For a whole day, Lin Zhao didn't take any other quests, just grinding levels in the northern territories. He rode his Snow Rock War Horse across the snowy plains, killing monsters in packs, until 10:30 PM. He was already level 62 with 99% experience, just shy of level 63. But there was no rush, as a single level difference made virtually no difference.
He returned to the city to rest and familiarize himself with the NPCs and layout of the main city. He couldn't just wander around outside indefinitely, as he would be spending time in Cloud County in the future.
...
"Swish!"
Bathed in the glow of a Town Portal scroll, Lin Zhao's figure landed within the teleportation array of Cloud County. Looking out towards the bridge outside the east gate, he could see clearly that no one was blocking it. It was good. Perhaps the arrival of the Young Masters had put too much pressure on them. Thus, the Azure Knights and the Flourishing Peonies were unwilling to waste too much time on the Crimson Moon Knights. Blocking the gates would require four gates, 200 people per gate, a total of 800 people to tie up Lin Zhao and Chen Xue. It truly wasn't worth it.
It was good. That invisible pressure was gone.
Lin Zhao smiled faintly, holding his Qinglu Sword. He was filled with confidence. As long as the opposing side didn't mobilize as a legion, it didn't matter to them. Even in a skirmish, if the enemy numbers weren't too large, he was still confident of victory. He couldn't claim to fight a hundred against one, but he could still handle twenty to thirty people with ease.
After repairing all his equipment, he went to the plaza and found the familiar old man selling Health Potions. He bought another 50 gold worth of potions. There was no choice. The consumption while leveling outside was too high. Having used Health Potions, he was reluctant to go back to Health Pills. Currently, Lin Zhao's only hope was for one of these apothecaries to reach level 60 so they could craft Level 3 Health Potions. After all, recovering 15% of total HP was far more substantial than 10%!
He wandered around the city, but found nothing. All the NPCs only offered mechanical dialogues. It was estimated that every NPC had been "touched" hundreds of times by the players of Cloud County, leaving no room for any hidden quests to be triggered. The hour was still early, and there was nearly an hour left until the studio's standard supper time of 11:30. There was no need to rush, so he rode out of the city to see if there were any side quests he could pick up.
Evening, close to 11 PM.
In the low-level leveling areas outside the city, there were very few combat-class players. Most players were diligently leveling in the monster areas for levels 50-65. Therefore, in the vast Butterfly Forest outside the city, only groups of gathering-class players were hunched over, collecting herbs, fruits, or oats. The herbs were used to refine Health Potions, while fruits, oats, and other ingredients could be used to make dishes and food to restore mana for magic-class players. In "Tian Xia," the production classes were quite comprehensive.
Lin Zhao held the reins, riding slowly along the edge of the Butterfly Forest. The gentle breeze caressed his ears, and birdsong and the fragrance of flowers filled the air. The scenery in the game was truly exquisite, a world apart from the dilapidated, irradiated reality. It was only at this moment that Lin Zhao's mind began to calm, and he truly felt the beauty of this game, even its greatness. Both the scenery of "Tian Xia" and its world-building were incredibly magnificent and vibrant.
...
As he was riding, he suddenly heard a commotion ahead, accompanied by the sound of hooves. A group of high-level players charged into the Butterfly Forest, most of them level 50-60 players. To the gathering-class players, who were only level 20-40, it was like a pack of wolves entering a flock of sheep. Many gathering players let out cries of alarm, and among them, most were the elderly and women.
Lin Zhao frowned and slowly rode closer.
The leader of the group was a level 59 Sword Master, with several lines of text floating above his head—
[Xi He Da Guo Kui] (Sword Master)
Level: 59
Squad: Azure Knights
Squad Position: Squad Leader
...
This person had a villainous appearance, wielding a broadsword and clad in armor mixed with dark gold and golden-grade equipment. A fiery red cloak fluttered in the wind behind him, exuding a powerful aura of aggression. Beneath him was a fiery red horse. In terms of equipment and mount, he was definitely a prominent figure in Cloud County. Currently serving as a squad leader in the Azure Knights, this was a position before the guild was officially established. Once the Azure Knights obtained a Guild Charter and established themselves, this person would clearly become a guild leader.
"Don't just stand there staring... Damn it, open your eyes!"
Xi He Da Guo Kui lowered his sword, riding past a group of production players and smiling, "From today onwards, the rules have changed. You guys, who only know how to bury your heads and eat grass, must each pay us 5 gold a day. We will ensure your safety within this map. If anyone bothers your gathering, our Wind Squad will send people to eliminate them, guaranteeing your working environment."
"5 gold?"
A woman resembling a mother stood up and frowned, "We can't even earn that much in a day of gathering. Aren't you pushing us to our deaths?"
"Exactly."
An old man, at least 60 years old, held a bunch of herbs and said, "Besides, we obtained game pods issued by the government to make a living in the game. Why should we pay the Azure Knights?"
"Why?"
Xi He Da Guo Kui raised his sword. Instantly, a bloody wave of Qi erupted around the old man's neck, dealing over 4000 damage and instantly killing him. As the old man fell, a pile of herbs was dropped.
"This is also fine."
Xi He Da Guo Kui picked up many herbs from the ground and sneered, "If you put it nicely, we, the Azure Knights, provide you with protection, and you pay a certain fee. If you put it bluntly, we are extorting protection fees from you bugs. You trash living in broken brick houses haven't been extorted enough by street thugs? And you're still not getting it?"
"This..."
A group of production-class players were dumbfounded.
Until, a young man holding a bronze sword stood up and pointed his blade at Xi He Da Guo Kui, angrily shouting, "No! My grandparents work hard all day to gather here, why should I give it to a bad guy like you!"
"Am I bad?"
Xi He Da Guo Kui burst into laughter, rode his horse forward, and used a Sword Skill to stun the young man in place. Then, with a heavy slash, he killed him, laughing heartily, "Of course, I'm bad..."
He then pointed his sword at the crowd and said, "Listen up, all you trash. Either pay protection fees obediently, or get out. Get out to other counties and pay protection fees to other guilds. If you want to operate in Cloud County, you have to abide by Cloud County's rules. If you don't want to pay, that's fine too. I'll kill you all one by one, take your herbs back to the city to resell. We can still make money. Why bother with your disgusting subservient appearances?"
Among the gathering-class players, the elderly and women lowered their heads in silence. They considered themselves humble weeds in chaotic times, what else could they do but be trampled upon?
Only a group of boys, less than ten years old, stood up together, unwilling to be bullied. Their eyes were filled with anger. Even when an elder angrily ordered them to kneel, they still stood tall, drawing their meager weapons, ready to fight these bandits.
...
"So, no negotiation?"
Xi He Da Guo Kui slung his sword over his shoulder, tapped it lightly, and said with a smile, "Brothers, since these pieces of trash refuse a toast and prefer a rebuff, then there's nothing we can do. Attack! Kill them all, take the herbs they drop, and resell them in the city. The money from reselling will be enough for us to go out for drinks and visit some girls tomorrow night!"
"Hahaha~~~"
A group of players from the Wind Squad, who looked like ruffians, burst into laughter and nodded in agreement, "Brother Guo Kui is absolutely right! Attack!"
They were all heavily armored, and they all had mounts. Although the mounts were of low grade, some rode bare-skinned boars, some rode shaggy wild donkeys, and some rode porcupines with their quills removed. Most were Bronze or Dark Iron grade mounts, with only the leader Xi He Da Guo Kui's mount appearing to be Silver grade.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten gathering players were cut down. The rest had no chance to escape. The hundred-plus members of the Wind Squad had the area completely surrounded, making escape impossible.
Behind a patch of bushes, Lin Zhao watched with a frown. The saying "if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked" probably applied here. Li Canghai was morally corrupt, and the squad he led was naturally corrupt as well. This Azure Knights guild was filled with a utilitarian spirit! However, the enemy had too many people right now, and he shouldn't have intervened. After all, Confucianism teaches "a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall." If he could barely protect himself, how could he bother with others' affairs? Confucians were scholars, not wandering knights who drew their swords at the sight of injustice.
But now, he stood here, filled with righteous indignation. He had to intervene, even if he didn't want to! It didn't matter if his teacher in heaven would blame him. He couldn't help it. Young people are bound to act impulsively; this youthful passion couldn't be extinguished!
"Clang~~~"
Lin Zhao lightly raised his hand, drew his sword in anger. As the Qinglu Sword left its sheath, the blade rubbed against the scabbard, even sending sparks flying. The next second, a sword energy directly enveloped Xi He Da Guo Kui, who was currently slaughtering the gathering players. This was the prelude to a Sword Skill collision!
"Huh?!"
Xi He Da Guo Kui was somewhat capable and reacted immediately. He hastily lowered his body and launched a horizontal Swift Sword Slash. As he moved three yards to the side, he dodged the stun effect of Lin Zhao's Sword Skill collision.
"Careful!"
Nearby Wind Squad players also shouted, "It's the White Robe! He's going to kill Brother Guo Kui!"
"Quick, focus fire on the White Robe!"
A group of people shouted.
At the same time, Xi He Da Guo Kui had already launched a Sword Skill collision, locking onto a female gathering player 30 yards away. As long as he could escape 30 yards and create distance, his brothers could "stick" to the White Robe and kill him, regardless of his Flowing Gold or Dark Gold equipment. But he thought too much. The moment he threw out his sword skill and before he could charge forward, Lin Zhao had already closed in!
When in doubt, use Rising Dragon Slash! Damn Xi He Da Guo Kui!
"Bang!"
A powerful, surging sword energy erupted, directly sending the self-proclaimed overlord and villainous-looking Wind Squad leader flying into the air.