Chapter 230: Give Me Some Face, Will You! (Second Update)

Fang Yue shook his head.

"Don't know them."

"Strange. I don't have the slightest impression of those two, yet they spend money so freely. Outsiders, that's for sure — just don't know when they entered the village. Such wealthy fellows, and yet nobody reported them in…"

She frowned slightly, biting her finger as she thought.

Fang Yue then said, "I'm quite interested in their identities too. If Captain Huo has any news, you can let me know later. If you need my help… I'll do my best."

When Fang Yue reached the last part, he paused.

He thought of the prophecy on the sheepskin, feeling the black-robed men were still too dangerous, and tried as much as possible not to get directly involved with them.

"Definitely have to look into their identities. Maintaining Mo Village's safety is part of our Captain's duty to begin with. Two people of unknown origin, hiding their faces — naturally need to check their background. By the way, you know the way, right? Go back on your own today. I won't be heading back — I'll wait here for those two to come out and question them."

Question them?

After a moment's hesitation, Fang Yue said quietly, "Then you be careful."

"Don't worry. Nobody in Mo Village dares show disrespect to the Captain."

Captain Huo didn't seem to mind at all.

Just as the two were talking, a luxurious carriage suddenly came racing from afar.

The crowd at the entrance scattered, and the Black Crow Merchant Group's guards stopped the carriage.

The carriage halted, and an old man dressed as a butler stepped out, glanced toward Fang Yue's side, and his eyes lit up.

After exchanging a few words with the guards, he walked toward the two of them.

"Captain Huo, good afternoon. May I ask — is this Lord Ye?"

Fang Yue was taken aback. Who is this old man? How does he know me?

Captain Huo beside him narrowed his eyes.

"Lao Zhao? What are you doing here? Where's your master?"

"My lord is waiting in the carriage. He ordered me to come invite Lord Ye aboard for a chat."

"Oh? Only inviting Captain Ye, not inviting me?"

"This…"

Cold sweat broke out on the old butler's forehead as he nervously lowered his head.

"I — I can't make that decision. Please wait a moment while I go ask my master."

"No need."

Captain Huo said with a smile, "Just have your master keep me company more next time. I happen to have things to do too and can't leave for now."

"Th-thank you, Captain Huo, for your understanding."

The old butler let out a long sigh of relief, then made an inviting gesture to Fang Yue.

Fang Yue frowned and looked at Captain Huo, but Captain Huo only said casually, "Go on, don't worry. His master is a Wanderer — you two should have plenty to talk about."

A Wanderer?!

Fang Yue's pupils contracted.

A Wanderer who can actually afford a butler — and seems to be of no small status.

Wait! Captain Huo seemed to have said she was on good terms with a Wanderer player — could it be…

Fang Yue quickly reached a conclusion in his heart, gathered his thoughts, and followed the butler toward that luxurious carriage.

As long as they're a player, no one is his opponent!

At least so far, Fang Yue had that confidence!

Following the butler to the side of the carriage, the butler stopped.

Seeing this, Fang Yue didn't hesitate and stepped straight into the carriage.

The light inside the carriage wasn't as dim as he'd imagined; the dim yellow evening sun poured in, illuminating everything clearly.

The interior was quite spacious, lavishly decorated, the fragrance thick and heady, calming the heart.

Inside the carriage sat a young woman, just past twenty, with delicate features.

She was resting with her eyes closed. Hearing the movement, she slowly opened her two phoenix eyes, and her vermilion lips parted slightly.

"Yese Liming?"

"That's me. And you are…"

"Wei Liang."

Just as he thought!

Fang Yue understood in his heart.

Captain Huo had mentioned before that she got along well with a Wanderer player called Wei Liang.

So when Captain Huo said the carriage's owner was a Wanderer, and Captain Huo's attitude was quite friendly, Fang Yue had roughly guessed the other's identity.

But… what does this person want with me?

"Sit down first. Although I bought the most luxurious carriage in Mo Village, a carriage is still a carriage — it gets a bit bumpy when it moves."

Saying so, Wei Liang slightly drew back the curtain and said to the butler waiting outside, "Lao Zhao, drive on."

"Yes!"

The old butler went to the coachman, sat up front, and soon the carriage began to move.

The curtain inside the carriage was drawn; Fang Yue lifted it slightly and looked outside.

The streets, the scenery around, were moving past.

Even though the carriage wasn't moving fast, the villagers, upon seeing this luxurious carriage, all stepped aside to avoid it.

A luxurious carriage itself was a symbol of status — nobody would want to invite trouble.

Letting the curtain fall, Fang Yue sat down opposite Wei Liang and asked, "Not bad — I really didn't expect a player to be doing so well in a big village like Mo Village! Really not bad! Can you tell me your secret to success?"

"Rich."

Fang Yue:...

Good, such a dull, plain, and unadorned answer!

"Uh... so, Miss Rich Lady, what do you want with me?"

Though the woman across from him was rich, Fang Yue wasn't unfamiliar with such people.

He ate breakfast prepared every day by Bai Xiaoya, another rich lady!

Added to his net worth of millions, his confidence was unshakable—he had no reason to be intimidated.

Yet in response to Fang Yue's question, Wei Liang merely brushed her hairpin aside and spoke coolly.

"I've known about you for a long time, Yese Liming, the strongest player in Gu Yue Cun, who single-handedly killed multiple anomalies, with depth of power beyond measure. You held the position of Deputy Captain, yet possessed the authority of a Captain—and now you've become Captain outright."

"I first learned of you through the forums. After learning about you, I paid to buy all the technique posts you published. I also followed every one of the exclusive interviews about you released by Jingse Studio."

Wait, wait!

What kind of statement is this?

Could it be... I've run into a fangirl?

Fang Yue felt a faint sense of pride.

But soon he sensed something off.

Though this fangirl seemed like a yandere, obsessively tracking every move he made, when she spoke these details, there was not the slightest emotional fluctuation—as if she were merely stating an insignificant trifle.

This... didn't match the attitude of a fangirl at all.

Fang Yue was still puzzling over Wei Liang's true position when she suddenly changed the subject.

"But you truly entered my field of vision through one of my subordinates. His name is Shao Ting. Do you remember him?"

Shao Ting?

Fang Yue felt the name was familiar, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall it.

Then, after a long while, he suddenly slapped his thigh.

"Oh! That's the player who wanted to become my disciple and got cut down by my blade! Let me be clear—I acted in self-defense!"

Fang Yue wondered: judging by her tone, she probably wasn't close to Shao Ting—she wouldn't come after him over a dead player, would she?

Besides, players die and respawn—it's not permanent. Wait twenty-four hours, log back in, switch bodies, and you're a new man again! Not like Fang Yue, who'd spent years cultivating his character.

Shao Ting hadn't even stayed in his village for a full day before he died.

"Don't misunderstand—I didn't come here on Shao Ting's behalf. He was just an insignificant person."

Oh... so she's not here to avenge her subordinate.

"Then... what exactly do you want from me?"

"I want you to kill someone for me."

Kill someone?

"Miss, this is Mo Cun—killing..."

"Five Fire-Permeated Leaves."

"..."

Fang Yue blinked.

It wasn't the price that stunned him—it was simply that he had no idea what a Fire-Permeated Leaf was.

"Judging by your expression, you don't know what this is used for?"

Wei Liang frowned slightly, eyeing him skeptically.

Fang Yue nodded honestly.

"How could this be..."

Wei Liang looked momentarily startled: "You're the top player in the game—how could you not know what a Fire-Permeated Leaf is?"

Cough!

That's specialization—my expertise is killing anomalies, not leaf collecting.

After a pause, Wei Liang pulled out five translucent, fire-red leaves, glowing like crystal, and said:

"Fire-Permeated Leaves are items that convert Black Ember or Black Stone into Fire-Ember or Fire Stone."

"When used to assist fire-affinity Heart Methods, the converted Fire Stone yields extraordinary results."

"Even now, after advancing so far in Mo Cun, acquiring Fire-Permeated Leaves cost me dearly—I bled heavily. In value, they're worth seven or eight Black Stones, but they're virtually unobtainable."

"I've watched your videos—every move you make ignites starfire into roaring flames. Your Heart Method is undoubtedly fire-affinity."

With this explanation, Wei Liang turned to Fang Yue, waiting for his response.

Fang Yue had to admit—he was tempted.

He cultivated the Starfire Heart Method.

Now, to train the newly acquired Flame Heart Method, he'd have to abandon his current one and start over from scratch.

He'd need to re-attain the Third-rate Realm of the Mortal Stage, then successfully break through to the Second-rate Realm to complete the transition.

Though his existing Starfire cultivation provided a solid inner force foundation, allowing for a swift transition, the process still required time.

With Fire-Permeated Leaves converting into Fire Stone for assistance, the results would be extraordinary—even though he currently didn't possess a single Black Stone.

After thinking it over, Fang Yue said: "Add five Black Stones."

"... You're really pushing it," Wei Liang murmured, frowning as she studied Fang Yue. Seeing he wouldn't back down, she gently crossed her hands on her knees, tapping her left back with her right index finger—as if weighing the offer.

Soon, she stopped, her voice cold: "Fine. I accept. Five Black Stones, five Fire-Permeated Leaves—in exchange for you carrying out one kill for me."

Fang Yue's heart leapt with joy.

Generous—no wonder she'd built her fortune in Mo Cun. Five Black Stones, and she didn't even blink.

"Then, who do you want me to kill? Let me say this first—I won't use my current identity to kill people. If the captain of Gu Yue Cun kills someone in Mo Cun and word gets out, that's no small matter."

"Of course I know that. If you trust me, I can have someone help you with a disguise."

"Disguise? Does it work well?"

"... Not really. It's similar to real-world makeup techniques. Even when I found the most talented person to study it, low-level disguise effects are still easily seen through—nowhere near as good as just throwing on a hood or a face wrap. But once the disguise skill levels up, it should be able to completely change one's appearance. After all, it is a skill."

Then I'd rather just use my Human Skin Mask.

"I'll figure out the disguise myself. First tell me—who do you want killed? Which clueless player offended you?"

Exactly. In Fang Yue's mind, for a player like Wei Liang to hire him, it had to be a PK between players.

And when it came to fights between players, Fang Yue had never been afraid!

But killing someone in Mo Cun still required consideration for Third Captain's reputation and Gu Yue Cun's name, so swapping to a different face would be better.

"Player?"

Wei Liang shook her head.

"No, among the players, none have yet grown strong enough to threaten me. Even the strongest under me haven't even entered the Martial Dao—they've only learned crude Martial Arts. Someone at that level, even the servants my bodyguards hired could already handle."

"... Not a player? Then who do you want killed?"

Wei Liang was silent for a moment, then spat out three words directly.

"Captain Huo."

Fang Yue:!!!

"Who?!"

"One of Mo Cun's three captains—Captain Huo."

"Are you insane?! That's a Second-rate Realm martial artist of the Post-Heaven stage! I'm not even sure I could take her—on what grounds would I kill her? And that's Mo Cun's captain! Do you know how big the impact would be, how sensational the commotion, how intense the reaction if a Mo Cun captain were killed? And besides... isn't Captain Huo your best friend? When she mentioned you, you two clearly got along well, and she doesn't look like the type to bully you."

If it were done at night, with the support of Night Breath, Fang Yue would definitely be confident he could kill Captain Huo.

But, on what grounds!

A mere 5 black stones and 5 Fire-Piercing Leaves, and you want me to do something this risky? The value is completely unequal.

This woman—does she overestimate her own abilities? Captain Huo is not someone she can deal with.

Listening to Fang Yue's words, Wei Liang's expression remained calm.

"I have no grudge against Captain Huo. It's just that my development has hit a bottleneck."

"What do you mean?"

"Throwing money around can certainly buy you a local merchant. But climbing higher—taking control of a village, becoming its master—is incomparably difficult. The only way to truly control a village is to have a captain in the village who is one of your own. Then, using that as a base, you can develop aggressively."

"What's that got to do with killing Captain Huo? You don't even have someone who can replace her. Even if she dies, you won't benefit, right?"

"I do."

Wei Liang held up one finger: "You—you're the one of my own who would replace Captain Huo."

"What? Me? Are you insane? I'm not going back to Gu Yue Cun?"

"What's so good about going back to Gu Yue Cun? I've seen the videos—Gu Yue Cun is just a small village. What's there that makes you so attached? Women? Cultivation methods? Or resources? I can give you all of those. As fellow players, we help each other, combine forces, develop together in Mo Cun, and we'll become the strongest players in the game, and the strongest guild!"

Ah, this...

Fang Yue scratched his head.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in killing Captain Huo, and I'm not interested in staying in Mo Cun either. As for being the strongest player, I already am. As for the strongest guild, good luck with that on your own."

Saying that, Fang Yue was about to get up, but Wei Liang hurriedly reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Wait! Yese Liming, think this through carefully. Right now, you are indeed the strongest among players. But as time passes and the overall level of players rises, can you keep up that fierce momentum, keep holding onto first place? Don't underestimate the heroes of the world. And if I help you, whether in the game or in reality, I'll go all out to support you!"

Fang Yue gently moved her hand away and shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't care about first place. I'd even look forward to someone standing shoulder to shoulder with me at the Xian, but there's just no one."

【Bullshit!】

Fang Yue:!!!

Enough! You pop up at a time like this! Can't you see I'm building my image as a lofty master?!

Give me some face, will you!!

(End of this chapter)