Calamity Messenger

Chapter 349 - 284: Interlude

Early the next morning, besides sending Niu Xianke to buy breakfast, Yan Qing didn’t touch the gaming console again.

There was a small incident to mention.

The master of the Ba Dao Martial Arts Hall where Niu Xianke was from was severely ill and could not recover. Nearly all the disciples had left, leaving only the master’s daughter and Niu Xianke. To make matters worse, the Jiangnan Martial Arts Hall Hero Gathering, held every five years, was about to begin. Not only was this a stage for gaining fame, but also a brutal elimination match because a Martial Arts Demonstration Order was needed to open a martial arts hall in Jiangnan County Town. Only those who secure a place among the top sixty-four in the Hero Gathering can obtain one. The Hero Gathering was a five-person round-robin battle mode. Although the master’s daughter, being at the Second Transformation, was quite strong among the younger generation, it was evident she couldn’t achieve much in the gathering on her own.

Last night, the heir of the Lingdong Martial Arts Hall, ranked among the top five in Jiangnan County Town, brought people over, saying they were willing to join Ba Dao Martial Arts Hall to fight on their behalf, but only if the master’s daughter married him and handed over the hall’s land deed. The master’s daughter refused, leading to a dispute that eventually turned into a conflict. As Yan Qing arrived, he didn’t know what had happened, only knowing there was a need for a massive showdown.

If it weren’t for the master’s daughter holding Niu Xianke tightly in the end, those guys would end up with more than just broken arms and legs. Returning from studying in the Qi Kingdom, Yan Qing’s mind hadn’t adjusted yet.

Having offended the Lingdong Martial Arts Hall and with the master’s daughter’s pleas, Niu Xianke registered to participate in this year’s Jiangnan Martial Arts Hall Hero Gathering. However, because Niu Xianke had never gone to the Lower Secret Realm, always training in the town, he was only at the First Transformation, so the master’s daughter planned to train intensively with him.

Speaking of which, the master’s daughter is quite beautiful... what was her name again?

But it was just a small subplot; he can just focus on conquering the Hero Gathering when the time comes. Yan Qing didn’t pay much attention, preferring to spend more time reading novels.

Indeed, from last night till now, Yan Qing had been reading novels. As mentioned earlier, thanks to the endless resources of the Secret Realm, even ordinary people in this world have the energy to pursue higher forms of mental enjoyment, with all kinds of entertainment flourishing; everything from brothels to playhouses is available. However, Yan Qing didn’t like chaotic places before he crossed over, and naturally disliked them even more afterward, so he simply bought a few novels to read.

This was one of the few perks of crossing over: a whole world of entertainment products blossomed before him, enough for his viewing pleasure for several years.

The novel Yan Qing was reading now was "Primordial Dao Venerable." Although even the Foundation Establishment was rarely seen in the Central Plains, they were certainly not unfamiliar with higher-tiered envoys: Fourth-Turn Foundation Establishment, Seventh Transformation Immortal Ascension, Nine Revolutions to Venerable. "Primordial Dao Venerable" tells the story of the first Nine-Turned Venerable in ancient times.

Who knows if Nine Revolutions is real, but before Yan Qing’s crossing, the highest level of "Envoy" was just Level 89 Great True Monarch.

But according to Yan Qing’s estimate, except for the name, the rest of the content in the book is probably purely fanmade with no historical basis. It’s well-written, depicting a young man’s battle through heaven and earth from the moment he discovers a Secret Realm, protecting the human race, encountering many beautiful women along the way and experiencing various romances, captured stunningly, and particularly engaging as a source of spell-casting materials.

This wasn’t the first book Yan Qing had read, but he noticed a peculiar phenomenon: most popular books have multiple female protagonists, which was fine, but the problem was that the protagonists are either cultivating or having romantic moments with the female leads whenever they can. While enjoyable when reading, thinking about it more deeply makes their life seem exhausting, with almost no time to rest.

Moreover, Yan Qing doesn’t even talk about cultivation; playing games six days to the point of nausea requires watching two days of a novel to adjust. Making efforts? Impossible! This lifetime is all about relying on side accounts to bring down garlic birds.

But when he thought about it, both Black Wolf and White Fox should be protagonists from novels, always either cultivating or dungeon diving, eager to become stronger, never wasting time on personal hobbies. Only Shang Xinlei was somewhat like him, occasionally slacking off, and often so.

I need to find time to interrogate Shang Xinlei; I’m the real slacker in the Thief’s House, none of you are!

Seeing that it was almost time, Yan Qing bandaged himself and headed out, just in time to see Pharmacist’s Wish coming out from the opposite door. She was dressed as always in a close-fitting daoist robe, fully showcasing her breathtaking figure, but Yan Qing knew she had a set of simple half-body armor in her Storage Ring, allowing her to armor up in just three breaths if needed.

Pharmacist’s Wish looked over, eyes full of surprise.

"So you’re not dead yet!"

Yan Qing felt like his forehead was about to burst with veins popping; he turned his head to look at Shang Xinlei, who was bringing out dishes, thinking, "Are you two in on this together? Or is this some trendy way of greeting? Or do I have corpse spots?"

Shang Xinlei stuck out her tongue, sneakily ate a shrimp ball.

"I heard there’s an Heir of Calamity causing trouble in the Qi Kingdom. Is that related to you?" Though it was a question, Pharmacist’s Wish’s tone was quite sure.

"Heir of Calamity?" Shang Xinlei exclaimed in surprise, "Like the Little Rabbit?"

Yan Qing wasn’t surprised that Pharmacist’s Wish knew; it had been six days, and the news should have reached other countries. Unlike Shang Xinlei, the pampered daughter, Pharmacist’s Wish held a position of power in Zhou Kingdom rivaling the Emperor, so she naturally had people sorting and reporting various information to her. Shang Xinlei, on the other hand, while her father surely knew about it, who would actively share news about terrorists appearing in the Qi Kingdom with a sweet, carefree Fourth Miss of the Shang Family?

"Don’t worry, it’s not the Rabbit Heroine."

"Is it you?"

Yan Qing thought for a moment, "I guess it is." Characters like Yan Shiyi, destined to be disposable side characters, don’t need to be considered subordinates; to outside queries, just claim they’re his avatars.

"What?"

A fresh breeze blew in as Pharmacist’s Wish was instantly within inches of Yan Qing, staring straight into his eyes, "You’re fine? I heard nearly two hundred thousand troops were mobilized in the Qi Kingdom. You haven’t shown up for six days; I was thinking..."

"Rest assured, I only act when I’m absolutely confident, and it’s already over." Yan Qing paused, unable to suppress his urge to flaunt, stammering as he boasted, "And it wasn’t just two hundred thousand troops, even Ying Le made a move, but couldn’t do anything to me; she even got slapped by me—"

Hoo. Pharmacist’s Wish reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, her tall ponytail hitting his face, with the tips of her wine-red hair swaying gently, carrying a faint scent of roses. With armor on, she was an unparalleled warrior on the battlefield, but leaning in his embrace made her appear somewhat fragile.

Shang Xinlei’s eyes widened with surprise, unsure if she was shocked by Yan Qing’s feat of slapping Ying Le, or by Pharmacist’s Wish’s sudden hug, probably the latter, as she likely hadn’t caught on to who Ying Le was yet.

"As long as you’re okay." The girl in his arms let out a relieved sigh, hugged Yan Qing briefly, and then released him, quipping jokingly in the next moment, "I thought you got captured by the Qi people and were being tortured in a little dungeon."

However, Yan Qing grew serious, grabbing Pharmacist’s Wish by the arm, "What happened?"

"What do you mean by that? I don’t understand what you’re talking about—"

"Do you want me to send someone to inquire in Chang’an?" Yan Qing asked calmly, speaking with deep conviction, "Even the Rabbit Heroine can’t deceive me when you’re in a foul mood, let alone myself."

Pharmacist’s Wish was so strong that she could endure silently even when poisoned, slaughtering everyone before treating herself. Yan Qing had only witnessed her lose her composure once, and that was when the Rabbit Heroine got captured on Shu Dao Mountain. Now he saw the second time, as Pharmacist’s Wish was uncharacteristically soft when holding him, breathing heavily as if she was on the verge of sobbing.

But given her status as a Foundation Establishment seed, very few in Zhou Kingdom could trouble Pharmacist’s Wish. Yan Qing quickly guessed, "Is it True Man of Locking Dragon?"

Pharmacist’s Wish lowered her gaze, not responding. Yan Qing scrutinized her closely, noticing that apart from the lingering worry in her expression, there seemed to be no changes or injuries. If the threat wasn’t to her personally, there was only one possibility left.

"Did something happen to your maid?"

After a brief silence, Pharmacist’s Wish took a deep breath, her voice slightly choked, "They were interrogated by True Man of Locking Dragon yesterday."