Scourge Messenger

Chapter 20 Arriving in Chang'an
Yan Qing naturally did not have the privilege of changing his job among three options like other game characters. He could only do the same as the people in this world, either changing to a martial arts messenger or a literary messenger.

If we go by development potential, the Literary Messenger is slightly better than the Martial Arts Messenger after the fourth transformation, because the main points added to the Martial Arts, 'Qi and Blood' and related basic skills will become less and less effective in the later stages, but the combat power of the Martial Arts Messenger from the first to the third transformation completely crushes the Literary Messenger. What's more, Yan Qing does not have the secret realm to transform into the Literary Messenger, so he can only use the Martial Arts Messenger as the starting point for his extraordinaryness, just like most people in this world.

Only a very small number of geniuses and nobles who can afford to waste time on the secret manuals of literature and Taoism can blindly pursue the theoretical highest strength like game players.

The reason for waiting until today to change classes was because martial arts classes required two key requirements: level 10 and any maxed-out basic physical skill. Yan Qing already had maxed-out footwork, but that only took him five or six levels. He needed at least one maxed-out skill to reach level 10.

Three days ago, a basic swordsmanship manual dropped from a secret realm on "Night Four," but Yan Qing had other uses for it, so he planned to wait for the next one. However, he didn't expect that wait to last three days. The drop rate in the Zhensan Mountain Secret Realm was unusually low over the next few days, with no drops other than spirit jade and supplies. Fortunately, a basic swordsmanship manual finally dropped this morning, otherwise Yan Qing would have had to participate in this journey to Chang'an with ordinary skills.

Although a first-level messenger was still a weakling in this world, for Yan Qing, this was the moment he truly embarked on the path to transcendence. The surging energy and the unstoppable spiritual power—nothing more powerful than this made Yan Qing realize that he was no longer in his original world—that ordinary, ordinary world without miracles!
It used to be a paradise for the weak, but now it is a jungle for the strong.

Yan Qing gripped the sliver of iron tightly, looking at his own reflection on the blade.

From now on, there is only the knife in my hand.

Who can walk out of the long night when faced with the cold iron blade?

"time to go."

Yan Qing gently swung his sword and sheathed it. This mortal-level skill was as easy as breathing for him, who had mastered basic swordsmanship. He picked up his game console and made one last check that all the strategies he had arranged in "Auto Evolution" were flawless. There would undoubtedly be unexpected events, and all he could do was minimize their impact on his plans.

The sound of chairs being dragged could be heard outside. Although it wasn't time yet, it was clear that some people were already impatiently taking their positions. However, before reuniting with his fellow thieves, Yan Qing had one last thing he had to do.

……

...

In the Thieves' Hall, everyone had different thoughts.

Because they were about to arrive at Zhuque Street in Chang'an City, they could not continue to wear masks - if the masks attracted other people's attention on the street, it would be counterproductive.

Disguise is inevitable, and no matter from which perspective, it seems that the other two people are having a hard time.

Yao Shiyuan's disguise was the most thorough. From her figure to her face, no trace of her original appearance could be seen. At first glance, she looked like just a relatively handsome young man.

Ying Rushi's disguise was the most appealing. She pretended to be a mask vendor, wearing half a fox mask, so that others would not find it strange to see her wearing a mask.

Shang Xinlei's disguise was the most perfunctory - she wore a pair of black sunglasses that looked like they were hand-polished gemstones.

No, you might as well wear a mask. People in the north have seen masks, but no one has ever seen something as novel as sunglasses!

And sunglasses can’t hide your appearance!

Just as the two of them were secretly criticizing Shang Xinlei's poor disguise, they suddenly heard the sound of the door opening. They turned around and were all stunned.

After three seconds of silence in the hall, Shang Xinlei's laughter broke the silence.

"Puchi, hahaha, Huang Gou, what the hell is that!" Shang Xinlei covered her stomach and laughed wildly: "Did you hit your head?"

That’s right, Yan Qing’s disguise method was simple, crude and efficient - he wrapped his head tightly with a bunch of bandages, leaving only his eyes, nose and mouth exposed, making him look like a bandage-covered weirdo with severe burns.

Yao Shiyuan couldn't help himself any longer. "If you don't have time to disguise yourself, you can ask me for help. Do you know what disguise is? Disguise means not to attract attention. Look at you, you might as well be wearing masks!"

You should try to smooth things over: "Okay, okay, it might be their first time so they're not used to it..."

Yao Shiyuan gritted his teeth and said, "Don't be so nice, you're not much better than them. Who can sell a bunch of masks without even a cart? More importantly, what if someone wants to buy a mask? Compared to those two, you're more likely to be harassed by others!"

"We're going to Chang'an to steal the Bingzi pepper forest. Can you guys please be more careful?"

Pharmacist Yuan was really furious. She had finally made up her mind to complete this mission and use Bingzi Jiaolinna for her own purposes, but her three teammates turned out to be more outrageous than the other. Now she was a little desperate - could she fail in the first mission and have to trouble her father to rescue her?
As she is now, how can she have the confidence to accuse her father of wrongdoings, and what qualifications does she have to restore the glory of pharmacists?
"Dim sum?" Shang Xinlei checked her things. "Oh, I forgot to bring dim sum. What a pity! The kitchen prepared crab meat and vermicelli steamer today..."

Yan Qing felt himself drooling profusely, and asked curiously, "Pink fruit?"

Shang Xinlei introduced: "It's similar to dumplings, but the fillings are shrimp, fresh pork, barbecued pork, bamboo shoots, and crab meat, so it tastes very fresh and sweet..."

"Enough!" Pharmacist Yuan slammed the table. "All of you, take off your masks, glasses, and bandages and show up directly instead of coming to Chang'an in such a conspicuous way—"

"Confirm that all members are present."

"The mission will begin in five seconds. Landing location: Suzaku Street, Chang'an City. Five, four, three..."

A strange yet familiar voice rang out in everyone's ears. Before they could react, the countdown to five was over in an instant. As their eyes went dark, before they even opened them, the sound of footsteps and the clamor of a distant crowd reached their ears.

Yan Qing had been gripping the hilt of his knife since the countdown began. His body tensed, he opened his eyes as he backed away, and saw the four of them appear at the end of a small alley. Walking from here to the street outside would inevitably require passing a corner, so it was impossible for people outside to see them appear.

"This is behind Tong Ren Tang." Ying Ru looked around and immediately figured out their location. "Let's go. It's about half a mile from here to Anguo Temple."

Yao Shiyuan was a bit unconvinced. Even she, a local of Chang'an, couldn't recognize where this alley was. "How did you know?"

"There are four alleys like this in the sandbox, and the buildings around three of them don't match. The answer is naturally the alley behind Tong Ren Tang." Ying Ru said, "The Thieves' House can't teleport us outside the sandbox."

"Did you take note of the sand table?"

"With five days, isn't it natural to record the sand table?"

After saying that, Ying Rushi walked out, and Yan Qing followed closely behind.

Shang Xinlei glanced at Yao Shiyuan, patted him on the shoulder and said comfortingly, "Don't worry, I didn't write it down either. I guess Huang Quan didn't write it down either. Only Baihu is a genius. Humph, let's isolate her together!"

"Didn't I tell you that we shouldn't have any hasty contact?" Pharmacist Yuan resisted the urge to push her away and glared at her fiercely.

"Sister, you are so difficult to please. White Fox is a genius, and Yellow Dog has intelligence. We two little losers should stick together for warmth." Shang Xinlei shook her head and sighed, and caught up with the two people in front with light steps.

Who says you are a piece of trash?

Yao Shiyuan thought with gritted teeth, but then she was frightened in vain - the red snake actually found out that she was a woman? Impossible, she was obviously disguising herself so well!
The four of them walking along Suzaku Street were indeed quite conspicuous, with passersby frequently turning their heads. Fortunately, it was only half a mile, and they soon reached the commercial market near Anguo Temple. The area was bustling with people, jostling each other shoulder to shoulder, and even among the crowd, they were still conspicuous.

The combination of bandaged weirdo, masked merchant and sunglasses is too avant-garde in Chang'an City.

"Let's go over there and order a bowl of noodles to reserve a seat first." Yan Qing suddenly said.

The place he was pointing to was a noodle shop called "First Noodle".

Pharmacist Yuan frowned: "What noodles to eat? Time is running out. We only have fifteen minutes. We have to..."

"I want to eat, too!"

"I also want to taste the flavor of Chang'an."

Shang Xinlei and Ying Rushi interrupted Yao Shiyuan at the same time.

After Yao Shiyuan's face darkened, Yan Qing explained:

"When we come out later, we'll have to stay on Suzaku Street for half a quarter of an hour before we can go back. If we don't get a good spot now, we'll just be wandering the streets, which is even more risky."

Yan Qing walked over after he finished speaking. It was obvious that he was just informing rather than discussing.

Yao Shiyuan felt extremely frustrated. In other times, who besides her father would dare to overrule her? But in the House of Thieves, she couldn't count how many times she had been overruled by the Yellow Dog. He even made the entire plan, and she had no way of knowing the details.

Looking at the three people in front of him, Yao Shiyuan felt angry.

The white fox was so self-righteous that he even mocked her for not remembering the sand table and said she deserved to be killed;

The red snake saw through her disguise and mocked her as a waste who deserved to be killed;

The yellow dog ignored her opinion and took away her leadership, so he deserves to be killed!

No, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. I don't want to pretend anymore. I'm going to summon the Chang'an Shen Ce Army to crush you all to death!

"Black Wolf, Black Wolf!"

Suddenly, Yan Qing shouted from the front: "Our table has been taken!"

Pharmacist Yuan looked closely and saw that two big men had taken the first step to sit down at the table in front of Yan Qing and the others.

The big man glanced at them and said, "What are you talking about? I was here first. If you're walking slowly, just stand in line and wait for your turn—"

Pharmacist Yuan walked up to them and looked at them expressionlessly.

The burly man still looked disdainful: "Why do you want to fight? This is Chang'an, do you think you guys can act wildly——"

Boom!
Pharmacist Yuan reached out and grabbed their collars. She had a great figure, with long arms and legs. Even though the two men were a bit taller than her, she managed to lift these two 100-pound strong men like dolls! Their legs and feet swayed, and they even kicked over the chairs.

Without waiting for them to resist, she swung them hard and threw them out of the noodle shop.

Facing such a fierce man who could lift him up with one hand, it was undoubtedly a martial arts messenger. Although Chang'an protected them from getting hurt, the strong man did not dare to offend the messenger. Without saying a single harsh word, he got up and walked away in disgrace.

"Luckily you're here, Black Wolf."

"Yeah, Black Wolf, your Qi and blood should be very high, right?"

"I'm afraid it will be up to you, Black Wolf, to lead the attack later."

Yao Shiyuan's expression remained calm, but perhaps due to the surge of blood and energy, his face had become much redder. He sat down and said calmly, "Humph, I knew you were unreliable."

Yan Qing, Ying Rushi and Shang Xinlei looked at each other secretly.

As early as the second meeting, they vaguely felt that Yao Shiyuan's mood was prone to ups and downs. When Yao Shiyuan was in a bad mood, he would directly overturn the table - for example, he would directly end the meeting on the next day.

Pharmacist Yuan, on the other hand, loves to offer suggestions and even give orders. If you disagree with her, she'll secretly be unhappy, and when that unhappiness builds up, she'll easily explode. Normally, this kind of person is the most troublesome, but Black Wolf is surprisingly easy to deal with—as long as she gets the better of them, she'll return to her normal self.

Coincidentally, they all knew that they had to give Black Wolf appropriate opportunities to perform.

After the waiter came over, Yan Qing asked, "How long will it take for four bowls of fresh meat wonton noodles?"

Seeing the strange guests at this table, the waiter's expression remained unchanged. He smiled and replied, "Sorry, sir, there are quite a lot of guests right now. You may have to wait for a quarter of an hour."

"A quarter of an hour, okay. You guys can cook it first. We'll go to Anguo Temple to get something and come back."

"Okay."

Yan Qing raised his head. The sun was high in the sky and the sunlight was falling almost vertically. He could hardly see his own shadow if he stood still.

The time has come, he thought.

At the same time, three unexpected guests arrived at the Tzu Chi Temple behind Anguo Temple. A monk mopping the floor saw three identical figures open the main door and walk into the entrance hall. He asked, startled, "Who are you...?"

"An Qi."

"Anba."

"An Jiu."

The first chapter will be updated at 12 o'clock.

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(End of this chapter)