped his hands. "I’m a level 29 free cultivator from Chuanzhou, first transcendence. May I ask the esteemed names of our landlord and neighbor?"

Zhang He and Ma Junmei exchanged glances and couldn’t help but laugh—it seemed this guy was also a die-hard fan of "Dynasty."

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