Chapter Fourteen: Broadsword Wang Wu

In the game "War," the more renowned the NPC who issues the quest, the greater the rewards players receive upon completion. When Zhang Yuanyuan posted a quest, Chen Hao felt the name Wang Zhengyi sounded familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he’d heard it before. Hearing Baihuhu Yaonie’s comment, he frowned and said, “This NPC is probably someone important, but I just can’t remember where I’ve heard the name…”

“Tch!” Baihuhu Yaonie scoffed disdainfully. “That’s easy. For matters beyond our borders, ask Google; for domestic affairs, just search it. You’ll know in a second.”

Chen Hao cursed himself inwardly for being so foolish, so wrapped up in the game that he’d forgotten he could use real-world resources to learn about it. He logged into a browser from within the game. After entering the name Wang Zhengyi, a detailed profile quickly appeared on the webpage. Chen Hao’s face lit up with delight. “So it’s him.”

Returning to the game, Baihuhu Yaonie looked at him with a mix of envy and resentment. “Chen, your luck is just ridiculous! It’s your first day in the game and you’re already assigned a quest related to such an impressive figure.”

Chen Hao chuckled. “Can’t help it when you’ve got good fortune. I’m definitely taking this quest. Yaonie, want to lend me some money?”

Without hesitation, Baihuhu Yaonie handed over two silver coins. “What are brothers for, right? I may not be great at leveling up, but I can make money. Chen, just let me know if you’re ever short.”

Chen Hao took only one of the coins, cursing with a laugh, “You really are practical. I’ve still got a dozen or so copper coins; one silver should be enough. Once I finish this quest, I’ll help you level up.”

Spring in his step, Chen Hao left the Spring Fragrance Brothel. The two thugs at the door, seeing how long he’d lingered inside, really thought he was some young master from a wealthy family and greeted him with exaggerated courtesy.

Chen Hao first stopped by an opium den, where he exchanged a shoddy pipe for twenty copper coins. Then, he headed to a nearby restaurant, spending 112 copper coins on roast duck and braised lion’s head meatballs, which he stowed in his satchel. Using his knowledge of the town’s layout, he slipped through several quiet alleys, shaking off the players Killersblade had stationed near the brothel to keep watch, and made his way toward the west gate of Penglai County.

The Earth God Temple to the west was about five hundred meters outside the town. Along the way, the monsters were level four hoodlums—aggressive types. With most players around level four, the area was crowded with people grinding for experience, and monsters were rare. Sticking to the small paths, Chen Hao was seldom attacked by the hoodlums and soon arrived at the temple. The place was deserted; the quest NPC, Wang Zhengyi, was nowhere to be seen.

After accepting the quest, Zhang Yuanyuan had told him that the temple held hidden secrets—if he called out loudly, someone would come to lead the way. So, Chen Hao shouted, “Senior Wang, are you here? Miss Zhang Yuanyuan sent me to bring you food.”

On his third call, a voice came from behind the Earth God statue: “There’s a button at the statue’s base. Turn it to the left three times, then go behind the statue—there’s a ladder down.”

Crouching before the statue, Chen Hao inspected it and found a spot free of dust. He reached out, found the button, and turned it left three times. A creaking sound came from behind the statue. Moving around to the back, he discovered a cellar entrance.

He descended the ladder into the darkness. As soon as his foot touched the ground, a cold blade pressed against his neck, and a deep voice asked, “You say Zhang Yuanyuan sent you, yet I’ve never seen you before. Why is that?”

With a knife at his throat, Chen Hao remained calm, knowing this NPC wasn’t one to kill innocents. He steadily explained how he’d delivered a bronze bracelet to Zhang Yuanyuan.

After he finished, the cold sensation at his neck vanished as the man behind him withdrew his blade and apologized. “I thought you were an imperial lackey. My apologies, brother, and thank you for bringing me food.”

“Caution is only prudent, Senior,” Chen Hao replied, retrieving the roast duck and braised lion’s head from his satchel. In the faint light filtering through a small hole in the cellar wall, he handed the food to Wang Zhengyi. “I brought you these. I hope they suit your taste.”

Wang Zhengyi laughed heartily. “Wang Wu’s fondness for roast duck and braised lion’s head is well known to Yuanyuan. Of course it’s to my taste.” With that, he took the food and began to eat with gusto.

In the dim light, Chen Hao sized up the ravenous NPC. Though short in stature, Wang Zhengyi looked powerfully built. Few recognized the name Wang Zhengyi, but the name Great Blade Wang Wu was famous throughout the land.

Wang Wu lived a life of chivalry, supporting reform, answering the nation’s call in its hour of peril—a hero celebrated by all. In 1898, at the height of the Hundred Days’ Reform, Tan Sitong entered the capital to serve as a fourth-rank official, participating in the reforms. During that time, Wang Wu was responsible for Tan Sitong’s daily needs and security.

After the reforms failed, Tan Sitong, determined to awaken the people, willingly surrendered himself. Upon learning this, Wang Wu was frantic, seeking information, bribing jailers, and contacting martial heroes in a plot to rescue Tan, but Tan Sitong refused all attempts.

When Tan Sitong and the other “Six Gentlemen of the Hundred Days’ Reform” were executed outside Caishikou, Wang Wu was stricken with grief. Determined to honor Tan Sitong’s legacy and avenge him, Wang Wu organized multiple assassination attempts; each failure only steeled his resolve against the Qing court.

In 1900, as the Boxer anti-imperialist movement rose in the north, Wang Wu led his followers to join in, fighting alongside the Boxers. Just over ten days prior, Wang Wu and nearly a hundred Boxers burned down a foreign church, prompting a siege by Qing troops. Wounded, he fled to Penglai County in Dengzhou Prefecture, where local Boxers sheltered him in the Earth God Temple to recover.

Chen Hao had chosen constitutional monarchy as his ideology. Since Wang Wu was a staunch supporter of the Hundred Days’ Reform, that made Wang Wu more inclined to trust him. Learning that the quest related to the bronze bracelet involved Wang Wu, Chen Hao was thrilled—Wang Wu was a martial arts master, one of the top ten fighters of the late Qing dynasty. If Chen Hao, who specialized in close combat, could learn even a little from him, leveling up early on would be a breeze.

After devouring the duck and meatballs, Wang Wu wiped his mouth and asked, “Brother, what is your name?”

“I’m Chen Baxian,” Chen Hao replied promptly.

Wang Wu smiled. “You seem like an ordinary man. There must be a reason I’m hiding here. Are you not afraid of being implicated?”

Chen Hao grinned. “I guessed you must be a hero among the Boxers or someone similar. The Qing court is corrupt, foreigners run rampant, and I admire men like you who resist them without regard for your own safety. Unfortunately, my martial skills are poor and I can’t be of much use. All I can do is bring you food. Otherwise, I too would give my life to fight the foreigners.”

“Well said!” Wang Wu exclaimed. “Brother Baxian, you have spirit. If all our countrymen had supported the reforms like you, Master Tan would not have died. Martial skill can be learned. If you’re willing, let me teach you some sword techniques.”

(Today I mailed out the contract, but this week I’m running bare. I hope you’ll support me and help push this new book up the rankings.)