Wei Shu went up to Yue Qing and tried to strike up a conversation, but Yue Qing ignored her and just kept saying that she wanted to eat the pastries from Yidian Su near the city gate. Wei Shu had no choice and thought that she might have to go buy the pastries in order to move forward.
Song Que looked around. The breeze blew by, barely making the branches on the wall sway. He stepped forward and asked, “Since Miss Yue Qing wants to have pastries from Yidian Su, why not come with us? The competition outside is still going on, and it seems like it will be some time before there’s any outcome.”
For the first time, Yue Qing raised her head and looked at the two of them properly. Wei Shu felt somewhat dissatisfied, yet secretly convinced.
Song Que observed Yue Qing’s expression, noticing that she seemed somewhat tempted, yet also hesitant. She stood up unconsciously.
At that moment, Song Que felt gazes coming from eight people. There were eight people guarding this small yard.
Yue Qing seemed to have sensed it as well. Without saying a word, she sat back down and stopped paying attention to Song Que and Wei Shu.
Wei Shu didn’t know what had happened. Seeing that Yue Qing didn’t respond again, she decided to go buy some pastries.
Song Que stopped her, pulled her out of the backyard, and said, “There are people guarding this yard, all of them are experts.”
This game was very suitable for Song Que to stretch his muscles. His quality points thawed very quickly. Although it could not directly affect his body in the game, it did enhance his senses and strengthen his intuition.
The trust that had been cultivated over this period of time made Wei Shu not doubt Song Que’s words. Although she was a little curious about how he knew, she did not ask. Instead, she only asked: “Why are there guards? Could there be a conspiracy behind this martial arts competition?”
Song Que nodded and said, “A novel guess. based on the martial arts contest for marriage, where the protagonist is unwilling to participate personally and shows no care for the outcome, as well as the courtyard being guarded by multiple people, I am more inclined to believe that Yue Qing already had a lover, and the master of your manor doesn’t approve and is trying to break them apart. The pastry shop, Yidian Su, is likely where you’ll find clues about another protagonist.”
Wei Shu’s eyes lit up and she said, “Then why aren’t we leaving right now?”
Song Que said helplessly: “We’ll split up. I’ll go to the city gate to have a look, and you can ask around the manor to see if anyone knows Bai Qin.”
As soon as Wei Shu entered Yuelun Manor, she interacted with all the NPCs in the manor. Most of the characters could only repeat a few fixed lines of dialogue.
Song Que said: “It may be because you didn’t get the keywords. For example, the name Bai Qin’s name might be a keyword that can trigger new dialogues.”
Wei Shu accepted this explanation, waved her hand and said, “Alright, then you go run your errand, and I’ll stay here to gather information.”
Song Que couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the way she was carrying everything herself. Song Que went to Yidian Su at the city gate. There were not many people in the pastry shop. He observed that except for a few beggars by the wall across the street, no one stayed nearby for a long time.
Song Que suddenly had an idea and asked the pastry shop owner, “Boss, I heard that the young lady from Yuelun Manor particularly likes your pastries. Do you know which ones are her favorites?”
The moment Song Qi sensed the attention, he turned around swiftly and met the eyes of a beggar. The beggar was stunned for a moment and then lowered his head, as if it had been just an accident.
Song Que bought several expensive pastries under the enthusiastic recommendation of the owner, and walked up to the beggar. When he got closer, Song Que found that beneath the dirt and disheveled appearance, the beggar had a face very similar to the male protagonist, handsome beyond comparison.
Song Que also smelled a distinct odor. He frowned and said, “The wounds on your body are festering.”
The man looked up at him, shifted to the side awkwardly. Song Que discovered that both of his legs seemed to be broken.
Song Que squatted down, opened the pastry box, and asked, “Would you like some?”
The man still had his guard up. He just stared at the pastries without making a move.
Song Que was the first to pick up a piece and eat it. This pastry has a buff state and tastes good, at least enough to justify its price. Song Que said: “These pastries are all very expensive, so I guess the owner lied to me. None of them are the ones Miss Yue Qing likes, they’re just simply overpriced.”
The man smiled for the first time. His voice was hoarse, as if he had injured his throat. “You’re right. Actually, the pastry she likes is called Yunpian Cake, a very cheap and simple treat. But every time I buy it for her, she will be happy for a long time, like a child.”
Song Que asked, “What’s your name?”
“Pei Yunshan.”
Song Que silently repeated his name several times, then said with a smile: “No wonder, so that’s how it is. You must be Miss Yue Qing’s lover.”
Pei Yunshan was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, “Who knows?”
Song Que said, “You must be aware about the grand martial arts competition for marriage at Yuelun Manor, but you may not know that the protagonist of this competition can only stay in her own small courtyard, with eight experts secretly guarding the area. Miss Yue Qing can’t leave at all, she can only stay inside, reading and writing, looking at the line ‘Cloud light touches the footprints, mountain green brushes against the clothes,’ as a way to express her longing.”
Pei Yunshan suddenly straightened up and said, “You mean, she’s being imprisoned by her father?”
Song Que nodded and said, “It’s very likely. If you’re willing, I can take you to get your legs treated now.”
If an NPC’s legs were broken, who should be sought for treatment?
With a positive attitude, Song Que found a healer player. The player used several skills, and while Pei Yunshan’s health bar increased, his legs were still broken. Unsure if an NPC’s body structure was the same as normal people, Song Que, an old Chinese medicine practitioner, didn’t dare to handle it directly. After knocking on a doctor’s door, he deduced that the methods used in this game were reasonable in treating diseases, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Pei Yunshan was extremely surprised: “Young brother, you know medicine?”
Song Que had a basic understanding of traditional Chinese medicine and had dissected many corpses. He wouldn’t claim to be self-taught, but at least he had some experience with treating external injuries. The diagnosis given by the doctor earlier was similar to what Song Qi had concluded in his mind, except that the doctor lacked confidence in reattaching Pei Yunshan’s legs and asserted that only a very few renowned doctors would have full certainty in such a procedure.
Song Que guessed that the quest did not require Pei Yunshan’s leg to be fully healed, which was why there were no renowned doctors nearby Yuelun Manor. Unable to find the legendary doctor, Song Que had no choice but to step in himself.
Song Que nodded and started chatting casually with Pei Yunshan.
Perhaps because Pei Yunshan felt that there was nothing left on him worth scheming for, he began to open up and talk.
Pei Yunshan’s parents were escorts, and their last escort mission was to deliver a martial arts manual. Pei’s father and mother were of average skill, and seeing the appearance of the person entrusting the escort, they assumed that the secret book was not a very precious thing and should not be too dangerous, so they accepted the job to deliver it to Wuqiu Manor. However, on the way, they were ambushed, and Pei’s parents were killed, with the manual disappearing without a trace. Pei Yunshan investigated for a long time before he found out that his enemy was Bai Wucai, the current leader of the Nanjing Sect, and the eldest disciple of Nandou Zhenren, one of the Seven Masters of the Martial World.
The Nanjing Sect specializes in palm techniques. Bai Wucai was not only a master of palm techniques, but also possessed incredibly powerful internal energy. Although Pei Yunshan was very talented, his martial arts were all based on lower-level techniques that couldn’t compete with Bai Wucai. So Pei Yunshan traveled far and wide, seeking to learn from various schools of thought, hoping to create a style of martial arts superior to the Nanjing Sect’s palm techniques. Along the way, he has gained considerable insight. With only the last, overbearing sword technique left, he came to Yuelun Manor.
In this way, he encountered his destined fate, which also became his inevitable calamity.
Pei Yunshan and Yue Qing were in love, their hearts deeply connected. However, the owner of the manor, Yue Ping, believed that Pei Yunshan’s sweet words were merely a ploy to steal the secret martial arts and learn techniques to exact revenge. He forcefully separated the two, even going so far as to make a grand spectacle of holding a martial arts contest for marriage, firmly determined to marry his daughter off.
Pei Yunshan didn’t want his beloved to marry someone else, nor did he want Yue Qing to abandon her family and elope with him. After much thought, he came up with only one solution – to take revenge ahead of time.
As long as he could kill Bai Wucai and avenge his blood feud, Yue Ping would no longer suspect that he had ulterior motives.
However, his skills were still in their early stages, far from being fully mastered. Despite his determination to die in the attempt, he failed to kill Bai Wucai. He only managed to injure one of Bai Wucai’s arms , and ended up having his own two legs broken in return. He was extremely lucky to escape with his life.
At this point, Pei Yunshan let out a deep sigh. Now that he was in this state, he no longer hoped that Yue Qing would marry him. He could only stay in this city wall all day, listening to discussions of passersby about the grand martial arts contest for marriage, hoping to hear that she would find a good match in the end. His legs were ruined and his quest for revenge had become a joke. Once Yue Qing was married, he planned to find a quiet place to end his life.
He never imagined that he would meet Song Que.
Although there was anesthesia, the patient’s mood would still affect the surgery. Song Que steered the conversation in such a way that Pei Yunshan became completely immersed in his own story. By the time he came to his senses, Song Que had already started bandaging him up.
“Younger brother, is there no hope for my legs?”
The surgery lasted nearly two hours, and Song Que was drenched in sweat. He had been bombarded with messages by Wei Shu for eight hundred times. At this moment, he casually wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “What do you mean there is no hope? Just lie down for a few more days, and you’ll be able to start rehabilitation.”
Pei Yunshan stood there in a daze, unsure whether he should believe it or not.
They used the doctor’s supplies for the surgery. The doctor had initially scolded Song Que for fooling around, but after watching the entire procedure, he changed his words and called him a divine doctor. Song Que looked at the title he suddenly got and felt a little amused. As for Pei Yunshan, seeing the doctor’s reaction, he immediately knew the answer, his disbelief turning into wild joy.
Song Que paid the doctor’s fee for the use of equipment and medicine, and said to Pei Yunshan, “Do you want to go to Miss Yue Qing’s martial arts competition for courting?”
Pei Yunshan nodded. Knowing that his leg could be healed, a hidden hope began to grow. No matter what, at least he could see her again with his own eyes.
Song Que accompanied Pei Yunshan to the inn. With Song Que’s help, Pei Yunshan took a hot bath and his originally handsome appearance was revealed. He wiped his wet hair with a towel, when the waiter brought a steaming hot meal. Pei Yunshan suddenly said, “Younger brother, this great favor, Pei has no way to repay. I only have a martial art that I created myself. I wonder if you would accept it?”
A pop-up window appeared in front of Song Que:
「Pei Yunshan intends to teach you the martial arts ‘Moon Rising Cloud Gathering’. Do you accept it?」
Song Que clicked “Accept”, and a golden light emanated from him. When he looked again, the martial arts manual now contained a new technique [Moon Rising Cloud Gathering]. As long as he used his cultivation, he could activate the techniques below.
Pei Yunshan laughed loudly and then recited the mental method. Song Que listened carefully for a couple of lines and found it quite interesting. However, he didn’t use his inner strength in that way. He just listened quietly, then simulated it in his mind, extracting the essence and discarding the dross.
‘Moon Rising Cloud Gathering’ was an extremely ethereal martial art, focused on speed. When paired with a dual-wielded sword, it works remarkably well, creating a sense of being unstoppable and impossible to defend against.
Song Que’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he said, “Brother Pei, I can compete in the arena on your behalf.”
