Chapter 959: Jianghu Rumors
The Tang Sect disciple’s corpse lay on the ground, pierced through the heart with a single sword strike.
Zou Zhuo grinned as he looked at Old Qin’s green-tinted face. “Do you realize you look exactly like a green-skinned orc right now? Even the bald head is a perfect match.”
Old Qin’s mind was full of curses. “Just give me the antidote already!”
Earlier, Zou Zhuo’s sword strike had cut the Tang Sect disciple’s right arm, drastically slowing his ability to throw hidden weapons. Under the combined assault of the two, the Tang Sect disciple couldn’t hold out much longer, but in his dying counterattack, he still managed to land a poisoned dart on Old Qin.
And so, Old Qin turned green too…
Zou Zhuo took out the remaining Nine-Turn Soul Revival Pill and tossed it to Old Qin.
Old Qin swallowed it directly. To be honest, the effect was immediate. After just three or four seconds, his health shot back up to 70%, and the poisoned negative status was also dispelled.
“Hurry up, loot the bodies and get out of here.”
The two quickly searched through the corpses of [Drink] and the Tang Sect disciple. To be honest, the haul was substantial.
There were several types of medicine alone, including Golden Wound Salve, Blood-Activating Powder, Qi-Nourishing Pills, and so on, each with different effects. For example, Golden Wound Salve restored 30% health and removed bleeding effects; Blood-Activating Powder restored 50% health and boosted stamina by 30%; Qi-Nourishing Pills fully restored stamina and temporarily ignored negative statuses like bleeding and poisoning.
Clearly, different medicines had varying levels of rarity. The Nine-Turn Soul Revival Pill they had obtained earlier, which restored a lot of health and removed negative statuses, could only be acquired through very few quests.
As for martial arts, they found the Tang Sect’s basic internal technique and hidden weapon usage on the Tang Sect disciple, and a special technique on [Drink] that allowed continuous internal energy enhancement through drinking alcohol.
Obviously, both techniques were quite valuable, especially [Drink]’s technique. Once obtained, all they had to do was binge-drink at a tavern in Luoyang City to grow stronger, and it wouldn’t conflict with their original martial arts.
The Tang Sect disciple also had many hidden weapons, but most of them, like Flying Locust Stones and Flying Darts, were non-poisoned. Only three poisoned darts remained, two with light poison and one with extreme poison.
Light poison meant that a player could expel it with internal energy after meditating for a short while, similar to how a normal bleeding effect was easy to handle. Extreme poison, however, required a specialized antidote and caused rapid health loss.
Clearly, this Tang Sect disciple hadn’t had many of these poisoned darts to begin with. He had thrown one at [Drink], and then three at Old Qin and Zou Zhuo.
Of course, the [Dragon’s Roar Sword] that the Tang Sect disciple had looted from killing an NPC was also taken by Zou Zhuo. After checking its stats, Zou Zhuo found it far superior to the Wudang Longsword he was carrying, so he swapped them out and placed the Wudang Longsword into the horse’s saddlebag.
In addition, there was a lot of silver. This money could be used to buy drinks at taverns, purchase weapons from blacksmiths, or complete certain special quests. Overall, money wasn’t particularly important in this game, but lacking it in certain situations could be very awkward.
As for the two corpses, they were dragged into a bush under a tree and hidden away. This was a desolate wilderness, rarely visited by anyone, so these bodies might not be discovered until the game ended.
The two divided the spoils. Since Old Qin had better internal techniques from the Shaolin Sect, he took [Drink]’s technique, while Zou Zhuo took the Tang Sect’s martial arts and hidden weapons.
Old Qin complained, “I’m a damn monk, and I have to drink alcohol to boost my internal energy? Isn’t that breaking my vows!”
Zou Zhuo replied, “Well, a monk using poison and hidden weapons would be even more off-brand! Don’t worry, I’ll buy a few jugs of wine from the tavern later, and you can find a secluded spot to sneak a drink…”
Old Qin: “…Next time, I’m definitely not rolling a bald bastard again!”
Zou Zhuo: “Have fun at the Moving Flower Palace.”
Old Qin: “…”
…
Zou Zhuo and Old Qin continued searching for encounters. With their current strength, they were already somewhat well-off, and they wouldn’t be too intimidated by any opponent they ran into.
Moreover, during this process, Zou Zhuo discovered some additional detailed mechanics.
First, there was the martial arts system. Zou Zhuo had learned the Tang Sect’s hidden weapon technique, and its proficiency increased over time. Based on the growth rate, it would reach a decent level in about 15 minutes, and match the Tang Sect disciple’s proficiency in 20 minutes.
Old Qin’s technique worked similarly. He had splurged on a bunch of wine, and as long as he drank periodically, he could maximize the technique’s effectiveness in about half an hour.
In other words, newly learned martial arts didn’t require deliberate practice, since the game time was too short to bother. Players could choose three martial arts as their primary ones, and as long as they carried them, they would slowly improve. The rarer the martial arts, the longer the training time.
For many particularly difficult techniques, like the Nine Swords of Dugu or the Six Meridians Divine Sword, they might not only require specific conditions but also take an exceptionally long time to master.
This created a distinction between the early and late game. If a player went through great trouble to snatch a technique like the Nine Swords of Dugu, they wouldn’t necessarily become invincible. In the early stages, while it was still undeveloped, they could easily be beaten by other players.
Another aspect was the world information refresh system.
At this point, Old Qin and Zou Zhuo had left Dukang Village and were heading to their next destination. Only about ten minutes of game time had passed, but many pieces of information had already been refreshed. They could open a dedicated section called [Jianghu Rumors] to view them.
Besides the earlier news about Wudang disciple Zhuo Feifan being hunted by his sect, there were various other updates.
[Undercover agents of the Heavenly Dragon Sect secretly disrupted the Emei Sect but were repelled by the Emei Sect Leader.]
[Zangjian Manor disciple Ren Jianfei defeated all challengers at Leshan and obtained the Compassion Sword!]
[Beggar’s Sect disciple Huang Yang encountered Eastern Depot minions in Hangzhou City and fought to the death!]
[Flower Thief Tian Ruhai targeted a Moving Flower Palace disciple but was cut to pieces and left to rot in the wilderness.]
[Mysterious corpses appeared in Dukang Village; the killer is unknown, leaving the villagers uneasy.]
[Outside Dukang Village, disciples of the Tang Sect, Shaolin, and Wudang joined forces to pursue a vile bandit.]
[Disciples of the Carefree, Huashan, and Shaolin sects teamed up to wipe out Black Wind Stronghold. Huashan disciple Cao Mengyang, driven by greed, was killed by the combined efforts of the Carefree and Shaolin disciples!]
…
There were many similar Jianghu rumors. Clearly, across the entire map, different sects were experiencing various plot developments.
At this stage, the three evil sects were still operating in the shadows, causing trouble covertly. Most players were busy seeking encounters and boosting their strength. The Zangjian Manor disciple who managed to obtain the Compassion Sword likely had both strength and luck on his side.
As for the Beggar’s Sect disciple Huang Yang, his fate was rather tragic. It was unclear whether he was a player or an NPC, but he probably provoked the Eastern Depot minions—monsters far beyond his current ability to handle—while completing a Beggar’s Sect quest, and got himself killed on the spot.
As for the Black Wind Stronghold incident, it seemed that the Huashan disciple was a traitor who tried to ambush the others and take all the loot, only to be killed in retaliation.
What comforted Zou Zhuo, however, was that he and Old Qin hadn’t appeared in these Jianghu rumors. Clearly, their crime scene was well-hidden. The initial confrontation with [Drink] in Dukang Village had been witnessed, but the subsequent chase into the wilderness went unseen, so it wouldn’t be spread around.