People need to eat. That was common knowledge.
Ordinary mortals ate the five grains, naturally, while Daoist cultivators treated their bodies as furnaces and cultivated inner elixirs. If they wanted their bodies to become tough and powerful, they needed more than just physical training. What they ate and drank was equally important.
Besides, eating and sexual desire were the two oldest urges known to humanity. Daoist cultivators merely practiced the Dao; they had not actually ascended beyond the Ninth Heaven. How could they possibly sever themselves from all emotion and desire? It was true that some great masters consumed nothing but pills…but such people were few and far between.
Qian Shi'an’s gaze shifted upward, where he noticed several more lines of small writing.
[You can pick up resources in the wild!]
[Don’t pickpocket people on the street before you level up!]
The handwriting was crooked, and the ink still looked fresh… It was almost as if some demon who had just entered the mortal world, utterly ignorant of humanity, was observing, writing things down, and learning how to appear more human!
“Rumble—!”
Another peal of thunder rang out. Raindrops pelted the ground, quickly forming a dense, pale curtain of rain.
A demon… A demon…
For a demon to cultivate a human form, it needed at least several hundred years of cultivation. What was more, demons seeking enlightenment and ascension had to pay even greater heed to karma than humans did. That was why there were so many stories about foxes repaying those who had saved them. If Wu Guanyue had come to avenge Old Man Wu…
Qian Shi'an’s heart gave a jolt. He immediately extended a hand and prepared to divine Wu Guanyue’s origins.
Although Qian Shi'an’s cultivation was not particularly high, he had an excellent master: Daoist Master Songfeng, a thousand-year-old tree demon. Daoist Master Songfeng was profoundly accomplished, especially in divination, and Qian Shi'an had inherited considerable skill in that area.
Earlier that day, when Zheng San had tangled with Wu Guanyue, Qian Shi'an had actually been watching from the shadows. He had also heard Wu Guanyue introduce herself at the very beginning…
Since she was a demon, he first needed to determine what kind of demon she was. Only then could he know what to do next.
Had she said… “Flying-through-the-Sky, Burrowing-through-the-Earth, Handsome Cockroach”?
What kind of origin was that?
Flying-through-the-Sky, Burrowing-through-the-Earth, Handsome Cockroach… Flying-through-the-Sky, Burrowing-through-the-Earth, Handsome Cockroach…
Qian Shi'an knitted his brows tightly. His fingers moved incessantly as he calculated, while he murmured under his breath, “Trace the trail, seek the source, pursue the name. Flying-through-the-Sky, Burrowing-through-the-Earth, Handsome Cockroach, reveal your true form!”
Suddenly, his expression froze.
Qian Shi'an felt a sharp pain in his chest. His blood and qi churned, and with a retch, he actually spat out a mouthful of blood!
That… That was…!
It was an indescribable entity completely unrelated to the Nine Provinces and Eighteen Lands, something that had come from another world!
Qian Shi'an endured the pain and forced his way through the mists between worlds, finally seeing the strange creature clearly.
A shiny shell, twitching antennae… An insect! Wu Guanyue’s true form was an insect!
Qian Shi'an: “……”
A cockroach… repaying a debt of gratitude?
Was Old Man Wu bored out of his mind? When other people saved someone, they saved a white fox. He, on the other hand, had gone and lavished his kindness on a long-whiskered vermin.
Still…an insect demon would be easy to deal with. An insect demon would be easy to deal with!
He happened to know of a place that was particularly effective against insect demons…
His figure blurred, and he flashed into the rear courtyard where Wang Er lived. He woke him up and whispered a few instructions into his ear.
Rise and shine!
Face the sun!
Time to start the game!
Meow meow meow meow!
Yesterday’s gaming experience had been so wonderful that when Wu Guanyue removed her helmet that night, she had actually felt a pang of reluctance.
Still, being able to move about freely with a normal body inside the game was already more than enough to satisfy her.
So she logged into the game first thing in the morning.
It was morning in the game as well. Sunlight shone through the wooden window, seemingly coaxing out the fresh scent of pine. The inn’s assistant, Wang Er, was already awake and was drawing water in the rear courtyard.
First, she should check the progress of her quest.
[Quest · Progress: 208/100,000 Divine Firmament Coins]
She had sold fifty-two baked flatbreads yesterday, bringing in 208 copper coins. At that rate, she would make 18,720 copper coins over the course of three months—that was only…one-tenth of what the quest required.
As expected, the quest was not going to be that simple.
But that was within Wu Guanyue’s expectations. After all, if she could complete the quest simply by relying on the baked flatbreads automatically sold by the hired-worker system, where would the gameplay be?
The proper way to play was, of course, to gather ingredients and sell more expensive food to increase her turnover.
She was not discouraged. She sprang from the bed and happily dashed outside.
She rushed out of the inn and spoke to the neighboring street NPC!
[Businesswoman · Auntie Wei (sighing inwardly): “Miss Wu, you… Ah, listen to your auntie. No one can make a successful business in a place like this. You’d best leave while you still can.”]
[What should you say?]
[A. (Passionate) I’m going to become the Innkeeping Queen!]
[B. (Scolding) Counsel from a defeatist strategist is worthless!]
Select A.
Wu Guanyue: “Don’t say another word, Auntie Wei. I’m going to become the Innkeeping Queen!”
Auntie Wei: “…………”
Why did she feel that this girl’s brain was a little… Well…
Wu Guanyue: “Auntie Wei, what sort of tasty foods have been popular in the city lately?”
Auntie Wei sighed silently.
She was not close to Old Master Wu. She had only given Wu Guanyue that oblique warning because she could not bear to watch the girl throw herself foolishly against a brick wall. But the girl clearly had not understood…
Ah, there was nothing more she could do. Everyone had their own fate.
She said no more and simply told Wu Guanyue what she wanted to know.
[Auntie Wei: “There are plenty of wealthy Daoist cultivators in Meishan City. If you want to make money, you need to cater to them. It’s sweltering these days, so what they need are things that can relieve the dryness caused by their elixir flames.”]
Wu Guanyue seized upon the key phrase. “The dryness caused by elixir flames?”
[Auntie Wei: “We don’t cultivate the Dao ourselves, so we don’t understand it very well. But they say that the deeper a cultivator’s cultivation, the more strongly they’re affected by the forces of Heaven and Earth. Take this scorching weather, for example. If you imagine the sun as an alchemy furnace, we ordinary people are being roasted outside it. Daoist cultivators, however, are closer to the furnace—and some even want to climb inside. They can actually feel the sun’s true fire!”]
[Auntie Wei: “The Yue Lai Inn on the main street sells Frostflower Lotus Seed Soup. It’s made with frostflower lotuses from the Bingyi Secret Realm, so it can dispel the sun’s true fire. And the Xihua Old Establishment sells Jadeite Chilled Soup, made with Everlasting Ice. Daoist cultivators love eating there.”]
[Auntie Wei: “But frostflower lotuses and Everlasting Ice can only be found in secret realms.”]
So that was how it worked.
If she wanted to make money, she had to cater to Daoist cultivators. And if she wanted to cater to Daoist cultivators, she had to enter secret realms to find special ingredients capable of dispelling the sun’s true fire.
Wu Guanyue opened the map and took a look…
[Secret Realm · Bingyi Realm], [Secret Realm · Redpine Forest], [Secret Realm · Huiming Mountain], [Secret Realm · Fire Crow Territory]…
There were so many! And none of them had a recommended entry level!
Given this game’s usual behavior, if she accidentally wandered into a high-level secret realm, there was a very real chance she would die in there.
So she immediately continued questioning Auntie Wei.
Wu Guanyue: “So, which secret realm can I go to?”
Auntie Wei was horrified. “What?! You’re going in by yourself? You silly girl… You’re supposed to hire rogue cultivators for this! Don’t treat your life like a joke!”
Auntie Wei advised the player not to go.
But naturally, the player wasn’t going to listen to such defeatist remarks meant only to set the mood. She merely nodded calmly, thanked Auntie Wei, and turned back toward the inn.
She found the shop assistant, Wang Er, and initiated a conversation.
Wu Guanyue: “Wang Er, do you know of any nearby secret realms that produce something capable of relieving the dryness caused by alchemical fire?”
—Wang Er was a tutorial NPC. Asking him would definitely be the more reliable option.
Wang Er: “!!”
He had still been worrying about how to deceive the shopkeeper!
Last night, the moneylender had come to see him and told him that he already knew the shopkeeper’s true identity. As long as Wang Er lured her into a certain secret realm, she was guaranteed never to return.
He had been wondering how exactly to trick the shopkeeper into going there… but now, it seemed like the answer had practically landed in his lap!
Wang Er’s heart bloomed with delight. He eagerly leaned forward, rubbing his hands together as he said, “Shopkeeper, I really do know one! You should go to Red Pine Forest! It has exactly what you need!”
Wu Guanyue: “Oh? What does Red Pine Forest have?”
Wang Er: “…………”
Wang Er fell silent.
Right. What did it have?
He couldn’t exactly say it had something capable of killing the shopkeeper.
Wu Guanyue: “…………”
Wu Guanyue once again fixed Wang Er with those pitch-black eyes, staring at him thoughtfully…
Wang Er was practically sweating bullets. In his panic, he blurted out, “It… it has fish, Shopkeeper! The old shopkeeper loved going there to fish!”
Wu Guanyue: “!!”
It had appeared! The fishing mechanic!
In any cozy farming sim… no, in any game that lets you explore a vast open world, a fishing mechanic was absolutely essential. Whenever you came across an unfamiliar body of water during your travels, who wouldn’t want to hurriedly cast a line a couple of times?
So that was how it was…
That was how it was…
Then, now…
She waited patiently.
Wang Er: “…………”
Wu Guanyue: “…………”
Wang Er asked cautiously, “Shopkeeper, aren’t you going?”
Wu Guanyue: “Where’s the fishing rod?! Shouldn’t you be giving me a fishing rod too?!”
Wang Er: “…………”
Why did he have to be the one to provide the fishing rod as well?!
Still, wanting to send this walking calamity away as quickly as possible, he put on a smiling face and said, “Ah, now that you mention it, I really had forgotten. Just wait a moment—the old shopkeeper did leave you a fishing rod!”
He then went back inside and brought out the fishing rod he himself had mooched off the old shopkeeper…
【Obtained: Old Fishing Rod!】
【Old Fishing Rod: It looks ordinary enough, but there seems to be something unusual about its pitch-black rod shaft…】
Wu Guanyue snatched the fishing rod and ran off!
Wang Er: “Hey! Hey! Be careful with that thing!!!”
But Wu Guanyue didn’t hear him at all! She charged straight toward [Secret Realm: Red Pine Forest]!
Running across the map out of sheer boredom…
【Entered: Secret Realm: Red Pine Forest】
This was a pine forest shrouded in cold mist. The tree trunks appeared a strange dark red through the fog, while a layer of white frost clung to the pine needles.
Several ax-wielding men dressed like lumberjacks were chopping wood and singing work chants: “One, two! One, two!”
Red Pine Forest produced a type of fire-resistant pinewood used as fuel for refining external elixirs. Many ordinary villagers came here to chop wood and sell it to alchemists.
Wu Guanyue came charging over!
【Lumberjack·Eldest Brother Li (smiling amiably): “Hey! Are you here to chop wood too?”】
Wu Guanyue plunged straight into the depths of the forest!
【Lumberjack·Second Brother Li (frowning): “Hey! Don’t go any deeper! People have gone missing in there lately!”】
Wu Guanyue’s eyes were filled with nothing but the desire to fish. She sped away, and her figure quickly vanished from sight.
【Lumberjack·Eldest Brother Li (muttering): “What a strange person…”】
【Lumberjack·Second Brother Li (his expression changing dramatically): “Where’s Third Brother Li?! Where did Third Brother run off to?!”】
By this time, Wu Guanyue had already found the fishing spot!
The fishing spot was a frigid pool deep within Red Pine Forest. Its waters were so clear they looked like a flawless piece of ice, and flat, round fish swam among the aquatic plants.
Wu Guanyue took the fishing rod from her inventory.
She charged up her throw and cast the line—!!!
Something was on the hook!
【Obtained: Waterweed!】
【Waterweed: It’s slimy. (Eating it restores 10 HP.)】
She charged up and cast the line again—!
【Obtained: Waterweed!】
【Waterweed: It’s slimy. (Eating it restores 10 HP.)】
【Obtained: Bone Fragment!】
【Bone Fragment: Seems to be a fragment of some animal’s bone.】
The odds of catching an actual fish didn’t seem very high. Wu Guanyue cast her line more than a dozen times in a row, but most of the time, all she caught was waterweed.
No matter. Keep going!
Fishing was the most fun thing ever!
After all, Wu Guanyue had managed to complete the entire fish collection in Stardew Valley!
She charged up and cast the line—!
A powerful musical score suddenly rang out beside her ears, and blue-violet sparks exploded across the surface of the water.
【[Wu Guanyue] triggered the [Lightning Force] effect of the [Old Fishing Rod]!】
【Obtained: Crucian Carp (Bronze Star) ×5, Crucian Carp (Silver Star) ×3, White Minnow (Gold Star) ×10!】
【Crucian Carp: Delicious and popular with men and women of all ages. (Eating it restores 75 HP.)】
【White Minnow: A common little fish, shaped like a willow leaf and glittering silver-white beneath the sunlight. (Eating it restores 35 HP.)】
【Item: Thunderstruck Wood Fishing Rod (New!)】
【Description: A fishing rod made from thunderstruck wood. Casting ten times in succession will trigger its Lightning Force effect. It can be used to electrocute fish, and was purchased by someone at a very high price.】
【Skill·Lightning Force: Powerful lightning qi capable of piercing through anything!】
【[Wu Guanyue] was struck by the [Lightning Force] of the [Thunderstruck Wood Fishing Rod]. HP -85!】
【[Wu Guanyue] learned her lesson: Electrofishing is illegal.】
Wu Guanyue: “…………”
…Huh?
