Chapter 487: Every Generation Yields New Talents, Qi Yuan's Strategist!

Chapter 487: A New Talent Emerges in Every Age, Qi Yuan's Strategist!

Qi Yuan looked at the old man.

The hidden information also came into view at that moment.

[Chen Kangbao, aged sixty-seven, once a weapon master, frail in body, weak in strength.]

This pale-faced old man, named Chen Kangbao, turned out to be a weapon master.

This surprised Qi Yuan quite a bit: "You're a weapon master? Can you refine magical tools?"

Weapon masters were generally quite precious; even if they went mad, they wouldn't be sent to the madhouse but would be kept at home like a living Buddha to be worshipped.

Could it be that Chen Kangbao, like him, had been framed and sent to the madhouse?

After all, looking him over, Chen Kangbao just spoke a bit erratically; he wasn't really ill.

If he counted as ill, then what about someone like Zi Yuan Da Xue?

"Immortal sir... this old man has a poor memory when hungry." Chen Kangbao hunched his body, truly seeming to regard Qi Yuan as an immortal.

"I'm not an immortal," Qi Yuan denied.

He was only at the minor Purple Mansion stage now, not even a Yin Spirit.

How could he be called an immortal?

The pale-faced old man broke into a smile: "This old man understands—when an immortal descends to the mortal world, they lose all their power and need to hide their identity!

Young master, this old servant..."

Chen Kangbao looked at Qi Yuan and changed his address, as if he truly intended to conceal Qi Yuan's identity.

But at this moment, veins bulged on his neck, as if he wanted to say something important.

"No rush, speak slowly," Qi Yuan said.

"This old servant... is hungry!" The pale-faced old man gritted his teeth and said. After he spoke, Qi Yuan clearly noticed his expression twist slightly, black lines faintly visible in his blood vessels.

"You truly live up to your name. To be honest, I'm a bit hungry too. Come on, let's go to the kitchen for a meal."

Qi Yuan stretched.

Now that he was in this game, he was merely an ordinary mortal.

In fact, his physique was even much weaker.

If he encountered a strong man, he might defeat him with his combat skills.

But against those who dabbled in the supernatural, like the Imperial Soldier Master or the Wraith, his thin arms and legs probably wouldn't cut it.

"Let's go, young master. I know where the kitchen is!" Chen Kangbao seemed to quickly slip into his role, sneaking ahead to lead the way, guiding Qi Yuan toward the kitchen under cover of night.

The night in the madhouse was especially dark, with only a few big red lanterns hanging along the path.

The entire madhouse was silent, making it seem particularly eerie.

Especially Chen Kangbao—his face was already very pale, as if powdered. When he passed under the big red lanterns, that face could scare even the adorable Sadako to tears.

Along the way, Qi Yuan did see a few truly mad ones.

One hung from a tree sleeping, another fished in the dead of night—clearly not normal.

Soon, Chen Kangbao and Qi Yuan arrived outside the kitchen.

Qi Yuan paused: "Sneaking in like this, aren't we thieves?"

"Young master, the food in the madhouse is meant for us to eat anyway; we're just eating it early!" Chen Kangbao said, drooling at the corners of his mouth.

He really seemed hungry.

"That does make some sense." Qi Yuan nodded in agreement.

The kitchen door had a lock, but for Qi Yuan, picking a lock was no problem.

The two entered the kitchen, and immediately Chen Kangbao began devouring various steamed buns and cold rice like a starving ghost.

Qi Yuan drank a little porridge and ate a few buns, and soon felt full.

But Chen Kangbao kept eating ravenously, like a glutton.

After about a quarter of an hour, Qi Yuan looked at Chen Kangbao and said calmly, "Full now?"

Chen Kangbao's belly was now round and bulging; one might think he was pregnant.

"Following the young master means food to eat, hehe... six-tenths full." Chen Kangbao belched, then said, "Young master, now that we're both full, it's time to start... on the real business!"

Chen Kangbao put on a serious expression, but his pale face was too eerie, making him look like a clown when he spoke.

"Indeed, we need to get down to business. I have to play my role as the live-in son-in-law, and also... the Kitchen Knife and the Divine Descent."

The live-in son-in-law and the Kitchen Knife were manageable, but playing the Divine Descent—Qi Yuan had no clue at all.

The first priority, hmm... was to return to Ji'an Prefecture.

But now, because he had "defiled" Widow Liu, he had been sent to the madhouse again.

There was definitely a conspiracy behind this.

What was the conspiracy?

Qi Yuan pondered for a moment and found it gave him a headache. He looked at Chen Kangbao and asked casually, "Old man, are you smart or not?"

Hearing this, Chen Kangbao quickly patted his belly: "Very smart when full!"

"Let me test you. What's ninety-seven times ninety-seven?"

"9409!" Chen Kangbao answered without any hesitation, blurting it out.

Qi Yuan's eyes lit up: "A talent, old man! Your IQ is impressive!

If I gave this problem to college students on Blue Star, even those with clear eyes would take a while to figure it out.

If I gave Chancellor Zhuge ten thousand college students, the Northern Expedition would have hope!

You're better than college students. I have great use for your brain. Are you interested in being my military advisor?"

Chen Kangbao drooled: "If there's food, then yes!"

"Deal!" Qi Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

When playing a game, you need teammates.

Chen Kangbao was so fast with arithmetic; he could be the team's brain. Qi Yuan just needed to kill and level up.

Chen Kangbao glanced at Qi Yuan and suddenly asked slyly, "Young master, does your bird rest on the left or the right?"

"What bird?" Qi Yuan was taken aback.

Then he noticed Chen Kangbao staring at his crotch.

He understood what he meant.

"It's just..." Chen Kangbao raised an eyebrow, "Young master, I'm your strategist, and you're my lord. Out of respect for the honored, the bird can't be placed on the same side as yours!"

"...You don't have to worry about that kind of taboo." Qi Yuan was speechless.

But then, thinking that talents all had their quirks, Qi Yuan accepted it.

"From now on, don't always talk about low and dirty things. It's too vulgar," Qi Yuan added.

"Very well, this old servant obeys!" Chen Kangbao hunched his back, then said solemnly, "Since the young master values me, this old servant must help the young master solve his troubles.

Now, the young master and I are trapped in the Madhouse. We need to kill the director to get out!

That director fellow has done every evil deed, his head oozing pus!"

When mentioning the director, Chen Kangbao gnashed his teeth in hatred, with a hint of fear in his eyes.

Clearly, the director's reputation in the Madhouse was not good.

"Oh, go on as you please." Qi Yuan was too lazy to think.

As a qualified lord, he only needed to make decisions.

After all, his eyes, his ears, his nose—all could help him judge correctly.

"I've drawn up a detailed plan!" Chen Kangbao said earnestly.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan's eyes lit up.

"A talent is a talent, sharing the same fine qualities as me—making plans before acting." Qi Yuan praised. "Let's hear the plan."

Chen Kangbao, receiving the praise, showed a proud expression on his face.

"Before making the plan, we must understand the enemy.

Although Director Zhou Mo is small in every way, he keeps a beast dog in his yard, extremely ferocious. This dog once swallowed a strong man whole." Chen Kangbao spoke with a look of dread.

Beast—Qi Yuan, from the memories of the son-in-law Qi Yuan, knew of such creatures.

These creatures were terrifying monsters born when ordinary beasts encountered ghostly corruption.

Most were bloodthirsty, devouring flesh.

In truth, no matter how skilled Qi Yuan was, encountering such a beast, he likely wouldn't stand a chance.

The gap in strength and speed was too great, not to mention the supernatural power involved.

"If I ran into that dog now, I'd say it's a three-seven split—three parts me dying, seven parts it getting full." Qi Yuan said honestly.

These skinny arms and legs wouldn't do.

How could a scrawny dog defeat a big one?

Chen Kangbao looked at Qi Yuan and asked, "Can the young master recover his mana?"

"Yes, but it takes time," Qi Yuan replied truthfully.

Though he couldn't cultivate, he could level up.

"In that case, the plan has three steps.

First step: this old servant will secretly lure the big dog away with bones. The young master sneaks into the director's room, kills the director, and takes the beast token."

The beast token was the item used to control the beast.

"Second step: through the director, we find the real culprit behind the scenes, set the dog on them, and kill them!

"Third step: we flee back to Jining Prefecture, gain the Shen family's protection, and clear our wrongful accusations!"

Chen Kangbao spoke earnestly.

Clearly, he had carefully designed this plan, even employing such a "refined" stratagem as "luring the tiger away from the mountain."

Qi Yuan listened in awe.

"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!" Qi Yuan praised.

Chen Kangbao blinked.

Meow, meow, meow?

Could it be that the divine being's true form was a cat?

He had made another discovery, silently noted it, and pretended not to notice.

"The plan is good, but there's room for improvement. If you add timing and a backup plan, it might be even better." Seeing that Chen Kangbao was a teachable talent, Qi Yuan shared his own insights on making plans, hoping Chen Kangbao would improve.

"The young master is right. This old servant didn't think it through thoroughly." Chen Kangbao lowered his head, his face full of reverence.

In truth, he was overjoyed inside.

He knew all the things the divine being had said, but deliberately left them unsaid.

If a subject wasn't a little foolish, how could he highlight the divine being's brilliance?

"Once the plan is fully set, I need to boost my strength first."

Suddenly, Qi Yuan looked up.

Slap!

The sharp sound of a slap rang out.

A mechanical, cold voice sounded at that moment.

"You killed a mosquito. Experience increased slightly."

Chen Kangbao stared at Qi Yuan, blinking, somewhat puzzled, but soon he flattered, "The young master truly is a god descended from heaven—able to kill a mosquito with a single slap!"

"Cough, it's nothing."

"And don't be surprised by this voice."

"Since I came to this world without awakening a system, I felt insecure, so I pretended to have my own system."

"Come, let's go to the pond. There are more mosquitoes there, faster leveling."

Qi Yuan spoke in succession.

Killing a mosquito, if he had an experience bar above his head, he could see it rise slightly.

Chen Kangbao didn't understand, but he supported it wholeheartedly and quickly followed Qi Yuan.

The two arrived at the pond.

This pond was located in the backyard of the Madhouse. At that moment, a fisherman was fishing there.

There were also often women washing vegetables and clothes here.

Other than that, few people came.

Aside from the fisherman, the only extra presence might be the corpses in the pond.

In such a county town, in a secluded Madhouse, a death or two was nothing.

Some even called this Madhouse a "little yamen."

Those who preyed on childless families would even send orphans and widows into the Madhouse.

If they appeared again, it might be in the pond.

The fisherman had already fished out several corpses this year.

"Slap!"

Arriving at the pond, Qi Yuan stood near the water weeds, ignoring the mud. He held the lantern in one hand and swatted mosquitoes with the other.

The lantern's light attracted many insects.

The mechanical, indifferent voice kept echoing out.

"You have slain a mosquito. Experience bar slightly increased."

"You have swatted a moth. Experience bar slightly increased."

At this moment, Qi Yuan transformed into a mosquito-slaying god, continuously killing mosquitoes.

As for Chen Kangbao, he stood to the side, seemingly earnestly catching mosquitoes.

Meanwhile, atop the wall, two figures stood, gazing into the distance at Chen Kangbao.

"Old Chen... alas, it seems he has truly gone mad," the scholar in Confucian robes spoke, his eyes filled with deep helplessness.

He exuded an aura of authority, either holding a high position or being of noble status.

Beside him, the youth in black robes flashed a look of reluctance: "Then we cannot ask him for help? The Weiling Xuanyuan cannot be repaired, and the eerie spirits of Yeshan Lake..."

The Weiling Xuanyuan was an immensely powerful magical artifact.

However, this artifact had been damaged, its power reduced to less than three-tenths.

Now, the eerie spirits of Yeshan Lake were rampant, and many forces in Jiangzhou were helpless against them.

If the powerful artifact Weiling Xuanyuan could not be repaired, Jining Prefecture would likely be overrun by eerie spirits, leading to... heavy casualties.

The youth in black thought this, his expression grim, but then hearing something, his face darkened further: "How dare that man make Old Chen call himself an old servant!"

"A madman who doesn't even know what he's doing—why bother finding fault with him? As long as Old Chen is happy, that's enough," said the scholar in Confucian robes.

"Master, should we take Old Chen back?" the youth in black suggested.

After all, he considered it a disgrace for Old Chen to live in the madhouse.

"This was once Old Chen's hometown. In his old age, staying here... is a fitting end," the scholar in Confucian robes sighed. "Moreover, many eyes are watching me. If someone follows me and discovers Old Chen is still alive, he will never know peace. Why bother?"

As the scholar spoke, his gaze grew desolate. Suddenly, he thought of something and let out a sigh.

"Thirty thousand scholars hidden in deep mountains, their loyal hearts shining through the cold night.

Buried in a secluded valley, do they regret? Their heroic names are not passed down through the ages!"

After saying this, the scholar in Confucian robes left with the youth in black.

Though Old Chen was mad, in this madhouse, no one could harm him.

If he followed them away, even if Old Chen had rendered meritorious service to the state, he would likely become a pawn in someone's hands.

That was something he did not wish to see.

So, he could only leave secretly.

At this moment, by the pond, Qi Yuan's gaze shifted toward the distant wall, lost in thought.

"Indeed, my strength is too weak. If someone were spying on me bathing now, I might not even know."

Having killed so many mosquitoes, Qi Yuan's strength had increased somewhat.

His level had finally reached level 1.

He was no longer the powerless son-in-law Qi Yuan; he now possessed some strength.

"Young master, this old servant has caught many mosquitoes!"

At that moment, Chen Kangbao ran over, his hands cupped together, with the buzzing sound of mosquitoes inside.

On his aged hands, several large mosquito bites could be seen.

"Not bad." Qi Yuan reached out, pinched a cross-shaped mark on Chen Kangbao's mosquito bite, then crushed all the mosquitoes he was holding.

"You have killed a bunch of mosquitoes. Experience bar slightly increased."

[You have reached level 2. Physical attributes improved.]

Qi Yuan's voice came along with the game's sound, and his eyes showed joy.

"Now, I finally have some strength."

Although he had only leveled up twice, Qi Yuan's improvement was significant, at least compared to his former self.

Now, with a single slide, he could probably chop a leopard to death.

"Young master, should we execute the first step of the plan? I'll lure the director's dog away, and you kill the director!" Chen Kangbao said excitedly, eager to try.

At that moment, a mocking voice came.

"Two madmen plotting to harm me here—how amusing."

In the distance, an old man leading a black-and-white dog slowly approached.

The large dog had black-and-white fur, was tall, as tall as a youth, with a bloodthirsty look in its eyes, as if eyeing Qi Yuan and Chen Kangbao maliciously.

It licked its broad tongue, and a foul smell wafted over.

This dog... was quite something!

(End of this chapter)