“Kung fu?”

“Martial artist?”

“Research?”

The others repeated Gu Fei’s words, looking at each other and smiling.

Gu Fei had seen this expression too many times. Whenever he talked to people about his kung fu, they always wore this disapproving look. But this was an online game, and Gu Fei had convenient ways to prove himself. He brandished the Baptism of Fire in his hand, struck a pose, and said to the others, “Look at this move of mine. There are four variations in it, four follow-up moves. If…”

“Alright, alright! Don’t change your moves yet. Change your equipment first. The enemy's follow-up moves are coming soon,” Han Jia Gongzi said.

“Change equipment?” Gu Fei was puzzled.

“Everyone, change your equipment,” Han Jia Gongzi said, turning to the other four.

The four nodded, instantly changing into simple attire. You Ge turned to Gu Fei and explained, “Even though we're covering our faces, if they use Appraisal, they can identify our equipment, especially since Bu Xiao’s Appraisal skill is quite high. Jian Gui’s Frost Memories, for example, is an unforgettable masterpiece. So, everyone, just change into some random equipment to make sure they don't recognize us.”

Gu Fei nodded. “But this is all I have.”

“You don’t need to change much,” Han Jia Gongzi said. “Take off your tattered straw hat, your worn-out shoes, and put away your broken knife. Just dress like a mage.”

Gu Fei followed his instructions. Han Jia Gongzi continued, “The mission isn't over yet; it's just beginning. Bu Xiao has been around for so long, he won't be easily scared off. I reckon he's still got the guts to seek revenge.”

You Ge agreed, “Besides, he has Zongheng Sihai (lit. 'The Four Seas') as backup. I bet they called for reinforcements as soon as they were attacked.”

Yu Tian Shen Ming nodded. “They did call out in the guild channel.”

“But we acted quickly enough. They shouldn't have gone too far yet,” Han Jia Gongzi said after checking the time. “Everyone, split up and go to the Yunliao (Cloud Material) Farm in the west of the city. Blend in with the ordinary players and grind monsters. If you see anyone from Zongheng Sihai, remember to gather information about them. Don't close the chat window, and listen for updates at any time.”

The others nodded and left the valley, preparing to scatter in different directions.

“Hey! You guys, are you interested in learning a few kung fu moves with me?” Gu Fei called out.

“Maybe sometime,” Han Jia Gongzi patted him, turning back. “Scatter, scatter.”

The six chose different routes, avoiding the main road from Yunxia (Cloudglow) Valley directly to Yunduan (Cloudtop) City.

Not far from Yunxia Valley was the Yunliao Farm. The monsters here were level 25-30, making it one of the most popular leveling areas, with monsters basically in short supply. Players stopping and starting had become a common sight. Yet, no one would steal monsters, all because Yunliao Farm had an unwritten rule: monster stealers would be attacked by everyone.

It wasn't that the players were so virtuous, but everyone felt that there were already too few monsters for too many people. If someone gave everyone such a righteous excuse to kick someone out of the game, people would be very happy to do so. This situation continued, and there were no monster stealers, but more and more people were falsely accused of stealing monsters. Those who were falsely accused often had one thing in common: they were too strong.

Those who were too strong leveled up quickly, which made most ordinary players feel unfair. So, once someone shamelessly shouted “He’s stealing monsters!” more people would immediately pretend to make a mistake… Even the strongest players couldn't withstand being suddenly swarmed by twenty people who simultaneously "misclicked," disappearing into that hopeful field without even a chance to explain.

Yunliao Farm was truly a dark place.

You Ge explained the situation in the mercenary channel, reminding everyone not to be too conspicuous and just find a monster to pretend to attack. The others nodded in agreement.

Arriving at Yunliao Farm, Gu Fei looked around and saw the others blending in with the crowd. They were all subconsciously moving toward the road in the center of the field. That was the main road to Yunxia Valley. If Zongheng Sihai were coming, they would definitely pass through here.

Gu Fei looked around. The others were following You Ge's instructions, using their most tattered weapons to slowly attack a target. Gu Fei immediately took out his staff, but instead of using spells, he used it like a fire poker, beating a scarecrow that had just spawned in front of him.

Before long, dust began to rise in the distance. Several players were running towards them at a constant speed. The formation was quite complete. After all, different stat builds and equipment affected the movement speed of each class. If everyone ran at their maximum speed, the team would form a straight line, rushing forward one by one to be attacked.

The people from Zongheng Sihai had obviously considered this issue, so they chose a constant speed that took everyone into account. As they ran through the fields, the players leveling in the farm couldn't help but stop and watch. They had been leveling here every day, but had never seen such a commotion. What was happening? The players discussed among themselves.

Experienced players pointed to the badges worn by the players in the center of the road and explained to others, "Those are people from Zongheng Sihai."

So, the players understood that Zongheng Sihai was conducting a large-scale training exercise to improve their skills.

"The scene is quite big!" Han Jia Gongzi said in the mercenary channel. "Yu Tian, how many people does Zongheng have now?"

"They just leveled up to a level 3 guild, so they've filled all 300 slots," Yu Tian Shen Ming replied.

"How many are level 30?"

"Big brother, the top-ranked players don't have numbers, don't expect me to count them one by one," Yu Tian Shen Ming said.

"This Bu Xiao, if he knew what was good for him, he should have stopped these people from coming. What a pity! It seems he thinks he has a strong backing. Tsk tsk, let's play with him a little longer," Han Jia Gongzi said.

The Zongheng Sihai people had already passed through the farm and headed straight for Yunxia Valley. After that, only one or two stragglers passed by. Yu Tian Shen Ming attempted to take out the stragglers with a cold arrow, but Han Jia Gongzi stopped him. "They're looking for us. Aren't you telling them that we're at Yunliao Farm?"

"So, what do we do now?" Yu Tian Shen Ming asked.

"We can't eliminate them all right now, so we'll have to capture the leader first. Did you see Bu Xiao among those who passed by earlier?" Han Jia Gongzi asked.

"No," You Ge replied with confidence.

"This is his business, there's no reason for him not to come. He's probably still on the way since we just sent him back to the city. Qianli, you go back to the city and give us a signal when you see him," Han Jia Gongzi said.

"Okay!" Gu Fei got up, ready to go.

"Be quick. After returning to the city, go to the Thieves' Guild. Bu Xiao will definitely respawn there after he dies. Find a chance to take him out once! I think you can handle him in a one-on-one fight, right?" Han Jia Gongzi said.

"Of course, no problem!" Gu Fei put his staff over his shoulder, whistled, and set off.

A full-agility mage was also fast. After running for a while, Gu Fei saw a figure running towards him in the distance, where he could vaguely see the outline of Yunduan City. As he got closer, he saw that it was indeed Bu Xiao.

"I see Bu Xiao," Gu Fei shouted in the mercenary channel.

"Roger. Don't worry about him. Go to the Thieves' Guild quickly and give us a signal. You Ge, you also start moving. We'll estimate the time it takes for Bu Xiao to arrive and choose a location to strike," Han Jia Gongzi commanded.

"No problem!" Gu Fei and You Ge sent this message at the same time. After sending the message, Gu Fei and Bu Xiao brushed past each other. Bu Xiao didn't notice Gu Fei at all and was hurrying forward with a worried expression.

After returning to Yunduan City, Gu Fei quickly arrived at the Thieves' Guild, looked around at the terrain, and sent a message: "I've arrived."

Before this, You Ge had already met with Bu Xiao. After learning that Gu Fei had arrived at the designated location, the tactics were quickly arranged.

"Bu Xiao is coming!" Yu Tian Shen Ming shouted in the chat channel.

"Hey, hey! Give me a live text broadcast!" Gu Fei, who couldn't watch the scene, didn't want to miss the exciting moment.

"I'll do it, I'll do it!" Yu Tian Shen Ming volunteered.

"Bu Xiao is walking over, walking over, walking over alone. He's holding a dagger, representing the glorious tradition of thieves, walking on the road in the field. He's not looking around, walking straight ahead, one step, two steps, three steps... Sorry, I should count backwards, that's more exciting!"

"Uh, sorry, I don't know where to start counting backwards, so I'll count forwards. One step, two steps, three steps, approaching, approaching step by step, six steps, seven steps! He's here!"

"Attacking, Jian Gui, lurking in the middle of the road, is attacking. As Bu Xiao passed by him, he turned nimbly and backstabbed him, plunging the dagger deep into... Sorry, I can't see clearly, is it his waist or his butt? Bu Xiao turned his head. Bu Xiao's face isn't smiling, what a pity. He saw a face covered with black cloth. Bu Xiao tried to reach out and tear off the cloth, but he didn't have a chance. Jian Gui stabbed him again. Jian Gui, I think you should let him tear off the cloth on your face, that way you can scare him to death, and maybe he'll drop some equipment."

"Get lost!" Jian Gui, who had already taken care of Bu Xiao, freed up a space to send a word.

"Qianli, how is it on your side?" Han Jia Gongzi asked.

"Yes, I've already seen him," Gu Fei said.

He watched as Bu Xiao rushed out of the Thieves' Guild with an extremely angry expression, turned around twice in place, probably too angry to tell which direction to go. Then he drooped his head 45 degrees and stared blankly at the ground in a daze.

"I'm making my move. Sorry, I don't have time to give you a text broadcast," Gu Fei took out a black cloth to cover his face, pulled his straw hat over his head, held the Baptism of Fire behind his back, and quickly chased after Bu Xiao.