Chapter 125: Seven-Step Chant

The Rat Monk wasn’t dead. Not only was the Shang Family surprised, but Yan Qing was also taken aback.

Last night, he had narrowly escaped from the Foundation Messenger, then endured the torment of human-machine verification in the Inner Treasury, to the point he wished he were dead. Upon returning, he still had to play mind games with other thieves. After hastily filling his stomach, he had passed out, only to wake up today needing to pee and suddenly remember he had forgotten the Rat Monk in Jiangnan City.

But it wasn’t intentional. After all, Black Wolf and White Fox had said they hadn’t encountered any monk around Shang Xuanwen, and the instruction Yan Qing had given the Rat Monk was to stay with Shang Xuanwen at all costs. So upon receiving the message, Yan Qing simply assumed the Rat Monk really had died.

When he opened the game console and saw the Rat Monk hadn’t been deleted, his first reaction was confusion. Did the auto-evolution program he compiled go wrong? Or had the AI rebelled? Otherwise, with Yan Qing’s command, the Rat Monk would have crawled to Shang Xuanwen even if he had to.

In the Rat Monk’s programming, protecting Shang Xuanwen came first, stealing the Heaven-Reliant Sword second, and Yan Qing himself—a three-day-old alt—was a distant third.

Once Yan Qing checked the combat logs, he realized he had wrongly blamed the alt.

「The Rat Monk wasn’t in the alley you mentioned, Father. By the time we got there, he was already crawling out of Jiangtai Street, hundreds of steps away from the alley.」

The Rat Monk hadn’t been sleeping in his room but was lying in a grander and more spacious residence, filled with maids and servants. An elderly physician sat at his bedside, monitoring his condition.

Father and son watched him from the side. Shang Qiao spoke with reverence: 「He seemed to have lost consciousness by then. Even when I told him you were safe, he still insisted on fulfilling his duty to protect you. Fortunately, Physician Sun arrived in time and used soft needles to put him into restorative sleep.」

Although one couldn’t harm others within the Main City, healing clearly didn’t fall under this restriction. Many healing tokens in the game carried negative effects, such as sleep, confusion, blindness, or dizziness. Without exception, these tokens shared two traits: short range and long wind-up. As a result, while healing could work in the Main City, if the target didn’t cooperate, even a sneeze could break the effect.

In return, these tokens could cure most negative conditions given enough time.

From the combat log, Yan Qing saw the Rat Monk had accumulated eight debuffs: Severe Burns (-5 Dexterity), Severe Internal Injury (-7 Vital Energy and Blood), Crippled Hands (-9 Dexterity), and Near Death (-1 HP/second), all of which couldn’t be healed with Healing Pills. But now, after just one night, only Minor Internal Injury (-1 Vital Energy and Blood) remained—a testament to both the healing’s efficacy and how close to death the Rat Monk had been.

「He’s awake,」 Shang Xuanwen suddenly said.

Hm? Yan Qing was sure he had only checked the combat logs, not taken control. How could he tell the Rat Monk had awoken? Physician Sun had the same question: 「Prime Minister, my soft needle technique should ensure at least six hours of sleep. The patient shouldn’t be waking up yet.」

「No need to get up. Just rest and listen to me,」 Shang Xuanwen said on his own. 「I’ve already arranged your registration: Black Band Military Household. I could have registered you under the Shang Family, but I figured you wouldn’t want to be bound by our rules.」

「As for your next steps, I’ll give you two options. First is the Xuanwu Lake Garrison. It contains First, Second, and Third-Stage Secret Realms. I’ll fund you through all three class changes. But the garrison is governed by the Jie and Zhou Families, and I can’t guarantee your safety. You’ll have to follow their rules. The second option is the Shang Family’s Stillheart Cottage—only a First-Stage Secret Realm. You can explore it alongside Shang Family warriors, guaranteed safe, and you may freely choose from all the loot.」

Shang Qiao thought even if the monk heard this, the choices were too unbalanced. The first had risk and uncertain rewards. The second was risk-free with customizable benefits. Anyone would obviously choose—

「The first.」

The Rat Monk immediately opened his eyes. 「This humble monk is willing to go to Xuanwu Lake.」

Both Shang Qiao and Physician Sun were shocked. 「You sure?」 「How did you wake up?」

Only Shang Xuanwen seemed unsurprised. He nodded: 「Very well. Notify me when you’re fully healed. I’ll send someone to escort you.」

「This humble monk is almost healed.」 Though the Rat Monk still had minor internal injuries, it didn’t affect combat. What mattered more was diving into dungeons and earning money. 「I can leave right away.」

Physician Sun hurried to stop him: 「Absolutely not. As they say, tendon and bone injuries take a hundred days. Your wounds are too severe. You must have internal damage that needs more days of treatment.」

Yan Qing glanced at the remaining duration of ‘Minor Internal Injury’: 96 hours. 《The Messenger》 had extreme injury mechanics. Once heavily wounded, it was difficult to recover, and even then, long-lasting side effects followed—an alternate kind of stamina bar. Once players got injured while dungeoning, they knew it was time to explore other content.

「No need. This humble monk can cure this injury upon class change. Dungeon combat is the best remedy.」 The Rat Monk got out of bed and tore off his bandages. 「When can I reach Xuanwu Lake Garrison?」

「Prime Minister!」 Physician Sun turned to Shang Xuanwen, hoping he would help. 「How can you let a patient participate in dungeon combat?」

Unfortunately, Shang Xuanwen’s thinking wasn’t conventional: 「I’ll have a carriage depart in half an hour. You’ll arrive in about four hours.」

「Good.」

Shang Xuanwen didn’t hesitate. He had Shang Qiao fetch brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. On the spot, he wrote a recommendation letter and handed it to the Rat Monk. 「Give this to them when you arrive. They may assign you to start as a warrior. If they frame or plot against you, handle it yourself or write me.」

Yan Qing took the letter and asked, 「What if this humble monk, in a fit of rage, kills someone and flees? What would you do?」

「Interesting. That just happened recently,」 Shang Xuanwen raised an eyebrow. 「If you defy the law and kill someone, the Court will issue a warrant. I will not shelter any criminal. If you get caught, the Justice Bureau will punish you by law.」

So you’ll help me not get caught? Yan Qing suddenly found the old guy amusing.

When they reached the carriage, Yan Qing discovered it matched Shang Xinlei’s noble-class carriage. It had full living amenities—essentially a mobile house.

「While you’re at Xuanwu Lake, you can use this carriage,」 Shang Xuanwen said. 「Inside are clothes and rewards. A coachman and servants will take care of things. Need anything else?」

「Nothing.」

「Farewell, I won’t see you off.」

He meant it. Once done, Shang Xuanwen left with a group of guards. Clearly, he had squeezed in time to visit the Rat Monk. As the Prime Minister of a nation, and considering all that happened last night, he couldn’t afford to waste time. Affairs in the Imperial Palace and the Ministry of Appointments awaited his decision.

Yan Qing liked this no-nonsense attitude. If Shang Xuanwen insisted on gratitude, he’d be annoyed. This way was better. Just like an NPC—I help you, you reward me. We’re square. You continue your life, I continue my game.

Two maids awaited at the carriage door, both gentle and lovely with graceful figures. They softly welcomed the Rat Monk aboard. Yan Qing thought: Is Shang Xuanwen testing the monk? Did he send such beauties because he noticed me peeking at girls through the monk’s eyes? But the Rat Monk was a man of virtue. After all, 《The Messenger》 was an all-ages game.

The carriage was luxuriously furnished. With maids on both sides, if the Rat Monk wore a brocade kasaya, anyone who saw him would whisper, “What a lustful monk with a golden shell and rotten core.”

Through the window, he could hear commoners still discussing last night’s theft, some lamenting they missed the chance to exchange common items for a Heartguard Mirror, even others burning paper to worship the Divine Marquis Estate—the streets bustled like it was a festival.

Once the carriage left Jiangnan City, Yan Qing lost interest in the scenery. Before switching alts, he remembered Shang Xuanwen mentioned clothes and gifts. When he looked, he couldn’t help but laugh—Shang Xuanwen really had prepared a brocade kasaya. Where did he even buy it? Such high-tier class gear must have been custom-made.

Besides the kasaya, there were also many undergarments that were both comfortable and practical. Shang Family’s products were guaranteed quality. Yan Qing kept two sets for himself.

But the biggest surprise was the two manuals: 《Basic Sword Technique Mastery Manual》 and 《Advanced Sword Technique Mastery Manual》!

His first instinct was to use them himself. These two would let him achieve Second Job Change instantly—he already had the Advanced Footwork Mastery Manual bought from Great Qi. But after brief thought, he gave up the tempting idea.

First, even after a second class change, Bingzi Pepper Forest would remain his strongest offensive token. If he changed to a sword class, it wouldn’t be compatible.

Second, though he viewed the alt’s items as his, this gift was from Shang Xuanwen to the Rat Monk. He felt it should be received by the monk.

It was, undoubtedly, a silly self-satisfaction. The Rat Monk was merely a puppet he controlled. The real beneficiary of Shang Xuanwen’s gratitude was the player Yan Qing. But that’s the essence of games: projecting oneself into the character, living another life through fantasy.

Besides the two manuals, there was also a box. Yan Qing opened it and found a rare Second-Stage longsword. On the blade was a Buddhist verse: “All appearances are illusory.”

『Seven-Step Chant』

[Grade: Second-Stage Rare]

[Durability: 70/75]

[Equip Requirement: 10 Vital Energy and Blood]

[Equip Requirement: Advanced Sword Technique MAX]

[Base Attack: 15~40]

[Effect - Accumulated Karma: Damage dealt by this sword does not manifest immediately. When the enemy takes seven steps or after seven seconds, all accumulated damage erupts at once, dealing 150% critical damage. This effect can be toggled.]

[Effect - Taking Life: Deals 10 bonus damage to humanoid enemies and always causes maximum damage.]

[Evaluation: Legend has it that a swordsman and a monk once made a wager. The swordsman claimed his blade could cut anything; the monk trusted the Buddha’s protection. After the swordsman struck, the monk appeared unharmed. But after taking seven steps, his head fell off. The blade was so sharp the monk hadn’t even realized he was dead.]

Clearly, Shang Xuanwen had thought this through. 『Seven-Step Chant』 required no Spirit Jade, meaning the Rat Monk could use it effectively even as a First Job character. Still, gifting a monk a sword known for killing monks... felt oddly ironic.

Inside the sword box, there was also a note. Yan Qing picked it up and paused.

「Seeing how much you adore the Heaven-Reliant Sword, I had intended to ask His Majesty to bestow it upon you. But fate had other plans. I hope this Vajra Sword serves you well. With this, we are square. Still, friends.」

“Vajra Sword?” Yan Qing chuckled. “These illiterates… just because it has a Buddhist verse doesn’t mean you can name it whatever.”

He had the Rat Monk don the kasaya and equip 『Seven-Step Chant』. The carriage rode smoothly, the road was level, not a bump in sight.

“Friends…”

Yan Qing suddenly sighed. “Kinda makes me want a friend.”

Socializing was a normal emotional need. In games, it existed too, but always veiled by an alt’s persona, bound by its role. But a shut-in holed up in the Thieves' House like him? How would he ever meet someone? Unless fate handed him a romance through a home invasion.

“Forget it. Let’s go to Zhen Sanshan and test 『Seven-Step Chant』. Hope Zheng Shan’s tough enough to slice.”

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