Chapter 9: Double Personality
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With a “clang,” the Tiger Demon’s halberd clashed solidly against her long sword for the first time. Overjoyed, the Tiger Demon pulled with all his might, trying to wrench the sword from her grip.
After all, women aren’t exactly known for their brute strength; they rely more on finesse and agile swordplay in combat.
Now, she was practically asking for it! No wonder he had to go all out!
But what he didn’t expect was that Lin Nan’s long sword would slide right up the handle of the halberd! If he didn’t let go, he’d probably end up with a finger sandwich on an edge of a blade!
With no choice left, he bellowed as the halberd soared into the air, flipping out of his grasp.
Then, like a punch that could rival a boulder, his fist charged toward Lin Nan’s spinning figure.
Little lady, don’t think I’m just a weapon master; I’m packing serious heat, and anyone would dread taking a full-force punch from me!
But just as his fist was about to make contact, it felt like all the strength had evaporated into thin air! The enemy’s stance twisted in an unbelievable manner, her gleaming sword now pointed directly at his chest.
Panicked, the Tiger Demon quickly halted his advance, executing a perfect bridge pose to evade her sneak attack.
At this moment, the halberd had fallen back into his hands, and he attacked the Black-Clothed Demoness once more.
However, the longer they fought, the more uneasy the Tiger Demon felt.
From solely dodging at the start to now occasionally counterattacking with agility, it seemed like this Demoness was continuously evolving. Her sword was always popping up exactly where he felt most pinched, forcing him to retreat and patch his defenses.
Nonetheless, he found slight comfort in the fact that, despite everything, the Demoness couldn’t crack his defenses. Instead, she kept retreating under his pressure, and her heels were dangling dangerously over the edge of the castle moat, with nowhere else to go.
But in the next instant, a shadow flashed by, and the Demoness vanished before his eyes.
No wait, she was behind him!
A chill ran down the Tiger Demon’s spine. He rolled away just in time to dodge the Demoness’s fatal strike.
“Phew… Phew…”
It was the first time the Tiger Demon found himself panting for breath, cold sweat trickling down.
d*mn it, how many tricks does this Demoness have? If this keeps up, he might actually be in trouble.
Just when fatigue was creeping in, the Black-Clothed Woman gracefully landed on the pinnacle of the bridge above the moat, like a dandelion floating in the wind.
“You look tired. How about we fight tomorrow instead?”
With that, she coldly flicked her skirt and left him with nothing but her dark silhouette before fading into oblivion.
Seeing his opponent seemingly dismiss him and retreat, the Tiger Demon’s face turned a shade darker.
But just as Lin Nan had said, this whole dragon-tiger brawl had indeed drained quite a bit of his energy, and he wasn’t exactly at peak performance anymore.
If he insisted on storming the castle, not only would the Little Demons suffer heavy losses, but there was also another powerful Demoness on the castle wall.
Better to retreat and get some rest at Tiger Wolf Cave, then return bright and bushy-tailed to issue a challenge at Cold Wind Cave tomorrow.
He didn’t believe he couldn’t handle that Black-Clothed little lady eventually.
“Let’s go!”
With a grumpy glare back at Cold Wind City, the Tiger Demon led the Little Demons away from the scene.
Back in her cave, Lin Nan could finally no longer keep herself upright after the exhausting duel, collapsing onto her bed and refusing to rise.
After this showdown with the Tiger Demon, her sword intent skyrocketed. She quickly broke through to level 6, allowing her to barely keep up with him without continuously falling behind.
However, it drained a monumental amount of her mental and physical energy. If she had stayed any longer, she might even have fainted from exhaustion.
But thinking about how she had entered this game completely clueless about any martial arts, and now wielding a sword capable of battling formidable foes without even using skills, if she returned to the real world, she’d probably be a martial arts expert too!
Suddenly, all her hardship seemed worthwhile.
Since the Tiger Demon was taking a breather, she decided to let her secondary character rest while shifting her consciousness back to her main character to chop some radishes and quickly elevate her sword intent level.
In Sky Sword City, behind the Eight Immortals Restaurant.
The system-hosted main character was deep in animated discussion with Fatty.
They bounced from aliens on the far side of the moon to the structure of single-celled organisms, and even debated whether a certain famous actress had undergone cosmetic surgery, covering all kinds of celebrity gossip and romantic antics.
In the middle of Fatty’s animated chatter, the previously loquacious Lin Nan suddenly fell silent.
Fatty looked over, puzzled, only to find Lin Nan had transformed back into that cold, impersonal figure from a few days ago.
Wait… Could 1st personality be back?
Fatty had contemplated why Lin Nan’s demeanor had suddenly changed and realized that the most fitting explanation was indeed double personality.
Plus, these two personalities didn’t even announce their switch! The only way to differentiate them was their approach to conversation.
The 1st personality was the icy, taciturn Lin Nan—speak only when necessary.
But the 2nd personality? Now that was a chatty one! They could talk about anything from the sky to the earth—oh, so amusing!
But it seemed like the 1st personality had a longer occupancy in the body. They had shared the same space for quite a while, and the 2nd personality was only out for a day or two before being shoved back in.
You know, it’s hard to remember someone who constantly has their nose perpetually stuck up in the air, while the fun-loving one steals the show!
Seriously, 1st personality, you’ve just lost yourself a good friend.
If it weren’t for the 2nd personality’s presence, I wouldn’t even want to talk to you.
“Ahem…”
Fatty cleared his throat deliberately. “So, Lin Nan, where have you been wandering off to?”
Lin Nan stopped in her tracks. How… did he figure that out?
Could it be that the system-hosted main character had said something to him?
Seeing Lin Nan pause, Fatty chuckled to himself. Looks like he might actually be on the right track about Lin Nan’s double personality—maybe even Lin Nan herself wasn’t aware.
Lin Nan shot him a frosty glance, and her dagger began scratching the table’s surface with intent, weighing the merits of eliminating him to keep her secret.
But then she thought about how Fatty was a player and would just respawn anyway. So, she relaxed and coolly responded, “What do you mean?”
If Fatty weren’t clever, he wouldn’t still be at the same level after countless scams. Just a moment ago, Lin Nan’s eyes definitely glittered with murderous intent, only to be swiftly masked.
Could it be that 1st personality has a hidden vicious side, but because player-versus-player combat was disallowed in Sky Sword City, it just kept quiet?
Maybe he should confront Lin Nan again when the 2nd personality emerged. Perhaps… there would be a chance to completely escape 1st personality’s control.
“Haha, just kidding!”
Fatty wiped his brow. “Actually, I was wondering what level your sword intent is at right now?”
“Level 6.”
“What?!” Fatty was taken aback.
Hold on! When he first chatted with the 2nd personality, that guy clearly said level 4! How did the 1st personality return and suddenly bump it up to level 6?
This… this doesn’t add up!
Suddenly, a thought zapped through Fatty’s mind.
Could it be that Lin Nan kept his 1st personality under wraps to make the 2nd personality drop its guard while the 1st secretly honed his skills day and night inside?
Otherwise, how could such an astonishing and rapid improvement be explained?
d*mn it! He didn’t want to be left behind by that icy 1st personality. To save his own skin and keep up with the likable 2nd personality, he had to stick by 1st personality’s side no matter what.
“Yikes!”
With a lofty goal set in his heart, Fatty suddenly felt motivated.
In no time, he was wielding his sword like lightning, reduced turnips scattering under his strikes as he neatly peeled the skin off like a pro.
Ha! Don’t assume that just because I’m Fatty, I can only chat! It’s just that I hadn’t taken it seriously until now!
But Lin Nan didn’t even spare him a glance, which deflated Fatty’s spirits a bit. Looks like he had picked the wrong audience to show off to.
In the center of Sky Sword City stood a small hill approximately two hundred meters tall.
Of course, the hill was much taller than the city walls of Sky Sword City.
But outside, you could hardly feel it existed.
You’d only know to approach it if you wanted to discover that it was wrapped in countless golden lights from the base to the top, with just one large door connecting to the outside.
If you strayed further than ten meters away from the hill, it vanished from sight, and all you’d see was a pavilion across the way.
Ordinary folks likely didn’t even qualify to approach the hill.
Around the perimeter, dozens of guards clad in Qing Yi stood watch, forbidding anyone from getting too close.
Some players, initially unaware of the dangers, fancied they might find treasures hidden inside and tried sneaking in at night, only to be discovered by guards immediately—in an instant, a level 8 swordsman was sent back to the starting point!
Let’s be honest; the d*ath penalty in “The Way of Inquiry” world was way harsher than in other games.
Although players voiced their complaints, they could also understand the game designers’ intentions.
Basically, it was to ensure that players didn’t act recklessly in such a hyper-realistic game. Losing your life meant earning a hefty experience point penalty—right now, dropping from level 8 to level 4 may seem quick, but what happens when you drop from level 100 to level 50?
So, this kind of punishment hung over players like the sword of Damocles, constantly reminding them to abide by the laws of “The Way of Inquiry,” preventing them from going overboard.
Thus, after this incident, players started to realize that what the guards were fiercely protecting was the actual location of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Only recognized inner door disciples could step foot into the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Somewhere within the Heavenly Sword Sect, in a pavilion.
“Sister Luo, a disciple from Eight Immortals Restaurant is here to pay their respects.”
“Gulp… gulp…”
A woman dressed in a pink peach blossom skirt lounged against the pavilion’s railing, her face flushed and lips tempting.
She lifted a wine jug, tilted her head back, and took a swig, while her other hand snacked on some fried peanuts.
“Let him in.”
The announcing disciple didn’t even dare to lift his head and scampered out like a puppy on a mission.
ps: Second update of the day.
