Mingchao: The Survival Journey of a Comedian

Chapter 26 First Encounter with Tsubaki

"...You little Taoist priest, the guards at this city gate have changed several times already, why are you still guarding this place?"

"You were the soldier who guarded the city yesterday at noon. It's an honor to meet you again..."

"Xiaodao promised the missing person's grandfather... I humbly request that the two soldiers make an exception..."

“Even though you are a Resonator, we cannot let you pass… Please understand…”

"..."

Hearing this conversation, he immediately recognized the woman standing at the city gate—it was Jianxin, the one who had helped him through his beginner phase with the shield that gave him peace of mind.

Standing aside, like the wanderers, they did not speak immediately but observed how things unfolded.

The soldiers on rotation were clearly a bit angry, but they didn't know what to say to this persistent person, so they could only try to persuade him again and again.

"We've already reported your intelligence. You could have comfortably waited for instructions within the city. Why bother coming here in the wind and rain, pleading with us?"

"Besides, General Ji Yan is leading troops in Beiluoye. The battlefield is dangerous. With the general there, he will keep an eye on every soldier..."

Hearing that familiar name, he almost choked on his own saliva. The wanderer also sensed his unusual behavior and quickly patted him on the back.

"what happened?"

"...It's nothing, I just choked on my own saliva."

It's impossible for me to say that I was recalling the tragic past of spending 10 x 648 RMB to draw Ji Yan, right?

That was a major reason why he time-traveled!

"The army marches swiftly and without reliable news. Even if you wait here, you might not be able to wait for the returning troops, and even if they do return, you might not find the person you're looking for."

"Moreover, the road ahead is dangerous and the journey is long. We have to wait for an opportunity to get out, and the right to pass through won't just fall from the sky and appear out of thin air..."

"Now!" He quickly nudged the wanderer beside him who was still watching him, signaling him to quickly produce the passage permission.

Seeing that the other party didn't react for a moment, he almost grabbed them in his haste, but fortunately, they understood his meaning in the next instant and took out the terminal.

Then came the classic scene—a massive face-slapping moment.

"Access verified..."

"Three colleagues, right?"

Just as the wanderer was about to nod, and looking at Jianxin, who was practically begging for his help, he recalled the days when he had used the wanderer to clear land.

Well, since I'm going out with them anyway, I might as well help them out.

So he nudged the wanderer with his elbow, gesturing for him to look at Jianxin, who was already watching them.

"..."

"Plus the little Taoist priest over there"

Jianxin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the other party had agreed to take her along, and walked over to them to express her gratitude.

"Young heroes, your righteousness is truly admirable. I thank you all three of you in advance!"

He then turned to the two soldiers who were dumbfounded and asked if there was anything wrong with what he was doing.

"Sirs, is there any problem with my actions?"

The soldier who had been shouting the loudest was embarrassed and scratched his head awkwardly after being proven wrong so quickly. In the end, he had his comrade step in.

"The access level shown is the highest level, which is acceptable according to the procedure."

Of course, Mo Wunian also heard the mutterings of the person who had been most thoroughly humiliated on the other side.

"At this level... they're even capable of leading troops out of the city."

He sighed and looked at the other party with a hint of helplessness—don't underestimate Long Aotian's strength!

He turned his gaze back to Jianxin, but before he could get a good look, the wanderer blocked his view again. From an angle unseen by others, he could clearly see the dissatisfaction in the other's eyes.

What did he do to upset the other person?!

"Let's go, young Taoist priest."

Yangyang, Jianxin: ?

Mo Wunian: ...

"Oh...yes"

Jianxin, enduring the slightly disgruntled looks of the wanderers, recounted the reasons for leaving the city and the situation of the person she was looking for.

He then recounted his connections and the relationships with those he had promised to help, but fortunately, this part of the story didn't differ too much from the original work. Therefore, he didn't need to worry too much.

"...Based on the information gathered, it was concluded that Grandpa Zongye's grandson was very likely in the Barren Rock Highlands."

"Fortunately, we encountered three people, and now we are able to leave the city."

For some reason, he could sense the wanderer's gaze on him again, and he simply couldn't understand what it was about him that had attracted the other's attention.

Moreover, after leaving the city, I need to find a way to get the wanderers to let me go for a while. Thinking about it, I even traveled through time and space before, and they still managed to drag me back...

It's even more difficult!

He sighed silently to himself and began to think of what reason to give.

The wanderer naturally sensed the fluctuations in the other person's emotions and pondered for a long time whether to let that person out of his sight.

After all, he didn't want that person to dislike him; Mo Wunian actually valued freedom quite a lot.

I can guess that the other party had no choice but to hand over their true form to me back then.

Although he didn't know the reason, he had some idea.

However, since that person's true form is in my hands... even if he runs, he can't get too far. If all else fails, I can just catch him again.

Anyway, I can sense where that person's frequency is.

Someone who inexplicably sensed a renewed sense of joy among the wanderers around them: ?

"We were just planning to go to the Barren Rock Highlands, let's go together."

"clear"

His guess was indeed correct. As soon as he left the city, he could sense that another group of people had appeared behind him. Some of them had smaller frequency fluctuations, and they were probably soldiers.

There are only two characters with relatively strong fluctuations... it seems they are either main characters who still have some role to play.

However, judging from the situation, he didn't seem to have the courage to act, but was waiting for an opportunity. He only glanced back once, and then continued forward with the wanderer.

Before long, they spotted the camp. The four men rode quickly to the camp, where a passing soldier returning home noticed their uniforms didn't seem to be those of soldiers and stopped to inquire.

"Are you soldiers? What are you doing here at this time? The rear battlefield of the Remnant Elephant Dynasty is just ahead."

"I am Yangyang, a member of the Night Return Army's Ta Bai group."

Yangyang showed the other party her overnight return certificate, and while she was at it, Jianxin also took the opportunity to inquire about the person she was looking for.

With things to do on both sides, he stayed by the wanderer's side, calming himself to absorb the surrounding frequencies—then he sensed that someone had dealt with some of the smaller enemies, and the frequencies following them had decreased by more than half.

"..."

"Is my target...?"

After a brief reconnaissance, he discovered that the group's target was not actually wanderers, but rather they had intentionally followed him.

He never imagined that his own charm would one day surpass that of Long Aotian. Although it wasn't a good thing, it was still something he could marvel at.

"Searching for someone... Zhiyuan..."

"The person you're looking for is an ordinary person, right? Not a Resonator?"

"Yes, sir, have you seen him? Is he safe and sound?"

"I've met him once. He's not an active-duty night marcher, right? He seems to really want to join the army. It seems like he's been secretly following the night marching teams since last year, and I can't get rid of him no matter what I do..."

Seeing that the main storyline had already begun, he figured this was a good opportunity for him to slip away, so he tried tugging at the wanderer's sleeve.

"...Is it the group of people following behind?"

"Are you going alone?"

He knew it! How could someone with the strength of a wanderer not sense someone behind him?

His thoughts had been exposed, and as he pondered how to find an excuse, he didn't expect the other person to simply pat his head and nod.

"Be careful, run if you can't win."

"..."

First of all, he was very grateful that the other party was willing to believe in him and agree to let him face it alone.

However, he's not entirely useless; after all, he once fought against Naruto, so he does have some skills.

He doesn't even consider fighting small monsters a threat.

If he really encounters something he can't beat... he's actually quite good at running away!

He already lacks a physical form... If he were to encounter something that can even manipulate frequencies, he'd be faster than anyone else.

"Then I'm leaving."

"I'll leave this to Brother Chao."

He slowly retreated, and only after confirming that the other party had no intention of backing out did he quickly disappear from the wanderer's sight, rushing towards the direction of the sensed frequency.

Sensing the frequency along the way, it finally stopped in a forest.

Now he could feel all the weak frequencies that had been following him disappear, leaving only a frequency fluctuation that wasn't exactly weak.

"...having been with us for so long"

"So many loose ends have been dealt with..."

"It would be a disservice to myself not to come out and meet them..."

"Chun"

Silence remained all around, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the wind. To his disbelief, Chun, who was so active in the game, had vanished without a trace even after he took the initiative.

What? You really only want to see wanderers, right?

It's such a shame that his charm has diminished so much since we last met.

Left with no other option, he decided to take the initiative to force the other party out, after all, the intelligence network on the Black Coast was quite extensive.

Who knows, we might be able to find out something that even that useless system doesn't know.

He focused his longsword, instantly locking onto his opponent's position. With a flick of his wrist, a fierce slash slashed forward. The attack didn't stop there; several more sword beams followed in quick succession, instantly sealing off all other directions.

"Oh dear... I was hoping to see you again in a while..."

"I didn't expect to be forced to reveal it so quickly."

"Such a fierce attack... I thought you'd at least go easy on me~"

With a wave of his hand, the longsword transformed into a frequency and returned to his body.

Watching the figure slowly emerge from the smoke and dust, the white twin ponytails, with their black and red ribbons cascading down on either side, proved his guess was correct.

"I don't want to hit girls, so I deliberately avoid it."

"Besides, why didn't you come out earlier? You've been following behind for so long."

"They won't come if I take the initiative to arrange a meeting."

He exchanged a few words of subtle provocation, but secretly took a few steps back. After all, the other party was someone from Darkshore, and he still remembered the scene where he attacked the Wanderer on their first meeting.

Don't be fooled by how elegant his sword strikes were just now; he actually used a bit of his stored frequency.

Without the confidence to defeat the enemy in one strike, it's best to proceed with caution.

"You can't blame me for that. If I had to say, I'm far more interested in you than in that wanderer..."

"The mission objective on the Dark Coast... you're ahead of him in the queue."

"They've given strict orders not to lay a hand on you; I don't want to go back and be punished."

Listening to what the other person said, he had some expectation that he might get involved, but he hadn't expected to be ranked ahead of the wanderers.

The original plot is getting worse and worse with each adaptation.

"Fine?"

"The Flower-Holding Beauty of the Black Coast"

"Let's skip the most basic stuff. I already know a little bit about it."

"Things like the duty and mission to save the world... that's something I'm clearly incapable of doing."

Upon hearing this, Chun suddenly laughed, a smile playing on her lips, and moved closer to him.

This action frightened him so much that he took out his weapon again and held it in front of him. If the other party dared to take another step forward, he would dare to take another step back!

"It's rare to hear you say that... after all, the higher-ups' evaluation of you is..."

"Quite high"

Here we go again! That damned riddle-maker!

"Speak clearly... What's the point of speaking vaguely?!"

"And what exactly am I? It feels like everyone on your side knows me?"

"What's on their mind if one or two people are mute?"

The system couldn't find anything, and I had no memory of it, plus almost all the major changes in the original plot pointed to myself...

Especially since there was a group of riddle solvers who stopped halfway through their sentences. If this were a real game, they would have quit long ago.

"So impatient?"

"How about considering joining us...? The Dark Coast offers insights into most of the truth about this world."

"Including everything you want to know."

He loosened his grip on the sword slightly, slowly lowering it, but still holding it firmly in his hand.

Looking at Chun's still smiling face—he had to admit, the conditions offered were very tempting, enough to entice him.

"Although what you've said is indeed very appealing to me..."

But I refused.

His impulsive refusal surprised even himself: after all, he had been tempted and was prepared to agree.

But a stronger obsession deep within him prevented him from acting, causing him to utter different words.

Chun, however, showed no surprise whatsoever. A black flower with a cross pattern floated out of her hand, and she carried it into her palm with the wind.

"Don't be so quick to refuse!"

"After all, you're someone the higher-ups have their eye on."

"If the Remnant Star Society tries to lay a hand on you, it won't be a matter for me to handle alone."

Looking at the black flower in his hand, he pondered for a moment before storing it in his spatial storage. After all, it was an item, and he never knew when he might need it again.

Judging from the current situation, I'm connected to the people on the Black Coast again.

I'm extremely curious about just how deep one's involvement in so many organizations must go.

Unexpectedly, in a fleeting moment of distraction, the other person was already in front of him, delivering a direct visual assault. He panicked and took several steps back, a wary glint in his eyes.

"Oops~"

"The so-called variable that can overturn the world... can reverse everything..."

"So innocent!"

Seeing Mo Wunian's reaction, Chun seemed to have discovered something new and interesting. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and rare interest, and slowly walked towards him. But then, as if remembering some inexplicable reason, she could only sigh softly, slowly taking a step back, leaving him with a gentle yet slightly helpless smile.

"Ah~"

That's all for today~

"You can share everything that happens here with anyone..."

"As an existence capable of overturning the game..."

We will meet again.

The giant red flower hurtled towards him, but just as he raised his weapon to repel the attack, it vanished instantly, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

Then Chun disappeared from sight.

"...They really aren't going to make a move."

Recalling her conversation with Chun, she felt the current situation becoming increasingly unpredictable.

In his mind, words that had absolutely nothing to do with him were used to describe himself...

There are beings more important than wanderers… This adjective doesn't seem quite right when applied to him.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the side quest."

An Invitation from the Black Coast

"Host has selected: Reject"

"Reward: 1000 experience points (The host's body has been detected as being composed of frequency, which has been converted into mental energy)"

Unexpectedly, he had completed another side quest by mistake, and he quickly checked it over. But the next moment, he sensed another frequency—

Completely unfamiliar frequencies: