The system seemed a little melancholy.
Although the randomness of the bodies in each world is higher, it has figured out the patterns. In this world, it deliberately chose inorganic—without relatives or friends, except for an enemy—it originally thought that Yan Liang could have a lot of fun in this world, and it could also eat more delicious "food".
When it woke up, it had eaten delicious food, but Yan Liang was clearly not very happy.
Joy, sadness, anger, indifference, surprise... different emotions have different flavors, but when all these emotions are mixed together, the flavor is very subtle.
In the darkness, Yan Liang cautiously made his way along the wall, groping for cover. Before leaving, Hua Zhenzhen reminded him that everything in this cave was under the Bat Prince's control. If possible, it was best not to emit any light. So he put away his flashlight.
Yan Liang disliked the silence, so he started chatting with the system.
Sorry to wake you up, how did you sleep?
[Great!] The system sensed that Yan Liang was in a good mood. [What are you going to do next?]
The built-in program records Yan Liang's actions. The system learns about Yan Liang's past and is both worried about him and puzzled about his next move.
"Go and beat up Yuan Suiyun and Wuhua." Yan Liang answered him decisively.
The system thought for a moment, still not quite understanding why Yan Liang said "beat" instead of "kill". But Yan Liang seemed quite pleased with his answer, so it considerately refrained from asking further.
"You should master a special skill, like using a weapon," the system advised him prudently. "Although you get along with most of the people you meet, if you're unable to fight back like this time, you might die quickly."
...You're so honest, sir.
Yan Liang laughed: "Sure, can you recommend one?"
"[Sword.]" the system said, "[Do you remember the bounty offered for the peerless sword technique? Although that bounty hunter bought Ye Gucheng's sword technique, it seems he hasn't been able to fully master it.]"
Yan Liang raised an eyebrow.
He recorded the incident, but he was also injured in the process… He still remembers the scene. It was no surprise that the bounty hunter couldn't learn it.
"If it were you, you would definitely be able to learn it!" the system declared confidently, completely trusting Yan Liang.
"The Celestial Flying Immortal technique was created by City Lord Ye... I can't learn it." Yan Liang said, both amused and exasperated. "You overestimate me, and besides, I don't really want to use a sword."
"So what do you want to use?" The system wasn't annoyed after its suggestion was rejected, and asked very seriously.
"...A stick, right?" Yan Liang said uncertainly. "Drawing blood with a sword, but beating people with a stick feels really good."
The system was initially startled, then filled with awe: it had forgotten that Yan Liang advocated beating, not killing.
"I'll go find it for you right away." The system left after saying that, and Yan Liang thought for a moment and decided not to bother it.
He sent out a bugging device to follow Yuan Suiyun and relayed all the activity over there to him. They were currently preparing for their first auction. Yan Liang thought to himself that he wasn't in a hurry to go and beat them up; he'd rather wait for Chu Liuxiang and the others to arrive. In the meantime, he should first explore this cave thoroughly.
Along the way, they encountered patrolling men, but the Bat Prince's men were all taciturn and would at most nod when they met. Yan Liang initially hid in the shadows to figure out their patrol patterns, and when the time was right, he quietly knocked one of them unconscious, handed that person over to someone else as the "rat" that Yuan Suiyun had ordered to catch, and successfully infiltrated the patrol team.
In the darkness, no one could see anyone else. Yan Liang encountered two people in succession, but he remained silent and managed to get away with it.
The caves on Bat Island are winding and labyrinthine; if carved by hand, they must have taken a considerable amount of time. Yuan Suiyun is only in his early twenties, yet the title of "Bat Prince" has been around for a long time…
If Yuan Suiyun had used his cunning for good, he could be considered a promising young man.
Yan Liang sighed.
Besides the evil deeds of Yuan Suiyun and Wuhua, what saddened Yan Liang even more was their drastically different personalities after they put on masks compared to before they took them off.
The contrast is too great; it's not cute, it's terrifying.
Yan Liang pretended to be deaf and dumb and got away with it as if he were in an empty place. He walked around the floor and actually found a small hole.
The sound of water could be heard outside the cave, and a gentle breeze occasionally blew in. Yan Liang bent down and crawled inside, turning on his flashlight once more.
This place leads to the sea and is shaped like a hollow, with a small boat moored inside.
This was clearly Yuan Suiyun's backup plan. Yan Liang thought about it carefully; the large ship outside the island had run aground and its hull was damaged, so it couldn't be sailed.
There was a small boat on the big ship, making a total of two ships including the small boat.
Yan Liang really wanted to trick Yuan Suiyun, perhaps by drilling a hole in the small boat. But after careful consideration, he had to give up on that idea and instead set up a simple trap on the boat.
Once someone boards the ship and triggers the mechanism, the thing will spray out a sleeping potion, making it impossible for them to leave.
After arranging everything, Yan Liang quickly continued to gather information at the Bat Prince's stronghold.
Taking the cable car down from the cave entrance leads to the lowest level of Bat Island, where there is a whole row of rooms. Yan Liang inadvertently passed by and heard sounds of men and women making love coming from inside. He silently apologized and strode away.
If the bottom layer is negative, then the top three layers are positive.
Yan Liang found the way to the first level, used his internal energy to leap up, and felt another dull pain in his chest, which made his desire to beat Yuan Suiyun even stronger.
The first floor was also patrolled, and Yan Liang sneaked in quietly, familiarizing himself with the area; the same method was used on the second floor.
When it was time to go to the third level, Yan Liang calculated the time and realized that Chu Liuxiang and the others should be arriving soon, so he went to that cave again to wait for them to come down.
But there he met someone unexpected.
No flowers.
Presumably, it was because Yuan Suiyun made full use of the situation, and also because Wuhua wanted to redeem himself by tricking Chu Liuxiang, which is why Wuhua was here.
As Yan Liang pondered, he heard the sound of the cable car moving above. Taking advantage of Wu Hua's patient waiting, he unexpectedly shone a flashlight directly in front of Wu Hua.
Wu Hua, who was just getting used to the darkness, was blinded by the bright light and squinted instinctively, while Yan Liang kicked him hard in the back knee and pinned him down.
Yan Liang knew he had relied on a clever trick; if Wu Hua hadn't been careless, he would have been absolutely unable to subdue him.
The people on the cable car felt a chill run down their spines when they saw a flash of light below.
After landing, they faced each other in the darkness, neither of them speaking.
Yan Liang had already struck Wu Hua's acupoint, and now the other party was unable to move.
He said softly, "It's me."
Chu Liuxiang's heart stirred, and seeing that Hu Tiehua was about to speak, he quickly patted him, signaling him not to speak.
Yan Liang briefly wrote the details on Chu Liuxiang's palm, and even pointed out that the person in his hands was Wu Hua, who had disguised himself as Tian Shi.
Chu Liuxiang wasn't particularly surprised; instead, he paid more attention to the situation at hand.
What do you want to do?
Chu Liuxiang wrote words in Yan Liang's hand.
[Beat him up.]
Yan Liang replied.
Chu Liuxiang: "..."
Wuhua has not returned yet.
Yuan Suiyun's forehead twitched, and an ominous premonition arose spontaneously.
Ding Feng knew that Yuan Suiyun was probably not in a good mood, and he couldn't help but blame Wuhua in his heart—if it were him, he would definitely have been able to complete the task assigned by the Bat Prince properly... Even the Wonderful Monk was nothing more than a defeated dog who lost to Chu Liuxiang.
Ying Wanli was captured and brought back, and Yan Liang should be in prison at the moment... Only Hua Zhenzhen remains missing.
"Send more people to patrol," Yuan Suiyun instructed him, then added, "Bring those two items up and prepare for the second auction immediately."
Ding Feng accepted the order and left, but soon returned in a hurry. He leaned down and whispered to Yuan Suiyun, "Those two goods belong to our people."
Yuan Suiyun was so shocked and angry that he was speechless. He kept thinking about where he had gone wrong, while the first and second floors lit up with fire at the same time.
The fire raged fiercely, and the light was intense. Nothing could hide from it.
Yuan Suiyun sat coldly in the chair in the center, while Ding Feng stood beside him, staring blankly at everything.
Yan Liang held a rope in one hand, and the other end of the rope was tied to Wu Hua's wrist.
Yan Liang had already given Wu Hua a severe beating. Wu Hua's disguise had been removed, revealing his handsome face with bruises and swelling, and his expression was icy.
"I'm here to beat you up," Yan Liang said slowly, "Young Master Yuan."
Yuan Suiyun sneered: "Do you think I'm that good-for-nothing next to you?"
Everyone panicked, and Yuan Suiyun used his unparalleled lightness skill to leap upwards.
Yan Liang looked up and watched him fly away, until his figure disappeared into the darkness.
"Are you going to go after him?" Chu Liuxiang asked.
“No need to chase after him.” Yan Liang said indifferently. “If he wants to leave this island, he can only do so by boat. As long as we wait outside, we will surely run into him.”
As the sun began to set over the island, the sea shimmered with golden light. Yan Liang and Wu Hua stood side by side on the rocks, gazing at the sunset.
The twenty or so people participating in the auction were making a lot of noise, and Yan Liang and Wu Hua were quite far away from there.
"Surprised? Unexpected?"
Yan Liang spoke these first words to Wu Hua after arriving on the island.
"..."
Wu Hua remained silent.
He stood with his hands behind his back, facing the wind, his posture elegant and refined—a true gentleman.
However, his face was covered in bruises, and he was standing with his hands behind his back because his hands were tied behind his back, so he could only stand with his hands behind his back.
“I never break my word,” Yan Liang continued, “right?”
Wu Hua had absolutely no intention of paying him any attention.
Yan Liang was about to speak when he saw Yuan Suiyun silently appear on a protruding rock not far away, only two zhang away from them.
Not far behind the two, Gao Yanan and a person hiding in the crowd were about to make a move, but they were subdued by Chu Liuxiang and Hua Zhenzhen, who were prepared.
Yuan Suiyun remained calm and composed, seemingly unaware of what was happening behind him.
"Master Kumei is one of your men, isn't he?" Yan Liang asked slowly. "Aren't you going to come and save them?"
Yuan Suiyun smiled leisurely: "You can't kill people, so if I go to save them, wouldn't I be walking into a trap?"
Yan Liang said lazily, "It won't hurt for you to vote once."
Under the setting sun, Yuan Suiyun's graceful figure appeared even more elegant, his flowing robes making him seem like a celestial being ascending to heaven and departing with the wind.
Yan Liang stared at him intently.
"Who are you looking at?" Yuan Suiyun noticed Yan Liang's gaze and asked him, "I have something I don't understand—you seem to be mistaking me for someone else?"
Yan Liang suddenly realized that this was the question Yuan Suiyun had been trying to ask but had been repeatedly interrupted.
“…Look at a friend of mine.” Yan Liang answered him frankly, “Initially, because you two are somewhat similar, seeing you reminded me of my friend. But you two are fundamentally unrelated. So I want to apologize to you.”
"Your apology is cheap," Yuan Suiyun said coldly. "Is your friend blind like me, which is why you associate me with him? It's utterly ridiculous."
"...He is indeed blind," Yan Liang said calmly. "He is a young master from a prominent family and knows the move 'Flowing Clouds and Flying Sleeves'."
Yuan Suiyun's expression turned cold.
“His name is Hua Manlou,” Yan Liang said. “He is my savior.”
“If such a person truly existed, how could I not know him?” Yuan Suiyun said. “Even if you were to fool me, there would be a limit.”
Yan Liang said, "I did not deceive you. Hua Manlou is my friend... I once regarded you as a friend as well."
Yuan Suiyun remained noncommittal, but Yan Liang caught a glimpse of a small boat drifting leisurely out of the rocky hollow below. Two people were lying on the boat.
Wuhua also saw the small boat.
“You can’t escape now,” Wuhua suddenly said.
Yuan Suiyun frowned slightly: "What do you know?"
“Everyone on your small boat is unconscious,” Yan Liang continued, “I’ve set up a trap.”
Chu Liuxiang sighed, "Come down, Young Master Yuan."
Yuan Suiyun listened carefully, but indeed heard nothing.
He is now doomed.
"I will never let you humiliate me."
Yuan Suiyun was always arrogant, and even now he refused to admit defeat. Yan Liang understood his unwillingness and arrogance, but could not condone his actions.
Jin Lingzhi stared at him blankly, tears streaming down her face.
She may have loved Yuan Suiyun's pride and stubbornness, as well as his demeanor and talent... But now, Yuan Suiyun has nowhere to escape.
"Take me away..." Jin Lingzhi stepped forward with tears in her eyes.
Yuan Suiyun smiled gently at her and opened his arms to welcome her.
Chu Liuxiang sighed softly and reached out to stop Jin Lingzhi.
Yuan Suiyun suddenly found that her limbs were numb and her movements were slow.
Yan Liang said quietly, "I am standing upwind, while you are standing downwind."
In his hand was a small medicine bottle, and the powder drifted towards Yuan Suiyun in a gust of wind.
Wu Hua watched the whole thing without offering any advice to Yuan Suiyun. Now, seeing this outcome, his bad mood, which had been soured by Yan Liang's beating, suddenly improved considerably.
On the ship back, Yan Liang gave Yuan Suiyun a severe beating. Every punch landed squarely.
The system had just appeared with the intention of informing Yan Liang of some good news when it was stunned by the horrific scene before it was struck by the devastation.
It's changed?
The system still remembered that Yan Liang was reluctant to even sever Mu Rufeng's tendons in the beginning, but now, comparing the two, although it is still the same person, he has obviously changed a lot.
It's better to change than to remain the same.
After the initial surprise, the system felt relieved—if Yan Liang were to encounter someone like Yuan Suiyun again, he probably wouldn't be tricked again.
Author's Note: One more chapter tomorrow, that will be chapter twenty. This world is almost over.
Actually, I always felt a little awkward writing this; I even thought I was writing some kind of garbage...OTZ
I will work hard to learn how to write it. May the masters of Jinjiang Literature City bless me!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2020-02-11 22:06:58 and 2020-02-12 18:01:20!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Poetry and Wine While Young, and Let Us Make a Promise (1 each);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Natsume Mio (5 bottles); Ririko (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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