Chapter 35: The Assassination of Lord Yuanyang

Back in Dali, I found a quiet, secluded spot and couldn't wait to open the exquisite brocade box embroidered with a "Hundred Phoenixes Facing the Sun" pattern. The box, crafted from nanmu wood, was divided into two tiers. The upper tier held four emerald-green pills the size of thumbs, emitting a faint, refreshing scent of musk, all surrounding a dazzling, brilliant ring in the center. The dainty ring was pure white, its luster impeccable; it was precisely the pearl ring Princess Xiuling had spoken of.

I used a high-level identification spell on each item. The fragrant pills were high-level concoctions called "Clear Dew Pills," requiring level 35 to consume, granting a 5% resistance to wood-element spells, +150 MP, and +5 Intelligence. All four possessed identical attributes.

Once identified, the pearl ring seemed to have a subtle flow of water swirling within its band, a faint, elusive glimmer that made it impossible to put down. It was a gold-grade piece of equipment, level 30, granting +2 Luck, +4 MP recovery per second, and a 10% evasion rate, with a weight of 6. After I unequipped my Night Spider Ring, it immediately surged onto the Equipment Leaderboard, claiming the seventh spot.

The lower tier of the brocade box contained three skill books of different colors. The top one, shimmering with a faint, holy light, was a specialized skill for the Holy Witch class: "Light of Purification." It was a high-level skill requiring level 40, capable of dispelling one harmful, continuous spell effect (excluding curses) from allies within a 10-meter radius, while granting immunity to the dispelled spell for 10 seconds. It consumed 150 MP per use and could not be upgraded. Wow, this was a skill that any wealthy player looking to establish a guild would dream of. In chaotic battles, a dedicated Holy Witch with this ability could effectively neutralize enemy spell damage, particularly poison, greatly bolstering the defensive capabilities of one's own front lines.

The deep blue skill book, surrounded by a faint watery aura, was "Mana Shield," a high-level water-element skill. It required level 35 and was open to all professions. Excluding water-element spell attacks, it allowed the user to convert MP into damage reduction at a rate of 2 MP per point of damage negated. It could not be upgraded.

The final, golden-hued book emitted an oppressive aura that felt remarkably similar to the heavy, suffocating pressure I had felt from the Undead General: "Coercion." This was a high-level Warrior skill requiring level 40. It unleashed a powerful presence that forced creatures within a 30-meter radius to cower, reducing all their attributes to 95% of their normal state. It was ineffective against bosses or creatures more than 25 levels higher than the user and could not be upgraded.

Hahaha! I’ve struck it rich! Wealth comes from risk, and the rewards for my near-death experience made me laugh until I nearly collapsed.

"Sigh, look at that poor beggar, so excited over a moldy bun. Truly, 'behind the vermillion gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, frozen bones lie dead,'" a dashing scholar remarked with infinite pity.

"It's no wonder; look at his tattered clothes and disheveled appearance. He must have been starving for a long time. Why don't we give him a few copper coins so he can buy some buns to fill his belly?" the pretty witch beside the scholar said, brimming with sympathy.

The scholar feigned generosity, pulled out a tael of silver, and tossed it at my feet with a flourish. "NPCs are people too; they need basic necessities. Was it really necessary to design them to look like this? Being half-naked and sleeping on the streets, he’s bound to catch a cold or pneumonia. Shanshan, how about this? I’ll give him my guest room, and we can make do by sharing one room tonight."

The pure-hearted witch looked at the scholar with deep affection. "Brother Liu, you are so kind and compassionate! I can't bear to see it either..."

I truly couldn't take it anymore. I mean, my hair was a bit messy, my clothes a bit torn, and my appearance a bit haggard, but did that really make me a beggar? They were actually using the holy guise of "charity" to openly arrange cohabitation right in front of me—it was just too arrogant! I shouted at this pair of "compassionate" lovebirds, "Don't you think this is going a bit too far? I, a dashing, elegant, and unparalleled handsome man, am being painted as an abandoned NPC beggar by you—it's a grave insult to my self-esteem! Do I really look like a beggar to you?"

The two players, who had been busy weaving electric currents of romance, were clearly startled by the "beggar's" righteous indignation. After scrutinizing me for a moment, the scholar realized I was a player and said awkwardly, "Hey, brother, it’s a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding! My apologies for the offense; I just didn't see clearly."

The witch said shyly, "Well, sorry about that. But you really do look like a beggar, especially with the way you were clutching that thing, your eyes filled with the kind of terrifying greed only a miser shows when seeing gold coins. If you don't believe me, ask Brother Liu."

I was on the verge of a breakdown! Thankfully, my "Yellow Name" status had already faded, otherwise, where would I put my face? If any gossiping players had seen this, I could imagine tomorrow's forum headlines: "What Led to His Fall? Thoughts on the Former Top Expert Blue Bat's Descent into Beggary." Catching the pitying gazes of passing players, I looked left and right, and seeing no one I knew, I bolted at near-light speed. Thank goodness, thank goodness, Little Snow and the others hadn't seen me like this; otherwise, I’d never be able to hold my head up in front of those mischievous friends of mine again.

After repairing my equipment, I finally managed to make myself look human again. I took a moment to visit the appraisal shop, where the old appraiser stubbornly insisted on a 500-gold-coin appraisal fee. Although he stared at my Longquan Sword with the same intense, burning gaze a long-widowed man might cast upon a young maiden, he wouldn't budge from the 500-gold mark after I haggled him down from his initial 800. Once again, I deeply understood that knowledge is money.

With a flash of black light, the identified Longquan Sword left me deeply disappointed. "Longquan Sword Entangled by Grudges," a Purple-Gold weapon (growth-type), current level 33. One-handed attack 60-96, two-handed attack 114-188, attack increased by 15%, attack speed increased by 15%, critical hit rate increased by 5%. It came with the skill "Phantom Slash" (creates three illusions identical to the player; excluding the true body, each illusion possesses 30% of the true body's attributes. Duration 3 seconds, consumes 100 MP, cooldown 2 hours. Currently unusable). It also had the skill "Hundred Souls Soul-Stirring" (summons a mass of vengeful souls to corrode the souls of surrounding enemy units; those struck have all attributes reduced by 50% for 5 seconds. Cooldown 2 hours. Only usable by undead-type beings). Weight 70, durability 670/670.

I was extremely frustrated; both skills on the Longquan Sword Entangled by Grudges were unusable, and its usable stats were only slightly better than standard gold-grade equipment. I opened the Equipment Leaderboard, which had been updated after the bug incident, and it confirmed my fears.

Ranking:
1. Dragon's Guardian (Blue Bat), Gold Necklace, Level 10, Defense +10%, Luck +2, Skill: "Dragon Shield" (Summons a five-clawed golden dragon to form a light shield covering the user's entire body, granting immunity to all attacks for 10 seconds. Cannot use potions while active. Cooldown 24 hours), Weight 6.
2. White Jade Fan (Thirteen Young Master), Gold Weapon, Level 35, Attributes undisclosed.
3. Longquan Sword Entangled by Grudges (Undisclosed), Purple-Gold Weapon, Level 33 (Growth-type), Attributes undisclosed.
4. Helmet of Darkness (Western Chu Mad Blade), Gold Helmet, Level 36 (Growth-type), Attributes undisclosed.
5. White Jade Thumb Ring (Undisclosed), Gold Ring, Level 15, Attributes undisclosed.
6. Pious Staff (Taoist Priest Qingfeng), Gold Weapon, Level 34, Attributes undisclosed.
7. Goddess Necklace (Morning Dew Autumn Frost), Gold Necklace, Level 20, Attributes undisclosed.
8. Pearl Ring (Undisclosed), Gold Ring, Level 30, Attributes undisclosed.
9. Wandering Colored Ribbon (Butterfly Loves Flower), Gold Belt, Level 36 (Growth-type), Attributes undisclosed.