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Virtuous Mission, nothing ever goes weird or wrong with these.
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Mar 12, 2023 16:29
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Nah, continue the evil
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Mar 12, 2023 17:02
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I'd like to see the Virtuous mission since back in the village that choice was letting some homeless kids starve to death in the wilderness.
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Mar 12, 2023 20:39
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Update 24: Cheng Yanhua's Choice Before cleansing his karma, Siwang decides to snoop around a little. The guards around the magistrate's office have nothing but praise for Du Jinpeng.  There's a strange kitten in the village nearby being fed roast chicken by some kids, and also a very unhappy chicken on top of the hay pile.  In the Du manor belonging to Du Jinpeng, Siwang finds a servant who joined the Du household from his present wife's household.  Without the help of the Lady's family, the Du family would not be where it is today, and the master knows it well. She has this incredibly fancy recipe book on her, which Siwang steals, eager to find out her cooking secrets.  It's a recipe for Boiled Water Cabbage. Don't be fooled by its simple appearance, the "boiled water" is actually a clarified pork/chicken/duck/ham consomme.  This maid has broken an inkstone and needs a new one.  The scholar here tells Siwang that in order to make a new inkstone he needs turpentine and suggests getting some from the pine tree outside. But if Siwang harvests the tree too aggressively the tree will die.  Du Jinpeng's new wife, Lady Feng, is enjoying life in this pavilion outside the Du manor, but isn't too happy with her husband.   People want both a daddy and a mommy, so can't Feifei have both? The problem is daddy wanted two mommies, dear. Look, I have to make a quick trip to Qingtian Fortress, but I'll bring your mommy here real soon, OK? Qingtian Fortress, at the west end of the map, is occupied by by these fellows in green pants. Theoretically, they are a people's militia formed to fight bandits and barbarians. Unfortunately their recruiting standards have dropped recently, and any average member is evil enough that dueling them will bring up Siwang's karma. Siwang could barge his way in and fight through increasingly dangerous waves of enemies like a Jackie Chan movie, but that would be counterproductive, as normal battles don't affect evil/righteousness like duels. Instead, he goes off to the north and finds a bunch of discarded coffins.  There is a small sidequest here in which Siwang finds and bandages an injured Qingcheng Sect member who had been trapped in a coffin. The Qingcheng sect has a monastery to the east, but Siwang hasn't been there.  The people who put him in are understandably unhappy and object to Siwang's interference, with predictable results.  This unlocks a secret passage which leads to a small mountain plateau above Qingtian Fortress, from which Siwang can jump down into the Fortress proper without being detected.  Dodging the guards, who will throw him out if approached, Siwang picks up this wooden box in one of the buildings inside the walls of Qingtian Fortress.  This box contains the sutra Yue Family Dispersing Fist, which is fairly unremarkable aside from the extremely metal technique names "Hunger for the flesh of the Huns" and "Thirst for the blood of the Huns".  As well as the Yue Family Spear Techniques, which unfortunately have much more boring names.  More importantly, the box contains a Qingtian costume, which when donned will allow Siwang to walk around in the fortress without getting kicked out. Although he has to make the same excuse everytime someone sees and challenges him.  There is another box in the building across the courtyard containing some money and the Xiahou Archery sutra.  There are sixteen Qingtian fighters practicing forms in the courtyard and Siwangs duels them all. Tedious but simple work thanks to Southern Tyrant, and Siwang entertains himself by kicking them between the legs instead of throwing his  Searching for more people to deliver crotch-based justice to, Siwang slips into a cave at the rear of Qingtian Fortress and finds this prisoner, who asks Siwang to lure the guards in, kill them, take their keys and free him. Never one to turn down a sidequest, Siwang complies and the stranger thanks Siwang and gives him a sutra before leaving.  The Blood Drinking Demon Technique is a Yin-aligned Inner Working sutra that drains life from opponents and requires a fairly high evil score to even begin to learn.  Big brother, do you think freeing that man was a bad idea? Of course not, these Qingtian guys are evil, so anyone they were keeping prisoner must have been good. I think I see a few flaws in that logic, but whatever, he's gone already. Brother Siwang, I trust you do not intend to practice that sutra? It would defeat the whole purpose of our coming here. Ewww, no, it's a Yin art. And Ning'er here isn't becoming a blood demon anytime soon, am I right? The more I travel with big brother, the more I have my doubts. Did you really have to kick all of those poor people... down there? How else would they know to repent?  All good things must come to an end, and Siwang returns from his trip to Qingtian Fortress and recruits Cheng Yanhua back into the party. Doctor Chen still hasn't recovered, but passes Cheng Yanhua a medical sutra, the Pill King God Chapter.  Cheng Yanhua already knows the starter technique, which heals for a ton of health, but the capstone will also allow her to clear debuffs, which is why Doctor Chen gave it to her. There's also a poison fist technique off to the side, which is presumably why Shi Hongtu is looking for it.  Siwang and co. head off to Du Jinpeng's office.  I say, brother, please, it's already getting dark. If it's not a matter of your parent's being killed or your house being set on fire, please come back tomorrow. The right guard gives Siwang a little bit of gossip, that Du Jinpeng owes his high position to his current wife.   Feifei! Mother! Du Jinpeng, we broke off all ties long ago... what do you... what more do you want? Let Feifei go, I'm begging you! Let her go? She's my own daughter, you sound as if I've kidnapped her. Feifei, tell your mother you want to stay with daddy. Or do you want our family to be separated again? Mother, I... I... let's reunite with Daddy. What wrong with that? Daddy promised to buy me lots and lots of snacks and new thing from now on, we can be together... Let me ask you one thing, Du Jinpeng. What about your wife's father, who landed you this high-ranking job? Do they know what you're doing now? Yanhua, I never thought you would resist me after all these years apart. Not only that, but you know how to use the Yue family to pressure me? I've never stopped thinking about you. Now that my wife's father has passed on, she has agreed to accept Feifei, and as for you... I will set up another home for you, so that you do not have to hang around that wild man Doctor Chen. You... you! I forbid you to insult him! I forbid you! Give Feifei back to me and leave me alone! Hey hey, what's wrong with you? To put it bluntly, you just can't accept that she doesn't want you back. As a man, you shouldn't make things difficult for women, you know? Just ask nicely, otherwise, no woman will want to pay attention to you! Fine. Yanhua, even if you won't come back, I'll let Feifei go with you if you promise me three things. You... I'm just a weak woman, what can I do for a great government official like you? The first two things I ask for will not be difficult for you, why not hear me out? First of all, I want to eat your herbal pork ribs. What? Can't you just buy some yourself? Yanhua, I heard from Feifei that you fell into the water and have been in poor health since, and eating medicinal food to recover. I... I also want to taste what you've tasted all these years. This, at least, is something I can do. Mother... I also want to eat herbal pork ribs. Fine, it's just a pork dish. I'll just make it for you. Madam Cheng, are you sure you want to agree? Alas, I grew up with Jinpeng, he was always stubborn as a child, and now I fear no one can change his mind. The recipe is simple, one portion each of red peony, ginseng and pork. It's not difficult. If Siwang talks to Du Jinpeng without the herbal pork ribs he will be extremely snippy about it. It's just a dish of medicinal pork ribs, is it so difficult? Can't do it, or won't do it?  Jinpeng, the herbal pork ribs are here, eat up while it's hot. Good... very good... Yanhua, this is the most delicious food I've eaten in all these years without you. Nothing on land or in sea can compare to this. What else do you want? I want to bring Feifei back as soon as possible. Daddy, Feifei misses mother! Hmmph. Cold-blooded woman. Listen, there is this woman in Wolong Village who is constantly harassing us with cases. The latest complaint which she lodged was about her chicken. Go and solve this for me. Oi oi, are you making fun of us? First you make us cook handmade pork ribs for you, and now you want us to solve a case for you? This is obviously your job, does this mean I'm the local magistrate now? Insolence! This is my second request. Carry it out or Feifei stays here with me. What's with that guy, he's clearly slacking off? Siwang, please. Let's just do as he says.Wolong Village is mostly filled with farmers and old retirees, but the two prisoners Siwang helped escape from the Leopard King Fortress have set up shop here, and give Siwang a diamond in thanks. They will also sell some medicine from now on, although nothing remarkable.  Some relatives of Auntie Ju, the complainer, talk to Siwang. Apparently she's a serial complainer.  Auntie Ju, the woman in question, is behind her house lamenting that here prize chicken has halved her egg production.  She rambles on and on about nothing in particular.  Even her niece is tired of her, and says that when she stopped paying attention to her aunt, her aunt went to the magistrate's office and lodged a complaint against her.  In any case the next step is clearly to investigate the chicken and haypile during the daytime, when the strange kitten is around. Reverting to old habits, Siwang steals a "Mu House Guard Uniform" off a random farmer while passing the time, and then heads back to Wolong Village.   Hey, I say you, have you found our the reason for the sharp drop in my chicken's production? Does the government just want to gag me? Huh? Sending a monkey like you to work on my case! Siwang can actually just call in Du Jinpeng without doing any actual work to resolve the case. Note the tiger cub looking wistfully at Little White Flower on the haypile in the background.  But since he does have some work ethic, he finds the tiger kitten, which runs away when it sees him.  No bullying our little orange candy! Roar! Wait, what? Snowy, said "This is the little tiger that made the hen scared, let's go after it!" Tiger Mom and Tiger Dad come to investigate who has been bullying their precious orange candy. Alas, they represent nothing more but a furry speedbump to Siwang and Southern Tyrant.  No kidding, that's what they're called on their character sheet.  With the tiger threat resolved, Siwang calls Du Jinpeng to present his findings. Alas, there is nothing he can do about Auntie Ju's incessant complaints.  Do you see, Yanhua? I have my ideals too. I want to be a good official, a good citizen, who advocates for the poor and the common people. Lord Du is indeed an upstanding magistrate. Let's not talk about it here. Come over to the magistrate's office. Yanhua, you've come. Mother, have you heard that everyone is saying Daddy is a great big good guy? Feifei is very proud of him! ... What is the third task, Jinpeng? My third request is very simple. Accept this box of jewellery. Jewellery? These...! These are... When I was a poor boy, I made many promises of jewellery to you, but none of them were fulfilled. In the years since, I've found a craftsman to make the things I promised you, and I hope to see you wear them. White silver flying swallow hairpin, parallel lotus heart earrings, jadeite ice heart bracelet... No, I won't accept! I can't take it! If you don't want them, I'll throw them away! Wow, you're really rich, aren't you? Hey, I'm short of a few things, like armor, swords, accessories, I'll take them off your hands for you. You can give these... to your wife. Yanhua, all these years I've been thinking of our happy wedding day, at least take one for the sake of ending things. ... Hey, since you're giving things away, we won't hold back out of politeness then.Du Jinpeng will reminisce about different things if a different jewellery is chosen.  The lotus heart earrings... you were only fourteen, yet you were already so beautiful men had already almost broken through your door to ask for your hand in marriage. And you were so impatient with them that you left your weaving and snuck out for a swim in the river. I was but sixteen and a mere rag, I could not raise my head amongst those people. It was you who pointed to the lotus flowers on the river and told me you were devoted to me and would never look twice at other people. Stop, I beg you, stop. Even this doesn't move you, Yanhua? It seems I have to help you think clearly. .... oh? I'm... so dizzy... Feifei? The candy she ate had some of Shih Hongtu's poison on it. If she doesn't get rid of it in time, if I don't give her the antidote in time... she will become a good daughter who will only listen to me for the rest of her life. Well? What do you think? No! Why are you making me go through this? Come back to me, Yanhua. Don't you miss the old days we had? That's not all! Mr Shih, bring out Doctor Chen! Let... Madam Cheng... go... drat, I've never seen a scum like you! I can't take it anymore, I'm going to teach you a lesson! Oh? You really are a young man, all you know how to do is use your fists. Remember, I have the only antidote! Yanhua, between me and your precious daughter, and this wild man, who will you choose?The wild man here refers to Doctor Chen, not Siwang  Yanhua, now that I've achieved fame and glory, I'm still thinking of the years we had together. If you come back to me, I promise you a better life than you're living now!Choose: - Yanhua's daughter, Feifei - Yanhua's saviour, Doctor Chen If Cheng Yanhua chooses to save Feifei and return to Du Jinpeng, she will leave the party permanently. However, the Poison-focused Shih Hongtu can be recruited in her place.
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Mar 13, 2023 18:46
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Save Feifei
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Mar 13, 2023 19:30
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Staying with him offers no guarantee he won't do the same again. Also there's the poisoner left. Fight? I guess?
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Mar 13, 2023 20:19
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Update 25: Stop Trying to Eat Feifei The vote is tied so I'll just exert my completely made-up tiebreaking privileges and choose to save Doctor Chen. However I will show off a bit of the other path, which isn't very long anyways.  If Cheng Yanhua chooses to surrender to Du Jinpeng to get her daughter the antidote, Shi Hongtu will gloat a little and remind Du Jinpeng of the Pill King God sutra he wants.  Cheng Yanhua then gives the sutra to Shi Hongtu, which makes Doctor Chen cough up blood.  I'm disappointed in you, Madam Cheng! I sever any ties I ever had with you! I... I just have to save Feifei... Hahaha! Do you see, brother? This is the kind of woman you saved! In the midst of Shi Hongtu's mad laughter, Chen Zhiji disappears, life and death unknown, while Cheng Yanhua moves into the Du manor with her daughter Feifei. Although Du Jinpeng's first wife, Feng Qiuxiang, is very unhappy, she has no choice but to allow the mother and daughter pair to stay. Shi Hongtu can now be found menacing a random maid of the Du household on the second floor of the Du manor. He will join any sufficiently evil character, and is fairly low-maintenance, as these things go. Some other evil companions will quit the party at the first whiff of anything righteous.  He comes with a sutra that allows extremely poisonous creatures to be captured, such as the Tianshui Poison Toad underneath Suishin Island. It also has several debilitating Fist techniques.  But Cheng Yanhua would never betray her saviour, would she? In the first place, he was the one who pulled her out of the river when she tried to kill herself. Du Jinpeng, how dare you do this to Feifei! I cannot turn my back on my benefactor, who saved our lives. Give the antidote to Doctor Chen, and return Feifei to me. Doctor Chen will be able to save Feifei. Unbelievable! Whore! Adulterer! Shi Hongtu is skilled in medicine, if you need a doctor, he will do. But as for this Doctor Chen, I'll torture him to death! Hahaha! What's the big deal about torturing people to death? True skill lies in poisoning them so that they cannot die! Hmmm... I'll make them kill each other! You actually let someone take control of Doctor Chen and Feifei! Du Jinpeng, you're even dragging your own daughter into this mess? Feifei, wake up! It's me! Mommy... it hurts... Madam Cheng... run quickly... Poor Feifei has been turned into a poisoned zombie. Luckily, she has no offensive techniques and will run around the battlefield healing her allies. The gimmick of this battle is very simple: kill everyone other than Feifei and Doctor Chen.  Doctor Chen here is also fighting against Siwang but is not very good at it. Really, the biggest problem here is that Snowy and Southern Tyrant insist on biting the hell out of Doctor Chen. If he or Feifei bite the dust, it counts as a game over. Luckily Siwang and co. have the DPS to cut down all the guards before Doctor Chen falls below 25% health. I lost this fight in a previous playthrough because my bear wouldn't stop nomming on Feifei. I recommend you disable your beastmaster titles before going into this fight.  Younger brother... you made me expel myself from the school, why are you still chasing after me? The Pill King God sutra is a result of my self-study after leaving the school, it has nothing to do with the school's techniques. Could it be, you want it so badly, because you still feel you are not as good as me? Cough... I can't... not as far as you.. I'm the king... the King of Poisoners! Unfortunately Du Jinpeng also survived the battle. drat you! You dare attack the imperial magistrate's office? The army encampment is nearby, I'll send someone over! But an unlike saviour appears - Feng Qiuxiang, the wife of Du Jinpeng, and also the one who pulled strings to get him appointed to high office. Du Jinpeng! Ah! Feng Quixiang, what are you doing here? rear end in a top hat! I said you could have a spare room, but I never said I would allow you to take the bastard and woman back! Bbb... bastard? That's my daughter! I'm giving you a choice, it's her or me! If you want, you can return all the gifts I gave you, including the post of magistrate! I'll hand it to my next husband! Or you can call her a bitch and tell her to get lost! Yanhua... I can't give up this position... You remember, when I was a child, I swore never to let the poor be bullied by the government again... Bitch! Don't ever try to seduce me again! You... get out of here!  Fine, fine, fine. Let's all settle down. We won't try to seduce you, and you won't call in the army. Don't bother to see us off. (You take Chen Zhiji, Shi Hongtu and the others back to the Hidden Flower Cottage to heal their wounds, but Shi Hongtu takes advantage of Chen Zhiji's weakness and escapes...) That's it for Cheng Yanhua's quest. Doctor Chen has partially recovered and acknowledges his debt to Siwang. He offers a variety of rewards, like free healthcare or some healing pills, or training in Poison or Medicine. Siwang takes the free training in Medicine as his score there is pretty low.  Feifei is also better now but Cheng Yanhua insists she stay out of the wind in case she catches a chill. Feifei is not a fan of the idea.  Uncle Shui is still sick and needs a whopping 210 red peony, ginseng etc. to recover. It's going to take a while to gather that many herbs.  Cheng Yanhua will also rejoin the party - provided, of course, that Siwang is not too evil. Thank you for your help with this matter, Siwang. No problem. You've patched us up so many times, what are friends for? I... guess we are, aren't we? Indeed, Madam Cheng, you are a valuable member of our little party. Should you wish to stay here and take care of your daughter, however, we understand. Yes, well, Feifei is a good girl and will listen to Doctor Chen. But what about you bozos, who's going to take care of you? I can do it! I've learned from your example, Madam Cheng! Somehow I don't feel reassured at all. I guess I'll tag along with Siwang until he can find someone more responsible to join him. Madam Cheng, I am almost insulted. Someone who is responsible and also not a warmonger, I mean. With Cheng Yanhua back in the party, Siwang goes back to the beggar's encampment to accept the "white" mission Merchant Wuliang has to offer. One of the beggars is a robber in disguise and he wants Siwang to find out who he is.  The robber is even able to disguise himself as a woman or even a child.  Siwang proceeds to interrogate the entire camp. Southern Witch here is sort of kooky in a religious way. She wanders off to a random tree outside and starts praying loudly, during which she prays for the success of her mission.  Han here is just happy to have a place to rest. He is also oddly sympathetic to the hardworking government officials working for Lord Du. If Siwang had chosen the "black" mission he would have had to find a government spy instead of a robber. Yeah, it's this guy.  Little Zhang here generously offers some snot for Siwang to eat. He is easily pressured into revealing that he is a secret government spy looking for a robber in the camp.  Wang Qiyuan here talks about the last member of the encampment, Little Ah Ying, who was almost sold as a slave by her step-parents, but escaped.  Poor Little Ah Ying is asleep, dreaming of more food.  There are various ways to figure out who the real robber is, beginning with this suspicious blood stain just outside the encampment, complete with broken toy drum.  Little Zhang doesn't have anything interesting on him when pickpocketed, but Little Ah Ying has a key on her, which Siwang promptly steals.  There is a locked trapdoor just outside the camp, but it's a trap in more ways than one. If opened with the key now, the entire camp will aggro on Siwang as Little Ah Ying accuses Siwang of thievery.  The more straightforward way is to simply duel Little Ah Ying - he has a male voice saying "How could you see through my disguise?"  Siwang reports his conclusions to the merchant, who thanks him and leaves, saying he will have guards arrest the suspect in a day's time.  Moving on the west, there are a group of six idiots arguing on the riverbank. They can't agree which one of them is the eldest, and when Siwang talks to them, they attack him. This is exactly the sort of thing I was worried about when I agreed to follow you, Siwang. What? They attacked me! All I said was that if they were looking for idiots, they could just look in a mirror! Big brother can be very smart and very dumb at the same time. One thing I can say about journeying with you, Brother Siwang, it's never boring. There's a box on a nearby hilltop containing a modded sutra.  The Tianshan Six Yang Palm is a Fist technique which is actually pretty great for a Hidden Weapons user, because it can push enemies away and into minimum range for your throwing weapon. Theoretically it could also work very well with a counterattack build and the Calm talent that lets you counterattack when an enemy moves into attacking range.  A bit to the south, Siwang encounters four monks and three wolf barbarians menacing a lone traveler and a fallen woman. Ah? There seems to be a bit of a buzz over there.  A group of grown men bullying a wounded woman? Not very heroic, is it? Bastard, you dare to come here and spoil the Buddha's good fortune, are you tired of living? I have always felt destined to have a short life. And if I can't lead a long life, it's all the more reason to kill as many demons as I can! Haha! Since you want to die, Buddha will help you for free today! Hmm? Another nuisance? Let's take care of him too, don't miss the Buddha's happy hour! Hey, he's the one who said it, not me! Siwang's mob joins the fray and turns the six-on-one confrontation into a nearly equal fight, in terms of numbers. It's slightly tedious due to the need to chase down the barbarians, who are bow users, but Siwang eventually triumphs.  Thank you for your help. If not for your timely presence, it would have been difficult to deal with these small fry. Oh no, you are too kind. I am Zhang Junbao, of no sect or fame, only a humble traveler. Might I know your name? My name is Gui Siwang, just like Brother Zhang, only a humble member of the Jianghu community. It's a pleasure to meet you.  Hrrgh... Fellow Daoist, your face is pale as paper, your teeth are chattering, have you been injured internally by some kind of cold poison? It's nothing... The monks you just fought, they are from the Green Sea Black Sect. Their master, Shazar, is a great fighter, you should run away before it's too late. If he comes after you, he won't be as easy to get rid of as these useless monks. Thank you for your warning, Daoist. I must leave. Please don't try to be strong... *cough cough* How strange, she was clearly badly injured but left so quickly. Is there something more behind all this? I'm sure she had her own reasons. I just hope she won't run into any more danger. Brother Gui, there are three villages nearby that have been plundered by the Wolf Barbarians. Many innocents are suffering, the common people have been kidnapped, and I am headed there to save the stranded people. Three villages, sacked by wolves? Yes, Brother Gui, if you're not busy, why don't you come with me and save them? Actually, I am sort of busy... Ah, in that case, I'll be going now! See you later, Brother Gui!Now that Cheng Yanhua's quest has been resolved, Siwang can consider ditching her and recruiting another companion. Which questline should he pursue? - The villages being sacked by the Wolf Barbarians and Zhang Junbao's attempt to save them  - The theft being planned by Li Tan in the jade-panning village Shi Yuji - Fan Xiangdie's friend, the crazy beggar Su Qingrui in the Good Samaritan House - The young mistress of the He horse gang, He Yuqing, and their missing caravans  - Duan Siping's family manor and the matter of the Nanzhao kingdom
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Mar 18, 2023 16:25
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Help Duan Siping, we can spare a bit of time for our pal.
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Mar 18, 2023 16:57
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He Yuqing sounds good
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Mar 18, 2023 20:07
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Duan Siping, party member solidarity!
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Mar 19, 2023 02:51
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We should help Duan Siping
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Mar 19, 2023 15:37
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Update 26: Journey to Duan Manor Man, three villages full of rampaging barbarians and also some weird sect of Buddhist monk killers? It sounds like a lot of work. We could just let the army handle it. There's an encampment right there. Personally, I could do with a good rest in a proper bed. My manor is always open to good friends of the Duan family. It's all the way to the south, what a long walk... Naturally I would never dream of charging my friends any money. Woohoo! Let's go!  There's a modded sutra in a patch of sunflowers a bit to the southeast of where Siwang met Zhang Junbao and the mysterious nun.  The Sunflower Codex gives substantial boosts to Qi, Yin, and Qinggong simultaneously. It would be great for Ning'er, if Siwang wasn't trying to avoid using modded sutras.  Hold on a minute, everyone. Remember the old guy in Shijia Salt Estate whose niece ran away with her lover, and who asked us to carry a letter to her? I think her house is nearby. We can spare a few hours or so. I must say, that is remarkably kind of you, Siwang. Remarkable nothing, the old man promised to pay him.   (singing) Why are you here? Where are the people who used to live here? (more singing) (Ugh, he's ignoring me... I'll search the room first.) Outside the house, Siwang finds two skeletons stuffed inside one water jar, and another one in the jar next to it. Amitabha! Isn't this...? There's also an unfinished letter on a table inside.  Uncle, I wanted to surprise you later, but Asao insisted on telling you now, so that you wouldn't worry. We have decided to return to Shijia Salt Estate, whether or not an old man like you agrees with our marriage. We're sure we can convince you, after all... Stop singing! Is all you can do sing? What happened to the people living here? (singing) Don't tell me it's just a coincidence that you're here. Did you do something to them? ... After all, I'm the one who let you out. Can't you give me some face? You're pretty unique, aren't you? Huh? The world may judge you, but your soul is free and unbound. Good, evil, they mean nothing to you, no one knows the real you. What is this? A sudden psychiatric counseling? You want money from me? Don't you realize that we are in fact of the same kind, spiritually attracted to one another? No way! A confession! What? Please be more clear! You and I are destined for each other, and I have no intention of making things difficult for you. If you stop looking into matters here, I will teach you the Eight Ways of Entangling Silk. This art can entangle and restrict your enemy's movement, as if trapped in a swamp. How can you give me such a unique martial art? My interest in you is worth it. Someday, I want to see the real you. The Eight Ways of Entangling Silk is a Fist technique that debuffs opponents and require a Calm talent tree. Of course, obtaining this sutra requires Siwang to let this guy go...  Indecisively, Siwang runs away and finds a nice piece of ore in the mountains. This Xuan Ice is cold, but not as cold as my blood was after that guy made me that offer. Maybe I shouldn't have let him out. Maybe he was like that man from the story you told me... the Count of Monte Cristo? Or maybe he was exactly what he appeared to be, a serial killer locked up for the good of society. The Qingtian Society are delusional, but even idiots can have a good idea from time to time. He was still singing to himself when we left. You gonna accept his offer, Brother Siwang? I don't know, man, I don't know.  Since he's in the area, Siwang also drops by the White Horse Residence, and picks up the carrot he planted so many days ago.  As the note on the rooftop said, he feeds Red Mane the carrot and the horse allows him to take a sutra that has been hidden in the saddle.  Even Fairies Thirst for Wealth is a Qinggong sutra with two useful abilities. One boosts AP per turn but decreases defense, and the other is a passive that increases the chance of stealing.  While Siwang is here, he also pickpockets Flying Snow on the Waves off Li Tan. Like all the companion sutras, you will get this sutra for free when Li Tan joins. But judging by the lack of votes for his quest, it's not happening anytime soon, and I want to train Siwang's Qinggong up.  Flying Snow on the Waves is a Qinggong sutra with an ability that boosts Qinggong for slightly more than Wild Goose Walk, and also a nasty kick that scales with distance moved. It's a great opener for distant enemies if you have the AP.  Finally, after a two-day journey, Siwang arrives at the Duan manor in Dayan Town.  The door guard sprints inside to announce Duan Siping's return.  Dong Jialuo is the Duan family advisor and welcomes Duan Siping back.  Duan Siliang, Duan Siping's little brother, is also very happy to see his brother back safe.  Duan Siping introduces Siwang to everyone, and reports that Gongshi Village has agreed to supply the Duan family troops with food. Brother Duan, I still don't quite understand what's going on with the Nanzhao Rebellion. I am sorry I could not explain to Brother Siwang on our journey here. In fact, this humble self was a founding general of the Nanzhao Kingdom, but alas, after the founding, I was condemned by the Yang family and forced to flee the country. A founding general! So powerful! It was with the help of General Duan that the King of Nanzhao, Yang Tianning, and his brother Yang Tianyi, expelled the Wolf Barbarians and established a kingdom. If Mr Dong hadn't contacted the Mu Clan for help, my brother and I would have been imprisoned or even executed by now. I was unaware of Yang Tianning's ruthlessness, and helped him establish a tyranny. Now I have escaped with my life, perhaps the gods have given me a chance to atone for my sin. The Duan family is seeking out each major faction in the country for heroes to form an army to attack Nanzhao, and save the people from the Yang family's tyranny. My brother and I already have the support of the Mu Clan and Gongshi Village, we will continue to recruit other tribes and overthrow the Yang family's oppression!  Brother Siwang, will you join us and work together to save the people of Nanzhao? (Leaving aside the matter of returning home, how can I leave the people in the lurch?) If Siwang refuses to help, Duan Siping is disappointed but offers his guest bedroom for Siwang to rest in and think it over. In either case, Duan Siping leaves the party.  If Siwang agrees to help, Duan Siping not only has Duan Siliang lead Siwang to the guest bedroom, but also Siliang will ask to spar with Siwang  Siwang agrees to help Duan Siping out and takes the opportunity to trade pointers with Duan Siliang, who is not very good at fighting and even less so when being attacked by a large white tiger.  Duan Siliang congratulates Siwang on his win and admits that he is not very good at the Duan family's Southern Sky Momentum. Like a pouncing leopard, Siwang persuades Siliang to teach him this technique.  Southern Sky Momentum is a Qinggong technique that buffs special move point accumulation and debuff resist. It's fairly marginal for 3 AP, but sometimes you just want to buff up and wait for the enemy to run towards you.  It's still morning though, far too early to go to sleep. Siwang wanders around the Duan manor and briefly eyes the old lady supervising morning drills. Big brother, no. I was just wondering... No! Naughty boy! Good work, Ning'er. But old women like her are most likely to have a sutra hidden away somewhere... Brother Siwang, Duan Siliang literally just taught you the Duan family's secret technique of maintaining a stable footing in combat. Oh alright, then.  Wow, even the maid is carrying a bow. The bow? Who cares about the bow? Look at that meat cleaver she's gripping! Chopping meat and chopping people aren't too different, actually. It's just removing the flesh from the bones, in the end it's all the same. drat, the Duan family must be really loaded if they can leave this giant golden mace just lying around.  There's also a chest on the Duan manor roof. The mysterious Gentlemen of the Beam strike again!  Getting up on top of the Duan manor roof also means that Siwang can jump into one of the guard towers of Dayan Town, where he finds this... recreational document. Presumably the guard archer is flipping through it while on shift.  Why does this kind of thing always happen when we come to Dayan Town? Big brother! Throw that filthy thing away! No way! It's gotta be worth something to the right collector. Besides, it's really tame as far as these things go, let me tell you about this other book, the Lusty Argonian Maid... Siwang finishes exploring the Duan manor rooftops and heads to the town blacksmith, who has completed the masterwork blade he wanted two cold iron for.  Cold Moon Flowing Light: "Blacksmith Kebi's masterpiece is made of cold iron. Although named after Li Bai's famous poem, it is still a cleaver in nature, and can be used for cutting people, vegetables and meat."   What's wrong with a kitchen knife? You can slash at an enemy and cut vegetables in normal times. When you're busy, you can chop people and then chop vegetables, so you don't waste any time. Where can you find such a practical weapon other than a cleaver? Siwang is conned into buying Cold Moon Flowing Light, which is a waste of money because no one in the party uses Short or Blade weapons. He also makes some cold iron armor, which is basically just as good as the Gold Vest Luo Yuanyu is wearing. You know, I really should return that Gold Vest to the old man sometime soon. What's the hurry? He was going to give it to his grandson, you think a little kid is getting beaten up more than me?  Continuing on his tour of Dayan Town, Siwang finds this Mu Clan nobleman outside the town pharmacy, looking for a Pristine Snow Lotus.  He introduces himself politely to Siwang. The medicine seller warns Siwang to be polite, but Mu Chu (Ade Achu) waves off the formality since Siwang is a traveler from afar.  Mu Chu is a very polite and humble young man, unlike his second brother. Unfortunately, the Pristine Snow Lotus he is looking for is not in stock, but the medicine seller assures him he will go and pick one himself.  He also has a third brother, Ade Ake, who is apparently very skilled with a bow.  Siwang offers to go the mountains to pick the Snow Lotus instead, for some money. The medicine seller is reluctant, but Siwang deploys his silver tongue.  You might freeze to death, or get bitten by wolves, or poisoned by insects, or you may even climb up halfway and fall due to exhaustion... Alright, alright! You bastard, don't curse me to death, it's just a little bit of money anyway. Outside the He Family horse gang building, the local teashop owner is complaining that his shipment of tea is late, and asks to speak to the boss, Big Pot Head.  Siwang is passing by and asks a local for more background. It seems that a caravan being escorted by the He Family horse gang disappeared a month ago without trace, including the youngest son of the He family.  Missing for a month already? He must have met some unfortunate fate... Unfortunately for Siwang, He Yuqing is nearby and takes offense at the implication that her brother is dead.  Luckily a senior member of the He Family horse gang stops her, and apologizes to Siwang for Yuqing's impulsive behaviour.  He tells Siwang that Big Pot Head is elsewhere and unavailable, which prompts Siwang to think to himself that he should look for clues from the people of Dayan Town, if he wants to ask Big Pot Head about the Book of Heaven.  There's a fortune teller who has set up shop at the path leading to the pagoda, behind the pharmacy.  There's a long queue to consult him and Siwang joins the end, which triggers a cutscene.   Alas, you have a blood blade in your life, which has risen to prominence this year, so there will be a bloody disaster in the near future. How can I avert it? The face of evil has been revealed, there is no solution, no escape. I'll smash your ancestral tablets! What a fraudulent sorcerer! Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense! Alas, if one's heart is not sincere, and one's deeds are not good, bad luck is not far away. Still babbling nonsense? For the sake of the people, I'll put an end to your evil ways! The angry customer draws his sword and sends everyone in the queue fleeing. A few seconds later, an angry white tiger bites him repeatedly and he receives a souped-up Nokia 3310 directly to the forehead. It's really not his lucky day.  With the queue now gone, Siwang can sit down for a short chat with the fortune teller.  This boosts his Qi slightly.  At the base of the pagoda, a children's toy peddler has set up shop. Continuing the imperial tax collector sidequest, Siwang asks him for information on the notorious bandit the imperial tax agent is chasing. After a brief detour to buy some antiques for him, he coughs up a time and location.  Siwang returns to the imperial tax collector with the information, and he gives Siwang the entire reward for the arrest of the bandit  This is the whole reward, what about yourself? I... I had agreed with Tan that this mission would be our last, and that we would retire together when we got back. I never expected Tan to... The reward no longer matters to me, my only goal is to arrest Xian Yu Ping, and let Brother Tan's spirit rest in heaven. The bandit will appear at the Dayan Town bridge at 8pm, so Siwang passes the afternoon by hunting wild animals. This pushes his Qinggong to over 70, which has the side effect of making him run faster in a sort of gliding fashion, and also unlocks the ability to run over water.  Just before 8pm, Siwang returns to Dayan Town, where the notorious bandit is waiting for the tax agent.  Naturally, Siwang joins in the fight against Xian Yu Ping, who has two Spear techniques, "The Lone Star of Salmon", and "Fallen Hair and Haunted Zen". They both sound oddly terrifying.  Justice prevails and Siwang loots the Wand of Madness sutra from Xian Yu Ping's corpse. Both techniques scale with unrestrained, but Siwang has an absolutely terrible Spear score, so he won't be getting much use out of this sutra.  While he's at the bridge, Siwang asks this random beggar if he's seen Big Pot Head. The beggar agrees to lead Siwang to Big Pot Head for a small sum of money.  Surprise! It's a mugging, which ends predictably even without Duan Siping around.  It's been a long day of sidequesting and Siwang can't muster up the energy to finish this guy off. He lets him go instead.  Returning to the Duan manor, Siwang takes a well-deserved rest. Or at least, he tries to.  Ahhhh! Assassins! Protect the General! Brother Duan! Hmong woman! You have allied with the Nanzhao Yang family? Don't blame me, Duan Siping, my darling is thinking of your head every day and night. I'm here to get it, to please him.A wild cliffhanger has appeared! In the meantime, please vote for Siwang to either accept the creepy jail escapee's offer, and take the Eight Ways of Entangling Silk sutra, or reject his offer and continue the investigation into the missing occupants of the cottage.
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Mar 23, 2023 16:29
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Reject The lack of straight answers from him is suspicious.
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Mar 23, 2023 16:59
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Reject. There is such a thing as too suspicious, even for our protagonist.
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Mar 23, 2023 20:28
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Reject the creeper's offer.
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Mar 23, 2023 21:00
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Also, out of curiosity, the Hmong woman has the same family name as the Horse Gang family, I don't know how relevant that is and it might just be a name collision.
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Mar 23, 2023 21:40
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Accept. If you can't trust an incredibly suspicious person who is trying to bribe you with spider-themed martial arts, who can you trust?
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Mar 23, 2023 22:07
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SIGSEGV posted:Also, out of curiosity, the Hmong woman has the same family name as the Horse Gang family, I don't know how relevant that is and it might just be a name collision. Good catch! I had to look this up, they're different characters, the horse gang He is 禾 and the Hmong tribe He is 何. If I were an antiquated old geezer, I'd go on a rant on how romanization (i.e. Hanyu Pinyin) has destroyed the beauty and grace of the Chinese language, but I wasn't born a hundred years ago so I'll pass.
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Mar 24, 2023 02:31
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I say this is all just a big misunderstanding and we should accept the weird dude's peace offering. I am sure the pickled skeletons were there already when he arrived.
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Mar 24, 2023 05:57
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nah. so far every time we accept the offer from a creepy weirdo it just gives yet another stupid skillbook that requires going out of your way to be as evil as possible, which is lame.
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Mar 24, 2023 06:04
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Update 27: Return of Snake Lady I didn't recognize you at the Snake Cave earlier, but today I've made all the preparations neccessary for your head. Darling Yang has helped me to arrange so many helpers, you won't be able to escape this time. Do you mean Yang Tianning, king of Nanzhao? The Hmong tribe also suffer under Nanzhao's tyranny, why do you help evil and kill your own people? Yang Tianning? I only care about my darling, I'm not interested in other guys. I see... I know who this darling must be. When will reinforcements from the Mu Clan arrive? A messenger escaped successfully, but I estimate it will take at least fifteen minutes for enough troops to gather. Well then, Jialuo, you haven't let your martial arts slacken, have you? Do not worry about me, General. I can defend myself. Heyyy... you two are grown men, could you stop whispering to each other? I want to hear too. You're mistaken if you think you can take me with just these men! If you want to touch Brother Duan, you'll have to go through me first! Hahaha! Let's see how long you can survive my poison and my allies! Combat begins. Duan Siping must survive, although given that he already has a Qi score of 100+, he could probably solo this battle.  Ugh... you're really tough. Duan Siping, spare me the effort and just come quietly with me, alright? As a Hmong tribeswoman, you should aid your people and fight with me against Yang Tianning! Didn't I just say, other people don't mean anything to me? So... a renegade? (the sound of horses and soldiers approaching) General, the troops from the Mu Clan have arrived! Tch... well, I couldn't catch the big fish, so I'll just have to take the small fry back to my darling Yang. Small fry...? Who did you capture? General Duan is so clever, figure it out yourself. Wait! He Baishao jumps away, leaving Duan Siping to interrogate the guards and find out that his younger brother, Duan Siliang, has been kidnapped.  Duan Siping orders his guards to search Dayan Town for his brother. Siwang, on the other hand, has his priorites straight and starts looting the bodies.  Jialuo, gather your men and find that Hmong woman as soon as possible. I fear the one behind all this is Yang Tianning's younger brother, Yang Tianyi. Yang Tianyi has always been smooth and honeyed with both word and sword. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, it is no wonder the Hmong woman was charmed into going astray. And also... these black-clothed assassins are well-trained, when did an ordinary military officer such as Yang Tianning recruit these people? I can answer that. Do you recognize these killers? Look. A wolf's head token. These assassins belong to the NoMercy House, who are searching for the Book of Heaven. Then is there a connection between the Book of Heaven, and the conflict between the Duan family and the Nanzhao Kingdom? If the NoMercy House has involved themselves, it is all but certain. Still, the important thing now is to find and save Duan Siliang as soon as possible. Thank you, Brother Siwang. Jialuo, I will work personally with Brother Siwang to track down the Hmong woman. I will stay on the move, to confuse the pursuit of any further assassins. Our first step must be to ask the people of Dayan Town if they have seen this Hmong woman. This random noodle enjoyer claims to have seen a Hmong girl by the lake in the mountains to the east.  But first Siwang returns to the deserted cottage in the north and refuses the offer made to him by Han Niba, the Bloodthirsty Manslaughterer. It wasn't an easy choice, but Siwang has more fist sutras than he can count, so he is only 33% tempted by the Eight Ways of Entangling Silk sutra.  Han Niba puts up a respectable struggle even though he is badly outnumbered.  Unfortunately, he has plot armor and flies off after losing the fight.  A sadly sutra-less Siwang reports to the old man, who is devastated by the news that his niece is likely dead.  Feeling bad for him, Siwang rejects any payment and leaves Shijia Salt Estate.  Siwang then heads east towards the mountain lake but is distracted by two people picking flowers on the way there.  It turns out that the reason why the medicine-seller in Dayan Town can't get any Pristine Snow Lotus, is that these guys have been destroying all the Snow Lotus on the mountain so that they can sell their supply at inflated prices.  Siwang objects to this unfair business practice and moves to beat them up, but is interrupted by a giant snow leopard. The two scalpers jump off the cliff to escape.  Two eagle hunters arrive once the snow leopard has been tenderized and object to the treatment of their tribe's holy animal. It sure is a busy night on the mountain.  And then the chief of the eagle hunters joins in, although luckily he reprimands his subordinates for fighting Siwang, saying that Siwang had a right to self-defense.  Unfortunately, the eagle hunters were using poison-tipped arrows, and Siwang collapses.  He wakes up in a comfy tent, more or less recovered.  The chief of the eagle hunters apologizes to Siwang and introduces himself as Ade Ake, the third son of the Mu Clan.   Please continue to stay in our village for a few day if you wish. As for me, I must continue to track down the Snow Wing Eagle. Please take care. Siwang backtracks to the place he met the two scalpers, and jumps off the cliff in the same spot. Unfortunately, the two scalpers did not have protagonist powers, and did not survive the fall. Siwang takes a Pristine Snow Lotus from their bodies and gives them a proper burial.  There's a modded sutra just lying on a cliffside rock nearby.  The Hu Family Blade Art is averagely overpowered but has a gimmick of overcharging the Rigid special move accumulation rate, so it will do a lot of crits.  Couldn't you have done something about the poisoned arrows, Madam Cheng? I did. Ade Ake was very nice to us and I decided to let you sleep it off. I could have died! Stop being so timid, Siwang. If hunting poison were so lethal, the hunters wouldn't be able to eat their catch, would they? If anything, you got more sleep than the rest of us did. And I had to lug your heavy rear end up a mountain too. While the tent was... unfamiliar, after last night's attack, we were all glad for a safe place to rest. And if that Hmong woman is around here like that townsman said, you can probably expect more poison.  Oh no! Brother Siwang, hold your breath! Huh...?  You idiots ruined my plan! Our humblest apologies, Miss. Please forgive us, we mistook you for someone else. The sound of your footsteps scared off my little Hong'er! Do you dare to treat it as nothing with just a few words? Miss, this is indeed our fault, how then should we make amends? Hmm... I'll forgive you if you chop off one of your stupid legs as a gift. Alas, this one still has unfinished business, which requires me to keep a useful body. Please forgive me for not accepting your proposal. What... what happened? Did I faint? Who is this wild girl? It seems we have offended this lady by scaring off her "Hong'er". I believe Brother Siwang walked into a trap meant for it. Now she wants us to chop off one of our legs as punishment. What do you think, Brother Siwang? What? Are you kidding me? Hey, girl, don't you know people's legs don't grow back? I don't care! You're not leaving this cave with your legs intact! The Hmong girl starts a fight. Siwang is badly poisoned and out of internal power, but luckily Duan Siping is not affected, and neither is Southern Tyrant. Did I mention how OP Beastmaster Sutra is?  He Ziwan is only Rank 25 and falls easily. She has high Blade and Poison, but only mediocre Qi.  Phew, my legs are saved. Uuuh... two big men joining hands to bully a girl, aren't you ashamed of yourselves? Be fair! You're the one who wants to cut off our legs, this is called self-defense. Hey, man with the big words, you're looking for a Hmong woman? What do you want with her? Do you perhaps know her? She is good with poisons. Idiot, there are thousands of Hmong women good with poisons, how do you expect me to know them all? Anyway, you scared off my Hong'er, shouldn't you take responsibility? (Tch, just a moment ago you were so violent, but now you've discovered our fist is harder than yours, suddenly you're willing to speak reason.) It is indeed our fault for frightening off your pet, how may we help? Brother Duan, I can feel that something is off, please don't... No, Brother Siwang, we are at fault, so naturally we must do our best to find the pet that has been scared off. (Ugh, these people surnamed Duan, they're all the same. Once they see a beautiful young girl, they get all silly in the head...) Hong'er is a rainbow centipede and is hiding somewhere in this cave. In order to lure Hong'er out, He Ziwan needs Heartrot Grass, which grows in swamps, and she offers to accompany Siwang and Duan Siping to the swamp west of Gongshi Village.  Is it just me, or are there way too many of us following Siwang around? Exactly! Five people is the maximum for this level of difficulty! Great, this guy isn't just an idiot, he's also insane. Oh no, is he having an allergic reaction to the poison I set out for Hong'er? We'll just have to leave Ziwan in this cave then! ... I'll chase you down and poison you in your sleep. Some kind of diarrhea, I think. Wait. Siwang, if you're going to keep helping Duan Siping with his silly little war, I'm going to opt out. Madam Cheng, please. It is a righteous struggle against the tyranny of Yang Tianning. Oh really? You helped him gain the throne, and only noticed his evil when he backstabbed you? The way I see it, you were perfectly happy to turn a blind eye as long as it suited your ambitions. Until it bit you in the rear end. I... I cannot deny that I should have been more assiduous in rejecting the lesser evils that Yang Tianning committed. But at the time, I believed that a united Nanzhao would serve a greater good for all its people. Well, anyway, I'm not helping you fight this war. Siwang, if you need me again, I'll be at the Hidden Flower Cottage. Ning'er, try to keep him from falling into evil, will you? Yes Madam Cheng! (He's halfway there already though...)  He Ziwan is a slightly evil Clever Blade user who comes with a unique Jasper Snake Blade technique. There are two techniques, each buffed by a specific weapon, and the capstone technique is a dual-strike using both weapons. Unfortunately He Ziwan only comes with one of those weapons, and it's unupgraded, so Siwang gives her the Cold Moon Flowing Light as a stopgap. Do you seriously expect me to fight with a meat cleaver? You wanted to chop off my legs a while ago. I thought this would do better than that dirty blade you have. It's poison. Poison! How can a mere kitchen tool compare to Sin Feather? Can Sin Feather chop vegetables as well as Cold Moon Flowing Light? It's made of cold iron. What kind of idiot makes a cleaver out of cold iron? A butcher specializing in cold cuts. ... ... You are finding me some blue marble and we are using it to upgrade Sin Feather as soon as possible. Yes ma'am. There is also a skeleton with a modded sutra and weapon resting nearby. The Purple Gold Bagua Knife is actually slightly inferior to Cold Moon Flowing Light.  No prizes for guessing what kind of technique the Nine Yin White Bone Claw sutra teaches.  On the way to Gongshi Village Siwang stops briefly to admire the Mu Clan manor, slightly to the east of Dayan Town.  He stops by the Dayan Town market square to give Bu Seishou, the repentant bandit and wannabe chef, the recipe for tofu pudding. Bu Seishou thanks Siwang and asks for another recipe involving a bear paw, to be obtained from the Fancy Feast Hall.  Right next to him are two members of the He Family horse gang, who tell Siwang that He Yuqing is somewhere south of the Mu Clan manor.  Siwang stops by the medicine-seller to give him the Pristine Snow Lotus.  Mu Chu thanks Siwang and invites him to visit the Mu Clan manor, giving him a token to do so.  There's also a vegetable seller fast asleep in the market square.  If Siwang moves to touch his vegetables he will scream bloody murder and every merchant in the market square will aggro on Siwang.  And if any civilian dies in the ensuing battle, it's a game over for Siwang. I had to reload and disable the two tiger companions because they kept attacking the merchants.  After five turns of running away, the town guard arrives and reprimands the vegetable seller.  Just in time! This thief tried to steal my vegetables! Not you again? How many times has this happened this month? But... it's a real villain this time... Yeah right! You were napping again and accused an innocent man!The vegetable seller then gives Siwang two cabbages in apology. As unprofitable encounters go, this has got to be way up there.  Eventually, Siwang makes his way to the swamp and finds the Heartrot Grass, fighting off crocodiles all the while.  Hey, dumbass! Hong'er's cave is to the east, why are you headed northwest? Whoops. I wanted to show you this neat abandoned temple, but this is Tianlong Temple. I must have headed too far west. Moon Goddess help me, not again with the abandoned temples... Still, it's weird that Tianlong Temple is crawling with Nanzhao troops. I will ask Dong Jialuo to investigate. In the meantime, let us concentrate on repaying our debt to Miss He. Beautiful, isn't it? The moonlight adds a certain pathos to the bandit corpses. You certainly know how to show a girl a good time. This cleaver is actually pretty useful. I loved the way you dismembered that bandit! Oh, and I think we can salvage that vest he was wearing. I can't tell if he's being a bad influence on her, or if it's the other way around. I think it's both.  A second gold vest dropped from the bandits camped around the abandoned temple. I didn't even know that was possible. Since the original vote was tied between keeping and returning the gold vest, Siwang will now return the original to the old man instead of keeping both. This is actually an immense stroke of luck because the reward for returning the gold vest is a Hidden Weapons sutra. Words cannot describe the relief I felt when the vote tied instead of going for keeping the vest.  Oh, and while we're near Gongshi Village, there's something I want to check out. I had a vision while I was poisoned by the eagle hunters. Okay, speaking as an expert in poison, it is totally inadvisable to rely on anything you see while poisoned. Dumbass. Brother Siwang moves in ways mysterious to mortal men, and he has not yet led us astray. Let's just go see what Big Brother wants to show us.  It's a cave. Amazing. And it's way too small to squeeze into, so it's a useless cave. Ah, but if you contort yourself into this very specific shape and enter the cave, you will find something amazing on the other side! Moon Goddess! My eyes! Arrgghh! What the hell did you get us into? Wow. I thought it was just rock all the way down, but this... Truly, adventuring with an outlander never fails to bring new wonders to this humble self. What do you mean, outlander?  So, you're from another world? Yep. I'm trying to get home, but I need this thing called the Book of Heaven first. Normally I'd call you mad, but it looks like the world has gone mad too.  Are we in the underworld? How come we can still see the sun? And the trees? Don't worry, we're just temporarily out-of-bounds. Look, there's a tree to the north. Perhaps this is some sort of shared vision or dream, brought on by cthonic vapours. Keep telling yourself that if you think it helps. How can there be a monk here? It must be our feeble minds, trying their best to comprehend some sort of benign cosmic horror far beyond mortal understanding. Yeah, makes sense. He's offering to take us out of this place? Well, what are you waiting for? Do it! I must confess, I have never been so relieved to smell horse excrement before. You said it, Brother Duan. Let's head to the inn, I need a stiff drink. We ALL need a stiff drink. And the madman's paying after making us go through that. Hey! Nothing happened to you guys! Nothing other than having our perception of reality completely shattered, you mean. What was that even for? We didn't pick up anything, no earth-shaking weapons or mind-bending sutras. I... I'm a little better at martial arts now. Moon Goddess have mercy, is this my punishment for not listening to my elders? Maybe I should have left with Madam Cheng.  This remarkable trip nets Siwang an achievement worth three talent points.  As night falls, Siwang leaves Gongshi Village, and runs across this poor lover. Please help me, young warrior! I had promised to elope with someone to Jincheng, but the promised time has arrived, and she is not here. Wow! Elopement! (Elopement? That's not something to be trifled with, in this day and age...) I don't dare to return to the village to look for her, young master, can you please help me? Her name is Xiaodie, she helps out in the fields by weeding grass and harvesting rice.  Hello, brother, have you seen a girl named Xiaodie? You mean my wife. What? What's going on? Tell me who sent you first. It was a man named Tian. So it was him! Tian came to our village a few months ago in distress. We took him in, and he helped us plow the field. I even became sworn brothers with him, I thought we were the same! He must have lured my wife into a relationship with his sweet words... That bitch would rather die than reveal the identity of the man she was in love with! So I beat her to death.  This hatred still burns! I would pay a large sum of money for a warrior to remove this Tian guy.Should Siwang accept the hit job? Please vote: - Accept, but warn Tian instead - Accept, and kill Tian - Accept, but only for double the money - Wash your hands of the matter and walk away. sandorius fucked around with this message at 20:49 on Mar 27, 2023 |
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Mar 27, 2023 17:11
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Warn him, spite that guy based on our own whimsy.
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Mar 27, 2023 17:36
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Wrong portrait here: No, Brother Siwang, we are at fault, so naturally we must do our best to find the pet that has been scared off. Also: Her name is Xiaodie, she helps out in the fields by weeding grass and harvesting rice. Also warn Tian because, well, murder, you know. E: The game making you go outside of the bounds of conventional reality to get a three point achievement is Pretty Good. SIGSEGV fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Mar 27, 2023 |
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Mar 27, 2023 19:39
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SIGSEGV posted:
Fixed, thank you!
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Mar 27, 2023 20:49
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Update 28: They're Sisters Siwang returns to Tian and breaks the bad news to him - Xiaodie is dead, beaten to death by her husband. He also scolds Tian for not telling him that Xiaodie was married.  Tian is naturally distressed by the news.  He asks Siwang to just kill him.  Never mind! I'm not going to bother! You can just cry here for the rest of your life! I'm going back to earn some extra money, don't go back to the village, understand? It's a good thing I didn't kill anyone. At least I've earned some money to compensate for the fact that I got caught up in this mess. Poor Siwang is in for a nasty shock when he goes back to the angry husband, though. Do you take me for a fool? Just to tell you, I sent someone to follow you. By now, Tian is probably dead in a ditch somewhere! You can't be trusted, now get the hell out of here! Get out!A fairly unsatisfying end to a minor sidequest. If Siwang had attacked Tian, he would have gotten paid, but become more evil. There is, however, another way to resolve this sidequest, which I was not aware of at the time, otherwise I wouldn't have put it up for vote.  Remember this unidentified female corpse from Update 7? It turns out I took a screenshot of it but forgot to interact with it. That sends this sidequest down a slightly different route, in which the angry husband never even gets to offer Siwang money for Tian's head.  This... you Han people are too cruel! I should put a parasite on you! (Clubbed to death? Then the female body I found in the graveyard under the cliff earlier, was that his wife?) You beat your wife to death and then just left her in the wilderness? What does that have to do with you? That bitch deserved to die! drat, I can suddenly understand why your wife would want to leave you at the drop of a hat. A rude and unreasonable villain like you deserves to die!So canonically Siwang is fine with domestic murder but draws the line at neglecting the proper burial rites? He might be a murderhobo, but at least he's a civilized murderhobo.  Xiaodie is dead. I have nothing to say about your adultery, but Xiaodie is now lying in a shallow grave somewhere under the cliff. I... see. Thank you for telling me. I'll go help her clean up the mess. Siwang is a bit unnerved by Tian's hollow farewell, and checks up on Xiaodie's location. Unsurprisingly, Tian has killed himself.  Siwang buries the bodies together in a proper mound, and offers a brief prayer to the two unfortunate souls.  There is a small achievement for doing this - "Flower Fields": You helped Tian reunite with the flower-catching butterfly.  Mood slightly somber, Siwang heads east to the old man who lost his grandson's gold vest in a gambling debt. At this point, he's been waiting here for about two weeks, and he rewards Siwang with a book.  What kind of book? No wonder you lost all ten bets, carrying a book on you.This is a pun in Chinese, "book" is a homonym to "lose".  Nine Strokes of the Heavenly Characters is a Yin-aligned Hidden Weapons sutra with a massive final attack that costs 8 AP. More importantly, the passive nodes will bump Siwang's Hidden Weapon skill over 80.  This will finally let him learn from the "Flying sand in the sky" sutra, which he picked up from the man-eating bear's cave, all the way back in Update 12. "Raining all over the sky" is actually an AOE attack.  On the way back to Hong'er's cave Siwang runs into He Yuqing again. Ye Yulong here is from a rival horse gang and is gloating over the He family horse gang's recent misfortunes.  Stop gloating, Ye whatsyourname, what do you want? Why so cold? I'm really worried about you, Little Miss He. Yeah, our young master is so worried about you he hasn't been eating well recently, look at how skinny he is. It must be true love! Ye Yulong taunts He Yuqing about her missing brother, who is apparently adopted? But He Yuqing has noticed Siwang eavesdropping.  Hey! You over there, you know how to help an old woman being robbed but you can't help a beautiful girl being accosted by ruffians? What's wrong with you? Beautiful girl? I don't see one though? Siwang gets drawn into a fight with Ye Yulong and his buddies. He Yuqing joins in as an ally, which counts as a refreshing change of pace from the last two times.  Ye Yulong drops a Rainbow Sword sutra, which must be embarrassing for him. According to some random dudes drinking beer in the tavern, it's the Ye family heirloom. Hey, are you the daughter of the He family boss? I'm looking for your father. Why am I even speaking to you? As a thank you for helping you get rid of a couple of tangled, boring men? I could have managed without your help! But you seem to be pretty good at fighting so if you help me out a little I'll think about taking you to see him. Help? With what? Don't worry about it, just come with me to the Eagle Hunter camp to the northeast. I'd love to come with you, but I have too many friends... Then you can figure out your own way to find my father! Goodbye! Shelving his plans to recruit He Yuqing for now, Siwang returns to the mountain lake cave, and uses the Heartrot Grass to lure out Hong'er.  The large centipede comes out to feed, but an unexpected guest joins in. Oh my, little sister, you've come all the way from home to bring Hong'er to me. Thank you so much! Big sister! Hmmm... I had suspected they knew each other, but to think that they were sisters... It just happens that my darling Yang is practicing our tribe's Secret Book of Ultimate Poison, and needs to absorb the venom of the Seven-Coloured Centipede. I'm so touched that you brought Hong'er all the way from home, little sister. How would I have lured you out if not for Hong'er? Big sister, let's go home. Even if you stole our sacred book, you know mother loves us well, she will definitely forgive you. Oh? Knowing that woman, she has already ordered you to take my life and take back both the Book of Heaven and the Secret Book of Ultimate Poison. Why do you think she would spare me? Mother knows you're just under the spell of that Yang bastard. She'll forgive you for sure! Oh sister, why are you so naive? That woman only cares about the Book of Heaven, the only one who cares about me is my darling Yang! Just give me Hong'er and go home. I don't want to fight you.  No! I won't go back unless my sister joins me! Hmmm... in that case, let us see if your poisoning skills have improved since I last saw you. He Baishao enters combat with two mooks and one "Chief of the Nanzhao Army". General Duan, I have always admired your character, but today you are the enemy of the Nanzhao Kingdom. Surrender and return to face Lord Yang's judgement. As a soldier of Nanzhao, I respect your right to try and make me. The two Hmong sisters also pause midfight for an extended duologue. Sister, that's enough, please stop! I don't want to fight you anymore! Mother's always been thinking of your own good, she's definitely not as vicious as you say! Please, will you come home with me? Home? Home, you say? Hahaha! Hahaha... you're wrong. That's no home, just a nest of parasites! Do you know how many poisonous insects she made me suffer with, in order to improve my poison training? Can you even imagine? If I hadn't stolen the Secret Book and purged all the parasites from my body, I would still be a doll in that woman's hands today! Sister... I had no idea... Ah my naive little sister... you have your free will, only because you are not the heir to the chieftainship. If you want to go back and continue and be that woman's doll, then that is your choice. But as for me, I've already made up my mind. What I want, what my darling Yang gave to me, is He Baishao's freedom! Miss He, this humble Duan has a word of advice for you: Yang Tianyi is a man of honeyed words and a sword in his belly, if you trust him, you will die like a dog! Look, I've seen this kind of drama many times, OK? This Yang guy is probably trying to use you, where is he even? Is he hiding behind you, reluctant to even show his face?  Well said! Yang Tianyi! Darling, what are you doing here? You're still poisoned... Baishao, it doesn't matter, even if I'm injured, how can I let you risk your life for me? I will not let them hurt you. Darling... drat, knock it off, you two. Yang Tianyi, what is your relationship with the NoMercy House? Do you have the Book of Heaven? Oh? An outlander? That's right, I have a fragment of the Book of Heaven! He Yudie betrayed the NoMercy House many years ago, and stole it from them! You mean... Mother? What are you talking about? What NoMercy House? What Book of Heaven? Haha! Go back and ask your mother about the dirty deeds she committed as part of the NoMercy House, so many years ago! Of course, you'll have to live through this battle first... Darling! Just trying to scare her off, dear. Don't worry, I keep my promises.  Yang Tianyi, tyrant of Nanzhao! Today, I save the people from a great evil! Traitor Duan Siping, today, I will take your life! Yang Tianyi joins the fight with a few more Nanzhao soldiers, but is easily beaten.  No, this poisonous power, it's not enough? I can't die here... He Baishao! The fight's not going well, let's withdraw! Let's go, darling! Don't fret, once you've mastered the Seven-colored Poison, neither of these fools will be able to match you! They ran away! Hmmm... Yang Tianyi used to be but a mediocre martial artist. He has improved extraordinarily since I last met him. Of course he has, my sister stole our tribe's secrets and must be helping him practice them. drat, they even took Hong'er, if he masters the Seven-colored Poison... Speaking of your sister, you lied to us! You said you didn't know her! It wasn't a lie! There really are thousands of Hmong maidens skilled in poison, and it's true that I can't be expected to know them all. It... it just happens that this one is my big sister. drat, you're good at twisting words... It's all the fault of that Yang guy, if I catch him, I'll nail him up and make him feel pain from the bones to the heart! (Wow, Hmong girls are still a bit chilling as always...) There is a great deal of plot exposition, and Duan Siping goes on a extended monologue on how it is his righteous duty to unite the tribes of Nanzhao and atone for the sin of not realizing Yang Tianning's evil. Pfft. So boring and serious, who cares if you want to atone for your sins or if it's your ambition to rise in position? Miss He, since it's our goal to find your sister and deal with Yang Tianyi, why don't we work together? Will you let me take my sister back? Of course. This humble Duan's only enemies are the Yang brothers. Heehee, a man's word is his bond, a promise is a promise. I'll help you deal with Yang Tianyi, and you help me bring my sister home. Let us return to the Duan manor and report to Jialuo. Hey dumbass, where are you going? The Duan manor is that way! I think I smell a randomly spawned sutra in Zhangren Village. What the hell? Are you high? Did my sister's poison affect you that badly? Wait... I'm having an odd sense of deja vu. You'll learn to roll with it if you spend any more time with this gang.  Big brother, could you stop stealing so much stuff? What are you even going to do with a big fan? Listen, Ning'er, I'm practically doing this guy a favour. This fan is poisonous! It's been used for years to fan the flames of the Chidan Palace. Assuming that's true and you haven't pulled that out of your rear end, then why is some random village farmer holding on to it? I haven't the faintest idea.  The Seven Stars Sword sutra technically belongs to a companion Siwang hasn't met officially, but it spawned on an NPC as part of the Jianghu rumor system and Siwang might as well pick it up now. Both Ning'er and Duan Siping have long since run out of sword sutras to study, so this is a welcome find.  Why did this guy even set up shop here? Who's going to come to a deserted island to buy his stuff? He doesn't want anybody to buy his stuff. Yeah, he gave us a bunch of ore to gently caress off. Speaking of which... Indeed. Why are we here, Brother Siwang? The last time I spent money at the blacksmith I got the feeling I should talk to this guy again.  There's an achievement for spending enough money at the blacksmith, which rewards Siwang with a token that this hermit will recognize. He will offer to craft a special weapon for Siwang, but only one.  Are we ever going back to Duan Manor, even? Just as soon as I visit that deserted island over there to the west. Isn't this one deserted enough for you? There's only a bunch of monkeys and bananas here. No, that one is more deserted, that's why I want to go there. Also, I can walk on water now. Big deal, we can all do it when we get good at Qinggong.  I thought you said you could walk on water! Look, I just ran out of stamina, alright? What a weak man you are... ugh, now I'm sopping wet. At least this shipwreck seems to have some decent wine.  Poor guy, cut down before he could take one last drink... Cut down... by who? Or by what? I wish you hadn't asked that question.  Oh? A statue of the local land god? Let us pay the proper respects. Lord, please bless the poor fool who made us all come here but overestimated his own stamina. Mother always told me men have these problems, please help. (Lord, please bless big brother with endurance, I have the feeling Ziwan is going to poison him out of sheer exasperation soon.) Wow! I do feel lighter on my feet!  Is that the third bronze statue we've come across? Fifth, I think. Abandoned shack in the swamp, on top of the weird monk's mountain, another one on an icy mountain somewhere and then one more in a cave. I wonder who's making these things?  Hmmm... another skeleton. There's a journal too, says something about Monkey Three. Is that the monster the other dead guy wrote about, on Banana Island? There's a strange mechanism here that opens a cave next to the shipwreck.  There's a giant ape lurking inside the cave, but luckily since Siwang has read the journal, he calls it by name and it responds.  It turns out that Monkey Three can understand human language, and even speak to an extent. It's in hiding because it feels guilty about killing people.  Siwang asks to learn monkey martial arts from Monkey Three, and also offers to take it off the island and travel together.  White Ape Catching Arrows has mixed Qinggong/Fist passive nodes and teaches a 5AP buff that has a small chance to gain 3AP when attacked. It might be useful for solo characters, but for someone with a big party like Siwang, it doesn't seem very useful.  Having explored Monkey Island, Siwang heads back to the mainland. He still doesn't have enough stamina to make it all the way back waterwalking, so he has to swim a little.  Hey, this is the Fancy Feast Hall, isn't it? Why don't we stop for a meal? Because the Fancy Feast Hall is a cover for a secret organization that wants me to help save the country, and I don't have the time for it right now. What I do have time for is this amazing lady who gave me the Beastmaster Sutra a few weeks ago.Ji Meixiang of the Hundred Beasts Villa congratulates Siwang on taming Widowmaker.  She suggests Siwang try taming White Stripe next, a crocodile at the river mouth to the north. She will be moving on to the Enchanted Water Village and asks Siwang to meet her there with White Stripe. Hahaha! She called you 'handsome boy'! Yeah, that's pretty much the reason we have ten different animals following us around right now. Big brother is easily manipulated into doing things with only a little praise. How sad... I'm right here, you know. Oh come on, a big strong man like you should be able to handle some teasing. Well... I see what you're trying to do and it's not funny.  Monkey Three is very intimidating but functionally not as dangerous as Southern Tyrant - the white tiger king inflicts trauma and also acts faster, which tends to make him a better tank.  Back in Dayan Town, Siwang visits the wine shop / tavern to see if he can sell the wine he picked up on Monkey Island. It turns out to be a normal trade good, but he picks up this delivery quest while there. This bard wants Siwang to pass a book on to the head of the Fancy Feast Hall.  Just outside Duan Manor, two gentlemen are pushing each other on top of a long bench, and several townspeople have gathered to watch.  The two are brothers in a dispute over their inheritance, and have decided to settle the ownership of their family house through an old-fashioned wrestling match. Siwang learns this because a townsman wants to bet on the outcome.  Oh man, I used to love watching pro wrestling on TV back in the day. But the table should be wider and there needs to be a folding chair in the middle. ... so that they can take a rest if they get tired? So that one of them can pick it up and hit the other guy with it. I love it already. The merchant brother triumphs over the scholar brother, and Siwang wins the bet. The townsman gives him a pair of Cold Crystals.  Back in Duan Manor, Duan Siping introduces He Ziwan to his advisor Dong Jiaoluo.  They are interrupted by a guard who says an abbot has come to see Duan Siping.  Abbott Jinding is from Tianlong Temple, which, as Siwang has just discovered, is crawling with Nanzhao soldiers. He is also not a martial artist.  He explains that the Nanzhao Kingdom had sent an embassy to Shu (presumably the country Siwang is in) and the government minister Du Jinpeng arranged for them to stay in Tianlong Temple, so as to keep a low profile.  The Nanzhao delegation has been getting more and more numerous, and bringing strange men in black to the temple. He is also very annoyed that a Hmong priestess has been frequenting the temple, calling it a real sin.  A few days ago, the Nanzhao troops brought back a prisoner, Duan Siliang, and Abbott Jinding spoke to him while feeding him. Since the abbott is not a martial artist, he was unable to fight the Nanzhao troops, but could only come to the Duan Manor to ask for help.  Abbott Jinding suggests that he return to Tianlong Temple and lure away the majority of the Nanzhao troops by saying that he discovered the whereabouts of Duan Siping to Yang Tianyi. A small party can then slip into the temple and rescue Duan Siliang. Duan Siping protests, saying that this will be dangerous for the abbott, but Abbott Jinding says that as a Buddhist he should not hesitate to save others.  Siwang speaks up and endorses the plan - he, Duan Siping and He Ziwan will go to Tianlong Temple and rescue Duan Siliang.  Abbott Jinding then gifts Duan Siping with an ancient Inner Workings sutra, saying that the monks of Tianlong Temple used to practice martial arts before devoting their time to the study of Buddhism. The sutra is better off in the hands of someone who can use it to expel the Nanzhao bandits.  Abbott Jinping! I will use this power to save the people of Nanzhao! Let's get ready to rescue Siliang, Brother Duan! We can't let the abbott's efforts go to waste, the Book of Heaven cannot be left in Yang Tianyi's hands! I will bring back my sister, and our tribe's secret book too! The Yang clan's guards will be distracted by Abbot Jinping's ruse, we will take advantage and launch a surprise attack. Kill anyone who gets in our way! Dong Jialuo, ready for orders! Siliang, wait just a little longer! We're coming!Well actually Duan Siliang will have to wait a little longer for ~reasons~. Siwang will do a little sidequesting in Dayan Town for now, but for now, let us consider what endgame weapon Siwang wants the hermit blacksmith to craft for him. Is the thread interested in seeing the weapon descriptions for each one? -Yes, I like reading weapon descriptions -No, just craft the fist weapon, it's what Siwang has been using as a backup -No, just craft the hidden weapon and stop using the Nokia 3310 -No, just craft (insert weapon type here) Specifically, the reason I'm holding off on going to Tianlong Temple is that once Duan Siping's quest is over, his default paladin programming kicks in and he will leave the party permanently once Siwang does anything evil or unrestrained. Which sucks if you want to do a certain endgame quest with him, but I think I can get him to the right level after grinding through a few more updates.
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Apr 1, 2023 17:33
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Yes I do, in fact, like reading weapon descriptions.
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Apr 1, 2023 20:30
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Yes, weapon descriptions are cool.
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Apr 1, 2023 20:52
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What else is there to do but forge weapons and see the descriptions? Lots of stuff, I know, but those things aren't up for a vote, so Yes forge and see.
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Apr 2, 2023 03:27
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Update 29: Return to the Master Blacksmith and Suishin Island  Hmm... this is a profund sutra Abbott Jinping has left me. Eh, it just increases attack range. Doesn't your Simple talent tree already give you ridiculous reach? Indeed, but it could be even more "ridiculous", as you say. With this Inner Working, I think I could stab someone across half the battlefield. Could be useful against a poison user like Yang Tianyi. Yes, I shall study it carefully. It'll probably take a few days for the abbott to convince Yang Tianyi to send his troops away. What should we do in the meantime? I know just the place! Big brother, this is the Pretty Dream Pavilion. Yyy.. you! Why are you bringing me to a place like this? Chill out, I just wanted to talk to this poor guy standing in a corner by himself in a courtyard full of pretty ladies. So that rich guy hired you to write poetry on his behalf to Rong Yanxue? Alas, if I could only see her read my poetry just once and smile, even from afar. Even if she doesn't know it was I who wrote it... Man, you have it down bad. Have you tried fixing her printer for her? Big brother, this man is so pitiful, can't you help him somehow?  Poor Ming Xu has a crush on Rong Yanxue, who lives on the second floor of the Pretty Dream Pavilion. Now that Siwang has completed the murder mystery and gained the trust of Fan Xiaodie, he can come and go freely, so Ming Xu asks Siwang to pass Rong Yanxue a letter. Since the quest text refers to him as a poor scholar, I don't think Ming Xu is actually a prince. Maybe his surname is Wang(king) or Junzi(gentleman) or something like that.  I have a friend, who fell in love with a girl. He is talented, but his family is poor, and so he cannot approach her, and he spends all day in mourning. Well, she sounds like she values money greatly... wait, but if he hasn't approached her, how does he know she loves money and not talent. He wrote a letter to send to her, could Miss Yanxue take a look at it? Hmm... "In the meantime, the beauty of the wind, snow and moon, couldn't keep the beauty from scowling and frowning, I'm startled." This poetry... it refers to myself! Who wrote this letter? His name is Ming Xu, he is a man of great talent, but his family is poor, and he does not think he is worthy of a girl, so he is timid. Rong Yanxue likes the poetry, but asks Ming Xu to find a couple who would never part from each other, and swear before them to never fail her.  Ming Xu immediately thinks of the grocery store owners, who have been selling food together for many years. He asks Siwang to consult them for help.  The old man agrees to help but is skeptical that Ming Xu has not just fallen for Yanxue's looks. He suggests that Ming Xu give Yanxue a gift to prove his intentions. A gift? Yanxue is the most popular girl in the Pretty Dream Pavilion, she doesn't even like gifts from rich people like Xia Lu, how can Ming Xu give her something better? Young man, it's all about the giver's heart. If Ming Xu were to give her something that could express his feelings and move Yanxue, it would be worth more than a fortune. She wouldn't care about the material value. On the way back to the Pretty Dream Pavilion, Siwang drops by the teahouse to eavesdrop on a suspicious conversation.  The second son of the Mu Clan, Mu Kui, wants some Golden Melon Tea, but it has been stolen by a mysterious old man lurking around Karma Monastery. We've already met Mu Kui's brothers, the eldest son Mu Chu at the medicine seller's shop lookng for the Pristine Jade Lotus, and the youngest Ade Ake at the Eagle Hunter's Settlement. Apparently there's some kind of celebration coming up, and he wants the tea as a gift.  Siwang makes a mental note to search around Karma Monastery for the tea-stealing old man, as the teashop owner will probably reward him for finding the tea.  Returning to the Pretty Dream Pavilion, Ming Xu agrees to the gift idea, immediately recognizing it as a test from the old couple. But since he hasn't been able to talk to Yanxue, he asks Siwang to poke through Yanxue's room for clues.  Isn't this an egregious breach of Miss Yanxue's privacy? She's right in front of us, if we end up opening her underwear drawer by accident I'm sure she'll let us know. It's a good idea Mr and Mrs Chu had. I don't begrudge my mysterious suitor the chance to try and deduce my character from my humble belongings. Are you seriously thinking of eloping with him? I think it's romantic though? I think it's dumb. Why not just go with a rich merchant or something? Alas, I have entertained too many. Not a single one of them would cherish me when I grow old and frail, but discard me for a younger girl. Just threaten to castrate them with this dagger you have first. ... ... (subtly shuffles further away from He Ziwan) What? I'm just saying. Nothing to worry about if you're faithful. (Rong Yanxue has this dagger on the wall, is she confident in her own skill, or does she dislike carrying a weapon around?) This dagger is a weapon and a murder weapon. I don't like to hurt people, but I used this dagger to hurt Granny Situ, who taught me martial arts... most lamentable. This tea set looks quite plain, but it has seen frequent use. Miss Yanxue has not seen any visitors for quite some time, so she must use this tea set daily. Does it perhaps have some sentimental value for her? Maybe she is a passionate and unforgetting person, who never forgets her roots? There is a half-folded contemporary sheet music book on the table. Miss Yanxue must be very musically-inclined. The scent of roses and osmanthus flowers in this bath is so fragrant, it's no wonder that no one notices when they pass wind. I bet Miss Yanxue could make a fortune selling this bathwater. ... what? ... Moon Goddess help me, why must you be like this? Not me personally! Other people! It happened all the time where I came from... well, maybe not all the time. It is a most fascinating world you hail from, Brother Siwang.  Wow, this cypress gilded screen looks so expensive! It seems to be a fragrant story of a gentleman and a beautiful woman. Hmm... I don't know if Miss Yanxue is willing to give up and live a simple life with Ming Xu. Perhaps he should give her something valuable? How goes it? Do you have any suggestions for Miss Yanxue's gift? Well, after a little observation, I think Miss Yanxue treasures...- Money and possessions, you must guarantee her future life... - Wushu advancement, now that Granny Situ has left, she has no master! - One word, love, two words, affection.  And what do you think I should use to express... that I value all that she values? Hmm...- I see that it is precious gold and silver goods. - Probably something plain? - I think it should be something related to calligraphy, painting, or music.  Are you sure you told him the right thing there? No, not really. But look on the bright side, it should be pretty hilarious if he gets it wrong. Big brother! That's their future happiness you could be ruining! Listen, Ning'er, I did my best, but who's going to help him next time? I can't always be around to dispense my wisdom. Wisdom? How much experience in romantic relationships do you have exactly? ... Hey, look at my new outfit!Siwang changes out of the Duan Family outfit he found in the Duan manor and puts on a new costume obtained from the achievement for getting Hidden Weapons above 100. Sadly, it clips a little at the knee, but otherwise it blows the other costumes out of the water.  Stop avoiding the question, Siwang. Did you seriously make us run all the way out here to the west just because you're embarrassed? No! We need a white bear pelt for the master blacksmith! That's all! Five or less. Probably zero. I don't know whether to be appalled or relieved. Could we just drop the subject already?  Siwang finds a modded sutra on the way to the white bear habitat. Participating Fingers is a Fist technique that has slightly extended range (3 is maybe two person-widths) and requires talents from all six trees to fully master, like the starting sutras.  Siwang proceeds to beat up several white bears in search of a white bear pelt, which is unfortunately a random drop.  In the process he comes across a new Beast King! The Silver Palm Beast King, "Icebreaker Hammer". It is duly beaten up and tamed.  Siwang finds yet another modded sutra hidden inconspicously under a tree.  The Little Li's Flying Dagger sutra teaches an undodgeable Hidden Weapons technique.  White bear pelt finally in hand, Siwang heads east and drops by the Qingcheng Sect Monastery to talk to the horseman for future fast travel. Everybody is asleep so there's nothing else he can do for now. If he were righteous, he could get a free Inner Working sutra here, but the Qingtian Fortress strategy to grind righteousness seems to have sprung a leak. Nearly everyone in the Fortress is refusing to duel Siwang now.  There are now a bunch of crocodiles hanging out at the rivermouth near Banana Island, as the second mistress of the Hundred Beast Villa warned Siwang.  The Beast King she wanted Siwang to capture, the White Stripe Beast King, "Lord of the River", is here along with his friends. Crocodiles are sort of annoying to fight because of the "Waiting for a rabbit" talent, which immediately counterattacks when someone moves into their proximity. At least they don't do knockback like human spear users.  As per the last vote, here are the various weapons the master blacksmith can craft for Siwang. The fist weapon requires three pieces of black iron and a white bear skin, to be used to forge a tiger hand glove.  Plugging the required ingredients into the recipe gives Siwang... a green rarity weapon?  White bear skin Tiger Hand Protection: "Handguard with tiger's sculpted shape, heavy but with limited protection".  Turns out it's a mistranslation, the recipe needs basalt and not black iron.  Hundred Flame Arm Guard: "Invincible protector, invincible." Yeah, must have been a long day at the office when this item's turn to be described came up.  The sword requires a whopping eight pieces of basalt.  Hyper Iron Sword: "A powerful weapon made of pure basalt." Yep, someone was definitely low on brain juice. This description is just minimum effort.  The blade weapon requires six pieces of cold iron. Golden Crow Knife: "A sword made of black gold, with the user's powerful internal force, it is invincible." I'm sensing a theme here.  This blade is actually sort of ugly as well.  The spear weapon needs six pieces of rosewood to craft a fishing rod. Zi Wu Gan: "A mysterious fishing rod, powerful enough to be used by a master spearman."  The short weapon is a cleaver requiring three pieces of basalt, which can also be used as a blade. In fact, it does more damage than the Golden Crow Knife (272-280 dmg vs. 259-267 dmg). Pan Gu Chopper: "The legendary kitchen knife that can split the sky and the earth is also useful for cooking."  The hidden weapon needs two pieces of basalt and a rosewood to forge a flying dagger. Seeking Fling Blade: "The flying dagger of a certain mysterious swordsman, emitting a cold, cold light." I don't get the reference, unfortunately.  The bow needs five pieces of rosewood and a snow leopard tendon. Houyi's Bow: "The legendary bow that can shoot down even the sun." Fairly boring descriptions, all told. I was expecting more elaborate ones like the ones companion weapons have.  North of Banana Island is the Enchanted Water Village, where Ji Mei Xiang, the second mistress of the Hundred Beast Villa, is waiting for "Lord of the River". Her identical elder sister, Ji Mei Qing, is also there, and they have a brief argument.  Mei Qing is appalled that Mei Xiang has been letting an outsider like Siwang capture Beast Kings all over the country, while Mei Xiang says that there are a ton of Beast Kings around that only a strong fighter like Siwang can subdue.  Eventually, Siwang gets bored of the argument and offers to help the elder sister Mei Qing capture a Beast King of her own, in return for her acknowledging his taming of "Lord of the River".  The Beast King she has in mind is... a lion? What's a lion doing in China?  It has pretty fabulous hair too. The Golden Mane Beast King, "Legendary Beast King", is very tanky but ultimately succumbs to a combination of poison and sustained petting.  Since he's in the area, Siwang makes his way northeast to Suishin Island, to check on the progress of the reformed bandits there in rebuilding the village. On the way there he picks up this box, containing some money and a dragonball.  There are a few new prospective settlers on Suishin Island now, who need wood and ore to build facilities.  The village itself has been patched up, with the doors and roofs repaired by the reformed bandits.  The new settlers gather and welcome Siwang and Ning'er back to Suishin Island.  They thank Siwang for allowing them to settle here and proclaim him the "Island Master".  Ning'er is happy to let them stay here, and since this is technically her island, Siwang agrees. Big brother Siwang, let them stay, the island will be much more interesting with these people. Well, the island is owned by Ning'er, so whoever my little sister wants to stay, can stay, of course. Anyone who dares to make her unhappy will feel my wrath! Big brother is the best! The settlers move into the empty refurbished houses.  This farmer wants some money to hire temporary workers, to till the fields.  The reformed bandits and the perfume thief are back to their idle ways. Siwang leaves them alone, in recognition of their help repairing the village houses.  Being the Island Master comes with one perk: your very own bed and also a little sister to sing you a lullaby and wake you up. Brother, don't worry, you can sleep. Ning'er is with you. How about... Ning'er will sing you a song? (As Ning'er hums an old song, you feel your eyelids getting heavier and heavier.) Brother, you haven't even said what time you want to sleep. Ning'er will wake you up on time. This herdsman wants some wood, ore and a short axe to build a shed for the wild cattle on the island. Siwang has the wood and ore, but no axe. It might be a random weapon drop from bandits, or maybe Siwang can buy one from a blacksmith somewhere.  This lady is pining for some actual meat and eggs, as there are no pigs or chickens on Suishin Island. Hmm... I've got lots of pork in my inventory, but no eggs. Guess I'll have to head back to Gongshi Village. To buy eggs, right? ... To buy them, right!? You know how they feel about their chickens!  There is also an alchemist who has come to Sushin Island in search of the Tianshui Poison Toad. He has brought his daughter Tiantian along, and Ning'er gets along well with her.  Siwang persuades him that dealing with poisonous creatures is too dangerous and that he should spend more time with his daughter. He has been too obsessed with the toad to even replace his broken table, and he buys a new one, which makes his daughter happy.  Thank you, big brother. What are you thanking me for? You're the one playing with her, and it was her dad that bought the new table. Then why are you blushing? I didn't, you and little Tiantian are the same, I don't know what's going on in my head. Big brother! Ning'er's not a child anymore! Haha, of course you're not a child, you're my little sister! (Ning'er, if possible, I hope you'll be carefree for the rest of your life, and always as happy as you are today!)Duan Siping has yet to master Six Veins and Internal Meridians, so Siwang will be sidequesting in this general area for a while yet. In the meantime, please vote: What weapon should Siwang end up forging? - The fist weapon, as backup for when the Hammer of Thor fails - The fishing rod, for Luo Yuanyu to smack people with - The cleaver, for He Ziwan to dual wield with Cold Moon Flowing Light - The sword, to look cool (Siwang doesn't know any sword techniques) Should Siwang switch to a new Beast King companion? - Stick with Southern Tyrant - Switch to the giant ape Monkey Three - Switch to the white bear IB Hammer - Switch to the lion Golden Mane What does Rong Yanxue value, and what gift should Ming Xu get for Rong Yanxue? - A: Money and possessions, you must guarantee her future life... - B: Wushu advancement, now that Granny Situ has left, she has no master! - C: One word, love, two words, affection. - 1: I see that it is precious gold and silver goods. - 2: Probably something plain? - 3: I think it should be something related to calligraphy, painting, or music. sandorius fucked around with this message at 12:54 on Apr 8, 2023 |
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Apr 7, 2023 19:06
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Fishing Rod IB Hammer C 3
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Apr 7, 2023 20:32
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Fishing Rod Golden Mane C 3
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Apr 7, 2023 20:53
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Cleaver A 1
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Apr 8, 2023 04:12
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sandorius posted:
Looks like these last two lines have misattributed portraits. Cleaver - Legendary kitchen knife was the only thing I was amused by from those descriptions Golden Mane - We got tigers, we got bears, time for lions A 3
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Apr 8, 2023 11:23
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booksnake posted:Looks like these last two lines have misattributed portraits. Fixed, thanks!
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Apr 8, 2023 16:05
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I have no idea what the proper choice is so please show it so we can see a goon give good relationship advice for once. Also it's not fixing a printer, it's carrying a printer.
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Apr 8, 2023 23:46
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Update 30: Tianlong Temple Tussle Why are we in this assend-of-nowhere village? Hush, child. The Island Master of Suishin has responsibilites he must fulfill. He's been touching the toad again, hasn't he? No, Brother Siwang has always been like this. I'm afraid it's permanent. He wants to get a small axe for our new tenant. Zhangren Village is just the closest blacksmith. Then why is he talking to that lady? The blacksmith is over there. Oh Moon Goddess, not again. Don't worry, Miss! The Love Doctor can solve all your problems! Alas, as I'm sure you can see, I'm old enough to get married. It's just, without that heart-pounding feeling when we meet, wouldn't it be boring to be together forever? I have put off several suitors. Whenever there is a family gathering, like at Chinese New Year, I get pressured by my elders to ask about my relationship status. A few of my aunts keep asking me why I haven't married yet. Hmmph, what a bunch of nosy bitches, it's none of their business, these are my personal affairs. It is indeed a bunch of nosy bitches. Yah! It pisses me off! Still, it's true that I'm not getting any younger, I'm starting to get worried. All I want is a man with dominance and shoulders... Eventually Miss Ruhua here admits to having a bit of a crush on the local widower, Tie Chettian. She thinks they get along well, but he hasn't made a move on her, so Siwang agrees to try and find out what he thinks of her.  Tie Chettian introduces himself as a blacksmith, which he thinks is very funny (the surname "Tie" means steel). He's a "wahahahah!" kind of man. Siwang comes straight out and asks him about Miss Ruhua. He admits to sort of liking her, but his daughter, Xiaoliang, has forbidden him from remarrying. She's just a kid, what does she know? How can you say that, brother, can't you see how pitiable Xiaoliang is? Alas, that child of mine lost her mother at such a young age, if she doesn't want a stepmother, why would I want to make her angry and sad? Siwang reports back to Fang Ruhua that her desire for a man with shoulders is being blocked by his daughter. She is predictably distraught, and asks Siwang what she should do next.  Siwang can advise her to butter up Xiaoliang, in which case she approaches Xiaoliang with a friendly greeting. And then Xiaoliang calls her "auntie". A..auntie!? Xiaoliang, you can actually just call me Ruhua.  You are clearly an auntie at your age, so I'll call you Auntie Ruhua! Oof... Xiaoliang knows exactly why Ruhua wants to approach her. All you want to do is marry my father! The whole village can see it! Xiaoliang! Don't be rude to Miss Ruhua! Dad! I'm just telling the truth! Stop talking nonsense and apologize! You... you're taking her side? I'll never talk to you again! Xiaoliang throws a tantrum and runs away. Tie Chettian tells Siwang and Ruhua to let her cool off, but later asks Siwang to check on her and see if she's OK.  Alternatively, Siwang can advise Ruhua to sink her fangs directly into Tie Chettian, in which case she marches over to the smithy and confronts him. This is, of course, the evil choice. It's not good to do this, big brother, think of poor Xiaoliang! Is... is this good? Even if I get my wish, Xiaoliang will be very sad. She's just a child, are you afraid of her? Once you're her stepmother, she will have to listen to you. Tie Chettian is sort of dense so Ruhua simply drops the question on him.  Tie Chettian, are you going to marry me or not? Wha...? I've always appreciated your kindness to me, it's just that... you know, I'm not getting any younger. If you don't mean it, then I'll have to find someone else to marry. Marry far away, never to see you again... Poor Tie Chettian is not at all prepared for Fang Ruhua to break down crying on his doorstep, and promises to talk to her parents for a proper marriage proposal.  Xiaoliang doesn't appreciate this at all and runs away sobbing. Tie Chettian asks Siwang to follow her. Both dialogue choices merge at this point.  After a brief and annoying search, Siwang finds Xiaoliang being menaced by some random bandits.  Uhhh... I thought I was strong enough, but I ended up helpless against those bad guys... You're amazing, big brother, someday I will become like you. Go for it! I believe in you. You could at least try to sound sincere when you say that. Xiaoliang realizes she is being selfish by keeping her father single, and gifts Siwang a Qinggong sutra that she can't really use. Some old man passing through the village taught her Qinggong and left it to her, but he forgot to teach her how to read.  Tie Chettian is happy to see Xiaoliang safe and sound, and also rewards him with an armor blueprint.  The Hedgehog Armor reflects 25% of damage dealt back to the attacker, but is somewhat difficult to find good crafting materials for.  I thought you'd screw it up, but hey, good job. I told you I was good at this! You can't even get your nonsensical love stories straight. You told us it was about fixing a "printer", but it became about carrying it around instead? Look, it was a long time ago, OK? With a happy ending on the horizon for Fang Ruhua and Tie Chettian, Siwang continues his crusade for love. The beggar orphan Ah Kwong has a crush on Xiaoliang, but doesn't know how to approach her.  You've come to the right man for advice, son. Young man, it's all about the giver's heart. If you were to give her something that could express your feelings and move Xiaoliang, it would be worth more than a fortune. She wouldn't care about the material value. You stole that line from the old grocery store owner in Dayan Town. I am no expert in matters of the heart, but it seems good advice to me, well worth repeating.  I have never even spoken to her, how would I know what she likes? Ahhh! I've got it! She has a pouch on her waist, which she wears everyday, and from time to time she will reach and touch it, as if to make sure it is still there. It must contain something she treasures greatly. Big brother, please sneak a peak and see what it is! Is this really what we have been reduced to? Robbing children while they are asleep? We're just looking, alright? Remember that shapeshifting bandit who turned into a little girl? This is hardly the same... This is for true love, Uncle Duan. Shut up or you'll wake them up. Un... uncle?  Xiaoliang's waist pouch has a few cheap toys in it, and also a water-foam jade bracelet too big for a child. Presumably, it belonged to her mother.  Choosing not to steal a little girl's last memory of her mother means that Ah Kwong gives Xiaoliang a wooden bracelet he got off a traveller a few days ago. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the courage to give it to her himself, and he asks Siwang to do it.  Xiaoliang is a little puzzled by the gift and marches over to Ah Kwong to give him a piece of her mind.  She scolds him for choosing to beg when he could be mining or training in martial arts.  Ah Kwong is a little depressed that things didn't work out, but decides to take her advice.  He runs off to the nearby Qingcheng Sect Monastery to join them as an initiate. I don't think that went too well, did it? No, you see, after a training montage Ah Kwong will return to the village and save Xiaoliang from bandits. It's practically in the bag. Didn't we just save her from bandits? All it did was to reaffirm her desire to grow stronger. Exactly, then Ah Kwong can teach her the Qingcheng martial arts, and then he gets exiled for teaching an outsider, and they wander the Jianghu together. I still think you should have stolen the bracelet and given it to him to return.  If Siwang steals the bracelet it will make poor Xiaoliang cry.  He can then give it to Ah Kwong to return it to her.  Xiaoliang will be very grateful but also a little suspicious.  Ah Kwong says he got it off a thief in the middle of the night.  Honestly, I don't like the way you do nothing but beg all day. But you helped me today, and my father says one should be mindful of kindnesses received. So if you need help in the future, just come to me. Do you need food, drink, or clothes? Or do you lack anything else? I... I... if you don't mind... I would like... I would like a friend. Friends? It's not impossible, but to be clear, I don't have any idle friends. Now that we are friends, I won't allow you to fool around anymore. From now on, you will train with me in martial arts! (I feel that this guy is going to have a hard time in the future... nevermind. As long he's happy.)I didn't put this up for vote because it isn't particularly evident that the evil choice will lead to a "better" ending where Xiaoliang and Ah Kwong become friends. But what if Xiaoliang finds out her mother's bracelet was deliberately stolen? Wouldn't it be better for Ah Kwong to receive some actual training, rather than play around with someone who can't read a sutra? I'm probably putting too much thought into this...  Siwang hikes up the nearby mountain to the Qingcheng Sect Monastery, but is unable to find Ah Kwong. Instead he finds this Qingcheng disciple staring wistfully northwards.  Ling Shuangjun is worried about his sworn brother Zhang Junbao, who has left the monastery to fight the Wolf Barbarians. Siwang met him a while ago, but decided to leave the Wolf Barbarians for later.  Ling Shuangjun then asks Siwang to bring Zhang Junbao some handmade riceballs. He Ziwan is oddly enthusiastic about helping him out.  While the Qingcheng sect is happy to give out an Inner Working sutra to civilians for their self-defence, Siwang's slightly evil reputation comes back and bites him in the rear end.  You are a villain who has committed crimes all over Central Shu, you dare to come here to Qingcheng Mountain and try and cheat us out of our kungfu? Since you are a guest, I'll spare your life! Get lost! A distressed Siwang copes by climbing onto their roof and grabbing this chest left here by the Gentlemen of the Beam. Cheer up, big brother. He didn't have to call me a villain... He was bang on about committing crimes all over the country, though. Not. Helping. Brother Siwang, while your... escapades may have been a little too much, let me be the first to say that I believe you mean well. Who cares what these lazy bums say? Sitting up here on their mountain while the Wolf Barbarians burn and pillage. So you took some stuff off some people. So what? It's for a good cause, namely, beating the poo poo out of Yang Tianyi and those Nanzhao bastards. Thanks, you guys. Speaking of Yang Tianyi, I think I know a good place to train around here. This is a waterfall. Yeah, you stand underneath it and meditate while the water pours on your head. Why? I don't know. ... Yuanyu, help me throw this joker into the waterfall so that he can show us how it's done. I'm on it. Arrrgh! Oh hey, there's a cave behind the waterfall. Brother Siwang, your luck never ceases to amaze me. Is this what they mean when they say "Heaven smiles on babes and fools"?  The cave is empty aside from some jail cells, a grave, and a modded sutra, Dugu 9 Swords.  It teaches an ultimate technique that requires mastery of all types of weapons.  A bit to the northeast lies the second-last dragonball.  Visting the nearby Thousand Buddha Cliffs Temple Ruins yields another modded sutra, the Bodhidharma Rod Technique.  Said technique guarantees procs of "Waiting for a rabbit" and "Yellow Sparrow". Siwang isn't any good with a spear, but if he were, and if he were specialized in Calm, he could trap the enemy in an infinite loop of approach -> get counter-attacked for approaching -> get pushed away by the counter-attack -> approach again.  Heading north, he stares into the Bottomless Abyss briefly before moving on. Nothing can faze him now that he's been to the Underworld of Glitched Terrain.  Another unremarkable cave even further to the north contains a scruffy book, which turns out to be a modded sutra again. The Qiankun Great Movement is an Inner Working sutra that restores AP on counter-attack.  Finally, after a long trek, Siwang stumbles upon the seventh and final dragonball in the extreme north of the map.  This nets him an achievement worth a whopping 7 talent points.  With this, Siwang can now learn "Hundred flowers bloom", which buffs damage for each different move used in combat, and the capstone of the Clever talent tree, "Ingenious", which buffs damage for each debuff on the enemy.  The agent has returned to the nearby beggar encampment, and verified that the missing robber had killed and taken the form of Little Ah Ying (way back in update 25). He rewards Siwang with some nice armor.  Genghis Khan's Leather Jacket: "This leather coat given by the righteous warriors is made of many pieces of animal skin with special stitching, and is painted with Taoist patterns. Excellent, has good defensive function."  Siwang can now dig up the shapeshifting bandit's treasure without anyone objecting. It's just money and ores, nothing too special at this stage of the game.  Some random old man and his two kids have joined the beggar encampment as well.   Child, this is the first time we have met, how lucky for you! I am known as the fox fairy, the gentleman of the tree, the dignified and handsome Ximen Yu Tang. Master, your time is long gone, you should call yourself Grandpa Fox Fairy instead. You cheeky rascal, you've wasted Master's kindness on you, how dare you talk to Master like that? I'm just being honest! Grandpa Fox Fairy tells Siwang about three legendary paired swords (one pair is being held by Qi Xiao'er). He is looking for materials to forge the fourth pair, which he will name Ximen, after himself.  Master, that name sounds like a street stall. One for 10 Wen, two for 18 Wen, special offer. What did I do in a past life to deserve you guys? Stop making fun of me! He then asks Siwang to collect some rare ores for him.  Fighting some toxic zombies in the area finally lets Duan Siping master Six Veins and Internal Meridians, and everyone takes a horse to Tianlong Temple to rescue Duan Siliang.  The temple is apparently empty of Nanzhao troops, but as the party enter the temple courtyard, they find the corpse of Abbot Jinding.  It's a trap!  Yang Tianyi saw through Abbot Jinding's plan and pretended to go along with it. He spends a bit of time gloating about it.  He Ziwan pleads with her older sister to come to her senses and return with her to their village. They have a bit of an argument. Little sister, are you still willing to be tied to that woman and be her obedient puppet? If that's the future you want, then I have no choice but to let you suffer a little and make you realize how foolish your thinking is. Sister... what you're doing is wrong! You can't just leave everyone behind! All of us, and Mother, we helped you grow up... Hahaha... all they ever wanted was a doll. Duan... Si... Ping... kill... Yang Tianning, the King of Nanzhao! But... what have you done to him? Oh, nothing much, just trying out the compulsion method in the Secret Book of Ultimate Poison. You've turned him into a zombie! A good guess, my dear sister. All this wisdom from our ancestors has turned out to be really useful! Who would have thought that our Hmong poison arts could be used like this? He talks less now, but obeys me with all his heart. The power of the Nanzhao Kingdom is already within my grasp! Hahaha! My darling Yang is so good at this. I've tried it on many other peasants and women, but they all went bad. Who knew my darling could succeed in a single attempt! Baishao, I owe it all to you. It's because you stole the Secret Book of Ultimate Poison for me, that we've been able to come so far! Oh darling! Such praise... Brother Siwang, Miss Ziwan, we are surrounded by enemies looking for a fight. Will you help me take their heads? Hey, that goes without saying! I didn't come all this way to have these people look down on me! Judging by what happened to Abbot Jinding, Yang Tianyi has mastered the Secret Book of Ultimate Poison. Take care of yourselves, I won't have time to take care of you later! Hahaha... Miss Ziwan, if you're worried about us, you can just say it directly, you know. Gui Siwang. When I'm done teaching my sister a lesson, I'll poison that mouth of yours and mute it forever! Enough gossip! Let's go! He Baishao opens the fight by tossing some kind of powder at the party.  He Ziwan brings out some kind of weird insect and forces Siwang to swallow it, countering the poison. It doesn't work completely though, the party still begins combat with a stacking poison debuff.  Yang Tianyi has mastered the capstone technique of the Secret Book of Ultimate Poison, "Vertabrae Weeping Blood", and is not afraid to use it.  He Baishao has also grown considerably stronger since Siwang first met her in the snake cave, with twice the HP, Qi, and Blade skill.  Even with reinforcements from the House of NoMercy, though, they are no match for Siwang, his friends, and his pet lion.  Yang Tianyi! This is the end! Tch! How could your Duan fingering techniques have grown so powerful? Where does this amazing inner strength come from? This is no longer just my Duan family's technique, but also the will to protect life that Abbot Jinding entrusted to me! The will to protect life? That stinking monk! How could there be such a masterpiece in the temple? drat! drat! Today I will free the people of Nanzhao from your tyrannical rule! Duan Siping begins charging up some kind of super attack, and thrusts forwards!  D.. Darling? Arghhhh!!! Sister! Yang Tianyi! You actually... Yang Tianyi has escaped! Follow him! He has the stolen fragment of the Book of Heaven... should I chase after him? Cough... He Baishao! A direct hit on her heart with all three fingers... drat! If only I had predicted Yang Tianyi's actions, I could have stopped in time... No wonder.... my darling... couldn't stop you... Sister! Ziwan... your sister just wanted to do something of her own free will... now it seems... my lot has fallen to you. Sister... I'm sorry... Stop talking, let's go home together. I"ll ask Mother to let me take over your position, she'll definitely forgive you... I didn't want to be the heir, how could I force it on you? You... you have your own life to lead, don't let me tie you down... This blade is yours now... use it to blaze your own path. And take this back to Mother... The Secret Book of Ultimate Poison! But why...? After all... it belongs to our family, doesn't it? Of course I keep it with me. And you, friend Gui... take this. The Book of Heaven! Hahaha... my darling was being naughty so I wanted to teach him a good lesson. I gave him a fake turtle shell... hehehe... Miss He, thank you very much. You're a good-hearted person. Heh... young master, even if you praise me... I won't fall in love with you... I already have my darling... (Miss He... Even though Yang Tianyi treated you like this, you still...) ! Sister! He Baishao passes away, and the Duan family troops arrive to find the fight already over. Duan Siping thanks Siwang for his help, and pledges himself to help Siwang recover the remaining fragments of the Book of Heaven in return. This is a lie.  He Ziwan is also in no hurry to return to her tribe and assume the position of heir to the chieftainship. Ahem! Listen carefully, I am not an ungrateful person, so if you need any help, I'll be there! That's all! Haha, I see! Well then, thank you all very much! Fragments of a Poor Mountain: "One of the fragments of the Book of Heaven, a broken piece of tortoise shell with a steep mountain range carved upon it, which you obtained from He Baishao. As you gaze at the patterns of the mountain range, a fragment of a prophecy comes to mind. '... and be silent, forgetting the dangers and hardships...' "  There are five more fragments of the Book of Heaven waiting to be found.  The Secret Book of Ultimate Poison: "A sacred item of the Hmong tribe of Qingzhai Village, which contains not only the recipes for the preparation of various Hmong poisons, but also a shocking way to use blood parasites. These blood parasites hunger for human blood, and once they are released, they burrow into the victim's seven orifices and swallow him from within. They then release a hallucinogenic poison, to paralyze the victim's body and mind, to be used as a nest to breed more parasites."  Sin Feather: "He Ziwan's Hmong Blade is decorated with a silver moon and cinnabar feathers at the hilt. Its long crimson blade is filled with poison, so that even a small wound will not stop bleeding." Poignant Flower: "He Baishao's Hmong Blade is decorated with a copper flower forming the hilt and a thin vine handguard, twisting like a woman's feelings. It looks gentle and touching, but in fact hides murderous intent. The calyx of the copper flower contains poisonous juice, which flows down the sword from time to time. Even the tiniest splash causes one's skin to fester and one's hands and feet to grow weak."
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Apr 15, 2023 08:53
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NGL, I really like the dialogue in italics. It is my favorite kind of Wuxia/Xianxia writing.
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Apr 16, 2023 09:14
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Yeah I think they're a lot of fun! Also I hope we use the Nokia forever. Does it have an in game model? Not sure if I've missed it
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Apr 16, 2023 09:49
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The Hmong are probably the largest Asian immigrant group around here so it's wild to learn that they're a sinister poison-using trope in wuxia stuff. I had no idea. (I've seen the usual stuff most white guys have seen like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but not much else.)
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Apr 21, 2023 18:02
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Iceblocks posted:NGL, I really like the dialogue in italics. It is my favorite kind of Wuxia/Xianxia writing. Thanks! Xun posted:Yeah I think they're a lot of fun!  Hidden weapons like the Nokia 3310 and Thunderbolt don't have an in-game model, sadly. Nor do fist weapons. Armor does show up if you take off the costume, apparently. Also, it took me a while to realize that it's called Thor's Hammer ingame because Nokia is a Scandinavian company.  For reference, this is what He Baishao's weapon looks like. malkav11 posted:The Hmong are probably the largest Asian immigrant group around here so it's wild to learn that they're a sinister poison-using trope in wuxia stuff. I had no idea. (I've seen the usual stuff most white guys have seen like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but not much else.) Well, if you want to have an evil poison-user in your story, you need to make them some kind of outsider, can't have orthodox sects using poison, oh no! [/sarcasm] Yang Tianyi and the Nanzhao troops do have a pretty cheesy accent when you click on them for their soundbite, but I can't identify exactly where it's from.
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Apr 23, 2023 16:21
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