Chapter 150: Pan Danian's Secret
“Did you just stick those dozen or so feathers on the helmet without any processing? Even I, an outsider, can tell—there’s not a trace of craftsmanship. Don’t try to fool me!”
“That’s right, but raw and natural is the strongest. You have to trust me, adventurer.”
“Goddamn it!”
“Cruise stomp!”
Huang Yunshuo grabbed the helmet, leapt up and slammed into the ceiling, then came down hard with a stomp that knocked the old man flat onto the ground. The old man wailed in pain, a dizziness icon hovered above his head for three seconds, and a third of his health instantly drained away.
“What the hell is going on?”
A squad of patrol soldiers rushed in at the commotion and immediately spotted Huang Yunshuo mercilessly beating the old man.
“Champion warrior, stop!” the patrol leader shouted, hesitating and not stepping forward.
“Cut the crap! Ling’s town guard is my woman. If you meddle, I’ll feed you all to the pigs!” Huang Yunshuo snapped back with a threatening glare.
The patrol soldiers exchanged glances, speechless.
The captain looked around awkwardly and muttered, “So it’s just two cats fighting. Brothers, let’s get out of here.”
The old man was beaten so badly he was streaming tears and snot, his health reduced to a mere third before Huang Yunshuo finally relented.
It was infuriating.
He’d stolen fifty of my hundred and twenty feathers!
And that wasn’t all—the remaining seventy feathers had over a dozen that were completely unprocessed, just shoved straight into the hat. Damn it.
“Either I send you to your grave, or you give me an explanation. Hurry up!” Huang Yunshuo barked.
Suddenly, he realized his livestream was probably still on, and his heart skipped a beat. Was this brutal behavior really appropriate?
As a major influencer—at least in the social media world—he now had a responsibility not only to deliver content but to promote positive energy. It was a heavy burden. If every viewer took a small step forward because of him, the entire livestream community would advance greatly.
If all humanity watched his stream and each person progressed a little, humanity would take a giant leap forward.
“What the hell am I thinking about, stupid stuff,” he muttered, shaking his head briskly. Huang Yunshuo quickly shut off the livestream interface. He had quite a few female fans now and couldn’t afford to broadcast such degrading content.
“I’ve beaten you, scolded you—it’s about enough! Poor old me, spent my whole life working for Stone Terrace Town, and now I’m bullied by some punk like you!” Pan Danian wailed hysterically, rolling on the ground, pounding his fists on the dirt, lightly banging his head against the wall, a picture of utter despair.
“Damn it! You think I’m scared to take you down?”
Huang Yunshuo’s anger flared. How could he parade around with such shoddy gear? Walking down the road, randomly charging at someone or unleashing a cruise stomp—it was maddening.
Today, he was going to cut this guy down.
Boom!
A rocket launcher exploded inside the tiny tailor’s shop. Nearby players were blasted, faces covered in dust, and fled in terror.
Pan Danian was thrown out of the shop by the blast, bleeding and dizzy, landing hard on the street. His dwindling health slowly faded to mere skin.
“Are you going to apologize? I’ll even reimburse your medical fees!” Huang Yunshuo demanded, the dark barrel of the cannon pressed against Pan Danian’s thinning forehead. The old man’s lips trembled, face pale with fear, frantically yelling, “Help! He’s killing me! Is there no law under the bright sky?”
“This adventurer wants to kill me! Poor Pan Danian, who’s served this town’s people faithfully for years, only to end like this!”
“That scoundrel Pan Danian!”
Players gathered, some cursing, “Last time I asked him to make gloves for me, he pocketed more than half my materials. The final product didn’t match the blueprint at all—useless.”
“Me too! For a quest that needed twenty of a certain material, he insisted on charging me for twenty-five! The quest clearly said twenty.”
“And he’s arrogant as hell! When confronted, he doesn’t even respond. If you insult him, he deducts your favorability.”
A slight smile crept on Huang Yunshuo’s lips. So this guy’s reputation was that terrible, huh?
“Count to five. If you don’t compensate me, I’ll take what I want myself.”
Squinting, Huang Yunshuo felt a thrill. He wondered what punishment would come from killing an NPC in public. With his help to Ling Bing, surely he wouldn’t go to prison, right?
“I…” Pan Danian’s eyes darted wildly.
Suddenly, the thunder of hooves echoed down the street.
Ling Bing, clad in exquisite armor, rode at the head with Deputy General Luo Liang and hundreds of cavalry thundering behind them.
Thousands of hooves hammered the cobblestone like a torrential downpour.
“Town Guard, help! This adventurer wants to kill me! He even claims to be your husband. Please don’t let him get away; I’m just an honest merchant!”
Huang Yunshuo hadn’t expected the old man’s frail voice to be so loud.
He actually exposed him right in front of Ling Bing?
Huang Yunshuo’s face drained of color, then flushed red.
Hearing the commotion, Ling Bing and her troops charged toward them.
“Old man, I want to see if you can…”
Pan Danian relaxed, eyes gleaming with triumph as he looked at Huang Yunshuo.
“Die!” Huang Yunshuo shouted.
Equipping the Champion’s Aria, he unleashed the Dragon’s Flight.
Crack!
He jumped back then lunged forward, stabbing Pan Danian. Surprisingly, despite his near-death state, the old man wasn’t killed; instead, a thick black aura enveloped him.
The black mist wrapped around him, blocking Huang Yunshuo’s spear tip with a metallic screech.
“You forced me to reveal my true form! You will die, you will die!” Pan Danian’s voice trembled with terror and madness as the black aura surged toward Huang Yunshuo.
“What the hell is this?” Huang Yunshuo muttered.
Counting down.
One.
Two.
Three.
The black aura had engulfed Huang Yunshuo. Within it, a huge mouth appeared, faintly revealing two rows of hooked teeth.
Champion of the Army!
Huang Yunshuo’s power surged beyond 250.
He slammed a knee into Pan Danian’s stomach, hitting something incredibly hard and unyielding—not human bone—causing his knee to ache.
Under such tremendous force, old Liao was knocked flying, coughing up blood mid-air, yet still clinging to life.
“Kill him, demon spawn!” Ling Bing shouted, drawing a one-and-a-half-meter-long sword, ready to hurl it at Pan Danian.
Meanwhile, Luo Liang and the cavalry surged forward, some charging, others grabbing bows from their saddles.
“Cruise stomp!”
Huang Yunshuo leapt explosively, stomping down fiercely on Pan Danian’s landing spot.
Boom.
Both crashed to the ground. Pan Danian screamed and died instantly, collapsed and motionless. Strangely, a dizziness icon still floated above his head.