Font Size:
After a resounding victory in the competition, Gao Ling joyfully returned to the Pay-to-Win game group to distribute red envelopes to celebrate. She issued command red envelopes with the phrase “The group leader is the best, no rebuttals accepted!” Any group member who wanted to claim a red envelope had to first respond with the correct phrase. The screen was filled with responses echoing “The group leader is the best, no rebuttals accepted!” creating a spectacular scene with a subtle brainwashing effect.
Not content with just that, Gao Ling continued with rainbow farts, “Why fear powerful enemies? We have the group leader, who can enable cheats!” “Top-tier support, worth it for paying players.” “First-rate service experience, those who’ve hired me can vouch for it!” The group members responded, “If we didn’t already know you were wealthy, we’d almost think you bought these praises…” “Is it moral decay or a twisted humanity for a wealthy person to become a group leader?” “What has the group leader done to make RMB players bow down? Wake up, you’ve got cash power!”
She then issued two more command red envelopes: “Asking the group leader for help is definitely right” and “The group leader is the best!!”
After several rounds of red envelope (brainwashing) promotions, many group members took these words to heart. They now sought the group leader’s help when they needed to set things right.
Meanwhile, Yun Shan was completely unaware of the high praises from Gao Ling. At that moment, she was facing the biggest challenge in the game so far.
It all started when the competition ended. Gao Ling logged off, and Yun Shan was back at the estate preparing medicine. Lu Liu and Zhu Hong had taken Coach Shen and the Blackfoot Cat away, everything seemed to have ended well. But just as Yun Shan was ready with her materials, she was called away by Lu Ming.
“I heard you encountered an assassin today?” Lu Ming asked casually.
Yun Shan replied nonchalantly, “It wasn’t an assassination, he suddenly fell ill and rushed at me.”
She then briefly described the incident. To her surprise, Lu Ming asked, “You won’t treat someone who rushes at you for no reason? Then why did you save me?”
Yun Shan: “…”
“When I’m ill, I often embrace you. Why don’t you resist? Why were you willing to save me even after I offended you? Why am I the exception?” Lu Ming patiently repeated the questions, making sure they were clear and detailed.
Yun Shan: …
Social death.
She struggled to explain, “Because you are a five-star, and if you lose control, others are at risk.”
Lu Ming countered, “Coach Shen is a senior four-star. If he loses control, others are also at risk.”
Yun Shan: Totally speechless! This is killing me!
Struggling, she switched her reasoning, “Because you are the Lord of the Red Maple Camp.”
Lu Ming asked again, “If Coach Shen was the Lord, would you save him as you did me?”
Yun Shan: …
The answer was “no.” She couldn’t bring herself to dishonestly say “yes.”
Yun Shan fell silent, and the atmosphere felt as if it had solidified, the tension heavy.
“Since our first meeting, my feelings have been odd,” Lu Ming’s tone was cold, as if he was rigorously analyzing a problem. “Whether I’m lucid or during an episode, I’ve never wanted to harm you. Even if my condition worsens, and I become irritable and violent, unrecognizable, filled with thoughts of slaughter, I would never attack you.”
Yun Shan: !!!
She found the perfect excuse, “Actually, it was the same for me. I wanted to save you from our first meeting.”
Yes, everything was fate’s doing, completely unrelated to her.
Pass the blame, a true master!
Lu Ming glanced at Yun Shan and continued, “When you were away, I prepared a four-star cub for you. After waiting for a long time with no sign of your return, I gave them to others. Zhu Hong’s Golden Feathered Eagle and Coach Shen’s Blackfoot Cat, as well as other creatures, were all originally prepared for you.”
Yun Shan remained silent, but she knew. In her previous life, she had received all these gifts.
“I have never been a kind person. But for you, I’ve always been willing to make an exception,” Lu Ming’s speech slowed, as if he was carefully choosing his words. “This might be love at first sight…”
Before he could finish, Yun Shan disappeared.
The timing of her logoff was as perfect as her online time reaching its limit, being forcibly kicked out of the game by the system!
Faced with the empty room, Lu Ming: …
Yun Shan was verbally attacked and deeply wounded.
Yun Shan faced the greatest dilemma of her life—resulting in her using the “logoff escape” technique.
“Is Lu Ming crazy? We don’t live in the same world, so why talk about love at first sight?” she lamented, utterly speechless.
Normally, unrequited love could be embraced or dismissed at will. One moment, you could be deeply in love, and the next, happily run away—there was nothing wrong with that. However, serious relationships were different. Running away midway was tantamount to deceiving someone’s feelings.
Furthermore, the Cowherd and Weaver Girl only met once a year. Did she and Lu Ming have a chance to meet in this lifetime? What was the point of this romance?
“In my memory, last time nothing like this happened. Why such a huge change in this life?” Yun Shan pondered these questions in bed and eventually fell asleep.
That night, her sleep was restless and unusually accompanied by dreams. At times, she dreamt of spending 10 hours a day online, studying medical skills. At others, she dreamt of herself, Lu Liu, Zuo Xin, You Yi, and Zhu Hong struggling to care for a five-star battle pet. She even dreamt of Lu Ming’s condition improving slightly, only for him to recklessly venture out again. And each time she would worry afterwards. Despite her concerns, if something were to happen at the camp, and Lu Ming decided to take a risk, she would still respect his wishes.
Life doesn’t always go as planned. Besides considering her physical health, she also had to carry the burden of responsibility. Sometimes, people are forced to choose between two equally important things.
Awakening, she felt more fatigued than after an all-night gaming session. Her mind was a mess, and she couldn’t muster any energy. After having a deluxe breakfast and brewing herself a cup of coffee, she finally began to feel a bit more alert.
As she logged onto her communication channel, a private chat window appeared.
“Elderly player: Received news that He Rong plans to sell his shop and close the Battle Pet Hospital.”
“Elderly player: He’s alive! Damn!”
Even through the screen, Yun Shan could sense Gao Ling’s triumph. She replied soullessly, “Is that so?”
“Yes!!” Gao Ling enthusiastically shared her joy, “News of the competition spread, and everyone’s laughing at how someone could tarnish their own reputation by challenging others. With no reputation left and no NPC staff to run the shop, what else can he do but close it?”
“During the Autumn Hunt Event, the prize was a one-year lease for the shop. There are still 11 months left, so selling it to someone else wouldn’t be a bad deal, he’d make a profit.”
“But why did he tarnish his reputation by challenging others? No one else wants to take over the shop—either they dislike the shop’s feng shui or they’re put off by its damaged reputation.”
“The person who agreed to take over was ruthless and bargained aggressively. Even if He Rong manages to transfer the shop successfully, he’ll still lose a significant amount of money.”
Knowing that He Rong had dug his own financial grave, Gao Ling felt relieved and wore a joyful expression.
Yun Shan chatted with her for a while, which improved her mood a bit. However, as soon as the conversation ended, she fell into a contemplation.
Would she encounter Lu Ming when logging into the game?
If she did, what should she say?
“Although I really like you, I don’t plan to pursue a romance from another realm. So, I’ll just casually like you, and you don’t need to take it too seriously?” It sounded like a rascal’s ploy.
Half an hour flew by, and Yun Shan still hadn’t figured out what to do. Sighing, she put on her holographic helmet, her eyes reflecting a resolute determination to face the challenge.
Unexpectedly, after logging into the game, Yun Shan didn’t see Lu Ming, nor did anyone approach her.
She crafted another batch of Concentration Incense.
She delivered goods and placed orders at the trading market.
She played with the battle pets in the yard.
Her online time today was close to the limit, and she was about to be kicked out of the game. However, she still hadn’t seen Lu Ming.
Unable to contain herself, Yun Shan stopped Lu Liu and inquired, “Where is he?”
Lu Liu responded, “Who? The Lord?”
Yun Shan nodded.
Lu Liu replied, “He’s buried with official duties, waiting for urgent processing. So, he left early in the morning and won’t be back until evening.”
In other words, as long as she left the game before dark, the two of them wouldn’t meet?
Yun Shan tried to control her facial expression, making her happiness less apparent. “Okay, got it.”
***
For two consecutive days, Lu Ming was out early and returned late, perfectly avoiding Yun Shan’s online time.
Yun Shan prepared new medicine packets, brewed calming potions, crafted soothing incense, and mixed bath materials, all directly handed over by Lu Liu, without her needing to show up personally.
At first, she felt a bit uneasy, but gradually, Yun Shan became extremely satisfied with this leisurely retired life and planned to continue like this in the future.
At that moment, Manager Meng came to visit.
“I accepted He Rong’s invitation to be a witness in the competition. Initially, he said he would prove to me through his strength that Doctor Liang is one of the camp’s most exceptional battle pet doctors. However, the reality proved that you are the most impressive,” Manager Meng explained.
Yun Shan was curious, “Mr. Cao accepted the invitation to cure the strange illness affecting the White Duck at the breeding farm. Coach Shen accepted to treat a four-star battle pet. What about you? What did you seek?”
“For the Camp’s Defense Team,” Manager Meng replied earnestly.
“A trend of raising battle pets emerged in the camp some time ago. At that time, there were no specific regulations against it, so even members of the Defense Team attempted to raise pets,” Manager Meng elaborated.
“Over a year later, the battle pets have provided tremendous assistance to their owners and participated in the camp’s defense work. Unfortunately, many of them have contracted various strange illnesses. I’ve been trying to help them,” Manager Meng continued.
“Unfortunately, the methods used to save people may not necessarily work for battle pets. Doctors skilled at saving people usually lack experience in treating battle pets, so I have to find someone else.”
“He Rong knew my predicament and appeared before me, hoping to prove himself through action. But his abilities were far from his ambition, and instead, he inadvertently contributed to your success,” Manager Meng concluded.
Yun Shan thought to herself that He Rong was truly talented. During the competition, he didn’t forget to boost the NPC’s favorability. It was a pity he fell short, faced constant setbacks, and unluckily encountered her. Otherwise, he could have won the competition perfectly, helped the NPC, and gained their favor. At that time, he might have even surpassed others (like Gao Ling) and made a name for himself.
“How about it? Willing to help me with this favor? Over the next few days, allow the members of the Defense Team to bring their battle pets to you for treatment?” Manager Meng finally expressed her intentions.
Yun Shan asked directly, “What’s the compensation?”
Manager Meng was silent for a moment and then asked, “What do you want?”
Yun Shan: She wanted so much!
Yun Shan provided a list of herb names and added, “The more, the better.”
Manager Meng looked at Yun Shan and remained silent for a while. Finally, she spoke slowly, “The herbs grown at the Red Maple Pharmacy are partially taken out every season as strategic supplies, sent to the warehouse, and under normal circumstances cannot be withdrawn. The rest is sold at the Pharmacy, with marketing strategies tailored depending on the situation.”
Yun Shan keenly grasped two key points: there were a significant amount of herbs in the warehouse, and exceptions could be made in special circumstances.
The question was—
“Is it worth making an exception to treat the Defense Team’s battle pets?” Yun Shan asked.
Manager Meng smiled mysteriously, “Treating the battle pets might not necessarily work, but treating the members and their battle pets will definitely work.”
To this day, many residents continue to suffer from mental illnesses. This type of illness is not easily treated, and upon reporting the condition, personal freedom may be restricted.
Coach Shen chose to conceal his illness because he was unwilling to lose his freedom.
Yun Shan thought to herself, “Why is it a buy one, get one free deal?”
It was simply because she truly needed the herbs, as it was related to the advancement of the battle pets.
Due to previous limitations on raw materials, the advancement speed of the wolves and falcons wasn’t particularly fast. Upon learning about the large stock in the warehouse, she found it hard to resist.
Just imagine dozens of four-star battle pets going out together—now that would be quite a sight!
After a moment of contemplation, Yun Shan agreed, “Deal.”