Chapter 62: Please Call Me Brother Carefree

Using the same method, within five minutes, Chen Yun dealt with Evil NPCs 1 through 3. As he returned to look for the fourth, Mayor Shen Qiang was still droning on endlessly. Chen Yun was speechless—did all upper-class people love to ramble on once they took the stage?

"Excuse me, I don't know where the restroom is. Could you take me there?" Chen Yun used his earlier tactic to approach the fourth evil NPC.

"Heh, you carry on with your business. I'll take this young man to the restroom. Come with me, kid," said the pianist with the braided hair, suddenly stepping forward.

When Chen Yun called over the third accomplice, this man—whom the system had labeled as the "Evil NPC Lieutenant"—had already noticed him. Seeing that three of his cohorts had mysteriously disappeared from the hall, he sensed something was wrong and hurried over to intervene.

"Alright, thank you," Chen Yun replied without a hint of nervousness as he glanced at the lieutenant’s attributes. Although this one boasted more stats than all the previous ones combined, he was still nothing to worry about.

"Come on. I'll show you," the lieutenant said gruffly, blocking Chen Yun’s way and ushering him out of the banquet hall.

"Kid, what did you do to those guys?" As soon as they exited, the lieutenant demanded in a low voice.

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything," Chen Yun feigned ignorance.

"Cut the crap! Tell me the truth or I'll kill you right here!" the lieutenant snarled, shoving Chen Yun roughly as they made their way to the restroom.

Inside, the lieutenant looked around—the place was empty. He frowned, puzzled. Where were they?

"Speak! What did you do to them? Where are they?" the lieutenant barked, drawing a pistol fitted with a silencer. "Don't play games with me or I'll blow your head off!"

Chen Yun chuckled. "Even if I don't play games, you're going to try to kill me anyway. Go ahead, then!" As he finished speaking, he instantly switched to the appearance of Li Xiaoyao.

The lieutenant was dumbfounded. In the blink of an eye, the casually dressed young man had transformed into a middle-aged man with flowing long hair, holding a longsword and exuding an ethereal, immortal air!

"Wh-who are you?!" the lieutenant stammered, raising his pistol and aiming it at Chen Yun.

"Who am I? Hmm, let me think... Call me Brother Xiaoyao. Oh, no, that's what my Ling’er calls me—I can't let you sully that name," Chen Yun replied with a mischievous smile.

"Damn it! Enough of this nonsense. If you won't talk, I'll send you to hell!" The lieutenant pulled the trigger.

Now possessing a tenth of Li Xiaoyao’s power, Chen Yun's agility was terrifying. He could even track the bullet’s trajectory with his eyes. The instant the lieutenant fired, Chen Yun activated Sword Flight, and the Dustless Sword instantly enlarged, shielding Chen Yun behind it. With a crisp "clang," the bullet clattered harmlessly to the floor.

"What the hell!" The lieutenant was utterly stunned. He didn't even notice when he dropped his gun. Mouth agape, he stared at the sword—now as broad as a door—that had blocked the bullet, his worldview completely shattered.

What in the world was this?

A sword that instantly turned into the size of a door and blocked a bullet—had he crossed into a mythological realm?

While the lieutenant was still in shock, Chen Yun hefted the "door-sized" sword and struck him repeatedly.

“-1420”

“-1480”

“-1490”

“-2760”

"Player Chen Yun has killed Evil NPC Lieutenant, gaining 10,000 experience points and 300 silver coins. Player Chen Yun has reached level 10."

"Level 10, not bad! If you want to level up fast, you have to hunt elite monsters!"

Watching as the lieutenant vanished in a flash of white light, Chen Yun dusted off his hands and eyed the attributes of the Dustless Sword, drooling with envy. When would he ever get to own such an awesome weapon himself?

Dustless Sword: Supreme Divine Artifact. An ancient sword, said to shatter the heavens and rend the earth. Sword of Li Xiaoyao from Legend of the Sword and Fairy. Attributes: Physical Attack +2,000,000; Physical Defense +2,000,000; Constitution +1,500,000; Agility +1,000,000; Luck +50. Increases player strength by 1 to 100 times. Currently under nine layers of seal. Active attributes: Physical Attack +1000, doubles player strength. Required Level: 60 (level limit lifted during buff status). Attached Skills: Hidden seals unavailable. Special Effects: Hidden seals unavailable. Buff equipment—disappears when buff ends.

As Chen Yun admired the weapon’s stats on his way back to the banquet hall, he was green with envy. Too bad it was just a buff item; once the effect wore off, it would be gone.

"Sigh, this system really knows how to tempt people," he muttered, shaking his head as he reverted to his original form and headed for the hall.

But as he reached the banquet hall entrance, he noticed the doors had been closed at some point. Chen Yun pushed on them, but they wouldn’t budge. A chill ran through him. Had they realized something was wrong?

With this thought, Chen Yun shifted back to Li Xiaoyao’s appearance and kicked the banquet hall doors.

Inside the hall, Shen Qiang had just finished his speech and was about to hand over the stage to his daughter when the host suddenly grabbed his hand tightly. At the same time, Shen Qiang felt a hard, tubular object pressing against his back.

"Stay calm. I can let you live a little longer," the host whispered in his ear.

Shen Qiang was startled. He never expected the host he’d hired at great expense to actually be his would-be assassin. How could this be? What were the bodyguards outside even doing?

Shen Qiang bitterly regretted his earlier decision to station all the bodyguards outside. He hadn’t wanted to intimidate his guests or his daughter, so he’d kept security outside, believing his own territory was perfectly safe.

But he never imagined these killers would dare strike here. After all, the guests at this banquet were all people of wealth and power—political and business elites. Any one of them could shake the city of Lanyun.

"What do you want? Even if you kill me, you won’t escape! Who sent you? How much are they paying? I’ll double it—what do you say?" Shen Qiang, ever the mayor, showed remarkable composure. In a flash, he calmed himself and began bargaining with the assassin.

"Heh, money? What’s that worth? We have no need for it. You’re dead today—don’t waste your breath. Come quietly, or I can’t guarantee nothing will happen to your lovely daughter..." The "host" pressed the gun into Shen Qiang’s back, guiding him toward the hall’s back room, all the while maintaining a polite smile for the guests. The other accomplices, seeing the target under control, converged as well.

One wealthy businessman eyed the host and the mayor’s apparent closeness with suspicion. Wasn’t Shen Qiang known for disliking physical contact? Why was he holding hands with the host today—did he have a new hobby? Had Shen Qiang grown bored of women and turned to men?

He was not alone in his thoughts.

"Hey, I never thought Old Shen would be into this. Holding hands with a man in front of everyone—must be a deep bond."

"Yeah, look at Mrs. Shen’s face—it’s gone pale."

"Tsk tsk, Old Shen’s got guts. A reputation for homosexuality isn’t easy to live down."

"Do you think he’ll divorce Mrs. Shen and marry the host?"

"It’s possible—I read online that only same-sex love is true love. When it’s true love, anything’s possible!"

Whispers like these reached both Shen Qiang and the deputy leader. Instantly, their faces changed color.

Shen Qiang: Damn it, what are you all thinking? I’m being held hostage, and you see it as me coming out of the closet? Just wait—if I survive this, I’ll make sure my wife cuts all business ties with you people!

Deputy leader: Hell no! I’m the ‘Handsome Jade Dragon’ who can handle twenty women a night, and you’re calling me gay? Damn, I was going to let you all live, but now, if I don’t spill some blood, I’m not a man!