29: Player

When the trio approached with wine glasses in hand, their footsteps were extremely light.

Qian Tong wore a plastered-on smile, but his eyes scanned Su Chen like searchlights: "Fellow Daoist, your bearing is extraordinary. We have just entered the path of immortality and are looking for a senior to seek some guidance on cultivation."

The three of them had formed an alliance shortly after entering the game. The items fed back from the game made them realize its immense value, and they also resolved to explore the game's mechanics.

Thus, the wedding of the seventh-rank Luo Family was seen as an important event by them. They actually received a quest to decorate the flying ships for the Luo Family to transport the brides, earning them a small profit.

Earlier, they noticed that Su Chen and his companion dared to ignore the young master of a seventh-rank family. Furthermore, they used their player abilities to scout; whether it was a player or an NPC, scouting usually yielded relevant information. However, when they scouted Su Chen, the system feedback was: 【???】

The three concluded that Su Chen was a key NPC for a hidden plot.

Seeing that Su Chen still did not answer, Qian Tong hardened his heart and took out a glowing monster core from his storage bag: "A small token of greeting, please don't mind it. I only ask that you point us in the right direction, Fellow Daoist."

Su Chen looked at the trash item the three had handed over—which they had likely received from a check-in—and felt a pang of emotion.

He was all too familiar with these three names; they were all formidable players who would one day shake the world.

In his past life, Zhao Meng had used a rusted iron sword to slay a quasi-saint-level monster, becoming a pillar of the Xia Kingdom's military; Lin Wenxuan became the youngest Grandmaster of Formations, stopping a million-strong beast tide with his "Nine-Lock Dragon-Trapping Formation"; and Qian Tong came to head the Great Xia Chamber of Commerce, controlling over half of the cross-domain trading resources.

But now, these three future top experts were just newbies who had just entered the game and hadn't even secured a foothold in a family.

"Does Fellow Daoist have some unspeakable difficulty?" Seeing Su Chen remain silent, Zhao Meng couldn't help but ask, his tone tinged with probing, "We mean no harm, we just wish to make your acquaintance—"

"Heh." Su Chen suddenly found it interesting.

His voice was flat but carried a pressure that pierced the soul, "You three are not people of this world, are you?"

The expressions of Zhao Meng and the other two changed drastically in unison, as if struck by thunder.

Su Chen tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his gaze sweeping over the three, each word like an ice pick: "You come from 'Beyond the Realm,' using families as pawns and the world as a furnace, plundering the luck of this realm to nourish yourselves. How is that any different from 'Heavenly Demons'?"

The four characters "Heavenly Demons from Beyond the Realm" exploded in their minds like thunder!

Their status as "players" was their greatest advantage and also their most fatal weakness—once their origins were discovered by the natives, the consequences would be unimaginable! Yet this seemingly young cultivator before them had exposed their secret in a single sentence?

The smile on Qian Tong's face froze instantly, and his wine cup crashed onto the table with a "clang," splashing wine everywhere; Lin Wenxuan's face turned deathly pale, and he subconsciously reached for the storage bag at his waist;

"Who... who exactly are you?!" Zhao Meng's voice was trembling.

Su Chen looked at their appearance of facing a great enemy and smiled faintly: "Who I am is not important. What is important is that you three little guys should go do whatever you need to do."

Before he finished speaking, a terrifying Dragon Might spread from his soul phantom. Zhao Meng and the others felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, as if they were being stared at by an ancient ferocious beast; their blood seemed to congeal, and even breathing became difficult.

He had intentionally exposed their identities as a form of deterrence and a warning. Since he had the Myriad Manifestation Mirror and other players couldn't see through his true nature, he decided to play it mysterious; there might be unexpected surprises in the future.

Cold sweat oozed from the foreheads of Zhao Meng and his companions, and they finally realized that this person before them was definitely not an ordinary NPC.

"S-Senior, please forgive us!" Lin Wenxuan reacted the fastest, immediately bowing, "We mean no harm, we just... just wanted to seek some guidance from you, Senior!"

Qian Tong and Zhao Meng also quickly followed suit and bowed, not daring to even breathe loudly. A moment ago, they wanted to win him over and probe him, but now they were only thinking about how to save their lives—if the other party really killed them as "Heavenly Demons from Beyond the Realm," the game would impose a three-month penalty period, preventing them from logging in.

This almost meant being abandoned by the era.

Su Chen waved his hand, not bothering to tangle with them any further. Although these three were future top experts, they couldn't catch his eye right now.

Keeping them around was perfect for planting them as pathfinders in "that organization."

The three dared not say another word, scrambling away from the table, forgetting to take their wine glasses in their panic.

Watching their disheveled backs, Tantai Qinghuang asked curiously: "Old Ancestor, are they really Heavenly Demons from Beyond the Realm?"

"Sort of, but also not really." Su Chen opened his eyes, a playful smile curling on his lips, "However... this does remind me that I am not the only player in this game."

In the distance, Zhao Meng and the others hid behind a pillar, looking towards Su Chen's direction with lingering fear.

"Senior Brother, who exactly is he?" Qian Tong wiped away his cold sweat, "Tantai Family... why haven't I heard of this family?"

Zhao Meng's expression was grave: "Regardless of who he is, he is definitely a big shot among the natives. In the future, if you see him, walk the other way!"

Lin Wenxuan, however, was thoughtful: "But he didn't make a move against us, which suggests he might not have malice toward 'players.' I actually think this might be our opportunity."

The three looked at each other, seeing shock and a hint of anticipation in each other's eyes.

At this moment, the dance music stopped abruptly, and a commotion suddenly came from the main stage of the wedding banquet.

From the back hall, a man dressed in a black-gold embroidered groom's outfit strode out. His complexion was ruddy, his smile gentle, and there was even a scholarly air between his brows. He showed no signs of evil, looking instead like a refined and gentle scholar.

It was none other than the young master of the Luo Family, Luo Jin.

Behind him, ninety-nine brides filed out in a line. Each was beautiful, but their smiles were stiff like puppets, and bloodshot eyes revealing despair flashed in their depths.

On the main seat of the hall, a middle-aged man with a sinister face stood up with an inscrutable smile: "I, Luo Sha, represent the Luo Family, and welcome everyone's arrival to attend my son's wedding."

"Congratulations to the Luo Family Head, congratulations to the Young Master!" A chorus of sycophantic congratulations came from below, uneven and revealing a hint of hypocrisy.

Luo Jin stood in the center of the hall, cupped his hands in a salute, his voice gentle yet carrying throughout the venue: "Recently, my Luo Family has had two joyous occasions. The first is that our Old Ancestor has broken through to the late stage of the Void God Realm, and the second is my own wedding."

"But on this joyous day, I have heard some words of dissatisfaction." He changed the subject, a look of regret appearing on his face, "Sigh, my Luo Family originally intended to form marital alliances with everyone, but unfortunately, some people did not give us face and even spoke insults and slander."

"Having no other choice, we resorted to some force."

Luo Jin sighed lightly, as if truly very regretful: "I, Luo, am not an unreasonable person. Today, I will give everyone here a chance—among the peers of each family, whoever can defeat me may take away one bride."

"It can be considered sharing this joy with everyone."

Hearing this, everyone dared not speak out despite their anger. The atmosphere at the banquet instantly froze, and even breathing became cautious.

In the corner of the hall, a youth in magnificent clothing frowned, cursing in a low voice: "This Luo Family is merely a seventh-rank clan, yet they are so arrogant, treating women like goods to be sent back and forth!"

It was Liu Qi, who had appeared at the wedding banquet at some unknown time. She was a woman, so she naturally couldn't stand the Luo Family's actions. However, in her view, it was only natural for a higher-ranking family to exterminate a lower-ranking one.

Old Li sighed from the side: "This Luo Jin is testing the hearts of men. If no one opposes, his act of exterminating clans and abducting women will be considered legitimate, and no one will be able to dispute it." He sighed inwardly; family struggles were just this cruel. The young lady was still a bird in a cage, and the storms she would have to face in the future would be a hundred times more violent than this.

Seeing no one speak, Luo Jin shook his head slightly, his smile becoming a bit colder: "Since everyone is not showing support, I will call names."

His face smiled like a harmless scholar, but there was no humanity in his eyes. His gaze swept over the ninety-nine young women and suddenly pointed to the table where Wang Ang and Kong Xuan were sitting, smiling mockingly: "Young Master of the Sun Family, I heard that you cursed me at a restaurant the day before yesterday for snatching women, calling me worse than a pig or dog? I wonder if you would like to come on stage for a fight?"

The young master of the Sun Family was sitting next to Wang Ang. Hearing this, his face changed drastically, and he stood up abruptly in terror, kneeling down with a "thud": "Young Master, spare my life! I didn't... I didn't!"

"Spare your life?" Luo Jin laughed, and a white bone token suddenly appeared in his hand, covered with twisted runes, "The rules of my Luo Family depend on this Ten Thousand Bone Token!"

Before he finished speaking, the bone token suddenly emitted a red light, transforming into a bone claw that pierced straight through the youth's chest with a bloody wind!

"Pfft—"

Blood splashed everywhere, staining the white tablecloth red. The next second, the youth's flesh and blood were instantly sucked dry by the red light, leaving only a skeleton scattered on the ground.

"Ah! Husband! You thief!" The beautiful young woman behind the youth screamed, but she was frozen in place by a talisman flicked by Luo Jin, and then captured by an invisible force into the queue of brides.

"Young Mistress of the Sun Family, please." Luo Jin clapped his hands, and a black light flicked from his fingertip into the young woman's forehead, "From today on, you are no longer the Young Mistress of the Sun Family, but my blood-slave concubine."

"Now that makes one hundred, it is finally complete, haha!"

The people at Young Master Sun's table, seeing their friend with whom they had just been drinking and chatting die tragically, all had red eyes, but they could only clench their fists tightly, not daring to utter a single word of anger.

Luo Jin looked at their expressions and said playfully: "Young Master Wang, your complexion is not good. Is there something wrong?"

Wang Ang was silent for a moment, his usual arrogance gone. He pursed his lips, pointed to the food and wine stained with blood, and his voice was terrifyingly calm: "Please replace this table of food and wine."

"Hahahaha, it was my oversight!" Luo Jin laughed aloud, his laughter echoing in the hall, carrying an indescribable harshness and arrogance.

Everyone at this table had fallen into a deathly silence.

The surrounding family heads felt a chill, and their gaze towards Luo Jin was filled with fear. This Luo Jin looked gentle, but he was actually a complete madman—daring to kill in public at his own wedding banquet and abducting the wife of the victim!

Yet among all the guests, not one dared to stand up and speak a word of justice.

Someone sighed in a low voice: "The Luo Family has actually become this powerful. Both are seventh-rank families, yet the Wang Family doesn't even dare to let out a fart."

"Who told the Luo Family Old Ancestor to have already broken through to the late stage of the Void God Realm..."

In the corner, Qin Ze's nails dug deep into his palms, and blood dripped down between his fingers. He had almost rushed onto the stage to fight Luo Jin to the death. But thinking of how his entire family had sacrificed themselves to preserve his lineage, he froze in place.

"Everything is about strength... How hateful!..." He gritted his teeth, a silent roar spilling from his throat.

Luo Jin looked around, watching the expressions of fear, numbness, or sycophancy on everyone's faces, especially the awkward smiles they forced out when meeting his gaze, and his mood became increasingly pleasant.

He was neither a madman nor lustful. The rise of the Luo Family needed an excuse. After this event, the humble families of Cold Crow Marsh would surely be completely disappointed in the other two high-ranking families. From now on, in this Bei Huang County, it would be his Luo Family that had the final say!

Thinking of this, he felt the future was bright, and leading the Luo Family to impact the sixth-rank major clans was not impossible.

He laughed triumphantly: "Hahahaha, today is truly a good day."

Just at this moment, a mocking voice suddenly rang out from the corner, yet it clearly spread throughout the entire hall,

"Hmm, today is a good day for an extermination."