Sword Among Us

When Evil King and Empress Yin came over here to entrust their disciples to Happy and when Happy looked as if he was about to draw his sword and start fighting, Osaya and the old zither player just watched by the side. They did not interfere or join the conversation.

However, both sides ended up ending the conversation peacefully in the end. Evil King and Empress Yin happily left Wan Wan and Hou Xibai behind while they flew together over the mercury moat. This caused both sides to be rather shocked, and they were even more curious as to what sort of method Evil King and Empress Yin used to make Happy agree to take care of the successors of Yin Weed Faction and Flowers Faction. He was practically taking care of his enemies’ disciples, after all.

When Evil King and Empress Yin left, Osaya looked away and turned to Happy.

“It seems like your burden has increased. How do you intend to deal with these two?” As she spoke, she used her soft and pretty chin to gesture a little at the pitiful-looking Wan Wan.

Both of them were born with a coquettish air. It was not strange for Osaya to put more of her attention on Wan Wan.

However, Hou Xibai was a little more pitiful. He was the successor of Flowers Faction, and he was the Womanizer who had been famous in the Chinese plains for a long time for getting a lot of women to fall in love with him. He might feel really terrible to have someone like Osaya ignore him.

But he was currently under Happy’s care, so Hou Xibai could only suppress all his anguish in his heart. He wrapped his fist in his hand and said pleasantly, “Before my master left, he told us that we are to listen to all of your instructions while we cross over the moat. If you require my assistance, please tell me, Young Swordsman Happy.”

“It’s the same for me.” When the little witch was injured, the bewitching presence on her body became even stronger. Her voice was timid, making people to be unable to help but pay more attention to how delicate she was, and they would feel as if some part of their soul had been taken by Wan Wan.

“Osaya, you don’t have to be responsible for us right now. Head over.”

Happy did not immediately answer them, because he was currently feeling a little anxious about Thousand-faced Human Fox’s identity. He did not have the time to explain it.

She cast Happy a deep look. Then, Osaya nodded. She did not continue getting to the bottom of things.

“Mister Zither Player?”

“Miss Osaya, please go on ahead. I, too, have certain things I would like to speak to Young Swordsman Happy about. I will join you later.” The old zither player bent his back.

When she heard this, Osaya instinctively looked at the group of barbarians behind the old zither player. She subconsciously frowned, but she said nothing else. She just jumped over the mercury moat.

But the old zither player’s words caused Happy to feel a little helpless.

“Mister Zither Player, when you said that you had something to discuss with me, were you thinking about asking me to…? I really can’t do anything about this.” When he said this, Happy cast a troubled look at the group of barbarians behind the old zither player. What he was trying to convey was now incredibly clear.

They could talk, but please, do not try to hand over his disciples to him!

He already felt really troubled with two people in tow. If the old zither player did this to him as well, he might as well end up opening a nursery.

The old zither player smiled in an anguished manner.

“I have not been acquainted with you, and I don’t have any bargaining chips with me to have you help me. Naturally, I will not be as foolish as to ask you to risk your life to help my children. But I do have one request. If you do have a way to cross the mercury moat, please allow me to follow you with my children, and we are willing to listen to your instructions.”

“Oh?”

Happy was tempted when he heard this.

This was actually something good.

He had just asked Osaya to leave. He did not expect that the old zither player would immediately come forward with the intention to risk everything for his children.

But this was not strange either.

The old zither player could be said to have given a lot of care to his subordinates on his way here. He took care of them in all aspects. Right now, the mercury moat stood in front of them. It was not impossible for the old zither player to work with him for the sake of bringing the surviving children away from the desert palace.

Based on the old zither player’s performance along the way to this place, Happy could sense that the old zither player was different from Evil King, Bi Xuan, and the others.

But there was something he had to verify carefully.

Without corresponding rewards, Happy did not want to do any meaningless charity work, even if the old zither player had an illustrious status.

“Mister Zither Player, are you saying that during the period of time we’re crossing the mercury moat, you will all listen to my instructions?”

“Of course not.” The old zither player was an experienced person. He immediately managed to decipher the hidden meaning in Happy’s words. He said slowly, “I no longer hold any hope to the treasures in the desert palace. That’s why, as long as you are able to bring my children away from the desert palace, during the period of time we are in the desert palace, I am willing to listen to your instructions.”

“Mister Zither Player, you’re too courteous, I don’t have the ability for you to regard me with such importance…”

“Heh.” The old zither player chuckled. “You earned it with your power that injured the alliance master of Heaven and Earth Alliance, with how you managed to make Osaya listen to you, and with how Evil King and Empress Yin are wary of you and are willing to hand over their successors to you. A normal person will have a hard time doing the last thing, but you managed to make Evil King and Empress Yin do it.”

“Mister Zither Player, you praise me too much. In truth, with your strength, you can absolutely obtain the treasures from the desert palace. Right now, I find it really regretful because you’re giving up halfway.”

“Haha, my young friend, please stop trying to get information out of me. In truth, this time, when the desert palace appeared in the world once more, I never expected that so many heroes would show up. Besides, I came here because I just wanted to see what sort of secrets were hidden in the desert palace before I returned to heaven.”

Happy had a thought appear in his head.

Wan Wan and Hou Xibai’s expressions changed at the same time. However, they did not say anything, because their current statuses and positions were different from when they were outside.

“Secret?”

Happy naturally saw the changes on their expressions, and he was a little shocked.

“Mister Zither Player, what you said is really interesting. Everyone knows about the treasures in the desert palace, and the place is known everywhere. Why do you think there is a secret hidden in this place instead of a treasure?”

The old zither player seemed to have realized that he had slipped. He was stunned for a moment. Then, he smiled wanly.

“Young Master Happy, you can’t possibly tell me that you haven’t suspected things even now…

“There are ancient Black Sandstorm Scorpions here, forty-nine high-grade divine weapons with magnetic fields infused in them,and a large number of divine weapons used to attack cities. These things are all treasures that are worth cities. I will be the very first to refuse to believe that there are treasures that are greater than they are in the world.”

“…”

Wan Wan and Hou Xibai had their expressions change this time.

Clearly, they had only begun to speculate that the desert palace might not just be housing treasures after they received the reminder from the old zither player.

But Happy became even more certain that Thousand-faced Human Fox was right after he heard the old zither player’s words. By the looks of it, the desert palace was truly sealing a very unique and evil item!

Just what was it…?

Just what item could it be that the trap masters of the place required such dangerous and deadly traps to kill the martial artists who came here?

The group of people in the hall fell silent.

Even though the old zither player did not continue with the topic, the people in the hall fell into deep thought and formed various guesses. They could not break free from this reverie.

After a period of time, everyone cast their gazes on Happy, even the group of martial artists left behind by Martial Paragon Bi Xuan. When they saw how highly Evil King and Empress Yin valued Happy and how the old zither player sought for his help, Happy’s image in their hearts instantly became greater.

“Ten Thousand Years.” Happy cast a deep glance at the old zither player, and he turned his head around to look at Thousand-faced Human Fox. He sent a private message to him. “Can we get over with so many people with us?”

When he heard this, Thousand-faced Human Fox immediately understood what he meant. His master had decided to work together with the old zither player.

No matter what, the old zither player was a peerless martial artist who was One with the World. With Osaya, that meant that Happy now had two of the eight people in the dao of heaven in the desert palace by his side. Regardless of what they ran into in the future, the chances of survival for their team would be much higher.

“The Ice Jade can solidify liquefied mercury for a short period of time. But that also means that when this effect is over, it will turn into liquid once more for the span of one breath. So, everyone will need to follow closely and carefully behind me. Before we reach the area of attack for the Fire Spitting Beasts of Clouds, we will be fine. We just need to be careful not to suck in any of the poisonous gas.”

Thousand-faced Human Fox replied in a private message.

This was why Happy had so confidently asked Osaya to leave. However, he was not certain whether the Ice Jade could take care of so many people.

When he heard this, Happy instantly sighed in relief, and he turned his head around to say to the old zither player, “I can bring your people over the moat, but how can I be certain that you will keep your promise…?”

“You—”

The barbarians behind the old zither player sounded as if Happy had broken a huge taboo. They looked agitated, and they glared at Happy angrily.

“Since we’re making a trade, we should speak as if we’re conducting a business, yes? We’re wandering outside, so I do indeed need to show a bit of my sincerity.” The old zither player brought out a black plate from his sleeves.

Happy quietly took it.

The black plate was rather heavy. He did not know what material it was made of. The faint fragrance of ink spread out of it. As he toyed with it, Happy turned it around to look at the plate.

Seven zither strings were carved into the plate. By the looks of it, it looked like a small, old, and dilapidated zither. It gave off a simple, unsophisticated air, and it made him feel as if it had been passed down for a long time.

However, the back of the plate was rather complicated. There were a bunch of numbers on it, and there were also a few brands by the side.

The brands were two defective palm prints, and added together, they only had six fingers. When Happy looked at them, he instantly found that this gave the plate a stern and solemn feeling.

“This is the brand of the grandmaster for Zither Sect.”

“Zither Sect?”

“That’s right. During the ancient times, the Go, Zither, Poetry, and Painting Sects led the righteous sects in the world of wanderers. But unfortunately, the talents in the four sects died, and we fell into decline. There are no longer many of us who wander in the lands. I am the current sect master of Zither Sect.”

“My apologies for my rudeness.”

When Happy heard this, he became respectful.

Of the Go, Zither, Poetry, and Painting Sects, he knew about Go Sect. They were the ones who created the exquisite Go game. However, they had since changed their name to Leisurely Sect.

As for Poetry Sect and Painting Sect? He never heard of them.

“You have the token of Zither Sect’s grandmaster with you, so you do not need to worry that I will break my promise. Once we leave the desert palace, you just need to return it to me.”

The sound of the system notification rose in Happy’s ears.

“Ding!

“You obtained the token of the grandmaster of Zither Sect. The person who has the token of the grandmaster may have all of Zither Sect act on behalf of your orders.

“You promised to help all the members of Zither Sect cross the mercury moat. Please send all of them over to the other side of the moat within fifteen minutes, or else, things will change if you stall for too long.”

When he heard the reminder at the back, Happy quickly remembered that whenever he passed through a trap, the trap before it would go through a shocking change.

Could it be…?

As he thought about this, ripples started appearing at the mercury moat ahead of him. It seemed like something under the ground had started swaying violently.

“This is bad!

“Master, it seems like something has happened in the direction ahead of us. We have to cross the mercury moat immediately, or else, when something changes in the mercury moat, we will not even have any place to hide!”

“We shan’t delay matters, then! We’ll move now! Ten Thousand Years, lead the way!”

“Alright! Follow me! Don’t stray too far behind!” Thousand-faced Human Fox put on a stern expression. Then, as if he was performing magic, he brought out a pair of gloves and wore them. A hooked-shaped Ice Jade was placed on the gloves. He held the snow-white jade carefully as it released an astonishing shill.