The friendly greeting was met with a response from the red snake, which opened its mouth to reveal its fangs. Somehow, Lin Zhusheng miraculously stood up at lightning speed and took off running, his speed far surpassing that of a high school hundred-meter sprint test, and he even managed to scoop up a small piece of coal along the way.

The strips of cloth tied messily in his hair unfortunately sacrificed themselves during the escape, and he could clearly feel his hair coming loose, but he didn’t dare look back and just ran like crazy along the same path.

“Whoosh—whoosh—”

The sound of the wind rushed past his ears, and the shadows of the trees above disappeared. Lin Zhusheng ran into the unshielded sunlight, returning to the hillside he had come from, where he spotted two figures in the distance. No joke, his eyes lit up instantly, and he turned around, sprinting desperately toward the direction of the figures.

The sounds behind him seemed to vanish, and in the wind, there was only the sound of his own footsteps. Just as his lungs reached their limit and his vision began to blur, a clear prompt box popped up.

【Newbie Exclusive Temporary Mission: Defeat the Red Snake (0/2)】
【Reward: Stamina Limit +10, Random Healing Herbs x2, Gold Coins x10】

“……”

His gaze landed on the last reward, and Lin Zhusheng’s running feet skidded to a halt, leaving a mark on the ground. He wasn’t even out of breath, and in an instant, he turned around.

Making a decision was just a thought away. One hand still gripping the grass, the other hand conjured a wooden sword out of thin air. He was going to challenge the red snake.

Although he had never done anything like this before, if he hadn’t misread the information during their earlier eye contact, he remembered that the red snake was also LV1, just like him, so there was a chance he could win.

One gold coin was equal to one hundred silver coins, and ten was a thousand. No one could understand how tempting that thousand was for someone who only had 10 silver coins in total.

His eyes held no hesitation or fear, only a thirst for money. The little cat tucked in his pocket didn’t expect him to suddenly turn around, its eyes widening in surprise.

The instinct to escape overcame the crawling speed of the red snake. While he might not be good at much, Master Lin was an expert at running away, and he had already shaken off the red snake long before exiting the woods.

He made his way back down the hillside, slowing his pace as he approached the previous gathering spot for the 灵虚草 (Ling Xu Grass), scanning his surroundings.

“Crack—”

As a gust of wind swept through the woods, he happened to step on a dry twig, producing a light sound. The wind rustled the grass, and amidst the swaying shadows of the trees, a proud red segment suddenly appeared.

Caught off guard, he locked eyes with the red snake again.

Both sides were shocked, and the air was filled with an eerie silence. Ultimately, driven by a deep-seated desire for those ten gold coins, Lin Zhusheng wildly swung his sword and took the initiative to attack the snake.

What ensued was a chaotic battle. Neither the person nor the snake could see each other clearly; all that filled the space were the sounds of the snake’s body colliding with the wooden sword and the grass being sent flying by the strikes.

The little cat had long since exited the battlefield, staying out of the danger zone to strategize, waving its paws and saying, “Aim for the seven inches!”

Even Lin Zhusheng knew that when fighting a snake, one should aim for the seven inches, but the problem was: “Where the heck is the seven inches?!”

Not knowing where the seven inches were, he figured it couldn’t hurt to hit all over. In the midst of the chaos, he found an opportunity, kicked the snake’s head, and the snake’s body, which had been coiling around his wooden sword, loosened and flew away.

He stepped forward, raised his sword, and began to strike the red snake’s body haphazardly, like chopping a radish. Finally, at the moment he struck, a golden prompt box appeared in mid-air.

【Mission: Defeat the Red Snake (1/2)】
【Experience +10】
【Current Level: LV1 (10/200)】

The snake lay quietly in the grass, no longer moving. Master Lin, whose arms were already starting to ache, also stopped, wiping the sweat that had formed on his brow.

Before the snake could spring back to life, he crouched down, using two fingers to awkwardly and slowly pinch its body through his sleeve, then swiftly stowed it away in his backpack.

The soft texture seemed to linger on his hands, goosebumps crawling all over his body. He shivered a couple of times and quickly stood up, distancing himself from the ground.

Although he had bravely taken the plunge for the sake of money, in reality, brave Master Lin had never encountered such a soft, squishy reptile before.

The chaotic scene temporarily came to an end, and the little cat finally approached from a distance, circling around him and briefly complimenting, “You actually have quite the talent for swordsmanship.”

Just now, in his wild flailing, Lin Zhusheng hadn’t realized where his talent for swordsmanship had come from, so he ignored it, holding the wooden sword and looking around, saying, “Still need one more.”

He needed to gather two to complete the mission, and he had only seen the one occupying a slot in his backpack. He had already searched other places, so he could only venture deeper.

As it neared noon, he didn’t know if it was due to the earlier commotion, but the woods were completely silent, with no birds chirping. After walking for a while, he hadn’t seen any other animals; only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves marked their presence.

The deeper part of the woods connected with the nearby mountains, and the trees grew denser as he went down, clearly less traveled, surrounded by an untouched appearance.

The bright color of the red snake was quite ostentatious, making it even more noticeable in such a dark place. As long as he was nearby, he would definitely notice it right away, but he hadn’t seen it at all… until now.

Lin Zhusheng spotted a patch of 灵虚草 (Ling Xu Grass) and a slender red snake tail hidden beneath the leaves, while the rest of the snake’s body was buried in thicker grass, making it hard to see.

It was hard to see, but that wasn’t a big deal. He had roughly figured out the location of the snake’s seven inches through practice. Based on the direction of the snake’s tail, before it noticed him, he raised his wooden sword in one direction, trying to avoid the 灵虚草 (Ling Xu Grass) as much as possible.

After all, with a hundred tasks to complete, he would be heartbroken if he accidentally harmed any of the plants present.

“Boom—”

Before the wooden sword fell, the ground trembled slightly, and the grass and trees swayed. It felt like something enormous was passing by or emerging from the ground, and the entire area was filled with an unstable sense of vibration.

Before anything else appeared, a long health bar materialized in mid-air. A lengthy health bar, one side showing the level, and in the center, a string of names: 【赤蛇 (Red Snake) (Monster)】.

Lin Zhusheng was familiar with this interface; it indicated the appearance of a BOSS. If he guessed correctly, this seemed to be the other snake he needed to deal with, and while he was LV1, this snake was LV12.

The exposed red tail of the snake in the 灵虚草 (Ling Xu Grass) moved, grinding against the ground before quickly burrowing deeper into the grass.

Then, beyond the grass, a massive red figure emerged above the trees, its scales brushing against the branches, causing them and the leaves to be crushed, producing a crackling sound. The red snake’s head hovered above the woods, its vertical pupils looking down, clearly visible.

No joke, Lin Zhusheng felt that he wouldn’t survive if this snake decided to attack; just one scale falling would surely mean his death.

The little cat curled up in a ball on the side, encouraging him, “This is the last one, defeat it, you can do it!”

In this situation, even adding 98 octane gasoline wouldn’t help. Thinking that perhaps there was something wrong with his ears or that the system had a major issue, Lin Zhusheng said, “Defeat it?”

He unconsciously pointed at himself while gesturing toward a scale that was as big as his body, his eyes wide in disbelief, “Me?!”

It was obvious he was the one being referred to; there was no one else here. The little cat nodded. The enormous red vertical pupils had already locked onto him; there was no escaping, and the only way to survive was to keep going.

“What kind of bizarre planning would make a newbie just entering the game take on a BOSS battle with a wooden sword as a gift?!”

With no way to escape, he bravely charged in, dodging the 灵虚草 (Ling Xu Grass) on the ground, and thrust his sword toward the snake’s body.

He scraped the snake’s scales, to be precise, he was helping to clean them. When he thrust the sword, the scales remained unscathed, and instead, the dirt on them was scraped off, looking as good as new, while the health bar in mid-air didn’t change at all.

The red snake’s tail swept toward him, and Master Lin, the AAA professional cleaning service, rolled on the ground a few times, barely dodging the attack.

Hiding behind a tree, he urgently called out, grabbing the little cat that had also sought refuge, succinctly stating his need: “Change account!”

The surrounding vibrations continued, and he had to raise his voice to be heard.

The level difference was too great; even with a super invincible sword, he couldn’t defeat this snake. The only way to win was to switch to a higher-level account.

His brain was spinning in strange directions, and the little cat didn’t react quickly enough to this idea, its eyes widening.

“Didn’t you say you were responsible for my safety? I’m about to die here,” Lin Zhusheng said, watching the surrounding trees being swept away. He tightened his grip on the grass, speaking rapidly, “I’m just a returning old friend, can I get a chance to switch accounts?”

The little cat was taken aback, its eyes wide open, as if quickly calculating something. After a brief moment of focus, it called out.

【You have received the Returning Old Friend Gift: Account Switch Experience Card (1h) x1】

Suddenly, a card appeared in his backpack. Lin Zhusheng, who had just been shouting in desperation, was shocked: “Wait, there really is such a thing?!”

“Crash—”

The tree he was leaning against was snapped in half, its branches sinking into the ground, the sound of leaves rustling filled his ears, and the soil was uprooted by the tree’s roots. The ground beneath him began to collapse, rolling down the slope. As he was swept downward, he finally saw the layers upon layers of thick red snake bodies coiling and piling up below, much larger than the small tail he had seen earlier.

A wind carrying a fishy smell blew toward him, and his disheveled hair was blown back. Lin Zhusheng looked up and met a wide-open mouth, sharp fangs aimed directly at him. As it approached rapidly, he could even see the structure inside.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he switched from the wooden sword to the experience card, and a pop-up window appeared, asking if he wanted to use it.

The surrounding light was completely blocked by the snake’s head, and he was close enough to see the stains on its teeth. In the next moment, it seemed ready to pierce through his body. He confirmed the option with his gaze, extended his hand, and let his long sleeve slide down.

“Clang—”

His finger landed on the confirmation option, and a bright light spread from behind him.

A white light tinged with blue illuminated half the sky in an instant, the sound of a sword ringing pierced through the air, echoing far and wide, reverberating through the mountains.

The fierce wind swept through, bending the remaining trees, and the intense sound intertwined with the sword’s ringing, clearing the mist in the mountains.

As his body continued to slide down, Lin Zhusheng looked up and saw a fine line appear on the massive red snake that had been so close just moments ago.

The strong wind caused the snake’s body to shift, and the snake’s head and body gradually separated, moving smoothly along the fine line, ultimately acting independently.

The thick snake tail that had been sweeping through the woods twitched involuntarily before finally settling down, becoming a limp pile of flesh.

The snake’s head fell from the air, landing perfectly at the bottom of the slope, its mouth still wide open as before. He continued to slide down, pleasantly surprised to find that he could smoothly slide right into the snake’s mouth.

“……”

Without any regard for appearances, Lin Zhusheng stowed away the precious account switch card and began to use all four limbs to climb upward. The little cat, nestled in his clothes, symbolically used its paws to push against the air, helping him reach the top.

Perhaps it was indeed the little cat’s assistance that made a difference; Master Lin felt his body lighten considerably, and he was actually moving upward.

Upward, continuously upward, and then he began to leave the ground. The farther he got from the ground, the more the fear of heights made his eyes curve downward, his mouth tightening into a straight line, and he began to struggle in a whirlwind.

It wasn’t the coal ball that helped him; something was gripping his collar, pulling him upward.

“Don’t move.”

Just as he was about to execute a sweeping kick in mid-air, a voice came from above him, like jade striking against ice, clear yet laced with an unshakeable chill.

The one holding him was a person, not some strange creature. Alright, Lin Zhusheng closed his eyes and stopped moving around.

He didn’t know how long he had been suspended in the air, but after a slight sound, his feet finally touched solid ground.

The moment he landed, he opened his eyes. As soon as his eyelashes lifted, a pool of watery light slid past the corners of his eyes, then was sheathed into the moon-white sword scabbard.

His hand, resting on the sword’s hilt, was clearly defined, and above it was a wide-sleeved robe. The person standing opposite him wore a simple white robe, with silver-gray patterns swirling at the hem, exuding a graceful demeanor. Their movements hinted at youth, yet their cold aura and steady brows completely overshadowed that impression.

They looked quite formidable. Even without thinking, Lin Zhusheng realized this person had saved him and the nearly wasted account switch card, so he immediately expressed his gratitude for saving his life and valuable possession.

Wen Baizhou sheathed his sword, said nothing more, and simply asked, “Are you injured?”

He happened to be passing by the outer peak for business and had seen a disciple from the outer sect running toward them with grass in hand, thinking there was an issue. However, the person turned back halfway, running back into the woods with great momentum.

Recalling something, his gaze dropped slightly to the dirty hands that had been smeared with mud.

“……” Hmm, the grass was still there, still held tightly.

His companions thought nothing was wrong and left first, but he took a look.

This place should not have produced any monsters; it was considered a safe area for outer sect disciples. However, perhaps due to the overflow of spiritual energy from the peak, it gave the snake a chance to transform into a monster.

The red snake was inherently aggressive, and if it wasn’t dealt with this time, the consequences would likely be quite serious.

Lin Zhusheng wasn’t injured. Although the situation looked perilous, he had only lost a little health, and he could recover by finding a couple of herbs to chew on.

Thinking of the herbs, he finally realized something, tightening his grip on the grass and quickly turning to look at the place that had been swept by the snake’s tail.

Without any warning, tears streamed down his face, plunging him into deep sorrow.

Not understanding why the person suddenly changed like this, Wen Baizhou followed his gaze and only saw the corpse of the red snake monster.

As long as the monster was dealt with, he usually wouldn’t concern himself with any follow-up matters, but this person was crying far too sorrowfully. Leaving him to cry might result in a whole day of tears, so he could only ask, “Are you afraid?”

He had no experience in this area and could only think of this reason.

The outer sect disciples were different from others; they were just a bit more talented than ordinary people and had never encountered monsters while living in the Tianzong realm, so fear was natural.

“The snake monster has been dealt with; it won’t appear again…”

“Not that.”

“The snake isn’t important,” Lin Zhusheng’s tear-filled eyes fell on the body of the red snake monster—below it, the flattened patch of 灵虚草 (Ling Xu Grass), sorrowfully wiping his tears, “My grass is gone.”

Wen Baizhou: “Grass?”

Lin Zhusheng cried like a sad panda: “Yeah, my grass.”

This whole area was filled with the precious task grass he had carefully protected; losing even one meant he would have to spend an extra half hour digging through the weeds.

Wen Baizhou: “……”