Chapter 7
Cheng Dalei had never found Lin Shaoyu so endearing before, even more endearing than the helpless Xu Shenji. Lin Shaoyu was just so very pleasing.
"This kid is back to pester us, we might as well kill him!" Xu Shenji decided ruthlessly.
"Bastard!" Cheng Dalei scolded evenly. "Young Hero Lin is a benefactor to our Frog Fort. If anyone tries to harm him, they'll have to go through me first."
Xu Shenji was left puzzled. How could this man be a benefactor to Frog Fort? What good has he done for us?
"Young Hero Lin, are you hungry? Do you want to have a meal first? The food of our fortress is quite good." Cheng Dalei said, squinting his eyes.
"Evil man, spare the empty chat. You there, big man, come forward. This time, you won't use a horse, I won't ride a horse; you won't use a weapon, nor will I!" Lin Shaoyu thrust his spear into the ground.
Cheng Dalei rushed up to Qin Man, "Big Brother Qin, you absolutely cannot hurt Young Hero Lin. Be gentle, you must be gentle."
"Hmm."
Qin Man grunted noncommittally, strode forward. Before Lin Shaoyu could even raise his fists, Qin Man grabbed Lin Shaoyu by the collar and threw him down the slope.
"Wow… Ah… Wow…"
"Young Hero Lin, you alright? We're waiting for you! Come up quickly…" Cheng Dalei shouted down the hill.
Beep, second Mountain Fortress Defense task completed. Reward: One Mountain Spring.
Beep, bonus reward: Ten Blood Replenishing Pills. (Common Healing Pills, Grants health and strength, can cure most diseases)
Beep, bonus skill: Unity (Increases loyalty level of mountain bandits)
...
...
Beep, reward: Ten Iron Sickles.
Beep, reward: Five Wooden Chests.
Beep, received third Mountain Fortress Defense mission
Compared to the first time, the rewards of the second time were clearly more generous. Even sickles were handed out, and the new mission did not even give a hint of its difficulty. System, you surely are naughty.
A figure climbed up from the bottom of the hill, propping himself up with a wooden stick. His clothes were ripped. Dry grass top on his head and dust on his face.
"Young Hero Lin, are you truly okay?"
"If you do not release Miss Su, I will never cease!" Lin Shaoyu declared word by word.
Cheng Dalei sighed powerless, waving his hand, "Be gentle".
Beep, third Mountain Fortress Defense task completed. Reward...
Beep, received fourth Mountain Fortress Defense mission.
Beep, completed… Reward...
Beep, received…
Beep, completed...
...
...
From early morning until nightfall, Cheng Dalei had completed ten repetitions of the bug. Cheng Dalei was becoming numb by the end, not paying much attention to the rewards. Of course, the system's rewards degraded over time. The tenth mission's reward was merely a single chest.
Cheng Dalei didn't even have the time to collect all of his rewards yet. It was probably around three or four in the afternoon, Cheng Dalei intended to do a few more repetitions before nightfall. However, after Lin Shaoyu had been chased down the mountain for the tenth time, he hadn't climbed back up, and Lin Shaoyu seemed to be the type who would not give up easily.
"Chief, let us go back. I am getting hungry," said Xu Ling'er.
"Wait, we cannot disappoint Young Hero Lin."
As Cheng Dalei waited, he perused the system awards in his mind, and one special prompt caught his attention.
Beep, after successfully completing ten defense missions without casualties, you are rewarded with the hidden attribute: A Good Person.
Now, Cheng Dalei had learned some information about the system. The system missions were all triggered after meeting certain conditions, with hidden missions having even more stringent conditions. To complete some of the tasks, the system wouldn't even release the mission, it would just give completion tips after the condition was met.
Indeed, Cheng Dalei exploited this opportunity. If an attack was launched at the Mountain Fortress, casualties would be unavoidable, varying from tens to hundreds. Yet, Lin Shaoyu came alone. And given his tenacity, how could Cheng Dalei let him die? He was treated more like a rare treasure.
Cheng Dalei checked his hint information, eager to know what hidden attribute he possessed.
A Good Person
"Oh, the righteous young man! In such a chaotic world, upholding justice is so precious. Remember, those who are just will never run out of luck. Your righteousness will draw likeminded young people towards you."
Once the system started to sweet-talk, Cheng Dalei knew that nothing good could come from it. Could this hidden attribute be... a predesignated good person card? Was it a crime to discriminate against single dogs? He had reasons to suspect that the system was intentionally trying to make him feel sick after he exposed its bug.
To fully understand a system attribute, thorough analysis was needed. For example, this attribute of attracting more likeminded young people might grant him certain charm bonuses towards males but be totally useless with females.
Damn, it's still the good person card!
Cheng Dalei flipped the bird in fury, certain that the system was messing with him.
Returning from his thoughts, Cheng Dalei noticed that Lin Shaoyu hadn't come up to him yet. Given Lin Shaoyu's temperament, he wouldn't give up so easily. Could he have run into some trouble...?
"Hey, you guys wait here. I'm going down the mountain to check."
Cheng Dalei took up his Xuanhua axe and made a bold decision. Anyone who dared hurt his Young Hero Lin would invite a lifetime of hatred and unrelenting vengeance from him!
…
A man, a stick, and a cliff's edge.
Lin Shaoyu, leaning on a wooden stick, stood on the edge of the cliff, his hair disheveled and spread about him. His face was bruised and swollen, and his white robes were torn and tattered.
Gazing down into the bottomless abyss, Lin Shaoyu sighed deeply, sorrow pooling in his eyes.
"I, Lin Shaoyu, have always considered myself a knight. I came into this world relying on my spear, hoping to use it to sweep away the filth of this world. Yet, disgrace after disgrace has befallen me at the hands of these bandits. Now, I've even lost my horse and my spear. Enough, enough is enough. In death, there lies rebirth. Twenty years from now, I'll be reborn a brave man, ready to set off on another adventure."
His words smothered in sorrow, Lin's eyes began to overflow with tears as he stepped closer to the cliff's edge.
"Cough, cough."
Two soft coughs emanated from behind him, causing Lin to spin around and come face-to-face with Cheng Dalei, who was standing right behind him. Quickly wiping away his tears, Lin coldly asked, "Are you here to mock me, you scoundrel? Despite my lack in proficiency, Lin Shaoyu would rather die than endure your insults."
"I've heard everything you said just now, and I must say it was well spoken." Cheng Dalei said. "There is one remark I'd particularly agree with, let me share it with you." He looked into Lin's eyes, "A young man would willingly die for an ideal, but a real man would humbly live for it."
The words resounded like a thunderclap in Lin Shaoyu's mind, making his heart pound and his face turn ashen.
"Do you think this act is brave?" Cheng Dalei suddenly raised his voice, "No, it's not bravery, it's weakness. You are a coward, a deserter. Look at yourself! Can you still claim to be an exemplary student or a young knight?"
Cheng Dalei's words struck Lin Shaoyu's heart. Although he did not understand what "exemplary student" referred to, he still felt the pertinence of Cheng's words, as if they were a beacon guiding him out of confusion, or timeless wisdom on the journey of growth.
But these words came from the mouth of a bandit.
"Hmph, what would a bandit like you know!"
"I know you look down on me because I'm a bandit. But given a choice, I too would want to be a good person." Cheng Dalei spread his hands, "In fact, I used to be a man with aspirations too."
"You... you had aspirations?"
"Want to hear about them?" Cheng Dalei grinned, thinking it might be a good idea to recruit Lin Shaoyu into the Mountain Fortress.
"...I once held the Sage Books in my hands, wielded the Qingfeng Sword, aspired to master both the pen and the sword, and dreamed of belonging among kings. I planned to traverse the four corners of the world, help the refugees who are treated less than animals, and bring justice to the ruthless aristocrats. I had aspirations to reform the world, to rescue the common people from suffering, to break apart this old world and recreate a new universe. I had aspirations to make everyone able to afford a living, to let tillers possess their own land..."
Lin Shaoyu was taken aback. These words... were they really spoken by Cheng Dalei? They deserved to be carved in stone for generations to remember. Dazed, he saw Cheng Dalei extending a hand toward him, looking at him earnestly.
"Now what I want to do most is to hold the hand of a comrade. Young Hero Lin, will you join me to achieve these aspirations?"
Emotions surged and boiled within Lin Shaoyu's heart, making Cheng Dalei look extraordinarily tall and mighty in his eyes. Feeling dizzy, he suddenly fell backward, straight towards the cliff that was a hundred meters deep.
Cheng Dalei lunged forward in haste, grabbing Lin Shaoyu just in time. Only then did he realize that Lin had fainted, his body burning hot. He was terribly injured, his skin a frightening red color.
This damned guy, he has been holding up with such severe injuries.
With no other options, Cheng Dalei hoisted Lin Shaoyu onto his back, grabbed his large axe, and began the painstaking journey back to the Mountain Fortress.
Damn, he's so heavy.
Bearing the load, Cheng Dalei gritted his teeth against the weight as he struggled forward with every step.
Alright...looks like the good person card really does come in handy.