I Stepped on a Bug, and the System Says I Slayed a Dragon? - Chapter 146 - 145: Only the Sword God Can Save Jianghai City
Chapter 146: Chapter 145: Only the Sword God Can Save Jianghai City
Jianghai Martial Arts Academy, main gate.
The maple trees lining the road were tinged with yellow, and autumn leaves drifted down.
By the roadside, Elder Li stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a formal Sun Yat-sen suit, his aging gaze fixed on the end of the road.
A huge crowd had gathered outside the gate.
Reporters held up microphones while cameras of all sizes were raised high, all pointed in one direction amidst the low murmurs of the onlookers.
“Have you heard? Senior Brother Lin is back!”
“A Grandmaster has returned to Jianghai City!”
“It can’t be helped. The city’s been in chaos these past few days. They definitely needed to call in an expert to oversee things.”
Just as the crowd was murmuring,
BEEP—
A convoy of escort vehicles from the Star Martial Police Bureau sounded its sirens.
A long, black luxury car slowly drove into view and pulled over to the side of the road. The driver got out, opened the door, and Lin Mofeng stepped out of the car.
“Teacher.”
Lin Mofeng bowed slightly as he approached Elder Li. “My apologies, Teacher,” he said. “This student’s arrival was rather sudden… I didn’t give you any advance notice.”
“It’s no matter. Jianghai City is in a precarious situation right now. For you to rush back from the Imperial Capital, Mo Feng, brings this master great relief.”
Elder Li nodded. His gaze swept over the noisy crowd nearby as he said in a low voice, “Let’s go. We’ll talk in my office.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
With that, he turned and began to walk, with Lin Mofeng beside him, all the way to the top-floor office of Tengfei Building.
The reporters below followed closely, their cameras focused on the entrance. The crowd surged, people whispering to one another, speculating on the purpose of Lin Mofeng’s visit.
…
「Inside the Dean’s Office.」
A faint wisp of steam rose from an iron kettle on the table, its surface engraved with a coiled dragon. The fragrance of tea filled the air.
“Mo Feng, did you come to Jianghai this time because of the Beast Tide?”
Elder Li poured a cup of tea and passed it to Lin Mofeng.
“That’s right, Teacher. This Beast Tide is no ordinary one.”
Lin Mofeng accepted the cup, his eyes on the tea leaves swirling within as he spoke slowly. “This student specifically requested to return from the Imperial Capital, hoping to be of some help to you.”
He then looked up at the light outside the window. “The impact of this Beast Tide is far more severe than you might imagine. It’s not just our Jianghai City; it’s a nationwide disturbance.
“And since I am a member of the Jianghai Martial Arts Academy, it is my duty to rush back and offer what little strength I have to my alma mater.”
“You’re being too modest, Mo Feng.”
Elder Li shook his head and said calmly, “You are now in the Grandmaster Realm. Your return to help is like a gift of charcoal in a snowstorm… It is truly thoughtful. With you joining us, Jianghai’s chances of victory have greatly increased.”
Lin Mofeng was now a master in the Grandmaster Realm. With a mere wave of his hand, he could shatter mountains and sever rivers.
’And based on my own understanding of his power…’
’His talent in the Sword Dao is also exceptional. A single swing of his sword could easily slaughter a huge wave of Star Beasts.’
’While he can’t compare to the terrifying power of someone like the Grassland Sword Saint, he’s more than enough to deal with this crisis and lighten Jianghai City’s defensive burden.’
However, upon hearing this, Lin Mofeng’s expression darkened, and he shook his head helplessly.
“No, Teacher. It’s not enough.”
“Even with me, Jianghai’s chances against this Beast Tide are still slim…”
“What do you mean, Mo Feng?”
Hearing this, Elder Li’s white brows twitched. His expression turned grave. “You’re not confident even with your help? Don’t tell me this Beast Tide… has reached the Difficult Level?”
“Mm.”
Lin Mofeng nodded and sighed. “Your information channels in Jianghai are more limited than those in the Imperial Capital. Let this student be frank with you.
“Through back channels, I’ve received the Imperial Capital’s preliminary observations. The scale of this Beast Tide far exceeds previous ones. Its momentum is immense. It’s highly likely to be at the Difficult Level, and it might even… be touching the very threshold of the ’Hell Level’!”
As his words fell, Elder Li’s expression changed dramatically, and the hand holding his teacup trembled slightly.
“It’s actually a Difficult Level?!”
A Difficult Level Beast Tide hadn’t been seen in decades.
Twenty years ago, the beast disaster in Jianghai City was only an Ordinary Level event, yet it still caused the deaths of many innocent citizens and became a lingering nightmare for an entire generation.
But a Difficult Level event represented an exponential leap in disaster magnitude.
According to rumor, an Emperor Level Star Beast might even appear!
Right now, Jianghai City was in turmoil. Cult Demons were stirring up trouble everywhere, the populace was in a state of panic, and the Star Martial Police Bureau was stretched thin, their forces scattered.
If a Difficult Level Beast Tide truly arrived,
even with the help of a Grandmaster Level expert like Lin Mofeng, it probably wouldn’t be enough.
“What are we to do?”
Elder Li thought of Jianghai’s citizens, a trace of sorrow flashing across his brow as he sighed.
“Mo Feng, since you’ve come all this way, do you have any good countermeasures in mind?”
“Don’t worry, Teacher! Since this student has come, I certainly didn’t come empty-handed.”
Lin Mofeng nodded and said firmly, “Besides giving you this advance warning,
“this student has also arranged for reinforcements from the Imperial Capital and, in my personal name, donated some martial resources to Jianghai. I’ll have to ask the Chief Commander of the police to be in charge of receiving them.”
“Good, good, good! How thoughtful, truly thoughtful!”
Elder Li clapped his hands and smiled. “With your dedication, this old man can rest a little easier.”
“But Teacher, there is one more thing this student must tell you plainly.”
Lin Mofeng paused, then said softly, “I’ve already made some calculations. Even with the resources I’ve brought, our chances of overcoming this Beast Tide crisis are still slim.”
“Then what should we do next?”
Elder Li asked, his brows furrowed with worry.
’If even with the reinforcements and supplies from the Imperial Capital our hopes are still this slim, then we’re in serious trouble.’
“Don’t worry about that, Teacher. Heaven never seals off all paths. To resolve this Beast Tide crisis for good, we actually have one other option…”
Lin Mofeng said in a low voice, “And that is to ask the Jianghai Sword God to take action.”
He took a light sip of his tea and continued, “I believe that with his power, which is above the Grandmaster Realm, he can definitely withstand the impact of this Beast Tide, and perhaps even eliminate the source of the disaster entirely.”
“This…”
Hearing this, Elder Li’s brow relaxed slightly.
He picked up the purple clay teacup from the table, blowing on the wisps of white steam rising from its surface. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face. Seeing this, Lin Mofeng knew Elder Li was contemplating, so he said no more.
“’The Sword God…’”
Elder Li murmured to himself.
He naturally understood what Lin Mofeng meant.
’In fact, he’d had this idea before: respectfully asking the Sword God to come out of seclusion.’
’But on second thought, he had given up on it.’
’After all…’
’The man was a wandering crane, free and untethered. I wasn’t sure if someone like that would care about the affairs of ordinary people.’
But now, with Lin Mofeng’s arrival and his explanation of the Beast Tide’s severity,
it seemed that plan to request his help had to be reconsidered.
At this thought,
Elder Li set down his teacup and sighed, having already made a decision in his heart.
’It seems I’ll have to have a talk with that girl, Xuanxuan.’
