CHAPTER 350: CHAPTER 348: ONE FOOT ON SIX BOATS (PART 2)

Finally, with no one coming to knock on the door, Leyu took off all his clothes and stepped into the bathroom, turning on the faucet as the shower water poured all over No. 4’s delicate body.

While showering, Leyu sometimes got so bored out of his mind that he would compare the physical differences between his various bodies. "Even though Le Yin was the strongest, in Leyu’s eyes, that body could only rank second-best looking; the best one was still No. 1 Qian Yuliu."

"The body with the worst original figure, of course, was No. 3 Zhengwei. Sure, Zhengwei was tough on himself, but let’s be real, he had never worried about food or drink—lavish meals were a regular thing, and he didn’t fight that much either. He had muscles, but that was about it, just a typical college guy’s build."

"Second-to-last was Yinyin Yin’s body. He had way too many scars, and his skin was an unhealthy, sickly white. Maybe some people with weird XP systems would find his looks unique, but Leyu just thought he was average at best."

"Qian Yuliu and Le Yin’s bodies were almost tied—a couple of hexagonal warriors—but Leyu discovered Le Yin had gotten hair removal treatment from the Medical Officer, scrubbing off every bit of facial hair, leg hair, armpit hair ages ago. So the title of ’best body’ still had to go to Qian Yuliu—though Leyu didn’t like body hair either, No. 4 just yanked his choice away, so, minus points."

Just as Leyu was wasting water and mindlessly daydreaming, a mechanical-sounding voice suddenly spoke up from beneath his crotch, "Hello, Le Yin."

"If it weren’t for the Ice Blood Physique holding him back, Leyu probably would’ve jumped up and crashed through the ceiling right then. He kept his cool and looked down, spotting a weird metal badge lying on the floor—its surface etched with a web pattern reminiscent of compound eyes."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Radio?"

"Glad to see you’re up on the latest Luminous Stone tech, this is actually a special use of radio and Combat Technique—lets you transmit audio at short range," the badge replied, "I have the same status as you, a Swordsman’s Scabbard. You can call me Yin."

"Don’t worry, I only tossed the communicator into your bathroom through the window this afternoon—I never came into your room and I didn’t break the Seeker’s Duel rules. I had no other choice. After all, if I want to check if you’re here by detecting vibration, the sound of water during a shower is the best way to notify you."

Leyu went quiet for a moment, then said bluntly, "You’re here to ask me to work together, right? Cheating in the Eye of Omniscience?"

"Impressive as always, Silver Blood Gravedigger Le Yin. Sharp as ever. Yes, I hope we can team up during the Eye of Omniscience exam to go up against the other cheaters, so our Sword Masters’ rankings are secured."

"But you won’t even show your face, so how are we supposed to work together?"

"Just use the badge to contact me, I’ll be supporting you behind the scenes. Please don’t tell anyone else."

Leyu caught on to something: "Feihua, or Lingxu?"

"Both. As a long-range asset, I won’t let you down."

"Why me though? I mean, even if you’re not down to team up with the overpowered Niruo, besides me—everyone knows I’m a Sword Master’s Scabbard—surely you’re acquainted with Dailan Palace’s Scabbard, Miettangya?"

Leyu challenged, "Don’t tell me you’re casting a wide net, talking deals with me while also making a pact with Miettangya on the side?"

"Never, Le Yin!" The badge was clearly agitated, "I’d never go to Niruo or Miettangya—Niruo’s too strong, totally off-limits; Miettangya’s too young and reckless, working with him would just put me in danger."

"But you’re different, Le Yin. You’re strong, a teacher at the academy, brave, clever, and careful. If we work together, we could totally wipe out all the other competitors—or at the very least, protect our own interests."

"Teaming up with you isn’t some

spur-of-the-moment thing; it’s the result of careful thought. I’m not one of those flaky, two-faced types, I’d never cheat an ally or bet on both sides."

"...Sorry, guess I projected my own villainy onto you." Leyu replied.

"No worries, Le Yin, that’s a perfectly natural concern. If you can’t decide right now, think it over for a few days. If you agree to work together, leave the badge in the sun for at least three hours, then give the guild leader a tap and I’ll get your message. If you’re out, just toss the badge."

Leyu asked, "Is this badge able to eavesdrop on conversations?"

"It is," the other replied honestly, "but it only works when powered by light energy, and three hours’ worth only gives about ten minutes of talk time. The badge in your hand is just about out of juice now."

"If you’re really worried, keep the badge in an iron box; whatever sounds outside, all I’ll get on my end is static. Metal disrupts radio, and I’m pretty sure the basics from Luminous Stone Alchemy can put your mind at ease."

"No, I never studied Luminous Stone Alchemy ..." Leyu said, "But honestly, for allies, not even showing your face kinda makes it tough to trust you."

"If you really can’t accept it, I can only say I’m sorry," the other said, "Still, I sincerely hope you’ll reconsider—this Eye of Omniscience exam is too important to risk, and we should both give it our all, go for the best results possible."

Leyu faked hesitation for a second, then said, "All right—since you’re being so upfront, I’m in."

"Thanks for your trust, I won’t keep you from your shower. If you’re up for it, let’s chat more at eight tomorrow night. I’m interested in meeting the other Scabbards. Goodnight."

"Even though this Scabbard ’Yin’ made one hell of an entrance, it weirdly felt like chatting with some rando from the internet—Leyu almost felt nostalgic about it, like being back in the days when taking calls in the shower was the height of modern civilization."

"So now, Leyu had himself secret alliances with three Scabbards, basically cheating on three different people at once, all while knowing they’d meet up for a face-off in a week—sure, it felt a little shady, but man, it was a rush!"

After his shower, Leyu got back to cranking out page after page. "Funny how back when he needed to turn stuff in on a deadline, he’d procrastinate forever, but now that he’s got nothing to do, he’s suddenly a workaholic with endless inspiration—Ice Blood Physique or not, some people can’t be fixed."

In the middle of writing, Leyu heard a tapping sound at the window.

"Come on, seriously? Climbing the window? Wouldn’t it be easier just to knock on the door?"

But when Leyu looked up, he saw a snow-white milk cat tapping at the glass.

And looking downright impatient, as if to say, "Hurry up already and let me in."

Leyu was so stunned he just stared, and once he snapped out of it, he already had the window open for the white cat.

The white cat had an envelope in its mouth. Walking with perfect cat swagger, it laid the letter in front of Leyu. Noticing Leyu staring, it actually tapped the envelope twice with its paw, like, "What’re you looking at? I got words on my face or something? Read the letter, duh!"

Leyu looked down and saw that the envelope read:

"Le Yin, I’m here to work with you."

He spaced out for a while, staring blankly at the white cat. The cat couldn’t have cared less, grooming itself without a glance at him.

Several minutes later, Leyu finally snapped out of it, though he still felt like he was dreaming.

"Hold on—Saber Niruo, Lancer Miettangya, Archer ’Yin,’ Berserker Le Yin—all showing up for this Seeker’s Duel, Leyu could deal with that."

"But now there’s even a Druid who controls animals? Isn’t that a bit much?"