Chapter 18 "Fa Ge," the Rabbit

"Oh~ so you're Fa Ge, it's a pleasure to meet you~" Even when facing someone (some rabbit) he'd never heard of, Feng Bujue could still say "it's a pleasure" without batting an eye. "But I wonder… are you related to Bugs_Bunny in any way?"

"We're distant relatives," Rabbit Fa Ge replied, "very distant..." He paused, then explained, "In fact, Bunny wasn't even born on Rabbit Star, and his family ties here have always been rather distant." As he said this, he made a face as if he was recalling something. "Hmm… I heard that after graduating high school, he joined some strange Earthling organization, whose leaders were apparently called Ah Hua and Ah Na; a few years ago… I also heard that he and his cousin, Rabbid, caused a great disturbance at the Court of Truth…" He smiled. "Heh… in short, I'm not really that familiar with him. It's just that our names are a bit similar, so outsiders often mistake us for close relatives, but in reality, it's just a coincidence in naming."

"This setting is really…" Xiao Tan muttered, narrowing his eyes after hearing this. There were so many things to complain about that he didn't know where to start.

"Oh… your family is full of talented rabbits, Fa Ge." Feng Bujue calmly accepted what the other party said and even complimented him before continuing, "Well… by the way, let us introduce ourselves too." He paused for half a second, then said, "As you can see, we're both Earthlings. My name is Feng Bujue, and this is my partner, Wang Tanzhi. We came here this time…"

"What!" Before Jue Ge could finish his sentence, Rabbit Fa Ge exclaimed loudly, interrupting him. "You're Feng Bujue?" His eyes widened, and he took a few excited steps forward, opening his arms as if he was holding a watermelon. "You're 'that' Feng Bujue?"

"Uh…" Fa Ge had been relatively calm until now, so this sudden, exaggerated reaction surprised Jue Ge. "I guess so…"

"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet you!" This time, it was Rabbit Fa Ge who spoke to Feng Bujue in a very polite and admiring tone. "I knew it… the person who found this treasure wouldn't be ordinary, but I didn't expect…" He quickly walked up to Jue Ge, grasped his hands, and shook them up and down vigorously.

"Uh… you're too kind, Fa Ge. It's just a reputation… a reputation…" After thinking for a few seconds, Feng Bujue roughly guessed what was going on. Since this was the Main Universe, and he, Feng Bujue, had interacted with many unique data, it wasn't surprising that these higher-ranking NPCs had heard of his name.

"No, no, no… you're too modest." Rabbit Fa Ge shook his head repeatedly. "Anyone who's been around the martial world… who hasn't heard of your great name?" He continued animatedly, listing the accomplishments as if they were family treasures: "You're the man who 'punched the Court of Truth, kicked the Time Lord, explored the Monster Kingdom seven times, trifled with the Illusion Demon Church three times, swept through Chew Island, braved the Foundation, scared Zhuan Xiezun into wetting himself, and shocked Dian He Wang'! Your deeds are like legends in the circle of interstellar pirates… no… I should say, throughout the chaotic faction of the Main Universe."

"Hmm… I don't know why…" Xiao Tan interjected at this moment, "but why don't I feel any sense of incongruity after hearing that description…"

"Alright…" Feng Bujue shook his head, sighing. "Then I'll reluctantly admit it…"

"Ah! Look at me… I was so busy talking about myself…" Rabbit Fa Ge seemed to suddenly remember something, looking at Jue Ge and Xiao Tan very attentively. "I almost forgot…" His eyes glanced to the side. "You two came here for Blackbeard's treasure, right?"

"Ah… it can't be said that we came specifically for it," Feng Bujue replied. "We just happened to find a hidden underground tunnel on Rabbit Star, so we wanted to come down and explore it. Only when we reached the end did we realize it was the entrance to the treasure."

"As expected of Mr. Feng… you can casually find places that many people try desperately to reach." Rabbit Fa Ge nodded in agreement. "However… now that you've come here, we still have to follow the rules set by Captain Blackbeard."

"What rules?" Feng Bujue asked.

"It's simple…" Rabbit Fa Ge said, "As long as one of you… can withstand ten moves from me without dying, you can take 'three things' from this treasure."

"Heh… so, Fa Ge, you're the guardian of Blackbeard's treasure?" Feng Bujue asked with a smile.

"You could say that…" Rabbit Fa Ge replied, "Blackbeard… was kind to me in his life, so before his death, I promised to guard his treasure for three hundred years. Within these three hundred years, any living being who enters this place through 'an item bearing Blackbeard's curse mark' will be given a chance to challenge me… Those who succeed can leave the cursed item and take any three items from the treasure; as for those who can't withstand my 'ten moves'…" At this point, his gaze changed slightly as he looked at the deck beneath his feet. "Their bones will become part of this ship."

"Oh… such rules…" Feng Bujue muttered, "Then can I ask… if a lot of people come in at once, like… a hundred, what will you do?"

"The rules are the same," Rabbit Fa Ge said. "It doesn't matter how many people come in at once, what matters is how many cursed items they have. One cursed item can only challenge me once. If there are a hundred people… then let them choose the strongest one to fight me."

"No, no… Fa Ge, you misunderstood Jue Ge's meaning," Xiao Tan interjected. "Jue Ge means… what if those hundred people ignore the 'challenge' and directly attack you together?"

"Oh~ that kind of situation…" Rabbit Fa Ge actually laughed when he heard this. "It has happened… but usually, there aren't that many people. I remember the most was fifteen people, and there were a few times… three or five people thought they could handle me, hahaha…"

"Uh…" Xiao Tan wanted to ask him "what was the result?" But seeing that the other party was still alive and well, and laughing happily when talking about these things, he didn't bother asking. "It seems… you're really strong…"

"It's nothing, it's nothing~" Rabbit Fa Ge smiled. "It's just that those visitors were too weak. If someone at the level of the Four Pillar Gods came here, I would naturally have to hand over the treasure. After all… I'm still young, and it wouldn't be worth it to lose my life here."

"Um…" Feng Bujue asked again at this time, "I wonder if it's convenient for you to answer a few more questions…" He still wanted to gather more information before taking action. "First… has anyone ever successfully taken treasure from here so far? Second, how many years are left in your three-hundred-year agreement to guard the treasure? And finally… after the three-hundred-year deadline is up, what are you going to do with this treasure?"

"Hehe… people who came here before have also asked these questions," Rabbit Fa Ge replied with a smile. "Blackbeard also told me… I can answer, there's nothing inconvenient about it." He paused slightly for two seconds, then continued, "First, there are definitely people who have taken treasure, but not many; second, there are still eighty-six years, nine months, and four days left in my term of guarding the treasure…" He stroked his ears. "Oh, right, this date is calculated according to Earth time, because Blackbeard was also from Earth…" After adding this, he continued, "Third… I don't need to worry about this matter. Once three hundred years are up, Blackbeard will return to this ship, the 'Queen Anne's Revenge,' and he will take over the treasure."

"Hey, hey… Fa Ge," Xiao Tan asked suspiciously, "Didn't you just say that Blackbeard was dead?" He scratched his head. "Um… 'before his death' really means 'before he died' in your language, right?"

"Yes, he's dead," Rabbit Fa Ge spread his hands, replying in a matter-of-fact tone, "But 'death'… for a pirate, it's not necessarily the 'end' of everything."

"Ha…" Feng Bujue laughed. "I understand." As he said this, he handed the [Blackbeard's Skull] in his hand to Rabbit Fa Ge, then continued, "By the way… can we just leave this thing here, but not challenge you, and then leave this place directly?"

"Of course, you can," Rabbit Fa Ge said. "I'm just guarding the treasure, not luring explorers to their deaths."

"Eh?" Hearing this, Xiao Tan turned to look at Feng Bujue and said, "Jue Ge, it's a legendary opportunity, are we really leaving?"

His reaction was normal, because for them players, this kind of challenge was something they wouldn't refuse; even if they failed, the worst that could happen was that they would be killed out of the script by this NPC.

"Hehe… actually, even if Mr. Feng really chooses 'not to challenge,' I wouldn't find it strange," Rabbit Fa Ge didn't show much surprise after hearing this. "With your strength, let alone withstanding ten moves from me… even defeating me and taking the entire treasure… is not impossible. If you don't challenge, it's probably because you think the things here are too bad… and don't meet your standards."

"Who said we're leaving?" Feng Bujue looked at the one person and one rabbit beside him. "I was just asking." He stroked his chin and thought for a few more seconds, then opened his mouth and said, "Um… one last question…" He cast a complicated gaze at Fa Ge. "If you consider the fighting strength of your relative, Rabbid, as 'ten,' then what are you?"

"Well… I haven't seen him in many years, and I don't know what level he's at now…" Rabbit Fa Ge also stroked his chin, making an effort to think. "Let me say more… to avoid the suspicion of pretending to be weak…" As he said this, he raised three fingers. "Thirty."

"Oh~" Feng Bujue nodded, with an "I see" expression on his face.

"How is it? Jue Ge," Xiao Tan looked at Jue Ge expectantly. "Can you handle it?"

"Of course, I can handle it," Feng Bujue lowered his voice and said to Xiao Tan. "From the moment I saw him, I knew how strong he was… my last question was just to test if he was honest…"

"So, the conclusion is…" Xiao Tan asked tentatively.

"He's an honest person… or rather… an honest rabbit," Feng Bujue replied. "The information he told us should all be true, and the attitude he showed is also very real. Of course, this is because… he is indeed very strong."

"Oh… then you have to be careful," Xiao Tan continued.

"What do I have to be careful about?" Feng Bujue raised an eyebrow, revealing a malicious smile.

Before he could finish his sentence, Wang Tanzhi felt a chill run straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and immediately shouted, "Hey, hey, hey, hey…"

"No need to 'hey'," Jue Ge laughed. "That's what I meant…" As he said this, he turned to look at Rabbit Fa Ge and continued, "Fa Ge, thank you for telling us so much. Next… my partner will learn from you."

…………

On the other hand, at the entrance of Xiazhong Village.

"Pu… er…" After a brief exchange of blows, Du Du Mo had already fallen into a pool of blood, leaving behind his last words as he lay dying, "Don't… don't be so proud… I'm the weakest of the Six Sky Officials! My brothers will avenge me! Just wait… chi (see)… ah!"

After a line with a very strong sense of déjà vu, his life came to an end.

Only at this moment did Xi Xi Man and Crossing as King truly feel the severity of the situation.

"This woman…" Xi Xi Man's sweat had soaked through the fur on his body, and the death of his companion stirred up an emotion he hadn't felt in many years—fear. "What exactly did she do just now… Am I seeing things? Or is her movement really faster than my eyes…"

To be honest, Xi Xi Man's dynamic vision was definitely not weak. Unless Ruo Yu used Soul Intent, he would still be able to catch her movements. It's just that… Ruo Yu used [Butterfly Spirit Divine Shadow] when killing Du Du Mo, so the skill created an afterimage effect in Xi Xi Man's vision…

"Are you kidding me…" Crossing as King, another participant on the scene, was truly shocked. He was an S-level martial arts specialization player, but he was completely unable to see Ruo Yu's movements clearly. "This female swordsman's strength doesn't seem to be below Meng Jingchan and Crazy Trace Sword Shadow…" He cursed in his heart, "Is this a casual player? Are you cheating!"

Even though the "new drugs" used by players like Corpse Blade could more effectively suppress emotional fluctuations and further enhance reaction speed (which was more effective than the improved drugs), Crossing as King was still shocked by Ruo Yu's strength, and even felt despair.

At this moment, Crossing as King's mind was devoid of any strategy or tactics, and he had no fighting spirit psychologically. To put it simply… what he was thinking now was just one sentence—"Is this game even playable?"