“There’s nothing to be done—he’s made so many enemies. What’s the use of just having great martial arts skills?”

Amid the chatter, there was no shortage of contempt for David Harris, but at this moment, hearing these comments, David Harris couldn’t help but genuinely laugh inside.

Just as he expected, James Allen had plenty of enemies. After killing him in public, no one suspected he was trying to steal the Hero of Xiangzhong’s sword; everyone just saw it as a normal revenge PK.

David Harris was very satisfied, but he still feared that something might go wrong if he waited too long, so he immediately sprinted toward the sect. The sect wasn’t far from here—hand over the sword, get the reward. Even if James Allen came looking for revenge later, with this reward, his own strength would surely skyrocket. Even if James Allen really did come, he might not be afraid. He figured he’d soon be the number one expert in the Wudang Sect—no, maybe even the number one in all the martial world! After all, nothing of this magnitude had ever happened before! David Harris dared to act because he’d thought through every angle. Now, he was overjoyed, feeling that everything was just too wonderful! The moment he stepped through the sect’s main gate, David Harris could no longer hide his smile, his face beaming with delight.

David Harris quickly found the Hero of Xiangzhong, Henry Clark.

Having lost the hero’s sword, the Wudang Sect naturally felt very apologetic toward this hero. Fortunately, Henry Clark was a generous man and had ties with Wudang, so he didn’t get angry over the matter. At this moment, Wudang disciples were searching the mountains for his sword, while he sat calmly in the guest hall beside the Zixiao Hall on Wudang Mountain, sipping tea, accompanied personally by the Wudang leader, Master Zi He, and his two direct disciples, Caleb Grant and Caleb Wright.

David Harris hurried to the spot. Seeing the sect leader and the two direct disciples present, he hesitated slightly. It was just a game, after all, so there was no need to be overly formal—as long as you didn’t insult the NPCs, a little less politeness or ceremony wouldn’t matter much. Still, even if the system didn’t require it, most players cared about these things. Everyone hoped to make a good impression on NPCs by being polite, to build good relationships. After all, the NPCs in Jianghu were so realistic, with their own personalities and likes and dislikes. If you got on their good side, they might casually share a secret technique or two—how practical would that be?

So, seeing the sect leader and the two main disciples there, David Harris didn’t dare enter directly. He just stood outside the hall and called out loudly, “Disciple has recovered Hero Clark’s treasured sword!”

“Ah!!!!”

The four inside hadn’t reacted yet, but the players nearby who heard this all cried out in surprise, their eyes burning with envy, jealousy, and resentment, all directed at David Harris, who thoroughly enjoyed the attention. Now that he was here, he wasn’t afraid anyone would try to fight him for the sword—did they think the NPCs were idiots?

“Quick, bring it in.”

David Harris had forgotten to notice the initial reactions of the four inside when they heard the sword was recovered. Now, hearing the call from within, he couldn’t enjoy the players’ anxious stares any longer and hurried into the hall. Many players had already crowded over to watch.

David Harris had already taken the sword out of his inventory. After entering the hall, the senior disciple Caleb Grant came over and took the sword from him, then brought it to the Hero of Xiangzhong, Henry Clark, exchanging a few polite words. Henry Clark responded in kind. The smiles on the NPCs’ faces were genuinely bright, but as for the players outside, every one of them looked miserable. At this moment, the only happy player on all of Wudang Mountain was probably David Harris.

Beaming with pride, David Harris glanced smugly at the players crowded outside the door. At this moment, Henry Clark had already taken the sword, gave it a casual swing, and the blade flashed coldly.

“Good sword, good sword!” David Harris quickly praised, but the next second, he saw Henry Clark’s brows furrow. After examining the sword back and forth, Henry Clark ignored David Harris and instead said to the three Wudang NPCs, “This sword is a fake.”

David Harris was instantly petrified.

The NPCs said a few more things, but he didn’t hear a single word. Instead, the laughter and chatter of the players outside rang loud and clear in his ears.

This sword is a fake?

How could this sword be a fake?

David Harris kept asking himself over and over. Suddenly, he remembered that James Allen had cursed him as an idiot before dying. Could it be that guy had swapped the sword beforehand? But what would be the point of that? He couldn’t have just been worried about being looted, right? Even so, he couldn’t have hidden the real sword! If he’d already sent the real sword away by some special means, there’d be no need to carry a fake one!

No matter how he thought about it, David Harris couldn’t see any reason for James Allen to pull such a trick. If it wasn’t James Allen, then who could it be?

This question barely lingered in his mind for a second before David Harris snapped back to his senses.

Edward Thompson, it was Edward Thompson.

He had every reason to do this.

Behind the boulder at the time, he’d heard Edward Thompson’s voice, but when they went over, there was no one there—just a pile of items on the ground. Everyone thought the two had perished together, leaving only the dropped equipment. But what if Edward Thompson was putting on an act? He’d already picked a hiding spot, called out to attract the players’ attention, then tossed down the items and hid himself. After that, he just watched as the Wudang players fought each other to the death, and once everyone was gone, he could leave safely...

David Harris wasn’t unfamiliar with Edward Thompson; he believed Edward Thompson was perfectly capable of pulling off such a trick.