***
Daoist Master Songfeng had taken the alias Old Man Azurewood. He had originally planned to set up an inescapable net on the mountain and make sure Wu Guanyue would never return once she came. Who could have guessed that Wu Guanyue understood the principle that speed was of the essence? The moment she learned Wang Er’s whereabouts, she did not hesitate for even a second. Now, immediately, this very instant, she was going to storm Mount Huiming!
At this moment, Wu Guanyue, now accompanied by her party, was making her way through the wilderness.
【[Wilderness Map · Mount Huiming] is now open. Come explore!】
【Mount Huiming: It is said that a thousand years ago, Sword Lord Taibai battled the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord here. The shattered Huiming Mirror transformed into a thousand bright pools scattered throughout the mountain, giving the place its name.】
When exploring the wilderness in an RPG, what was the most important thing?
Why, looting everything in sight, of course!
However, the player had already experienced the game’s rich item system to her heart’s content in the outskirts of Meishan City. Her inventory slots were also quite limited, so she wouldn’t recklessly yank up every single thing she saw.
In the game, items the player had never collected before would be highlighted. The player could also keep her eyes fixed on an item for three seconds to view its description, allowing her to decide whether it was worth picking up.
Wu Guanyue walked at the very front, searching for every highlighted item within sight.
And so, the moment Old Man Azurewood saw Wu Guanyue enter the woods, her expression suddenly changed!
All at once, her eyes became so sharp and clear, her expression so capable and calculating. Her gaze swept over every tree and shrub in the forest, like a hawk circling in the sky—or the keenest, most agile hound of the Underworld!
Suddenly, her wise and discerning gaze locked onto an unremarkable-looking mountain tree.
【Jade Lychee: Named for its crystal-clear, jade-like flesh. Possesses powerful restorative effects.】
What was this? It seemed like a very good ingredient!
Wu Guanyue hefted her axe. Chop, chop, chop!
【Obtained: [Jade Lychee Wood] ×10】
【Obtained: [Jade Lychee Fruit] ×3】
Then she switched to a shovel and dug down hard!
【Obtained: [Jade Lychee Sapling] ×1】
Daoist Master Songfeng: “!!!”
His century-old jade lychee tree!!!
Damn it! This was a five-hundred-year-old jade lychee tree! It had absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in this place for centuries, producing fruits with flesh as smooth and lustrous as white jade. Not only were they fragrant and succulent, eating them was also greatly beneficial for nourishing one’s meridians and strengthening one’s foundation!
He usually couldn’t bear to eat the things, yet this woman had actually chopped it down! She had chopped it down!!!
Daoist Master Songfeng’s heart bled as he stared at Wu Guanyue’s unconcerned back, his eyes turning red.
Wu Guanyue continued her search—
【Obtained: [Wood Salt] ×7, [Saltwood Sapling] ×1!】
【Wood Salt: Precious crystals found on thousand-year-old saltwood trees. Can enhance the cultivation of cultivators with wood spiritual roots.】
【Obtained: [Fire Jujube] ×5, [Fire Jujube Sapling] ×1!】
【Fire Jujube: A crystal-clear fruit with orange-red energy flowing through its flesh. The essence of solar fire, it requires a little spiritual energy to activate.】
【Obtained: [Heavenly Nectar Vine] ×2!】
【Heavenly Nectar Vine: It is said that even the celestial immortals above the Ninth Heaven enjoy wine brewed from this plant’s nectar.】
Wenren Ying suddenly said, “Strange. Why does it sound like someone’s grinding their teeth? Is there a rat nearby?”
Daoist Master Songfeng slowly—very slowly—raised a hand and calmly pressed it against his cheek, restraining the sound of his own teeth grinding.
The corner of Wenren Ying’s mouth curled into a mysterious smile. “It’s quiet now… Even the vermin fear the Daoist master’s might! By the way, why do you look so awful, Daoist master?”
Daoist Master Songfeng: “…………”
The vein at Daoist Master Songfeng’s temple throbbed violently.
Just then, Wu Guanyue suddenly spotted something!
Daoist Master Songfeng’s heart clenched. He felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy!
Wu Guanyue suddenly sprang into action! Her movements were as nimble as a gust of wind as she charged toward the spot she had noticed. Her hand shot out so quickly that it left afterimages. In the blink of an eye, she had snatched up the object she wanted and raised it high above her head!
Th-that was—
【Obtained: [Square Feces]!】
【Square Feces: Droppings left behind by an iron-eating beast.】
It was… the contents of a large-intestine sashimi platter!!!
Old Man Azurewood: “…………”
Wenren Ying: “…………”
Wu Guanyue: “!!!”
What was this? Ammunition!
The ultimate boss she would have to face later was a tree demon! If she didn’t collect ammunition now, when would she?
And so, she began gathering frantically!
Old Man Azurewood and Wenren Ying stared dumbfoundedly as Wu Guanyue cheerfully collected the feces scattered across the ground. The two of them fell into silence at the same time.
But when had the player ever cared about NPC opinions?
This was ammunition!
Wu Guanyue: (★ω★)!
Her hands were cupped around the fertilizer, and her eyes shone like stars. Her expression was extraordinarily satisfied, extraordinarily blissful…
Daoist Master Songfeng: “…………”
Daoist Master Songfeng: “………………”
Hmph. What an idiot!
Old Man Songfeng thought with utter disdain.
Just then, Wu Guanyue’s sharp eyes spotted something else!
There was an earthworm writhing on the ground!
Wu Guanyue: “!!”
A veteran player of Stardew Valley could never see an earthworm and simply ignore it—she absolutely had to dig it up and see what it was!
Wu Guanyue didn’t give it a second thought. She brought her hoe down in one stroke!
Blood-red tentacles shot out in an instant!
Wenren Ying moved at the same moment.
A streak of sword light condensed into a single line!
Fast, sharp, precise—the blade cleaved through the air, its shriek as piercing as a ghost’s wail. The bloody tentacle was severed in midair.
Only then did Wenren Ying’s boots touch the ground. He had already placed himself in front of Wu Guanyue.
Her view was blocked by the cloak he had sent billowing into the air, and Wu Guanyue fell into thought for a moment.
Wenren Ying’s lips were pressed into a tight line. The easygoing temperament that had remained unruffled even when stuffed with large-intestine sashimi had vanished from him. In its place was something cold and hard.
He said in a low voice, “It’s a Bloodvine. The beast is good at hiding. See if you can find any more.”
Wu Guanyue: “!!”
So that was what it was!
Although she didn’t know whether the Bloodvine counted as a plant or a monster, the player’s [Highlight Display] could be set to show one specific type of item. It was a convenient function designed to make gathering in the wilderness easier.
Then let’s search for Bloodvines right away!
Wu Guanyue willed it, and the scene before her eyes immediately changed. Every Bloodvine hidden beneath the ground began flashing brightly. There were actually quite a lot of them in this area, practically forming a minefield. If Wu Guanyue hadn’t dug up the first one just now, she really might have been caught off guard and lashed by one of these things.
Wuyun, facing a formidable enemy, let out a hiss!
Wu Guanyue, facing a formidable enemy, pointed accusingly!
Daoist Master Songfeng, facing a formidable enemy, made no sound at all!
Obviously. These Bloodvines had been cultivated by him.
To be honest, he hadn’t expected Wenren Ying to recognize them either, because Bloodvines were an extraordinarily rare kind of evil creature.
This thing has been lying dormant underground, not leaking a single wisp of demonic aura. Let alone Wenren Ying... even if Perfected Renhua, the elder of Xuantian Sect, showed up right now, he might not be able to spot it!
But somehow, Wu Guanyue managed to find every last one of them without missing a single one!
Who on earth is Wu Guanyue?!
If finding the first one could be written off as pure luck, then after that... with just a quick sweep of her gaze, she didn't let a single one slip past!
Right then, Wenren Ying moved through the ground blood vines as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, finishing them off in the blink of an eye.
No way! He can't stay with these two people any longer!
If he keeps hanging around these two disasters, who knows when his secret will be exposed!
In the flash of a lightning bolt, Daoist Master Songfeng made up his mind.
He suddenly took a step back, and his foot landed right on something — the next instant, blood-red tentacles shot out from the ground and stung Daoist Master Songfeng.
"AAAAAHHHH!!!"
Daoist Master Songfeng let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Wu Guanyue and Wenren Ying both stopped what they were doing and turned around to look at him.
Old Man Azurewood (face twisted in pain): "No... this old Taoist has been hit... (coughs up blood)"
Wu Guanyue: "............"
Wu Guanyue: "!!!"
Wu Guanyue was completely stunned! Wha — what?! Her teammate is already heavily injured! This is only the first wave of trash mobs in this dungeon! Isn't he going down way too fast?!
Wu Guanyue's eyes went wide, clearly utterly shocked and flustered by the turn of events.
Wenren Ying, who was always known for his warm-hearted nature, on the other hand, just crossed his arms over his blade and looked at Old Man Azurewood leisurely.
Old Man Azurewood (face ashen): "You... don't worry about me... saving people is the priority... (coughs up blood)"
Old Man Azurewood has submitted a request to leave the party to Wu Guanyue. Do you agree?
Whoa now...
He actually wants to leave the party? This whole partying thing feels like it hasn't served any purpose at all.
Wu Guanyue sank into thought.
Wait, this game has really well-written story content, it never does things half-baked. The choice she makes right now will most likely shape the direction of the plot later on.
If she agrees to let Old Man Azurewood leave the party right now, his entire personal storyline will probably get cut off directly, and it's even possible that when she comes back later, she'll find Old Man Azurewood's corpse nearby — that's absolutely unacceptable for a player!
Wu Guanyue: "No way! Don't say another word! I will never abandon you at a time like this. That's my principle!"
Wu Guanyue spoke out in a voice full of righteous kindness!
Old Man Azurewood (tears welling up in his eyes): "Shopkeeper Wu's great righteousness... this old Taoist will remember it... But my injuries are far too severe... I'm afraid I'll only slow you two down... (coughs up blood)"
Old Man Azurewood's life is hanging by a thread. Do you want to give him an item?
Oh right... so this is a leech that's here to collect!
RPG games really do work like this sometimes. You have to give a character a few items in a row to push the story forward properly. It's super annoying, but there's no way around it.
What item should she give him to restore his health?
Wu Guanyue opened her backpack. Because she was going to explore a new map, she had cleared out her backpack ahead of time so she could bring back more loot... Right now her backpack is totally full of precious items like jade lychees, fire dates, and jade wine vines.
...She doesn't want to give any of them away.
She hasn't even gotten to test out their special effects yet, and there's barely any of them. The thought of handing them all over to this leech is the last thing she wants to do.
Just then, her peripheral vision landed on the item that she had the most of in her backpack.
Wu Guanyue: "!!"
A little lightbulb suddenly lit up over Wu Guanyue's head.
She immediately pulled a square-shaped piece of dung out from her sleeve, held it out politely, and asked: "Daoist, can you eat shit to get your health back?"
Old Man Azurewood: "............"
Old Man Azurewood: ".................."
Old Man Azurewood jumped up and yelled at the top of his lungs: "You shameless bastard! You little runt! You worthless scum! How dare you! This is the last straw! I'm going to fight you to the death!!!"
And there we go, the setup is done, next chapter the real boss fight starts!
