Chapter 89

Alpha looked around. He had moved from the sunny Difia outpost to a mountain field under a starry sky. In the distance, the melodious sound of a qin and a xiao (Chinese flute) played together. Alpha sighed:

— It’s over, the two old buddies have already started playing.

The first thought that came to mind was that there was no way to stop the two masters from wasting their internal energy on this. If they just wanted to play the qin and xiao, they could have done so, but they had to go all out. This wasn’t like the recruitment on Peach Blossom Island where Huang Yaoshi and the Old Toad competed with their internal energy. Was it really necessary?

Given the situation, there was nothing much Alpha could do. All he could do was stand in the shadows and listen to the two old men play the legendary "Smiling, Proud Wanderer" melody, which was described as something magical but was actually just the tune of "Cang Hai Xiao, Tides Roaring on Both Shores." He would also wait for Linghu Chong and Yilin to appear.

To be honest, Alpha couldn’t really appreciate the melody. The original work described Liu and Qu’s performance of the "Smiling, Proud Wanderer" as something divine, with phrases like:

"The qin music gradually became more intense, while the xiao sound slowly became lower, but the xiao sound, though low, did not break, like a thread of silk floating in the wind, continuous and unbroken, adding to the stirring and moving atmosphere,"

...

"The clashing sounds seemed to carry a sense of killing intent,"

...

And the most magical part:

"... Suddenly, the qin and xiao sounds changed dramatically, as if there were seven or eight qins and seven or eight xiaos playing at the same time. Although the qin and xiao sounds were extremely complex and varied, each sound was melodious and moving,"

...

...

In fact, Alpha couldn’t hear any of the magical qualities described by Jin Yong. The originally pleasant tune only made him feel annoyed and endlessly criticize the two old men who were still playing despite their age.

— I wonder if I’m the one who can’t appreciate it, or if the cows are playing for me...

What a mess. Clearly, Liu and Qu working together could easily kill Fei Bing, but now they were both on the verge of death. When Fei Bing appeared, Alpha would have to fight alongside Linghu Chong and a half-useless nun, Yilin.

It was uncertain how much help Linghu Chong and Yilin could provide... Wait, where were they? According to the story, Linghu Chong and Yilin should be listening nearby and should have appeared by now. But Alpha couldn’t find any trace of them. Given their martial arts skills, they shouldn’t be able to hide so well. Could it be that they didn’t exist at all?

A sense of foreboding spread in Alpha’s mind. Could the plot have been altered, like in "The Crane Wing Formation"?

Alpha looked around again but still couldn’t find Linghu Chong and Yilin. He waited a bit longer, but even as Liu and Qu’s "Smiling, Proud Wanderer" was almost over, they still didn’t appear.

Well, that was it. The second hope was also dashed. Fei Bing was already a tough opponent, and the only two helpers were erased by the system.

Since that was the case, he could only go over and see what he could do. This was truly being forced into a difficult situation.

Alpha walked closer and saw a short, fat man who looked like a landlord and a somewhat ethereal old man, each holding a qin and a xiao, completely immersed in the music, oblivious to the fact that they had both ruptured their heart meridians and were on the brink of death.

These two were clearly Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang.

Standing next to Qu Yang was a little girl with long black hair and big, bright eyes. She could only be Qu Feiyan. Thinking about how she might be killed by Fei Bing, Alpha felt uncomfortable:

"Tsk, what a pretty girl, it’s a shame to kill her. Is Fei Bing’s kidney that bad? How can he bring himself to do it? Wouldn’t it be better to take her as a child bride?"

Alpha was lost in these off-the-wall thoughts, unsure of what to do next.

No matter how he thought about it, there was no solution. The only idea was to prevent Qu Feiyan from rushing out to be killed, but he didn’t know how to stop her from charging forward or how to prevent Fei Bing from killing her as soon as he appeared.

He couldn’t just go up and say, "I know Jin Yong wrote that you would die, Qu Feiyan, don’t speak up."

He needed to address the root of the problem. Why did Qu Feiyan rush out?

This was simple. Qu Feiyan wanted to protect the two old men who had ruptured their heart meridians and lost their internal energy. As long as Qu Feiyan could move, she wouldn’t sit by and watch her grandfather be humiliated by Fei Bing. Protecting Liu Zhengfeng was probably just a side effect.

Why did Fei Bing kill Qu Feiyan without hesitation?

The original story said, "Fei Bing saw that he had to kill five people, although they had little resistance, but the longer the night, the more risks. If even one escaped, there would be endless trouble. Therefore, he used a killing move." In other words, he had no reason, he just wanted to kill, and all five people had to die.

— If Qu Feiyan rushed out first, she would be the first to die.

So, Fei Bing killing Qu Feiyan was inevitable. Whoever rushed out first would be killed. To have a good outcome, Qu Feiyan shouldn’t rush out.

However, even if this problem was solved, it might not save Qu Feiyan because there was another crucial factor:

Don’t forget that the ultimate goal of stalling Fei Bing was to wait for Mo Da to save the day. Therefore, "stalling" was the key to completing the task. If they couldn’t stall long enough for Mo Da to appear, even if Qu Feiyan stayed back, she would still die in the end.

But now, with Linghu Chong and Yilin gone, stalling Fei Bing became even more difficult.

Without Linghu Chong and Yilin, the time they spent fighting Fei Bing and stalling him was crucial for Mo Da to arrive and save the five people. Now, without Linghu Chong, Alpha couldn’t stall Fei Bing for long, let alone Yilin, who had stalled Fei Bing for a considerable time. If Yilin wasn’t a pretty little nun, Fei Bing wouldn’t have been interested in teasing her.

So, Alpha had two tasks:

1. Prevent Qu Feiyan from rushing out to her death.

2. Stall Fei Bing as long as possible.

Achieving both goals simultaneously was not easy. The two people had little interaction. Either Qu Feiyan would rush out and die, or Fei Bing would kill everyone directly. Unless he could connect the two, making Qu Feiyan not rush out and Fei Bing not kill her immediately...

"Make Fei Bing reluctant to kill Qu Feiyan?"

This thought opened up Alpha’s mind. A sudden idea popped into his head:

Make Fei Bing realize Qu Feiyan’s value. This way, Fei Bing wouldn’t kill her. By doing something to Qu Feiyan, he could buy enough time for Mo Da to appear. This was the key to keeping Qu Feiyan alive before Mo Da took action.

— Alpha believed this was also the key to the "Qin and Xiao Lament" quest.

As for how to spin the lie, Alpha smiled. He was confident that no one was better at making up a perfect lie than him...

---

"Meeting the super popular 'Waste Brother' is better than smiling and laughing with the 'League of Heroes' bunch, right?"

The Wheel King smiled, but the young man in black didn’t seem moved, shaking his head firmly. Although both were handsome, their auras were vastly different.

One had a cold, icy demeanor, while the other was warm and sunny.

Of course, there was another person in the corner, tall and thin, with a long bow on his back, his face stretched out like his height:

"He won’t smile and laugh with the 'League of Heroes' either. You’ll have to wait for Old Bai to come back."

The Biancheng King, who was filing his nails, said without looking up.

"Old Bai is even harder to deal with than Blackie..."

The Wheel King pouted, and the young man in black flipped him off. The Wheel King pointed to the door:

"When Sister Shui calls you 'Little Blackie,' give her the finger too."

The young man in black didn’t speak, but raised his other middle finger. The Wheel King rolled his eyes and complained:

"I just don’t get it. Why does everyone act like they’ve seen a ghost when it comes to dealing with 'Waste Brother'?"

"Who’s seen a ghost? We are the ghosts."

The door opened, and a cheerful voice, more cheerful than the speaker—a smiling, fat man in white—entered the room first.

Indeed, this ugly but cheerful fat man walked as if he were floating. A closer look revealed two green swirls under his feet, gently lifting his large body, seemingly a "Floating Spell."

"Little Wheel, you said everyone acted like they’ve seen a ghost when it comes to dealing with 'Waste Brother.'"

The Biancheng King explained, and the Wheel King rolled his eyes:

"Don’t pretend to be innocent, old man. Don’t think I don’t know Blackie has already opened a private chat to 'eavesdrop' on our conversation. Just say if you’re going or not."

"Wheel, do you really not know why no one wants to take this job?"

The fat man still smiled.

"How would I know?"

"Why don’t you say it yourself?"

"He’s afraid of being scolded by Sister Shui."

Before the Wheel King could speak, the Biancheng King quickly interjected. The Wheel King stuck out his tongue, acknowledging it. The fat man in white chuckled:

"Hey, Little Wheel, you’re afraid of being blamed, but we’re not?"

The Wheel King scowled:

"Damn, you guys are all so unbrotherly... But to be honest, I haven’t thought of a good reason to deal with 'Waste Brother.'

Going directly would seem too purposeful and might come off as bullying. But if you say you want to make amends, Sister Shui won’t agree, and it would embarrass the Eighteen Hells—these lone wolves are really hard to deal with, even making amends is so complicated..."

"Who said he’s a lone wolf?"

The fat man in white smiled and patted the Wheel King’s shoulder.

"Alright, isn’t it just about finding a reason to make amends without losing face or seeming like bullying? I’ll take care of it—hey, Kun Du, you know what I mean..."

"Deal, the Emperor Suite!!!"

The Wheel King slapped his thigh...