Sword Among Us

There were many ways for players to affect an NPC’s actions in World of Martial Arts!

The most direct one was to hurt them. The players could control and hurt the NPCs, but they could usually only do this to some nameless bandits. It was very hard for them to do this to some of the more reputable martial artists, much less the famous ones.

The slightly higher-class way to affect them was to gather affection.

By continuously doing quests, players could move on from the status of indifference, wariness, or hostility into acceptance, and when their affection reached the max, the NPCs would come to trust them.

The greater the affection was, the more the player could affect the NPC and even get some hidden quests. At that moment, it was the path that countless players chose.

It was because of how hard it was to gather the affection of a powerful martial artist that everyone in the area knew that it was a huge loss for Happy to cast away Zhou Zhiruo so resolutely. After all, she was not a normal NPC in World of Martial Arts. She was the sect leader of Emei Sect, a famous martial artist, and even a major character in the main plot.

Even the people from Mu Clan and Class One Hall could not understand the reason behind Happy’s actions!

But from the way Zhou Zhiruo stayed where she was, they could clearly tell that the relationship between them had been completely severed by Happy’s words.

“What’s going on?”

When Monk with Thick Eyebrows saw Happy and his group leave into the distance with no hesitation, he frowned with a puzzled expression.

Blood Robes smiled coldly.

“No matter what, this is good news to us.”

Happy had been having an easy time in the game, and he definitely had his own reasons to fly into a rage like that, but Blood Robes was very happy to see Happy cutting off his ties with Zhou Zhiruo.

Dream Clouds agreed with Blood Robes’ thoughts, which was something rarely seen. Soon though, she spoke in a tone that was solemn.

“But we can’t cast aside the possibility that Happy wants to stick up to Zhang Wuji and Zhang Sanfeng by casting away Zhou Zhiruo. Don’t pay this too much attention. Once we go back, limit our branch members’ actions and tell them not to readily step into Changjiang River Basin.”

Blood Robes and Monk with Thick Eyebrows nodded quietly.

Happy had obtained the title of champion among the players in the martial arts tournament. His domineering and powerful strength had been displayed at full force, and if he gained another divine weapon, it would be the same as giving a pair of wings to a tiger!

The momentum of Mu Clan’s growth would definitely increase again, and their morale would go up by leaps and bounds, so it would not be wise for them to engage in any sort of conflict with Mu Clan.

“Zhou Yu, what about you?”

Dream Clouds looked at Zhou Yu. He had not said a single word since the time he appeared at Dragon Tiger Arena until then. He had been very quiet.

When he heard the question, he finally spoke, but his tone was very indifferent. “I won’t butt into any of the affairs in your hall. One Emperor will fight against Happy three months later. During this period of time, don’t bother me. I want to be alone for a while.”

During the day, he had gained an even deeper understanding of the distance between him and Happy, and it stirred up the indignation and reluctance to admit defeat in his heart.

Dream Clouds nodded in relief. “Alright, don’t worry. Just focus on training. I hope that the day will come when you will be able to wipe away the humiliation you suffered at the foot of Mount Song.”

When Zhou Yu heard Dream Clouds mention what happened that day, a faint hint of red shone in his eyes.

*****

The elites from various sects got into different ships once they left Hero’s Mountain Villa.

Thunderous Battle, Silver Wolf, and the others naturally got into the ship shared by the eight aristocratic families, but they had complicated expressions, and they could not get rid of their gloomy looks, especially Little North. He just kept mumbling behind them.

“How could this happen? Boss, you could have spoken to her nicely. You just need to appease a woman and things will be fine. Ah, no, I mean, you just need to act according to circumstances with the women in the game— Ack! It hurts! Who hit me?!”

He took a hit from Momo’s Throw Spirit Sphere and Wind Chimes’ sound attack, both of whom had attacked him quietly. Little North shut up then and summoned his zombie puppets to protect him while trembling in fear. He did not dare to casually say anything more.

Thunderous Battle and Silver Wolf were more relaxed. Even though they could not understand Happy’s actions, but judging by how calm and at ease he appeared to be, they guessed that he had not done iot at random, and neither was it a product caused by uncontrollable emotions. He should have his reasons for doing what he did.

Naturally, Happy had his reasons for acting like he had!

Even though Zhou Zhiruo’s affection for him had decreased, because he mentioned the past, they had returned to the peak. However, that just strengthened Happy’s intention of breaking ties with her.

One person he could not recall had done something similar in his previous life.

It was possible for players to affect a World of Martial Arts NPC’s words and actions by breaking ties with them.

Such an action was rather similar to a government official taking a risk of offending their ruler just so that they could hear their words, but the price for it was everything that the official had worked for in the past.

The player had to use their words to shock an NPC, which would make them reflect on their actions. It would use up all of their affection in one go to change the NPC slightly, which might sound ridiculous, but it was possible.

And it was what Happy had done!

He believed that he had contributed in helping Zhou Zhiruo get to her position as a sect leader. On top of that, they shared a harmonious relationship which was above that of casual friends.

Their affection was incredibly strong and clear, and it had already surpassed everything that Happy had shared with any NPC in his previous life.

When he said that he wanted to break ties with Zhou Zhiruo, he clearly conveyed his intention. He wanted Zhou Zhiruo to think back on Mistress Annihilation’s wish and face herself once more, then place most of her attention on Emei Sect.

Happy had a bit of a scheme set up in those break up words that others could not understand.

Besides, no one knew that he had not lost anything, because the results could not be seen. Only he had received a notification from the system, which told him that Zhou Zhiruo reflected on herself and led the Emei Sect disciples back to Emei Mountain.

This meant that Happy had completed both the first and second stages of the Wudang Sect Nine Yang Skill quest that Zhang Sanfeng had given him.

‘I finally completed the quest.’

At the moment Happy received the system notification, he did not sense any joy. Instead, after a brief surge of emotion, his heart quickly calmed down, and he felt relieved.

He finally obtained the most unimaginable Wudang Qi Cultivation Technique spoken of only in legends.

Because of it, not only had his worries about Guo Jing’s request disappeared, he did not need to constantly worry about the evil cult’s Shadow Assassin lurking in the dark and bothering him. He also did not need to worry that he would not be able to obtain Nine Yang Divine Skill before he fought against One Emperor.

He had finally completed… his most difficult quest!

As long as he returned to Wudang Sect and received Wudang Sect’s Nine Yang Skill from Zhang San Feng, all he needed to do next was to focus on training and make preparations for the battle three months later against One Emperor.

When he thought about that, a faint smile appeared on his lips. The corners of his lips curled up further and further, and he could not help it.

“HAHAHAHA!”

Happy’s wild laughter could be heard on the river that was shrouded by white fog.

Silence reigned among the other players.

Little North, Thunderous Battle, and the others watched Happy move to the stem of the ship and face the wind. They were all baffled and unable to understand why Happy would suddenly act in such an abnormal manner.

But within Happy’s laughter, they could still sense a bold confidence and joy. They moved to stand behind him without saying anything to interrupt him.

The Murong Clan Lady stared at Happy’s back (his in-game character had grown slightly taller after the martial arts tournament). Her eyes sparkled, and there was a contemplative expression on her face. She seemed to have thought of something.