Outside the Azure Mystic Sect, a green Dharma Boat was speeding toward Luopo Village.
On the deck, Gu Changqing pointed ahead and said, “This Dharma Boat is called the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle. I borrowed it from Senior Brother Ye. It's a Tier Three Dharma Boat and moves very fast; we'll reach the vicinity of Luopo Village in just one ke.
“However, to avoid alerting the enemy, we'll land about ten li away from Luopo Village in advance.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of talismans and distributed them to everyone.
“These are Tier Two Breath-Concealing Talismans. As long as we don't actively reveal ourselves, Tier Two demon beasts generally won't notice our cultivation levels.”
Bai Zhirou took a talisman, inwardly reflecting on how reckless her plan to rush out last night had been. She truly lacked experience.
Just as she was about to slap the Breath-Concealing Talisman onto herself, Jiang Ye couldn't help but remind her in her mind: “The necklace around your neck isn't just an ornament, you know. That's a top-grade Treasure Tool, the Spirit-Concealing Necklace. You only need to inject a sliver of true qi to activate it, and its effect is far better than that talisman.”
Only then did Bai Zhirou remember that the red necklace around her neck, which she had treated as mere decoration, was actually a top-grade Treasure Tool.
Fifteen minutes later, the Dharma Boat landed in a desolate area. Gu Changqing turned around to ask, “Junior Sister Bai, is there a market near Luopo Village? Perhaps we can go there first to gather some information.”
Bai Zhirou looked puzzled. “Why not go straight into Luopo Village to ask the villagers?”
Gu Changqing patiently explained, “Junior Sister Bai might not know this, but demon beasts that know how to conceal themselves usually possess high intelligence and are extremely alert. Hearing the slightest stir will cause them to hide, making them even harder to find later.
“However, as long as they've hunted, they will always leave behind some clues. So going to the market to ask around first might yield some useful intelligence.”
“I see.”
Bai Zhirou nodded repeatedly. Indeed, compared to these experienced senior brothers, she was like a complete novice.
She couldn't help but ask in her mind, “Senior, what do you think?”
Jiang Ye replied in a lazy tone, “I'm lying down and watching.”
Bai Zhirou: “...”
Jiang Ye paused, thought for a moment, and said with a playful tone, “Searching for monsters is indeed a hassle, but I actually have a speedrun method.”
Bai Zhirou's eyes lit up, and she asked humbly, “What method?”
“Simple. Charge into Luopo Village right now and stab every single villager once. Feed them a Rejuvenation Pill afterward anyway, so they won't die.
“No matter how good a demon beast is at hiding, getting stabbed will force it to show its slip-ups. We'll just run a process of elimination first.”
Bai Zhirou: “...” I should have guessed. This approach is classic Senior.
Jiang Ye felt helpless too; this wasn't just his twisted sense of humor.
In game plots like this, NPCs had white names until key quest trigger nodes were reached, even if they were from the demon race.
Only when players made certain choices that put them on opposing sides would their names turn red.
Commonly known among players as: displaying the health bar!
...
After landing, relying on their foot speed as cultivators, the group quickly walked to a large market near Luopo Village.
The moment they set foot in the market, a sharp, shrill shout rang out:
“Get the hell out! You want to enjoy free service at my brothel without paying?!”
“Even if my girls were stitched up tight, I wouldn't let a bald donkey like you touch them!”
Everyone looked toward the source of the noise.
A heavily made-up brothel madam was pointing at a burly, bald monk, cursing furiously.
Behind the madam, two bouncers glared menacingly.
The bald monk was shoved back, stumbling slightly.
Stabilizing his stance, he brushed the dust off his monastic robes. Instead of being angered, he pressed his palms together, maintaining a dignified and solemn posture:
“Amitabha. Female benefactor, you misunderstand.
“This poor monk is Du'e. I merely noticed that Female Benefactor Xiao Qing and Female Benefactor Xiao Hong had darkened foreheads, signaling a dire omen. Thus, I wished to perform a close-contact salvation for them. How could you besmirch my purity?”
The madam rolled her eyes dramatically, sneering repeatedly:
“Bah! You filthy, hypocritical monk!
“Your dirty black hands felt up Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong from head to toe! Were you checking for a grave danger? You were just groping for great breasts!”
Monk Du'e looked righteous and shook his head repeatedly. “Benefactor, you are too attached to outer appearances...”
The madam completely lost her patience. “Scram, scram! Don't ruin my business!”
Du'e ambled away, shaking his head and sighing at every step, putting on the grand posture of an enlightened monk who was misunderstood by the world.
The young disciples of Sword Peak were completely dumbfounded.
A junior sister tugged at Gu Changqing's sleeve and asked in a low voice, “Senior Brother Gu, is he a fake monk? How can he visit a brothel?”
Gu Changqing, unfazed as usual, calmly explained:
“That should be a martial monk from Tianyin Temple. Their Dao is different; they don't abstain from meat, alcohol, or women. Their main philosophy is 'meat and wine pass through the intestines, but the Buddha stays in the heart.'”
“Huh? Don't monks eat vegetarian food and chant scriptures?”
Seeing everyone's bewildered expressions, Gu Changqing patiently explained further:
“You're thinking of Buddhist Zen cultivators. Only those people follow strict precepts, eat vegetarian, and chant scriptures.”
Everyone nodded repeatedly, feeling like their horizons had been broadened.
Seeing that the conversation had opened up, Gu Changqing led the team deeper into the market while continuing his explanations:
“This area is located on the border of the Eastern Continent. Beyond it lie the Hundred Thousand Mountains, so members of the demon race frequently cross the border to harass the populace.
“However, don't worry. There are mighty experts guarding the border, so those who manage to slip through are just a few minor troublemakers.”
Everyone nodded again, and several female disciples let out long sighs of relief. They had heard plenty of horrific stories about the demon race massacring entire cities.
Gu Changqing continued:
“This region is mainly divided among four major forces: our Azure Mystic Sect, the demonic Yin-Yang Sect, Wanjun Valley, and Tianyin Temple, where that monk came from.”
In her mind, Jiang Ye summarized: The four initial player class factions.
Bai Zhirou asked curiously, “Senior seems quite familiar with them.”
Jiang Ye gave a light laugh, replying with confidence:
“Of course. It's just a starting village; I mastered it long ago.”
Although Bai Zhirou didn't understand what a "starting village" was, she still thought it sounded impressive, especially considering Senior's miraculous methods.
Jiang Ye wasn't bragging about this. As a veteran player, he had played almost every class. These four were just the main factions on the surface; there were also several hidden class paths that he had thoroughly completed.
“I'm asking you, is this melon ripe?”
An arrogant and overbearing voice suddenly sounded, cutting off everyone's thoughts.
In front of a melon stall not far away.
Over a dozen cultivators in pink robes were surrounding the stall.
The leader was a short man, one arm wrapped around a skimpily dressed, voluptuous female cultivator. The female cultivator had to deliberately bend down to make it easier for his hand to do whatever it was doing.
The melon vendor was sweating profusely, desperately pleading:
“Immortal, how could I dare sell you an unripe melon? If you like this melon, please just take it and eat it. I won't charge a single copper!”
The short man sneered coldly. “Hmph! Do I, Ji Shaoqiang, need charity from a mortal?
“Men, slap him!”
As soon as he spoke.
A burly man behind him grabbed the melon vendor by his collar, raising a hand the size of a cattail leaf fan to strike down.
“Stop!”
Gu Changqing frowned, stepping forward with a cold shout.
The pink-robed group turned their heads in unison.
Recognizing the Azure Mystic Sect True Disciple robes on Gu Changqing, Ji Shaoqiang looked displeased.
He gave a hard squeeze to the female cultivator's chest in his arms, causing her to let out a pained moan.
Ji Shaoqiang spat on the ground, muttering in disgust, “Damn it, what bad luck! Stepped in dog poop the moment I stepped out today.
“Let's go!”
The burly man shoved the melon vendor to the ground, and Ji Shaoqiang waved his hand, turning around to leave.
Gu Changqing gripped his sword hilt, his face dark. He wanted to act, but he was mindful that this was Bai Zhirou's quest and didn't want to cause unnecessary complications.
However, he had clearly worried for nothing.
Because in the very next second—
“Oi, who the fuck said you could leave?”
Jiang Ye logged in instantly!
Staring at the red names hovering over Ji Shaoqiang and his group, Jiang Ye's gaming instincts flared intensely.
Red-named mobs! These were all walking experience packs!
Rate on N.U.
