Chapter 26: Sequential Tasks

“Embroiderer!”
“Yingzi… Hehua…”
Gan Daniu, Zhu Zi, and Tie Dan quickly crossed through the corpses of the Black Wind Gang thieves, frantically rescuing several captured women from the carriage before bowing before Kai Xin:
“Thank you, sir!”
“Thank you, sir!”
As they bowed, their eyes grew moist.
Kai Xin felt something stir within him; without hesitation, he helped them up: “It’s what we should do. Get up quickly. We’re close to the Black Wind Gang—no one should stay here too long. Grab your things and leave.”
“Yes, we’ll follow your orders!”
“Zhu Zi, Tie Dan, hurry and drive the carriage back!” Gan Daniu seemed to have authority over the others, who promptly obeyed. It was easy to descend the mountain, and soon they disappeared from Kai Xin’s sight.
Coming back to his senses…
Kai Xin realized that not only had he killed ten bandits on this trip, but he had also dealt with the third leader of the Black Wind Gang, whose strength far surpassed his own. These people must have carried quite a bit of silver.
After checking their corpses, he found over 1,400 taels of silver, along with 200 taels of gold coins on the third leader’s person, a damaged brocade robe, and an “Ice Frost Axe”—a surprisingly low-quality legendary weapon, which surprised Kai Xin. He also obtained a set of secret manuals titled “Five Elements Sequential Axe Techniques.”
“Now I won’t have to worry about running out of new combat skills.”
Smiling, Kai Xin stored all his gains in his Qiankun Bag before suddenly realizing something.
The embroiderer had been rescued, and he had done what he needed to do, yet the system hadn’t indicated that he had received his reward…
Curious, he checked the task log—and was shocked!
It turned out the ordeal wasn’t over yet!
Task Log:
Sequential Task 1: Rescue the Embroiderer (Completed);
Triggered Task 2: The Fury of the Black Wind Gang.
Since you killed the third leader of the Black Wind Gang in the area near their outer sentries and were spotted by their guards, the entire gang now knows of the third leader’s death. The chief leader is furious, but out of respect for the Murong family’s prestige, he decides to avenge Suhe Village. He has ordered the second leader to gather 50 elite members of the Black Wind Gang to massacre every man, woman, and child in Suhe Village after dark, using them as sacrifices for the third leader!
After reading the task log, the long-awaited system notification finally appeared:
“Would you like to accept ‘The Fury of the Black Wind Gang’?”

“If you choose to give up, it will be considered an automatic waiver of the rewards for the task of ‘Rescuing the Embroiderer’. All reputation points obtained from Black Wind Fort will be reset, as will the chivalry points in the martial world! The goodwill of the villagers in Suhe Village will also be reset!”
“……”
Kai Xin took a deep breath in shock!
It wasn’t so much because the punishment for giving up the task was severe, but rather…
Black Wind Fort had mobilized fifty bandits just for revenge!!
Together with the second fort master, who was also at the peak of his skills but had a more calm personality, Kai Xin really couldn’t think of any way he could single-handedly prevent this massacre.
The joy of his great gains had vanished completely. He felt as anxious as an ant on a hot pan! He became extremely urgent!
Although he had already reaped a lot from this trip and could endure some punishment without it affecting his future, Kai Xin knew he absolutely couldn’t back down.
If Suhe Village was wiped out because of him, and Gan Daniu, the village chief, and the clever little Huan… he would never stand by and watch such a tragedy happen!
Absolutely not!!!
Kai Xin clenched his fists tightly, determination shining in his eyes.
Fifty bandits…
One person simply couldn’t resist them, especially since he was just a newcomer.
Ask for help?
None of his acquaintances were in Gusu City, and he didn’t usually interact with anyone… except for one person…
Frowning, Kai Xin thought of someone.
Remembering what that person had said to him that morning, he hesitated for a moment.
But then he realized that this matter involved the survival of Suhe Village, and with less than two hours left until nightfall, time was of the essence. He couldn’t afford to delay, so he made up his mind. He took out paper and pen from his Qi Bag, wrote a line on it, signed his name, and rolled the paper into a small bundle.
After finishing these steps, Kai Xin took out a gentle and obedient snow-white homing pigeon from his Qi Bag, placed the note in the small bamboo tube on its foot, and after confirming everything, the pigeon soared high into the sky and disappeared quickly.
After releasing the pigeon, Kai Xin let out a long sigh of relief and waited on the spot.
This battle made him realize a crisis!
In the martial world!
Often, one encounters situations that are beyond one’s ability to handle.
His focus on training had made him neglect the most important aspect of life in the martial world—interpersonal relationships… He had made this mistake in his past life, and now he was making the same mistake again!
“……”
……

In an inn several miles away from Gusu City, a few young people were drinking wine and chatting about various things, each sharing their experiences and missions within their sect. Though ordinary, their conversations were entertaining, with bursts of laughter from time to time.
At the table, two individuals stood out. One was a young man dressed in plain gray servant’s clothes, holding a long sword, just like all the newcomers; the other wore a blue warrior’s robe, looking more like a martial artist from the jianghu. They sat side by side, seemingly on equal footing.
“Hey, Little Cyclone, what’s wrong today? Why not say anything?”
The young man in blue kept staring at his opponent, who kept glancing around. Finding it strange, he said, “You should be happy to have officially joined the sect today.”
“I am happy.”
Little Cyclone was none other than Li Xuanfeng, who had been chatting heartily with Happy earlier that morning. He was momentarily stunned before realizing, “You know, I’ve been practicing mental techniques and lightness skills lately. My combat skills are average. I heard the ruffians here are quite strong, and I’m worried…”
“Worried about what? We’re in such a large group.”
“That’s right! Brother Qing’s swordsmanship has reached the ninth level. The sound of his sword is so clear and loud. Tsk…” The four other young people chimed in.
“What do you know?”
After all, Li Xuanfeng was a disciple of the Murong family, with innate attributes and insight surpassing ordinary players. “This technique originated from our Murong family. Following the lead of our eldest brother to practice swordsmanship against ruffians isn’t a bad idea… But with so many people waiting here, it would be embarrassing if I, Li Xuanfeng, tarnished Brother Happy’s reputation.”
“Hah, so that’s what’s bothering you…”
The man in blue laughed. Just as he was about to say something, his eyes lit up suddenly, and he exclaimed, “Hey, Little Cyclone, someone is calling you.”
Li Xuanfeng felt a tightness in his shoulders as well as a “cooing” sound in his ears. Turning his head, he frowned and muttered, “Who could it be at a time like this?” Then he took down the messenger pigeon.
With the ruffians about to show up, someone was still sending messages via pigeon…
It would have been better not to look. But as soon as Li Xuanfeng read the note, he sprang to his feet. He glanced back at the list and numbers on the paper before reaching out without hesitation to the five people at the table:
“Money! Whoever has money, lend it to me! It’s an emergency in the jianghu!”
The five were stunned.