Chapter 2

The sound came from the innermost house.

The brick and stone wall is stronger than the earthen wall of Chu Xiaoxiu’s house, but they were far less well-maintained, with several sections already collapsed.  

Xie Mengyun glanced around for a moment as the noises inside grew louder, now mingled with the sound of objects being thrown and indistinct, angry shouts. After a brief hesitation, she opened her inventory, took out the steamed buns given by Auntie Sun, and began munching on one.  

——It’s not because she was hungry. This cabbage and pork bun granted players a beneficial status effect, boosting all attributes by 1% for an hour.  

“Who’s outside?!”  

Xie Mengyun quickly finished the bun in a few bites. A rough, angry roar came from inside the house. Her eyebrows twitched slightly, and she walked straight over, clasping her hands in a fist-and-palm salute like NPC would. “Apologies. I happened to hear some noise earlier and grew concerned, so I came to take a look.”

Inside the house sat a burly man with a thick beard, surrounded by shattered wine jars. He was shirtless, he gripped a steel fork in his hand, and his large foot pinning down a still-struggling spotted pheasant.  

Judging from his attire, he looks more like a hunter.

When the man remained silent, Xie Mengyun took a step closer, doing her best to appear friendly. “Brother, I—”  

Before she could finish, his demeanor abruptly shifted.  

Due to completing numerous minor quests, Xie Mengyun’s reputation in the Novice village had reached 【Friendly】. Most NPCs, even if they had no tasks for her, wouldn’t turn hostile. 

However, at this moment, this hunter’s status rapidly changed from 【Neutral】 to 【Hostile】. His eyes burned crimson as he raised his bloodstained steel fork, its sharp prongs glinting ominously, then hurled it straight at Xie Mengyun.

Xie Mengyun’s heart skipped a beat. Sure, dying was part of the game, but getting randomly killed in the Novice Village would be beyond ridiculous. She twisted her body desperately, just in the nick of time as the steel fork whistled past her shoulder.  

Furious at his missed strike, the hunter roared and charged, swinging a heavy palm straight at Xie Mengyun’s chest.  

Xie Mengyun couldn’t see the hunter’s level, which meant he was at least ten levels higher than her. She didn’t even have time to run because the hunter had already arrived in front of her.

Maybe it was the adrenaline, but Xie Mengyun’s reflexes kicked in. She pushed off with her legs, leaping backward while raising her arms to protect her vitals.  

Every player had an instant-access inventory. With just a thought, three embroidery needles materialized between her fingers.

The hunter’s palm struck the needles head-on. A jolt of pain made him flinch, reducing his force, but the blow still sent Xie Mengyun flying back, landing a good six meters away.

 

【System】: Player ‘Flowing Water Around Sandbar’ has comprehended Basic Lightfoot(qīnggōng) Skill.  

 

The moment Xie Mengyun hit the ground, she ignored the pain and immediately rolled aside. As expected, the hunter didn’t pursue further once she left the boundary of his house.  

Thank goodness this NPC’s aggro^[1]In gaming terminology, “aggro” (short for “aggression”) refers to a game mechanic where enemies or NPCs focus their attention and attacks on a specific player or character. It … Continue reading has a range limit.

Xie Mengyun lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. Her arms still worked, but everything below her waist was numb, she couldn’t stand or walk. Worse, she was now afflicted with a Continuous Bleeding debuff. Even if the hunter didn’t finish her off, she would die of bleeding in a few minutes.

“At least deaths below Level 10 don’t cost experience…” she muttered, checking her HP. She had about a minute and a half before respawning, plenty of time to bid farewell to the world. Out of sheer boredom, she plucked a half-ripe reddish berry from a nearby plant and fiddled with it. “Isn’t this madder root?”

 

【System】: Player ‘Flowing Water Around Sandbar’ has learned Basic Herb Gathering.

 

Xie Mengyun: “…So real-world knowledge actually affects skill acquisition in-game. The developers really went for an intuitive design.” Clutching the madder root fruit in her hand, she remembered this plant had hemostatic properties, she plucked five or six leaves, stuffed them in her mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed.  

——Worst case scenario, I’ll just respawn in a minute anyway

For once, luck was on her side. The game designers, considering the historical setting, had exaggerated the effects of many medicinal herbs, even adding properties that didn’t exist in reality. The moment she eat the madder root, her HP loss stopped. After a few more mouthfuls, her health bar began gradually climbing back up. 

 

【Private Message】 You to Yangfan Jicanghai / Wuyue Shanqing / Sese Hong / Bixuan Lengdeng: “Has anyone fought the hunter in Novice Village?”  

【Private Message】Sese Hong to you: “What’s that? [cute]”  

【Private Message】 Sese Hong to you: “Meng Yun, why haven’t you reached level 10 yet? [panic]”  

【Private Message】 Bixuan Lengdeng to you: “【AFK】……”  

【Private Message】You to Sese Hong: “Just looking around.”  

【Private Message】 Yangfan Jicanghai to you: “You’re really determined to take the road less traveled…”  

【Private Message】 Yangfan Jicanghai to you: “Hunter’s Lv20 – unbeatable. Some tried before but it only aggros rarely. Lucky you [smile]”  

【Private Message】 You to Wuyue Shanqing: “[Manual Goodbye]”

【Private Message】 Wuyue Shanqing to you: “If you really want to fight him, come back at level 14.”  

【Private Message】Wuyue Shanqing to you: “Not recommended to party up – the hunter’s attack power scales with each additional player.”  

【Private Message】 You to Wuyue Shanqing: “You’ve fought him before?”  

【Private Message】Wuyue Shanqing to you: “No, just read a thread about it on the forums.”  

【Private Message】You to Wuyue Shanqing: “(╥﹏╥)Q~” 

 

Seeing her HP nearly recovered, Xie Mengyun thought to herself that she did not have the ability to solo a level 20 mob at level 5. So she obediently trudged back to the Novice Village Chief to turn in her quest.  

Novice Village Chief: “Flowing Water Around Sandbar, your service to our village is appreciated. Since you’ve independently mastered Basic Qinggong, you may randomly select a tier-four or below movement skill manual as reward.”  

Xie Mengyun’s eyes sparkled as she drew her prize – a system notification announced she’d obtained the tier-three movement skill Sparrow’s Step.

 

《Sparrow’s Step》: A lost technique from the legendary Qī Wú Manor, this technique later drifted through Jianghu. Mastery may unlock the advanced movement skill《Magpie Alights on Branches》

 

She immediately screenshotted the skill description to her group chat, then accepted new leveling quests.  

After she entered the game, she spent too much time on trivial matters in the Novice Village. At the same time, all the newbies who entered the game had long since ventured into the wider Jianghu.  

By the time she reached Level 10, Xie Mengyun could have left the Novice Village. Ignoring the enthusiastic carriage driver at the village entrance, she followed Wuyue Shanqing’s advice and grinded four more levels. During this time, her ‘Sparrow’s Step’ also leveled up. Only then did she return to seek revenge on the hunter near Chu Xiaoxiu’s home, payback for the beating she’d taken two hours prior.  

 

【System】 The guild “One Zero Is Not Ten” has invited ‘Liushu Rao Shazhou’ to join. 

Accept? Yes/No.  

 

【Private Message】 Yangfan Jicanghai to you: “Sent you the guild invitation, hurry up ++++++~”  

 

Xie Mengyun stared at the guild name for a moment, then silently clicked ‘Yes’.  

According to the rules in ‘Ridding through the Jiang Hu’, only players above Level 10 can join a guild, and members of the same guild can chat in the guild channel.

At this moment, every name on the guild members list was online and coincidentally, they matched Xie Mengyun’s friends list perfectly.  

Well, what do you expect from a friends-and-family Guild ╮(╯▽╰)╭

 

【Guild】 Liushui Raoshazhou: “Wait, guilds don’t have minimum member limits?”  

 

Including her, there were only five people. How did they even form this?  

 

【Guild】 Sese Hong: “Yes they do. Minimum three members. 【sigh】”  

【Guild】 Liushui Raoshazhou: “@Yangfan Jicanghai, lucky you~ 【smile】”  

【Guild】 Yangfan Jicanghai:”=w=~”  

【Guild】 Yangfan Jicanghai: “You still haven’t left the Novice village?”  

【Guild】Liushui Raoshazhou: “No. Gonna take down that hunter first.”  

【Guild】Bixuan Lengdeng: Was the secret book just now really obtained from the Novice Village [Curious]?

【Guild】 Liushui Raoshazhou: “Yep.”  

【Guild】 Yangfan Jicanghai: “God-like luck 【pray】~”  

【Guild】Sese Hong: “Even if you become a disciple of a sect, you may not necessarily obtain the third-grade Qinggong, Meng Yun you Xiaohongshou~(Lucky)”

【Guild】Bixuanlengdeng: “@Wuyue Shanqing, could this be a hidden quest?”  

【Guild】Wu Yue Shan Qing: Very likely.

【Guild】Wu Yue Shan Qing: “@Liushui Raoshazhou, if you defeat the hunter, take a close look at what items he dropped, there may be a follow-up.

【Guild】Liushui Raoshazhou: “Roger that”  

【Guild】Liushui Raoshazhou: I’m going to kill the monster first, I’ll contact you later.

 

Xie Mengyun was still ten steps away from the hunter’s house. She rummaged through her bag, applying every available buff she could, then plucked a few madder fruits and placed them in her mouth. After testing, she had confirmed that madder fruits and leaves had the same blood-restoring effect in the game.  

Muffled, indistinct curses came from inside the hunter’s house. Xie Mengyun quietly approached and stepped inside once again.  

The scene here was largely the same as last time: desolate, messy, and carrying an indescribable air of savagery. The scent of alcohol in the air, however, had grown even stronger.  

The hunter looked up, and the moment he spotted Xie Mengyun, he almost immediately entered an aggressive mode.  

“You dare come back?!” the hunter roared.

“You think I’d just let it go after taking a palm strike for no reason?” Xie Mengyun let out a light laugh, activating ‘Sparrow Steps’ to nimbly evade the hunter’s attack.  

True to its name, ‘Sparrow Steps’, as a third-tier movement skill, wasn’t particularly outstanding in speed or endurance, but it excelled in short-range evasion. So much so that it reminded Xie Mengyun of the ten field mice she had beaten to death earlier.  

Now, she darted left and right like a mouse, deftly dodging the hunter’s strikes while occasionally landing a sneaky stab, patiently whittling away his health.  

After a series of attacks, the hunter perhaps due to drunkenness began to stagger. Seizing the opportunity, Xie Mengyun drew her bent iron sword and swiftly slashed at his throat.  

The blade had already touched the hunter’s skin, but before Xie Mengyun could rejoice, the previously sluggish hunter suddenly moved like he was on some kind of stimulant. With a sharp clap, his palms clamped down on the sword with terrifying precision.  

—Damn it, it was a trap!