Chapter 16: The Three-Day Deadline
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[Shadow of the Cold Spring]
[Type: Equipment · Sniper Rifle]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Attributes]
[Attack Power: 15–20]
[Effect]
[Cold Shadow Bullets (Passive): Generates one Cold Shadow Bullet every ten minutes, dealing an additional 10 points of ice damage and slowing the target for 5 seconds. Maximum of 10 bullets; cannot be loaded with other bullet types.]
[Equip Requirement: 5 Spirit Points]
“No wonder it’s called Cold Shadow; it’s because of this weapon,” Chu Danqing finally understood why Cold Shadow was a member of the Dragon-Tiger Alliance.
Cold Shadow obtaining an excellent-grade weapon during the Apostle trial testifies to his considerable potential.
How he got it is none of the Alliance’s concern; being able to acquire it is his skill.
“The question now is, how to use this sniper rifle?” Chu Danqing, having never handled firearms before, pondered.
He had seen them in videos and movies, but watching doesn’t equate to mastery—otherwise, everyone would be a top student just by reading.
For now, he would put it aside and try it gradually when the opportunity arose.
With Dabao’s help, Chu Danqing successfully removed the armor from Tie Yan.
“A set? Although Tie Yan’s reputation is low, it seems he’s earned some credit,” Chu Danqing mused. He didn’t believe Tie Yan could have obtained these two pieces on his own merit.
More likely, Tie Yan was always helping the Dragon-Tiger Alliance bring in new members in exchange for rewards; otherwise, why carry such a burden?
No matter how promising Cold Shadow was, for Tie Yan it was more a burden than a help.
[Xuan Iron Shield Axe]
[Type: Equipment · Shield Axe]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Attributes]
[Attack Power: 15–20]
[Effect]
[Balanced Offense and Defense (Passive): Defense +10]
[Equip Requirement: 7 Strength Points]
-----------------
[Xuan Iron Heavy Armor]
[Type: Equipment · Heavy Armor]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Durability: 100/100]
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[Attributes]
[Defense: 20]
[Effect]
[Heavy Armor Charge (Passive): Charge skills deal +10 damage]
[Equip Requirement: 7 Constitution Points]
-----------------
[Xuan Iron Heavy Armor Set]
[2-piece Set Bonus: Equip Requirement -3]
[3-piece Set Bonus: Not Activated]
[5-piece Set Bonus: Not Activated]
“Next time, sell these as a package,” Chu Danqing said. Neither he nor Dabao could use them, but that didn’t stop him from exchanging them for needed resources.
“These two pieces are probably the most valuable on Tie Yan.”
“So stingy.”
Tie Yan had other items on him, but none were equipment—not even ordinary-grade.
Chu Danqing had few pieces of equipment because he had just completed the trial, but Tie Yan was already an Apostle of the seventh trial. Being so poor could only be attributed to his low reputation.
“The gap between Dimension Apostles is indeed wide; Fierce Fist and Tie Yan probably represent the upper and lower limits.”
As for Chu Danqing, he was somewhere in the middle—not quite the best, but better than the worst.
If he swapped places with Fierce Fist, he wouldn’t be confident in becoming a commandant.
Before long, the coachman, hearing the noise, stopped and returned with the carriage.
When the fight broke out, the coachman had fled immediately.
Life is one’s own; fleeing is only natural.
“Chu Gongwei, are you alright?” The coachman cautiously asked, looking at the two corpses.
“Take these two bodies to the commandant and say they were the two Taiping Dao members who fled this morning,” Chu Danqing instructed. Dabao promptly threw the bodies onto the carriage.
“I’ll take you back then...” The coachman’s eye twitched as he watched the bodies land precisely in the carriage.
“No need. I’ll go back faster on my own,” Chu Danqing declined outright.
Dabao grabbed Chu Danqing and headed toward the Lu Mansion, moving far faster than the carriage.
Upon returning, the gatekeeper opened the door for Chu Danqing and immediately said Lu Yin was waiting for him.
Chu Danqing didn’t hesitate and went straight to find Lu Yin.
“Did something happen on the way?” Lu Yin asked, smelling the blood on Dabao.
Chu Danqing nodded. “Those Taiping Dao members were dealt with by me; the bodies are for that Commandant Fierce Fist.”
“It seems Taiping Dao really thinks our Yangxian Lu clan is a pushover,” Lu Yin said grimly.
This wasn’t just an attack on Chu Danqing; it was a slap in the face to the entire Lu family.
“Sit, things are becoming clearer,” Lu Yin said, inviting Chu Danqing to sit before continuing: “Commandant Fierce Fist will head to West Jiu tomorrow to eliminate the Unihorn Jiao.”
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Chu Danqing didn’t know where West Jiu was, but Lu Yin wouldn’t speak so abruptly—it meant this Jiao had something to do with Taiping Dao.
“And what about us?” Chu Danqing asked. He had no intention of hijacking the mission; Lu Yin surely had other plans.
“You go to the Southern Mountains to kill the Zhanji Tiger,” Lu Yin smiled. “This Zhanji Tiger is the manifestation of Zhongshi Qie.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Danqing immediately understood the cause and effect. “So the Unihorn Jiao in West Jiu is the Xiaoshi Jue?”
“Exactly.” Lu Yin confirmed. “Only the Taiping Dao Master’s disciple’s disciple, who is building his foundation in Yangxian, could possess such a Three Corps Slaying technique.”
“Perhaps there’s also a Taiping Dao Master’s disciple protecting him.”
“That miner, Lu San, seems to be their test subject.”
“His later death was likely an accident, not a deliberate plot,” Lu Yin deduced from the available information.
“Do you have any leads on this person?” Chu Danqing asked.
Killing the Zhanji Tiger and the disciple who was cultivating the foundation would definitely raise his rating.
Maybe there’d be good loot in the treasure chest.
“Not yet. First we eliminate the Unihorn Jiao and the Zhanji Tiger; then we’ll use the human demon formed by the corpse to force out this person,” Lu Yin said quietly.
Chu Danqing had little knowledge of the Three Corps Slaying technique; Lu Yin only knew it in general, not the details.
After all, it was a technique passed down from the Taiping Dao Master by the Emperor of Heaven—how could they know its secrets?
All they knew about foundation building was that it required killing the three corpses split from oneself.
One must kill them personally, not by proxy, and the three corpses must mature fully.
Only the human demon, the Unihorn Jiao, and the Zhanji Tiger had been detected; it would take more time before the technique could be used as a foundation.
“I’ll set out for the Southern Mountains tomorrow,” Chu Danqing decided, hoping to earn a treasure chest.
“No rush; it can be done within three days. This Zhanji Tiger is no ordinary foe,” Lu Yin did not press.
Meanwhile, the Paradise issued a hidden mission:
[Hidden Mission: Kill or assist in killing the Zhanji Tiger within three days]
[Trial Difficulty: Grade C (Adventure)]
[Trial Reward: 2000 Paradise Points, +2 Attribute Points]
[Trial Failure: Lose 4000 Paradise Points, Forced Return]
[Accept? Yes/No]
Chu Danqing accepted immediately and said, “No need to trouble Xie Gongwei; Dabao and I are enough.”
“Besides, the mansion needs Xie Gongwei to stay, to prevent Taiping Dao from acting recklessly.”
His words were not mere excuses; such a situation was indeed possible.
In the wicked path of the Tao, retaliation was to be expected.
Whether Taiping Dao was at fault first was another matter—if they had such insight and generosity, would they have casually sacrificed a miner?