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Update 31: The Simple Statue Man, that was a real dick move Yang Tianyi pulled on your sister.  I'm sorry for your loss, Ziwan. Thanks, you guys. At least she was free from Mother, in the end. Hey, you know what always cheers me up? Abandoned temples!  This isn't an abandoned temple. It barely even qualifies as an abandoned shack. Just look at that magnificent statue! Isn't it beautiful? Only to a madman like you.  No, Brother Siwang is quite right. This statue is old and worn-out, but it has an awe-inspiring atmosphere and pressure, as if I were standing at the bottom of an abyss... And be silent... forgetting the dangers and hardships... Brother Duan, what are you mumbling to yourself? (What's going on? Why are you staring at the statue? Is this the prophecy from the fragment of the Book of Heaven?) Oh crap! Where did that guy come from? Stay back! This is a matter to be handled by myself and Brother Siwang! The Sealed Martial Arts Master (Simple) has ridiculous stats and a 12AP technique that does huge damage. Luckily, he only gains 11AP per turn.  He is seen here dealing 3607 damage on a single strike to Golden Mane. This would pretty much one-shot Siwang, if he were stupid enough to stand nearby. It takes a while, but repeated applications of the Nokia 3310 to the enemy's noggin eventually knock him out.  Brother Gui, there were some subtleties to the Duan Family martial arts that I have never been able to fully understand. But now, with the help of this statue and the ancient Book of Heaven, all is clear. Congratulations, Brother Duan! This sword qi is so profound it can hurt people invisibly, truly amazing. Haha, if it weren't for Brother Gui's help, I wouldn't have been able to break through the barrier to my understanding today. What was that all about? They just beat up some old hobo sleeping behind the statue and now they're acting all proud of themselves. It was good for a laugh, at least. I liked the way Siwang cowered behind that stone wall while poor Golden Mane was getting all the attention. I do hope that old man is alright...  Six Swords Pointing: "Duan Siping, after acquiring sufficient internal strength through the practice of Six Internal Meridians, learned a supreme art from the images in the Book of Heaven. The six vein qi, which could only be absorbed into one finger initially, can now be injected into six fingers at the same time through exquisite control, and turn into six invisible sword qi energies that can break gold and iron and destroy stone and jade."  Everyone returns to the Duan Manor for a debrief and some rest. Duan Siliang is grateful for the rescue and swears to train harder. Dong Jialuo is happy to hear of the Yang brothers' defeat and starts plotting their next move.  As long as the army can successfully break through the capital of Nanzhao, then the throne will be within reach!None of this is particularly relevant to Siwang though, who is eager to continue his career as a Love Doctor, and wakes up bright and early the next morning to visit the Pretty Dream Pavilion and report to Prince Ming Xu.  If Siwang tells Prince Ming Xu that Yanxue values martial arts advancement and should get her an expensive gift of gold and silver, Ming Xu will give Yanxue a jeweled dagger.   In your eyes... am I just a woman who values money? No! I didn't mean it like that! Listen, I... Go away! I never want to see you again! (Hehehe...) You guys dare to act lovey-dovey in front of me, do you dare to do it again? Brother Gui, this is not chivalrous, I'm afraid that I can't agree with it. You must not forget our duty as martial arts practitioners to help the people.Since this is an evil act, Duan Siping chimes in with his first and final warning. Now that his character quest is over, he will leave the party permanently after two evil or unrestrained acts. This comes as a nasty shock to most first-time players of the game, who probably have good gear and sutras equipped on him, and has earned him several unflattering nicknames from the community. After all, he is perfectly happy to stay in the party until after his personal goals have been achieved.  If Siwang tells Prince Ming Xu that Yanxue values martial arts advancement and should get her something artistic, he gives her a musical martial arts sutra. The Nine Colours of Music...? Ah, you are so kind, Yanxue is of course very happy... (Hmmm? Yanxue doesn't seem very happy with the gift.) Young Master, Yanxue admires your talent, but our future life shouldn't be taken lightly, perhaps you can visit Yanxue occasionally, and we can spend time together... So you're saying that Rong Yanxue is an artistic soul looking for romance? She reads opera in her spare time! And also, she's turned down a bunch of rich suitors and wants a Prince Charming to come and sweep her off her feet. What about the expensive rosewood triptych? Obviously a gift she kept because of the love story engraved on it. The simple tea set? Sentimental value. The dagger? She has it mounted on the wall, you think she uses it often? With the correct answer in hand, Siwang reports to Prince Ming Xu, who writes a piece of music for Yanxue. This is the third score of the famous Guangling music composition. The third score...? But it has been lost for so long, how is it that you have it? Although it has been lost, the style can be extrapolated from the surviving pieces, and I believe that the composer would have wanted it to continue. Hence, I have written this piece to tell you how much I love you. Yanxue is very happy with the gift, and breaks down in tears of joy.  Ming Xu swears his eternal devotion to Yanxue in front of the old couple, and everyone is happy. Haha, look at the lovey-dovery couple! I'm good at this! Might as well continue the trend. Hey, old man, you look like you need my help!  Hehehe... you rascal, I can see from the evil look in your eyes that we are brothers. Hehehe... brother, you have good judgement! Oh no, not again. Why does this always happen when we come to Dayan Town? It could be worse. He could be chatting up Aunt Cai. Who?  Xia Liu here wants to gift 20 Ecstasy Pillows to Miss Danling. He thinks that instead of gold and jewellry, this will make her want to spend the night with him out in the wilderness.  Ah, what a beautiful dream, cavorting in the wild in a pile of scented pillows. Shut up. SHUT. UP. I did not need to hear that. Just... just give him his pillows and let's get out of here. Where to next, Brother Siwang? Can we stay away from Dayan Town for the time being, please? But I need to repent for my sins!  I can't believe you can just pay money for good karma. Moon Goddess, have mercy on this town of sinners. This is just how the world is like outside your cult's little bubble, Ning'er. If you're done crushing your little sister's hopes and dreams, Brother Siwang, I believe we have some outstanding commitments to fulfill. Oh right, we promised to help Uncle Tan deal with the Great Dark One hanging around outside Tianlong Temple. What happened? I wasn't around then. We tried to give the Great Dark One some buns, but he didn't seem to like them. And then the Nanzhao troops took over the place. What a bunch of useless soldiers, couldn't they clear out one solitary single weirdo? Did they look like competent troops to you? Actually, now that there are a bunch of Duan Family soldiers here, can't you just get them to deal with it? I am afraid that the men assigned here are... less than exemplary. We do not expect further action here, after all. Fine. It's not like I have better things to do anyway.  Uncle Tan will suggest a more sincere offering and tell Siwang to get help from the Tianlong Temple monks.  Said monk will ask Siwang to collect wild mountain flowers and decorate a basket of four seasonal fruits with them. All that's left is to go back to the Great Dark One's lair and wait for midnight.  But since there's plenty of daylight left Siwang heads north and turns in Golden Mane to the ladies of the Hundred Beast Villa. Ji Meiqing thinks that the lion will be trouble, so she generously lets Siwang keep him.  She will also offer rare crafting materials for tokens granted by beast-collecting achievements. There are actually eighteen beast kings in the game, although the achievement only counts up to ten.  Ah, how nostalgic. Even in the past, exam rankings are still the same. Perhaps now that it is morning, we will be able to enquire on the tutelage of Fuxian Academy. Personally, I hope they don't remember us. Wait, why? We arrived in the middle of the night, and when Brother Siwang entered a maidservant's room, she took fright and attacked us. Well actually, I think Mountain-Splitter bit her first. She had a ton of sutras on her, it was amazing. Phew! Looks like she doesn't recognize us. She's offering to trade sutras on a 2-for-1 basis. She has more!? We took, like, six or seven off her last time! Oh my god. Brother Siwang, I believe I can tell what you are about to do. Please, do not. Challenging fellow martial arts practitioners to a duel is a time-honoured tradition, Brother Duan. Besides, I have a cunning plan. You think she won't notice because you brought a white bear instead of a brown bear? Hahaha! That was a rogue practitioner from the Hundred Beast Villa, Sui Giwang, nothing to do with us at all.  Since challenging someone more righteous than you is an evil act, Duan Siping objects. The head maidservant of Fuxian Academy doesn't mind at all, though.  When Siwang broaches the subject of joining Fuxian Academy, she explains that admissions are closed for the year, although they will still accept students who are specially recommended by famous martial artists.  A suspicious figure then beckons Siwang over.  He claims to have a good offer for Siwang, but will only talk about it after midnight at the bamboo grove outside the academy.  In the academy courtyard, two scholars are gossiping about a mysterious woman seen at night in the library. They think she may be a ghost, or fox demon, or even some kind of goddess.  The guard outside the library refuses to let Siwang in as he is not a student.  The same goes for the guard outside the study hall.  Some other students are relaxing in the courtyard by playing Go and drinking tea.  To tell you secretly, I don't actually know anything about Go. I just pretend to come up with something when they are thinking for a long time, and now they think I'm a genius. You should try it too, it's fun. There just happens to be a pair of famous martial artists in a pavilion just west of Fuxian Academy. The scholar Kan Wenqing and a mysterious man are playing chess, but Kan Wenqing has lost a chess book and wants Siwang to go find it in exchange for a recommendation to join Fuxian Academy.  Siwang actually picked up the chess book ages ago, but if he hadn't, he could also duel this mysterious Sephiroth-knockoff to get a letter of recommendation as well.  Later at night, Siwang meets up with the shifty scholar, who offers him a deal.   Do you want to enter the library? You mean, to steal books? Oh no, no no! Reading books can't be considered stealing, after all, that's what books are for, aren't they? Just put it back afterwards, you will have the knowledge, and the academy will not have lost anything. 3,000 Wen, to be paid in three sheets of gold leaf, will buy Siwang access to a secret door into the library.  As an evil act, accepting this offer will cause Duan Siping to lose his cool and permanently leave the party. Please vote: -Accept the shifty scholar's offer. -Ignore the offer and join the academy via the letter of recommendation. -Rat out the shifty scholar to the head maidservant and then join the academy. And as a more open-ended question, how does Siwang feel about losing Duan Siping?
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Apr 23, 2023 16:31
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Rat out the shifty scholar. Three sheets of gold leaf for a door is a ripoff. Duan Siping's been a cool dude, lets not lose him quite yet.
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Apr 23, 2023 17:19
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Ratting him out seems better. It has been a while since we've seen a Righteous Choice be to beat the homeless beggar children and have them banished from the village and die of starvation in the woods. SIGSEGV fucked around with this message at 17:35 on May 2, 2023 |
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Apr 24, 2023 00:24
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Update 32: Karma Monastery Brother Siwang, I fear I must make a stand. Seriously? Of all the things we've done so far, beating up the receptionist of Fuxian Academy is the one that crosses the line for you? It's not even the first time! Precisely. You challenged her not to prove your martial prowess, but because she had something you desired and you knew you would win. Those sutras could have benefited the students of Fuxian Academy, but now they are in your hands. I bet you'd be singing a different tune if she'd dropped a sword technique. For the sake of our friendship, Brother Siwang, I will ignore what you just said. Hey hey hey! Stop it, you guys! Didn't you see Siwang donate all that money to that monk in Dayan Town? We're offically good people now! I still can't believe that worked. Big brother, can't you just stop doing evil deeds for now? Then Brother Duan won't have to leave! ... You don't understand, Ning'er. That would be sub-optimal. My gamer soul revolts at the very thought. Ah, so he's been possessed by an evil spirit all along. It all makes sense now. Karma Monastery is just to the south! Why don't we all make our way there and do some good deeds for the monks there, hey? That sounds like a great idea!  A hunter welcomes Siwang to Karma Monastery with some obscenities. Actually, he's yelling at the woodcutter, who's been driving animals away with his noise.  Just inside the entrance, two monks are worried about the whereabouts of another monk called Dagon, who knows Sanskrit well.  This is the followup to the Shaolin quest in update 23. The runaway Shaolin traitor has kidnapped Dagon to help translate the sutra he stole.  Asking the hunter about suspicious places will yield the location of a spooky cave to the northeast.  Traveling to the cave, Siwang finds the Shaolin traitor, Chen Dazhi, as well as the kidnapped monk.  Chen Dazhi is not happy with how long it is taking the monk to translate his stolen sutra.  The poor monk protests that these things take time, and points out Siwang as a visitor.  Chen Dazhi has an offer for Siwang. He is willing to share the Marrow Cleansing Sutra he stole.  But first, Siwang must lure Abbott Suffering to this cave and help Chen Dazhi deal with them permanently. Otherwise, if Siwang attacks him, he will throw the sutra into the fire and the secrets of Shaolin Temple will be lost forever. Don't do it, big brother! Is this Marrow Cleansing Sutra really worth it? It can permanently increase one's physique, and is said to be worth more than twenty thousand-year lingzhis in terms of increasing one's cultivation... You already know my stance, Brother Siwang. I will not belabour my point further. Back in Karma Monastery, Siwang chats with a random monk and finds out that strange noises have been coming from the hill behind the monastery at night.  He can also learn more about the way the monks here practice Buddhism, although if he makes fun of them for kowtowing, he will get reprimanded by Duan Siping.  Apparently the threshold for Duan Siping leaving is two evil or two unrestrained acts, not two evil or unrestrained acts.  This monk here has lost his heirloom jade chess set, and Siwang promises to keep an eye out for it.  In the dining hall, Sanjenob laments the diet he is on, saying that monks do not necessarily have to be vegetarian, it is just traditional.  Incidentally, there have been rumours of dangerous bears in the forest nearby, and if some chivalrous warrior were to deal with them, then their deaths should not be wasted. You just have a hankering for bear meat, don't you? Brother Siwang! How rude of you! This poor guy has to spend all day in a monastery, have some pity on him, won't you? Fine. It's not like bears pose any threat to us at this point. Behind one of the huts is a modded sutra, the Dragon Claw Hand. As is usual for modded sutras, it does twice the damage of a normal sutra, but is otherwise unremarkable.  There is another one on the roof, the Yi Jin Jing. "Easy Muscle Journal", sounds like a scam, really.  It's an Inner Working that boosts HP and MP to ridiculous levels and also clears debuffs every turn.  This monk does repairs around the monastery but needs a new set of tools.  It's getting late so Siwang leaves the monastery and fights off five or so bears.  The Earthly Luminous Stone can be found around the monastery at night. When attached as an enchantment, it lets weapons deal 25% HP drain, which is pretty great.  Midnight passes and Siwang remembers the poor messenger of the Great Dark One near Tianlong Temple, who is presumably pining for the proper offerings.  Siwang offers him a basket of fruits with mountain flowers, but he doesn't like it either! Dude, you are so lucky I am trying to cultivate good karma right now. Stop being so picky! Didn't your mother teach you not to refuse gifts? Hraagh! Hraaaaggh!  Returning to Uncle Tan will see him suggest enlisting the help of the monks of Karma Monastery to prepare the traditional eight offerings - drinking water, bathing water, incenses and the like. Dude, you're being taken advantage of. What kind of messenger just prances around at night without even saying anything? Even hospitality has its limits, Brother Siwang. I fear we may never be able to meet this messenger's standards. Yeah, let's beat him up!  Siwang returns to Karma Monastery just before dawn and manages to catch the source of the mysterious noises - a monk practicing his martial arts.  If Siwang were still evil-aligned the monk would instantly detect it and attack.  The monk, Suoba, wants to wander the Jianghu someday and fight evil. He hasn't realized his shouts are disturbing the other monks.  He asks Siwang to duel him as practice, and gets knocked out in one blow.  He thanks Siwang for the help and asks him to come back again tomorrow night.  On the way back to Karma Monastery, Siwang runs into a weirdo staring at a teapot.  He instantly assumes that this is the guy who stole the tea shipment the teashop owner and Mu Kui were upset over.  Siwangs greets the weirdo and asks him what he's doing. The weirdo replies that he's trying to brew some tea.  There's no wood and no fire, how are you going to brew your tea? It's just a cup of tea, why use firewood? Why not just use internal power? Old man, if you want to brag, at least make it believable. Using an Inner Working technique to brew tea? I've never heard of such a thing! Hey, boy, there's a lot of things you haven't heard of! This Hot Tea kungfu is my own secret technique! It can not only be used to brew tea, but also cook roast meat. Truly a wondrous technique.  The weirdo isn't having much luck brewing this particular cup of tea, though, and enlists Siwang's help. He will teach Siwang the Hot Tea technique and they can work together to heat up his tea kettle.  Respected Elder, how can you just casually teach your unique kungfu to others? ... Stop clinging to your mother's skirts, are you a man or a boy? I want to teach you kungfu, do you not want it? This kind of heaven-sent opportunity doesn't come along every day, you know! Siwang reluctantly agrees and eventually the tea kettle reaches a nice red glow. The old man is happy to finally be able to try out the Golden Gourd Tea.  Golden Gourd Tea, of course, is exactly the kind of tea that was stolen from the tea shipment. Siwang confronts the old man, accusing him of theft.  The old man says he just borrowed some to give it a try.  You really want the tea back, don't you, kid? Fine, just exercise a little with me and you can have it. See that hill over there? Find me three stones from the forest here and meet me there. Ordinary stones, mind you! Not beautiful stones or anything like that.  Siwang has been picking up all kinds of stuff from the forest floor so he already has eight stones in his inventory. What a strange old man... Upon reaching the hill, the old man commends Siwang on his mastery of Qinggong. He was evaluating Siwang's skill by making him pick up heavy stones and carry them up the hill.  This gives Siwang a boost in Qinggong, and also makes him pretty happy.  The old man has one last task for Siwang - to survive three rounds of sparring with him.  Siwang eagerly acccepts. The old man is probably not expecting a lion to leap out of nowhere and savage him, but that's just how the Hundred Beast Villa rolls.  The old man does have a very flashy attack in which he twirls his staff around for five seconds before finally hitting his target. Golden Mane is significantly unimpressed, though.  Defeated, the old man gives Siwang the remaining Golden Gourd Tea, but warns him not to try it.  Why can't I drink the tea? You'll figure it out later. drat, that fight really gave me an appetite! I'm going to hunt something to eat! Hmmm, maybe a big bear, with some poisonous bugs as flavour, yes... The old man is also kind enough to leave behind a written copy of his Hot Tea Technique, so that Siwang's party members can also learn this wonderful art. For now, Siwang will head south to Dayan Town to return the stolen tea, but in the meantime, he has two decisions to make. Please vote: 1: Attack the Shaolin traitor Chen Dazhi, who will throw the stolen Marrow Cleansing Sutra into the fire rather than let Siwang have it. 2: Lure Abbott Suffering into Chen Dazhi's trap, to receive a copy of the Marrow Cleansing Sutra. A: Continue to make offerings to the messenger of the Great Dark One. B: Beat the messenger up and interrogate him.
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May 2, 2023 17:21
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1 A Paladins through peer pressure.
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May 2, 2023 19:38
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1A. Let the good influence rub off on him a bit more, why not?
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May 2, 2023 19:40
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1A
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May 3, 2023 04:34
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1B my lust for violence is insatiatable
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May 3, 2023 08:16
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booksnake posted:1B 
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May 4, 2023 00:50
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1A at this point I want to figure out wtf that messenger is looking for
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May 4, 2023 03:09
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Xun posted:1A at this point I want to figure out wtf that messenger is looking for If you go back to Update 21, where we first meet Uncle Tan, he is complaining about the Great Dark One to the local monks and is also carrying some kind of forged deed to the temple. I am fairly sure Uncle Tan is actually a Scooby Doo villain trying to oust the monks from Tianlong Temple. He must be really irritated every time the party shows up and goes to ridiculous lengths to accommodate the messenger of the "Great Dark One".
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May 5, 2023 01:06
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Update 33: Cultivating Good Karma What a weird old man... I wonder why he warned us not to drink the tea? He must not have liked the taste very much. I'm surrounded by idiots. It's obviously been poisoned, you fools! I guess we'll never know. After all, there's a REWARD for returning this completely fine and drinkable tea. Which we will all SHARE. Does this count as being evil? I am sure the Mu Clan has taken the appropriate precautions for their celebration. And if they have not... well, the path of nobility is a treacherous one. All this talk of tea is making me hungry. Let's go back to the monastery kitchen and grab some breakfast. Don't forget to wash your hands! I don't trust that Golden Gourd Tea.  Sanjenob is very happy to receive the bear paw Siwang hunted for him, but immediately laments about the dangerous leopards haunting the forest to the north.  Was the bear meat not chewy enough? Chivalrous sir misunderstands this humble monk, I am only concerned for the safety of the pilgrims coming to our monastery. So will you reward me if I just kill the leopards? No. The leopard placenta is absolutely necessary. Bears, leopards, what else? Tigers? I've suddenly had a vision from the future. You're going to ask me to deal with some tigers, aren't you? Brilliant sir has guessed correctly. There are also tigers roaming the woods to the north, and this humble monk will reward kind sir for a sample of tiger whip. You're a monk, what use will you even get from tiger whip soup? Does curious sir wish to find out? Not really, no. Just give me the ice silk and let us never speak of this again.  Just outside the monastery, there's an old couple walking up the hill. Siwang uses his medicine skill to heal the old man's limp. The old man is a retired carpenter, and Siwang scams his old carpentry tool set from him for the monk who needs one. I think that's all the positive karma to be had from here for now. Hmmm... we could go back to Dayan Town to ask about the jade chess set and return the Golden Gourd Tea? No! Just stay away from that den of vice! We do have to return to civilization from time to time, Miss Zhuan. Civilization being the dancing girls in the Pretty Dream Pavilion, eh? Mother told me about men like you. If I may, Miss He, it is hardly Brother Siwang's fault that there are so many people to help in Dayan Town. However, I would like to remind everyone that we have outstanding matters at Fuxian Academy to address, now that the sun has risen. A beautiful fairy appears in the library at midnight! Why is that the first thing you remember? Ugh, I give up.  Oh right, we agreed to turn in the suspicious scholar who wanted a bribe to let us into the library. Why did he need so much gold, anyway? Gifts to someone in the Pretty Dream Pavilion, or so I heard. Makes sense... exactly the kind of sleazy man you would find there. Why is everyone looking at me?  There is a traitor among your students! Is that so? One of your students, Fei Deren, is trying to sell the secrets of your library to me! Oh. Him. I understand and will deal with the matter appropriately.Xiu Mei, the head maid of Fuxian Academy, then gives Siwang a little bit of money and a nice warm feeling of righteousness.  She then accepts the letter of recommendation Siwang has and congratulates him on joining Fuxian Academy. Great! Any tuition fees? Student loans? No. Aww yes! What about student dorms? On the second floor above the lecture hall. Wait... I don't see any stairs. This is a martial arts academy. Figure it out yourself.  Thankfully there's a ladder off to the side of the lecture hall. I've been wondering for the longest time - why a ladder? It's all because of that idiot, Fei Deren, who brought a girl from the Pretty Dream Pavilion up to the dorm while Master Zhang was giving a lecture. In a fit of rage, Master Zhang ordered the stairs removed and made all of us climb up and down this ladder. At first, we all thought it was a dumb idea, but then we realized the girls from the Pretty Dream Pavilion were too delicate to climb the ladder. And also, Mi Shige drank too much and fell to his death when he lost his grip on the ladder. There aren't too many drunkards and troublemakers left in our cohort now. I wonder where Master Zhang learned all these tricks? Siwang can't actually enter the dorm, but it is a free place to rest.  The library is sadly fairy-less but does contain three powerful sutras.  With sufficient intelligence, he can copy down the essentials of the Northern Stygian Sutra and the Limbo Wave Steps  The Limbo Wave Steps teach one to effortlessly breakdance over running water, as per the icon.  The Nothern Stygian Sutra is a rare example of a Yin-aligned Inner Working and will come in very handy for the female members of our party.  There is one more sutra in the library, but it requires a low intelligence to acquire. (One hand draws a circle, the other a square...) (Cut off all distractions...) (Arrgh!) Siwang can also attend the lectures being held in the lecture hall, although they don't do him any good.  The lecture is supposed to boost Siwang's Qi, but it didn't happen. Maybe it only works below a certain level of Qi?  Siwang pauses briefly to admire the gumption of this hungry student here. It's one thing to smuggle snacks into a lecture, but an entire bowl of noodles? Wow.  Around this point Siwang also changes into the tiger-skin costume he received from reaching Fist 100 (he was wearing a Naxi Fur Robe purchased from the clothing store previously). Joining the Fuxian Academy has also given him a nice set of white robes, but I didn't really notice it until later  Siwang waits for night to fall and returns to the messenger of the Great Dark One with the specified eight offerings provided by the monks of Karma Monastery.  He grunts and takes the offerings. Success!  Uncle Tan will only wake up in the morning, so Siwang roams about the forest killing time (and bandits), and chances into a random encounter.  Haha, little doll, we meet again.  You Shu bastard, you have no way out, why not just hand over what you owe! You're being chased over gambling debts again, aren't you? Elder Shi, how about another bet? If I lose, I'll give you my grandson's best defensive armor as well, but if you lose, I'll take your precious Dragon Head Staff? You mean... that gold vest? Well, what do you want to bet on? If you lose, you'd better not try to cheat me again! (He's betting his grandson's gold vest again...) I bet that you can't beat this kid behind me! Hey! Why drag me into this? Hahaha! What a joke, I'm a ninth-level elder of the Beggar Sect, aren't you taking me too lightly? Well I'm a ninth-level elder too, and I bet that you can't! So if you win, won't you be an eighteenth-level elder? Nonsense! Unbelievable nonsense! If I can't beat this kid, then my surname's not Shi! Oh dear, I should find a fortune-teller to read your three talents and five characters. To pick an auspicious new surname for you! Aaargh! Poor Elder Shi (soon to be Elder No-name) is actually an extremely powerful opponent, with a base Qi of 123.  Siwang is faster, stronger and has the power of Thor's Mallet on his side. His pet lion strikes the finishing blow. Elder Shu has run away while the duel was being fought. But since Siwang has won, Elder Shi gives him the Dragon-Head Staff he's carrying. Uh... the bet wasn't with me, though? Shut up! I've always honored my gambling debts, just take the staff to Elder Shu as soon as you can. The Dragon-headed Staff actually looks pretty cool, but the Wu Song cosplay sort of clashes with it, so Siwang puts on the Fuxian Academy uniform instead.  While exploring the banks of the nearby river, Siwang runs into a dead body.  It's Shi Gandang. The night watchman from Shijia Salt Estate. Poor man... did the child's ghost take their revenge? We'll have to try and find out in the future.  Oooh. Ghostly things like that give me the chills... I need to relax a little. Big brother! Someone help me stop him! Chill out, Ning'er, I'm just looking. Look, his sister has one too. Oh no, why did we ever come here, what should I do? Don't fret, Miss Zhuan. It was a good choice for us to recover here at Relics of our Ancestors. We all needed the rest. I hesitate to say it, but perhaps we might be better off returning to Dayan Town. Let me guess - because Siwang has already stolen everything worth stealing there? Pretty much, yeah. (Haha! They don't remember that swords-couple at the Dayan Town blacksmith!) Resting at Relics of our Ancestors doesn't actually consume any time because of the revitalizing leyline energy, so Siwang leaves and practices some more kungfu with Suoba, who is almost ready to leave the monastery and start his wandering.  He also goes back to Chen Dazhi and refuses his treacherous offer.  As mentioned, Chen Dazhi throws the Marrow-Cleansing Sutra into the fire when he is defeated.  Siwang makes a mental note to report to Abbott Suffering, and leaves for Tianlong Temple.  It's been a long, hard road. First the messenger of the Great Dark One refused offerings of plain buns and flower baskets. And then the Nanzhao troops came in and occupied the place. But finally, he has been appeased.  Uncle Tan thanks Siwang perfunctorily and gives Siwang 300 wen.  At last, the people in the neighbourhood will no longer have to worry. Here is your reward. There aren't many young men like you, are there? He sounded sort of bitter and sarcastic at the end back there. Brother Gui, I fear your jaded outlook on life has rendered you unnecessarily suspicious. Uncle Tan is but a simple farmer, the salt of the earth. Salty is exactly how I'd describe him, that's for sure. Big brother! This old man gave you his life savings, have some respect! Oh, very well. I don't want to argue over it. Let's just head to Dayan Town and drop off the tea. I promise not to go anywhere near the Pretty Dream Pavilion.
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May 11, 2023 16:32
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Update 34: Suishin Village and the Fuxian Library Witch  Back in Dayan Town, the pawnbroker confirms that he does have the jade chess set that the monk lost. He can sell it to Siwang for 5000 wen, which is more or less peanuts to Siwang, but he also offers to trade instead.  The monks at Karma Monastery can carve mani stone ornaments and the pawnbrokers wants one in exchange for the jade chess set.  The tea shop owner is a little taken aback when some random dude walks into his shop and offers him back his stolen tea.   This is indeed our stolen Golden Gourd Tea... where did you get it? To tell you the truth, I passed by Karma Monastery the other day, and met a strange old man who said that the tea was so awful that it was impossible to drink, and that he shouldn't have stolen it. Hmmm. Can you prove that this is really the stolen tea? Couldn't you have made up a story to cheat me of my money? Hey, this tea is rare and expensive, why would I buy another jar to pass it off as yours? Didn't you just say that this tea is yours? What are you trying to pull? Hmmm... Fine. I shall prepare some silver for you, enthusiastic young warrior. He didn't seem too happy to get his tea back. Yeah, you know, what with the poison and all. You think he knows about it? There isn't any proof it's poisoned! But now I feel a little bad about taking his money. Just turn the reward down, we don't need the money anyway. I guess we could use the righteousness... hey! What's that? Exiting the tea shop immediately drops Siwang into a cutscene. Some old granny is being robbed by three ruffians in the marketplace outside.  They stab an unfortunate town guard while escaping.  His last words are to apologize for being incompetent. Poor guy, it must suck to be a town guard in a world with superpowered assholes.  The ruffians are almost out of town when a mysterious voice stops them!  Do you still dare to leave after bullying the inhabitants of Dayan Town? Oh no! Brothers, it's Mu Kui! I've heard that he kills all the bandits he meets! Brothers, let's surrender! ... Bah! Don't you have any pride as a member of the Ghost Blade Alliance? Kill the villagers and burn their houses, take their belongings and their women! That's our creed! There's only one of him and three of us! Are you still afraid of him? Surround him! He's just standing there... menacingly!  Mu Kui proceeds to wipe the floor with all three bandits.  And then returns the old woman's purse to her, like some kind of Chinese Batman. I had heard that the second son of the Mu Clan was off fighting the Wolf Barbarians, but it seems that he has returned. Wow. We probably don't want to steal anything here now that this guy's back. Siwang? He walked off some time ago. Muttered something about checking out a swordscouple at the blacksmith. Oh no! Big brother! Come back!  In the background, you can see a swordsman and swordswoman browsing the wares of the Dayan Town blacksmith. Siwang has been assiduously avoiding them for a while now to avoid triggering their movement. They have some real primo stuff, but it requires a bit of forward planning to take it off them. Too bad Siwang's reformed now!  My sister has been crying a lot lately, but when I asked her why, she refused to tell me. And now she comes here often to listen to the old monk's stories. Mother said, it's all mens' fault! Uncle, do you know what she meant? She meant that all men in this world are bad men. Except for me, obviously. Yeah, big brother is the best! (Moon Goddess, why did I say that, what is Siwang doing, oh no...) Haha, looks like a job for the Love Doctor! Sir, please excuse my little sister, she is young and ignorant, don't take her nonsense seriously. I'm not talking nonsense! I saw you hiding and crying! I saw you! Strange. It seems that the young lady does not wish for Siwang's help. Would you like it if an absolute stranger butted in to your love affairs? He's good at it though. Remember the blacksmith in Zhangren Village? Or Prince Ming Xu? Ugh. There's no stopping him now, look, he's found some guy hiding in the bamboo grove. A stalker, maybe?  Young master, are you looking for the reason behind Hong'er's tears? I am actually a childhood friend of Hong'er. We grew up together. Hong'er and I are soul mates, we share the same feelings, and regard each other as lifelong companions, although we have not said so explicitly. Alas, Jia Ding, a well known bully of Dayan Town, covets Hong'er's beauty, and wants to take her as a concubine. Hong'er tried to refuse, but Jia Ding threatened to ruin her family and kill her. This kind of man who bullies girls will make a good target for my poison... Hong'er wanted to refuse, but she dared not, so she cries every night. I don't know what to do. Where is this man? I shall go and teach him a lesson! I saw him go into the Pretty Dream Pavilion this morning... sir, please be careful of his guards! Looks like we're headed to the Pretty Dream Pavilion after all. In many ways, it is the centre of Dayan Town. But... Come on, Ning'er, it's for a good cause. Hold on. My bullshit detector's been going off for a while now. Let me see what this guy has on him... a letter from Hong'er? Stop it! No more stealing! Wow, this guy's got a letter from Hong'er too. She must like writing them a lot. Enough with the petty larceny, Brother Siwang. Let us confront the villain directly. Maybe we should get his side of the story first? Hong'er is already in love with someone else, but you want to force her to become your concubine because you are rich and powerful? What bullshit! That damned Lu Bu told you that, didn't he? It's not true? I may be a womanizer, but I'm not that kind of man. If I want a woman, I'll just go to a brothel. Using force? That would be detrimental to my style. Quite the gentleman, I see. Enough with the sarcasm. I'm an honorable man. If that's the case, why did Lu Bu claim you wanted to coerce Hong'er? Listen. Hong'er and I used to be in love. We were even talking about marriage. It was the first time I had met such a gentle girl, who was not interested in my money, but in my person. Unexpectedly, Lu Bu appeared, claiming to be Hong'er's childhood sweetheart, and tried to steal her love. He threatened to jump into the river and kill himself if she married me. Hong'er is soft-hearted, and could not bear to see him die. And now that bastard is sending men to accuse and threaten me! Uh... sorry? (I had better go back and clarify things.) Nonsense! Nonsense! Don't believe his lies! The situation here is as clear as mud. Brother Duan, you have said it exactly. You think I should steal those letters and take a look? Alas, Brother Siwang, I still cannot condone such acts of petty thievery. Please refrain from doing so, or I will be forced to leave. We could poison them both? Miss He, being attracted to a young lady is hardly such a crime as to deserve that. Let's just ride north and think about it, while we report our success to Abbot Suffering.  Abbot Suffering is somewhat distressed upon hearing the news that Chen Dazhi burned the Marrow Cleansing Sutra.  His two minions accuse Siwang of stealing the sutra and keeping it for himself. In deference to Duan Siping's disapproving presence, Siwang refrains from beating them up and limits himself to words. Hey, will you guys use your heads? If I wanted to keep the sutra for myself, why would I come here to you? Amitabha! Master, please forgive this monk's disciples, the matter is of great importance, which is why they speak without thinking. But master...! Enough. If the scriptures are lost, then they are lost. What is the use of being a monk for so many years, if you remain attached to earthly things? Please don't take their rudeness to heart. In compensation, I have some teachings for you to write down, before we leave. Abbot Suffering then gives Siwang the Golden Bell Jar sutra, an Inner Working that defends against debuffs. Useful for the passive Qi buffs, if nothing else.  This monk is so stingy, what kind of technique is this? How to get beaten up... does it even work? Siwang makes a small detour to the cave north of Abbot Suffering's temple, which contains a highly venomous Seven-Colored centipede. Siwang can now pick it up thanks to He Ziwan's Book of Ultimate Poison, and the capstone technique of that sutra is gated off by it.  Then he heads west, back to Suishin Isle, where he gives the farmer his small axe and this lady the pork and eggs that she requested.  The southern end of Suishin Island is now overrun by bandits who heard of a new prosperous village and have come to plunder it. This guy dropped a small axe... Hah! Guess we didn't have to go all the way to Zhangren Village for one, did we? It's like one of those stories where you run all over town to buy something and only find it in the shop next to your home. Maybe next time you should clean up your own home more often? Arrgh!  Brother, we have recruited so many people, and they seem to have settled down well. In Taihua Gate, the elders are all very kind to me, and if a job needs to be done, someone skilled will handle it easily. But here, it's different. This is a small village we've built ourselves, just like my grandparents did. Now I know why my grandfather was willing to risk dying of weakness to the sun, and why he desperately wanted to stay with my grandmother to build this village. So this is what it feels like... Ning'er... (If I go back one day, at least you will still have this village...) Are you going to rest a while here, big brother? No, I want to see if the rumour of a witch in the Fuxian Academy Library is true. Doesn't she only come out at midnight? What shall we do until then? Hmmm... a while ago, at the Hidden Flower Cottage, we were attacked by six brothers. Oh, the Peach Valley idiots. What about then? Did you not realize they dropped a treasure map? Yeah, but it was obviously fake. Exactly. Someone wanted to lure people to the location on that map, doubtlessly for nefarious reasons. You sure? Maybe someone just drew an "X" randomly on the map. Let's go check it out anyway, it isn't too far from here. Siwang met the six brothers in Update 25, by the way. I thought it was just a random encounter and didn't realize it had a follow-up quest.  I hate it when he's right. Guess that General title isn't just for show. Those poor Peach Valley disciples... first they got beaten up by us, and now they're being robbed. That's life in the Jianghu for you. Attack!  The six Peach Valley brothers are suitably grateful for being rescued. He saved us? Doesn't that mean we should reward him? We still have some of that lump left. Give him that useless stone we found. Maybe we can teach him some of our martial arts? But this guy is so ugly and has poor roots, wouldn't it be a shame if we were found out as his masters? How rude! Big brother isn't that ugly! Let's just pretend we dropped a sutra on the ground and he picked it up by himself. That's decided then! You guys keep talking, I've got a stomachache. Me too! Urrggh... See? I told you not to eat that lump! Thankfully, the six Peach Valley brothers vent their gastro-intestinal distress offscreen, and leave Siwang with a basalt ore, their Peach Valley Secret of Immortality sutra, and an unidentifiable lump of... mushroom? The Peach Valley Secret of Immortality Inner Working increase the AP refund of combos and will eventually decrease the AP cost of all moves by 1 when equipped. Like any other technique that affects the action economy, it's pretty busted.  Let's have a look at what they were eating... It's wrinkled up and looks pretty gross. And it smells sort of stale as well. Unidentified Remnants. "This unidentified object left behind by the six Peach Valley brothers vaguely resembles the miracle medicine meat lingzhi, but it's taste is pungent and it's quality questionable. A normal person wouldn't put it in their mouth without a fight."  It's getting dark, guess I'll just take a nap in the library until midnight. Ah! !!! Hey, wait! Hey! I don't mean any harm! Slow down! Hooo... hooo... finally... caught up... We have never met before, so why do you persist in chasing me?Please vote: Regarding Hong'er and her suitors: 1. Side with Lu Bu, the childhood friend, and beat up Jia Ding the lecher 2. Side with Jia Ding, the self-proclaimed fiance, and beat up Lu Bu the stalker 3. Steal the letters Lu Bu and Jia Ding have on them, and find out what's in them (this will anger Duan Siping and he will leave the party permanently) 4. Wash your hands of the situation and walk away. Regarding the mysterious girl: A. "I just wanted to ask you why you were running away!" B. "I just wanted to get to know you." C. "I'm sorry, I don't really have a good reason..." sandorius fucked around with this message at 13:56 on May 19, 2023 |
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May 17, 2023 07:53
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Walk away, we don't need to interfere in every romantic affair, let's give it a break. And C, let's be honest with her.
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May 17, 2023 08:15
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Steal the letters and say goodbye to Duan Option B
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May 17, 2023 13:02
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Kanthulhu posted:Steal the letters and say goodbye to Duan
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May 17, 2023 15:24
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Kanthulhu posted:Steal the letters and say goodbye to Duan Yeah gently caress that square let's steal stuff. Also how long has the thread title been "with Sword and Nokia"? Am I just blind??
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May 18, 2023 05:57
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Yeah, I got the thread title changed from Thunderbolt to Nokia 3310 a short while ago. I had it in mind all along, but it wouldn't have made any sense at the start. Getting the Nokia as a weapon was what made me really want to LP this game, it's just so rare to find that kind of silly humor in games nowadays. Also, I made a minor error in the update above - Yan Yanshu doesn't actually introduce herself until after the dialog choice, sorry!
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May 19, 2023 14:04
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Update 35: Crime Spree I just wanted to get to know you. I had heard rumours of a Witch Mountain Goddess haunting the library, and wanted to find out more. ... I am not a goddess. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave. Hey, slow down! Wait! At least tell me your name! Shu... Yan Yu Shu. How is it possible for one small region to have so many abandoned temples? Brother Siwang is a man of many and hidden talents. He's just depressed because Miss Yan ran away from him at first sight. Let him dig around a bit, it'll make him feel better. I can hear you guys, you know. Cheer up, bro, at least she gave you her name, right? I dunno, man. What's the point of cultivating your Qi if it makes pretty girls run screaming from you in terror? You ambushed her at night. In a library where she reasonably expected to be alone. It wasn't intentional! Perhaps you should return to Fuxian Academy at dawn, and apologize to her? Bring her a gift or something. There's a book over there, perfect. She likes books, right? What with the midnight library visits and all. ... Hell no. That's a sword sutra, she's taking it from me over my cold dead body. Glad to see you back, bro.  The Qiankun Sword contains tanking techniques that shift aggro to the user. It's probably a bad idea for Ning Zhuanhuan to actually use it, since she's fairly squishy, but passive boosts to sword skill are always welcome.  I've got a better idea. These Gentlemen of the Beam have been leaving cryptic clues to their treasure on rooftops everywhere, they must have something a girl would like. As long as it's not a sutra, of course. Bro, you just get me, y'know.  Of course my adorable little sister can have first pick of the jewelry. And Brother Duan can have any weapons we find. What about me? You can have any poisonous critters we find guarding the chest or sitting inside as a trap. Heehee... fine! A real man doesn't break his promises!  The five pieces form a map... hmm... Looks like Suishin Isle on the right. Perfect! We can go dig up the treasure, spend the rest of the night there, and head back to Dayan Town to help Hong'er!  This is the spot indicated on the map. I should start digging... Wh... what is this treasure? Why is it packed in a rotten wooden box? How insincere. And there's a weird smell... Zzzz... What's going on? Why am I sleeping here alone? Who are you? Where's my treasure? Since thou hast come for the treasure, thou shalt be tested. Survive or be destroyed, there is no other choice! Huh? Why am I sleeping here? Was the fight a dream? I don't know what you were dreaming about, but I hope it was good. Never seen anyone lean in and take a deep breath when hit with a poison gas trap before. Don't worry, big brother, I used Doctor Chen's Purifying Pulse on you! It seems to have worked! Guess we know why Golden Mane used to lurk around here, must have had a lot of free lunches from that trap's victims. Earth Bandit's Wristguard: "Wristguards of unknown origin that can stimulate the wearer's potential. The better the wearer's Qinggong, the better the effect." A powerful piece of wargear, to be sure. But is it really suitable as a gift for a maiden? It's sort of stinky, maybe it's been in that chest for too long? Well, it is a bandit's wristguard, and bandits are hardly known for their personal hygiene... Ewww! Keep that thing away from me!  Surely there must be something else suitable in this treasure? You think she'd appreciate a Dragon Bone? You're the Love Doctor, you tell me. ... No. Yeah, thought so too. drat, what kind of treasure is this? The old man in the beggar's encampment wanted a Dragon Bone, didn't he? Maybe he'll trade for something good.  Here, old man, the forging materials you wanted. Black iron, purple gold, dragon bone and basalt. Haha, yes! That's the stuff! Well, we agreed that if I brought you these materials you would give me a few pointers. When should we start, and where? No time, no time! I have to find the Water of Silence as well as the perfect materials, I'll see you later! Hey, wait! Owww! Who kicked my rear end? Not me! It was my sister! Hey! Don't give me away! Well done, you have a good understanding, as expected of my pupils! Away! drat! He ran away without paying up! Ugh, now my nice white scholar's robe is dirty. Guess I'll have to buy a new outfit at the Dayan Town tailor. Bwahaha! Big brother, are you quite sure about this...? The shopkeeper said it was romantic! I don't think that was quite what he meant. No, wait. I've changed my mind. The shopkeeper is absolutely correct. Listen, that Yan Yanshu girl is probably surrounded by nerds all day and night. Go to Fuxian Academy, apologize to her while wearing that hideous abomination, and if she doesn't kick you out of the place, then you've got a chance. Don't forget to flex your abs while you're at it. Err... like this? Perfect. Demoiselle:"Wearing a grounded straw raincoat lets you blend perfectly into the background of the Jianghu. Although with sufficient inner strength, you will not get cold even if caught in the rain. This is called, romance."  Brother Siwang, have you made up your mind about Miss Hong'er's suitors? Yeah, I'm gonna have to steal those letters and have a look. We'll never know who's telling the truth otherwise. In that case, I fear I must leave your company for good. Share a bowl of noodles before you go?  For this delicacy, please accept my gratitude. Brother Gui, I am grateful to you for saving me. But I have heard that Brother Gui is going astray recently. You would do well to reconsider the meaning of chivalry. Hey, what about the rest of us? You don't even particularly like chickpea noodles! You complain everytime we buy buns! Dude, we're not poor people anymore, we can afford more than just morsels. Anything's fine with me as long as it's not fish. How about tofu pudding? I love tofu pudding! Wow! This tofu pudding is as white as the moon, as soft as clouds, the taste of beans is strong, and the aroma is sweet and delicious! Two drops of sesame oil add just the right amount of saltiness. I could say more, but I think I'd rather eat. Hehee, is this happiness? It sure is. Nothing wrong with being happy. I knew I made the right choice to leave with big brother! (There is a surprising amount of voiced dialogue in this game regarding food.) This is... herbal broth? It smells like the medicine the elders used to give me, please don't make me eat it! Be good, Ning'er, this is good for your health. Try a little bit of the soup first, or if you can't stand the taste, then have a bite of the meat instead. Ugh, I don't want to... please, big brother! Fine, fine, fine. If little sister doesn't like it, then we won't eat it. Just put it aside and let's have something else that's delicious, alright? Big brother, do you remember what Ning'er likes? How could I forget? It's tofu pudding, big brother doesn't forget things like this. Then I'll tell you one more thing, I also like to eat fish! If we can eat Mandarin fish, Ning'er will be very happy. Our clan lives in a rocky cave, and even when someone goes out, they don't often bring back fish. Ning'er likes fish, but rarely got to eat it. If little sister likes to eat fish, I will bring you fish every day, there's nothing difficult about that! Thank you big brother! Mixed grain wine? We used to drink it at festivals, there's an ancestral recipe they used to brew. Let me try this one! Hmm... it tastes quite different! Our brew is lighter and more refreshing, while this one is a bit more crisp. You don't like it? Oh no, it's just a different flavour. Ning'er likes them both! This other wine, though... Ning'er doesn't like it. Hmmm... Xiling Spring?Xiling Spring is the signature wine of First Fortune Brewery, and there's an angry man washing his feet in the spring they source the water from.  Come on, Brother Gui, don't be so stingy, we're all warriors, surely we can afford something more substantial! Well, that was a great breakfast. You know, without Brother Duan around, I feel so much more... free. Oh boy, here it comes. Weren't we going to just take a peek at some letters? It's been so long since I've stolen anything, I fear I've lost the touch. I'm just going to get some practice in. Just look at these two nefarious plotters over here! Brother, look at those two over there, could they be the "Twin Swords of Ink and Snow" of the Willow Leaf Sword Villa? Hmm... Brother, those are the most powerful weapons in the world... Shut up! It's too crowded, let's not discuss it here. The two would-be thieves have a sleeping drug on them, which will be relevant in a while.  Going up to the front of the blacksmith then triggers a cutscene. Brave warrior, I'm afraid I haven't seen the sword you describe.  Brother, don't worry, we'll find our master's relics eventually. I understand. It's been a long journey and hard on you, let's go back to the inn and rest. The swordscouple then walk off towards the Dayan Town inn, followed by two not-very-inconspicuous rogues.  Since Siwang is playing on Hard mode, he can challenge both swordsman and swordswoman to a duel, although this is an evil act. It also allows him to peek at the swords they are wielding. Ink Jade Hibiscus:"This sword is made of a mixture of ink jade, coral gold, and many other special metals; cutting gold and jade and iron like mud. The same master crafted both this sword and the Ink Jade Flying Snow."  Ink Jade Flying Snow:"This sword is made of a mixture of ink jade, cold iron, and many other exotic metals. The same master crafted both this sword and the Ink Jade Hibiscus." The damage on both swords is pretty good, but what makes these swords stand out is the chance to refund energy on attack.  Sadly, the swordscouple are moving too fast for Siwang to successfully pickpocket. But he knows they're headed to the inn...  He runs to the inn, changes into more appropriate clothing and starts lurking on top of the bed.  Ordinarily, the swordsman would politely yet firmly stop Siwang from entering their room.  But since Siwang is already in the room... they don't notice anything as Siwang repeatedly tries to take their swords away.  The swordsman even has a sutra on him! Score!  With swords and sutra in hand, Siwang exits the room and eavesdrops on the would-be thieves. They are planning to blow the sleeping powder they have into the swordscouples' room and rob them.  If Siwang steals the sleeping powder off them this leads to a silly scene at the inn later. What's wrong? Where's the sleeping powder? Damnit, it's gone! I had it on me during the day... gently caress your ancestral shrine, such an important treasure, and you lost it? Aren't you ashamed to call yourself a loving thief? Brother, what should we do... What else? Go back and find the loving powder! How can we steal the sword without the powder, we won't be able to beat the kung fu of those two even if we had twenty more years to train... Siwang can then use the sleeping powder himself, and stroll into the room to pick up the swords.  Or, if he chooses not to steal the powder, when he meets the would-be thieves they offer to cooperate with him.  The swordsman naturally objects to this. Naturally, he's been aware of the would-be thieves all along.  Hilariously, as Siwang has already stolen their swords, this leads to them standing uselessly about, turning what would normally be a tough fight into a farce.  Brother... Sister... sorry for bringing you into this... No... I'm happy to die with you... Let's be husband and wife in the next life... what do you say? Yes... in the next life... Hey, I'm dying here, and you're talking about love? How insensitive!The swordscouple are, like, studying-under-the-same-master siblings, and not actually brother-and-sister, as they don't share the same surname. Anyway, on this path, Siwang threatens the two thieves and they leave instead of fighting.  I would normally put this up for vote, but I've heard rumours of a follow-up quest if Siwang takes the righteous path, so that's what I'll go for.  On the righteous path, Siwang declines the offer and fights the thieves instead of cooperating with them. Looks like I'm done here. I'd better leave, if I'm taken for a thief, I wouldn't have a good excuse. Young master, please stay. Oops! I am definitely not trying to steal your swords in the dead of night, please don't misunderstand me! Haha, young master, don't worry. I heard your conversation with those two thieves just now. Oh, you heard? Yes, this Wen's ears are not made of wood, to ignore such noise. You are so chivalrous that you drove the thieves away in secret, and I admire your kindness. Thank you for your kind praise. I am Wen Cui Zhi of the Willow Leaf Sword Villa. I wonder what young master's name and sect is? Uh, my name is Gui Siwang, and I'm from... err... self-taught? Hahaha. Since master Gui doesn't want to say, then I will not pry. Please take this ink jade as thanks for your help. I hope you will use it in a righteous cause. The next day, Siwang steals both letters off Jia Ding and Lu Bu. Thanks to Mr. Jia's wrongful love, I'm terrified. But this one has already found someone else, no matter how you threaten her, it's useless. If Mr Jia is unwilling to let this one go no matter what, then this one is willing to die. There are many beautiful and gentle girls in the world, but in terms of character and family background, I would only disgrace Mr Jia. I hope Mr Jia will think twice. Signed... Hong'er. Well, Miss Hong'er's steadfastness is admirable. I've always treated you as if you were my own brother, respecting and valuing you. But my heart is set, and no matter how hard Brother Lu pushes, it's useless, and only adds to our worries and troubles. Perhaps this is karma from our previous lives. I have no way to repay your kindnesses, but to pray to the Buddha that you will find a suitable girl to accompany you and grow old together... Signed... Hong'er. Hah, this Lu Bu guy was ruthlessly rejected. They were both lying! Hong'er doesn't want anything to do with either of them! Now what should we do? Let's beat them both up. ... I was waiting for the voice of reason to intervene, but he's not with us anymore, is he? Alright, time to pursue Lu Bu.  Sadly, Jia Ding has two bodyguards and pathetically surrenders once they are beaten, so Siwang cannot actually beat him up.  He does threaten Jia Ding into leaving Hong'er alone.  However, Hong'er reacts with indifference when Siwang brings her the news. Yes, thank you, young master. (This girl is so cold, it's like I'm the hot face to stick it on her cold rear end.) Big brother, are we doing it wrong?As far as I can tell, there is no alternate resolution to Maiden's Prayer. You beat up one guy or the other, or both, and Hong'er's reaction is exactly the same. I've trawled the internet for Chinese guides, but other than some speculation on Hong'er's actual lover being a particular girl standing on the riverbank, they all say the same thing. There is no happy ending here. With Duan Siping permanently out of the party, it's time to consider our next character quest! Where should Siwang go next? Please vote:   - 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  - The young mistress of the He horse gang, He Yuqing, and their missing caravans - The not-witch of the Fuxian Academy library, Yan Yanshu, and her terrible cooking
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May 22, 2023 17:55
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Its witchin time!
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May 22, 2023 19:09
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"The villages being sacked by the Wolf Barbarians and Zhang Junbao's attempt to save them". Saving villages from barbarians sounds more urgent.
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May 22, 2023 20:03
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Let's help Zhang Junbao with those barbarians.
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May 22, 2023 20:26
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I like witches!
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May 22, 2023 21:06
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"The villages being sacked by the Wolf Barbarians and Zhang Junbao's attempt to save them".
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May 23, 2023 05:06
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Let's put in some work on the Wolf Barbarians with Zhang Junbao.
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May 23, 2023 11:47
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We hitch a wish upon which witch
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May 24, 2023 04:59
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Update 36: The Wolf Barbarians I forgot to show this last update,sorry! The sutra stolen from the Willow Leaf Villa swordscouple, Hundreds of Varieties of Swordsmanship is supposedly the most powerful sword technique in the game because it scales with the number of sword techniques already learnt. You know, I sort of feel weird without a responsible adult in our group. Who cares? Candy for everyone, woohoo! We could ask Madam Cheng to join us for a while? She probably needs a break from her studies. Hmmm... alright, but before that, let's head to the army camp first. Why? I thought we already stole all their pay. Yes, we did, but we never went into the central building, did we? Nice. I like the tiger painting. I don't understand how these bozos keep control of this country. Who brings small dragon statuettes to war? Maybe they were a gift from a major weapons manufacturer or something. Look, at least this sutra's sort of military.  The Hunjin Sword Technique is unremarkably efficient. Pretty good damage per AP, but no special abilities or debuffs.  There is also a pill recipe on the side-table, which Siwang pilfers.  Huh? Isn't the blade supposed to be on top, normally? This doesn't seem like a mere ornament... The King of Swords: "In order to imitate the idol, a certain man spent a great deal of money to make this weapon. However, it was too heavy to wield, and became an ornamental art piece in the end."  Hi, Madam Cheng! Oh. You. Hi, Madam Cheng! Ning'er, how good to see you! Still with the idiot, I see. Big brother is all grown up now! See, he's joined Fuxian Academy. I'm impressed. I've heard the entrance examination is especially difficult. Oh, he didn't take the exam. Just found some old geezer's chess manual for him and bam, letter of recommendation. I see. Well then, do try to study hard, will you, Siwang? And how are you and little Feifei doing, Madam Cheng? We're doing great, thanks. I've been reading this silly little book Siwang left me the last time we met - the Nine Yin White Bone Claw. That sounds ominous. What a clumsy person the author must be. They boast about being able to pull the beating heart out of their patient's chest, but there's absolutely nothing about how to put it back in! I... see. How careless of them. Probably keeping it a trade secret and all. Why not join us again and practice it a little? I don't know... We're headed west to deal with the Wolf Barbarians. You know, the ones poised to invade this bit of the country? Can't the army handle it? Madam Cheng, believe me when I say that the army of Central Shu is in no shape to deal with even a single group of thieves. Oh, very well then. I have to say I'm getting a little bored here. Can we drop by Fuxian Academy first? Shouldn't you be changing into your uniform, Siwang? What is that atrocity you're wearing? He met a girl in the library last night. Oh dear.  Xiu Mei tells Siwang Yan Yanshu left the academy early this morning with a fish basket. Siwang also takes the opportunity to trade some sutras with her. I... I can't believe my eyes. Siwang has certainly changed for the better, hasn't he? Bro, are you feeling alright? This must be the power of true love... These are duplicates I'm selling, alright? Shut up!  Insinuation: "Retreating in a swirl, seemingly defeated, but actually with several darts concealed in his hand. He strikes when he spots an opening in the enemy's guard, straight as water! Evil spirit, insinuation." If I had realized this sutra was a Hidden Weapon sutra and not a Short Weapon sutra, I could have passed the skill threshold for the advanced Flying Sand in the Sky sutra ages ago! Arrgh! Anyway the Insinuation techniques are meant to be set as counterattacks and require the starter Calm and Soft talents, which Siwang doesn't have, so Siwang will only benefit from some passive skill boosts.  The Landmark Sword is a powerful Blade technique that consumes all available AP to deal extra damage. No, I don't know why the special effect was translated as "Mighty Masturbation", maybe it has something to do with grip strength, or how the icon sort of looks like it has a boner.  She's fishing. I'm in a fisherman's outfit. This must be fate. Go for it, champ! We support you! Wh... what are you doing? Nothing! You didn't see anything! It's too late, I saw everything! You! What about me? You're a... Um, I'm sorry, I won't tell anyone. Hmmph. I'll be going, then. Wait! Do you know how to fish? Well, I'm no expert, but you need at least a fishing rod to fish. What is a fishing rod? Are you kidding me? A long thin rod with a line on the end? The book never mentioned one. Nevermind, there's plenty of bamboo here, I'll cut one down for a rod. That's it, hold steady! Now reel it in! Thank you for your help today. It's almost lunchtime, so I should get going. This fish I caught today... it's too big for me to eat it all by myself. If you want to come for lunch... you can.  Yes! Yes! Yes! Good job, big brother! Either she really does like you, or... Or she thinks you're a poor vagrant who can't afford proper clothing or food. Didn't you recommend I wear this thing? Her reaction wasn't nearly as funny as I thought it'd be. Go on, Siwang, Miss Xiu Mei has agreed to let you into Miss Yan's home. We can have our own lunch out here. Thank you Madam Cheng!  The food's not ready yet, go sit and wait. Erm... Miss Yushu, may I ask what kind of dish you need to use so many seasonings for? This is sweet and sour fish, with extra sugar. I see... but is it really necessary to add so much sugar? ... ... (She didn't say a word, but her hands kept adding sugar! Is this sweet and sour fish, or sour fishy sugar?)  Haha! You think you can get off so easily, young man? So eager to come over as soon as you hear my girl wants to cook! Who said that? What's wrong? (A voice transmission?) It's ready, how does it taste? It's... very sweet. Good. (Oh, dear stomach, I have done you a great wrong today...) Thank you for the hospitality. ... it was awful, wasn't it? - So you did it on purpose! - It was a little not to my liking... - That's not true!  So how'd it go? I don't want to talk about it. Family give you a hard time? No, it was just the two of us. Although at one point I heard a jealous voice in my head. I see. Perhaps the food was bad enough to make you hallucinate, or the father is protective enough to come back from the grave and haunt you. That doesn't sound very promising either way. We'll talk about it another time, alright? Look, Wolf Barbarians ahead.  The Wolf Barbarians speak in their own language, which comes out as gibberish to Siwang's and Zhang Junbao's ears.  Zhang Junbao demands that the Wolf Barbarians let the villagers go, which predictably leads to a fight.  There are fourteen Wolf Barbarians in the village. One poor unfortunate soul beelines towards Siwang's party and is annihilated by Golden Mane, and six have bows to plink away with, but the remaining seven surround Zhang Junbao, who started off in the middle of the village square. Pefect targets for Siwang's Flying Sand in the Sky technique.  Some kind of glowing bird descends from the heavens and fucks their poo poo up.  Two Wolf Barbarians are killed outright and refund 4 AP to Siwang due to his Rigid talent "Strong Wind Sweeps the Leaves", giving him just enough to use the technique again.  The rest of the fight is just tedious cleaning up. The villagers thank Siwang and Zhang Junbao for saving them.  One of them says that the Wolf Barbarians are behaving oddly. Normally, they raid villages and capture slaves before returning to their villages, but now they are interrogating the villagers and looking for someone's will.  Anyway, with the Wolf Barbarians gone, Siwang can finally give Zhang Junbao his junior's riceballs.  Shuangjun must be angry that I ran out without informing him, haha! Maybe he is a little... but the point is, he asked me to bring these to you. Rice balls! How touching... but now is not the time to be impressed. There are still more villages to save! I'll be going ahead, Brother Gui! Siwang pokes around the village a bit and finds a recipe for Sichuan pepper stir-fried cabbage in one of the ruins.  The other villages are south of here, dumbass. Not west. Why are we staring into the abyss? Big brother says he's having a vision. Well, I'm having a vision too. I'm seeing all of us slipping and falling into those clouds forever and ever. Relax, Ziwan. I know what I'm doing. There's a modded sutra about halfway down to the Bottomless Abyss, on the northwest side.  Curiously, it's identical to the legit Limbo Steps sutra Siwang got from the Fuxian Academy library.  Maybe someone didn't have enough intelligence to get Limbo Steps, thought it wasn't in the game, and then modded it in? Who knows?  There's a sort of peninsula on the southeast side of the Bottomless Abyss, and Siwang cautiously climbs down a path made mostly of fallen logs. There's a thousand-year lingzhi growing down here.  The path eventually leads to a small cave with a Golden Scorpion, some basalt ore, and a skeleton surrounded by a bunch of books.  (A stack of ancient books beneath a ten-thousand foot wall!) (Is this the fabled "random encounter" of the Jianghu?) (What secrets await... hehehee!) Apocrypha... The White Dirt Sutra... Eighteen Slapping Sutra...The sutra names are presumably hilarious puns in Chinese. I apologize for not being able to translate them better.  These aren't sutras, these are just porn parodies! Big brother, what are these? It's too early for you to know. Siwang decides to keep the books just in case they turn out to be valuable later.  A long climb later, he heads further west, to the Waters of Silence, where the old man Ximen Yutang and his two grandchildren have fled.  Dongbao here says they have to keep quiet when drawing water from the lake here, so as not to anger the monk living on the north shore. She dislikes running from people in general because of her short legs.  You drat thieving old man! Watch me beat you up! Aieee... no, no, no, I say, why are young people so easily excited, really? Oh? How about I take your goodies from you with no reward and see if you get excited? Ahahaha, just like I said before, you know what you are talking about! It's just that these two pranksters always say I'm full of fake stuff and no good stufff... come, come, tell me, what do you want?Siwang doesn't need money or gold, and asking for the children will just piss Ximen Yutang off, so he asks for martial arts training.  This drops him into a duel with Ximen Yutang. Hey! Old man, aren't you cheating? What do you mean? I'd recognize that lazy-rear end description anywhere! "Invincible protector, invincible"? That's a legendary weapon made by the hermit master blacksmith! And who do you think taught him the recipe, hmm? It's laughable to ask a weaponsmith not to use his best when fighting! Crap, I'd better not get hit by him... help me, Golden Mane!  Huh, am I winning? Hey, your form is so sloppy, aren't you looking down on me? Tch! If it weren't for the fact that I'm only using 30% of my power, how would you be able to get away with this? I haven't moved like this for a long time, and my back has started to hurt after a few strokes. I don't care about you, my precious apprentices are still waiting for bean cakes! The spar improves Siwang's Qi, Qinggong and Fist slightly. Ximen Yutang and his two tagalongs leave to go find a river and seek inspiration from the power of nature.  Hmmm, an old monk living on the north shore of a remote lake? Definitely some kind of retired badass, repenting for his sins. I sort of want to fight him now. Big brother, why are you staring at that chicken like that? In another reality, I fought that old monk and lost. I'm just contemplating a bit of revenge, that's all. Petty AND delusional. I like it, reminds me of home. Oi oi, are you serious? Killing someone's chicken for an imagined slight? The power's getting to your head, man. Come on, big brother, you know we already have a ton of food in our packs... Yeah, I get it. Don't worry, Ning'er, I won't touch these chickens. Come on, we've got villages to save. Zhang Junbao is giving the same speech to the Wolf Barbarians in the second village, as he did in the first. They are significantly unimpressed, possibly because they don't speak Chinese.  There are quite a bit less Wolf Barbarians in this village, and the fight is correspondingly shorter. The villagers are thankful for the rescue, and Zhang Junbao moves on to the last village in danger.  On the way south, Siwang runs into some barbarian archers having a bit of target practice. They are releasing villagers one by one and taking turns to shoot them down.  A Qinggong-assisted jump lands Siwang right in the middle of the archer formation, which is good news tactically but also means an awkward camera angle for the establishing cutscene. The poor villager gets shot offscreen, but at least Siwang gets revenge on his behalf.  The remaining villager pleads with Siwang to save his village.  He also remarks that normally Wolf Barbarians grab loot and run, instead of staying on in the village and interrogating villagers. They must be looking for something.  A bit to the southeast is Xiahe Village, which has remained untouched by the barbarian invasion. Of course, the villagers are aware of what is happening, and are a bit on edge.  Young man! It's dangerous out there, you should spend the night at Grandma's inn. Stop with that look on your face, Grandma doesn't even know how many days she has left to live, what would Grandma do with your money? I won't charge you tonight, just go to sleep. Never one to turn down free offers, Siwang sleeps for about four hours until dawn. The rest of Xiahe Village is pretty much infested with doom, although a few children are determinedly playing around the stream.  Siwang waterwalks his way across the lake to the last village in danger, where Zhang Junbao is making a righteous speech to an unappreciative audience. Hmmph, wolf barbarian Tartar, how dare you kill my people! I will do justice to heaven today! Ah, brother Gui. You've come at the right time, the Wolf Tartar has many men, and I'm afraid I can't get rid of them all by myself. You're a Tai Chi master, I think you're more than enough... Eh? Brother Gui, what are you muttering about? Ruiz, Shu'arith! The fight goes predictably and the village is saved. With his job done, Zhang Junbao returns to the Qingcheng Mountain Sect, and invites Siwang to come have a cup of tea.  This poor lady's family has been killed, and her husband ran away from the barbarians. She asks Siwang to look to the west for him.  The husband is sitting here near the ruins of the Hundred-Buddha Cliff Temple  You... you're not a Wolf Barbarian! Sorry, I'm not. Disappointed? Bucca, booga ba! Ugh, I wish I knew what they were talking about... "Found him! Capture that guy!" Oh? You speak their language? Yes... warrior, please save me! Mbappe! What did he say this time? He... he said, "Let's go, chop the young one into 18 pieces and feed him to the wolves, then catch the old one, don't let him get away this time." How did you decipher such a long sentence from three syllables!? Siwang triumphs over the eloquent Wolf Barbarians, and the old man thanks Siwang for his help.  He asks Siwang to escort him back to his wife. Since it's only a short distance, Siwang agrees.  One Wolf Barbarian patrol later, the couple are reunited. The husband rewards Siwang with a Dragon Crystal, which Siwang doesn't have much use for but accepts anyway.  They gossip a bit more about the Wolf Barbarians' possible motives for the raid. The husband thinks they are looking for a treasure map.  Siwang immediately connects this in his head to the Book of Heaven - there must be a fragment buried nearby.  With nothing much else left to do in this desolate wasteland, Siwang returns to Qingcheng Monastery to take Zhang Junbao up on his offer of a cup of tea. Just outside the monastery, he meets Ling Shuangjun, the concerned junior, and reports his successful delivery of some riceballs.  Brother Gui, you're back! Did you see Bao up north? What's going on? Why did Brother Bao bring back a beautiful Taoist nun to the mountain? Beautiful Taoist nun? Could it be the one we met at the base of the mountain? drat, that kid looked like a gentleman, but it turns out he's quite the lady-killer! You know her? Tell me all about it! Tell me what's going on here first. As soon as Brother Bao returned, he took the nun and went straight to Sanqing Temple to look for my father! I don't know what they're discussing behind closed doors... now what's the story behind that nun? (You told Ling Shuangjun in detail how you met Zhang Junbao and the Taoist nun in Wanglong Village.) Still, as I remember, the nun left by herself, why is she here now in Qingcheng Mountain with your Brother Bao? An affair! There must be an affair! I can't believe that Brother Bao, who looks like a harmless person, is... tsk tsk tsk... This man is so fickle, really bad! Mister Ling, you can't forgive him easily, or he will do it again and again!  Hmm... I understand now. It is indeed a rather serious internal injury. Please save me, Master Ling! ... Please forgive me, I must refuse. Huh? I've heard that Master Ling of the Confucian Sword is from the Qingcheng Sect, which opened its gates to the sick during the Great Plague. Hence, I travelled a thousand miles to come here. Does the Head Master intend to stand by and watch me die? Thank you for your praise. The sect's mastery of the Jade Mountain Meridian technique is not my personal property, but the results of my ancestor's efforts. I have no right to lend it out at will. And... I am sorry for my poor eyesight, but I am unable to tell where you come from. Villain! Is it because I don't have enough internal strength? Indeed, I cannot simply stand aside and not help. I have an idea. I will set aside a quiet room in the monastery for you to heal. The elders of my school will assist your recovery, and I estimate that in three years, you will fully recover. Master Ling... if you let a weak woman stay at your school for three years, aren't you worried for the reputation of your Qingcheng Sect? What is a man's word compared to a friend's life? Scoundrel! Fellow Taoist, wait! Both Zhang Junbao and the nun leave the building. Siwang approaches Master Ling and asks about the scene he has just witnessed.  I am happy to help her treat her injuries. But she asked me for a copy of our sect's masterpiece Qingxia Secrets, and I couldn't agree. Central Shu has been in turmoil for so long, and now that there are finally signs of peace... I can't risk it falling into the wrong hands. She doesn't seem like a bad person though, Brother Zhang and I met her while she was helping the people defend against the Wolf Barbarians. I see. Nevertheless, she is but a lone woman in the Jianghu, and passing on my sect's skills will only serve to make her a target. Master Ling thanks Siwang for helping to deal with the Wolf Barbarian invasion, and also has a request for him.  He says that he did send out several disciples to rescue the villagers, but none of them have reported back. Siwang didn't see anyone other than Zhang Junbao, so it's likely they never even arrived at their destination.  The Wolf Barbarians are brutal, but in the end there are only small groups sneaking into Central Shu. It's impossible for our disciples to not even have one person escape and report back. Something must have gone wrong somewhere! Would you accept this kind invitation from me to investigate the whereabouts of our disciples? Alright. I'll take care of this matter. Master Ling says that the disciples were to rest in Xiahe Village before attacking the Wolf Barbarians, and recommends Siwang start his investigation there.  Before that, though, Siwang has some unfinished business in Qingcheng Monastery.  Now that Siwang is somewhat righteous, the Qingcheng Sect will teach him their elementary techniques.  After years of epidemics and famine in Central Shu, bandits and demons have risen up, so our master ordered us to teach the villagers martial arts, in order to strengthen their bodies. But I have heard of your great deeds, Master Gui, even in a remote place like Qingcheng Mountain. Why would a warrior like you want to learn our school's introductory method? Well... as the saying goes, the more the merrier. The... Jade Mountain Meridian? sutra teaches an neutral Inner Working that restores health and inner strength per round. The capstone technique, however, cannot be learned without the secret teachings of Master Ling.  Hmmm.. wait. I smell something around here. The smell of true love? The smell of a young man being led astray, more like. Thinking with his lower body instead of his head. I suppose you'd know, wouldn't you, Madam Cheng? Hmph. I never used it for evil, unlike that greedy nun. Is it the smell of treachery? Someone had to be plotting against the disciples that were sent out. No, it's the smell of someone slacking off. Look, an unwashed uniform, some wine, and some questionable reading material. Score! Okay, let's be off to Xiahe Village. Siwang will be continuing Zhang Junbao's quest arc, but in the meantime, what did Siwang say in response to Yan Yanshu's terrible cooking? Please vote: ... it was awful, wasn't it?A - So you did it on purpose! B - It was a little not to my liking... C - That's not true!
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May 26, 2023 15:26
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J'Accuse!
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May 26, 2023 16:42
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B
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May 26, 2023 17:28
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C, we're simping I'm glad I binged this LP. the jank translation actually adds to the charm of the game, the extra flavour text you provide is pretty snappy and gives consistent character to the party members, and your presentation helps me keep up with what's going on mechanically even though I lost track of all the stats and talent trees on like page 2 not sure why everyone's calling each other brother and sister, is that a wuxia thing?
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May 27, 2023 20:04
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fluffyDeathbringer posted:C, we're simping Thanks! As for the brother and sister thing, it's a bit complicated. Generally, in wuxia, when someone apprentices to a martial arts master they swear to regard the master as their parent and thus their fellow disciples as siblings. You see this in Cheng Yanhua's quest where Doctor Chen is reluctant to confront his fellow disciple the mad poisoner. But none of the characters in the game are actually studying under the same master, so that type of relationship doesn't apply. Duan Siping is just being hyper-polite when he addresses Siwang and uses "兄" or "elder brother" as a generic term of respect. He's so self-effacing that he doesn't even refer to himself by name, just "段某" or "this person from the Duan Family". Luo Yanyu is sucking up to Siwang and addressing him politely because he wants out of his rural little village. And
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May 28, 2023 04:06
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B, show some honesty.
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May 28, 2023 04:45
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I agree, Be honest
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May 29, 2023 11:11
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Update 37: Maruading Monks Nothing much is going on in Xiahe Village. Siwang asks around about the missing Qingcheng disciples, and this old fisherman suggests asking the innkeeper.  Since it's daytime, the old innkeeper lady has sheathed her chopper. She charges for her services now, the free night's stay was a one-time only offer.  She says the Qingcheng disciples did indeed stay here and that they must have been taken by demons.   I will never forget that day... a few young Taoists from the Qingcheng sect came and paid for room and board. Granny was so happy, with those young masters in the shop, Granny could finally get a good night's sleep for the first time in a long time. But then Granny was woken up in the middle of the night. They said they wanted to attack the Wolf Barbarians while they were sleeping. I told them about the demons, but they laughed and said their job was to fight demons, and I couldn't stop them... (This demon story is nonsense, but it's the only clue I have.) (The demons appear after sunset, I'll just walk around the village at night. Simple!) Well, we have some time to kill, so why don't we head back to Fuxian Academy and talk to Yan Yushu? Oh no. Not until you tell us what happened at lunch that day. She tried to make sugar-and-vinegar fish, alright? Only it turned out to be fish-and-vinegar sugar. Sounds terrible. What a waste of some perfectly good sugar. At least you know she has a sweet tooth now, eh? I almost asked her if she had some kind of grudge against me. No way! You didn't, did you? No, I just told her it wasn't really to my liking. I knew it... Don't worry about it too much, you'll get better in the future. She takes her name seriously, doesn't she? I guess if her parents put the "shu" character in her name, they must have really liked books. Well, go on then, Siwang. We've walked all this way just for you to flirt with this girl, don't you dare chicken out now. It's you again, what is it? Haha! Shot down on the first try! Don't give up, big brother! Compliment her on her dress or something! That dress is really nice, where did you get it? Don't know. Try making small talk! Ask her about the weather! Yanyu, if that's your idea of flirting, it's no wonder you're still single. The weather is really nice today! Probably. (Auggh! Help me, Madam Cheng!) Don't be an rear end, Siwang. You're keeping her from her hobby, either ask about the book or leave her alone What kind of book are you reading? (It's probably some kind of classic like the Dream of Red Pavilion...) Uncle Chi gave it to me... It has no name. Just a story written for children. (It turned out to be a children's book!)- My dad used to make up stories for me all the time. - My mom used to tell me bedtime stories. - No one ever told me stories when I was a kid. Okay, congrats. Daily flirting accomplished. Now what? It's still a long time till sunset. Let's keep chasing that old man who took all our forging materials.  Grandpa Fox Fairy has relocated to the snowy mountains to the southwest of the map. His two tagalong disciples are playing in the stream and completely ignoring the old man. Master asked us to feel the Qi of the river, but my sister and I don't want to go into the water! We just have to wait for Master to fall asleep, then we can sneak out and play! Master asked us to jump into the middle of the stream and feel the difference between flowing downstream and struggling upstream. I don't wanna! The old man himself is up on the embankment, watching his grandchildren benevolently. Heaven and earth are forever and ever... they only last long because they do not change or grow of their own accord. On the whole, this old man's life could be considered happy. Though my early years were filled with loneliness, in my middle age, I received the boy Li Tan. And now, in my old age, I am surrounded by my lively small pupils, what is there to be unsatisfied with? I wanted to create some divine weapons as my legacy, but it's clear to me now there was never any need. Who is Ximen Yutang anyway? My disciples will be able to live well without me. Erm... respected elder, this kind of talk, well... it feels like you're dying? Young man, no matter how strong your kungfu may been, everyone dies in the end. I only have one student Li Tan, right now, my greatest wish is to see him grow up and marry well. Who knows, maybe I will even pick up some more kids, and call them my grandchildren? It just happens. I thought I could just leave the house to my student, and spent a long time playing with the little ones. But as I watched myself aging in the stream, I suddenly became overwhelmed. I decided to come up with an excuse to travel, and wandered about, not wanting to go home. Then those two little girls got worried about me, and... well, it's a long story. Anyway, I don't want to forge a legendary weapon anymore. Here, you can have your materials back. He then challenges Siwang to another fist fight, this time at 70% power. Siwang wins handily, boosting his stats again.  Ximen Yutang then says it's time for his grandchildren to go home, they've spent enough time outside. This whole sequence has "bring Li Tan and Qi Xiao'er along for extra dialogue" written all over it, but since they've been languishing in Shu Yuji village for twenty updates, I'm not gonna bother.  The trio then leave the icy river and move to the field just outside the White Horse Residence. It's good to be home at last.  Master is back! Oh wow, Master, I missed you so much! Hey, everyone has grown taller and more muscular, too. That's not true, only Third Brother has grown. Haha, Second Brother is lazy and doesn't practice! Shut up! I have brains! Let me show you. Master, Master, I have practiced hard everyday as you have commanded me, eaten the diet you prescribed me, and gone to bed at the time you set. See the results of my hard work! Hahaha, good, good! Chunbao, even if you aren't good at kicking and punching, you're skilled with your tongue! If you develop your own strengths, you won't be afraid of others, even if they outnumber you. Since you've developed well, you get to join me next time! And as for the two of you, you must be homesick, right? A little bit... Well then, don't let me stop you! But remember to practice everything you've learned on our trip down the mountain. Don't worry, I'll take care of Master from now on! That kind of confidence is exactly why I don't feel comfortable leaving it to you. What did you say? Hehe... nothing! Ximen Yutang challenges Siwang to one last duel. This time, he's going all out, which means he takes slightly longer to lose.  Haha, that was 100% of my power, young man. We've reached the end of our destiny together. Chunbao, Xiaobao! Down the mountain, let's go! That was nice. Eh. I would have preferred a pair of epic swords. Who's going to use them? You? Fair enough. Siwang, be a dear and use that strange box of yours to knock that demon off the hut, will you?  What demon? Huh? Is my eyesight going? Look, there's another one over there. No there isn't. Huh?  Eventually Siwang manages to pin down three suspicious men in weird hats, but once he manages to down one, the other two flee. He loots some kind of red pill from the body. Unknown Pills: "A dark red, moist and warm pill. When held in the palm of your hand, you can feel a regular pounding. What exactly is it?"  Upon his return to Qingcheng Monastery, he shows the pill to Master Ling. He recognizes the pill as being from the Chidan Palace.  The Chidan Palace was a small Taoist sect that practiced external alchemy. About fifty years ago, people started disappearing from around Qingcheng Mountain, and it was discovered that the Chidan Palace were responsible.  Desperate to find an elixir of immortality, they started using people's flesh as a cauldron and people's essence as materials. The former Master of Qingcheng Sect led some disciples to attack Chidan Palace, of which Ling Zhongyue was one, and although he eradicated the Chidan Palace, he fell in the final battle. Master Ling is very disturbed to discover that the Chidan Palace has survived, and asks for some time to consider his next move.  Why are we back here again? It seems that poor Siwang has discovered a taste for fish-flavoured sugar. He's lucky she wasn't expecting him. He's offering to help her get a Go set now. Her Uncle Chi's birthday is coming up. Ugh, more errands. Ah well, it's not like I have anything better to do. Who's Uncle Chi anyway? The master of Fuxian Academy? No, the master of Fuxian Academy is me. I see... what? Did you just say you're the master of Fuxian Academy? Yes, why? The hidden master, whose true identity no one knows? You're a pain in the rear end. I'm sorry, I'm just... You've been hiding your identity for so long, why tell me now? Don't flatter yourself, I'll tell anyone who asks. It's just that no one has asked up till now. (That's because you run away at full speed the moment anyone tries to talk to you! Don't give me that look!) Anyway, Uncle Chi is sort of Yan Yanshu's father, and he likes to play Go, but he doesn't have a Go set so he has to remember his moves.  Siwang asks the Go players in the Fuxian Academy where he can find a Go set, and they direct him to a merchant near an inn to the southeast.  The merchant has three Go sets on sale, made from wood, Yunzi, and agate respectively. Yunzi is some kind of stone from Yunnan, or something like that.  Naturally Siwang buys all three and rushes back to Fuxian Academy, where Yan Yushu ignores him for three hours straight. (She didn't react at all, immersed in the world of the book...) Eventually, she packs up for lunch (still no portion for Siwang, though) and returns to her hut. I got your chess set! Really? Look, I found so many! Huh... huh? Huh?? I only need one set, though. Never mind, just take them all. Thank you. I have to take these chess sets to Uncle Chi, see you later. Siwang could also have given Yan Yushu the monk's jade chess set from Karma Monastery instead of returning it to him, but that would have been a dick move, and more importantly, left that quest unresolved forever. At high enough Karma Monastery reputation, a monk will offer to carve some charms for Siwang. 9% MP restore per turn is not bad for characters that use a lot of internal strength. Luminous Mani Stone: "A Tibetan Buddhist talisman made by carving the Six Words of Truth onto a luminous stone. Mystical Spirituality" Nice. Shiny. You think she'll like it? All girls like jewelry... I think? If I had a boyfriend and he tried to give me a Buddhist charm I'd think he was insane. He'd have to be insane to date someone like you in the first place. Excuse me?? Now, now, children. There's no need to be like that, if you want to fight, go find some more Wolf Barbarians or something. Speaking of which, do you think they've called off their raid? Hmm... no. We have helped many villages, but this is merely superficial treatment of the symptoms. We have yet to locate the source of the infection. Until we find their leaders and excise them, they will not stop. Well, I guess we could do some more night patrols of the area.   Who is it! Uh, my name is Gui Siwang, and who might you be? I am the third disciple of Shazar, the Bantam Lion. I have not yet killed ten people today, so it is your misfortune to meet me. Aren't monks supposed to be pacifists? What's with the machete? He must be working with the Wolf Barbarians. If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him. Madam Cheng! That's supposed to be a metaphor! The Blood Blade Great Art this monk practises is actually fairly dangerous because of the small chance to instakill lower-level targets. The beginner technique, Sea of Blood, Mountain of Corpses needs a flanking attack to do so, luckily. Siwang's crew mops up the lonk monk and his minions easily.  Cheng Yanhua tries out the Nine Yin Bone Claw on a random Wolf Barbarian, but it turns out to be fairly unimpressive. Guess she needs to work on her Fist.  Is that... the army? Took them long enough. The poor bastards are still drilling even in the middle of the night. Well, apparently the area is infested with mad machete monks, who can blame them from wanting to keep their guard up?  General Shen and his unit here has been assigned to clear the area of Wolf Barbarians.  By the time they got here, however, some mysterious benefactor had already chased away the barbarians from each village.   I wonder who was the heroic young man that was able to defeat these Wolf Barbarian soldiers? I admire him very much, it is a pity I came too late to meet such heroes and heroines. Huh? Isn't this hero right in front of you? General Shen is very impressed and asks Siwang to help train his men. Siwang accepts, at which point the entire encampment aggros onto him.  Siwang's companions beat them all up handily. General Shen is the only one who can put up more than token resistance, but unfortunately he starts off right next to Luo Yuanyu and He Ziwan.  This poor soldier's soundbite is "After this battle, I'm going home to propose to my childhood sweetheart." Yeah, way to raise a flag there, buddy.  Afterwards, General Shen thanks Siwang for the training, then warns him of some monks with treacherous and poisonous blades.  Siwang has already met the third disciple of Shazar, but there are now several more of these monks scattered around the village.  Most importantly, there are a pair of monks guarding the entrance of this cave to the northeast, who are guarding their master's favorite meditation spot. (Their master is meditating in this cave? The great Shazar I have been hearing so much about?) Hold on. What are you waiting for? Let's go in and get rid of him! I have never heard of such a branch of Buddhism that demands the sacrifice of others, but it would be well expunged from this world. Exactly! The Moon Goddess will bless our cause! Shhh. I'm having a vision. If we go into that cave now, Shazar will be very happy. "Whenever there is a full moon, the Blood Blade must cut off a person's head, lest it become dull and unfavourable. Today, a sacrifice has come to me willingly, which has saved me a great deal of trouble."  Blood Blade: "Under the moonlight, the blade is dark red, and the gleam of blood is faint yet terrifying. It's edge is as sharp as any divine weapon." He's just one guy, there are seven of us! We can take him!  It's too dangerous. He has this technique, Blood Flowing in Rivers, it can instantly chop a person in half. We can't take the risk. Hah! Coward! With Madam Cheng here, what's there to fear? It would be... troublesome. Look, I have a better idea, alright? We'll just come back in the day when he's not around. Blood Blade is a Yin technique, he can only cultivate at night. And then we pretend to be a rock and wait. Wow. Does he seriously not see us? There are certain types of meditation where you sink into a deep trance, although I have personally never experienced such before. Now what do we do? Now we steal his technique and his precious little Blood Blade. There is a 1% chance of stealing the Blood Blade Great Art sutra, and I believe also a very small chance of Shazar dropping the Blood Blade on a successful duel. This is pretty much the best Blade sutra in the game, it has chance to instakill as well as AP and health restore on kill. Frankly, without a guide, I would never have thought of doing this. In the meantime, please flesh out Siwang's backstory: A - My dad used to make up stories for me all the time. B - My mom used to tell me bedtime stories. C - No one ever told me stories when I was a kid.
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Jun 9, 2023 17:47
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B for bedtime stories.
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Jun 10, 2023 04:31
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C! Maybe she'll share the book? 
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Jun 10, 2023 11:02
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A
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Jun 10, 2023 12:51
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A
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Jun 10, 2023 13:04
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B
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Jun 10, 2023 13:08
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C. We spent all our time on the PC playing wuxia games, no time for books.
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Jun 18, 2023 14:15
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