CH 18

C18 – He Got It for Free

Liu Yuan felt that this didn’t sound like the name of some ordinary guard.

Besides, Xie Qian didn’t treat him like one, either. Not to mention that he even had the authority to bring visitors in.

Liu Yuan glanced at the man named Shaoying a few more times.

But there was really nothing special about him.

He was just an ordinary man in all aspects, from head to toe.

But perhaps… that was precisely what made the man special?

Liu Yuan pondered in his heart.

Shaoying bowed respectfully to Xie Qian and replied, “Yes, Master.”

He then turned around and retreated from the pavilion.

Liu Yuan seriously doubted whether the guard could perform his job well.

But Xie Qian didn’t have many visitors anyway, so there shouldn’t be any problem.

Liu Yuan shifted his gaze away from Shaoying to the three people in front of him, especially Xie Qian.

The man did seem to have a good impression of him. Otherwise, given his temper, he would have already ordered someone to drive Liu Yuan away.

But Liu Yuan was a bit concerned about how he could increase the favorability points of Xie Qian.

Among those characters that Liu Yuan had met with so far, Fuhuan’s favorability points were increased through combat. Therefore, in Fuhuan’s eyes, Liu Yuan should be her battle buddy (but actually it was not true).

Gu Siyin and Ning Xiangrong, on the other hand, were characters with whom Liu Yuan had actually spent a lot of time, so Liu Yuan was the love of their lives. They remembered every little detail of their love stories by heart.

Now Liu Yuan was really curious about what would happen after he drew the card of Xie Qian.

He hoped for the best, of course.

Xie Qian raised his hand and gestured Liu Yuan to have a seat on the left side of the table. “My friend, please take a seat. Expected or not, you are a guest of mine today. Please make yourself comfortable.”

What a hypocrite!

Liu Yuan secretly rolled his eyes at Xie Qian’s words as he sat down.

The old man suddenly asked hoarsely, “Xie Qian, who is he?”

Xie Qian replied with a friendly smile, “It’s none of your business, I believe.”

Liu Yuan was stunned, his mouth wide open.

Apparently Xie Qian showed no respect for this old man.

The old man frowned heavily.

Even the veins on his face bulged as he clenched his fists in anger.

…

The girl beside him immediately reached out and patted the old man on his back to calm him down.

“Haha…” Liu Yuan’s laugh broke the silence.

The other three looked over.

Liu Yuan sat up straight and composed him, “Please forgive me. I just thought of something funny.”

The old man glared at Liu Yuan. A sharp light flashed in his eyes as he opened his palm.

Liu Yuan immediately felt a piercing chill over his skin, which made his heart race. He almost jumped up.

“You know when to express your feelings and when to refrain them. It seems that you can do whatever you want without breaking any rules. I’m impressed.”

Xie Qian suddenly nodded his head and praised Liu Yuan. His gaze then fell on the old man, “Yuan Kaiji, you should be ashamed of yourself for acting so improperly in front of a young man.”

“Phew…”

As Xie Qian finished, the chill in the air vanished, and Liu Yuan heaved a sigh of relief. He cursed in his heart, “This old man actually wants to kill me! Damn it, this world is really a dangerous place. I will leave as soon as I get the Experience Scrolls.”

It was clear that Xie Qian was the one in charge here, not the old man.

“Humph!”

Yuan Kaiji snorted coldly as he waved his sleeve and withdrew his hand. His face was gloomy, “I’m about to die, so why should I care about what’s improper? Look, I came all the way here to see you, and yet you allowed this kid in. Where are your manners?”

Xie Qian smiled, “Well, haven’t you heard of ‘first come, first served’? My friend Junxuan had an appointment with me, so of course I should invite him in.”

His words made a lot of sense, which completely floored Yuan Kaiji.

Liu Yuan tried hard not to laugh out loud. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had played this game before and known what Xie Qian was like, he would have believed him just like others did.

The girl looked at Liu Yuan and blinked her eyes in surprise. She asked softly, “Master Xie, my name is Hongli. May I ask what Mr. Junxuan is here for?”

Liu Yuan cleared his throat and said, “Well, I, um, I’m here to see if Master Xie could give me some of his paintings. I have always been very fond of his paintings, you know.”

He managed to come up with an excuse.

He couldn’t just tell them that he wanted to take dozens of paintings, could he?

That would make him sound like a robber…

Xie Qian’s expression remained unchanged. He stood up and said, “It’s good to know that you are also fond of paintings. Here, let me show you.”

The girl named Hongli was stunned on the spot.

This man was also here for the paintings?

What a coincidence! Because that was what they were here for as well!

However, just now Xie Qian seemed quite unwilling to give them any. How come he became so generous to this young man?

Was he really going to give those paintings to him for free? Seriously?

She turned to look at the old man. Sure enough, Yuan Kaiji’s face had turned dark. He gnashed his teeth, “Xie Qian, you did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

Xie Qian, who was fetching the paintings, seemed puzzled, “What do you mean?”

Yuan Kaiji pointed at Liu Yuan, “Are you asking me to believe that this kid just pops out of nowhere and comes to pick up the paintings on the same day that I visit you? Xie Qian, how dare you…Ahem! Ahem!”

He was so excited that he suddenly started coughing.

He was filled with disbelief and anger.

Hongli hurried to calm him. She then turned to Xie Qian and knelt down. “Master Xie, please be kind and save my grandfather! Only the Taoist power of your painting can heal the injury in one’s sea of consciousness and restore one’s soul. If you don’t help us… my grandfather will die for sure.”

She was choked with sobs. “I know you and my grandfather were not on good terms in the past, but don’t you believe in the ways of a gentleman? We have already brought the supreme treasure of Fusang Sea, the True Yang Golden Crow, in exchange for your painting. Isn’t that enough? Why are you still humiliating us…”

Fusang Sea? True Yang Golden Crow?

These two names immediately attracted Liu Yuan’s attention. He knew that Fusang Sea was one of the eight oceans in the world of Upper Central, but he had never heard of the True Yang Golden Crow before.

Now he was sure that these two characters were not part of the original game story.

Because in the original story, Fusang Sea was not opened to players!

Liu Yuan did not expect to come across new characters when all he had planned to do was to get some Experience Scrolls. His heart was racing.

Xie Qian put away the framed paintings and then said indifferently, “Everyone has his own destiny. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.”

He walked towards Liu Yuan and handed him the painting scrolls with a smile, “Here you are.”

…

Liu Yuan took the scrolls and thanked Xie Qian. He then looked at Hongli, who was kneeling on the ground, trembling.

Somehow he felt that Xie Qian was make him decide what to do with the paintings.

Yuan Kaiji gradually calmed down. He panted for a while and reached out his hand to help Hongli up as he said in a low voice, “Let’s go! I can live another fifty years even without his help. People of the Fusang tribe are no beggars!”

“But…” Hongli’s face was full of anxiety, but her grandfather had already pulled her up and walked towards the exit.

Liu Yuan looked at Xie Qian, who was sitting back down as if this had nothing to do with him at all, and hesitated for a moment. He then picked up one scroll and said, “I’ve got some to spare if you want.”

Yuan Kaiji and Hongli stopped upon hearing this.