Chapter Thirty-Five: Three Companions

After work in the evening, Zhang He returned to his place and once again managed to score a meal of stir-fried rice with green peppers at the home of the ever-hospitable Fatty.

Both Fatty and Xiao Lingling were wage earners; Fatty worked as a technician in a factory, while Xiao Lingling was a receptionist at a cosmetics company. The young couple spent their days at work and their nights roaming the world of "Dynasty." As for the late hours, well, that was their own business. Zhang He could tell that although their life was a bit tight, their days were filled with laughter and warmth.

After two beers, Fatty started chattering away, “Bro, you’re in Yizhou District—did you hear Tang Sect was raided last night?”

Zhang He hadn’t expected that the commotion he’d caused the previous night would spread so quickly—good deeds remain unsung, but bad news travels far.

“What? You’re the one called ‘Might Conquers All’?” Fatty stared in disbelief, and Xiao Lingling’s face was equally incredulous. “Bro, aren’t you a level 33 with bare stats? How did you manage to kill over twenty Tang Sect experts?”

Zhang He knew this wasn’t something he could explain in a few words. Fatty, however, was intrigued. “Just so happens, I’m in Dongling County in Yizhou too—why not meet up in-game? We can look out for each other. The three of us together, taking on the martial world! I’ve even got a name for us: ‘The Three Scoundrels of Dynasty Storms’—no, wait—‘The Three Rogues.’ Come on, enough talk, let’s log in.”

Once online, Zhang He received four or five carrier pigeons in quick succession, all bearing messages.

Da Niu: Didn’t expect you’d have to blow your cover because of me. If you need anything, message me.
Second Sister: Finest poison, Laughing Half-Step to Insanity, friends’ price at 30% off, just 20 silver taels per pack.
San Pao: Good brother, thanks for last night.
Si Tiao: How did you pull it off last night? Tell me in detail.
…
The excitement of his four companions was clear from their notes, but these weren’t the messages Zhang He was most hoping for. Only the fifth message was the one he truly wanted.

Er Leizi: “Meet me atop Youming Mountain near Huima Town, coordinates 103, 226. Don’t be late.”

To Zhang He’s surprise, there was yet a sixth message, from Zhong Shuman: “Congratulations, you’re famous in Yizhou District now. Take it easy for a while and don’t let anyone strip you of your martial arts.”

Her tone clearly didn’t take Zhang He’s abilities seriously, but he was getting used to Zhong Shuman’s cold demeanor. The fact that she bothered to send a message at all meant she still regarded him as a person, at least.

He took the most deserted paths he could find and, after much effort, finally reached the appointed place. Zhang He, carrying his bundle, met Er Leizi behind a rock halfway up Youming Mountain.

Merchant players like Er Leizi rarely ventured into the wild, as they had little defense against monsters. However, life-skill players didn’t fear ambushes or assassinations. In “Dynasty,” reputable and highly esteemed life-skill players were protected by harsh penalties for their killers. For example, if you maliciously killed a highly reputable merchant like Er Leizi, you would not only lose a large amount of experience but also have a hefty sum of money deducted by the system; your chivalry and evil values would also be adjusted accordingly, and you might even lose some of your learned martial arts.

Therefore, Zhang He was grateful for Er Leizi’s thoughtfulness in coming to the outskirts of Youming Mountain. Since Zhang He couldn’t enter Huima Town, the trade had to be done in the wild. Er Leizi also brought plenty of food and water, clearly anticipating Zhang He would be living rough for a while.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you five would manage to get the Blood Parrot Flower. This result exceeded my expectations,” Er Leizi said sincerely.

Zhang He traded him the bundle containing the Blood Parrot Flower. “I hope the reward won’t disappoint me.”

Er Leizi accepted the bundle and said calmly, “What you want, I can’t give you yet. I’ll have someone trade it to you a day from now, so you don’t need to pay the remaining 80 gold taels yet. We’ll exchange goods and money at the same time then.”

Zhang He appreciated Er Leizi’s fair and straightforward business approach. Still, he couldn’t help but ask, “The Blood Parrot Flower is an essential ingredient for making high-level medicines. What I want is very hard to obtain—did your buyer commission you to collect it?”

He had touched on the crux of the matter. After learning the mission’s objective from Da Niu, Zhang He had begun to suspect as much. Shui Yi Meng might be the Tang Sect’s Grand Elder of Alchemy, but he was certainly not a top-level alchemist. Zhang He knew well that martial arts, medicinal ingredients, and secondary professions all had distinct rankings: Basic, Advanced, Master, Grandmaster, and Supreme.

Perhaps one could rise from Basic to Advanced to Master and even Grandmaster through persistent effort, talent, quests, and fortuitous encounters, but the gap between Grandmaster and Supreme was truly like a chasm.

To reach the Supreme rank, besides the above conditions, one needed perseverance, hard work, talent, and comprehension, plus a long accumulation of breakthroughs. Although “Dynasty” had been live for three years, those who reached the Supreme rank in any field were as rare as phoenix feathers.

A Supreme-level alchemist, once in possession of legendary ingredients, could craft either pills that increased innate attributes or poisons that could kill en masse in an instant.

Shui Yi Meng was clearly not such a figure, so Zhang He suspected the person commissioning Er Leizi was of Supreme rank—or if not, at least acquainted or connected with such a person.

But when Zhang He asked, Er Leizi’s face darkened. “Did I ever ask you how you got the Blood Parrot Flower?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Did I ever ask where you’re from, who your master is, or anything that might expose your background?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Did I ever ask for the real identities of the other four in your group?”

Zhang He sighed. “Still no.”

Er Leizi said coldly, “What you ought to know, someone will tell you in time. What you shouldn’t know, best not to ask. We’re doing business here, not gathering intelligence. If it’s not related to the deal, I won’t answer.”

Watching Er Leizi wander off towards Huima Town with his small wooden box, Zhang He could only shrug helplessly. He’d almost wanted to retort, “If I were the martial alliance leader, would you dare speak to me like this?”

One’s position and strength determine one’s right to speak.

The road through the martial world is long, and Zhang He reflected on his experiences and lessons as he slowly descended the mountain. From the forest path below came a man’s robust singing—an authentic high-pitched mountain song from Yunnan:

“The moon rises, shining bright,
Three of us sleep on one bed tonight,
Two wives beside you, oh what a sight,
Careful, lest death comes in the night,
Oh my dear, careful, lest death comes in the night…”

Hearing those bold and unparalleled lyrics, Zhang He couldn’t help but smile and joined in at the top of his voice:

“You two listen to my tale,
Death holds no fear, though I be frail,
Don’t mock my small frame of steel,
Though I’m small, I’m tough as real,
Oh my plump lady, though I’m small, I’m steel…”

“Fatty, Lingling, I’m here!” Zhang He waved down the mountain, signaling with the code he and Fatty had agreed on.

“Bro, we’re coming!” In “Dynasty,” Fatty’s sleazy appearance remained, but his figure was set to be extremely slender. If a woman saw him from the back, she’d be tempted to commit a crime; from the side, she’d want to back off; from the front, she’d want to defend herself.

Xiao Lingling’s appearance, however, had been enhanced: long black hair, a jade-green dress, a touch of youthful innocence in her delicate, fair features—she looked every bit the pure, beautiful girl. At her waist hung a pair of mandarin-duck swords, her skirt fluttering, making her a striking sight—though her elegance stood in stark contrast to Fatty’s rugged look, with his spiked club slung over his back.

Xiao Lingling’s name was charming, too—“Winter Sunshine Blue”—while Fatty’s was rather wild: “Mad Ox Flat Out!”

“With a name like that, you’d be better off as a veterinarian,” Zhang He quipped.

Fatty grinned, “I’m level 35 now, so at least I’m higher than you, Fifth Bro.”

Since they were in “Dynasty,” the three had agreed not to use their real names; “Wu” and “Five” were homophones, so Xiao Lingling said, “Fifth Bro, you can’t enter the city now, and you’re wanted in Yizhou. Why don’t we go over to Chuan Province District?”

Chuan Province District bordered Yizhou on the far west of the Central Plains. It was home to famous sects like Emei Sword Sect, Shushan Sword Sect, Kongtong Sect, Fragrant Pavilion, and Twin Ring Sect.

“I’m fine with that, but I can’t go into town. If we want to avoid Dongling County, we’ll have to pass through the Flying Cliff Grand Canyon. I hear it’s notorious for bandits—the Flying Cliff Stronghold of the Seventy-Two Bandit Alliance is there. If we’re going, we’d better be careful,” Zhang He pondered aloud.

Xiao Lingling clapped her hands, laughing, “There’s no Flaming Mountain this lady can’t cross! With two strong men with me, what’s there to fear? Let’s go!”

Fatty was sweating bullets. “The Seventy-Two Bandit Alliance isn’t a joke. Let’s not get careless and lose our lives.”

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