This person walked slowly from one end of the street to the other, and was about to disappear from everyone’s sight when he suddenly turned around and walked back again. Just like that, he paced back and forth under everyone’s gaze, yet he didn’t mind at all.

“Where did this weirdo come from!” Everyone whispered to each other, all sorts of opinions flying around.

At the table next to Eric Ford, someone said disdainfully, “Who’s this poser, acting like he’s somebody important!”

Eric Ford shot this person an unhappy glance, thinking, What’s it to you if he walks back and forth? People like you are probably just jealous of how much attention he’s getting. If you tried walking back and forth like that, people would think you’re some water-starved foreigner from the equator coming into the game to get your water fix.

Actually, Eric Ford was also dying to know what this person was up to. If he could leave the teahouse, he’d really want to go up and ask.

Eric Ford couldn’t go, but there were plenty of others who had the same idea and weren’t restricted. Sure enough, someone darted out from under the eaves nearby, caught up in a few steps, and shouted loudly enough for the whole street to hear, “Hey brother, what are you doing?”

The man in green paused slightly, then kept walking. Those nearby saw his lips tremble a bit, as if he said something, but probably only the guy who ran out heard it.

That person, being tactful, loudly announced in the same voice, “He said he’s waiting for someone!”

“Waiting for someone? Who?” Again, everyone started speculating.

At another table near Eric Ford, someone slapped the table and stood up, drawing everyone’s attention. Eric Ford thought, Here we go, another one who can’t stand it. The man said, “Damn, this game is too exciting—rainy alley, mysterious man in green, this is so damn thrilling! I love this game! I bet this guy is a system NPC, sent to create a martial arts atmosphere.”

“Dude, you’ve read too many wuxia novels!”

“A system NPC? With your imagination, the game company might not even keep up!”

“Bro, if you were the game designer, this game would be even better!”

…

Laughter and shouts filled the air. Eric Ford glanced at the man, who had already sat down, his eyes following the man in green outside, still muttering, “Exciting, so damn exciting!” Clearly, another one deeply addicted to the game.

“Oh no, I forgot to call David and the other two over.” Eric Ford quickly messaged the three: “There’s a weirdo in Xiangyang, wandering around in front of our teahouse—come check it out!”

“We’re hiding from the rain here, you watch for us and tell us about it later!” replied Brian.

“The weirdo has a strange sword!” Eric Ford played his trump card.

“We’ll be right there!” Brian took the bait as expected.

Just after sending the message, a voice came from above: “Did you arrive early, or did I come late?”

Who was that? Who’s talking? Eric Ford looked up—nothing but the roof, no one there.

A shadow flickered outside the window, so he quickly leaned out to look.

A gray figure floated down from the teahouse eaves to the center of the street.

Long hair casually tied at the back, a sheathed sword casually tucked at the waist.

Jack Armstrong.

Chapter 15: Rain Duel

Everyone’s attention shifted to the newcomer, all thinking the same thing: “So that’s who the man was waiting for. But who is he?”

Jack Armstrong was currently the number one in the martial world, but didn’t have many friends. Still, Jack Armstrong was famous—he might not know others, but others knew him. Actually, it wasn’t him they recognized, but his sword.

Sure enough, someone in the crowd shouted, “It’s Jack Armstrong!”

“Ah, so that’s Jack Armstrong!”

“That’s the Seven Absolute Whirlwind Sword, right?”

“Why was that guy waiting for Jack Armstrong?”

…

The crowd’s questions were quickly answered, as the man in green began to speak.

“You are Jack Armstrong?”

The crowd erupted again, “So they don’t know each other!”

“Heh, that’s me. Why did you ask me here?”

“I made it clear in my letter—I’m here to challenge you to a duel!”

“I just wanted to confirm, since a lot of people use duels as an excuse to get me to come out, but actually have other business.”

“I really am here to challenge you.”

“Right here?”

“Right here, right now!”

Eric Ford thought, Why does this all feel so real? Is this even a game anymore? He quickly sent another message to David and the others: “The weirdo is challenging Jack Armstrong—hurry up and get here!”

“We’re almost there, tell them to wait before they start fighting…”

While Eric Ford was messaging, the crowd around him was in an uproar. Who would have thought that hiding from the rain would lead to such a spectacular show? Plenty of people challenged Jack Armstrong every day, but this was the first time someone had done it so publicly. And judging by his confident demeanor, he probably wasn’t weak. Even if he was easily defeated, just seeing Jack Armstrong in action was a rare opportunity.