“If that old emperor dares to hold me accountable, I’ll ask him if he thinks my blade isn’t sharp enough!”
“Haha, Brother Ye, you truly are bold and skilled. I admire you.”
Although Shan Ren was praising Ye Shuangluo again, he was actually quite puzzled. He wasn’t sure if the seeds he had planted earlier had taken effect.
If they hadn’t, why would Ye Shuangluo suddenly react this way?
If they had, why did it mature so quickly? Shouldn’t it have only matured when the emperor imposed punishment?
Noticing Shan Ren’s reaction, Ye Shuangluo knew he had guessed correctly again.
This one was indeed trying to charm him into a confrontation with the emperor.
If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t tear off the facade right now, Ye Shuangluo would have gone up and slashed him twice.
On the way, Shan Ren kept probing, but Ye Shuangluo deflected each attempt with perfect responses, leaving no gaps.
Finally, they arrived at the capital.
Even though Ye Shuangluo had mentally prepared himself beforehand, he was still shocked by the opulence of the city when he arrived.
The city walls were made of jade, and the roads underfoot were paved with gold.
As for the city gates, they seemed to be made of diamond.
And this was just what could be seen from outside the city; who knew how many more luxurious and rare treasures lay within.
Dongfeng Village was only a thousand miles away, yet the difference was like two different worlds.
Just as Ye Shuangluo was about to enter this luxurious city to explore, a hand stopped him.
“Stop!”
The gate guard blocked Ye Shuangluo, looking at him with disdain.
“Are you from the capital? Without a residence permit, you can’t enter.”
After saying his official line, the guard muttered under his breath:
“The Emperor’s birthday banquet is approaching, and now all sorts of people dare to come to the capital to beg.”
Although it was muttered, Ye Shuangluo heard every word clearly.
He tilted his head slightly, looking coldly at the guard without saying a word, letting his killing aura wash over the guard.
The guard, enveloped in this terrifying killing aura, felt like he couldn’t breathe and was filled with despair. Was he going to be killed here?
Just as the guard was preparing his last words, a voice suddenly spoke.
“Brother guard, don’t be so rigid. The Emperor’s birthday banquet surely hopes to receive blessings from the people.
If only the locals bless him in the end, the Emperor might not be very happy.”
It was Shan Ren who spoke. Hearing the mysterious Shan Ren speak, Ye Shuangluo slowly retracted his killing aura.
The guard, gasping for breath, looked at Ye Shuangluo in fear and quickly said:
“Right, the Emperor said that if outsiders want to share in the joy, they can get a temporary permit for ten thousand taels of silver as a birthday gift for the Emperor.”
Ten thousand taels? This emperor must be crazy for money. The city walls and gates must have been built from the people’s hard-earned money.
Ye Shuangluo certainly didn’t have ten thousand taels, so he pointed to the twins in the cage.
“I am a bodyguard, entrusted by a certain lord to deliver a birthday gift to the capital. Do I still need a temporary residence permit?”
“Even if you’re delivering a birthday gift, you still…”
Another guard started to speak but was interrupted by his companion.
“Of course not. You should have said so earlier. Please come in.”
No joke, there would surely be many more outsiders to fleece, but this person…
Recalling the terrifying killing aura he had felt earlier, the guard shivered.
How many people had this man killed? If they angered him, he might slaughter them all.
“By the way, the birthday gift I brought…”
The guard who had been intimidated quickly said:
“You can leave it here. We have many other gifts here, and someone will come to collect them later.”
Looking at the mountain of gifts, Ye Shuangluo shook his head. This world was truly rotten. The emperor was senile, and officials only thought about flattering him.
After delivering the cage to the pile of gifts, a system prompt sounded in his mind.
[Congratulations, Reserve Player, for completing Main Quest 1]
[Reward: 2 Free Attribute Points]
After confirming the quest completion, Ye Shuangluo didn’t hesitate and cut the reins binding the White Tiger.
“Big Cat, you can go now. You’ve worked hard coming all this way.”
If it weren’t for this White Tiger, he wouldn’t have reached the capital so quickly. It was a blessing in disguise.
The White Tiger roared loudly after being freed.
Finally, it could get away from this harbinger of doom. It was too much to bear.
Thinking about how its life was finally spared, its eyes grew moist. Shan Ren, surprised, said:
“I never thought this White Tiger had such deep feelings for Brother Ye. Truly a bond between master and servant.”
No, no, this big cat was definitely crying tears of joy because it was about to escape.
Ye Shuangluo looked at the big cat and suddenly bent down to whisper in its ear:
“Big Cat, although I’m letting you go, don’t do anything you shouldn’t. Otherwise, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I’ll find you.”
Although Ye Shuangluo spoke softly, the White Tiger had seen him go mad before and quickly nodded, indicating it understood.
After giving the White Tiger a final pat, Ye Shuangluo stood up and waved.
“Goodbye, Big Cat. Go back and continue being the king of beasts.”
Hearing Ye Shuangluo’s words, the White Tiger bolted away, not wanting to stay near this harbinger of doom for another second.
Watching the White Tiger run off until it was out of sight, Ye Shuangluo and Shan Ren finally entered the capital.
Once inside, Shan Ren laughed heartily:
“This time, I really owe it to Brother Ye. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for a country bumpkin like me to come up with ten thousand taels.”
“A small matter, not worth mentioning.”
“Haha, Brother Ye, you truly are a remarkable person. Traveling with you has been worth it.
But it seems it’s time to part ways, Brother Ye. Let’s say our goodbyes here.”
As he finished speaking, Shan Ren’s demeanor suddenly changed, becoming ethereal and noble.
“Meeting is fate. How about this, I can promise Brother Ye one reasonable request. Tell me the next time we meet.”
With that, Shan Ren turned and disappeared into the crowd within a few breaths.
“Next time we meet…”
Ye Shuangluo had a strong premonition that nothing good would come from meeting Shan Ren again.
If possible, he would prefer not to meet again.
[Congratulations on completing the Side Quest: “Traveling Companions”]
[Reward: 4 Special Attribute Points]
So, the quest only completed upon parting ways.
After entering the capital, the side quest had remained incomplete, and he thought there was a bug.
Finally getting rid of the ticking time bomb beside him, Ye Shuangluo felt a wave of relief. He was alone again.
Honestly, he preferred acting alone, free and unrestrained, without any ties.
Thinking about it, the “Solo Guild Permission Card” from the achievement reward was quite useful.
It allowed him to create his own guild without needing companions or friends, making him appreciate how well his talents suited him.
Next, he found an inn and sampled some of the capital’s specialty dishes.
To be honest, the taste was quite good.
Unfortunately, it didn’t progress his “Gourmet Hunter” achievement.
By the way, the capital was indeed the capital; everything was expensive. Even a simple inn cost fifty taels per night.
The key was that it wasn’t much different from the inn he had stayed at near the Tian Nan Mountain Range.
But he still chose to spend the money. He didn’t want to sleep on the streets and truly become a beggar in the capital.
Besides, the money he spent was from robbing bandit dens, so he didn’t feel the least bit guilty.
Sitting in the inn’s room, Ye Shuangluo checked his attribute panel.
The side quest had rewarded him with 4 special attribute points, and he began to study them.
According to the system, special attributes included Perception, Elemental Resistance, and Tenacity.
Perception was an old friend, no need to elaborate.
Then there was Elemental Resistance and Tenacity.
For Elemental Resistance, he currently only had Wind Elemental Resistance, which was increased by “Wind Affinity.”
He roughly checked and saw that almost all elements—metal, wood, water, fire, earth, light, dark, wind, thunder—could be increased. One special attribute point could add 10 points to Elemental Resistance.
Finally, there was Tenacity, the attribute that excited him the most.
Tenacity’s function was simple: control resistance.
To put it simply, it was like having a super armor.
This attribute could resist various negative states, greatly enhancing survival ability.
If Tenacity was high enough, he could even continue fighting for a few seconds after his heart was pierced.
Don’t underestimate those few seconds; they could be enough to use a health potion.
In short, he was very tempted.
Ye Shuangluo’s gaze shifted between Perception and Tenacity.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and put all the points into Perception.
He really wanted to add the Asura Demon Eye to his skill set. Sorry, Tenacity, maybe next time.
But this time, whether it was because he added too many points at once or a qualitative change occurred, he felt dizzy after adding the points. He barely made it to the bed before collapsing onto it.
Leave a Reply