Chapter 15

Continuing to circle around might not quickly yield another opportunity to attack. Xie Mengyun simply stopped using her Qinggong skill to maneuver and decided to confront the white ape head-on.

Her sword techniques, qinggong skill, and internal energy were all exceptional. Having practiced and challenged herself for so long, if she couldn’t even withstand a single move in a direct confrontation, she would still feel some regret even if she won.

As the final move of “Hanging Springwater” was executed, Xie Mengyun maintained her previous posture, her toes hooked onto a rock to stabilize her body. At the same time, her wrist trembled rapidly, unleashing nine sword shadows in an instant.

The white ape let out a long, sharp cry, gathered all its strength, and with one punch, shattered the sword net.

“Forest-Treading Leaf” and “Phoenix’s Descent” were both exceptionally profound lightness techniques, capable of granting agile movement even on steep cliff faces. Just as the white ape’s fist was about to strike her, Xie Mengyun was unwilling to abandon her offensive stance. By the time the final strike of “Yi Shoots Down Nine Suns” landed, it was already too late to evade. The ape’s heavy fist slammed into her shoulder with a dull, forceful thud.

Xie Mengyun tapped lightly against the rock face, borrowing the momentum to drift backward. Her defensive capabilities were far inferior to her opponent’s, after just one blow, her health points plummeted sharply, making her heart race with alarm. Fortunately, the drop stopped just above the fifty percent mark.

The white ape remained where it was and did not press the attack.

Xie Mengyun couldn’t help but laugh.

With all nine strikes of “Yi Shoots Down Nine Suns” successfully landing, the damage dealt was immense. Excluding the portions negated by evasions, Xie Mengyun was certain that at least six of her strikes had pierced the white ape.

 

【System】 Player Liushui Rao Shazhou has completed the “Challenge the Guardian of Peach Valley” quest. 

Rewards obtained: EXP ×14,000; Hidden Valley Peach Blossom Brew Recipe ×1; Thousand-Petal White Peach Seeds ×12; Pink Jasper Peach Blossom Seeds ×12; Crimson Peach Seeds ×12; Aquamarine Jade ×24; Peach Branches ×8; Exotic Peaches of Peach Blossom Valley ×6; 23 Gold, 88 Silver, 12 Copper.

 

A familiar laugh sounded from behind. Xie Mengyun turned around and indeed saw Hermit Xuanqi, who had been absent for the past eight days, walking toward her with his hands clasped behind his back. A faint smile graced his transcendent, sage-like face.

She glanced at the towering cliffs surrounding the valley, strongly suspecting that he had been hiding in some nearby corner all these days. ==

Hermit Xuanqi said,”You defeated Cang Tuan in just eight days. As expected, the younger generation is truly formidable,” 

Xie Mengyun recalled something and took out the box she had discovered hidden in the beams of the hunter’s house. She asked, “Thank you for your praise, Senior. May I ask if you know how this box should be opened?”

Hermit Xuanqi took the iron box, examined it carefully for a while, and then returned it to Xie Mengyun. “When your internal strength cultivation has reached sufficient mastery,” he said, “you will be able to shatter the lid yourself.”

“Um, may I ask if there is a specific, clear standard for what counts as ‘sufficient mastery’?” Xie Mengyun replied.

Hermit Xuanqi seemed a bit helpless. “To put it simply, when you have cultivated your Autumn Water Scripture to level 30, you can open it.”

Xie Mengyun asked, “Thank you. Senior, do you know what is inside the box?”

“Likely some relics from the old Taiping Villa,” Hermit Xuanqi shook his head. “As for the specific contents, this old man does not know.”

The white ape timidly shuffled closer. Its once-pristine fur was now stained with blood, giving it a rather disheveled appearance. Having completed her quest and resolved her doubts, Xie Mengyun couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for it. She took out some golden wound medicine and tended to the ape’s injuries, partly as a memento of her days of solitary training and partly to accumulate some good karma.

 

【System】Player Liushui Rao Shazhou has gained the white ape’s gratitude and obtained the secret manual “White Ape’s Arm-Swinging Fist” ×1. Note: Non-transferable.

 

…That karma accumulated far more immediately than expected.

Hermit Xuanqi looked at her with an amused smile. “Your bone structure and comprehension are both exceptional,” he said. “You must continue to practice diligently in the future and not grow complacent.” He handed the jade hairpin to Xie Mengyun. “This object is a memento of my departed friend. Please treasure it.”

 

【System】Player Liushui Rao Shazhou has obtained the Taiping Jade Hairpin ×1.

【System】 Taiping Jade Hairpin: All martial arts levels +4. A hairpin dropped by a hunter in the Novice Village, now revealed to be a treasured heirloom of Huangshan’s Taiping Villa.

 

Wait, did her equipment just get an upgrade?!

Before Xie Mengyun could even ask, Hermit Xuanqi suddenly swept his long sleeve through the air. A violent whirlwind erupted around them, sending countless peach blossom petals spiraling upward in a continuous pink wave that blotted out the world. The thatched hut, the pond, the cliff face, the white ape, and the reclusive master—all swiftly blurred into obscurity. Caught in the raging wind, she was lifted higher and higher into a chaotic void. Faintly, she heard Hermit Xuanqi’s clear, piercing whistle, which seemed to carry both unbridled exhilaration and profound, sorrowful anguish.

By the time the gale subsided, Xie Mengyun found herself high above the Peach Blossom Creek. Without a second thought, she instantly activated ‘Phoenix’s Descent’, transforming her freefall into a graceful, controlled glide. She landed safely and perfectly unharmed.

After eight days of playing alone, she had finally returned to the embrace of the MMO! TAT.

The sunlight was just as warm as before. The duckweed and lotus leaves in the stream had respawned, and the golden monkey monsters on the opposite bank were lively scrambling up and down the trees…

Wait a minute, golden monkey monsters on the opposite bank?!

Xie Mengyun swallowed hard, then calmly turned around, only to meet the gaze of a white ape.

These white apes were smaller than Cang Tuan, and she estimated their combat ability was far inferior. In a 1v1 fight, she’d be willing to take one on, but the problem was—

“Squeak.”

“Squeak?”

“Squeak~”

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

She’d literally dropped right into a monkey nest TAT.

The corner of Xie Mengyun’s mouth twitched. She silently took a step backward. “If I leave now, could you all just pretend… you never saw me?”

The white apes, strictly adhering to the system’s aggro rules, rejected the player’s friendly proposal with concrete action, before she could even finish speaking, countless monkey claws were already swarming toward her like a tidal wave!

With two streams of noodle-wide tears trailing behind her, Xie Mengyun turned and bolted. In an instant, she skimmed across the water’s surface, lightly tapping on lotus leaves for leverage, and shot like an arrow straight into the “embrace” of the golden monkey monsters on the opposite shore.

The level 23 mobs posed no obstacle to her. Their golden fur looked soft, cute, and utterly approachable. Xie Mengyun cut them down one by one with each swing of her sword, occasionally glancing back to check on the enemy situation—

A horde of now-damp white apes, freshly emerged from the river, came squealing relentlessly after her. The closest one was barely two meters away.

During Xie Mengyun’s secluded training in the valley, the atmosphere in Luoyang City had gradually relaxed from its initial tension. Even Black Swan Knight, who had the deepest impression of her, was slowly forgetting the figure of that Newbie female player from that day. Given a little more time, the incident would likely fade from memory entirely.

Yanlong Xisha had safely reached Level 23. Though her temper remained sharp, she was, after all, the cousin of the leader of Great River Eastward. Despite his mounting headaches, Hualala de Gesheng reluctantly raised the guild contribution rewards tenfold and added generous monetary incentives. With the exception of Pink Jelly, who firmly refused, White Sunflower, Black Swan Knight, and Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan ultimately agreed to escort the young lady on her grinding spree.

Someone had sent Yanlong Xisha a screenshot of Peach Blossom Creek, and on a whim, she decided to set out for the location with her entourage of protectors in tow.

The endless peach blossoms bloomed like radiant clouds, ethereal and dreamlike.

Yanlong Xisha clasped her hands over her heart, her porcelain-like face tinged with a soft blush. Tilting her head slightly, she sighed in admiration: “So beautiful.”

Seeing the young lady pleased, her bodyguards quickly chimed in with praise:

“Quite lovely indeed.”

“The game designers put real effort into this.”

“Worth every penny of the subscription fee.”

“Squeak—”

“…Who was that just now?”

Logically speaking, the members of Great River Eastward who hadn’t even stepped into the NPCs’ aggro range were horrified to discover a massive army of monkeys charging out of the woods, swarming toward them in a formidable tide. The lead monkey took a single swipe at Yanlong Xisha, instantly reducing her to a beam of white light.

“If I’m not mistaken, those white monkeys are Level 50 mobs from the opposite side, is this a bug or something?!”

“This was supposed to be Peach Blossom Creek, not freaking Mount Huaguo!”

Amid the dense foliage of the wilderness, Xie Mengyun, relying on her exceptional qinggong, stealthily leaped into a locust tree without anyone noticing. She watched sympathetically as the Great River Eastward members drew the monkeys’ aggro, snapped a few screenshots of their valiant struggle, then quietly slipped away, vanishing without a trace, waving her sleeves and hiding her good deed.

When Yanlong Xisha respawned at the revival point, her mind was completely blank. Not long after, her entire bodyguard team, who had accompanied her to see the peach blossoms appeared beside her one after another. Black Swan Knight, White Sunflower, and Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan were all there.

A private message from Qi Tun Huan Yu arrived shortly. Her cousin’s unusually gentle tone struck her as odd, but then a sudden realization hit—she quickly opened the forum:

 

《Explosive! Great River Eastward Wiped in Peach Blossom Grove—What Secrets Lie Behind the Rage of the Level 50 White Monkeys? (Screenshots Included)》

 

The poster was anonymous.

“…Gather the team now. I’m going back to slaughter those damned monkeys!”

…

After many days apart, the familiar guild hall was now occupied not only by Yangfan Ji Canghai, but also by Sese Hong, Bixuan Lengdeng, and Wu Yue Shanqing, all of whom were unexpectedly present.

Sese Hong, dressed in a light blue dress with a long sword hanging at her waist, looked sweet and adorable. The moment she saw Xie Mengyun, she swiftly dashed over:”Wah, we finally meet again >0<~”

“We see each other at work every day though,” Xie Mengyun remarked while gently patting Sese Hong’s head, then turned to her friends for support. “Right?”

Wu Yue Shanqing, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, simply smiled.

Bixuan Lengdeng curled her red lips into a captivating smile. “Of course not.”

Yangfan Ji Canghai chimed in: “Of course not +1. How can you mix up the game with real life?”

Sese Hong added: “Yeah! Even if the seeds of our friendship have already sprouted, bloomed, and borne fruit in reality, we should still cherish the joy of our first meeting in the game! ♪”

Xie Mengyun suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia for her earlier solo days: “…I’m so thrilled to finally see everyone in the game!”

Wu Yue Shanqing coughed lightly and said with a laugh, “I -ahem- we’re also very happy. We specially prepared some wine and food to welcome you back.”

“You’re such good friends!” Xie Mengyun’s eyes welled up with touched tears at the mention of ‘food.’ “I brought some peaches for you all too—”

Yangfan Ji Canghai cut in: “Keep them as your emergency rations.”

Xie Mengyun: “The kind that increases internal energy when eaten.” She paused. “Really sure you don’t want any?”

Yangfan Ji Canghai instantly surrendered: “I beg on my knees for a taste of the peach, Great Liushui.”

Xie Mengyun had brought eight peaches out of the valley. She distributed one to each of her four friends, then noticed the fruit looked slightly off. She casually checked their info:

 

【System】 Shriveling Mutant Peach of Peach Blossom Valley: The first time you eat it, you gain the “Cleansed Meridians” effect, increasing internal energy.

 

Xie Mengyun: “…It’s already starting to wither just after leaving the valley? The shelf life of fruits and veggies in this game is way too short!”