Chapter 54: Limited-Time Plot Mission – Rescue Miss Qian

Master Qian was a slightly plump middle-aged man with a golden abacus tucked into his belt. When he saw the escort players, he lit up as if greeting long-lost family. “Young heroes! I’m just a humble merchant, but I’ve heard how Heart Washing Manor cracked the Peacock Manor case. I’ve entrusted my daughter to you—please, you must protect her safety!”

Among the players, the Salty Fish King stood out as one of the best. Rather than rashly accepting the job, he asked first, “Master Qian, what exactly happened to your daughter?”

Master Qian’s face fell into a bitter grimace. “My daughter is exceptionally beautiful. She told me that lately, whenever she goes out, she feels like someone’s watching her. And with the Flower Plucking Thief terrorizing Jiangnan City, I’m terrified some lecher has set his sights on her!”

After sharing his worries, Master Qian feared the players might not grasp the gravity of the situation. He waved over a maid and instructed her to fetch his daughter. Moments later, a delicate beauty emerged from behind the screen—slender and fragile, her head bowed in shy modesty.

The players’ eyes widened. Truly a stunning beauty NPC! What fertile land was Jiangnan City, producing so many gorgeous women?

They immediately straightened their faces and thumped their chests in assurance. “Rest easy, Master Qian. We’ll protect Miss Qian with our lives!”

The payout was generous, and the job—acting as flower guardians—was right up their alley. The players accepted the mission and promptly sent someone to inform Ruan Xuezong.

When Ruan Xuezong heard it involved the Flower Plucking Thief, a chill flickered across his expression. “I’ll join this escort run,” he declared. He worried the players might botch it.

Master Qian was first stunned, then beaming with delight. He grabbed Ruan Xuezong’s sleeve fervently. “How could we impose on you, Manor Lord Ruan? You’re a peerless expert! We’ve all heard of your heroic deeds at Peacock Manor. With you safeguarding my little girl, she’ll be safer than ever.”

The moment Ruan Xuezong appeared, the hundreds of players faded into the background in Master Qian’s eyes.

Having dealt with Jinling City’s wealthiest man before, Ruan Xuezong was somewhat accustomed to such merchant enthusiasm. He gently tugged his sleeve free and considered his words. “If I’m participating in the escort, I can guarantee it’ll be foolproof. Might I ask Miss Qian for more details? How exactly did she sense she was being followed?” In the jianghu, no escort firm was immune to total failure.

Miss Qian stood quietly behind the screen.

Ruan Xuezong’s striking looks seemed to leave her dazed, her gaze lingering blankly.

Only after a long moment did she snap out of it. Urged by her father, she lifted a round fan to shield her face, blushing as she replied, “Two days ago, I was out with my maid. We passed through an alley, and suddenly I felt someone nearby. I turned and looked around, but saw nothing unusual.”

“The one tracking you is likely skilled in martial arts,” Ruan Xuezong said, his tone measured and probing. “You have no inner force—how did you detect the follower?”

Miss Qian blinked in confusion. She thought carefully and realized he had a point.

She was just an ordinary woman without any martial skills. How had she sensed malicious intent?

Wracking her brains, she recalled the details and answered firmly, “I truly have no martial arts. But my feeling couldn’t be wrong. It was as if someone stood right before my eyes, yet invisible. It sent chills down my spine, and I hurried back with my maid…”

“Manor Lord Ruan,” Master Qian interjected eagerly, “my daughter is indeed just an ordinary girl, but her senses are incredibly sharp. When she was little, we were heading to burn incense. At a fork in the road, she suddenly burst into tears and refused to take that path, insisting on the other. Later, we learned bandits were lying in wait on the one she rejected, ready to rob us.”

Ruan Xuezong nodded. “I understand.”

Miss Qian possessed a powerful sixth sense, able to foresee danger—or perhaps detect killing intent.

“Have you felt it again recently?”

“Yes…” Miss Qian’s delicate brows furrowed as she spoke slowly. “Even at home, I often feel eyes on me, though I can’t pinpoint from where. I toss and turn all night, too restless to sleep. My mind wanders during the day… I’d rather curl up with my parents like a child than sleep alone…”

The players shot her sympathetic, pitying looks.

It was no wonder—the girl was too beautiful. Even weary from sleepless nights, her pallor only enhanced her pitiful fragility, making her all the more alluring. No surprise the Flower Plucking Thief had her in his sights.

“Exactly, Manor Lord Ruan!” Master Qian added. “My daughter must have sensed that thief scouting her out! The bastard’s clearly targeted her and plans to strike soon!”

Ruan Xuezong shared the sentiment.

The next day, the escort players divided into three groups of a hundred each, guarding Miss Qian around the clock in rotating shifts.

As a sheltered young lady, she kept some distance from the crowd. Their numbers seemed to reassure her; smiles returned to her face. Even Five-Colored Mottled Black prepared to rest.

Once Miss Qian retired, the players finally dared to unwind a little!

That night, silence blanketed the estate as countless players lay in wait like hunters by a stump.

They had rigged Miss Qian’s courtyard with a vast net of fine silk threads strung across the ground, each line dangling tiny bells nearly invisible to the eye.

Miss Qian appeared relaxed too. She extinguished her candle, and the graceful silhouette vanished from the window lattice.

The player who devised the trap bragged on the forums: “No matter which way the thief sneaks in, touching any thread will ring the bells at the slightest breeze. Every one of us will know!”

They pictured swarming the culprit and taking him alive. Excitement buzzed among them as they held their breath patiently. Minutes ticked by in utter stillness.

Some players began yawning.

Suddenly, Ruan Xuezong sensed a tangible wave of killing intent emanating from Miss Qian’s room.

“Got it!” With that, he shot forward like a swallow skimming the earth, slipping into her chamber. His steps were feather-light, disturbing not a single thread. The delicate bells hung motionless, as if no whisper of air had stirred.

The players gaped in shock. This setup might deter ordinary thieves, but it couldn’t hope to snare an expert like Zongzong!

Seeing Ruan Xuezong enter Miss Qian’s room, the players panicked and rushed after him.

But they had laid the net themselves. Bells jingled, threads snapped—the clamor swelled into a deafening cacophony that echoed through the entire manor.

“Argh, what an embarrassment.”

“Whose dumb idea was this? Someone slap me.”

By the time the players stumbled in disarray to the scene, they found Ruan Xuezong gravely touching Miss Qian’s bed. “Look,” he said. “The bedding still holds some residual warmth.”

The players froze in horror. “!!!”

Only then did they notice the antique furnishings of the boudoir bore no trace of Miss Qian. How had the thief slipped her away? Over a hundred pairs of eyes had watched without rest—how had they missed it?

Ruan Xuezong’s expression darkened. “The second time… The first was a precise throat slash at Clearwater Pavilion, no hiding space. Now she vanishes from her own locked room without a shadow. Since the thief came from outside, there’s only one possibility: he took her from underground!”

The players reeled in terror, wondering if this was a wuxia game or some supernatural horror.

Then the system pinged with a limited-time mission.

【Limited-Time Plot Mission “Rescue Miss Qian” Triggered】

【Mission Brief: Ruan Xuezong suspects the thief came from underground. Players, search the room thoroughly for hidden passages. Seize any suspicious persons. Requirement: Ensure Miss Qian’s safety.】

【Rewards: 3000 EXP, scattered silver taels, +10 Ruan Xuezong Favorability, +50 Master Qian Favorability, +50 Miss Qian Favorability】

【Participant Limit: Shared Across All Players】

The players snapped to attention and blew a whistle, rallying every online jianghu player at that hour. Together, they tore through Miss Qian’s boudoir and the entire Money estate, leaving no stone unturned.

At the stroke of midnight, Jianghu Game’s hardcore grinders were all logged in. They worked menial jobs by day, then tackled missions and trained martial arts at night—their high levels and cultivation were hard-earned through relentless effort.

These grinder escorts jolted at the whistle, then light-footed it to the Money estate with qinggong. Upon entering the grounds, the shared limited-time mission triggered for them too.

Strength in numbers.

Amid relentless tapping and groping, they soon spotted an off-sounding floor tile in Miss Qian’s room. One player struck it repeatedly—then it gave way, and he tumbled in with a yelp.

The others jumped.

A staircase appeared, leading to a pitch-black tunnel.

“The thief escaped this way. Quick, in we go to save her!” Ruan Xuezong crouched for a closer look and spotted footprints. He promptly produced a Fire Starter, igniting a flame in the gloom.

The other players mimicked him, lighting candles and torches—only to flinch again. The tunnel stretched endlessly, branching in all directions yet riddled with dead ends, destination unknown.

“Don’t get lost—follow the prints! Saving her comes first!”

With Miss Qian’s life hanging by a thread, hundreds—nay, thousands—of players poured into the passage.

The timer ticked down mercilessly. Trailing the footprints, they raced ahead at breakneck speed—even overtaking Ruan Xuezong. Why? They feared traps and volunteered as human shields. Bring on the collapsing boulders, poisoned darts, miasma—let ’em come!

Disappointingly, none appeared. They felt victory near when they hit a dead end.

There lay an unconscious woman: Miss Qian herself. A physician player checked her breathing and pulse— she was fine. The group exhaled in collective relief.

【Limited-Time Plot Mission “Rescue Miss Qian” Completed】

They rushed to help her up and roused her. Five-Colored Mottled Black, closest by, asked with concern, “Miss Qian, are you alright?”

As she stirred awake amid the cluster of heads, her eyes locked straight onto Ruan Xuezong. Tears welled up, and she curled into a ball, trembling in fear.

“Don’t be afraid—we’ve come to save you,” Ruan Xuezong soothed gently. “Can you tell us what happened?”

“I was taken by a man!” Miss Qian stammered, still shaken. “He slung me over his shoulder and ran. The jolting woke me, then he knocked me out again.”

The players erupted in fury. “That bastard—definitely the Flower Plucking Thief!”

“Where is he? Daring to toy with us players and kidnap a rich heiress—we’ll catch him ourselves!”

“When we do, we’ll castrate him a hundred times over. Castrate, kill, repeat…”

Ruan Xuezong frowned. “You’re certain the Flower Plucking Thief was a man?”

Miss Qian’s eyes widened in realization. “Of course! His martial prowess was immense—a man without doubt.” She understood his question now; in her panic, she’d still discerned the gender clearly.

News of a tunnel beneath bustling Jiangnan City—and a brazen Flower Plucking Thief emerging from it—shook the entire region. Word spread even to distant jianghu corners.

Panic gripped Jiangnan City. Officials ordered constables to intensify patrols in a bid to calm the populace, but the thief seemed to relish taunting the authorities, basking in the attention as if courting doom. Victims continued vanishing from the city streets.

Clearly a martial arts master, the Flower Plucking Thief toyed with ordinary constables like helpless prey.

Word drew countless jianghu heroes to Jiangnan City. An unspoken code held: when officials failed to apprehend a criminal, the righteous could step in—and perhaps seize fame in a single battle.

A band of hot-blooded young wanderers arrived.

Confident they could take the thief, they charged in—only to meet defeat and vanish into the Jiangnan wilds.