Chapter 37: The Four Beasts of Qingcheng

Although the words were once again unintelligible, Yue Lingshan knew from the look on Wang Jingyuan’s face that he was up to no good. Her expression fell as she asked, "A senior brother from the Mount Tai Sect just came to inform us that the three of you ran into Tian Boguang. Father and Mother went out early this morning—do you have any idea how worried I was? And by the way, where are the Senior Brother and Junior Brother?"

Wang Jingyuan felt a bit strange. "The Qunyu Pavilion isn't far from here; how could they not have arrived yet?"

"What did you just say? Qunyu Pavilion?" Yue Lingshan caught the key detail. "How many times have I told you?! You are not allowed to go to such filthy places! Why won't you ever listen?! Is it really that much fun in there?!"

Wang Jingyuan frowned. "What are you talking about? Who was having fun? I was in there racking my brains for the rise of the Mount Hua Sect. It was exhausting work."

Yue Lingshan stomped her foot and stormed off. Wang Jingyuan muttered behind her back, "Can't help with anything, just making a scene all day long. If I had a console, I’d really like to teleport her outside the map."

However, Yue Lingshan’s words served as a reminder. He had finished his business and returned to the guest house, so why hadn't Linghu Chong and the others returned yet?

Wang Jingyuan decided to go look for them. He didn't care much about Linghu Chong—with or without him, it rarely affected his mission progress. But Lin Pingzhi could not come to any harm; after all, he was the vital bridge between the Mount Hua Sect and the Fuwei Escort Agency.

With this in mind, Wang Jingyuan turned to track them down. Finding people was far easier for him than for an ordinary person, as nameplates were not obscured by cover. Neutral units like strangers appeared with yellow health bars, while Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi were marked in green. It was easy to find them by simply running a lap along the main road.

Sure enough, before Wang Jingyuan had gone very far, he spotted their health bars. For some reason, the two had returned to the Huiyan Pavilion.

Interestingly, four red health bars were surrounding Linghu Chong. Wang Jingyuan squinted to see the names: "Hou Renying," "Hong Renxiong," "Yu Renhao," and "Luo Renjie."

Weren't these the "Four Beasts of Qingcheng"? Wang Jingyuan pulled a piece of black cloth from his inventory, wrapped it around his head, and went up to the second floor. Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi stood with swords drawn against the four, though the cause of the conflict was unclear to Wang Jingyuan.

Though his head was covered, he hadn't changed his clothes. Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi recognized him instantly and looked stunned as Wang Jingyuan crept behind the four men and shouted, "Hey, you idiots!"

The Four Beasts of Qingcheng turned around instinctively. Wang Jingyuan unleashed a killing move he had practiced countless times. The four felt a flash of white before blinding pain followed.

"Ah! Lime powder!"
"Which shameless, spineless bastard is trying to ambush us!"

Wang Jingyuan pulled two small hammers from his inventory and said in a muffled voice, "I never change my name when I stand, nor my surname when I walk. I am Li Zhuoguang, the Jade-Faced Lime King. I heard the Four Beasts of Qingcheng were heading this way. I heard you’ve been committing all sorts of atrocities in the Shu region, and today, I am here to act on behalf of heaven!"

The Four Beasts of Qingcheng were no match for Linghu Chong even when fighting four-on-one, largely because Linghu Chong was a standout among the younger generation of the Five Mountain Sword Sects. If Wang Jingyuan faced them head-on, he might be able to use the "Evil-Warding Sword Technique" to take out two, but the remaining two would be difficult.

However, as everyone knows, no self-respecting gamer fights fairly. If there’s a shortcut, they’ll use every dirty trick in the book—just like the lime powder Wang Jingyuan was using now.

With lime in their eyes, the four couldn't even muster thirty percent of their strength and were beaten by Wang Jingyuan’s forging hammers until they cried for mercy. One of them swung his sword wildly, but the result was...

"I hit him!"
"You idiot, you hit me!"

Soon, they found a countermeasure: standing back-to-back, guarding against their surroundings.

Hou Renying: "He stopped."
Hong Renxiong: "Don't let your guard down, keep your swords pointed outward!"
Yu Renhao: "Do you think that bastard has already left?"
Luo Renjie: "Possibly."
"I think so too."
Luo Renjie: "Why does it feel like there's one more person here?"
Hou Renying roared: "Split up! He’s standing right among us!"

The situation returned to the way it was at the start, with the Four Beasts of Qingcheng being pummeled by Wang Jingyuan once again. Wang Jingyuan grew tired, and it wasn't easy to actually kill people in such a public place.

He gave Lin Pingzhi a wink. Lin Pingzhi understood immediately and said, "Brother Li, although I have some grievances with these four, we are all disciples of the righteous path. I would be happy to see you beat them, but if you keep going, someone will die, and I cannot stand by and watch."

Wang Jingyuan cupped his hands. "Who are you two? How should I address you?"

Linghu Chong chuckled and cupped his hands in return. "I am Linghu Chong of Mount Hua."
Lin Pingzhi added, "I am Lin Pingzhi of Mount Hua."

Wang Jingyuan was stunned. "Mount Hua? The Mount Hua whose fists come from Shaolin and swords from Mount Hua? The Mount Hua led by Master Yue, a man of profound righteousness and extraordinary martial arts, known as the 'Gentleman Sword'?"

Lin Pingzhi was taken aback. "...I suppose so?"

Wang Jingyuan said with a tone of disdain, "And yet you are Mount Hua disciples, consorting with the Qingcheng Sect? Does your master know you associate with such bandits abroad?"

Lin Pingzhi didn't know what Wang Jingyuan was planning, so he could only bite the bullet and say, "I ask that you show mercy for the sake of the Mount Hua Sect."

Wang Jingyuan shook his head in disappointment. Why was Lin Pingzhi so inflexible? If his own mischievous friends were here to play along, they could have easily driven the Qingcheng Sect’s reputation in Hengyang City into the negatives.

Since he had achieved his goal, Wang Jingyuan cupped his hands. "Hmph! I’ll let it slide for the sake of Master Yue, but I advise you not to associate with these Qingcheng thieves."

With that, Wang Jingyuan left, leaving Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi behind, struggling to hold back their laughter. Upon returning to the guest house, Wang Jingyuan went straight to his room and pushed the door open. "Oi, Shinichi, is my laundry done?"

Qu Feiyan didn't reply, only looking at him with a mysterious smile. Wang Jingyuan looked closer and realized there was someone else in the room: Qu Yang.

Wang Jingyuan felt a bit uneasy. Had he finally read the book he wrote and come to kill him out of spite?