Scourge Messenger

Chapter 266 Dissatisfaction and Heartstrings

Upon seeing the tombstone and the city wall of the military town, Yan Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

After traveling for three days straight, we finally arrived at this place.

But unlike the lax security in Heisei, Tombstone Town was heavily guarded, with guards at the gates all wearing demon masks, and archers patrolling the city walls.

Infiltrating during the day was too difficult, so Yan Qing found a dark corner and stuffed both 'Yan Shiyi' and 'Ye Si' inside, planning to act at night.

That's right, 'Banquet Eleven'.

Yan Qing's new alternate account is not a new member of the Zodiac Guardian Gods, but rather a return to the original numerical sequence.

Because this is a low-level account that is destined to die suddenly.

Knowing that the Tombstone Forest was a dungeon inhabited by corpse demons, Yan Qing began contemplating how to destroy it. Creating an alt character was inevitable, because the greater the level difference, the more Calamity Karma Yan Qing could obtain. The question was, which alt character should Yan Qing create?

This is not the time for Yan Qing to take care of his XP system; even casualness is not an option, because any alt accounts in the Destruction Secret Realm will inevitably be regarded as successors of the Cataclysm. Judging from the attitude of Master Suolong, it is clear that the locals have never been very polite to successors of the Cataclysm. The weak ones are tied up in the basement and put to sleep for training, while the strong ones are considered demonic thieves and can be killed by everyone.

In other words, this alt account is definitely a one-time use account. Reusing it carries a very high risk, which is no different from drawing everyone's hatred to the maximum. Therefore, it must be deleted after use. At the same time, Yan Qing does not intend to hide the identity of the alt account, because he plans to pull off a big heist this time. Bingzi Jiaolin will definitely be used, and hiding it is meaningless. Everyone will know that the successor of the natural disaster is highly related to the thief Huang Quan.

Finally, Yan Qing came up with a perfect answer: a masked alt account.

Firstly, he doesn't need to put much effort into character creation; secondly, the masked alt won't attract attention in the initial stages; and thirdly, he quite likes this bandaged monster look.

Jiang Shi and Rabbit Girl went to the Murong family. Because they traveled with Gai Louxian and the others, they stopped and started along the way, so their speed was naturally not as fast as Yan Shiyi and Ye Si, who could travel day and night. They are still on the road.

The reason for this team division is that Yan Qing's plan requires at least two smaller teams to work together to maximize the benefits. However, this operation is very risky, and there is a possibility that the smaller teams will all die and there will be no benefits. Such an important task should naturally be entrusted to Ye Si, the number one warrior under Yan Qing.

It was almost noon when Yan Qing opened the Treasure Pavilion and listed today's items. His most profitable item now wasn't the advanced sword technique manual, nor the Seven Star Sword, but the "Flame Pattern Seven Star Sword"!
When Yan Qing achieved the "Famous Throughout the Three Mountains" milestone, the immortal item "Basic Sharpening Stone" was upgraded to "Intermediate Sharpening Stone," resulting in a significant leap in its effects: the 'Sharpening' effect no longer restores durability but instead increases maximum durability; the fire damage provided by 'Flame Pattern' is doubled.

More importantly, the "Intermediate Sharpening Stone" works on swords below the fourth rank, no longer limited to white iron straight swords!

When Yan Qing first sold the "Flame Pattern Seven Star Sword" the day before yesterday, it fetched a high price of nearly 200,000 spirit jades. The Seven Star Sword was already a good rare longsword, and with the added flame pattern damage, it could even be considered a 'minor rare treasure'.

Seeing that it was almost time, Yan Qing wrapped her bandages and went out to eat.

……

...

Are you looking forward to it?

During the meal, Shang Xinlei suddenly asked a question.

Yan Qing hesitated for a moment, then pondered, "You figured that out? We're having blindness training today. I still remember the time you kicked my butt a few days ago. I'm going to get my revenge this time."

After three days of training, Yan Qing and Shang Xinlei were able to keep their eyes open even when pricked with needles. The next step was to carry out other training programs, with blindness being the most important. After all, there are too many ways to obscure vision, and learning the correct way to deal with loss of sight might save their lives sometime.

"What are you talking about? I never kicked your butt. How could you, a grown man, falsely accuse someone like that..." Shang Xinlei looked bewildered. "I was just concerned about you, really. You've been so down these past few days, but today you suddenly became cheerful and even ate with enthusiasm, so I was wondering if you were expecting something."

Yan Qing was taken aback and turned to look at Yao Shiyuan: "Am I that obvious?"

The pharmacist glanced at him and put down the large copper bowl in his hand: "A little bit, I suppose. During training, your gaze is often not on me and Red Serpent. I wonder what you're thinking."

It turns out they've been watching all along.

Yan Qing's mood can be summed up in one word: displeasure.

He didn't really care about the battle between the messengers. Seeing the messengers of Pingcheng Military Town being slaughtered and bleeding profusely, Yan Qing didn't feel much. Firstly, he wasn't familiar with these people, and secondly, he actually had a vague concept in his mind that 'messengers are players'.

Those who wield violence must be prepared to be destroyed by it; those who choose to pursue power and become messengers must accept the hardships they will face along the way. Do every messenger who gains power truly wish to benefit the world? No, the vast majority of them are simply pursuing greater interests, even Yan Qing is no exception. Security, power, freedom... the more you possess these things, the more others lose.

Since you crave peace and stability, don't blame others for targeting you in return for their own peace and stability.

Therefore, no matter how brutal the battle between the elite demons and the Pingcheng military town was, Yan Qing wouldn't frown. In his view, it wasn't much different from a battle between two player gangs; it was just dogs fighting. But seeing the ordinary people outside the military town, seeing them helplessly and unknowingly crushed into red mud, Yan Qing couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

He wasn't the kind of rebel who would rebel against society out of righteous indignation at the sight of others' misery, nor was he a revolutionary who would set lofty goals to change the world just because he thought it shouldn't be this way. He was a person who lived life to the fullest, and he could accept spending his whole life playing video games in a thief's house.

But he was still upset and unhappy.

Because he saw it, because he heard it, because he knew it.

If Yan Qing were just an ordinary messenger, even if he had absorbed all the Heavenly and Earthly Fiends and was approaching the limit of mortals at the third level of the Great Perfection realm, he would still have to endure this situation. However, Emperor Ying Le of Qi was a Foundation Establishment cultivator far above mortals, and a mere third level cultivator could not withstand her brutality.

But Yan Qing was more than just a messenger.

He's still a player.

The game console gave him the confidence to be kind, and also the right to be angry. Not to mention Ying Le, even a seventh-level True Monarch, if he wanted to, he could throw a punch at any powerful person, even if he was destroyed the next second.

In fact, these things have nothing to do with Yan Qing. Ying Rushi's compensation also allows Ye Sijiang and the others to continue their training in the second-level secret realm. He only needs to endure it and pretend that nothing happened. But as the saying goes: when playing games, you should play with a smile. Why endure it?
Since you've made me unhappy, I don't mind becoming a nuisance to you.

"If," Yan Qing suddenly said, "I were to do something that would be the biggest disaster in the world, something that could affect a great many people, what would you think?"

Shang Xinlei looked at him for a while and asked, "Will you be happy doing this?"

"Probably, because some people will get angry."

"That's fine then," Shang Xinlei said. "Why should I care about the others? I don't know them, I only know you."

Yan Qing blinked.

The pharmacist looked at Yan Qing thoughtfully: "Is it... inside the Zhou Kingdom? No, don't tell me." She shook her head again.

"If it would affect the Zhou Kingdom, would you stop me?" Yan Qing asked.

"will not."

Yan Qing was somewhat surprised: "Really not? Aren't you the one who cares most about the Zhou Kingdom?"

“From a young age, what I cared about wasn’t the Zhou Kingdom, but a platform where I could fully utilize my talents. The Zhou Kingdom was just a resource to me, but others didn’t use it well, which is why I’ve always wanted to take it over for myself.” Yaoshi Yuan said calmly, “Resources always need to be used. If you use this resource in your own way, of course I will support you. After all… you are my leader.”

"I trust your judgment."

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. One of them is a noble lady from a prominent family in Liang, and the other is the legitimate daughter of the Grand Chancellor of Zhou. They have been high and mighty since childhood. How could they be naive and innocent? In terms of moral standards, Yan Qing might be the highest in this room.

Even so, hearing their unwavering support, Yan Qing's heart stirred slightly, as if a string in her heart had been gently plucked, and dust began to rise.

"Are you relieved now? Hurry up and eat, we still have training later." Shang Xinlei urged, "I have an appointment with a friend this afternoon. I'm all sweaty from messing around with you guys and I need to take a shower. We'd better finish quickly later."

"Your statement..." Yan Qing's lips twitched, then she suddenly asked, "You really didn't kick me?"

"No." Shang Xinlei stared at him with wide eyes: "I'm not mentally unstable, why would I kick you?"

"Oh."

Seeing Yan Qing eating with a bewildered look on her face, Shang Xinlei chuckled inwardly. When she finished eating and was clearing the dishes, Shang Xinlei suddenly felt a slap on her buttocks, instantly straightening up.

"Yellow dog!" Shang Xinlei's face was filled with shame and anger.

"I've figured it out. Even if you hadn't kicked me, I could have kicked you!"

"You've got a big head!"

(End of this chapter)