Chapter 12

On the other side, those who had already entered the dungeon sensed that something was amiss.

Players could only enter the dungeon after forming a team and communicating with Gu Qing, but now there was an unexpected figure among them.

“Hello,” Ye Xiyin tilted her head and greeted them.

Xu Ziche’s eyes widened.

“Why did Xiao Ye come in with us too?”

Not only was he surprised, but the others shared the same reaction. They all looked toward He Xiting, silently asking for an explanation.

Ye Xiyin herself didn’t understand why she had inexplicably entered the dungeon and also turned to look at He Xiting.

In the uneasy silence, He Xiting opened the quest panel.

At the top was the ongoing bandit suppression task. His gaze shifted downward to the escort mission.

Sure enough, the task description had changed.

[Escort Mission] Please escort NPC Ye Xiyin to Jianan Alley (During the mission, the NPC will be in player-follow mode).

“So basically, from now on, whenever we complete a mission or enter a dungeon, Xiao Ye has to stick with us?” Xu Ziche’s eyes revealed a complex mix of emotions as he muttered complaints about the system.

The system didn’t seem to consider that Ye Xiyin’s body was so fragile—there was no way she could casually enter dungeons meant for max-level players. The monsters inside could easily one-shot this little NPC back to the respawn point.

This setup not only put Ye Xiyin in danger but also increased the difficulty of their task.

“Maybe I’ll just stay here and wait for you all,” Ye Xiyin said.

He knew he would only be a burden if he stayed with them.

“No need. Don’t listen to Xu Ziche’s nonsense,” Qingyun Qiuyue elbowed Xu Ziche, signaling him to stop talking nonsense.

Xu Ziche quickly realized his words might have been misunderstood and hastily clarified, “Xiao Ye, don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t talking about you; I was just venting about this blasted system.” The rest of his words were automatically censored by the system for being too offensive.

[System: Please use civilized language, or you will be muted.]

Xu Ziche was speechless.

Players often insulted each other without the system being so sensitive; apparently, it was only when he was the target that it reacted.

While they were still grumbling about the system, He Xiting had already approached Ye Xiyin.

“Just stay right behind me,” He Xiting said, ruffling his hair before pulling out a bunch of items and a sword from his backpack and handing them to Ye Xiyin. “Take these to protect yourself. This will be over soon, don’t worry.”

The items were mostly protective, including damage-reducing gear like golden silk armor. However, what caught Ye Xiyin’s attention most was the sword.

The sword was named “Falling Snow,” a max-level weapon. The scabbard itself was a beautiful silvery white, inlaid with golden patterns. Ye Xiyin cautiously drew the blade and immediately understood why it was named so.

No one knew what forging technique had been used, but the blade seemed to have silvery-white snowflakes blooming upon it. Combined with the game’s special effects, it was dazzlingly magnificent.

Of course, the most important aspect was the weapon’s quality.

It was a top-tier golden-grade weapon.

Even within the game, not every player could obtain such a divine weapon.

And yet, now it was in his hands.

Ye Xiyin suddenly felt the sword burning hot to the touch. Instinctively, he wanted to return it to He Xiting.

“Aren’t you supposed to learn martial arts from me? I’ll teach you once we’re out of here,” He Xiting gently pushed the sword back into Ye Xiyin’s hand. “It’s a gift, but if you don’t learn properly, I’ll have to take it back.”

That was far more difficult to refuse than simply being given a gift.

Since Ye Xiyin didn’t know how to return it, he could only cling to the sword and follow silently behind He Xiting.

After a while, his gaze settled on He Xiting’s back.

Though they had only been together a few days, Ye Xiyin felt an immense sense of security emanating from him.

The person ahead seemed to notice he was lagging, pausing briefly. The silent prompt made Ye Xiyin quicken his pace to catch up.

The sword’s hilt pressed against his cheek, cool to the touch.

Yet Ye Xiyin’s heart raced wildly; that slight chill was no match for the turmoil within.

His mind was a chaotic mess; he didn’t even know what he was thinking, but the name “He Xiting” kept flashing through his thoughts.

It was Qingyun Qiuyue who finally broke his daydream.

“Isn’t that the lover’s sword of your Guiyun?” Qingyun Qiuyue said with surprise, then teasingly looked at He Xiting. “Back then, many people wanted to buy it from you, but you refused. And now you’re giving it to Xiao Xiyin.”

To be fair, the sword did have a history.

After completing a quest, He Xiting had obtained two twin swords: one named Guiyun and the other Falling Snow. Guiyun had a heavier blade with higher attack power, suited to He Xiting’s fighting style. He had fused it with a divine sword core and embedded it with gems; it now ranked first on the player’s divine weapon list. Falling Snow was lighter, and since He Xiting didn’t like its feel, he had kept it stored away. Some had offered a hefty sum to buy it, but he refused—yet now he had given it to Ye Xiyin.

Of course, calling them “lover’s swords” was just a joke.

Back then, because He Xiting never wanted to sell Falling Snow, people teased that he was unwilling to separate the twin swords, as if Guiyun had lost its “wife.” Over time, everyone came to say He Xiting had a pair of lover’s swords.

Now that Guiyun’s “wife” had changed hands, everyone found it amusing.

But considering the recipient was Ye Xiyin, it wasn’t surprising.

He Xiting had made an exception for him, which was only natural.

Still, because of the sword’s reputation, people often gave the two a mischievous look when they saw them together.

Ye Xiyin, already flustered, quickly pressed the sword’s hilt against his cheek to cool himself down.

But when he thought of Qingyun Qiuyue’s teasing, even the blade seemed to scorch his skin.

He didn’t know where to focus his gaze, feeling busier than ever.

Fortunately, the awkwardness didn’t last long before He Xiting spoke.

“Not interested in the first clear?”

That simple question silenced everyone.

Ye Xiyin’s arrival was so unusual that they had forgotten they were still on a mission.

This bandit suppression task was special. Upon receiving it, players were randomly assigned to various entrances, attacking the camp from all directions.

The system helpfully displayed the top three teams’ progress.

Seeing that another team’s progress had already reached ten percent, they wasted no time and charged toward the nearby grunts.

Ye Xiyin didn’t want to cause trouble. After observing patiently for a while, he found a safe spot to stay.

If anyone watched carefully, they’d notice Ye Xiyin’s position was quite clever—he always managed to stay just outside the monsters’ aggro range.

Like most games, in “Sword Trial,” monsters had an aggro radius.

Stepping outside that radius would cause monsters to lose interest.

The closer one was to the monster, the higher their aggro value, making them the primary target.

At first, everyone instinctively watched the fragile Ye Xiyin, but as he remained unharmed—even He Xiting relaxed a bit.

With no worries, the team could finally focus on dealing damage.

The strength of top-tier players was evident.

In “Sword Trial,” though many players had reached max level, not all possessed master-level skills. The same applied to monsters: elite monsters were far more dangerous than hundreds of regular mobs despite sharing the same level.

Take the group of Japanese pirates before them: despite their numbers, facing He Xiting’s team, they were quickly wiped out through coordinated attacks.

In no time, the path was littered with the corpses of respawning minions.

Most importantly, Ye Xiyin’s experience bar steadily increased! Even with the huge level gap and his frailty debuff, each kill added a little experience. Killing a hundred of these was enough for him to level up.

Upon reaching a new level, Ye Xiyin felt a long-lost sense of happiness.

Thus, a peculiar scene unfolded.

The five players in front were earnestly slaying monsters, while the little tail behind them was equally restless, following wherever they went. Whenever a minion died, he made sure to snag some experience.

His steps could even be described as lively.

After scavenging experience here and there, by the time they reached the first elite monster, Ye Xiyin had already reached level three.

Proudly watching his level, Ye Xiyin approached He Xiting for a status check.

After confirming Ye Xiyin was safe, the five resumed their advance into the camp.

Before them stood an arena-like area, with a familiar figure waiting.

Ye Xiyin’s good memory kicked in, and in moments he recognized the man.

“Is that you?” His surprised tone drew the others’ attention. Ye Xiyin explained, “He was the one who broke up the fight when we had a conflict with the inn before.”

Indeed, the elite monster before them was that very merchant, and who would have thought the real culprit was hidden among the inn’s guests?

The merchant, codenamed “Greedy as Death,” was named Zhao Ji. Upon seeing Ye Xiyin, he pieced together the whole story.

“So it’s you guys. I should have killed you back then to avoid all this trouble,” he said regretfully, much like the innkeeper, seemingly needing to vent his frustration. The others had no time to listen to his rambling.

Qingyun Qiuyue cut in sharply, “Enough talk. Let’s just kill him first.”

“Amitabha, Qiuyue, you’re too violent,” said Zi Bu Yu, a disciple of the Buddhist sect, but he was the first to strike Zhao Ji with his demon-subduing staff.

The others were no less fierce; seeing him engage, they followed suit.

They were all used to teaming up for dungeons, so this five-player raid wasn’t too difficult.

Their only concern was Ye Xiyin, but since he always found safe spots, their actions weren’t restricted.

Zhao Ji fought like a merchant—his attack style involved throwing coins.

No, more accurately, he attacked with copper coins flying in all directions. If one didn’t position well, they could easily get hurt. Luckily, Xu Ziche, a healer skilled in both medicine and poison, made healing straightforward.

While battling the elite, Ye Xiyin carefully observed Zhao Ji’s attack patterns, mentally calculating his output methods.

Each time Zhao Ji’s moves matched Ye Xiyin’s expectations, his eyes lit up.

It was hard to describe, but it was quite fascinating.

However, Zhao Ji’s strength was not formidable. Soon, he fell under the combined assault of the five, dropping a golden box.

In “Sword Trial,” common drops were auto-picked, but such loot boxes generally appeared only from elite and boss monsters.

The color of the box indicated the potential quality of the items inside.

Gold meant a high chance of obtaining divine-grade items. Of course, bad luck could result in lower quality.

It was Ye Xiyin’s first time witnessing a monster drop like this, and he stared at it in fascination.

In contrast, the other five wore troubled expressions.

After exchanging glances for a long moment, someone finally spoke:

“You open it.”

“No, you open it.”

“No, I opened last time; it’s your turn now.”

Watching their back-and-forth, Ye Xiyin was puzzled.

“Aren’t you going to open this?”

As he spoke, all five turned their gaze to him.

“How about letting Xiao Ye open it?” Xu Ziche suggested, earning unanimous agreement.

No one wanted to be unluckier than they were.

Ye Xiyin didn’t refuse either.

After all, it looked genuinely interesting.

“Just open this box, right?” Ye Xiyin said, casually opening the box in front of him.

A flash of golden light burst forth, and the system promptly announced:

[System] Fortune smiles upon you, great blessings abound! Congratulations to young heroes He Xiting, Xu Ziche, Qingyun... for obtaining Divine Gem Tianyuan Gold Crystal, Divine Equipment Golden Pond Flow Jade Components...

The radiant light lingered, shining on the faces of the five unlucky souls, making the moment feel strangely bittersweet.