Sword Among Us

Aside from a Great Wolf Fur Equipment Set for Eastern Green Gate, Whirlwind Young Li, Azure Wolf, Qian Kunzi, Xuan Kun, and Xuan Zhong, the remaining one hundred and thirty sets were all given to Ma Liang, the merchant with an optimal contract.

Within less than two hours, all the sets were prioritized as goods to be sold first, and the entire set were all sold at the price of sixty-three thounsand taels of silver. The net profit went up to one hundred and fifty-five thousand taels of silver.

Aside from this, Happy also gave Ma Liang the Great Wolf’s Wolf Tendons and Wolf Claws and had him set a slightly lower price for them. Since Ma Liang decided to serve as his representative, Happy considered it a little bit of compensation for all that the merchant had done for him.

Ma Liang was incredibly excited. Due to the great sales, not only had he managed to build Treasure Gathering Trove’s reputation, but practically all the players in Gusu City now knew of the existence of his shop. Even when he finished selling all the Great Wolf Fur Equipment Sets, there were still players who would go into his shop to take a look, because they wanted to see whether there was anything else they could use.

“Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it. We’re working together, after all,” Happy said in a calm voice while standing under the signboard of Treasure Gathering Trove. He cast Ma Liang a profound glance. “Merchants are important characters that cannot be lacking in the world of martial artists. Work hard. Some day, your capabilities and influence might be even greater than mine.”

Once Ma Liang sensed how amiable Happy was, he no longer kept Happy at a distance. He stopped being as respectful as before and stopped wiping off cold sweat from his brow. An honest smile appeared on his face, and he gave off the feeling of someone who was sensitive despite being quite boisterous.

“Heh heh, then I’ll be a little arrogant and say that I hope your blessings will come true.”

Happy nodded. “The quest is drawing near. I won’t be saying much now. If we have the chance, we’ll meet again in the future. Let’s talk later!”

“Alright, see you soon!”

“Don’t need to see me out. I’ll be leaving now!”

Happy turned around resolutely.

*****

When he returned to Murong Mansion, the butler was already waiting for him with a group of the mansion’s best fighters. There were also a few armed guards standing beside a carriage parked on the street at the entrance of the mansion.

“Uncle Rong!” Happy went over to greet the butler calmly.

Uncle Rong came down the stairs with a smile.

“You came back at the right time. We’re heading to Beijing, and the journey will be long. It might not be peaceful. I don’t feel at ease with the brats escorting the goods for such a long journey.”

He paused for a moment before his expression became stern, and he ordered seriously, “However, this trip concerns the court’s wariness toward the Murong Clan, and it is incredibly important for the Murong Clan! You must send the tribute to Beijing on time and hand it to the government official who is in charge of receiving the gifts. Nothing must happen to the tribute before it is handed to the government official, do you understand?”

His final sentence was given to all the people.

“We understand!”

Six people answered at the same time.

Happy swept his gaze over the area and found that besides the fixed number of Gate Realm guards the system arranged for them, there were also a few familiar looking players standing beside Uncle Rong. They were all people who had joined the clan before or after him, but who had become disciples after Happy, so they had to be quite good.

When Happy looked at them, the three men and two women smiled and met his gaze.

“Eldest senior brother!”

“Senior Brother Happy.”

Happy did not say anything, but nodded in response to their greeting. Once he looked around, his gaze returned to Uncle Rong.

The man seemed to be very satisfied with the harmonious relationship between the disciples. He smiled faintly, stroked his beard, and said, “As long as you can send the tribute safely to Beijing, the clan will naturally treat you generously when you come back. However, the journey is long. This tribute will have to go through the boundary in Forest Union. If you run into any accidents on the way, go to the cities nearby and search for Murong Clan’s estates, then seek help from the person-in-charge there. Do you remember everything?”

“We do.”

“Then you may leave now.” Uncle Rong nodded at Happy.

With one word of command, the guard who was in charge of driving the carriage cracked the horse whip. It let out a loud crack in the air.

“Walk!” The guard sounded like a wild man when he shouted. The horse tied to the carriage started walking, slowly pulling the carriage toward the city gate.

The six people swiftly went to guard the sides of the carriage and moved with it.

There were plenty of teams like Happy’s on the streets of Gusu City, but when they saw the Murong Clan flag stuck on one side of the carriage along with the blue-robed figure in the group, they cleared the road conscientiously.

There was a young man with some acne on his face who looked very lively within the group of Murong disciples. He took the initiative to break the silence and introduce his fellow junior brothers and sisters.”Senior brother, this quest might take some time, and you still don’t know our names, right? Let me introduce myself. My name is Xu Lang.

“The one with the black saber is Junior Brother Ghost’s Worry. His name is scary, right?”

Happy’s heart trembled. He looked over and met the young man’s slightly innocent and alarmed smile and gaze.

‘Ghost’s Worry…’

He seemed to recall an incredibly powerful solo player from his previous life. But strangely, he could swear that the person had joined Barren Ghost Valley and mastered a terrifying martial art specializing in poison. Wherever he went, everything would die. So… he was actually from Murong Clan?

Before he could figure out the situation, Xu Lang pointed at a person with the appearance of a middle-aged man. He had a bow on his back and walked at the back of the group. “His name is Eleventh Crane! He’s a bow maniac, and he spent a whole week to completely master the Three Bow Fusion. He can threaten three people when he draws his bow. When we go out and train, we like to bring him along.”

Perhaps it was because of his age and experience, but the man only nodded faintly at Happy.

“Uncle Crane doesn’t like to speak, but he’s pretty good to us. Senior brother, you’ll understand it in the future.” Xu Lang’s explanation made Happy feel slightly at ease. Once he nodded back in greeting, the two junior sisters from the clan started protesting in displeasure.

“Hey hey hey, Xu Lang! Ladies first, haven’t you ever heard of this rule before? You didn’t begin introducing from us, and you even placed us at the back!”

“That’s right! You did it intentionally, right?”

The two girls were a little feisty. One of them glared at Xu Lang, and the other pinched his ears, terrifying Xu Lang so much that he laughed wryly and begged for mercy.

“Ow! ow! My two ladies, we have to give priority to those older than us! No matter what, I’m still your senior brother—Alright, I was wrong. I made a mistake, okay?”

“Hmph!”

“We don’t need you to introduce us, we can speak to Senior Brother Happy ourselves.” The feisty girl to the left was beautiful and a delight. With a huff, she let go of Xu Lang’s ear, and like an A-list actress, she swiftly put on a sweet smile and appeared in front of Happy.

“I am Orchid Research. Greetings, Senior Brother Happy. I hope that you can gain great achievements in terms of your martial arts and wisdom, and that you can conquer the world of martial artists!”

‘What the heck are you even saying?’

Happy did not know whether to laugh or cry.

The other female player arrived next to Orchid Researcher and stared at Happy with charming eyes. “This junior sister is Dawn Lotus. Greetings, Senior Brother Happy.”

“Hehe, you flatter me. I’m not worthy of such compliments. Please, just call me Happy. I’m really not worthy of being called senior brother.” Happy quickly put his fist in his palm, and his humble and modest attitude instantly won over the group.

It was especially so for Eleventh Crane. He was already in his thirties. He was an honest and thickheaded person, and it was truly a little hard for him to call a person who appeared to only be twenty years old his senior brother. When he heard the youth’s words, a smile appeared on his face, and he took the initiative to speak.

“I have long since heard that the Blue-robed Noble Sword User is not just powerful, but that you also have extraordinary bearing. You do indeed live up to your name. Xu Lang, you have to learn from Happy. Don’t always be such a goof.”