Chapter 1 The Unusual Saber

"This officer…" Just as Fang Jin was in shock, a man's voice sounded beside him, "Your saber… seems rather special."

Fang Jin turned his head at the sound, and his blood ran cold.

Until that moment, he hadn't noticed anyone approaching at all.

But when he looked back, he found two more people at the table in front of him.

The two were dressed quite ordinarily, and looked to be about twenty-five, or at most thirty.

The people around them, including the teahouse owner… didn't realize when these two had appeared; it was as if… they had been sitting there from the start.

"Gentlemen…" Fang Jin was a formidable character after all; even though he was secretly alarmed, he remained outwardly calm, "Do we know each other?"

This question was, in fact, a pointless one.

But sometimes, pointless words have meaning.

They can give you time to think, help you test the other party's reaction, and be used to avoid the previous question they asked.

"No." [Sheng Yu Pian] (Raw Fish Slice) looked at Fang Jin with a slightly wooden expression, and then said, "But I think, since we're all sitting together, we might as well get to know each other."

"Heh… very well." Fang Jin sneered and said, "I am Fang Jin."

He only gave his name, revealing nothing else, and didn't even use polite terms like "this humble one."

"I'm Yu Pian." Sheng Yu Pian didn't give his full game name; even if the system would help him correct the awkwardness of that word in the NPC's mind, he himself felt it was strange.

"Hic… This humble one is [Meng Jing Chan] (Dream Startled by Zen)." At this moment, Chan-ge, who had been drinking "his own liquor" all along, chimed in at the right time, adding a belch for good measure.

Fang Jin's gaze swept over the faces of the two men again, and he thought to himself, "Yu Pian… Meng Jing Chan… Hmm… never heard of them…"

Although Fang Jin wasn't a part of the martial world, he knew a great deal about it; if there were any young experts who could approach him so silently, he would at least know their names.

"Then… Brother Yu, Brother Meng…" Fang Jin pondered for a few seconds before asking, "I won't beat around the bush with you two; may I ask… what brings you to me?"

"Just a few small matters." Sheng Yu Pian replied, "Firstly…" As he spoke, he turned his head and glanced at the woman with the double sabers, who was walking further and further away on the road, "...if I'm not mistaken… Brother Fang has noticed that she is no ordinary person, and intends to go up and test her…" He paused, "...the main reason we're here is to advise you… don't."

"Oh?" Fang Jin raised an eyebrow, "So you recognize her?"

"We do." Sheng Yu Pian said.

"Who is she?" Fang Jin asked again.

"Someone who's come to take the sword manual." Sheng Yu Pian said.

"Many people come to take the sword manual." Fang Jin said.

"Many." Sheng Yu Pian said.

"What makes her different?" Fang Jin said.

As soon as these words came out, before Sheng Yu Pian could respond, Meng Jing Chan put on his tipsy expression and joked, "Brother Fang, are there many people in this town who can kill you?"

Being asked such a question, Fang Jin didn't get angry; on the contrary, his attitude became even calmer: "Not many."

"Hmm…" Meng Jing Chan nodded, picked up the white wine he had brought with him, and took a sip, "Now there are more."

"You mean… she can kill me?" Fang Jin asked as the woman's figure disappeared down the road.

"Sure, she can." Meng Jing Chan smiled, "Not only her, but we can too." As he spoke, he casually pointed to himself and Sheng Yu Pian.

This might be taken as a joke by a modern person, but to the ears of someone in the martial world, it was undoubtedly a very serious provocation.

"Oh?" Fang Jin was also a martial artist, and upon hearing these words, his blood surged.

He almost blurted out the second half of the sentence, "Why don't we give it a try?"

But Sheng Yu Pian quickly interjected before he could, "Brother Fang, don't be angry; my Chan-ge is a drunkard, he speaks without thinking, and doesn't mean to offend you."

Hearing this, the expression on Fang Jin's face changed several times, and after about five seconds of silence, he harrumphed, "Hmph… forget it…"

Others might not be able to tell, but Sheng Yu Pian, whose forte was "listening," knew exactly what Fang Jin had been thinking.

In those five seconds, Fang Jin had thought of something very important—since these two could approach him without him noticing and sit down so close, killing him… would indeed not be difficult.

For example, if those two quietly put some poison in Fang Jin's teacup, he would probably already be a dead man.

Thinking of this, reason triumphed over momentary impulse…

Fang Jin's thoughts, including his reaction when he discovered the woman with the double sabers, would all be reflected in subtle physical signs such as his heartbeat, breathing, pulse, and gaze.

And all of these… without exception, could not escape Sheng Yu Pian's eyes and ears.

These two experts from Order were the first group of players to arrive in Linlu Town; the experienced duo did not rush into the town to explore, but stayed near the main road at the entrance of the town, waiting for their prey and quietly observing.

They knew very well… that the players were their opponents, and the only targets they needed to be wary of and pay attention to.

As for NPCs like Fang Jin with special functions, they were resources to be exploited…

…………

Let's split the narrative and look at the other side of town.

A remote place.

A deserted alley.

Two people are standing face to face.

He carries a sword.

He also carries a sword.

He is a famous swordsman in the martial world, Mian Daoren (Cotton Taoist).

And he is just "Zhang San," a passerby who would never be given a second glance in a crowd.

"Taoist priest, you and I are strangers, why have you stopped me here?" Although that's what he said, the tone Zhang San used to ask this question didn't sound like he was facing a "stranger" at all.

"Legend…" Mian Daoren didn't care about Zhang San's words; he continued to speak to himself, "In the martial world, there is a mysterious assassin; no one has ever seen his true face or heard his true voice; no one knows how old he is or how high his martial arts are. What is certain is… that every time he appears, he will become someone else, and even the closest people to that person will find it difficult to tell the difference."

Mian Daoren paused at this point, "To be honest, this poor Taoist never expected to encounter the most mysterious and terrifying assassin in the martial world… 'Mirror' at this time and place."

"Oh?" Mirror sneered, "Then I'm curious… since even the closest people to the person can't tell the difference, how did you see… that I am 'Mirror'?"

"Coincidence." Mian Daoren replied with only two words.

Two words were enough.

Mirror thought for a moment and said, "Do you know Zhang San?"

"I do." Mian Daoren said.

"What are you to him?" Mirror said.

"He is my benefactor." Mian Daoren said.

"A mountain hunter is your benefactor?" Mirror asked doubtfully.

"People always have times when their luck is bad." Mian Daoren said again.

"I understand…" Mirror didn't need to ask any more details about that aspect; he turned and asked, "Then how did you see that I was fake?"

"It's very simple." Mian Daoren replied, "To repay Zhang San's life-saving grace, I taught him a unique internal energy cultivation method."

"But I… don't have that kind of internal energy." Mirror continued.

"You don't." Mian Daoren also said.

"And my appearance and voice… are the same as Zhang San's." Mirror continued.

"Exactly the same." Mian Daoren said.

"Could I not be his twin brother?" Mirror asked.

"Even twin brothers couldn't have the same walking posture." Mian Daoren said.

"Have you never thought… that perhaps Zhang San lost the internal energy you taught him for some reason?" Mirror asked again.

"I have." Mian Daoren said, "But that doesn't explain how this 'Zhang San' is involved with Wang Qiong."

"Heh heh… so that's how it is." Mirror laughed, "You've been secretly monitoring Wang Qiong's residence all along, haven't you…"

"That's right." Mian Daoren frankly admitted this, "So, when I saw a person who didn't have my unique internal energy, but looked exactly like Zhang San, I knew… that Zhang San was dead, and the person in front of me is… you."

"Hmm… this is indeed a coincidence." Mirror nodded, "I never expected… that an ordinary hunter would know Mian Daoren, and also carry an internal energy that I couldn't detect."

"Why Zhang San?" When asking this question, Mian Daoren's expression was very cold, and his voice was even colder, "Does his identity have any special value?"

"Heh heh…" Mirror laughed, "'Nothing special' is precisely where its value lies." He said slowly, "It's very dangerous to transform into those 'special people'; I only do that when the mission requires it; most of the time, I live as 'Zhang San,' 'Li Si,' 'Wang Wu.'" He continued triumphantly, "You should understand the principle of hiding a tree in the forest, right? So, I always have about a dozen identities like 'Zhang San' ready."

Speaking to this point, Mirror paused for a few seconds, then said again, "Heh heh… but, judging from the current situation, next time I 'take' this kind of identity, I'll have to be more careful."

"You won't have a next time." In that instant, Mian Daoren's killing intent and sword energy surged over with his voice.

"Heh heh… is that so?" Mirror was still laughing, laughing very easily; the next second, his voice suddenly changed, becoming Mian Daoren's voice, "Then I can only ask Taoist Priest… to enlighten me…"