Chapter Fifty-Three: Jiang the Guardian

He took a gentle sip of his wine, savoring the taste in his mouth for a long while. The deep lines on his face softened slightly, revealing a hint of intoxicated delight. Reluctantly, he swallowed, as if indulging in the world's finest vintage. The way he embraced his wine cup seemed as though he held the entire world in his arms.

A few curious players tried to strike up a conversation, hoping this old drunk might have a quest or a commission to offer. But without exception, their attempts were met with harsh rebuke: "Stranger, buy me a twenty-year Daughter's Red, and I'll tell you about the mysterious treasure hidden in the Sacred Land of Fire, among the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain." The nearby NPC patrons laughed and joked, "Go on, stranger, buy him a drink. Wait until he's drunk, then he'll spill everything, haha!" The players, ridiculed, slunk back into the crowd to look for other opportunities. Few lingered near the old drunk, as if wary of catching his misfortune. He sat in an inconspicuous corner of the Fire God Tavern, so it was little wonder those players thought they'd stumbled upon some secret.

I pushed through the crowd and sat beside him, casting a glance at the destitute old drunk. "Excuse me, are you Luke?" I asked.

He turned, lifting his eyelids to peer at me with bleary, drunken eyes. "Yes, stranger. Buy me a twenty-year Daughter's Red, and I'll tell you about the mysterious treasure hidden in the Sacred Land of Fire, among the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain."

The laughter around us swelled.

I smiled faintly and handed him the wine jar in my hand. "Will this do?"

Luke replied, "It'll do for now. I can tell you a little, but if you give me Daughter's Red, I'll tell you more." With that, I snapped my fingers at a nearby young innkeeper, who came over smiling. "What would you like, sir? Our wine and meat are the finest!"

"Bring me your best Daughter's Red, and two pounds of braised beef," Lei Jingtian said.

The innkeeper gave Luke a surprised look and said, "Just a moment, sir." A minute later, he returned with wine and meat. "Sir, your wine and beef. Is there anything else you need?"

I shook my head with a faint smile, pulled out two gold coins, and tossed them to the innkeeper. "No change needed, consider the extra as a tip."

The innkeeper kissed the coins and said, "Sir, you'll have good luck tonight!"

"Ding~! Your generous reward to the innkeeper has given you +2 temporary luck, lasting for 6 hours!"

Ha! Seeing the system prompt, I couldn't help but chuckle. A small unexpected bonus—six hours of luck. It didn't seem particularly useful, but at least it proved my money made an impression.

Our wine bowls clinked together with a melodious ring. Luke was clearly surprised at being offered Daughter's Red, his drunkenness sobering a little. He muttered, "Well, I lied to you earlier. I don't know of any mysterious treasure in Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain. But I can tell you other things."

I hadn't expected this old drunk to possess such honesty. I laughed heartily, "Mr. Luke, I'm only here to ask about someone—her name is Sasha. She used to work at the Silverlight Jewelry Shop. I know you're a retired old colleague from the shop, so you must know where she is." Clearly, this was just a minor quest segment, meant to add a bit of difficulty or fun for players.

But his reaction was strange. He set down his bowl and whispered, "Who are you? Why are you looking for her? She died—a long time ago. Don't try anything! Go! Leave now, you're not welcome here!" He grew inexplicably agitated and irritable, pounding the table heavily, blue veins bulging on his pale hand.

"Are you alright? This isn't your tavern," I sneered. This old NPC must have some unusual programming. I'd never seen such a belligerent NPC before.

I said, "There's no need to get angry. If you have something to say, just say it. Getting upset won't help; if there's anything I can help you with, let me know."

Luke calmed a bit at my words. "If you help me with something, I'll tell you."

Ha, here comes the quest. I nodded immediately. "Speak freely."

Luke took a sip of wine and said, "I did work there. After retiring, I used my savings to buy a tavern in the east of the city, earning a bit for my old age. That place is the empire's commercial artery—merchants from all directions pass through. My tavern brought in two or three hundred gold coins a month, life was sweet."

"Sounds great," I replied.

Luke sighed and shook his head. "But a year ago, a local official named Zhang brought someone to my tavern. I was delighted, thinking it meant good business. But the man he brought beat me without reason. I'm old and frail, couldn't fight back, took a beating, and he seized my tavern. My wounds haven't healed. Stranger, my resentment is endless, and I've had no chance to avenge myself. If you can help me reclaim my tavern, I'll tell you what you want to know."

"Ding~! Accept trigger quest: Luke's Request?"

"No problem, I'll help you win back what's yours," I said, accepting the quest.

I asked, "What's his name?"

Luke replied, "He calls himself Jiang the Gatekeeper. My tavern is thirty miles east of the city, named Merry Woods."

Well then, drunkenly beating Jiang the Gatekeeper—just like Wu Song did in the novel. Now I have to reenact it in the game. The quest designer has a sense of humor. But I can't drink, nor use drunken boxing; I'll have to rely on my Ruyi Staff. If I can't beat him, I have my summoned beast—after all, I'm a summoner.

With the quest accepted, I hurried to Merry Woods. The place was bustling—countless players and NPCs coming and going. I swaggered inside, smashed a table with my Ruyi Staff, and shouted, "Jiang the Gatekeeper, come out! This tavern belongs to me now. If you know what's good for you, pack your bags and leave!"

Several innkeepers rushed out, yelling, "You adventurer, what are you boasting about? Brothers, throw him out!" As soon as they spoke, their names turned red, meaning they were enemies. NPC names are usually white, but during quests, turning red marks them as attackable targets—quest mobs.

Innkeeper, level 30, ordinary beast. Seeing their stats, I summoned the Hurricane Wolf King. With a double claw charge, it sent one innkeeper flying, then grabbed another and dunked him into a wine vat. There was a splash as the poor innkeeper was tossed headfirst into the giant wine jar.

The crowd scattered. Only a few players hung back to watch. Another innkeeper lunged at me from behind; I dodged and smashed him over the head with my staff. Yet another came at me; I hurled a wine jar at his head, then followed up with a crushing blow. Two more innkeepers arrived, but the Hurricane Wolf King knocked them down with its claws, then spat out a spiral hurricane, sending three innkeepers flying into wine vats, where they struggled. I didn't kill them—not because I couldn't, but because the system marks them as incapacitated; this way, I get experience, since they're not the main quest target.

After all this chaos, the boss should appear. Just then, I saw the Hurricane Wolf King clutching a wine jar, gulping it down. Unbelievable—it actually drinks, and its tolerance is amazing. Four jars in, and it still wasn't drunk.

At last, Jiang the Gatekeeper burst out, launching a flying kick at me. The damage indicator flashed: -655. I checked his stats: Jiang the Gatekeeper, level 45, boss. He came at me again with a sweeping leg; I jumped, unleashed a crushing blow, energy explosion, and assault, knocking off more than two thousand health points. But he still had plenty left. He retreated, lifted a table, and hurled it at me; I dodged aside. The Hurricane Wolf King, pausing its drinking, launched a slashing claw attack, but Jiang dodged. I kicked him in the abdomen, sending him flying into the wall. The Hurricane Wolf King spat out a spiral hurricane; Jiang rolled aside in panic, but I triggered Cloud Leap, landing another hit—damage: -1000. I followed up with a crushing blow, but suddenly, Jiang erupted in a burst of energy, sending me flying. He chased me, punched me in the face—damage: -1234. I quickly took a potion and ordered the Hurricane Wolf King to attack. It charged, unleashing an angry roar, then fired a destructive death ray, blasting Jiang out into the courtyard—damage: -3200.

The Hurricane Wolf King chased after him, grabbed Jiang, slammed him into the ground, lifted him up and slammed him again—four times. On the fifth, it hurled him into a tree. Jiang got up, shouting, "Damn it, a tiger doesn't show its claws, but I’m no sick cat!" With that, he punched the Hurricane Wolf King—damage: 4000. The Wolf King's chest was blasted open, and it vanished into thin air.