Chapter 2

He wished to be taken away by him.

That thought flashed through his mind, and without a moment’s hesitation, He Qiting stepped forward and embraced Ye Xiyin’s waist. Ignoring the chaos before them, he turned and left with him.

The person in his arms was thinner than expected, as if naturally frail.

His movements became instinctively gentler.

But the others could not bear to watch their prey slip away so easily. Just as they were about to advance, a cloud of powder was scattered before them.

The powder was harmless, yet those who accidentally inhaled it felt their bodies weaken. Among the players, it caused a debuff that sapped strength from their limbs.

Those quick to react tried to dispel the powder’s effects with their inner energy, but to their surprise, this only deepened the drug’s impact. The players saw a warning that the effect could not be removed and wisely refrained from further attempts.

This tactic led the group to suspect the identity of their opponent.

“Poison doctor Xu Ziche.”

A well-known player on the leaderboard, equally infamous in the martial world. Unlike brute force, someone like Xu Ziche, who possessed healing and life-saving skills, was not to be crossed.

After all, who hasn’t suffered a headache or fever? Especially in a world of constant fighting, no one would dare offend a healer.

The two—He Qiting and Xu Ziche—were working together to save someone. Others had no means to stop them.

Reluctantly, the crowd gave up the pursuit for now.

Only Ye Xiyin was absolutely not to be abandoned.

—

Outside Yancheng.

Once they were sure it was safe for the moment, Ye Xiyin was set down.

Even though He Qiting had been careful, the brief journey had taken its toll on him. Breathing softly to steady himself, he finally whispered, “Thank you.”

He Qiting had remained silent until now and only responded with a grunt.

Ye Xiyin, taking advantage of the moment to catch his breath, cautiously glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

He Qiting’s aura was not warm; rather, it was cold. His dark, somber eyes fixed on Ye Xiyin, concealing his thoughts.

A man like this could only have saved an NPC for a mission.

After a moment’s hesitation, Ye Xiyin spoke honestly.

Always mindful of his NPC status, his tone carried a slight artificiality. “Young hero, you saved me for clues about my father, didn’t you?”

Seeing He Qiting silent, he pretended to be nervous and added, “Actually, I’m not very sure where my father is either.”

At this thought, even Ye Xiyin’s voice took on a genuine melancholy.

According to his memories, Ye Junyan, though flawed, had been quite good to the original owner. He wouldn’t have abandoned him in danger.

What had happened to him?

That was why the original owner, sensing something amiss, had come seeking clues.

Regardless, life must go on.

—

Now that he knew who he was, Ye Xiyin had to fulfill some of the original owner’s obligations. If he could survive the crisis and improve his situation, he would try to learn more about Ye Junyan’s whereabouts, for the original owner’s peace of mind.

But first, he had to prove his worth.

“There are indeed some things my father left behind at home. If you want, you can come with me to retrieve them.”

As he spoke, Ye Xiyin concealed a small hope.

The original owner had traveled all the way from their hometown, the city of Su, to Yancheng—a distance of a thousand miles. His injured senior brother was still back home. Returning now was too difficult for Ye Xiyin, despite having a player system; teleportation seemed unavailable. He could only rely on his legs or local transport.

This was no small matter, but who knew if others were secretly watching them?

If He Qiting was willing to accompany him, it would be much safer.

Players rarely abandoned any clue related to a mission—provided the mission was worthwhile.

That so many NPCs gathered to investigate news of Ye Junyan proved its value. Whether He Qiting would be interested remained uncertain.

Clenching his hands tightly, Ye Xiyin stared at him, waiting for an answer.

Unexpectedly, someone interrupted their conversation.

“What are you two doing standing around? If you dawdle any longer, those people will catch up.” Waving a fan as he approached, Xu Ziche’s eyes lit up at the sight of Ye Xiyin. “Hey, little beauty, hello there.”

The greeting sounded awkward. Ye Xiyin smiled shyly and looked back to He Qiting.

Seemingly displeased, He Qiting frowned slightly and shot a cold glance at the noisy man before saying, “Your father asked me to take care of you.”

Ye Xiyin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Since arriving here, everyone had tried to extract information about Ye Junyan from him. This was the first time anyone had mentioned his father’s clues first.

“Do you know where he is?” Ye Xiyin asked eagerly.

He Qiting shook his head and explained, “Six months ago, I found a secret manual in a hidden chamber, accompanied by a letter. If you, Ye Xiyin, ever faced danger, the person who obtained the manual was entrusted to protect your safety.”

The manual was excellent—not only compatible with existing techniques but also able to be integrated, helping He Qiting ascend to a new level.

Along with it, he received this mission.

The task had remained in limbo until this morning, when it finally activated.

Facing an NPC, He Qiting did not intend to reveal everything.

The mission had two parts: one was to help Ye Xiyin escape mortal danger; the other was an escort task.

It appeared to be a chain mission. Ye Xiyin’s words had already triggered the first step: traveling to his hometown, Su City, specifically to Jianan Alley.

As for the reward, only the first stage was visible—a question mark, but marked with orange quality.

In the game “Sword Trial,” item quality is divided into five tiers:

Gold, Orange, Purple, Blue, and Green.

Orange is already the second tier.

Moreover, large chain missions usually offer substantial rewards. Continued exploration might even yield a legendary golden item.

Hearing this, Ye Xiyin’s excitement calmed, and he was not too disappointed.

—

“I see,” Ye Xiyin murmured. “No matter what, thank you, young hero.”

“My name is He Qiting.”

Ye Xiyin of course knew this, but wasn’t it customary for NPCs to say this out of respect?

Since the powerful ally insisted, he complied.

He nodded briskly and cheerfully said, “Alright, Young Hero He Qiting!”

Unexpectedly, He Qiting’s expression was displeased.

Was there something wrong?

Ye Xiyin looked into his eyes, puzzled.

After a moment, He Qiting said, “You can call me senior brother.”

At this, not only Ye Xiyin but even Xu Ziche gawked, staring as if He Qiting were an alien, scrutinizing him up and down.

Something was off—completely off.

It had been strange enough when He Qiting carried the beautiful NPC away. In the past, with He Qiting’s temper, would he ever carry anyone? It was already considerate enough not to tie someone up and drag them along.

Yet now he not only carried him tightly but shamelessly asked to be called senior brother.

Is he really his senior brother? So friendly.

“I have studied your father’s technique, so there is a master-disciple relationship. Calling me senior brother is not inappropriate,” He Qiting explained, unaware how awkward his explanation sounded.

Ye Xiyin didn’t understand him but nodded thoughtfully.

Besides, He Qiting was so strong, having a senior brother’s relationship could only be beneficial. With that in mind, he quickly accepted the explanation.

“I see. Then I really should call you senior brother.” He smiled at He Qiting with certainty and repeated, “Senior brother.”

He Qiting responded with a grunt, though the coldness in his eyes seemed to soften slightly.

Watching this scene, Xu Ziche clicked his tongue in amazement, his expression twisted.

“What’s wrong?” He Qiting glared at him.

“Nothing, how could there be?” Xu Ziche said sarcastically. When He Qiting summoned his mount and prepared to leave, Xu Ziche quietly rode off to the side, murmuring, “Who knows? He said it was just a mission.”

That last sentence dragged out unpleasantly.

Without waiting for a response, Xu Ziche urged his horse and left, kicking up dust.

Some people.

Today they carry a beautiful NPC, tomorrow they’ll be trying to steal a kiss.