Chapter 30: The Reclusive Swordsman, a Chance Encounter with a Hidden Plot?

The meat Jingye picked up was dripping with an eerily colored juice. Seeing this, the other two felt a wave of nausea, turning their heads away in refusal.

The smell was acceptable, but the appearance was truly repulsive.

Jingye, however, wore a look of pure intoxication before taking a bite.

"Mmm~"

"This taste is incredible."

"This shop is very authentic."

Jingye savored the flavor for a long time, unable to stop praising it.

"Wow, Jingye, you must be starving to be able to eat anything."

"Who knows what kind of meat this is? Aren't you afraid of being poisoned?"

Dudu was amazed by Jingye's sheer audacity.

"Didn't I tell you?"

"This is Southern Border Gu meat, a flavor unique to the Southern Border."

"Don't let its strange appearance fool you; it’s actually just a type of insect."

"What's there to be afraid of regarding insects? It's not like you haven't eaten them before."

"How many roasted bean worms or grasshoppers have you eaten in your time?"

Jingye said, looking completely indifferent.

"Gu meat is an insect?"

"It doesn't look like an insect at all. I've eaten plenty of insects, but I've never seen one that looks like this."

"Come on, this is Gu meat. It’s raised by the Gu practitioners of the Southern Border for consumption. It’s non-toxic and can improve one's internal energy. For us, it even grants experience points. It’s top-tier stuff."

"And it's very expensive, too."

"Before I came, I investigated the owner of this shop. He is a native of the Southern Border and a genuine Gu practitioner."

"It's a rare find."

Despite her small stature, Jingye had quite the appetite. In this short time, she had already polished off five or six pieces.

Even though she had explained the origin of the Gu meat, Qianqian Xiyu still dared not pick up her chopsticks, though Dudu was starting to get interested. As a well-known connoisseur of "dark cuisine" within their small group, as long as something wasn't poisonous, she was always willing to try it out.

Since it was just insect meat, that made things easier.

Dudu picked up a piece and swallowed it in one go. The taste was excellent, and most importantly, her experience bar actually moved.

Holy cow.

It really works.

"Hey, you two, don't just focus on eating."

"Let's talk about the real business," Qianqian Xiyu reminded them.

"Real business? What real business?" Dudu put down her chopsticks, looking puzzled. "I don't have any business. I heard you two were coming to Wangyou County, and since I was nearby, I just came over. I thought you invited me here to catch up."

"Why would we need to come into the game to catch up? Dudu, you live right next door to me! Do we really need to meet in the game for that?" Qianqian Xiyu said, sounding annoyed.

"Stop picking on Dudu. What about you, Qianqian?"

"Why aren't you staying at Mount Huashan to practice your skills? Why did you come down the mountain?" Jingye asked curiously.

Wasn't Qianqian’s master quite afraid of Wangyou County? It was considered a forbidden zone for the righteous factions of the martial arts world. Why would they suddenly send a disciple here?

"I'm here for a martial uncle."

"A martial uncle of the Huashan Sect has been living in seclusion in Wangyou County for ten years. The sect hopes he will return to the fold, so they sent me to persuade him."

"They thought I had a mature personality and a good temper, so they entrusted this task to me."

Qianqian Xiyu explained, though she knew full well the main reason the sect sent her was because she was a player. She was immortal; even if she were killed, she could just respawn at the fountain.

"Running errands? That's miserable."

"What about you, Jingjing?"

"Me? I'm here to investigate that person named Lu Yuan."

"Information about him is too scarce elsewhere, so I had no choice but to come to Wangyou County."

"Then be careful. I heard from my sect that this Lu Yuan has a bit of a temper."

"He likes to tear people in half," Qianqian Xiyu warned.

"Huh?"

"Your sect is lying to you."

"Lu Yuan's temper is actually quite good. As long as you don't cause trouble in Wangyou County, he generally won't pay you any mind."

"At least so far, I haven't seen him bully anyone."

"His reputation is excellent."

Dudu refuted the Huashan Sect's assessment of Lu Yuan. She had every right to comment on what Lu Yuan was like, as she had been in Wangyou County longer than both of her best friends—nearly a month now.

She had arrived a few days after the bandit siege. She wasn't a combat-oriented player, nor had she joined any NPC factions, so her itinerary was very free. She went wherever she pleased.

She came to Wangyou County to try her luck and look for clues about the new game version. Since the new version's NPCs appeared in Wangyou County, it meant this was likely the region where the new version would launch.

Because she was a physician, treating patients granted her experience points. She had opened a clinic in Wangyou County and interacted with many local NPCs, learning about Lu Yuan from them.

Lu Yuan's reputation was sterling. The local NPCs spoke highly of him, and she had never heard a single bad word about him. He was nothing like the terrifying "great demon lord" her friend's master made him out to be.

...

"Forget it, forget it. I don't want to know what Lu Yuan is like. I'm not here to cause trouble. Once I find my martial uncle, I'm leaving." Qianqian Xiyu shook her head; she didn't want to know too much unnecessary information. Since the sect said he was evil, she would treat him as evil. Arguing with the sect was extremely unwise.

Though she didn't agree with the sect's narrative in her heart, on the surface, she had to stand with them.

"Enough talking, let's eat."

After the meal, the group went their separate ways.

Jingye walked along the street alone. It was lively, crowded, and noisy, yet there was barely any trash on the ground. The street management in Wangyou County was truly impressive.

As she strolled, a small figure suddenly rushed toward her, colliding with her. The little girl sat on the ground, clutching her head, looking up with reddened, teary eyes.

"Little one, are you alright?" Jingye quickly helped the girl up and said gently.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

"I'm sorry, Big Sister, I didn't see you."

"I'm so sorry."

Chen Yiyi apologized with tears in her eyes. It was her fault, and she had to apologize. That was what her sister had taught her; if she didn't, her sister would hit her.

"It's okay, I'm fine. Little one, did you get hurt when you fell?"

"Oh, you dropped something."

Jingye noticed a book on the ground and immediately squatted down to pick it up.

The next moment, a system notification rang in her mind.

【Ding! A fragmentary Heaven-Defying grade martial art has been detected.】

【Ding! You have obtained a Heaven-Defying martial arts manual (fragment).】

"Shocking Divine Palm: ..."

【Ding! You have not met the requirements; you cannot learn this.】

【Ding! You do not have the necessary authorization; you cannot learn this.】

"Huh? A Heaven-Defying grade martial art? This is a Heaven-Defying grade martial art?"

Jingye looked at the book in her hand in astonishment, falling into deep thought.

"Thank you, Big Sister."

Chen Yiyi took her book back, then looked at the pensive Jingye with curiosity.

"Hey, Big Sister."

"Are you okay?"

"Hey?"