HAGLTP Chapter 41

Amidst the quacking of ducks, other voices mixed in.

“Bang bang bang——”

“Oh my mother, what should I do? Did I kill too many pigs in my last life to end up with this identity? If I hadn’t drawn this identity, I wouldn’t have this mission…”

“Quack quack quack——”

“If I didn’t have this mission, I wouldn’t have come here. If I hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to get out. If I can’t get out, I won’t complete the mission, and if I don’t complete the mission… I’ll be done for…”

“Bang bang bang——”

“Quack quack quack——”

A rather mournful voice mixed with the duck calls echoed not far away, creating a strange sense of harmony.

Xiao Lu and Mo Xue looked at each other in surprise, then turned to the direction of the sound.

They saw a young man in plain white clothes, with his hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, squatting by the door in a way that was hard to describe, crying bitterly while banging his head against the door.

While banging his head, he was still muttering.

“It’s over, it’s over, this world is the last one for me, Lin Fanshi, woo woo woo… I’m useless, I’ve eaten so much grain, read so many books, and ended up as such a big fool—”

The man named Lin Fanshi was about to continue banging his head against the door when he suddenly realized he had hit nothing.

Confused, he looked up and was astonished to see the door slowly opening before him.

From behind the door, two figures stepped out of the darkness. One was dressed in red with black hair, stunningly beautiful, and the other was a young man with a dignified demeanor, as flawless as white jade.

The appearances and demeanor of the two were rare in the world, almost as if they were not something one could see just by burning incense and bowing a few times.

“God, a deity?!!!” Lin Fanshi exclaimed in surprise, his voice cracking.

This was the path to ask the immortals that hadn’t been opened for who knows how many years, and yet someone was coming from the other side!

Could it be that this world really has deities…

As the two stepped out from behind the door, the stone door suddenly slammed shut with a loud bang.

Still in a daze, Lin Fanshi suddenly came to his senses. He rushed to the stone door and pounded on it hard: “Hey, wait a minute, brothers, can you open it again? Can someone come through? Let’s discuss this, I beg you—”

Unfortunately, the stone door remained steadfast, standing there unmoved, like a scumbag who was proposing a breakup.

“Woo woo woo… I’m just a big fool, do I really have to jump into the underground river?” Lin Fanshi cried bitterly.

“Quack quack——” The surrounding ducks seemed to respond.

“Don’t make noise, I’m sad…”

“Quack quack quack quack——”

“Sorry to interrupt, this young master Lin…” Xiao Lu finally couldn’t help but speak up after listening to the other’s crying for a while.

“You guys… are you okay…” Lin Fanshi wiped his tears, speaking with a hint of a sob.

“May I ask why the young master is crying here?” Xiao Lu didn’t reveal the other’s identity as a player.

Having had previous experiences, he felt that the relationships between players were quite delicate; they could choose different stances, either teaming up or becoming rivals.

For someone like him who planned to tear the script apart, it was better not to reveal his identity proactively.

As for whether the other could guess, that was none of his business.

“Well, I…” Lin Fanshi was momentarily at a loss for words.

He didn’t quite remember what he had blurted out in despair just now and hoped that the two in front of him hadn’t heard it; otherwise, they might think he was crazy.

He tugged at his hair, which was already not very neat, making it look like a mess, and after a moment of deep thought, he finally came up with a reason:

“It’s like this, I hope you two don’t laugh at me. I grew up in a valley and have always longed for the outside world. Unfortunately, my master has decreed that only those who pass through the path to ask the immortals can leave the valley, and I have never been able to do so, so I’m a bit anxious. I hope I haven’t embarrassed myself in front of you two.”

As he spoke, he finally realized something was off: “Wait, how did you come in through the path to ask the immortals?!”

Xiao Lu took out the medicinal pearl and the token: “They guided me here.”

Lin Fanshi followed Xiao Lu’s motion and looked at what was in his hand.

When he saw what it was, he couldn’t help but gasp: “Snow Wheel Token!! Xuantian Pearl!”

He didn’t bother to explain further, grabbing Xiao Lu and rushing forward, shouting: “Master, master, master, master!!! Stop squatting in the toilet and come out! Something big has happened!!!”

“The Snow Wheel Token is back! Our Snow Wheel Sect has hope now!!!”

As he ran, the ducks that were scattered around immediately followed suit, happily flapping their little wings and running energetically, creating quite a commotion.

“Quack quack quack——”

Behind the door was a vast expanse of land.

Surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains, there was a flat valley in the center, where the climate was warm and spring-like all year round. Even the soil was more fertile than outside, suitable for various plants to grow.

By the lake, an old man with white beard and hair, looking ethereal, was sitting quietly on a large stone, discreetly adjusting his pants.

He had rushed out from the toilet too hastily after his rebellious disciple shouted too urgently, and in his rush, his belt hadn’t been fastened properly, causing it to slide down as he walked.

At this moment, he was facing two guests who had come from afar.

It was quite undignified to drop one’s pants in public, but it was equally undignified to adjust them in public, so everything had to be done discreetly.

On the surface, the old man still appeared to be a hermit sage. After listening to Xiao Lu recount the entire process from discovering the medicinal pearl to passing through the path to ask the immortals, he gently stroked his long beard.

“Young Master Bo is indeed someone fated with our Snow Wheel Sect.”

“May I ask where the Snow Wheel Sect is, and why have I never heard of it in the martial world?” Xiao Lu inquired.

“Ha ha.” The old man stroked his beard, “It’s understandable that Young Master Bo doesn’t know. Our Snow Wheel Sect has always kept a low profile and hasn’t had a disciple step into the martial world for several decades.”

At this point, a hint of melancholy appeared on his face: “The last person to leave the valley was my junior brother, the former sect master. He went to the martial world to investigate a past incident but never returned. This Xuantian Pearl was his personal item.”

“I don’t know what my junior brother went through to fall alone outside. Fortunately, he was saved by your master in the end.”

Xiao Lu: “It’s a pity that my master couldn’t save his life.”

The old man waved his hand: “To have this connection, allowing my junior brother not to die in vain in the wilderness is already good enough.”

At this point, the old man suddenly changed the subject: “Since Young Master Bo is fated with us and holds the Snow Wheel Token, why not become the sect master?”

Xiao Lu tilted his head in confusion: “Huh?”

Isn’t it a bit too casual for you to make such a suggestion? It seems like he doesn’t have any protagonist halo above his head.

“Quack——”

The surrounding ducks flapped their wings joyfully, not knowing what they were happy about.

Oh right, this hidden sect even raises ducks in the sect, which is indeed quite casual.

However, the old man didn’t think his suggestion was absurd. He looked at Xiao Lu with a mysterious smile, then quickly leaped off the large stone, lightly touching the ground with his toes, like a startled swan skimming over water, and landed in front of Xiao Lu.

With a palm strike.

His movements were as fluid as flowing clouds, showing no signs of the fatigue of an old man.

Seeing the old man attack, Xiao Lu remained seated on the stone, simply raising his arm, his sleeve fluttering, to block the old man’s attack.

After one strike was blocked, the old man immediately changed direction and struck again. This time, the palm wind was dense as rain, targeting various vital points on Xiao Lu’s body.

Xiao Lu remained calm. In his eyes, every move of the opponent was incredibly clear; although the attack was fierce, it was not without its traces.

With his white fingers, he accurately struck the opponent’s wrist acupoint amidst the nearly invisible palm winds, effortlessly neutralizing the attack with a light touch.

“Good.”

The old man nodded in satisfaction.

But he didn’t hold back; he used his toes to push off the ground, propelling himself into the air. Then, using the force of his descent, he struck both hands towards Xiao Lu.

A powerful pressure descended from the sky, making one’s back feel cold.

“Master, calm down a bit, Young Master Bo is a guest! Are you trying to kill someone?” Lin Fanshi exclaimed anxiously.

Unfortunately, his master ignored his words, still determined to attack Xiao Lu, as if intending to kill him on the spot.

“Oh dear, why is this old man so stubborn?” Lin Fanshi was genuinely anxious. He stood up, pretending to rush over to pull Xiao Lu away. He couldn’t reach his master in the air, but he could at least grab the victim.

But another hand was faster than him, blocking his path.

Lin Fanshi turned to see the beautiful young man that Xiao Lu had brought. In a modern society with a developed entertainment industry, he would be the dream brother of countless girls just by taking a casual photo.

The beautiful young man looked calm and said softly: “Don’t panic, just watch.”

Lin Fanshi hesitated for a moment, unsure if this disciple was genuinely confident or planning to betray his master.

At this moment, the old man had reached Xiao Lu.

Xiao Lu did not hesitate to face the old man with both palms, and the two forces of internal energy clashed together, lifting their robes.

At the same time, a gust of wind swept sharply around them, centered on the two.

“Quack quack quack quack——”

The ducks that had been watching the excitement suddenly panicked and scattered in all directions, flapping their little wings, their short legs leaving behind fleeting shadows, as if they were turbocharged ducks.

Lin Fanshi and Mo Xue were not spared either; they were pushed back a few steps by the shockwave, finding a few stones to stabilize themselves.

Lin Fanshi was left speechless in astonishment.

That was his master! The strongest in the Snow Wheel Sect, said to be a top-tier existence even in the outside martial world.

Although this was something his master had said himself, he had never doubted his master’s strength.

But how old was this Young Master Bo?

From their previous conversation, he clearly seemed to be a pharmacist.

Why would a pharmacist have such combat power? Is it now dangerous for those studying medicine in the martial world? If you don’t become an unparalleled master, you’d be embarrassed to treat patients?

Is the outside world really this dangerous for those studying medicine…

Xiao Lu and the white-haired old man both withdrew their hands.

Xiao Lu gently cupped his hands towards the old man: “Thank you for your guidance.”

The old man waved his hand: “I’m old, indeed. It seems I should leave the fighting tasks to the young ones.”

Lin Fanshi, who was watching, was confused. It looked like the two were evenly matched, yet they were both saying his master lost.

He looked left and right, like a person wanting to eat melon but unable to find the direction.

“Lin Young Master, you might want to look at your master’s feet.” Mo Xue spoke up at the right moment.

Only then did Lin Fanshi look at the two. Previously, the red-clothed pharmacist had been standing on the ground, receiving his master’s attack from the air. But the ground beneath him showed little indentation.

In contrast, his master, who had landed later, had left deep imprints on the ground. This indicated that in the end, his master’s internal energy had gone awry.

“Wow…”

With this level of combat power, there’s no need to fear medical disputes, right? Who would dare to cause trouble would just be slapped down and lie in the mortuary, never to rise again.

Xiao Lu quietly moved his fingers.

In fact, he was also secretly shocked. He knew that after passing through the path to ask the immortals, his strength would greatly increase, but he hadn’t expected it to reach this level.

Even a grandmaster would be like this, right?

This Snow Wheel Sect, which had only appeared with a medicinal pearl in the original text, was simply terrifying.

At this moment, the white-haired old man respectfully bowed to Xiao Lu: “Young Master has obtained the inheritance of the path to ask the immortals, holds the sect master token, and has defeated the strongest in the sect. You should become the next sect master of our Snow Wheel Sect.”

“Wei Di, welcome the sect master.”

As he spoke, he gave the dazed disciple standing beside him a look, signaling him to cooperate.

Receiving his master’s hint, Lin Fanshi, looking bewildered, respectfully bowed to Xiao Lu: “Disciple greets the sect master, ah no, the sect leader.”

“…” Wei Di couldn’t help but roll his eyes; this disciple of his had never been reliable since childhood.

Xiao Lu still felt that this turn of events was a bit too hasty. The protagonist encountering such a situation could be said to be the power of the protagonist halo, but the cannon fodder was different. He was afraid there was a trick and hesitated to respond.

Seeing him silent, Wei Di immediately came up with another plan.

Suddenly, the old man let out a dramatic scream, exaggeratedly clutching his chest and falling to the ground.

“Oh no… oh no… forcing my internal energy has backfired, I’m afraid I’m done for… my last wish in life… is for our Snow Wheel Sect to wait for a wise leader…”

“Cough cough… Young Master Bo…” he trembled, extending his hand towards Xiao Lu.

“I… can’t die with my eyes closed…”

Xiao Lu: “…”

Mo Xue: “…”

Lin Fanshi: “…”

Where did this old man learn to pull such tricks?

Did he come to this realization at his age?

A silence fell among the few, only the distant quacking of ducks could be heard.

After a moment, Lin Fanshi struggled to speak: “Master, your pants have fallen…”