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Kill him immediately. We must eliminate the Swamp King's royal competitors without mercy! Edit: Update on last page.
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Feb 21, 2023 10:32
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sandorius posted:- Siwang kills Mei Xinghe after learning the secret of the nearby mine. Wouldn't want to accidentally become righteous here or anything!
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Feb 21, 2023 11:44
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ah yes the legendary metal basalt... "holy poo poo did you know you can just dig holes in the ground and find loving rocks? AMAZING!"
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Feb 21, 2023 21:03
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I kinda like it, I'm hovering at 33% chance it signals the presence of magical metal nearby and mister almost mayor doesn't know that, 33% it actually is the material and the name being weird is because not every legend is thoroughly fact checked, for some reason, and 33% it's a translation goof.
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Feb 21, 2023 21:13
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You know, I was wondering about that myself and I did a bit of research. See, there's this legendary black tortoise in Chinese mythology "Xuanwu" ("Genbu" in Japan), and the metal ore in-game is called "Xuan metal". Guess what basalt is called in Chinese? Yeah, it's "Xuan rock". So you can see the connection - black, hard, shiny.  SIGSEGV posted:33% it actually is the material and the name being weird is because not every legend is thoroughly fact checked, for some reason Good guess!
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Feb 21, 2023 21:20
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So it just was us missing cultural context.
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Feb 21, 2023 21:29
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Kill him afterwards. Guy's a child kidnapper, pumping him for info and then killing him is all he deserves.
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Feb 21, 2023 21:59
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Update 17: The Leopard King's Mine The thread has voted to off Mei Xinghe. Shouldn't have kidnapped your niece, dumbass.   I've told you everything, now let me go! Fool! Anyone who offends me will die!  Let's see what good things you have on you...This is unsurprisingly an evil act. Siwang loots the Bone Piercing sutra and heads west to the mine Mei Xinghe told him about.  Siwang visited the mine a while back, but because he didn't know the secret, there was no basalt inside.   My hoe just broke when I touched it, this pitch-black stone is extraordinary! Wow! You guys dug up a Basalt! Can I have a look? It's you! You bastard! If we lose the treasure we'll be chopped to death by the boss! Let's fight him! The miners pose no threat to Siwang and he gleefully mines the exposed basalt ore.  The basalt, or "Xuan metal" ore, has a very high Hardness and Durability, which will increase the quality of items forged with it, but has high Weight as well. Siwang has already picked up three, one from the starting cave, one from the dragon ball cave, and the last from a statue cave southeast of Relics of our Ancestors. Like other high-quality ore deposits, they do not respawn.  Crap. The Leopard King's back.  He brought his brother with him! And several assorted bandits as well.  The friend charges his blade...  executes a flying leap through the air...  and smacks Luo Yuanyu for 1012 damage. The Gold Vest did pretty much nothing against it. This is not an easy fight. The two elite bandits do a ton of damage and the other bandits are no pushovers either. Anyone not confident in their combat ability would do well to avoid the encounter entirely by sneaking out from the back.  Duan Siping is the first to fall.  Siwang here is contributing to the fight by providing moral support, and totally not scoping out potential escape routes at all. I thought I had the attack button selected, and clicked on my target, but I hadn't and the game interpreted it as a move command to the terrain directed behind the target. At which point Siwang turned tail and wasted 8 AP climbing to the roof of this shed. Hilarious in hindsight, but very aggravating in the moment.  Cheng Yanhua gets taken out soon after. Heroically, she chose to heal Luo Yuanyu instead of herself.  It's not enough and Luo Yuanyu is knocked unconscious after two rounds. Gui Siwang is at the bottom of this image, sort of peeking around the edge, and keeping the Swamp King between himself and the remaining bandits.  As Round 9 starts, the Swamp King decides he's had enough fun for today and disappears in a puff of smoke. Beast companions start off with a two-round limit and the Beast Taming Sutra has upgraded the round limit to eight. Luckily there is only one heavily wounded bandit left.  Victory! On the Leopard King's body Siwang finds a key.  This unlocks the door to the Leopard King's treasure room.  There are gold Buddhas, jade goblets and chests of gold in this room. Sadly, the only things Siwang can loot are some Coral gold and this Spear sutra. "Eighteen Leopard Spear Forms", maybe?  This Spear art is unfortunately Yin-aligned, and needs a significant Qi and Qinggong score to master. As Luo Yuanyu is Yang-aligned, he won't make great use of it, but a charge attack is always welcome for the mobility.  Siwang heads to the nearest inn at Shu Yuji to recover, but catches sight of Xu Xuke in the window and decides to leave the main quest for later. He does talk to this little girl and is caught offguard when Cheng Yanhua speaks up.  This kid is about the same age as my daughter, what is she doing here by herself?It's amazing that they have interactions for Cheng Yanhua here, since you have to run all the way north to recruit her she's more of an endgame companion.  Siwang finds the kid's mother complaining that the kid doesn't want to pan for stones in the lake and has run off. He bribes her with a plum and learns that she's scared of the water, and gets the mother to agree to send her for work in the jade workshop instead.  Big brother, is it true? Mum won't force me into the water again? Can't you see, I am a righteous, upright and chivalrous man, how could I lie to a child? That's great, big brother, even though I can't feel your righteousness, I'm still glad I don't have to go into the water. Siwang returns to Mei Hongqi, but she has no reaction to learning of her brother's death.  Meditating on his failures in combat, Siwang finds a mannequin where Widowmaker used to roam and punches it several times, gaining Fist skill. Eventually, he decides to upgrade his companion's weapons. Siwang has no idea where to find iron knife wood for Luo Yuanyu's staff, but he knows cold iron for Duan Siping's sword can be found in the mountains to the west.  Siwang encounters and makes short work of some bandits on the road west.  This merchant got attacked by wolves and wants help finding a particular guard who ran off carrying an ancestral item.  The poor guard is up here to the west. The merchant rewards Siwang with some medicine.  A cave! If it hadn't been for the 'highlight ore and plants' button Siwang would have completely missed it.  Inside are a bunch of sleeping wolves. Siwang turns to leave, but...  Combat! In a massive stroke of luck it turns out to be a tameable Beast King and his pack.  The "Lord of the Swamp" faces off in a one-on-one duel with "A Flash of White Teeth" while everyone else keeps the other wolves away. Siwang lurks behind and dashes in at the right time with his Beast Taming technique. Success!  There is also this excellent accessory to be found in this cave. Frozen is a rare debuff that directly decreases Qi and thus combat potential.  Finally, next to this icy fresh mountain stream, Siwang finds some cold iron.  As well as some kind of book lying on a kung-fu statue.  Slightly to the north, there lurks the Iron Axe Beast King "Mountain-Splitter"!  Thankfully, it's alone this time and easy prey.  Just look at the scars on this grizzled veteran. Since the other votes were to head north and to go to Dayan Town, Siwang will skip Shu Yuji for now and concentrate on filling the last companion slot. But for now, should Siwang change his preferred animal companion of choice? - Stick with the crocodile "Swamp King" - Join the pack with the snow wolf "A Flash of White Teeth" - Smack people around with the bear “Mountain-Splitter" sandorius fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Feb 22, 2023 |
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Feb 22, 2023 16:14
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You have the right to Bear Arms.
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Feb 22, 2023 17:36
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Bear time.
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Feb 22, 2023 18:32
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ABC- Always Bring Croc
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Feb 22, 2023 21:42
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Bear. Bear? Bear!
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Feb 24, 2023 10:40
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Update 18: Looking for More Party Members With the Leopard King more or less permanently dealt with, Siwang continues searching for weapon upgrade components with his new best friend Mountain-splitter.  He finds some iron knife wood on the roof of Fortune Winery, where it was presumably patching a hole in the roof or something. There's also some gemstones here for some reason, maybe a crow or something is picking them up?  Since it's nighttime Siwang does some bandit hunting, and runs into this old fisherman.  When fishing, the worst thing you can do is to be impatient. Some people spend a lot of money on expensive gear. But if you can't be calm, how can you enjoy it? Sounds like a quest gated off behind a high reserved alignment. Siwang duels him on the off chance that he drops a martial arts sutra, which he doesn't, but he does get to show off his incredible Cosmic Fishing style which involves him lying down and smacking Mountain-splitter with his fishing rod.  To the north, at the entrance to Relics of our Ancestors, Siwang meets a white-haired girl.  Inky, it's me, what's wrong with you? Why did you run out of the protective formation alone?  Rawr! Oh no, she's being menaced by that tiger! Splash of Ink on Snow is not too happy with his partner and is attempting to bite her.  Siwang joins Ning Zhuanhuan here in subduing the white tiger through the power of explosives and also a giant bear.  Stop it, Inky! Come back here! She disappeared down the stone path... does she live here? Back in Shu Yuji, Dong Guoqiang and Qi Xiaoer are complaining about Li Tan, who apparently stole something from the Nanzhao kingdom to the south and fled here. They are from the Diancang Sect there and are supposed to punish evildoers, which Li Tan clearly is, according to Dong Guoqiang.  Qi Xiaoer expresses doubt, saying that many people call Li Tan a chivalrous thief. Dong Guoqiang says that Li Tan is just currying favour with them so that they will go easy on him.   Hahaha... it's a fool's errand for you two youngsters of the Diancang Sect to try and catch Li Tan. Drunkard, what nonsense are you spouting? Who are you and why you ridicule us? (This must be the Southern Sage, "Nan Xian", name Xu Xuke!) Please don't be offended, this man is just drunk... I'm not drunk... burp... Who are you? Are you in cahoots with that thief Li Tan? Sister, we must defend ourselves! Sirs, if you must fight, please fight outside, if you break my furniture, how can I do business? Everyone politely adjourns outside where Siwang boggles at Xu Xuke's sword. [Ancient Sword with Chi Dragons], "This ancient sword was obtained by chance from Xu Xuke's travels around the world. It is said that this sword has been in existence for thousands of years. Xu Xuke cherishes antiquities and has never used this sword to fight with others." 184-190 damage, drat, for an unused sword it sure packs a punch. And in fact Xu Xuke promptly uses it to poke a hole in Duan Siping for 1000+ damage. He's a mean drunk.  The Diancang Sect must teach dual-wielding swords, as Qi Xiaoer comes with unique golden and silver swords.  Although Siwang wins the fight, Xu Xuke fakes losing and admits defeat. Guo Dongqiang gloats a bit and boasts about his plan to catch Li Tan when he makes his next move. Qi Xiaoer congratulates Siwang on his kungfu and the two Diancang disciples leave the inn.  That girl is so stiff, so young and yet she puts on airs like a seasoned veteran. Anyway, who are you, outlander? Siwang explains about meeting and losing Kongjin at the Holy Temple, in the tutorial sequence.  I see, that braggart has finally fallen on his face! Don't worry, old Kongjin has faced more difficulties than a stone in a latrine. It's nothing he hasn't handled before. Oh, General Duan is here too? It's been a while, good to see you. Thanks to Nan Xian's advice I was able to escape the Nanzhao kingdom safely. Indeed, this one has been slacking off for a time, not only in the Nanzhao kingdom but east, west and north! (You mean your title "Nan Xian" actually stands for Southern Slacker and not Southern Sage!?) Brother Gui, it seems you have a strange history. Brother Duan, Nan Xian called you "General Duan", it seems you are much more important than me! This... it is a complicated matter, I will explain everything when we reach the Duan manor. Until then, please forgive me for being silent. Xu Xuke warns Siwang that the men in black who attacked him are from the House of No Mercy, who seek the power of the Holy Temple, and that there are four particularly skilled masters he should watch out for. One of them is Lan Fuyi, who Siwang has already met (the lady who blocked Kongjin's Thunderbolt).  There's a lot of plot exposition here. Siwang asks what form exactly the "Ho Tu" and "Lo Shu" take. The River Map, or "Ho Tu", is written on a beast skin. The Book of Heaven, or titular "Lo Shu", is an engraved tortoise shell, and apparently contains any and all knowledge, much like Wikipedia. It was lost during the Warring States era, but Xu Xuke suspects that the extraordinary success of an army commander named Huang Shang is due to his having rediscovered the Book of Heaven.  The Heluo clan, which guard the Holy Temple and keep outlanders from causing too much trouble, asked Huang Shang for the Book of Heaven in order to close the doors of the Holy Temple. Huang Shang refused, citing the need of the country. Later, his family was assassinated by the House of No Mercy, who were also looking for the Book of Heaven, and Huang Shang went into hiding.  Xu Xuke suspects that Huang Shang was aided in his escape by his good friend, He Hongyuan of the He Family Horse Gang, also known as "Big Pot Head". He asks Siwang to investigate and find Huang Shang.  Why is the protagonist always responsible for solving troublesome things? The heavens set great tasks upon the people, and they suffer the pains of the body, the aches of the bones and the hunger of the flesh. As long as your heart is pure... Brother Duan, what are you mumbling about? ... nevermind.  To the west outside Dayan Town, a man is being robbed, and Siwang naturally gives chase. He would never ignore a cry for help!  The robber gets mauled in the face by an angry bear.  Forgive me, master! I have an eighty-year-old mother and an eight-year-old child to take care of, I have no other choice! Yes, yes, an eighty-year-old mother and an eight-year-old child, who doesn't have one? I'll let you off the hook this time, but it won't be so easy next time. Thank you kind sir! Now to take the money back...  Audacious thief! Trying to escape? No, wait, this is a mistake, I'm not a robber. You're holding the bag of money in your hand and you want to argue? I took it from the robber! Where is he, then? He had an eighty-year-old mother and an eight-year-old child, so I let him go. Who would fall for such a ridiculous reason? Cease your sophistry and face your crimes like a man. But I'm innocent! He Yuqing then attempts to capture Siwang, at which point a bear appears out of nowhere and brutally dismantles her. Beast Taming Sutra is perhaps the most overpowered sutra in the game. With these fighting skills, why resort to thievery? How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not a thief!Siwang only steals sutras and rare items, mere money doesn't interest him.   Bandits! Stop! Have you no respect for the law? Ah, young man. Did you manage to get back my money pouch? Of course, it was easy. ... And the robber? I chased him off. Fine. It means less paperwork for me anyway. Little brother, Miss He, thank you very much.  Hey, shouldn't you be apologizing for calling me a thief? It's your fault, you look like a thief, standing here all alone, anyone would think you're a thief! He Yuqing then runs off. The robber dropped a Throwing Weapons sutra for Siwang, Throat-Sealing Arrow (nice icon!) has approximately the same numbers as the sutra the monkey in Gongshi Village gave us, but debuffs movement instead of AP. Notably, it is also Yang-aligned, which doesn't really matter at the start of the game but should make it pull ahead a little once Siwang gets that Yang score up.  A Dragon Sabre? When did Siwang pick this up? I honestly don't remember. With that ridiculously high damge, it must be a mod item.  Siwang upgrades Luo Yuanyu's staff at the local blacksmith. The debuff-focused upgrade increases damage to a 114-120 range, and the internal injury debuff value to 18.  In contrast the damage-focused upgrade has a damage range of 190-200 but a debuff value of 6. Siwang picks this option because killing enemies faster is clearly the superior debuff.  Additionally Siwang slaps a diamond and moonstone on the staff to increase damage and MP leech.  Siwang's fist weapon gets some poison for now, he doesn't really have many gemstones available.  Duan Siping's sword gets upgraded with cold iron and some more poison to save money.  A bit to the south of the Dayan Town blacksmith is the Pretty Dream Pavilion. You can probably guess what kind of establishment this is.  There's someone being attacked by snakes just outside the Pretty Dream Pavilion. Siwang deals with them easily.  Hmm, why are there so many snakes here? And these snakes look sickly, as if their venom had been extracted. There is much debauchery going on inside, but this is of little interest to our hardened protagonist Gui Siwang.  Instead, his attention is immediately drawn to a little confrontation off to the side, where a lady is trying to stop someone from going round the back of the pavilion. She has to distract him by promising the company of one of her co-workers.   Oh no... not another one. Don't worry, Miss, I'm not a bad guy. I see from your face that you have some concerns, maybe I can help? No, Miss Xiangdie has told me not to let anyone in!  Let him come in, Ming'er. Miss Yanxue? But what about Miss Xiangdie's instructions? Just tell her it was me. Sir, I saw how you helped Shi'er handle the snakes outside. There is some trouble in the pavilion, although you are not familiar to me, I hope you can help us. Of course, if you speak unwisely of what you are about to see, I will have to kill you. Uh. Ah. Yes! Murder! One lady in a red dress, one NPC, and one suspicious hooded figure.  I let you in, but don't touch anything. Let me consult Miss Xiangdie first.  ...  Dammit, this is already the third murder case in the Pretty Dream Pavilion! Siwang has one free party slot and has already met a few potential party members. Unfortunately they all need a bit of questing to unlock. Which one should he try to recruit first? - Solve the mystery of Relics of our Ancestors and recruit Ning Zhuanhuan - Get involved in the chivalrous thief Li Tan's next robbery and recruit Qi Xiaoer - Follow up on the location of the Book of Heaven with the He family horse gang and recruit He Yuqing - Solve the mystery of the Pretty Dream Pavilion murders and recruit Fan Xiangdie
sandorius fucked around with this message at 18:51 on Feb 24, 2023 |
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Feb 24, 2023 18:42
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Murder mystery! Time for Siwang to show off his investigative prowess.
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Feb 24, 2023 19:02
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Murder Mysteries take priority, I think.
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Feb 24, 2023 20:51
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Horse gang 
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Feb 24, 2023 23:29
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I'm all about them ancestral relics. Also look at this guy living his best life.
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Feb 25, 2023 07:33
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Here, a gif of Prince Ma dancing.
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Feb 25, 2023 12:15
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Let's try out the Ruins of the Ancestors.
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Feb 25, 2023 16:16
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So dreamy...
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Feb 26, 2023 03:21
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Update 19: Murder at the Pavilion There is literally a dead body on the floor, how can Siwang not help?  The girl standing beside the body suggests reporting to the authorities, but Fan Xiangdie, the proprietress of the Pretty Dream Pavilion, says that the men in power have their own motives in mind, and will interfere with the running of the Pavilion.  She then asks who the hell is this random guy. Rong Yanxue says she let Siwang in because of his "unusual face and smell".  Siwang introduces himself, and Fan Xiangdie says she trusts Rong Yanxue's judgement, and asks for his help in solving the murders.  The other two victims were also found here, but they died in a different manner from Li Hua here. Those two bodies... I suspect that they were the victim of someone trying to master the "Corpse Snake Poison Blood" technique. Their corpses were blackened and smelly, unlike Li Hua, who was hit in the chest and her liver torn apart. Is it even the same culprit? Who would want to kill Li Hua in this manner? Did she offend someone? Does Miss Xiangdie have any suspects in mind? I... I can't be sure, but if it is the same murderer, then they knew the whereabouts and movements of my sisters. It must be one of our own... Siwang looks at the body, and finds a surprised expression on her face, suggesting that the murderer was someone she knew and trusted. Additionally, from the marks on her body, she was attacked even after she had died, so the murderer must have been in a murderous frenzy. There is also some incense powder scattered around her body.  Siwang questions the other girl here, Qin'er, and learns that the body of Li Hua was dragged here. Qin'er found the body because of a trail of blood. Qin'er also says that Li Hua was a proud girl, and was often in conflict with Miss Danling and Miss Yanxue, and also little Rongxiu...  Qin'er! That's a man's life you're holding in your hands, don't talk about unworthy things! Naturally Siwang interrogates Situ Jing next. Excuse, mother-in-law, I have some questions to ask.I believe this is a generic term of respect for an older lady, and not meant literally. What do you do here? I discipline the girls. (... what?) What are you thinking, kid? I teach the girls martial arts, from the butterflies to the maids, you have to know how to defend yourself in a place like this. Ah... yes, I see. Did you know Li Hua well? That woman's nose was higher than her eyes, ivory doesn't come from a dog's mouth! What else is there to say? Did Li Hua offend mother-in-law somehow? Kakaka! (What an awful laugh...) Who is Rongxiu? That child is someone I picked up, and now I care for him along with Miss Xiangdie. (Is Granny Situ such a kind person? I can't see it.) Picked up from where? That's not relevant to the case here, is it? Rong Yanxue here gives Siwang Li Hua's backstory. She was orphaned and sold to a corrupt official together with her little brother, then forced to flee the capital when the official started making unwelcome advances. She says that Li Hua would sometimes take food from the kitchen and sneak outside to meet her brother, who was not allowed to live at the Pavilion.  But recently her brother was bitten by a snake, and was confined to bed, spouting nonsense. What kind of nonsense? I... I shouldn't say. What's there to say! Her little brother was bitten by a snake, but blamed it on our Rongxiu, saying that he set the snake to bite him! Granny, we all know you are a righteous person, and would never practice evil kungfu to harm others. Surely the boy was delirious from the pain, do not take it to heart. Rong Yanxue also says that she has an ability to judge people's faces and their fates, and that Siwang's fate is strange. It could be good or evil.  Having exhausted the conversation topics available, Siwang leaves and examines this trail of blood on the ground.  Ming'er here has a lot to say about the girls who are stationed on the second floor - Li Hua, Danling, and Yanxue. Apparently Li Hua was jealous of Danling getting more attention, and also got bumped into a fish pond by Rongxiu.  More importantly, when asked about the trail of blood, she says that a pool of blood was found outside the kitchen, but it was cleaned up to avoid alarming guests.  There is a stain here, where the blood was cleaned up, and Siwang enters the kitchen to ask the maid about it.  A few days ago, Li Hua insulted little Rongxiu, saying that he was destined to grow up to be a seller of the rear end, and enraged Granny Situ to the point where she slapped Li Hua on the spot. It was only thanks to Miss Xiangdie that Granny Situ was pacified. The maid here points Siwang to Rongxiu, who likes to hide in the trees just outside the Pavilion.  Rongxiu here is crying alone in the forest. Hey little Rongxiu, be a good boy and don't cry, OK? Big brother has something to ask you.  Oooh... Don't be scared, big sister Xiangdie has asked me to investigate something, so big brother has an important question, OK? OK... no! I don't know! (Hmmm, why did he say yes and then no? Has he been told not to answer any questions?) Little Rongxiu is being disobedient? Lying children are struck by lightning! Lll... lightning? Wuuuahh... (Whoops, said the wrong thing.) Don't worry, don't worry, if Rongxiu doesn't lie, then thunderbolts won't kill you, OK? Just tell big brother the truth. Does Granny Situ hate Li Hua? Granny Situ is the best person in the world, and also the best martial artist in the world, whenever someone bullies me, she will definitely teach them a lesson! But I didn't want Li Hua to die, mother-in-law is so fierce, and I was so scared... What does that mean? Did Granny Situ kill Li Hua? I don't know! I don't know anything! Uwahhh! (It must be Granny Situ, but I need more proof.) On the other side of the Pavilion is the site of the murder. Here, Siwang finds a torn-off piece of grey clothing. It's time to go back and expose the murderer. In case you missed the increasingly obvious hints, it's Granny Situ.  Siwang can accuse pretty much everyone else, but they all have alibis.  In order to expose Granny Situ, Siwang attacks her, and she reacts with a claw of green energy. Granny Situ! That... that was the "Corpse Snake Poison Blood" technique! It was you who killed our sisters! Granny, when you came to the Pavilion, we made a promise to stop using such harmful techniques! I trusted you all these years, and now you even used your sisters to practice on! Who is Rongxiu to you, how can you kill someone for just some insults to him? Rongxiu is the son of the former Minister of the West, Yan Baochuan! Minister Chuan saved my life, but when I was away, he and his family were murdered by a traitor, and I only managed to save the boy... You hid me and fed Rongxiu, Xiangdie, but I taught you a great deal of kungfu, so don't say I was eating for free. Kakaka! Big-mouthed boy, I'll finish you off in three rounds! Granny Situ is fairly dangerous, but is unable to kill Siwang in one strike, and Cheng Yanhua heals him back up.  Fan Xiangdie is not very good at fighting but neither are the three snakes in the background.  How dare you betray our sisters! Unforgiveable! Kakaka! Fool! You think I'm the only one in the Pavilion like this? Listen! That day, I smelled a strange fragrance off Li Hua's body... I became so angry, I couldn't control myself! Someone else in the Pavilion knew about my practicing kungfu, and kept quiet! They wanted to kill someone with a borrowed knife! Kakaka! You sisters act like you love each other, but underneath you're all looking out for yourselves. Don't act like you're better than me! (What a way to use poison... I've learned a lot today.)Remember the incense on Li Hua's body? For the record, I think it was Danling, since she has some scented powder in her room. But I am unable to get the quest to resolve in a different way, if anyone knows how, please post in the thread.  Noooo! Don't kill Granny! Rongxiu! Get out of the way! Rongxiu! Run! I'll see you at the usual place! Kakaka! This is my hidden weapon technique!Siwang dodges, but nothing happens. Fooled, dammit! They got away, there was no hidden weapon! Thank you for your help, young master.... khhh! Miss Xiangdie, you were injured in the battle, please return to your room and rest for now.  Granny Situ dropped a sutra on the way out.  The Corpse Snake Poison Blood martial art is a fist technique that scales with evil. Siwang isn't especially evil so he only gets 21 bonus damage on 300 base damage, he's more of a Diet Coke of evil.  Now that the murder has been solved, Siwang is free to sample the more... physical aspects of the Pretty Dream Pavilion. Although only Aunt Cai here is offering.   (The fish swam joyfully in the water, the wilted flowers bloomed again, and you and Aunt Cai had an indescribable time.)This boosts Siwang's Qi at the cost of 800 money. You know what they say, it's the old ginger that's spicier.  Unfortunately, while Fan Xiangdie is very grateful, she doesn't offer to join Siwang's party. Dammit! It looks like if he wants her to join, he'll have to start Su Qingrui's sidequest! (Su Qingrui is Fan Xiangdie's  Distressed by his failure to woo pretty women into his party, Siwang goes on a crime spree, beating up random people for their stuff and also stealing this box containing a Ye Family Horse Gang costume.  This particular guard had a randomly spawned martial arts sutra on him. Unfortunately, a duplicate of the one Mei Xinghe had on him.  These two people are complaining about a mysterious thief that only appears at midnight.  Su Qingrui is an apparently insane beggar loitering on the premises of the Good Samaritan Hall, which is a giant manor in the middle of Dayan Town.  Jing Tairan here is the salt merchant who runs Good Samaritan Hall. If Siwang had arrived at the right time of day, he would be generously listening to a bunch of locals complaining about the man-eating tiger in the mountains to the west, and would ask Siwang to handle the tiger problem. The calligraphy on the left says "Rise or sink, enemy's feelings do not change". Or maybe if the subject is reversed, "Treat your enemies the same regardless of their size"? These poetic sayings are hard to decipher. I can't even read the calligraphy on the right, let alone try to puzzle out its meaning. Something about ambushing birds?  Siwang also climbs onto the roof of the local theatre and snags a nice sword sutra from the pagoda top. Duan Siping will appreciate this, he's nearly out of useful sutras to study.  Siwang then leaves Dayan Town and starts looking for the man-eating tiger. In the mountains to the west, there's a cave entrance blocked by a suspicious rock.  Siwang bashes it open and discovers a secret sutra embraced by a skeleton inside! Three Waves on the Yangtze is an Inner Working sutra that buffs the third action taken in a turn. At least, I think that's what it does. The description is less than clear.  A bit to the south of the cave entrance is the White Horse Residence, and waiting there is the chivalrous thief Li Tan! So there was this old man who saved children while wandering around the martial arts world and brought them back here. Li Tan here is the eldest of those, and while there are some other adults around who farm and help feed the children, Li Tan is in charge.  Siwang takes the chance to beat him up and steal his sutra. Most potential companions come with a sutra, but Siwang is a long way off from being able to recruit Li Tan.  The Xichuan Clear Moon Blade is a fairly standard Blade technique that knocks its target down the initiative queue, delaying their action.  Someone has also hidden a letter on the roof. Chunbao and Xiaobao are the two kids running around below. (Chunbao, Xiaobao, how come you guys didn't fly up here until now? I was only a year old when I started, and I was able to walk on walls. But to reward you, I hid something in the horse's saddle. Remember how to calm him? The food you hate the most is the one he likes the most!) The farmers here refuse to give Siwang a turnip so he has to grow one himself. This is going to take some time. Germinate, germinate! Ugh, why does it grow so slowly? Strangely, this does not cause the turnip to grow. Siwang gives up and leaps off the cliff to the north, landing on top of the famous man-eating tiger and also his four friends, who are eager to sample man-flesh. This is rapidly becoming more than Siwang can handle, he's going to visit Relics of our Ancestors next and see if Ning Zhuanhuan is easier to recruit.
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Feb 26, 2023 16:09
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Starting to feel like you should clean up your act or go beat up some more random old people until you're at least the coke zero of evil. No one wants to be the diet coke of evil.
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Feb 26, 2023 19:19
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Really, it would've been much weirder if Grandma Palpatine wasn't the killer.
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Feb 26, 2023 21:15
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Update 20: Relics of our Ancestors Siwang manages to fight off the man-eating tigers and staggers back into Dayan Town, bleeding profusely. Wild animals are annoying like that, they inflict a lot of trauma damage.  He blunders straight into a whole bunch of town guards. Luckily they aren't looking for Siwang, but some perverted thief who likes to steal women's underwear.   Haha! If you want to catch me, you'll have to wait till your next life! The guards surround him, but the pervert leaps into the air.  Guess that's one way to use kungfu.   Now what do we do? How can we find him now? Find him? Naturally a pervert will follow a woman's rear end, just find some girls and go there! So what if we can find him? The question is how can we catch him? Should we start carrying ladders? Or can you guys learn to fly? That person was quite skilled in Qinggong, it's a shame he doesn't use it for better purposes. I'm a little envious... Siwang meanders off in the direction of the Pretty Dream Pavilion, hoping to find the thief, but unfortunately fails to do so. Maybe another night? He does find these two graverobbing brothers having a drink outside.  Hey, little brother. Who are you? Don't you remember? We met in the graveyard, behind Shu Yuji. You! You followed me here! Mother!  He's always been like that. Lame, isn't it? What are you up to this time? Hey! We have a legitimate business idea. I'm going to use my gift to advise people and tell fortunes. Care to invest? I just need a little capital to start off with... In case you've forgotten, this other guy has picked up a habit of seeing dead people from excessive contact with Yin energy while graverobbing.  He points Siwang in the direction of some old man with a hobby in calligraphy, and asks Siwang to steal some artworks for him. Siwang is happy to comply because the voices in his head have been telling him to act more evil.  Siwang passes the valuable paintings and calligraphy to the graverobber and hopes he hasn't just been scammed.  In fact, speaking of graverobbing, there's a graveyard just to the northwest of Dayan Town. Mostly full of soldiers who died in the war against the Wolf Barbarians.  Oh look. Two familiar faces. (Again?) Brother, there's nothing in this tomb, only this strange square box. You've been cheated! Are you sure? This guy is dressed strangely, like an outlander. Check again! I've already gone through all seven orifices, we shouldn't have given all our money to that fortune teller! (Oh no! My investment!) Hey! You two! Wow, you didn't faint this time. Brother said that since he can see you too, so you must not be a ghost. (Your brother's eyes can see some strange things!) See, my brother is learning. You can't scare him now! Please tell the woman in blue next to you to stop glaring at me. I can feel the evil intent all the way from over here. What woman in blue? What woman in blue? Oh poo poo! This time it's your brother that's fainted. Ugh... I suddenly feel uncomfortable too. It must be this square thing, it must be cursed! Brother, let's just leave this thing here and let's get out of here! (What did he dig up?) (A cell phone!) How can there be a cell phone here in this day and age? What? Why? Was this guy also from the modern era? (Tomb of an Unknown Soldier) (drat, he's really dead. He might have known something about getting home...) Mobile Phone: "A mobile phone of unknown brand, how did this thing appear in this era?" Unknown brand? Siwang must be a millennial who grew up with an iPhone or something.  "Died in a drunken horseback riding accident." (So drunk driving was around even in such an early age?) Most of the other graves belong to soldiers who died fighting for the Mu Family against the Wolf Barbarians, although one is splattered with blood and the slogan "Mu did it". This one, however, has an entire martial arts sutra etched on the gravestone. Thank you, elder, for this fist technique! Eight Trigrams of the Nine Palaces is a heavy-hitting fist technique that requires a lot of AP. Mobile phone securely in inventory, Siwang heads northeast to Relics of our Ancestors. He is no longer a primitive caveman, but a certified representative of modern civilization. Surely he will be able to entice Ning Zhuanhuan to his side with the wonders of tinny personalized ringtones and a game of Snake.  Too bad he's taken too long in the graveyard and the sun is rising. The nocturnal inhabitants of Relics of our Ancestors have faded away and the caves are full of bears now.  He does at least come across this weaver lady who is researching ancient fashion and fabric design.  And there is a modded Short Weapon sutra in one of the caves, in case Siwang ever feels the need to channel the spirit of Hassan-i Sabbah.  Siwang sadly heads south to this roadside inn, and accepts this lady's offer of a quick drink. Maybe he can while the day away here?  Whoops! The drink was drugged and Siwang wakes up in a cell.  What's going on here? Haha, silly boy, can't you tell? Just so that you don't die like a fool... In four hour's time, when our boss's wife gets here, you'll be the food for our shop tonight! Hahaha! We'll bring you out then, so stay put! The good news is, some unlucky sod got killed here before and hid a sutra under these loose boards so that these bastards wouldn't get their hands on it.  The bad news is that Siwang's only means of escape is hidden in this latrine bucket and he's going to have to root around in it. He's lucky he doesn't have He Yuqing or Ning Zhuanhuan in the party yet, they will be totally grossed out. Actually, he can blast the door off its hinges with enough Qi, but this is funnier.  He can also try to fake stomach cramps, but the guard won't fall for it. (Tch! It didn't work, the movie was a lie.) Siwang picks open the lock with the dagger he found in the latrine bucket, knocks out the guard, and runs.  The boss lady isn't too happy that her dinner is getting away, and decides to take action personally.  This is a bad idea for her and she gets mauled in the face by an angry bear.  She has this Fist sutra on her, which appears to be a debuffing sort of technique focused on breaking bones and dislocating joints.  The Goro Bagua Stick manual Siwang picked up in the jail cell is a Spear sutra pretty similar to Luo Yuanyu's Nighthawk technique, but inflicting internal injuries instead of dislocation. It also goes "bwonggg" instead of "atatata".  Quite put off with idea of resting, Siwang decides to spend the day doing sidequests. He continues east and is ambushed by some members of the House of No Mercy, the evil ninja-types who intend to take over the Holy Temple.  It goes about as well as you might expect, this encounter is balanced for low-level characters and Siwang is firmly in the mid-game power tiers by now.  Siwang reaches Shijia Salt Estate and meets this poor Taoist sage who is poisoned and requires a rare Moonlight Chrysanthemum for the cure.  This old man wants a fish for his cat and gives Siwang some money to buy one.  This lady's son has been missing for a few nights now.  And this old man wants Siwang to bring a message to his niece who lives to the northwest. Tch! Another lousy errand quest from an RPG? But since I see your sincerity, I agree. ...Chicken? Anyway, please tell her it was my fault and I regret it.The old man here is confusing the G in "RPG" with the word for chicken, which is pronounced similarly.  This man spends five minutes telling Siwang an old legend about a Buddhist monk who split a mountain in two, and claims that this is the place where it happened. He asks Siwang to go to the nearby Cloud Splitting Dragon Temple to ask for their help in splitting a large rock near his village. I can climb ten mountains without getting out of breath, but I just can't swim! Brother Gui, I don't know if the monks of Tianlong Temple have this divine power, but they are very wise, surely they can give some advice. There is also a chest on the roof of this house, with a note from the "Gentlemen of the Beam". Now that you have found this object, continue to follow the "Path of the Beam", and you shall receive. But, do so at your own peril! This poor joke-teller has been robbed of his script and his jokes are incomprehensible now.  And this tofu-selling lady is looking for a tiger dong, as promised in the OP. Listen, my damned husband spends all day fising in the river and doesn't pay enough attention to me! He is... weak, and I want to make soup from a whole tiger penis to give him energy and nourish him. There are tigers in the woods to the northeast, bring me a fresh tiger whip and I'll let you have some tofu for free. Tigers! Who do you think I am, Wu Song? I'm not done talking! The villagers have raised a sum of money and hired a group of expert hunters to deal with the tiger. Just go with them, what risk is there? Wu Song is a fictional character from Outlaws of the Marsh, who got drunk and wrestled with a tiger barehanded.  The hunters aren't eager to let Siwang join and take a share of the loot, but he uses his Medicine knowledge to convince them.  The tiger takes the bait. It isn't poisoned because the hunters want the meat, blood and bones.  Surprise! The hunters turn on Siwang and attack him afterwards. Hey, kid, you must have some secret book or valuable things on you, right? If you get eaten by a tiger, wouldn't that stuff be ours? The problem with attacking someone with a lot of secret books and valuable things is that they probably killed a ton of people to get them. Siwang obtains the Tiger's Tongue. "It is barbed, strong and powerful, and has a certain magical effect in the minds of the common people who believe in using its shape to make up for its form." I've spent more time than I should looking at it and wondering if it's a tongue or a penis.  In any case the tofu-seller is suitably grateful and teaches Siwang the recipe for tofu. Siwang also claims the entire reward for hunting the tiger from the sub-chief.  It's getting dark so Siwang makes his way back to Relics of our Ancestors. Like he did several days ago when traveling north to recruit Cheng Yanhua, he walks into the middle of the cave system, refuses to leave when politely asked to, and gets jumped by a mob of angry disciples. But this time round he wins the fight and a bodiless voice intervenes. Hold, disciples. This man has an otherworldly smell, let me take a closer look. He may be an outlander. We must uphold our promise with the Turtle Spirit Emperor. What does Supreme Elder think? The outlander may leave, or he may stay. We shall keep our promise. The illusion laid upon Siwang is lifted, and he is now able to perceive the people of Taihua Gate, who apparently have a roaring night market filled with people watching the fight.  The first thing this lady does is to criticize Siwang's fashion choices. Happily, the second thing she does is to offer some secondhand clothing to him.  The people of Taihua Gate have smooth skin and white hair, and this man here is 103 years old and still in his prime. He says that his people are nocturnal, worship the moon and lead peaceful lives, so they live longer.  Siwang picks up a recipe for roast lamb here.  I didn't expect that this kind of tangy food would be eaten here! Brother Gui, I'm glad I joined you to see the world, these different people and customs, it's all been an eye-opener for me. (Wow! This noodle stall's owner has such a special cooking technique! Be it a pot, ladle, chopsticks or knife, in his hands, it's almost alive...) Siwang trades with the noodle stall owner for some kind of cooking sutra. Well, it says it's a Short Weapon sutra, but the icon is clearly of a wok flipping.  Are you from outside? They are all thieves with no sense of decency or shame. Either they think we are ghosts and want to raid our tombs, or they think we are immortals and want to ask for money. One of our ancestors was seduced by a fox demon, and ran away. Some disciples left for training, but they never returned, and their bodies, and jade daggers, were lost.  It's taken a while, but Siwang finally catches up with Ning Zhuanhuan. She thanks him for his help with Little Snow, gives him a tiger-shaped pendant that boosts combo rate, and asks him about the outside world.  Let me tell you a love story about a couple of silly boys and a spoiled girl. Once there was a young man named Guo who fell in love with an eccentric little girl. The girl was a real tough nut, she hit him as hard as she could when they first met...Readers familiar with wuxia may recognize that Siwang is retelling "Legend of the Condor Heroes" here. Wow! I've never been out of here, and I've never seen the ocean, it would be a shame to be trapped on an island. The ocean sounds so scary, Big Brother Siwang, if I'm trapped on an island, will you rescue me? Hmmm... maybe? You will, right? To save or not to save, that is the question... I hate you! Big brother Siwang, you have so many strange stories, will you come back and tell me more next time? Why wait for me, little Ning can join me on my travels. But... our people suffer from a fear of the light, after walking in the sun for some time, we become weak and dizzy, and break out in ulcers. Elder Kogui is skilled in alchemy, and he knows a formula to suppress this, but it requires a spider called the Seven Stars Moon. We have sent disciples everywhere to search for it. It can only be found in a cave to the north, near the "Hidden Flower Cottage". The man living there has laid a miasma over the entrance, and the sect does not know his intentions, so we dare not act rashly... (Isn't that Doctor Chen's cave? I can go in!)I've realized why the translation calls the place the Tibetan Herb Shed - Tibet in Chinese is "Xi zhang" or "Western Secret" and the Hidden Flower Cottage uses the "zhang" character for "hidden".  One short horse ride later, Siwang enters the cave behind the Hidden Flower Cottage.  Here grows the rare herb that Doctor Chen asked Siwang to help pick, lo, these many updates ago.  As well as an extremely poisonous spider. Thankfully Cheng Yanhua is around to help Siwang catch it.  This is the Seven Stars Moon! Brother Siwang, you are so awesome! Elder Kogui, is it true that with this pill, our people need not fear the sun? Can... can I go see the outside world? Alas, girl, this pill will only work for you. For you see, your grandmother was not one of us. Your grandfather was a stubborn man and left us to marry your grandmother. But when your father was born, his infant constitution could not handle the sun, and was on the verge of death. Your grandfather was ill from prolonged exposure to the sun, so your grandmother rushed back here with your father and begged the Supreme Elder to take him back. My grandparents... After that, your grandmother left in a hurry. They lived in a place called Suishin Island. Here, I'll mark it on your map. Go, you are different from us. Go and see the outside world. Don't worry, as long as I am here, no one will touch a single hair on Little Ning's head. If you get hurt or poisoned, just look for me. With that, Ning Zhuanhuan joins the party. She is a Clever Sword user and also comes with a free white tiger.  The "Ingenious" capstone talent of the Clever tree increases damage dealt with the number of different debuffs on the target.  Ning Zhuanhuan, or "Ning'er" to her friends, also comes with a Yin-aligned Sword sutra that is vaguely moon-themed.  Splash of Ink on Snow is nowhere as powerful as Mountain-Splitter but is nevertheless a very welcome fighter on par with Duan Siping.  Siwang heads to the blacksmith to try and upgrade Ning'er's weapon, but is distracted by high-quality shinies! Look at those Worm Silk Gloves (189-199 base damage) being sold for a mere 12000 money!  A Tiger Shark Stamina Suit? Where did these guys even get shark-skin?  Starry Night (155-160 base damage) is a Hidden Weapon that is only slightly inferior to Kongjin's Thunderbolt (175-180 base damage). Nice. Please vote: - Buy the weapons and armor from the blacksmith. Money is not hard to come by, just rob a few bandits. - Steal the weapons and armor from the blacksmith. It's the principle of the thing. Additionally, now that Siwang has a full party, it's time to consider doing character sidequests. Which one should he follow up on first? - Visit General Duan Siping's manor in Dayan Town and learn the circumstances of his exile - Travel the world and find an old Beggar's Sect hideout with Luo Yuanyu (this may take some time) - Deliver the medicine to Doctor Chen and meet Cheng Yanhua's ex-husband - Head northeast to Suishin Island and look for Ning Zhuanhuan's grandparents sandorius fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Feb 28, 2023 |
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Feb 28, 2023 17:01
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Buy, we only became unrighteous so a bunch of orphans wouldn't get beaten to poo poo and starve to death, there's no need to overdo it. And let's go with Cheng Yanhua's story, it's been a while.
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Feb 28, 2023 22:32
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Buy the stuff, beating up bandits is just one of those things you do as a And look for the grandparents. Did any of those other clowns come with a free tiger? No? Then they can wait.
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Mar 2, 2023 10:41
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Buy, and look for the grandparents.
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Mar 2, 2023 11:07
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Steal Cheng Yanhua's heart
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Mar 2, 2023 15:07
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Update 21: Fooling Around Eager to show Ning Zhuanhuan the world, Siwang takes off southeast and brings her to an abandoned, creepy temple.  Big brother Siwang, why did you bring me here? Listen, Ning'er, if you want to spend time in the Jianghu, you need to learn that abandoned buildings are basically loot piñatas. The last time I went into one of these I found a blade stuck in a skeleton and an iron spear on the roof. What's a piñata? Siwang's intuition is never wrong, and he finds this Sword sutra just lying on the floor for any wandering hero to pick up.  Also, if you wander around at night you stand a good chance at triggering ghost-related sidequests. Is that why we've been haunted by the sound of a child crying for the past fifteen minutes? I've only been in this world for a week and I've already met three. I'm not even counting the people who just die after giving me a cryptic message. Sir, can you do me a favour? Can you hear the sound of a little child crying? Yes! Great! That's great! Every night I can hear it, but no one else can! I'm so happy to you know you can hear it too! It makes you happy? Well, I'm unhappy! Are you trying to gently caress with me, you son of a bitch? My name is Shi Gandang, I am in charge of the midnight patrol here in Shijia Salt Estate, please find the howling noise and make it stop. I'm just a coward and I don't dare to investigate. You son of a bitch! Do I still have the right to say no? I was just passing by and now you got me into this, it's so uncomfortable! Siwang finds "A Child Weeping Alone" near the riverbank to the southeast.  Uooohh... (This is the crying child, but I can't see his face...) Big brother, this child looks so pathetic, aren't we going to help him? Hey kid, I've got some candy here, would you like some? Boohoohoo! Uooohhh!! (drat, what a reaction! It seemed to make him unusually angry?) (Now what? This is so weird, I'm under a lot of pressure, what do I say?) Little... brother, or sister, what are you doing here alone in the middle of the night? Boohoohoo! Uooohhh!! Would you like to turn around? It's a little weird talking to you and not seeing your face. Ooooo... (Why did I say that!? What if he really does turn around, will I see something that will make me pee my pants?) (Ugh, he's not reacting to these questions. I guess I have to bring up that subject.).jpg) Little brother, could it be that you have some grievance, that you want me to redress for you? ... (What does this silence mean? This is also scary, dammit. And when did this jade pendant appear on the ground?)  Showing Shi Gandang the jade pendant makes him freak out. This pendant! Are you lying? No! No way! I knew it! I didn't know! He then runs away at top speed. Aaaaa! What the gently caress! Hey, don't go, what about my thanks? The kid has disappeared now, but the Moonlight Chrysanthemum the poisoned Daoist sage was looking for can be found here now. This is Moonlight Chrysanthemum, young warrior, please hurry and bring it back to the Daoist sage. Siwang could lie to the worried mother, and say that her child was kidnapped but later rescued and adopted by a kind-hearted merchant. (What a lame lie, and she's willing to believe?) (Is this a form of cruelty? Letting people live with unattainable expectations...)But instead he simply tells her the truth as he knows it. Strange, I never noticed anything unusual about Shi Gandang. What do you think actually happened, young master? I... I don't dare to speculate. Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that. Please let me know if you discover my son's whereabouts in the future. The Daoist sage is very happy to receive the Moonlight Chrysanthemum, and gives Siwang a Tianshan Snow Lotus, which boosts max MP. If Siwang complains, he gives him a Thousand-Year Lingzhi as well, which boosts max HP. Big brother, isn't there something we can do to help the poor lady? Not unless we can track down Shi Gandang. At times like these, I find the need to do something else to sooth my own soul. Like what? Adding to my sutra collection. Look at that old man fishing by the river, I bet he has something interesting on him! The Cosmic Fishing Style requires the starting Calm talent to even begin to learn. The fisherman refuses to teach Siwang unless he performs righteous deeds, but has unfortunately failed to reckon with a Siwang skilled in petty thievery. I swear he didn't have this on him the last time Siwang met him.  I think Hunting Bow Technique is technically a Hidden Weapon sutra? It's just laying on the counter of the Gongshi Village grocery store.  These bandits are celebrating the theft of the joke-teller's manuscript, when suddenly five trained kungfu experts and two wild animals join the party.  The joke-teller is grateful but has nothing to reward Siwang with other than a fragment of an essay on ancient and modern opera. Apparently if Siwang collects them all he can get a reward! From who? What kind of secret treasure? I don't know, it's just a rumour. Thank you for showing me the world, Big Brother, but I would really prefer you to stop with the ghosts and the abandoned temples. drat! There's another one to the south which always has a bunch of bandits camped in front, I wanted to bring you there next. How about a non-abandoned temple? There are two farmers complaining to the duty monk at the Tianlong Temple to the south. There's some kind of black-skinned monster with red eyes and armor haunting the area, and the farmers want the monks to leave, because that will somehow help.  Siwang promises to look into the matter of the Great Dark One and also filches a mystery sutra off the poor monk.  One Yang Finger is clearly a modded sutra, you can tell because the modder hosed up the transparency on the sutra icon. Also 30 points of seal and 500 base damage on a 6 AP move is just clearly overpowered. It's even got 8 range, this is basically wuxia Finger of Death.  Siwang goes in and greets the abbot, who is busy meditating.  Another monk in the temple proper also has a modded sutra on him, but in contrast to the low-effort icons of One Yang Finger, this one has got colour! Just as ridiculously OP, though, it even does more damage per AP.  When asked about the legend of a monk splitting open a rock, this monk denies any such thing happened here, and gives Siwang some prayer beads to give to the legend-seeker. Please give this to him and tell him the matter is in his own hands. May Buddha bless him. Very nice of him. Ebony Buddhist Beads "Precious beads made of ebony wood, which upon closer inspection shows the marks left by years of use"  Siwang heads north to give the prayer beads to the legend-seeker.  He is disappointed to learn the truth that the monks of Tianlong Temple cannot actually split huge boulders but also resolves to go home and deal with his rock problem himself.  This farmer has a badly carved Buddha statuette that somehow increases experience gained at the cost of losing stunt points every round.  This other farmer, Uncle Tan, has what is clearly a quest item, the land deed to the Tianlong Temple, which "appears to have been altered".  Uncle Tan says that the Great Dark One is a good god and that someone here must have offended him. He asks Siwang not to fight him, but to give him offerings such as buns.  The chef here does have some plain buns, but charges Siwang 200 money for it.  He also asks Siwang to find some salt, the last salt dealer to visit took the money, then hit the monk and refused to cough up the salt.  Apparently there's a password required to even speak to that salt dealer, who is in hiding to evade taxes or something?  In any case the minion here accepts the password and points Siwang north.  The salt dealer starts a fight with Siwang and doesn't even have the common sense to make it a duel. He gets stabbed, bitten and mauled before he can even react. Luckily for him Siwang is trying to cut down on his evil intake and lets him go instead of executing him.  Thank you, for the past three days I've had to cook without salt. In order to avoid everyone's suspicion, I can only mix some sweat and nasal droppings to taste. What a misery. ... Sir has helped this poor monk, but this poor monk has nothing to give sir, only a portion of my best dishes, please take these vegetarian noodles.Siwang is not touching those noodles with a ten-foot pole.  Just outside the kitchen there are two monks arguing.  No, no, no. Look at the way you hold that sword, you can't even hold it right, let alone use it. I'm surprised you don't cut yourself. Brother, I don't want you to lose face, so I'll take the title of the best blade in the south. Brother, don't be ridiculous, there are thousands of styles in the martial arts world. It's all about the lower half of your body. As the saying goes, the waist and the horse are one, as long as your stance is upright and firm, you'll have no problem cutting! To use the sword in this way is righteous and in line with the martial arts and Buddhist teachings! Excuse me, masters, this humble one is Gui Siwang. The two masters have quarreled so fiercely that I realized Tianlong Temple is truly a home to warrior monks. What are you talking about, big brother, these two idiots are arguing about razor techniques. They said they would shave my head a few days ago, but every day I just sit here and listen to them argue. I can't take it anymore! It's so hot! Please help! Sir appears to be a martial arts practitioner, please judge who is really the best sword in the south! Siwang can decline politely, saying he doesn't have the skill to tell who is better. The monks will console him and give him a sutra for him to practice. Fancy Fist and Kicks is a terrible Fist sutra. Punches aren't supposed to be fancy, they're supposed to be direct and to the point.  Anyway, that is clearly a reserved choice, so Siwang takes the unrestrained path and declares himself to be the best sword in the south. The monks naturally ask him to prove it.  With a single swipe of his blade Siwang takes off all the hair on the child's head!  We admit defeat. Wahaha! Free! Thank you, big brother, please take this spider I found. Siwang shoves the Colour Snow Spider into his backpack, hoping that it will come in handy at some point in the future. I want to see the sea next! Come to think of this, there was that letter the dying mountain fisherman wanted me to send to his family... isn't the cottage by the sea to the east? The woods east of Tianlong Temple are full of tigers, and Siwang runs into this particular white tiger, a Beast King with the imposing title of "Southern Tyrant of the Heavens". A new friend for Snowy! Siwang can now have two white tigers accompanying the party for a pleasing symmetrical effect. Mountain Lord here has a much higher initiative than our bear Mountain-Splitter but less HP and slightly less damage.  The poor fisherman here reacts to his brother's letter with little surprise. His brother ran away to become a bandit years ago, leaving him here to take care of their old blind mother. He offers a small sum of money as a reward, but Siwang, mindful of his ever-sinking karma score, refuses to take it.  There's a dragonball and some cold iron in a box nearby.  Then, when Siwang leaves, he meets a mystery man who is looking for the Luo household. Were Siwang righteous instead of mildly evil, he could probe further and stop this man. But as it is, he simply shrugs and says he doesn't know anything.  Returning to the fisherman's cottage will see the two inhabitants dead. Siwang can do nothing but bury them. I had the option to call out the mystery man in a previous playthrough, which will save these two NPCs. Turns out the mountain fisherman Luo Ping killed his family and he's looking for revenge. I'm not sure why Siwang can't do it now, maybe it's tied to righteousness?  Brother Siwang, why does death and destruction follow you everywhere you go? Hey, I had a perfectly normal life back in modern China, OK? It's your world that's like this. Look! The Ginseng King and Goldstone Lord are fighting over this mountain and want me to slaughter the other faction purely for the monetary gain. I sort of want to crawl back into Relics of our Ancestors now. It's getting dark, let's just go back and look for the Great Dark One and give him his offerings. Please don't kill him, Brother Siwang. I wouldn't dream of it.  Oh no! The Great Dark One doesn't like our offering! Can I kill him now? No! He probably doesn't like plain buns, let's find him something else. I've heard there are many good things to eat in the Dayan Town night market. This guy is having a late night drink and will accept low-quality ores in exchange for two pieces of high-quality ore. His friend needs to practice, and he points Siwang towards a skilled blacksmith in the northeastern islands.  You should watch out while in Dayan Town, Ning'er. Last night we saw a pervert being chased through the streets by the town guards. How terrible! Did they catch him? Alas, the evildoer was a skilled exponent of Qinggong, and he fled to the rooftops, where the guards, being mere mortals, could not pursue. The rooftops... you mean like that guy up there? ... Exactly like that guy. Hey! What the! Don't scare me like that, how did you get up here? Obviously I jumped up, what's so surprising about that? What the hell are you sneaking around here for, anyway? I'm a mason specializing in roofing, here to observe the environment. Do I look like I'm three years old, to be fooled by that? Who works on a roof in the middle of the night? You know poo poo! The chill of midnight makes things tighten up, while the yang energy of noon makes things fat and swollen! Naturally the serious mason will check both the extreme yin and the extreme yang to make sure the finished product is right! Oh? And what about that suspicious outfit you're wearing, then? You don't get it again! Every trade has it's own taboos! This dress that melts into the night is meant to express no disturbance to those ethereal beings that haunt the night! If craftsmen are not careful to respect the heavens and earth and spirits, no matter their skill, mistakes will happen! Now leave me alone! Bullshit! Don't try to fool me! I saw the guards trying to arrest you! You are the thief, your whole family is the thief! What proof do you have, how do you know you're not mistaken just because I'm dressed like this? Siwang then takes the chance to pickpocket from the man and finds not one, but nine pieces of women's underwear on his person.  Explain to me why you have so many blasphemous garments on you. drat! When did you...! So what? I like to buy dirty clothes for my collection, why not? Oh? For the smell? Big brother... ... Oh! I didn't realize you were so cultured! I see... It's rare to find a soulmate, let's talk! We're both in the same boat, after all. If you don't pursue this matter, not only will I give you half the spoils, but I'll also give you this rare Silkworm Silk, which can be used to make top quality armor! Let us be friends! Siwang, if you do this, both Ning'er and I will be very disappointed in you. Madam Cheng, do you know how hard it is to find Silkworm Silk on the open market? We can finally upgrade that glove of yours! Please vote: - Continue to use the bear Mountain-splitter in combat - Switch to the white tiger Southern Tyrant - Arrest the pervert - Accept the pervert's offer sandorius fucked around with this message at 23:50 on Mar 2, 2023 |
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Mar 2, 2023 19:01
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Keep bear, arrest pervert.
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Mar 2, 2023 19:36
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Ｈａｈａｈａ! Ｗｈａｔ ｔｈｅ ｆｕｃｋ! Ｈａｈａｈａ! Accept the offer, silkworms don't grow on trees.
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Mar 2, 2023 22:23
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Cats are cute, also arrest the pervert.
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Mar 3, 2023 00:39
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Well, that went places. Switch to Southern Tyrant, and arrest him.
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Mar 3, 2023 03:32
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BraveLittleToaster posted:Keep bear, arrest pervert. We are evil, not gross
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Mar 3, 2023 04:20
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Switch to Tyrant Arrest him.
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Mar 4, 2023 09:04
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Iceblocks posted:Switch to Tyrant
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Mar 5, 2023 21:17
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Update 22: To Suishin Isle Madam Cheng, your good opinion of me is worth inestimably more than some random stranger's smooth, silky undergarments. See, Ning'er, men all become like this when they go off to the big city. My ex-husband was like this too. I'm learning so much on this trip! How can you say we are the same, I am only seeking evidence! Confess your guilt! The pervert puts up a fight, but is quickly subdued even though Ning Zhuanhuan and her tiger can't reach him due to the roof's geometry.  The pervert also drops some loot. (Nice! I can probably sell these for a pretty sum!) I think we should get out of Dayan Town. It's clearly inflaming Siwang's worst instincts. Madam Cheng, my manor is but five minutes away to the east, should you wish to rest. You mean the manor filled with bloodthirsty soldiers just itching to declare war on the Nanzhao Kingdom, "General Duan"? I'm not letting Ning'er anywhere near you lot! Please, Madam Cheng, they are patriots. Nobody voted for your opinion! The bridge to the north, move it! There is a small scuffle on the bridge out of Dayan Town and Siwang naturally cannot resist sticking his nose in.  The Sixth Brother, Bu Seishou here, ran away from his bandit gang and is about to jump into the river to escape.  Siwang, feeling keenly the pain of being strongarmed by other people, saves him. Bu Seishou here admits to having done bad things as a bandit but wants to turn over a new leaf and become a chef in Dayan Town. He also asks Siwang to find a tofu pudding receipe for him. Siwang has one from the lady in Shijia Salt Estate who wanted a tiger dong, but he isn't coming back to Dayan Town anytime soon.  Speaking of tiger dong lady, her husband is suffering from back pain now. Ugh... my back is so sore. Alas, I don't know who meddled, but now I'm being tossed around by my bitch every day, I can't even stand up properly. Why am I even telling you this? Go away if you're not buying fish. Where are we even going? It's so dark here in the forest, I can't see anything. Madam Cheng said we should go look for my grandparents! Ugh, that's all the way in the northeast of the map. What a long walk... I think that patch of darkness just grinned at me. The Forest King "Black Bone" is swiftly pounced on by Southern Tyrant and Snowy, and is forced into the party by Siwang's masterful headpatting technique. Since we just had a vote on beast companions I'll wait until we find some more to include Black Bone into our party  That's a big encampment. And a lot of troops.The little triangular flag says "Brave" on it, it's a fairly stereotypical army banner.  At least these warmongers are polite when kicking us out of their camp. Speaking of warmongers, Brother Duan, why are you still with us? Instead of joining your warmongers, I mean. No offense. Have you seen Brother Siwang's sutra collection? Good point. My Qi has increased by leaps and bounds since joining him. And in any case, proper warmongery takes time and patience. I am in no hurry. Look at those soldiers being drilled! Man, their lives must suck right now. Their lives are going to suck a lot more when they discover you've stolen all their pay. Hey, it's going to a good cause. Make love, not war, and all that. ... Relax, Madam Cheng, it's just a saying where I come from. You have some really amazing sayings, big brother! Look, Ning'er, it's a Prefectural Administration Office. You can bang on that drum there and scream, "Oh great lord, help me, for I have been wronged." Will it help? It sort of depends on the lord running the office. He cares for the people and works late all the time. Oh? Madam Cheng has met him, then? My ex-husband. (Crap! Why did I bring that up?) Another one here to report a crime? Calm down, it will hurt your feelings, think twice! I don't have anything to report, I'm just passing by. Phew! Please feel free to stroll around. We've been working so hard, but the lord judge has finally left on personal business, this is a rare chance to slack off! Where did he go? What, you want to catch up with him just to make a report? How much do you want to make us busy? I'm just curious. He went northwest to the Hidden Flower Cottage, with some high-ranking person named Shi. Master Du Jinpeng is very understanding of the plight of the poor. If there's someone who cannot read or write, they can ask the master to help and he will only charge a chicken or a basket of carrots for a fee. It's not like other courts where if we need a legal document, they will charge dozens or even hundreds of taels of silver. Master Du is such a good official to the people! To the east of the Administration Office is Storm Cloud Crossing, an unremarkable military port whose only saving grace is that it has even more military supplies for Siwang to appropriate. Brother Siwang, you do realize that these soldiers are defending the country, do you not? From what? Bandits? They're not doing a very good job, are they? In fact, with the number of bandits we've taken down, the army should be paying us! Think of this as collecting our pay. There are also the Wolf Barbarians to the west... Fine, when we have the time we'll go beat up some Wolf Barbarians. Excellent. Bananas? I thought they only grew in the south. The real question is, why are the bananas growing here and not the clearly banana-shaped island to the north? There's a skeleton inside the ruined hut on Banana Island clutching a book. He was exiled, got sick and had flashbacks of being chased by a monster on a mysterious island.  There is also a journal here, saying that the exile raised an orphaned monkey by himself and called it Thirteen. He also taught the monkeys to grow bananas.  Thirteen is sitting on this well outside and will give Siwang yet another journal when fed a banana.  The journal says that the exile sealed a monster on the mysterious island and fled west to Banana Island.  There's nothing much else on Banana Island other than a few herbs and also this modded sutra, the Nine Yang Divine Manual. Despite its name, it's not Yang-aligned at all, just pure Qi bonuses.  The banana-shaped island to the north is home to a pair of blacksmiths.  What is that thing? Can I help you, brother? That weird square box, where did you get that thing? (The cell phone? Does he recognize it?) When I was young, I wanted to learn martial arts, but I had no talent for it. So I turned my interest to crafting various kinds of blades, especially the strange and special. I have a weapon blueprint of a mysterious weapon, left to me by a high-ranking person... but I couldn't do anything with it, because I didn't have the base materials. And now I've found it! That square box! (Is there something wrong with this guy? How could his base material be a cell phone?) Please, warrior, let me have that square box! The greatest dream of this blacksmith's life would be complete!If Siwang agrees, the blacksmith gives him a bunch of high-end crafting materials in exchange. But if he disagrees... How about this, if you let me have the box, then I will craft the weapon and give it to you! (This seems like a good idea! I'm glad I didn't just say yes to him!) Sure! (The blacksmith performs some operations completely unlike those of an ordinary blacksmith.) This... this is! I've never seen anything like this, but judging from how hard it is, it seems to be some kind of hidden weapon. (I can't deny, this cell phone is really hard...) According to the blueprint, this weapon is called "Thor's Mallet". As promised, you can have it, my wish is fulfilled. (I never expected this broken phone would become a hidden weapon, truly, this world is full of surprises.) Thor's Mallet: "The indestructible Thunder God Mallet." Base damage 359-370. It's... it's beautiful.  The other blacksmith is busy contemplating his next masterwork and gives Siwang some ores to gently caress off and not bother him.  A bit to the north, there's a cave entrance beckoning Siwang.  There's a Buddha statue overlooking the small lake inside, with a box containing three modded sutras just below it.  The Tai Chi Fist is an averagely overpowered Fist technique.  Sames goes for the Tai Chi Swordplay.  The real prize here is the Tai Chi Internal Art, which will boost the user's MP by 5000 and also give them a 70% mana shield effect, making them effectively invincible.  The cave is also being used by some suspicious cultist types, who are clearly wondering how Siwang got into their cave. Siwang loots another sutra from them as well.  The Tianpeng Blade Technique requires a certain amount of skill with Blade and Qinggong, but if you kill someone with it you refund AP. I believe it stacks with the similar talent in the Hard tree, so a Blade user could become an unstoppable whirlwind with this technique.  Who are you guys? Oh hey, nice cave you got here. I was just leaving, no need to see me out. Intruder! Die! Siwang cuts his way out of the cave and climbs to the top of the mountain, where he meets this old monk.  The Qi emitted by this patron is extraordinary. (This old monk has a good eye! He can see this great warrior's strength!) Without a doubt, this is the Qi of the Dragon Pearl. It's not a bad destiny for you to get such a treasure.The old monk offers to use the power of the  Hey, old man, fancy a spar? The old man does nothing on the first turn and hits both Siwang and his bear for ~3500 damage on the second. Owww!Siwang would definitely have lost this duel if not for Mountain-Splitter. At the time of recording, the bear was slightly ahead, but Southern Tyrant pulled ahead in the voting later, so this is the second last time we will see him in action. Thank you, Mountain-Splitter.  Wow, an academy! Fuxian Academy... can we stop by and have a look? Sure, why not. Looks like they only allow members in. Oh no, I really wanted to see what kind of books they had. How can we become a member? Just go in and ask nicely, I guess. Look, there's a hut across from the library. ... ... Big brother, do you make it a habit to break into people's homes and look at them while they're sleeping? No! Mostly, I'm just checking for loot. He hasn't done it for a while now. Indeed, the last time Brother Siwang did so was at Madam Cheng's bedside. ... ... I just wanted to talk! And I left and came back in the morning! Mmmm... huh? Who are you? Help! drat, she had a whole ton of sutras on her. Was she a fellow collector or something? Perhaps she was holding on to them as a representative of Fuxian Academy. In any case, I suggest we flee. It's dark, she won't remember our faces. Or anything other than Mountain-splitter trying to bite her arm off. Why don't we give Mountain-splitter a rest and bring out Southern Tyrant for a while instead? You know, "General Duan", for such a righteous man you're remarkably fine with this blatant robbery. The spoils of victory, Madam Cheng, won through right of conquest. I don't know why I'm even sticking with this group of man-children. Someone needs to keep Ning'er on the straight and narrow, I guess. Oh, and my ex-husband is looking for me at the Hidden Flower Cottage. Ugh.  Clutch Counselor is our first Yin-aligned Inner Working sutra and will come in handy for training Ning Zhuanhuan's Qi.  Kui Xing Kicking Method appears to be focused around a flying kick.  Sleeve Returning Wind Style is a confusing Short Weapon technique.  And Tai Zu Rod is a defensive staff art which requires a Simple talent to master. The Kirin Spear Technique and Heart Rokugan Sword are starter techniques which Siwang could have received from Kongjin at the start of the game.  To the east of Fuxian Academy is the Enchanted Water Village, which is hosting a martial arts tournament.  Siwang is just passing through, but picks up this gourd containing a Fruit of Wisdom on the way.  Finally, Suishin Isle. Looks pretty deserted, but there are some abandoned crops here. That cow is looking at me funny. The farm animals here have gone wild! The village proper is filled with skeletal remains, broken wagons and rusted weapons.  Ning'er, are you sure this is the right place? So many bones, and in such a terrible condition... How can this be! Perhaps your grandparents got into trouble, it's just about the right amount of time, the crops are still growing and there are traces of people. By the Moon Goddess... how did my grandparent's home become like this? I must find out! (There was a big fight here, let's look inside the houses.) There's a locked box here, I can't open it. I recognize this style of lockbox! You have to press the moons in order, like so... (There's a note inside, looks like a woman's handwriting.)  (I hate the Wei family for trying to force me into marriage. It was a day of great joy when I fled here with Zhuan Sun and recruited the islanders to help build this village.) (My husband fell into a coma, and I had to take my son Xiu'er to the Taihua Gate and beg them to take him in, in order to save his life.) (When I returned here, I found my husband dead, and my father and brother looking for me. I took revenge for my husband's death by killing my father and brother.) (They were fools, the only way to get the legacy of the Taihua Gate is to seize the map of the Ancient Enlightened City. Now they are dead, and I have killed my family.) (I can only pray that Xiu'er life at Taihua Gate is safe and sound, and that he will not know the hatred of his mother and his family. These are the last words of Wei Ge.) Wei Ge was my grandmother's name! And Zhuan Xiu was my father... The elders thought it strange that my grandfather did not return as well. They thought he had been betrayed, and abandoned. I had no idea... Don't be sad, Ning'er. Your grandmother was really something, to kill her enemies and then finally join hands with your grandfather! It seems that she did not want her descendants to live in hatred. I think... we should let this matter end here. We should bury your grandparents together. And the skeletons outside as well, even though they may include the Wei father and son. We should still pay respects to the dead. Just as you say! Rest in peace, both of you... (Hmm? Why is there a beggar here?) drat, I thought this was wine, but it's perfume! Some kind of rose honey, shouldn't have gone to all that trouble... What trouble? Why are you here in these ruins? Motherfucker, you think you can escape by hiding in this dead man's village? Our mistress spent a lot of money on that perfume! You're a man, what do you even need that perfume for? Just hand it over! What perfume? You mean this bottle I've just given to this little brother here? Erm, I don't need any beauty maintenance products right now... They're in cahoots! Get them! The ensuing fight is short and brief. How dare you disturb the resting place of my little sister's grandparents! I should teach you all a lesson! It's been so many years since these people died, how could they know? And you? I see you don't mind the white bones at all! Don't blame me, I wasn't responsible for whatever tragedy happened here. I'm just one man, living on wild vegetables and fruits. If you want to clean this place up, get them to do it. (He's got a point.) I don't want to have to beg for food anymore... Stay here, then, there's plenty here for the picking. Siwang recruits the former bandits into counting the number of skeletons in the village, although he has to pick them up himself. With that done, he proceeds with the burial.  The former bandits will accept money, food and lumber to start rebuilding the village. It will take a few days.  Before leaving, Siwang pays a final visit to the newly erected grave. I have brought Ning'er back to oversee the rebuilding of your village. She is like my sister, her affairs are my affairs. We will continue to rebuild so you can rest in peace. Big brother Siwang, I'm really glad you're here with me, otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do. Silly Ning'er, you're just like my sister, who else would I love if I didn't love you?I think I must have missed something somewhere because I don't see why Ning'er would want to rebuild the village. But in any case it seems to be what she wants to do. No vote this time, Siwang will be heading west to continue Cheng Yanhua's quest as sandorius fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Mar 11, 2023 |
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Mar 6, 2023 17:08
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Update 23: Return to Hidden Flower Cottage Thank you all for helping to bury my grandparents. It was but the righteous thing to do. Now what? Let's go for a swim!  Amazing, Brother Siwang. How did you know about this cave? You don't jump off cliffs just to see if there's a cave beneath them? Cold crystals are enchanting mats that inflict the Freeze debuff. Very useful.  The frog is incredibly poisonous, which Siwang finds out by touching it. 100 points of poison, bam. Ouch! Maybe Doctor Chen can do something about this at the Hidden Flower Cottage. Are you fine with that, Madam Cheng? ... yes. We've got the tiger bone and goat blood needed, it's past time we made Uncle Shui his medicine. I just hope Jinpeng only wanted to visit my daughter Feifei...  A bit to the north, a modded sutra is lying beneath a tree.  Sword of the Jade Maiden has got some weird synergy with a specific sword going on, but is otherwise averagely overpowered.  Why are we poking around this temple anyway? There's only a few Buddhist nuns around and they don't even have anything interesting to steal. Buddhist nuns with a line of training dummies, and who are strangely insistent on not letting us into the temple proper? I smell a rat. Madam Cheng, do you think the poison is making him delirious? How do you expect me to tell the difference from his normal behaviour? Let's just hurry west.  Ooh! An abandoned house! I bet there's something good inside. I hate it when he's right. Infinite Mind is a Yin-aligned sutra that will eventually regenerate both HP and MP in combat. Pretty much an upgrade to Secrets of Righteousness, but the Yin alignment will mess with heavy Yang-aligned companions like Duan Siping and Luo Yuanyu.  Spooky cave with overgrown roots obscuring the entrance? Let me just change into my mining outfit. Someone keep him away from that centipede! Big brother, stop! Ouch!  The centipede poisons Siwang again for absolutely no benefit, but at least there's a modded sutra next to it. As the name suggests, Toad Skill is a poison-based Fist technique. There are also some ores and a thousand-year Lingzhi in the cave as well.  Just south of the cave is another abandoned temple, but at least this one has monks and not bandits. Eh...? There are some people in front of the temple, is there some fun to be had?  Amitabha! Chen Dazhi! All I ask is that you return with us to Shaolin and meditate. If you do not wish to return to Shaolin, then return the sutra you have stolen and I will spare your life. Even though my first disciple was killed because of you, I do not wish to perpetuate this cycle of killing and wrongdoing. Do not give up your life for such a small thing. Calm down and let go of your obsession. Let go of my obsession? Why don't you monks let go of your secret book hoard! You have so many powerful techniques and yet you sit on them like you're in the latrine. You call yourselves monks! You're so pleased with yourselves because you own a gold mine, strutting around in fancy clothes and visiting brothels! Insolence! Even if you're only a chef, you are still a disciple of Shaolin! Show proper respect! Ha! I spent so many years in your kitchens, yet if not for my recent deeds, you would have never thought of me as a Shaolin disciple! Hey, that guy over there, is it so fun to watch? Help me out here! I'll pay you well. drat, it's hard to keep a low profile when you're this handsome. Since you want me to make an appearance so much... Almsgiver! This man is a traitor who killed his fellow disciples and stole the scriptures. Do not help him! Brother Gui, this is Shaolin Temple's business, it is not appropriate for us to get involved. If Siwang helps the monks, they will deal with Chen Dazhi easily and leave, rewarding Siwang with a Tai Zu Rod sutra. If Siwang stays out of this business like the reserved Duan Siping suggests, then Chen Dazhi will run away. But Siwang's is a wild and unrestrained personality, so he helps Chen Dazhi and fights the monks.  Great job, little brother! It's all thanks to you! And my reward? I will repay you in the future! Farewell! What? Hey! Don't leave me! Patron! You're so reckless, do you know who you let escape? I fear that you have helped birth a new devil in the martial arts world! Yes, I too dislike Brother Gui's impulsive personality. That man not only killed many of my Shaolin brothers, but even the younger brother of the headmaster! He is already so powerful after learning an external practice, if he deciphers the library books he stole... Watch your words, disciple! I am the root cause of this, how can I blame others for this misfortune? The man who escaped is Chen Dazhi, a disciple of Shaolin. Due to a feud with the cook, he sought to learn martial arts and seek revenge. He had the natural talent to teach himself a profound martial arts by stealing a sutra. Being a proud man, he held many grudges, and shed much blood in Shaolin. Indeed, if left unchecked, he will become a grave danger to many. Oh no, did I let a dangerous killer get away? I'll go find him for you, alright? If patron is so inclined, then seek out a scholar of the Sanskrit language, and you may find Chen Dazhi nearby. Why is this? Chen Dazhi stole a scripture written in Sanskrit, mistaking it for a profound inner working. In truth, it only contains a celestial fitness method. Chen Dazhi does not know any inner workings, and so must be eager to learn one in order to enhance his strength. Hence he will seek out one skilled in Sanskrit. Such people are few in number, and are mostly Buddhist monks like ourselves. We will stay here and recover, should patron find any leads, please look for us here. Siwang immediately challenges Abbot Suffering to a duel, because the Abbot is carrying the Taizu Rod sutra. I suddenly want to beat you up! Please enlighten me! Abbott Suffering drops not only the Taizu Rod sutra but also a Fruit of Wisdom. He also carries a Thousand-year Lingzhi and Tianshan Snow Lotus, all of which Siwang would have missed if he had helped the monks in this encounter, not to mention the follow-up quest.  Just north of the Hidden Flower Cottage there are five people menacing a lone traveler.  They notice Siwang and attack him, including the lone traveler.  What, is it fashionable nowadays to kill all enemies without distinguishing friend from foe? What kind of bad luck... but I did pick up a nice item.Siwang tucks the Ruyi Double Fish Pendant away. It boosts unload rate and heals a little when unload procs.  A little to the west is a beggar encampment. This place... In terms of location, surroundings, and atmosphere, it's a wonderful place to do business. If you want to do something, this is the place! A perfect spot for a base! You know, Yuanyu, I've never asked this, but what exactly is the great cause you are following? You don't seem to be seeking highoffice, or power, or fame, so why do you always talk about doing great things? If I were to say, "I want to build a world where the old are safe and the young are happy, where everyone is at peace", would you laugh at me? Uh... well... When I was a child, my parents were killed in the Wolf Barbarian invasion, and my sister had to raise me. She married a loving husband, but he was killed by bandits while hunting in the mountains. Since I started travelling with you, I have become stronger, and I think my future lies with you. If I can go back to my sister and tell her everything will be fine... if I can realize my dream, then my arm is with you. For good, or for evil. But Yuanyu, there are already people here, and I don't think they are willing to give this spot up. Maybe not today, but just you wait, I will be so strong that they make me their king! This old man wants Siwang to help him with something, either a Black(evil) mission or a White(righteous) mission. There's also a beggar costume under a tent, which Siwang puts on for the thrill.  Since Siwang was in the area, that's Luo Yuanyu's quest started. Siwang could go back and wake Doctor Chen up to give him the medicine now, but doing so will miss out on some background dialogue with his patients.  This matchmaker lady isn't here to consult Doctor Chen, but to recommend a widow she knows to him. That widow is a beautiful, pure and virtuous woman, aside from occasionally hitting on the boss next door and occasionally gambling a little. Occasionally...  Auntie Shes, I only need to know why you are seeking treatment and what your symptoms are. There's no need to talk about irrelevant matters. Doctor Chen, that woman was divorced by a government official! This kind of woman is always troublesome! Don't talk nonsense! I have nothing going on with Madam Cheng! Since you have the mind to talk such nonsense, your illness must not be very important. Please go find another doctor. I'm sorry. Talking to Doctor Chen will trigger a cutscene in which he and Madam Cheng start making the medicine for Uncle Shui. But when Doctor Chen administers the medicine, he staggers.  Hahaha! Chen Zhiji, come out and stop struggling! The water you used had the poison of the Hundred Flowers Underworld that I refined, so that it would take effect when you healed him! The original toad poison should be invading your organs as well by now! Give up! No, it's my younger brother...Since Chen Zhiji and Shi Hongtu don't share the same surname, they probably share the same kungfu master. In wuxia, disciples typically swear to treat their master as their parent, so fellow disciples are sworn brothers/sisters.  Sir! What's wrong? Oouuhh... what's wrong with Mister... I'm scared... My younger brother is very skilled with poison. As I deal with one poison, it recedes, but the other swells. I believe he will not stop with me! Young master Gui, please see what has happened outside! Hey, this fish seems to be in good shape! Catch it for me, boys, it'll make a good poison zombie! Shi Hongtu enters the fray with three minions. He has a Fist technique "Brain-Wracking" that scales with Poison and Evil, and causes confusion (skip turn).  He's also holding some kind of Dragonfly Larva? Gross. Observant readers will probably have noticed that the presence of an upgradable yellow-quality weapon often indicates a recruitable companion.  Cheng Yanhua starts in the house where she's brewing medicine with Doctor Chen, and is thus far too late to join the fight. Luckily, her medical skills are not needed, this fight is fairly easy thanks to Southern Tyrant.  What happened... I was clearly winning! Hahaha! I'm not here to compete with you in a contest of brute strengh Ugh... I see... three assholes...  Mr Shih, you have already killed many innocents today, don't hurt innocent people anymore! Heh... too bad, this kid had an excellent talent to become a poisoned zombie... No! Jinpeng, don't be like this, you were the one who didn't want us mother and daughter, why now...? How could I let my daughter be raised in the hands of a wild man, you shameless slut? It's only been a few years, yet you already found another man to support you? Hurrrgh... sorry... Madam Cheng... Du Jinpeng, you abandoned me and took a new wife for the sake of your future... I couldn't go on living, and brought Feifei to the river... it was Doctor Chen who saved the two of us! I won't allow you to despise him! I have nothing to do with you anymore! In your mind I am a heartless and cruel person, and this Chen is a very good man. Isn't that right? Today I will take away Feifei with me, but I will give you a chance. Come to the magistrate's court and look for me. I will show you I am not who you think I am! Ugh... how long have I been unconscious? Oh no! Are Madam Cheng and the others safe? Everyone who was waiting outside the Hidden Flower Cottage for consultation is dead except for one kid, who presumably ran away.  Little Shizi, don't cry, we'll definitely avenge your mother. Uuuuh... one of them was Feifei's father... so it's true what Auntie was saying about you guys! Little Shizi... I... I really didn't mean to bring harm to your mother. My father is all I have left... but he's still poisoned... Madam Cheng, please keep hold of yourself. Now that Doctor Chen has been poisoned, you are the only one left to run the show at the Hidden Flower Cottage. Kid, Feifei has been kidnapped by the bad guys who harmed your mother, Feifei is Madam Cheng's daughter so we will definitely find them and get revenge for you.Be good, okay? Madam Cheng, it's too pitiful for these people to lay about here. I'll bury them first, take some time to sort your feelings out, okay? Siwang takes a while to bury all the corpses.  Auntie, Dad is still sleeping, so I'll pull myself together until he recovers. Doctor Chen and Madam Cheng have saved Dad's life, they are not the bad guys... ... Things have been settled here, but... I'm afraid I'm not strong enough to fight with my ex-husband, let alone that man with him... Big brother, Feifei has been taken away by her father, please help Aunt Cheng bring her back! (Gosh, the guy with a bald spot in the middle of his head is very poisonous, it sounds so troublesome!) Young master, Yanhua doesn't dare to force you. I will return to the cottage and check on Uncle Shui and Doctor Chen. Please come find me if you decide to help! Lately, I've been thinking of Feifei a lot, but I'm hesitating because of her recent behaviour... Would I be forcing her if I took her back? Excuse me, Madam Cheng, didn't you literally ask me for help not five minutes ago? What's there to hesitate about? It's probably the intensely evil aura big brother is exuding. What? Indeed, were it not for my quest for revenge, I would have left this party already. I am not surprised Madam Cheng is having second thoughts. Listen, Brother Siwang, I know where there's a bunch of fanatics in a fortress to the southeast, just break in and beat them all up! It's great karma! Don't bandits count? No, they have to be peaceful, law-abiding yet somewhat evil folks. Ugh, fine. Listen, Madam Cheng, we're leaving for a while, but we'll be back soon, you hear me? Feifei will be fine, her father is probably stuffing her with candy. Called it. Sheer luck. Not everyone is as obsessed with shoving candied hawthorn down your gullet as you, Brother Siwang. I'll have you know the sugar is scientifically proven to increase your intelligence. He's bribing her with candy, isn't he?  Mother wouldn't allow Feifei to eat this. Daddy will talk to Mother about it. And then you can eat as much as you like.Siwang needs to grind karma for a bit so that Cheng Yanhua will rejoin his party. In the meantime, should he take on the black mission or white mission in the beggar encampment?
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Mar 11, 2023 18:20
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Lets do the white mission for a change.
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Mar 11, 2023 18:31
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 19:21 |
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White Mission
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Mar 12, 2023 11:56
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