Another World: The Failed Magician

Zhang Yu turned his head back, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and then said, "Although I don't know where you heard about the 'Four Swordsmen of Qingxin,' you're right. Three of them are me, Li Mingxu, and Zhao Qingmei."

Once Lu Xuan realized that Zhang Yu had started speaking, he returned to his normal demeanor.

"And who is the last one?"

"It was Ruo Xuanyin, the senior sister of the Qingxin Sword Sect at that time."

"Ruo Xuanyin? I don't think I've ever heard of her."

Zhang Yuyou took a deep drag of the cigarette before saying, "It's normal that you don't know, because she died many years ago."

"I'm sorry," Lu Xuan said apologetically.

"There's nothing to apologize for. Even if you hadn't asked me, I would still have brought this up."

Looking at Zhang Yu, who appeared quite calm, Lu Xuan felt a pang of sadness for some reason.

"Although we were known as the Four Swordsmen of Qingxin, only three of them were actually from the Qingxin Sword Sect, and all of them were disciples of the sect leader at the time. I was just a rogue cultivator."

"Oh? I thought you were originally a member of the Qingxin Sword Sect, but you broke up with them and went to Huaisong County to open a branch of the Adventurers' Guild."

"You're quite the thinker."

"I can't help it, with only this information, I'm bound to overthink things. I'm still quite curious. How did you two meet?"

"It's quite a coincidence that the three of them had just come of age and were assigned to go down the mountain to carry out a mission. Unfortunately, it was the first time for all three of them to go down the mountain, and they had no experience at all. They couldn't even find the place where they were supposed to carry out the mission." Zhang Yu chuckled twice as he said this.

"After that, they had no choice but to ask around, and through other people's introductions, they chose to come and ask me."

"Hey! Wait a minute, why did I choose to ask you?"

"Didn't I say that? I used to be an information broker."

Did you say that?

"Didn't I say that?"

The two looked at each other, and a deathly silence fell over the air.

Zhang Yu waved his hand, breaking the silence, and said, "Anyway, it's not a big deal. Later, based on the information I provided, the three of them completed the mission without much effort."

"Normally, according to the normal course of events, I should have had no further contact with those three people. However, Ruo Xuanyin found me again after the mission ended and insisted that I join them to provide intelligence for their chivalrous deeds."

"To be honest, I initially refused, but I couldn't resist her persistent pestering, so I eventually gave in and agreed to provide them with intelligence."

At this point, Lu Xuan could clearly sense that Zhang Yu was lost in his memories, so he didn't interrupt Zhang Yu to ask questions as he had done before.

"To be honest, I just laughed when I heard people say things like 'want to be a great hero.' It's not uncommon for disciples from major sects to get overwhelmed with a sense of justice after going down the mountain for a mission or two and want to become great heroes."

"It usually doesn't last long. There are many reasons, such as not being able to persevere or the elders of the sect asking them to return to their sect. In the end, they all give up on being a great hero."

"So at the time I didn't think the three of them would last long. To be honest, I thought a few months at most would be their limit. But the three of them immediately proved me wrong."

"During a mission, the three of them faced a group of cultists. Due to my incorrect intelligence, I underestimated the strength of those cultists, which almost led to their deaths on the spot. Fortunately, Ruo Xuanyin had a life-saving item given to her by the sect leader of the Qingxin Sword Sect, which saved them from death."

"When I heard the news, I felt a little guilty, but not too much. After all, no intelligence broker in the underworld can guarantee that his information is always correct."

"At that time, I thought that after the three of them came back and questioned me, they would give up their dream of becoming a chivalrous hero!"

"I even prepared an escape plan, after all, the three of them are disciples of a famous sect, and I'm quite afraid of being retaliated against."

"But the final outcome was beyond my expectations. After I had a peaceful month, Ruo Xuanyin came to me again, but she didn't come to hold me accountable. She came to buy information from me."

She said they had rested well and could continue to punish evil and promote good.

"I still remember her innocent face when she said those words that day."

"In the end, I don't know if it was out of self-blame or some other reason, but from then on I started providing them with intelligence for free. Later, there were a few times when I was worried about them going on missions on their own, so I joined the team."

"This situation lasted for about five years."

"Over time, the title of the Four Swordsmen of Qingxin came into being."

Zhang Yu paused noticeably at this point, and Lu Xuan looked over as well, noticing a faint sadness on Zhang Yu's face.

"And so the fame of the Four Swordsmen of Qingxin spread far and wide in the area. If things continued like this, Ruo Xuanyin might really be able to realize her dream and become a great hero admired by the world."

"But because we have thwarted the Demonic Sect's plans time and time again, we have also become a thorn in their side."

"The Demonic Sect has tried several times to eliminate the four of us, but they have all failed."

"But when you walk by the river, you're bound to get your shoes wet. Even though the four of us were careful enough, we still fell into the Demonic Sect's trap during one of our missions."

"In the end, when we were in despair, Ruo Xuanyin stepped forward and sacrificed herself so that the three of us could hold on until the elders of Qingxin Sword Sect arrived."

"If Xuan Yin were to sacrifice herself, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to our team."

“Especially Li Mingxu, he’s completely changed. He used to be quite lively and cheerful, but after Ruo Xuanyin passed away, he became taciturn.”

"After a few more hasty missions, the three of us went our separate ways."

"In the end, I settled down in Huaisong County. After passing the Adventurers' Guild's assessment, I established an Adventurers' Branch Guild here."

"I later heard that not long after the three of us parted ways, Li Mingxu left the Qingxin Sword Sect for some unknown reason."

"Later, Li Mingxu came to me, but this time he was no longer alone. He was always followed by a little girl wearing a veil."

“He would occasionally bring that girl to my place for a chat.”

"Until recently, Zhao Qingmei approached me and told me about the Demon Seed. Then I used my connections in the Adventurers' Guild to contact Dean White."

"Then two groups of people found me at this time. I know one group is elves, but I don't know which faction of the elven race they belong to. As for the other group, I still don't know who they are or what their purpose is."

"All I know is that they entrusted me with the task of seizing the Dragon Academy token from you so that I can investigate the purpose of those elves."

"And the elf who came to me had a more direct request: to help her kill you."

"I then signed a contract with them, but I used some clever tricks. You probably know what happened after that."

"Why do I feel like there are so many things you haven't told me?" Lu Xuan asked after listening.

"Of course, after all, there are some things I'm prepared to take to my grave," Zhang Yu said with a smile.