Chapter 502: Unexpected Harvest

Tiger Tally. Chen Xiaolian had possessed one before.

Unfortunately, when he obtained the Tiger Tally back then, the system automatically transformed the Tiger Tally into ‘Bai Qi’s War Soul’. That was how he acquired Bai Qi. After that, the Tiger Tally, a prop of the system, disappeared just like that.

So, where should he go find the Tiger Tally?

Naturally…

“Mr Qiu, it seems there is a need for us to meet.”

Chen Xiaolian sighed.

He looked at the time.

Judging by how much time had passed, he deduced that there was still some time before the he from this timeline, Miao Yan and the others enter Epang Palace.

He could vividly recall himself, Miao Yan and Soo Soo entering Epang Palace and meeting Guild Leader Nangong, Lun Tai and Bei Tai. Those three from Nangong Guild had probably entered Epang Palace first.

It was only after those three had arrived did the he from this timeline, Miao Yan and Soo Soo arrived. Following them were Qiu Yun and the Guild Leader of the Black Knights Guild, Alice.

However… … that might not be true.

By the time they met up with Qiu Yun, that Qiu Yun was already a counterfeit, a doppelganger. Qiu Yun had used a doppelganger technique, creating a doppelganger of himself to follow them around.

Meanwhile, the real Qiu Yun was at…

Chen Xiaolian’s eyes lit up.

Chen Xiaolian speculated that Qiu Yun might actually be the first one to arrive in Epang Palace.

His reasoning for that was very simple. Since the beginning, Qiu Yun had made ample preparation to enter this Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang instance dungeon. The Tiger Tally in his hand was proof of that point. Additionally, Qiu Yun’s objective was Bai Qi all along.

Considering Qiu Yun’s level of wisdom, it was only natural that he would want to reach Epang Palace before everyone else in order to complete his objective.

The reason why Qiu Yun failed and had to wait so long before starting up his plan was because he failed to solve the mystery of the Five Elements spell array within Epang Palace. Later on, the Chen Xiaolian from this timeline found out about this spell array and helped him comprehend how to complete his plan.

Thus, Qiu Yun’s real body may have arrived here before everyone else. The chances of this were very huge.

Chen Xiaolian had already reached the end of a side palace building. A large palace gate stood before him.

He knew that by opening the doors of the gate, he would be able to enter the central square of Epang Palace.

However, now that this idea had popped into his mind, Chen Xiaolian retracted his feet.

He gave the gate a glance before smiling lightly at it. Next, he turned around and walked to the outer part of Epang Palace.

…

A few minutes later…

The magnet doors of the front gate of Epang Palace were pushed open.

A middle-aged man stepped into the palace.

Qiu Yun raised his head and surveyed the empty hall before him. The corners of his lips curled into a triumphant smile.

After looking around for a moment, Qiu Yun quickly made his way to the most conspicuous item lying in the centre of the front hall.

The huge ding.

Beneath the ding were two script letters, which formed the word ‘Gongsun’.

“As expected… … here it is.”

Qiu Yun walked over. His hand reached out to gently touch the surface of the large ding. Feeling the sensation of coldness through his fingers, he was unable to stop himself from releasing a faint sigh.

“The things I had to do, the people I had to kill to obtain information about this.” Qiu Yun’s voice took on a tangled tone. “If not for you, why would I have done so? It was such a good guild! Humph!”

Next, light shone from within his eyes and he said, “However, since all of it is true, then it is worth it!”

There was a look of passion in Qiu Yun’s eyes.

He stretched out his hand to reveal a Tiger Tally in his hand.

At that very moment however, a mocking voice spoke up from a corner behind him.

“Mr Qiu, you are early.”

Qiu Yun was caught totally off guard by the voice and he flinched. His heart sank and he turned around to see a familiar face slowly emerge from the corner.

At that moment, the expression on Qiu Yun’s face was one of utter shock.

“You… … Xiaolian?”

Qiu Yun was agape. “You, how could you be here? How…”

Next however, Qiu Yun’s face twisted.

“You… … why is your clothes…”

Qiu Yun’s observational ability was truly dextrous. He had immediately sensed something amiss.

This Chen Xiaolian standing before him was wearing a protective combat suit standard to Awakened ones. Additionally… … it appeared to be of a high-grade.

Furthermore, there was a certain difference on his face and expression, the maturity, the sense of age and the icy calmness… those were certainly not the same as the young rookie that he had just recruited.

“You are not Chen Xiaolian! Who are you? Why did you take his appearance?”

Hearing that, Chen Xiaolian shook his head and sighed. Step by step, he moved across the corridor toward Qiu Yun.

“Mr Qiu, I can’t help but say this. At this moment, facing you here gives me a feeling of reluctance,” Chen Xiaolian said in a very sincere tone. “Truth be told, I have always felt thankful to you.”

Every word Chen Xiaolian said was from his heart.

Back then, Qiu Yun had simply wanted to make use of him. The reason he recruited Chen Xiaolian was because he wanted to get himself a pawn, a cannon fodder.

However, he had to admit, Qiu Yun was a brilliant figure. After leading Chen Xiaolian into this instance dungeon, he had taken good care of Chen Xiaolian. Not only did he give Chen Xiaolian equipment, he also gave him a skill.

The combat skill that proved critical during Chen Xiaolian’s early days in this game, the Demon King of Confusion’s Three Axes, was something that came from Qiu Yun.

If he had not found out about Qiu Yun’s true colours later on, Chen Xiaolian would have to admit that Qiu Yun was a boss worthy of serving.

Hearing the words he said, Qiu Yun became confused. However, seeing Chen Xiaolian approaching his position, his combat instincts took over and he subconsciously took a few steps back. After putting some distance between them, he extended his hand to grab…

Only after making that move did he recall that all metal objects were not allowed within Epang Palace.

When inside Epang Palace, it was also not possible to pull out metal weapons from storage equipment.

Unfortunately for Qiu Yun, his most powerful skill was ‘Metal Burst’.

With this restriction in effect, it would not be a stretch to say that Qiu Yun’s strength was at its lowest possible.

However, he only became stunned for an instant. Qiu Yun quickly recollected himself and leapt toward a bronze lamp stand standing in the corner. After grabbing it, he threw the lamp stand at Chen Xiaolian with a howl.

Chen Xiaolian had a deep understanding of Qiu Yun. The bronze lamp stand flew toward him at a rather slow speed. However, Chen Xiaolian did not attempt to block it with his hand…

His first reaction was to jump aside.

As expected, the bronze lamp stand blew up all of a sudden.

Chen Xiaolian’s reaction was fast enough for him to dodge the effects of the explosion. He then turned to see that Qiu Yun’s face had sank.

This opponent knew about him.

However… … was he actually Chen Xiaolian?

Without giving Qiu Yun more time to think about it, Chen Xiaolian rushed forward.

He had no metal weapons. Instead, he wielded something that he had seized from the terracotta soldiers he encountered and destroyed back in the corridor earlier, a stone spear.

When the tip of the spear descended upon Qiu Yun, a peculiar look flashed across his face.

As he dodged backward, he said, “Head Cleaver? This is the Demon King of Confusion’s Three Axes? You… you really are Chen Xiaolian?”

Chen Xiaolian maintained a wooden face and used the stone spear to unleash the second move.

“Ear Gouger?” As Qiu Yun dodged, he shouted, “You really are Chen Xiaolian! What an impressive brat! To think that I was fooled by you! You are no rookie! Playing the pig to bait the tiger?”

Chen Xiaolian did not bother trying to explain the misunderstanding to Qiu Yun. He simply unleashed the third move: Impish Teeth Displacer.

Qiu Yun dodged away once more. His physical attributes was quite good. After successfully dodging Chen Xiaolian’s three moves, he saw Chen Xiaolian stopping his actions with the spear.

“Brat! What kind of schemes are you up to? Humph, to slip in right next to me…”

Without waiting for Qiu Yun to finish his words, Chen Xiaolian sighed out and said, “Mr Qiu, consider those three moves as me showing mercy. Considering how well you treated me, this is me returning the favour. Using those three moves is me showing gratitude for you gifting me with the skill back then. Next however… … time for preferential treatment is over!”

“… what did you say? Preferential treatment…”

Qiu Yun’s face sank greatly as he instinctively felt an atmosphere of danger. Next, he saw Chen Xiaolian’s figure flashing.

What speed!

At present, Chen Xiaolian’s enhanced body was superior to Qiu Yun’s in every aspect.

Given the present Chen Xiaolian’s power, this illustrious ‘expert Qiu Yun’ that he had once looked up to was only average at best. Additionally, the skill that made Qiu Yun infamous, the Metal Burst skill was unusable here, placing him at a very disadvantageous position.

There were hardly any metal objects in this hall.

Qiu Yun swiftly reached out with his hand, seized and tossed two bronze plates toward Chen Xiaolian. However, Chen Xiaolian did not give the plates any time to reach him. He quickly closed in on Qiu Yun.

His hand rose.

His palm fell.

After that, Chen Xiaolian observed Qiu Yun, who had fallen unconscious on the floor, and gave an inward sigh.

He pried open Qiu Yun’s palm and retrieved the Tiger Tally.

Next, he returned his attention to Qiu Yun again and rummaged his body. In the end, he pulled a pendant that Qiu Yun wore over his neck.

[????: Picked up a [D] class storage equipment: Ancient Jade.]

Chen Xiaolian felt an involuntary feeling of regret.

[D] class storage equipment…

Storage equipment was a rarity in the Awakened circle. However, to think that an infamous expert like Qiu Yun could only afford a [D] class storage equipment. That was quite a shabby of him.

However, that was also a good thing.

The encryption function was not included for [D] class equipment. Anyone who got their hands on it could access it.

After checking its contents, Chen Xiaolian was stunned.

This equipment was indeed of [D] class and the storage space it provided was limited.

It was about half the size of a closet.

Qiu Yun’s storage space contained some common supplies. Medical supplies, food, water and some simple weapons and tools.

The weapons were all made from metal and could not be taken out. Additionally, there were also a number of metal balls.

It did not take long for Chen Xiaolian to understand. With Qiu Yun’s skill, those metal balls were the best weapons.

However, Chen Xiaolian also found something unexpected inside the storage equipment.

It appeared to be…

“This is an equipment?”

Chen Xiaolian quickly summoned it out. When it fell into his hand, he found that it was a… … golden coloured booklet.

The booklet had the width of a finger. After opening it, Chen Xiaolian saw that it had the folded shape of a… … chart?

Within it were the portraits of several figures. Looking at the figures, he saw that there were layers of clouds drifting around them, making it hard to identity the portraits. However, he could vaguely make out an ancient army. Each of them appeared to be generals.

On the surface of the opened booklet were three words.

“Starchart of Generals?” [1]

Chen Xiaolian gripped the item with his hand and pondered for a moment. Next, he used his personal system to inspect the equipment. What he saw left him dumbfounded.

[????: Picked up a high-grade equipment: Starchart of Generals (fragment).  Present evaluation at [A-] class. Growth Capacity: [S] class.]

Presently at [A-] class.

Growth Capacity: [S] class?

Holy cow! Qiu Yun possessed such an incredible item?

Chen Xiaolian’s face instantly revealed a ludicrous amount of shock.

…

1 Starchart of Generals. This item was briefly mentioned way back in Chapter 78.↩