31: Chapter 31 Confession

The moonlight on the mountaintop remained bright, but the atmosphere between Chen Ergou and Ye Liuli had become somewhat subtle.

The two walked side by side on the path down the mountain, the night air like water, stretching their silhouettes long and thin.

A mountain breeze blew gently, bringing with it the faint scent of grass and trees, but neither spoke; only the sound of their footsteps echoed on the silent mountain road.

Ye Liuli walked in front, her long silver-white hair fluttering gently in the breeze. The moonlight fell upon her, coating her in a layer of silver radiance, making her look unearthly beautiful.

Her pace was neither fast nor slow, as if she were waiting for something, or perhaps pondering something.

Chen Ergou followed behind her, scratched his head, and finally broke the silence: "Um… Guild Leader Xiguang, there is something I need to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Ye Liuli did not turn back. Her voice remained cold and clear, but Chen Ergou keenly sensed that her tone was slightly softer than usual.

"It is… about that beggar NPC." Chen Ergou took a deep breath, deciding to confess, "Actually, I have already met him."

Ye Liuli's footsteps came to a sudden halt. She turned around, a flicker of surprise flashing in her cold phoenix eyes: "What? You have already met him?"

"Just this afternoon." Chen Ergou briefly recounted everything from meeting Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen to obtaining the [Sword Saints Three Styles].

Of course, he omitted the specific details of the system upgrade, only saying he had "obtained some special abilities."

After all, the fewer people who knew about things like the system, the better; this was his basic rule for survival in the game.

Ye Liuli listened, silent for a moment.

Her expression was hard to make out in the moonlight, but Chen Ergou could feel that her emotions were somewhat complex, as if she were digesting this sudden information.

"So…" Her voice was somewhat low, "That beggar, is he really a Sword Saint?"

"Yes." Chen Ergou nodded, "His name is Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen, and he is the successor of the [Sword Saints Three Styles]. He also gave me a jade pendant, saying it was a token of the [Sword Pavilion]."

As he spoke, he took the jade pendant engraved with the character "Sword" from his backpack and handed it to Ye Liuli.

Ye Liuli took the jade pendant and examined it carefully by the moonlight for a moment.

The jade pendant was pure white, warm to the touch, and engraved with an ancient "Sword" character, emitting a faint pressure.

A flash of surprise crossed her eyes: "This is a token of the [Sword Pavilion]?"

"You know it?" Chen Ergou was somewhat surprised.

"I have heard of it." Ye Liuli returned the jade pendant to him, "[Sword Pavilion] is a very mysterious organization in the main city. It is said to be full of sword masters with unfathomable strength."

"I never expected… that beggar who looked so down-and-out was actually a member of the [Sword Pavilion]."

Chen Ergou chuckled, "Now I am someone with backing! In the future, when I go out to brag, I can say I am the successor of a Sword Saint!"

Ye Liuli rolled her eyes at him, "Don't get cocky too soon. Although the [Sword Pavilion] is powerful, it is not omnipotent. And…"

She paused, her voice becoming somewhat low, "Since you have already met the Sword Saint, what is your take on the matter of the guild traitor?"

Chen Ergou put away his smile and said seriously, "I think we can start with the [Dark Night] guild."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it," Chen Ergou analyzed, "Since the traitor is leaking information to [Dark Night], the [Dark Night] guild must know who the traitor is."

"If we can capture a core member of [Dark Night] and ask them using a truth cookie, wouldn't everything become clear?"

Ye Liuli's eyes lit up: "You mean… capturing a prisoner?"

"Exactly!" Chen Ergou snapped his fingers, "And I happen to know a suitable target."

"Who?"

"The vice guild leader of [Dark Night], 'Shadow Blade'." Chen Ergou revealed a crafty smile, "This guy has been leveling up alone in the forest east of the Novice Village recently; it is a good opportunity to make a move."

Ye Liuli frowned, "How do you know that so clearly?"

"Hehe," Chen Ergou smiled triumphantly, "Don't forget, I am a man with a system. After the range of my heart-voice monitoring expanded, nothing in this Novice Village can escape my ears."

Ye Liuli looked at him, her eyes carrying a hint of complex emotion.

This man who looked like a slacker could always surprise people at critical moments.

Although his strength was not the greatest, his intelligence and courage far exceeded that of ordinary people.

"Good." She nodded, "Tomorrow, we will go together."

"No problem!" Chen Ergou patted his chest, "Leave it to me!"

The two looked at each other and smiled; under the moonlight, their silhouettes were stretched long and thin.

The mountain breeze blew gently, bringing with it waves of floral fragrance, as if cheering on these two young people who were about to fight side by side.

"By the way," Chen Ergou suddenly said, "When we take action tomorrow, I need to prepare some truth cookies. Don't worry, the quality is guaranteed; once eaten, I guarantee they will say everything!"

The corners of Ye Liuli's mouth lifted slightly, "Your goods have quite a few side effects, don't they?"

"Hehe, that is natural." Chen Ergou was unconcerned, "But effectiveness is the hard truth!"

Ye Liuli shook her head gently, but there was a hint of a smile in her eyes.

The two walked down the hillside side by side, the moonlight stretching their backs long and thin.

Behind them, the lights of the Novice Village were still flickering, as if telling one unfinished story after another.

And their story had only just begun.