Chapter 26: Transition

Wang Jingyuan looked at Qu Yang, then at Lin and Yue, and remarked, "I thought this was the standard intelligence level for NPCs, but it turns out they are intentionally designed with varying degrees of capability. Hardcore, absolutely hardcore."

At this point, Qu Feiyan became indignant. "Grandpa!"

Qu Yang reached out and patted her head. "Be good, Feifei. What I have to do is extremely dangerous, and this time, I truly cannot take you with me."

Just as Qu Feiyan was about to protest further, Wang Jingyuan interjected, "There was once a notorious master thief named Li Sanguang, ruthless and unbridled, whom no one could touch. But later, he was saddled with a troublesome baggage-bearer. His rivals, being clever, realized that while attacking him directly was difficult, going after the baggage-bearer was easy."

Qu Feiyan understood immediately and stopped pestering Qu Yang.

Qu Yang turned back to Wang Jingyuan. "Does Young Hero Wang have any further instructions?"

"Tell me, given Liu Zhengfeng's martial arts, would he be in danger if struck by the Black Blood God Needle?"

"...There should be no threat to his life."

"Then go ahead and arrange it. Acting requires conviction to appear authentic. Don't be soft-hearted when the time comes; help him get into character."

"...I shall discuss it with Brother Liu first. Anything else?"

Wang Jingyuan stared straight at Qu Yang and said solemnly, "I must emphasize again: if we meet again, I will speak very harshly to you. I hope you won't take it to heart. After all, we are in different camps, and we are all just trying to make a living."

"I understand." Seeing that Wang Jingyuan had nothing more to say, Qu Yang bade farewell to the group and departed. Qu Feiyan did not cry or make a scene; she simply watched him walk away with reddened eyes.

Yue Lingshan and Lin Pingzhi also watched Qu Yang leave. Since Wang Jingyuan had not kept his conversation with Qu Yang private, they had been unable to interject and could only watch as he took in a "little demoness of the Demonic Cult." They remained in a state of shock, unable to determine whether Wang Jingyuan had merely been playing along to outwit the villain, or if he was truly colluding with the "demon."

After Qu Yang left, Wang Jingyuan mimicked his gesture and patted Qu Feiyan's head. "From now on, you're my temporary ward. I need to give you a new name. From today, you shall be called Shinichi."

Qu Feiyan slapped his hand away. "What 'Shinichi'? That sounds awful. My name is Qu Feiyan."

"Tsk!" Wang Jingyuan gave her a sidelong glance. "Do you want me to hire a troupe to beat drums and gongs, broadcasting the fact that you're the granddaughter of a Demonic Cult elder as we march into Hengyang? If we run into fellow martial artists, they'll only praise me for being thoughtful enough to bring a 'gift' to the Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony."

Qu Feiyan lowered her head, pouting, and whispered, "But 'Shinichi' is still terrible."

"Then how about 'Conan'?"

"Even worse! Why can't you pick a girl's name?"

Wang Jingyuan counted off on his fingers: "Yachun, Weiqi, Jiexi, Peike, Shengjin?"

Qu Feiyan was satisfied. "Yes, those are lovely!"

"Lovely my foot. Your current persona is just a poor orphan I picked up. Do you want a Mary Sue start? Look at our Junior Sister—she's just called Lingshan. Can't you be more low-key?"

Now it was Yue Lingshan's turn to be dissatisfied. "My name was given to me by my father. What's wrong with it?"

"It's perfectly fine, perfectly fine."

"Are you just humoring me?"

"Yes."

"You! Hmph!" Yue Lingshan stomped her foot and mounted her horse.

Wang Jingyuan called out behind her, "Junior Sister, please wait!"

Yue Lingshan turned back haughtily. "If you want to apologize, you'll have to say something nicer than that."

"Who said I was apologizing?"

"Then why did you stop me!"

Wang Jingyuan pointed at the horse beneath her. "Have you noticed we only have three horses but four people? Our luggage is on Junior Brother's horse, and given my size, if I share a horse with Shinichi, I'd have to ride while she sits on my shoulders—that’s too exhausting. So, I have to trouble you."

Although Yue Lingshan felt uncomfortable with Qu Feiyan's background, the girl was only fifteen or sixteen. She couldn't truly view her as the "Demonic Cult demoness" whispered about by the elders, so she reached out and pulled Qu Feiyan up onto the horse.

At first, she was determined to keep a clear distance, but before long, she was chatting and laughing with Qu Feiyan. After all, a sheltered young lady raised on Mount Hua was no match for a veteran "old soul" like Qu Feiyan.

Yue Lingshan was easily handled.

Seeing them deep in conversation, Lin Pingzhi quietly rode closer to Wang Jingyuan. He took a breath, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to start.

Wang Jingyuan spoke bluntly, "Just say it. There's no one else around."

Lin Pingzhi lowered his voice. "Senior Brother, when I left the Fuwei Escort Agency, my father told me the secret of the Bixie Sword Manual."

Wang Jingyuan understood. "So you suspect I castrated myself?"

Lin Pingzhi shook his head repeatedly. "No, I've noticed throughout our journey that Senior Brother shaves every few days, so I assume you haven't..."

"So you want to know how I mastered the Bixie Sword Manual without self-castration?"

"I would appreciate your guidance, Senior Brother. If it is inconvenient... then never mind."

Wang Jingyuan said nonchalantly, "It's nothing inconvenient. It's just because I am a genius. That's all."

He couldn't think of any other explanation. Should he tell Lin Pingzhi that he had a cheat code he couldn't turn off?

Lin Pingzhi pondered this. "I believe that if I could rely on my own efforts..."

Wang Jingyuan cut him off. "If you try to practice this without self-castration, the harder you work, the faster you'll die. Honestly, the only reason I can practice it is that I'm so gifted I can sneak in a little training before my internal energy realizes what's happening and goes haywire. Even that tiny bit is enough to improve my skills. If it were you—take the Huashan Sword Style as an example—if you were only allowed to practice for one breath a day, could you guarantee steady progress without regressing?"

Lin Pingzhi was discouraged to realize that Wang Jingyuan's success was due to such an unattainable reason.

Wang Jingyuan patted his shoulder. "Don't be so disappointed. You can still choose to castrate yourself. Don't worry, I won't discriminate against the disabled."

Lin Pingzhi shook his head like a rattle-drum. "No, thank you. I haven't carried on my family line yet."

Wang Jingyuan mused, "You could always do it after that. It's a quick-success technique, after all; good things are worth the wait."

Lin Pingzhi shrank back; such a 'good thing' was not for him. Then, he remembered another long-standing question: "Senior Brother, since you can practice the Bixie Sword Style directly, why do you shave so frequently? Aren't you afraid the fellow disciples of the Huashan Sect will misunderstand?"

Wang Jingyuan looked at him. "It's just a habit now. In the place I came from, shaving is a very important matter. Elsewhere, if you don't shave, people just think you're sloppy. But where I'm from, if you happen to be a sturdy man and happen to like wearing white socks, then failing to shave diligently can have very serious consequences."

Lin Pingzhi nodded, half-understanding, but seeing Wang Jingyuan's cryptic expression, he decided not to press further.

At night, the group stayed at an inn not far from Hengyang. Wang Jingyuan began his preparations, sitting at a desk and writing furiously:

*Everyone has their own misfortunes and their own happiness. Who is to say that one's misfortune might not be a form of happiness...*

*Zuo Lengchan, fifty-six years old this year, studied at the Songshan Sect since childhood, and is currently the leader of the Songshan Sect...*