Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Manor Lord Feng Fei

The quest system in "Dynasty" is intricate and varied, born from the relentless exploration of seasoned players, and can be roughly classified into several typical types.

The first is the primitive acceptance quest, such as, "Would you like to accept the XXX quest?" If you agree, then the old lady in Yuhua Village will ask you to wash a basket of clothes for her, including her husband’s enormous underpants. The reward is a hemp garment and a few bars of fragrant soap. These quests are mechanical and rigid, better suited for beginners, and the rewards are modest.

The second type arises spontaneously from player actions. For instance, the previous two times Zhang Hezhi robbed the Spark Sect’s stolen silver and forcefully took the Blood Parrot Flower from the Tang Fortress, or when the Living Dead and his companions leveled up with Zhang He. Although the system never explicitly prompted you to accept any quest, your actions had already completed one; if you found the quest’s conclusion, you would naturally receive rewards or punishment. This is the most common quest type in "Dynasty."

The third is rather special—the storyline quest. It, too, comes without any prompts, but if you’re experienced and find yourself deeply involved in a series of events, you’ll realize one thing: as long as you persist to the end, everything will eventually become clear.

It’s just like now; Zhang He and Xiao Lingling both sensed that the three of them had stumbled into a storyline quest, centered around "Feiyan Manor," though the specifics remained a complete mystery to all three.

Although the dungeon’s floor was covered with dry straw, the sour stench made Xiao Lingling cough repeatedly. Zhang He could tell she was not a girl accustomed to hardship.

There are many girls in the world—clever, beautiful, delicate—who seem born immune to suffering, never needing to endure hardship. For example, Fatty was now leaning against a pile of straw, and Xiao Lingling was leaning on Fatty, which was, at least, more comfortable than the cold stone wall.

“Are we really going to be stuck here until logout?” Xiao Lingling asked uneasily.

Zhang He frowned but said nothing. The system had an anti-addiction feature for players’ health; after sixteen hours, you’d be forced to log off. Yet when you logged back in, you’d still be trapped here—unless you committed suicide, but given the current situation, even that wasn’t easy.

Fatty cursed, “Damn it, I just tried on my belt—this damned place won’t even let you use a Return Scroll.”

Xiao Lingling chided, “Even if you could, so what? We’ve come this far—if you use it, you’ll just drop out of the quest and waste all our effort.”

Fatty, for once, nodded in agreement. “True. Now monthly cards are eighty-eight bucks a pop. Man, it’s so damn hard to get a good quest these days.”

Xiao Lingling retorted, “What do you know? I don’t believe Madam Feng would keep us here forever.”

Fatty replied, “Don’t be so sure. I know of experts who got stuck and died in the Heavenly Sword quest on Tianshan—starved for days on end.”

Xiao Lingling snapped, “All you ever think about is eating.”

Fatty grinned sheepishly, “Well, eating and drinking are what life’s about.”

The two started bickering again. Zhang He couldn’t help but smile. No matter the predicament, he never despaired. He believed there would always be a way out, as long as he put his mind to it.

Moonlight streamed through the little window of the dungeon, when a shadow silently approached the cell door. With a clatter, the bolt slid open.

The visitor was neither the One-Eyed Dragon nor his gang, but someone the three would never have expected—Qiao Gu.

Qiao Gu was neither clever, nor beautiful, nor charming, but her hands were deft as she untied the ropes—something many "delicate" women could never do.

“You…” Zhang He hesitated, but Qiao Gu whispered anxiously, “It's the first watch—they’re changing shifts. You must go, quickly!”

Xiao Lingling, even more curious, asked, “Aren’t you Madam Feng’s woman? Why are you sneaking here to let us go?”

Qiao Gu trembled, “Hurry, go now! If you don’t, it’ll be too late. If you really are spies, Madam really might kill you.”

Zhang He nodded. Now was not the time for questions. “Let’s get out of here first.”

Outside the dungeon was the firewood courtyard. As the four reached the center, Zhang He’s pupils contracted—his high constitution attribute allowed him to instantly hear a blade slicing through the air from behind.

Without turning, Zhang He swiftly drew his sword across his back in a textbook move—"Su Qin’s Back-Sword."

A crisp clang rang out—the blade was repelled.

“How bold, trying to escape!” The intruder was the One-Eyed Dragon, saber in hand.

“Go!” Zhang He urged the others.

“Help! Prisoners are escaping!” the One-Eyed Dragon bellowed.

Fatty, furious, roared, “You bastard, I’ll shut you up!” and swung his heavy spiked club at lightning speed. The One-Eyed Dragon, having suffered at Fatty’s hands before, dared not take it head-on and quickly retreated toward the garden.

Quick as he was, he was no match for Zhang He's Coin Darts. Zhang He flung a handful of copper coins, and the One-Eyed Dragon groaned, stumbling and collapsing.

Zhang He was secretly startled—the throw had drained nearly four hundred points from the One-Eyed Dragon’s constitution, yet he hadn’t died. Clearly, these NPC bandits had unimpressive defense and martial arts, but their vitality was extraordinary.

Suddenly, a raucous clamor of gongs and drums erupted from the manor—everyone had been alerted.

“Damn it all!” Fatty was livid, determined to finish off the One-Eyed Dragon, and charged forward swinging his club.

This time, he didn’t succeed. A shadow dropped from the wall—not fast, but as he struck downward with one palm, an invisible but substantial force swept through the air, knocking Fatty to the ground like a flimsy clothes rack.

Both Zhang He and Xiao Lingling were stunned. This newcomer’s martial arts were formidable—he had mastered the palm wind.

Seeing Fatty fall, Xiao Lingling’s anger flared. She raised her Twin Swords, sending out two pale blue arcs of light straight at the shadow—obviously enhanced with martial skills, not something a bare hand could block.

But this hand was no ordinary hand. The shadow flipped in midair, transforming the palm into a single finger, which swiftly tapped Xiao Lingling’s shoulder as she spun past, causing her to collapse limply as well.

So the experts in Feiyan Manor specialized in acupoint strikes. Seeing the situation dire and the shadow still airborne, Zhang He flung another handful of coins, this time channeling his inner power from "Righteousness Filling the Four Directions."

With a master-level Coin Dart technique and a grandmaster-level "Righteousness Filling the Four Directions," not even an ordinary hand could deflect the attack—forcing the shadow to dodge.

But what happened next defied Zhang He’s imagination. The hand sliced through the air with blinding speed, "pa-pa-pa-pa-pa," deflecting all the coins. Zhang He was stunned—each coin followed a different trajectory: some straight, some slashing, some spinning, yet each was struck head-on and batted away.

Such eyesight, such strength, such precision—it utterly overwhelmed Zhang He. He now knew he was no match for this opponent and wisely stood still, knowing further attacks would be futile.

Fortunately, the shadow was not ruthless. Landing steadily in the courtyard, the figure was finally revealed. He was tall and powerfully built, his attire plain but set off by a cloak and armor that radiated authority. If not for his white hair and deep crow’s-feet, one might have thought him a rare handsome man, but his voice was old and hoarse:

“Honored guests, you have come from afar. Forgive me for my poor hospitality. If you do not mind, please accompany me to the Hall of Righteousness. Though Feiyan Manor is poor and sparsely populated, I, Feng, will serve you three cups of fine tea and apologize on behalf of my wife.”

With things as they were, and clearly outmatched, what could Zhang He possibly say?

Fatty, seeing the heads and torches crowding atop the walls, could only capitulate. “I’m not much for tea—just give me some meat and wine. If not, chicken is fine. Bring me a chicken. Yes, that’s good…”

The tea was indeed excellent, steaming on the tray. The Hall of Righteousness was ablaze with light. Master Feng sat at the head, his wife below him, Feng Youtai standing with bowed head at one side, while Zhang He and his companions took their seats.

“My surname is Feng, my given name is Fei, and I am master of this manor. Please, have some tea.” Despite his age, Feng Fei’s every gesture exuded a heroic spirit.

He said, “Just now, I saw the young lady use the Twin Swords. That must be a technique from the Chuan Province’s Returning Wind School.”

Xiao Lingling saluted. “Master Feng, you have a keen eye.”

Feng Fei smiled. “And this young man’s five-coin throw must hail from the remote Reined Horse region of Yizhou. Your mastery of coin darts is not shallow—you must have trained for some time.”

Zhang He also saluted. “Senior, your skills are formidable and your eyes are sharp as lightning. I am sincerely impressed.”

Of course he was—what could the AI not know?

“I am not so blind. With your abilities, none of you are from the Six Doors,” Feng Fei said. “To be frank, my manor faces a dire threat and is in need of capable hands. If you do not disdain it, why not remain as retainers to help defend against our enemies? When all is done, I will see you duly rewarded.”

A quest, just as expected.

But this quest put all three in a dilemma. Never mind the reward—Feng Fei’s proposal meant joining Feiyan Manor. Regardless of whether it meant becoming bandits, the real issue was being branded with the "Seventy-Two Route Alliance Feiyan Stronghold" tag, which might not bode well for the future.

Still, having come this far, there was no reason to back down now. Fortune or failure, it was all or nothing. After a moment’s thought, Zhang He replied, “Then we gratefully accept, and shall do as you command.”

Seeing Zhang He agree, Xiao Lingling quickly echoed, “We await your orders, Master Feng.”

Fatty, unconcerned, said, “No need for all that—just give me food and drink. If there’s no wine or meat, chicken will do. Bring me a chicken. Yes, chicken…”

The leaderboard is open! Everyone, cast your votes! So few votes, ah! Ah ah ah!