Chapter 4: Silver Fox
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On a moonless night of m*rder and a sky ripe for arson.
When Li Xiaocong saw the mysterious black-clad figures around him, he knew for sure he was in deep trouble.
He immediately positioned himself in front of Si Yan, as if both comforting her and trying to boost his own courage.
“Don’t worry, Si Yan! My people are on their way. Nothing will happen!”
At the same time, he was furiously navigating the forums.
Insufficient permission? Time to spend Spirit Coins.
In less than thirty seconds, his help-seeking post was pinned and highlighted red by a moderator.
“Fifty thousand Spirit Coins for assistance! I’m being attacked by unknown bandits at the inn next to Wanhua Valley (landmark below)! Please, experts, come and save me. If I get out alive, I’ll reward fifty thousand Spirit Coins, paid through the forum. A two-thousand Spirit Coin deposit has already been made; first come, first served!”
It was around eight or nine at night, peak online hours for the game.
There were plenty of areas around Wanhua Valley to grind monsters, with moderate difficulty.
There were not only newbie players but also some who had joined the Heavenly Sword Sect’s Inner Door. To level up quickly, they chose to grind those monsters.
As soon as Li Xiaocong’s post went up, it immediately caught players’ attention.
“Holy cr*p, this guy’s loaded!”
“If it were me, if I ran into bandits, I’d just accept my fate. Fifty thousand Spirit Coins? What could be worse than dying!”
“This is what you call foolishness with money to burn. Forget it, I’m going to save the rich guy. They’re just a few bandits, no big deal!”
“Whoa, isn’t that Li Hanbo? He’s second only to Luo Ying in the Heavenly Sword Sect and has the title of Senior Brother!”
“Dude, he’s a big deal!”
“Count me in!”
“Quick, hurry up! If we’re late, we won’t even get a dime!”
There were plenty of players around Wanhua Valley.
Some hesitated, thinking about why a rich guy like him would seek help—maybe those bandits were really tough.
But when they saw Li Hanbo getting ready to help, they thought, “I might as well get in on this!”
So a swarm of players began to gather towards the inn, fearing that if they arrived even a minute late, they might miss out completely.
At this moment, Li Xiaocong was filled with regret.
He really shouldn’t have come up with such a harebrained plan. What was wrong with staying quietly in town? And now look where he ended up.
It wouldn’t matter if he died, but if he got Si Yan involved, he would probably spend his entire life regretting it.
Just as Li Xiaocong contemplated how to stall for time while waiting for reinforcements, the leader of the black-clad men coldly announced, “We are the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, ordered to capture the traitor Si Yan. Anyone who dares to interfere will meet a swift end.”
So it was the Heavenly Sword Sect people.
Si Yan wasn’t too surprised; it was only a matter of time before Yihong Courtyard was exposed.
It seemed like Ru Yu had led them on a wild goose chase, and now they’d turned their sights to her.
Li Xiaocong indignantly yelled, “The top cultivation sect in the human realm is attacking an innocent woman? Do you have no humanity left?”
The leader of the black-clad men shook his head, making it clear that words were unnecessary at this point.
“Attack! Capture the woman alive and eliminate the men!”
The black-clad disciples surged forward like a tide towards the two.
The previous ambush had failed, proving that the woman from Yihong Courtyard was not to be underestimated.
Even though Li Xiaocong was shaking in fear, he still stood his ground in front of Si Yan, yelling, “Run! You’ve got to get away! Don’t worry about me!”
Tears almost fell from Si Yan’s eyes.
In her entire life, this was the first man willing to take a b*llet for her.
Even if she died, he couldn’t.
“Get out of the way!”
While pulling Li Xiaocong behind her, Si Yan drew a soft sword from her waist.
“Cling clang!” She engaged in battle with a few black-clad men.
Li Xiaocong also drew his sword, swinging it wildly in a frenzy, just hoping to buy a little more time.
Outside the inn, the tide of players was blocked by a few black-clad disciples.
“We, the Law Enforcement Hall of the Heavenly Sword Sect, are doing our duty. Anyone who trespasses will be killed!”
The players were stunned.
Li Hanbo stepped forward with a grin, cupping his hands. “Greetings, kind sir. I am Li Hanbo, an Inner Door Disciple. What seems to be the situation inside the inn?”
The black-clad disciple shot him a cold glance.
“As fellow disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, you should know the rules of the Law Enforcement Hall. Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Leave quickly!”
Li Hanbo was immediately left speechless, his face turning red.
cr*p, do I have to save face here? With so many people following me, if I just walk away, it would be the ultimate embarrassment!
……
“Yikes!”
Just as everyone thought he was about to draw his sword, Li Hanbo suddenly turned and left.
The other players were left dumbfounded.
Well, I’m not stepping into that mess.
Want to survive in the Heavenly Sword Sect? You certainly can’t offend the Law Enforcement Hall.
Compared to my life, what’s my pride worth?
You all can do as you please; this has nothing to do with me.
A few players, eyeing that fifty thousand Spirit Coin reward, tried to sneak past the Law Enforcement Hall disciples under the cover of darkness.
But after just a few steps, they heard a few “thuds.”
Those few players clutched their chests and dropped dead on the spot, not even having a chance to scream.
“Wow, what the hell! What did the OP do to deserve getting hunted by the Heavenly Sword Sect’s Law Enforcement Hall?”
“Trying to lure us to our doom, the OP is really shady!”
“If even Li Hanbo isn’t going, going means certain d*ath!”
“We just watched a bunch of greedy idiots get stabbed to d*ath.”
“Let’s split! If anyone’s dumb enough to go d*e, be my guest; I’m out.”
In an instant, Li Xiaocong’s help post went cold.
After seeing the replies, Li Xiaocong felt despair wash over him.
What should he do now?
While Si Yan surprised him with her strength, they were vastly outnumbered, and it was only a matter of time before they were done for.
As Li Xiaocong got distracted for just a moment, a few bl**d holes appeared in his arms and legs, causing him to cry out in pain.
Si Yan turned around and realized that if they kept stalling like this, Li Xiaocong would definitely be in danger.
She hadn’t wanted to act this way, but there was no room for hesitation now.
Grinding her teeth, her slender body began to swell rapidly, transforming into a huge silver fox.
Even crouched down, there were still three meters from her feet to the top of her head; her body was around ten meters long, excluding her tail.
As long as she could save Li Xiaocong, even if he abandoned her afterward, she would accept it.
“Roar!”
The roar of the silver fox echoed through the skies.
Players who were preparing to leave the Law Enforcement Hall’s perimeter suddenly halted in their tracks, amazed.
“A monster beast! It’s a monster beast!”
“Oh my gosh, so it turns out the Heavenly Sword Sect is hunting a monster beast. No wonder they won’t let us through.”
“Quick, let’s go live!”
“Wow, never thought we’d get to witness the hunt for a monster beast in real time, haha!”
“Wait, what’s the connection between the guy who posted for help and the monster beast?”
“Who knows? Maybe he’s already been gobbled up by it.”
The players were abuzz with excitement.
But in the next second, when a massive shadow soared across the sky, blocking half the moon, they realized how high that monster beast could jump.
Was it trying to escape?
