Chapter 20: Arrival at Chang’an
Yan Qing naturally did not have the luxury of choosing one of three game classes; he could only follow the ways of this world and either become a Martial Messenger or a Literary Messenger.
In terms of development potential, the Literary Messenger was slightly better after the fourth stage, since the Martial path’s main stat “Vital Energy and Blood” and related basic skills would gradually lose effectiveness later on.
However, the combat power of a Martial Messenger from the first to the third stage completely crushed that of the Literary Messenger.
Besides, Yan Qing didn’t even have access to the Secret Realm needed to transfer into the Literary path, so like the vast majority of people in this world, he could only begin his extraordinary journey as a Martial Messenger.
Only a very small number of geniuses and nobles who could afford to squander mastery manuals in the Literary path pursued the theoretical peak strength like game players.
The reason he had delayed his class change until today was that there were two rigid requirements for Martial progression: reaching level 10 and mastering any basic physical technique.
Yan Qing had already maxed out his Basic Footwork, but that only got him to level five or six.
He still needed at least one more maxed-out skill to reach level 10.
Three days ago, “Ye Si” had looted a Basic Blade Technique manual from a Secret Realm, but Yan Qing had another purpose for that manual and planned to wait for the next one.
He hadn’t expected the wait to last three days.
The drop rate in the Zheng Sanshan Secret Realm had been abnormally low in recent days.
Apart from Spirit Jade and supplies, there were no other drops at all.
Fortunately, a Basic Blade Technique finally dropped this morning; otherwise, Yan Qing would have had to face the Chang’an operation with the strength of an ordinary person.
Although a first-stage Messenger was still a negligible weakling in this world, to Yan Qing, this marked the moment he truly stepped onto the extraordinary path.
The surging Vital Energy and Blood, the Spirit Energy that flowed as if by command—nothing could make him more clearly realize that he was no longer in his original world—
That ordinary, mundane world, without any miracles!
What was once a paradise for the weak had now become a jungle for the strong.
Yan Qing gripped the White Iron Straight Blade, gazing at his reflection on the blade.
From this day forth, he would rely on the blade in his hand alone.
Before cold iron dulled, who could step out of the long night?
“It’s time to go.”
Yan Qing twirled the blade lightly and sheathed it.
Such mortal-level techniques were as natural as breathing to him with his maxed Basic Blade Technique.
He picked up the game console and did one final review to ensure that all the countermeasures arranged under “Auto Evolution” were flawless—
There would certainly be unexpected variables, but all he could do was minimize their impact.
Outside, the sound of a chair being dragged rang out.
Though it wasn’t yet time, it was clear that someone couldn’t wait to take position early.
But before meeting up with the “fellow thieves,” Yan Qing had one last thing to do.
…
…
Inside the Thieves' Hall, everyone’s thoughts varied.
Because they were about to descend into Chang’an’s Vermillion Bird Avenue, it was impossible for them to continue wearing their masks—
If the masks drew attention on the streets, it would backfire.
Disguises were necessary, and from each person’s perspective, the other two’s attempts were barely passable.
Medicine Master Wen had the most thorough disguise—
From figure to face, there was no trace of her original self; she looked like a rather delicate young man at first glance.
Ying Ru Shi had the cleverest disguise—
She posed as a street vendor selling masks, wearing a half-fox mask herself, so no one would think it strange for her to wear one.
Shang Xinlei’s disguise was the laziest—
She wore a pair of black sunglasses, which appeared to be meticulously crafted from gemstones.
Seriously, this was worse than wearing a mask.
At least northerners had seen masks before, but no one had seen something as novel as sunglasses!
And those glasses didn’t even conceal her face!
Just as the two silently mocked Shang Xinlei’s sloppy disguise, they suddenly heard the sound of a door opening.
They turned to look and were all stunned.
There was three seconds of silence in the hall before Shang Xinlei’s laughter broke it.
“Pfft—hahahaha, Yellow Dog, what the hell are you wearing!”
Shang Xinlei clutched her stomach, laughing wildly.
“Did you hit your head or something?”
That’s right.
Yan Qing’s disguise was simple, crude, and effective—
He had wrapped his entire head tightly with bandages, leaving only his eyes, nose, and mouth exposed.
He looked like a severely burned mummy.
Medicine Master Wen couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“If you don’t have time to disguise yourselves, you could’ve asked me for help! Do you even know what disguise means? Disguise means not drawing attention! Look at you—this is worse than wearing a mask!”
Ying Ru Shi tried to smooth things over:
“Alright, alright, maybe it’s their first time so they’re not used to it…”
Medicine Master Wen gritted her teeth:
“Don’t give me that! You’re not much better than them. Who goes around selling masks without even a pushcart? More importantly, what if someone actually wants to buy one? Compared to those two, you’re more likely to get hassled by others!”
“We’re heading to Chang’an to steal from Bingzi Pepper Forest— Can you all take this a bit more seriously?!”
Medicine Master Wen was truly furious.
She had finally made up her mind to complete this mission and take Bingzi Pepper Forest for herself, but her three teammates were more ridiculous than the next.
Now she felt a bit hopeless—could it be that her very first mission would end in disaster, and she'd have to trouble her father to come bail her out?
What confidence would she have to criticize her father’s misdeeds then?
What qualifications would she have to restore the honor of the Medicine Masters?
“Snacks?”
Shang Xinlei checked her belongings.
“Aiya, I forgot to bring snacks. What a pity—the kitchen prepared crab meat dumplings in steamers today…”
Yan Qing felt himself salivating wildly.
Ying Ru Shi asked curiously, “Dumplings?”
Shang Xinlei explained, “They’re similar to jiaozi, but the fillings include shrimp, fresh pork, char siu, bamboo shoots, and crab meat, so they taste really sweet and savory…”
“Enough!”
Medicine Master Wen slammed the table.
“You few—take off your masks, your glasses, your bandages! It’d be better to just show your faces than arrive in Chang’an drawing so much attention—”
「Confirming all members are present.」
「Mission begins in five seconds.
Arrival location: Vermillion Bird Avenue, Chang’an City.
Five, four, three…」
A strange yet familiar narration echoed in their ears.
Before they could react, the countdown vanished in a blink.
As their vision went dark, even before opening their eyes, the sounds of a bustling crowd already rushed into their ears.
Since the countdown began, Yan Qing had been gripping his blade.
His body tense, he stepped back and opened his eyes.
He saw the four of them had appeared at the end of a small alley.
One had to pass through a turn to reach the main street, so it was impossible for the people outside to see their arrival.
“This is behind Tongrentang.”
Ying Ru Shi scanned the area and immediately identified their location.
“Let’s go. It’s about half a li to Anguo Temple from here.”
Medicine Master Wen was skeptical.
Even she, a native of Chang’an, hadn’t recognized this alley.
“How do you know that?”
“There are four alleys like this on the terrain model. The surrounding buildings of three of them don’t match. So this must be the alley behind Tongrentang,” Ying Ru Shi replied.
“The Thieves' House couldn’t have transported us outside the sandbox.”
“You memorized the entire sandbox?”
“We had five days. Isn’t it only natural to memorize the layout?”
With that, Ying Ru Shi started walking.
Yan Qing followed right behind.
Shang Xinlei glanced at Medicine Master Wen, patted her on the shoulder and comforted, “Don’t worry. I didn’t memorize it either. I bet Yellow Dog didn’t. Only White Fox is a genius. Hmph, let’s gang up on her together!”
“Didn’t we agree not to make reckless contact with each other?”
Medicine Master Wen barely resisted the urge to shake her off and glared at her fiercely.
“Big sis, you’re so hard to please. White Fox is the genius, Yellow Dog has the intel, and us two little useless ones should band together for warmth.”
Shang Xinlei sighed and skipped to catch up with the others.
Who are you calling useless?!
Medicine Master Wen gritted her teeth, but then a sudden realization made her shiver—
Had Red Snake figured out she was a woman?
Impossible!
She had disguised herself so well!
The four of them walked along Vermillion Bird Avenue, and sure enough, they drew a lot of attention.
Passersby kept turning to look.
Fortunately, it was only half a li.
Before long, they reached the marketplace near Anguo Temple.
The area was packed with people.
They blended into the crowd… yet still stood out.
A mummy man + mask vendor + sunglasses ensemble—still too avant-garde for Chang’an City.
“Let’s go over there and order some noodles to hold a spot,” Yan Qing suddenly said.
He pointed to a noodle shop called 《First Noodle》.
Medicine Master Wen frowned.
“Eat noodles?
We’re short on time—we’ve only got two ke—”
“I want to eat too!”
“I want to try Chang’an’s flavors.”
Shang Xinlei and Ying Ru Shi simultaneously cut off Medicine Master Wen.
Once her face darkened, Yan Qing finally explained:
“When we come back, we’ll have to remain on Vermillion Bird Avenue for half a ke before we can return.
If we don’t secure a spot now, we’ll be stuck wandering the streets, which is even riskier.”
With that, Yan Qing walked over.
Clearly, he wasn’t asking for opinions—just informing them.
Medicine Master Wen felt extremely stifled.
At any other time, who besides her father dared to overrule her?
But in the Thieves’ House, she had lost count of how many times Yellow Dog had dismissed her views.
Even the whole plan was crafted by Yellow Dog, and she wasn’t even privy to the full details.
Staring at the three people ahead, her fury boiled.
White Fox, self-righteous and mocking her for not memorizing the terrain—deserves death.
Red Snake, seeing through her disguise and calling her useless—deserves death.
Yellow Dog, disregarding her input and stealing her leadership—deserves death even more!
The more she thought, the angrier she got.
I can’t take it anymore.
I’m done pretending.
I’m summoning the Shen Ce Army of Chang’an to crush you all right now!
“Black Wolf!
Black Wolf!”
Yan Qing suddenly shouted ahead:
“Our table got snatched!”
Medicine Master Wen looked closely and saw two burly men had taken the table in front of them.
One of the men glanced at them and said, “Snatched? I was clearly here first. You guys were slow, so queue up properly—”
Medicine Master Wen walked up to them, expressionless.
The burly man still looked disdainful.
“What? You wanna fight? This is Chang’an. You think you bumpkins can mess around here—”
Thud!
Medicine Master Wen reached out and grabbed their collars.
She had a superb figure—long legs and arms.
Even though these two were slightly taller, she effortlessly lifted them both—each over a hundred jin—like rag dolls!
Their legs dangled and kicked, knocking chairs over.
Before they could resist, she flung them forcefully, sending them crashing outside the noodle shop.
Faced with someone who could lift people with one hand, she was clearly a Martial Messenger.
Even though Chang’an’s protection would prevent injuries, the burly men didn’t dare mess with her.
They didn’t even spit a harsh word before crawling up and fleeing in shame.
“Good thing you were here, Black Wolf.”
“Yeah, Black Wolf, your Vital Energy and Blood must be really high?”
“We might need you to break through obstacles later.”
Medicine Master Wen’s expression remained calm, but perhaps due to surging Vital Energy and Blood, her face flushed a bit.
She sat down and said coldly, “Hmph, I knew I couldn’t count on you lot.”
Yan Qing, Ying Ru Shi, and Shang Xinlei exchanged subtle glances.
By the second meeting, they had already noticed that Medicine Master Wen’s mood swung dramatically.
When her emotions stayed low for too long, she’d flip the table—like ending the second day’s meeting abruptly.
And yet, she loved to give advice, even act like a commander.
If you disagreed with her, she’d secretly get upset.
And if the frustration built up, she’d explode.
Normally, this kind of person would be trouble, but Black Wolf was surprisingly easy to handle—
Just let her dominate once in a while, and she’d return to normal.
Unspoken, they all knew to give Black Wolf chances to take the lead.
When the waiter arrived, Yan Qing asked, “Four bowls of pork wonton noodles. How long’s the wait?”
Seeing this table of strange guests, the waiter’s expression didn’t change at all.
Smiling, he replied, “Sorry, sirs. It’s a bit crowded now. You may have to wait a quarter of a ke.”
“A quarter of a ke is fine. Go ahead and cook them first. We’ll head to Anguo Temple to fetch something and be back.”
“Alrighty.”
Yan Qing looked up.
At that moment, the sun hung high in the sky.
The sunlight was nearly vertical—standing still, one could barely see their shadow.
Time’s up, he thought.
Meanwhile, at the Ciji Courtyard behind Anguo Temple, three unexpected visitors arrived.
A monk doing chores stopped mopping when he saw three identical people enter through the gate and stood stunned at the entrance.
“You three are…?”
“An Qi.”
“An Ba.”
“An Jiu.”