Wen Baizhou’s gaze shifted down from the snake demon to the grass beneath it, and he really saw the flattened grass with white edges. After a moment of silence, he said, “The medicinal part of the Lingxu grass is the white-edged leaves. As long as they are not damaged, they can be used.”

“!”

This was a timely piece of good news, and Lin Zhusheng’s sadness rejuvenated in an instant. He quickly lowered his head, and the two lines of tears that had been flowing freely disappeared in a flash.

Although his beloved grass was flattened, a rough glance showed that the white edges were still relatively intact, meaning it could be saved. It seemed he wouldn’t have to be forced to become a skilled grass picker, wasting his youthful days in the grass of the woods.

Everything felt so normal that it was as if the earlier scene of him crying uncontrollably was just an illusion. His hand, resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, moved slightly, and Wen Baizhou finally said, “For the remaining matters, just inform the duty manager. He knows how to handle it.”

This implied he was about to leave. Lin Zhusheng asked, “Aren’t you going to wait for the manager?”

If he remembered correctly, he thought that as long as a disciple of the Tianzong eliminated a demon and brought the demon’s corpse or a large demon crystal core to the corresponding manager, they could receive a reward based on their level. If he went to find the manager, this kind-hearted person would miss out on the reward.

As if guessing his thoughts, the kind-hearted person continued, “The snake demon was discovered by you, so it counts as you having dealt with it.”

【Temporary Task: Defeat the Red Snake (2/2) (Completed)】
【Congratulations on achieving the achievement: First Task!】
【You have received: Stamina Limit +10, Basic Healing Herb x1, Advanced Healing Herb x1, Gold x10】

A series of message prompts popped up, and Lin Zhusheng’s eyes widened. With his superb reflexes, he quickly suppressed the corners of his mouth that were about to curl up.

He had originally thought this task was hopeless, and just surviving would be good enough. He never expected that he could still earn rewards like this.

With the gold credited to his account, he put in the greatest effort of his life to manage his expression, thanked the generous Wen Baizhou, and watched him leave.

The long sword emitted a stream of light, and the white sleeves of his robe fluttered in the wind, making a crisp sound. When he took one last look, the person in mid-air had already disappeared into the gradually rising mountain mist.

“…Will he really not fall?”

Retracting his head, Lin Zhusheng felt a strong sense of immersion and began to rub his arms.

He had flown like this in games, but it was limited to cyber sword flying. In reality, he wouldn’t even go near a window if he was above the second floor.

The little cat jumped off him and said something that struck right at his soul: “You have to learn this in the future.”

Sword flying was a required course for disciples of the Tianzong, and every formal disciple had to learn it.

His brain refused to accept and process the words he didn’t want to hear. Lin Zhusheng consciously ignored the topic and shifted his gaze to a pile of red snake demon corpses nearby.

Some of his grass was still pressed underneath, so he needed to move this thing first. He glanced at his hands, then looked at the pile of several hundred snake bodies below, and gestured.

Between moving the corpses and going up the mountain to find the manager and then running back down, he chose to take out the basic herbs he had just obtained and let the little cat carry them. He crouched down and tentatively touched the snake’s body.

His backpack only had a limit on the types of items, allowing a maximum of five different things, but there was no limit on the size of the items. Theoretically, he should be able to stuff this snake inside.

“…Whoosh.”

As his fingers touched the hard scales, the icy sensation hit him, and suddenly, the massive shadow that had covered half the sky vanished. The blazing sunlight fell, illuminating the flattened grassland.

The coiled snake body, along with the fallen snake head, disappeared, and his backpack gained an extra 【Red Snake (Demon)】.

—It really worked; he even managed to pack the snake head and tail together.

Feeling a bit better about his small backpack, Lin Zhusheng patted the little pocket on his waist and praised it.

Then he lowered his head and continued diligently picking grass.

The Lingxu grass in this area was quite resilient; most of it had bravely survived under the red snake. It would be foolish not to collect the herbs, so after gathering a hundred stalks, he didn’t leave immediately. He finished clearing the area nearby and finally stopped before his hands got sore, smoothly putting the herbs into his pocket like sheathing a sword.

His backpack was too full, and he had to take out the advanced herbs. The little cat became the herb carrier, holding one in each hand, using its paws and feet to tightly hug them in its clothing.

A gamer never keeps idle cats.

After a fruitful outing, the sun had begun to shift, and he had lost more than half of his stamina. Before he collapsed in the wild, Lin Zhusheng decided it was time to head back.

With no space left in his backpack, he took out his wooden sword, successfully transforming it into a hiking stick. As he approached the edge of the woods, something caught his eye, and he made a quick turn, diving into the nearby forest. He emerged with leaves all over his head, stuffing a newly acquired white fruit into his sleeve.

The little cat was still trying to protect the herbs, asking him, “What are you going to do with this?”

Lin Zhusheng replied, “It’s useful.”

He headed back up the mountain, carrying his exhausted body after a long day of toil.

In the past, he would never have imagined that the person who spent every day in front of a computer would one day be able to go up and down the mountain within a few hours without collapsing on the spot.

The manager usually stayed in a designated area, occupying an entire section of a bamboo forest on the mountain, separated from the usual activities of the disciples.

He leaned on his hiking stick as he entered the bamboo forest, turned a few corners along the small path, and finally saw a large wooden house before it got dark.

A window was open on the side of the door, and the manager, Meng, whom he had seen that morning, was sitting behind the window, seemingly working with a pen. Noticing the movement, he slightly raised his head.

“…”

He must not have seen wrong. Lin Zhusheng noticed that when the person’s gaze swept over, his eyes widened, and even the hand holding the pen paused.

Taking a few steps closer to the window, before he could say anything, Meng put down the pen and hesitantly asked, “…Did someone rob you and beat you up?”

—He had only gone to pick Lingxu grass. Aside from that possibility, he really couldn’t think of what could have happened to make him look like this. There shouldn’t be any disciples in the Tianzong with such a bad temperament.

His disciple robe was tattered and messy, leaves were tangled in his disheveled hair, his face was dirty, and his eyes were red, as if he had been crying. It was hard to say that nothing had happened.

“Uh?”

Not understanding how he suddenly got beaten up, Lin Zhusheng shook his head and said he had just gone to collect Lingxu grass. He leaned his hiking stick against the side and lowered his head to rummage through his pocket.

In the next moment, a handful of white-green herbs spilled out, filling his arms, with some falling onto the windowsill, releasing a scent of earthy grass and wood.

Among them were several herbs that had been crushed beyond recognition. He quickly explained, “These were pressed by the red snake demon, but Wen… Senior Brother said the white edges are still intact and can be used for medicine.”

After he finished speaking, it was as if he was seeking confirmation, or perhaps he was expecting something, as he looked up eagerly.

…It seemed he had casually mentioned something very important. As Meng’s eyes widened in surprise, he asked how he had managed to find so many Lingxu grass at once. His eyes twitched sharply, “Red snake demon?”

Facing the unyielding gaze of the person, he added, “They can be used for medicine; these are all valid.”

With the most concerning matter receiving a positive response, Lin Zhusheng felt happy. He then briefly recounted what had happened in the woods, truthfully stating who had dealt with the snake demon, while selectively omitting the part about shedding two lines of tears.

Although the kind-hearted Wen Senior Brother said the reward belonged to him, the ten gold coins given by the system were already quite a lot. Taking more would be impolite.

“So it turns out that Ling Xu Jun came by today.”

Fortunately, everything was fine. Meng rubbed his chin and then casually asked, “How do you know him?”

Wen Baizhou, courtesy name Ling Xu, was often referred to as Ling Xu Jun. He was the direct disciple of the sect leader, born into a family of sword cultivators, and had gained fame at a young age. Despite his youth, he had a cold demeanor and rarely came to the outer peak. It was unexpected that they had crossed paths today.

An experienced player was not to be underestimated; Lin Zhusheng recognized everyone with a name. Leaning against the windowsill to rest for a moment, he vaguely said, “I think everyone knows Wen Shixiong.”

Meng didn’t ask further and instead inquired about the location of the red snake demon. The corpse of the snake demon needed to be dealt with promptly; if other beasts ate it, the consequences could be troublesome.

“Oh right, there’s that matter,” Lin Zhusheng raised his eyes and said, “I brought it up with me.”

Brought it up?

Demons were rarely small in size, especially snake demons. Meng looked around, not seeing any sign of the snake, and didn’t believe that a person could drag it up. Just as he was about to say something, he saw the person leaning against the windowsill take a few steps back, turning his head as if measuring the distance, then stepping back a few more steps, as if he was about to retreat a distance of two miles. Finally, he stopped at a distance and lowered his head to rummage through his pockets.

“Boom—”

Then, without any warning, a loud noise suddenly erupted, as if the ground shook twice, and dust and mist rose.

The bamboo forest swayed, and the unfortunate bamboo that was affected bent, making a “crack” sound.

After the dust settled, a mound of red, snake-like objects silently appeared, with the topmost snake head still wide open, looking extremely fierce, and the cut at the back was neat, clearly having been killed with a single sword strike.

This was undoubtedly the red snake demon.

Meng: “…”

Meng: “?”

Meng looked at the mound of red flesh, then at the small storage bag hanging on the person, which was so small it was barely visible from a distance, and his brows twitched.

Having perfectly placed the red snake corpse, the person in the distance bounced back on two legs, looking like a happy beggar with torn clothes and messy hair.

As the distance closed, and until the other person leaned back against the windowsill again, Meng expressed his gratitude for the hard work, then asked, “Perhaps you are actually the young master of a wealthy family?”

“Used to be,” the happy beggar glanced back at his masterpiece, nodding in satisfaction, “The rest is up to you, manager.”

Meng was about to say something when he saw the person lower their head and rummage again. This time, they were searching through their sleeves. The image of the snake demon that had suddenly appeared and could crush a person was still fresh in his mind, and he wanted to take half a step back. But the person had already pulled something out.

It wasn’t anything strange; it was two small white fruits, lovingly wrapped in two green leaves for protection, looking like the best-protected items on this person.

Lin Zhusheng raised his head, extended his hand to offer the fruits, and with a smile in his eyes, said, “I saw these on the way back and thought the manager would like them.”