Chapter 72

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Lin Qing gently took Zhou Zhiruo's soft, delicate hand.

At this moment, silence spoke louder than words.

The two people, gazing at each other.

One was willing to abandon the mission early for the other, and the other was willing to step forward at a critical moment, carry the other, and risk their life to escape.

Lin Qing and Zhou Zhiruo, their affection was deep and sincere.

As their faces drew closer and closer, a sudden roar from a distant unknown creature interrupted the beautiful atmosphere.

"What is this place?" Zhou Zhiruo exclaimed, her beautiful eyes scanning the surroundings with unease.

At this moment, after an adventure in a new world, Lin Qing found that the original terrain and landscape had undergone a significant change.

The two were standing on a wide platform, overlooking the entire maze.

"This is the Maze Space," Lin Qing said frankly. "A space far more brutal than the world of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*. Only the central area is safe, while the rest is filled with slaughter, monsters, and traps."

"I'm not afraid," Zhou Zhiruo's eyes filled with affection, her face flushed, and her deep love almost melted Lin Qing's heart.

He took a deep breath, grateful that he had made the right choice between profit and beauty.

No matter how great the profit, it is only temporary, but people are long-lasting.

Zhou Zhiruo, this intelligent and skilled dream knight, belongs only to him!

This feeling was wonderful.

He took Zhou Zhiruo's small hand, and the lovers gazed together at the distant horizon.

Without the epic wall blocking their view, they could see extremely far, even to several kilometers away.

Under the glow of the setting sun, it was still an endless maze.

"Who built this maze, and why?" Zhou Zhiruo asked softly.

"I don't know," Lin Qing said with a hint of melancholy. "There are too many secrets waiting for us to uncover."

Speaking of secrets, he suddenly remembered that kg and Iron Rod were still inside.

He turned and entered.

He found kg with a tear-streaked face, lying on the ground and pleading (he had no lower body), sobbing and crying: "Space, I only need 800 supply points to complete it. Please lend me the points. Without my lower body, I can't survive."

But the space had no reaction.

Lin Qing thought for a moment and directly traded 800 supply points to kg.

kg was both surprised and delighted, never expecting such a thing to happen.

Lin Qing said coldly, "Get healed quickly."

He turned and left.

While kg and the others were being treated, Lin Qing began to tally his gains from this world.

9 attribute points, 21,345 white path reputation points, four hidden map instances: [White Ape Cliff], [Secret Passage of Bright Peak], [Ice Fire Island], [Tian Ying Sect Headquarters]. Among them, the [Secret Passage of Bright Peak] instance was already completed, turning into an unclaimed [World of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* Conquest Battle] invitation, making the map useless. He also had the Heaven Sword, the Tian Ying Sect leader's token, the Emei Sect ring, the seventh level of the *Nine Yang Manual*, [Eagle King Bracelet], [Bulletproof Vest], [Sharp Dagger].

The [Heaven Sword], as a key plot item, is an A-level weapon that requires completing a series of recognition tasks to unlock.

Lin Qing remembered that this weapon had an attack power of 25, incredibly sharp.

He immediately selected the [Heaven Sword], trying to initiate the recognition task.

The [Heaven Sword] emitted a dazzling light, and Lin Qing received a prompt.

"Do you want to unlock the recognition task for the Heaven Sword?"

"Warning: As an A-level weapon, the [Heaven Sword] has a unique sword spirit. The recognition task will consist of multiple steps, but the final assessment will not be less difficult than the weapon itself. Do you accept?"

"Not less difficult than the weapon itself?" Lin Qing sighed. "That means to unlock the [Heaven Sword] and unleash its true power, I need to enter an A-level difficulty world, which is the Fourth Zone—Holy Ring Zone!"

The Holy Ring Zone, just the name suggests, is extremely difficult, a place only saints can enter.

This [Heaven Sword] has been in his possession for a long time, but it cannot be used.

"However, it seems to be a multi-step task. Completing one step might activate some attributes, right?" Zhou Zhiruo said beside him.

Lin Qing's eyes lit up.

Indeed, as Zhou Zhiruo guessed, the [Heaven Sword] prompted: "The recognition task consists of four steps: [Descendant of Loyalty and Righteousness], [Proof of Loyalty and Bravery], [Sorrow of the Loyal Soul], [Union of Loyalty]. The difficulty levels are D, C, B, A, respectively."

[Descendant of Loyalty and Righteousness]: Find the descendants of Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Yang Guo, and Xiaolongnü, and gain their recognition to allow you to use the Heaven Sword.

"Descendants of Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Yang Guo, and Xiaolongnü?"

Lin Qing and Zhou Zhiruo looked at each other.

"This is difficult. The two great heroes have three descendants: Guo Xiang, Guo Fu, and Guo Polu." Lin Qing pondered. "But to meet them, we would need to enter the early stages of *The Return of the Condor Heroes* or *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*. The descendants of Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü could be... "

A graceful figure in a yellow robe flashed in his mind.

A Yang surname beauty in yellow?

Right, that beauty would do!

With a plan in mind, Lin Qing calmed down and put away the Heaven Sword. However, to unlock it, he would need to enter the world of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* again.

kg and Hook walked over.

Both had their heads lowered.

Lin Qing knew that adventurers were unpredictable. They could be laughing and grateful one moment and turn to betrayal and attack the next.

He nodded.

Zhou Zhiruo immediately leaped away, holding the Heaven Sword. She was equally alert, focusing intently on the two.

2 on 2.

kg and Hook exchanged a glance.

Under Lin Qing's authority, they deliberated and decided to temporarily submit.

It must be said that Lin Qing's 800 supply points also gave kg some ties, making him believe that following this person had some prospects. Otherwise, with their rebellious nature, they would have turned against him long ago.

"Alright," Lin Qing said calmly. "You've seen that I can temporarily summon Zhou Zhiruo to assist me in battle. Now, reveal your secrets. Whoever speaks well will be rewarded, and whoever deliberately conceals or deceives will have their reward given to the other and face my anger!"

kg and Hook exchanged a complex look and lowered their heads.

"I'll go first," kg said, grinning. "This maze appeared at some unknown time, and no one knows how big it is. The Hong Gang's influence extends to the Chief Ring Zone, and it is said that even further areas are controlled by more powerful forces."

"How many members does the Hong Gang have?" Lin Qing asked.

"I know. About 3,000," Hook quickly answered.

"No, about 8,000 members have formally sworn to the Hong Gang and recited the 'Thirty-six Oaths of the Hong Gang.' The rest who haven't recited them are considered peripheral members," kg sneered at Hook. "Your low rank means you don't know many secrets. We are divided into 8 halls, numbered according to the eight characters 'Heaven, Earth, Mystery, Yellow, Universe, Hong, Vast, Desolate.' Each hall has a Second Marshal, who is the hall's leader. Each of the 8 halls has 8 altars, named East, West, South, North, Front, Back, Left, and Right, with a White Paper Fan as the altar leader. Each altar has 100 members, divided into 10 teams. This makes 6,400 members, but there are also the boss's direct departments: Planning, Intelligence, Supervision, and the hidden Red Flower Double Stick assassination team, totaling 8,000 members."

"The teams are divided into three levels: the elite veterans are called Red Flowers, the ordinary adventurers are called Blue Lanterns, and the lowest cannon fodder are called Straw Shoes. We are the Red Flower Team 4 of the Front Altar of the Universe Hall."

"Red Flowers, Blue Lanterns, Straw Shoes?" Zhou Zhiruo laughed. "What are these names?"

"Red Flowers are named after the 108 heroes of *Water Margin*, where Wu Song wielded a red stick. Blue Lanterns refer to those who have formally joined the Hong Gang, sworn the Thirty-six Oaths, and are considered to have died and 'reborn' during the initiation ceremony. Traditionally, a blue lantern is hung outside a home when someone dies, so formal members of the Hong Gang are also called Blue Lanterns. Straw Shoes are named after the 128 monks who resisted the invasion of the Central Plains at the end of the Ming Dynasty. The lowest-ranking members of the Hong Gang, who have just joined, are called Straw Shoes."

He continued, "The dead surgeon was a hidden Red Flower Double Stick fighter, one in a hundred. There are fewer than 100 Red Flower Double Stick fighters in the entire Hong Gang. I know that the Hong Gang placed great importance on this mission, sending a Red Flower Double Stick fighter to infiltrate our group. I didn't expect him to die, but the Hong Gang is likely to..."

Lin Qing frowned.

The entire Hong Gang had fewer than 100 Red Flower Double Stick fighters, and he had killed one during this rookie mission.

The Hong Gang would not let this go easily.

Adding to this, the Red Flower Team 4, which was given high hopes and many resources, had not returned. The Hong Gang would certainly investigate.

He felt around in the space.

There, he found a Red Flower Double Stick emblem.

Suddenly, a bold idea flashed in Lin Qing's mind.

Could he?

Since the Hong Gang was so powerful, could he use it to his advantage?

He touched the [Secret Passage of Bright Peak] map, which was now useless after completing the task, and smiled faintly.

This thought flashed through his mind, and Lin Qing suddenly asked, "How does a Red Flower Double Stick fighter contact the Hong Gang?"

kg continued.

"The Red Flower Double Stick fighters in the Hong Gang are directly controlled by a special Second Marshal, known as the Heavenly Marshal. The Red Flower Double Stick fighters, to maintain their absolute mysterious identity and avoid being recognized during missions, take strict confidentiality measures. They do not need to work in the gang, but only use the emblem as proof to maintain single-line contact with this Second Marshal. They only go to the headquarters periodically for inspection."

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