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Chapter 64: I Want to Know
Yue Qiang was literally going to blow his top.
From the beginning until now, every main quest felt like there was some conspiracy happening behind the scenes. He retraced his memories once in his mind, and discovered that he had never received any filler quests such as hunting ten wild boars, skinning diseased wolves and making wolf pelts, sending letters and running errands etc. It was as if there was an invisible string that tied every quest together.
It was only when he saw the female corpse’s face that he realised that this string did not involve just the main quests, but the fitness coach he met in real life as well.
When Yue Qiang asked for the surname of the last generation’s Juzi of the School of Mo, he already guessed that this female corpse had a connection with the fitness coach who taught him his skills.
The reason for that was likeness.
Luqiu Duanyi’s appearance was uniquely beautiful, and she had a super recognisable figure to complement that appearance as well. It was very difficult to forget someone like her after the first meeting.
He could not say why, but the picture on the beast skin was extremely realistic and lifelike. It did nothing to conceal the female corpse’s beauty at all. Both the female corpse and the fitness coach was extremely beautiful, but the problem was that they were too much alike.
So here’s the question. Were they the same person? Could it be that anyone who died inside the game would escape into reality? Or…
Yue Qiang felt that his brain was getting confused.
He asked Ai Qian, “This surname truly is rare alright. Can you explain it in detail?”
“Luqiu is a surname from Zou State. Zou State had not existed for long, and it was quickly eliminated not longer after it founded itself. That is why this surname is so rarely seen these days. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Yue Qiang answered casually.
It was now absolutely imperative that he accepts this quest. While it might seem that the mysteries he needed to solve had increased in numbers as the main quests progressed, he had acquired just as many new information as well. With enough information, it was only a matter of time until he deduced the whole picture.
This was just like solving a difficult Sudoku puzzle. At first, one could only fill in the numbers tentatively through calculation and deduction, but once a third or so of the blanks had been filled and confirmed to be correct, then it was simply a matter of finishing the rest of the blanks smoothly in one go.
Ai Qian continued to speak, “I’ve made ample preparations for this operation. I spent a lot of money and outfitted an entire squad of soldiers with the latest armor, and I paid them enough to deal with all sorts of unexpected circumstances when the need arises. Young sir Yue, you are a tiger hunting brave, and your strength appears to be much improved from the last time I met you, not to mention that you’ve actually been to the Great Camp personally. You are the core strength of the entire operation. For this, I’ve even hired many, many beautiful women from the streets. At first, they were unwilling and reluctant when I initially took them in, but they were quickly subdued by my charm the moment they saw me. Right now, I am feeling both physically and mentally great. We can go right away.”
Yue Qiang glanced once at the disheveled bed behind Ai Qian. It would seem that a certain function of his was greatly improved after consuming all kinds of pills. He shook his head slightly and got ready to depart.
Behind him, Yin who had been quiet all this time suddenly picked up the exquisite beast skin picture from the table and said, “A School of Mo’s disciple is both disciplined and frugal. According to my knowledge, they would not accumulate wealth. If I may venture a question, are you sure this information is correct?”
Ai Qian paid no heed to Yin at first.
Yin’s current clothing was funny and completely out of place, and she was wearing the kind of helmet that could cover up her face entirely. She wasn’t tall either, so she had no presence at all following behind Yue Qiang. But the moment she spoke, Ai Qian’s eyes immediately lit up like a pair of light bulbs.
The first reason was because her voice was too pleasant to hear and attractive. The second reason was the sound logic behind her words.
The School of Mo might not be poor, but they were not a particularly rich organisation either. So where did this coffin filled with treasures that could rival a state’s wealth come from?
“The information is absolutely authentic, and the location just the same. I can guarantee this.” Ai Qian said, “As for the reason, perhaps the School of Mo had always been accumulating wealth in secrecy in preparation for some great movements? Of course this is just my guess, but there is no doubt that there is a treasure hidden inside the School of Mo’s Great Camp.”
“If you are this sure, then I will refrain from saying any longer. Now, my second question.” Yin asked again, “Just why did you wish to obtain this treasure? You are already extremely rich. Obtaining this treasure is at best adding to what you already have in the first place. Moreover, in the process of obtaining this treasure, it is entirely possible that you will be met with the School of Mo’s legendary traps and devices. You are a trader. Every choice you make is calculated on the basis of gains and losses. I wish to know the real reason that you would choose to do business at a loss.”
Ai Qian was utterly shocked by her words.
At first, he was simply surprised to learn that the person following behind Yue Qiang was a girl. Then, he was surprised to see Yin deducing so much information just from his words alone.
“Alright.” he said, “To tell you the truth, I’m just trying to find some excitement in life.”
Ai Qian circled around the square table once and took a close look at Yin first. Her eyes were the only thing that was exposed outside the helmet, and it was even shut tight. After staring for a while, all he could garner was that her skin was tender, and her eyebrows were picturesque. Then, he circled to the opposite side of the table and said to Yue Qiang,
“Do you remember? I traded you for 50 Progress Points. Now that I think back, I really shouldn’t have used it to unlock my memories. I might as well have exchanged for a few Libido points with the old man at the village.” He shook his head and sighed with a rather regretful look, “It’s a waste; it was all a complete waste. All there’s in the memories were pain, and the more I recall, the more painful I felt. Now it has even developed to the point where it became an actual headache. In that case, I may as well seek out some excitement and do something grand before my memories are completely restored.”
“Really, I just want to find some excitement in life.” he concluded, “Right now, the only thing that could excite me is bigger wealth and prettier women.”
He stretched out a hand and waved away the air in front of him as if he would chase off that painful feeling. He said to Yin, “Speaking of which, I am very curious about you. You are different from those normal people on the streets. In fact, you are rather similar to me. You seem to know a lot of things as well.”
“And you.” Ai Qian arrived in front of Yue Qiang once more and asked as if he was talking to himself, “You seem to be different from all of us. You give me a very strange feeling, and yet I cannot exactly say what it is that’s so strange.”
Yue Qiang did not say anything.
You feel that I’m strange? Well, that may be because that I am just a player.
Of course, he wouldn’t reveal this on his own. After all, while Yin might be able to guess that he was from a world outside the game, it didn’t mean that everybody else could.
“Before we depart, we need to consider carefully what we want to exchange from the village’s old man. So let us meet up at the entrance later.” Then, Yue Qiang led Yin away from the luxurious house.
Along the way, he asked the girl, “Why?”
“What why?”
“Why did you choose to come with me and explore the School of Mo’s Great Camp? You have no reason whatsoever to go.”
“What about you then?” Yin did not answer immediately and countered with a question.
Yue Qiang gave it a moment and answered seriously, “The world I’m in… has undergone an extremely weird transformation. I’m sorry, but I would like to keep it from you a little while longer. Anyway, I found a clue about this transformation from the beast skin picture Ai Qian showed us. I want to know what’s going on, and I want to know how to… solve it.”
He chose his words carefully and gave her his answer. Then he asked again, “So, what about you? You knew that it’s dangerous, and with a head like yours, even if you can’t recall what happened in the past, you should be able to live relatively safe and sound relying on your intellect alone.”
“Just like you, I wish to know.” The girl said seriously.
“It may be very dangerous, and I know that I may become as painful as Hui Shi, or slightly mad like Ai Qian. But I still want to know.”
“I just, want to know.” she said.
Firm determination leaked from her indifferent tone.
