Chapter 6

The rarity of medicinal herbs varies. Common herbs like licorice and rhubarb are found in the most ordinary herb fields, attracting thieves between levels 15 and 20. However, for more valuable herbs such as gastrodia tuber and ginseng, the level of thieves in those fields increases accordingly.  

The level cap in the game ‘Riding through the Jianghu’ is 100, and currently, the highest-level player is only level 62. For players who don’t want to run all over the map, the Luoyang medicinal fields are enough for them to grind until the end of time.

The map provided by Wu Yue Shan Qing thoughtfully marks the locations of different level medicinal fields.

The herbs in the medicinal fields can be seen but not harvested. Fortunately, the surrounding bushes have a higher chance of spawning wild herbs. It’s common to see someone diligently grinding monsters one second, only to crouch down the next, pulling out a small hoe to start gathering herbs.  

Those days when the game had just launched are long gone. Now, the herb fields are packed with more players than monsters. The moment a thief NPC spawns, countless weapons immediately stab toward it. The poor NPC doesn’t even get a chance to take in the game world it was born into before dissolving into experience points, gently nourishing the players’ ravenous levels and empty coin purses.

 

【Guild】 Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai: “Damn, Great River Eastward is at it again.”

 

While Xie Mengyun was busy darting away with her qinggong, she caught a glimpse of the flashing guild message and nearly slammed into a tree.  

Was Great River Eastward really so petty that they’d make a fuss over such a trivial matter?  

 

【Guild】 Sese Hong: “What’s wrong?”

【Guild】 Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai: “Rumor has it a newbie female player offended them, so now they’re hunting her down to make an example out of her.”  

 

Damn it, they really are making a fuss over this. Xie Mengyun had absolutely no fucking words for how easily triggered these major guilds were.  

 

【Guild】 Wu Yue Shan Qing: “@Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai, take down the guild plaque. Now.” 

【Guild】 Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai: “Already done.”

 

Their guild headquarters was tucked away in a remote spot, once the plaque was removed, it looked no different from an ordinary house.

 

【Guild】 Liushui Rao Shazhou: “…”

【Guild】 Liushui Rao Shazhou: “Uh… I have something to say, but I’m not sure if I should.”  

【Guild】 Wu Yue Shan Qing: “As long as you’re not the newbie who pissed off Great River Eastward, go ahead.”  

【Guild】 Liushui Rao Shazhou: “I was just casually watching the drama T_T”  

【Guild】 Wu Yue Shan Qing: “And casually tossed in a few provoking remarks while at it.”  

【Guild】 Liushui Rao Shazhou: ” … “

 

Xie Mengyun briefly explained what had happened, while also checking on how the guild leader was faring in Luoyang City. She suggested she could lay low for a few days and wait for the heat to die down before logging back in.  

Those four people shouldn’t know about her guild… right?

Facing newcomer’s confusion and difficulty, the guild members expressed their opinions and feelings:

 

【Guild】 Sese Hong: “So… How does Yun Feiyang look?”

【Guild】 Liushui Rao Shazhou: “If he didn’t adjust his appearance too much, he should be a handsome guy.”

【Guild】 Bi Xuan Leng Deng: “What stats does that sword have?”  

 

Xie Mengyun pasted the sword’s stats into the chat:  

 

Name: Stillwater Sword  

Attack Power: 600~700

Material Quality: 300

Grade: Mystic

Durability: 200/200

Bonus Effect: Increases attack power of Yin-based internal techniques by 3%. 

 

【Guild】Sese Hong: Ah! A little treasure! [Drooling]

 

Weapon drop rates in Riding through the Jianghu were notoriously low, and most gear was plain white-tier equipment. Anything above that was categorized into four rarity grades: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow, with Heaven being the rarest and Yellow the most common

Despite being a seasoned Snow Mountain Sect player with decent skills, even Se Se Hong had only managed to acquire Yellow-grade weapons so far.  

 

【Guild】 Bixuan Lengdeng: “Critical drop luck!”

【Guild】Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai: “This alone makes it all worth it!”  

【Guild】Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai: “So what if it’s a Great River Eastward?

【Guild】Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai: “Let’s fight them!”

【Guild】Liu Shui Rao Sha Zhou: “Thanks, Guild Leader~”

【Guild】Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai: “Anyway, they don’t know Liushui is from our guild =w=~”

【Guild】Bixuan Lengdeng: ” … “

【Guild】Sese Hong: ” … “

【Guild】Liushui Rao Shazhou: ” … “

 

Private Chat Channel:

【PM】 Bi Xuan Leng Deng to you: “Seeing our guild leader so fired up like this…”  

【PM】You to Bi Xuan Leng Deng: “I know. This weapon must be worth a fortune.”  

【PM】 You to Bi Xuan Leng Deng: “Out of all of us, only Se Se specializes in swords, right?”  

【PM】Bi Xuan Leng Deng to you: “Hmm?”  

 

Xie Mengyun had already reached the outskirts of the city. To enhance user experience and reduce players’ travel time, the game designers had wandering peddlers roaming at regular intervals. These Jianghu merchants sold daily supplies, bought unwanted items from players (commonly known as “vendor trash”), and even handled mail delivery.  

After understanding the professional ethics of the peddlers in the game, Xie Mengyun looked at these simple-faced young men much like the waiters of Yue Lai Inn—no matter how ordinary they appeared, they were actually unfathomably profound experts hidden in plain sight. ==

 

【Guild】 Sese Hong: ” ! “

【Guild】 Sese Hong: “@Liushui Rao Shazhou, you mailed the weapon to me!!!”

【Guild】 Bixuan Lengdeng: “Oh~”

【Guild】 Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai: “Sese prepares equipment for Mengyun, Mengyun mails weapons to Sese, truly true love~~”

【Guild】 Liushui Rao Shazhou: “I haven’t even joined a sect yet, who knows what I’ll end up specializing in.”  

【Guild】 Wu Yue Shan Qing: “And, Sese practice Yin internal cultivation, so it’s more suitable.”

【Guild】 Liushui Rao Shazhou: “Mhm, exactly~”  

【Guild】Sese Hong: ” =w=~ “

【Guild】Sese Hong: ” @Liushui Rao Shazhou, mwah~ “

【Guild】 Sese Hong: ❤️ @Liushui Rao Shazhou~ “

【Guild】Sese Hong: “❤️❤️@Liushui Rao Shazhou~”

【Guild】 Sese Hong: “❤️❤️❤️ @Liushui Rao Shazhou~”

【Guild】 Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai: “…Ladies, have some restraint.”  

【Guild】 Liushui Rao Shazhou: “❤️ @Sese Hong~”

【Guild】 Liushui Rao Shazhou: “❤️❤️ @Sese Hong~”

【Guild】Liushui Rao Shazhou: ” ❤️❤️❤️ @Sese Hong~ “

【Guild】Bixuan Lengdeng: ^_^

【Guild】 Wu Yue Shan Qing: ^_^

【Guild】 Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai: …

【Guild】Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai: Suddenly I feel like forwarding @Liu Shui Rao Sha Zhou’s messages to Great River Eastward members ==

【Guild】 Wu Yue Shan Qing: Believe me, @Liushui Rao Shazhou will find you for real-life PvP.

 

Yang Fan Ji Cang Hai was lounging in the guild’s base, pursed his lips at Wu Yue Shan Qing’s comment, and sent him a private message.

 

【PM】 You say to Wu Yue Shan Qing: “Liushui and Sese seem awfully close, yooooo~”  

【PM】You say to Wu Yue Shan Qing: “The LGBT probability for IT geeks, you know~”

【PM】 Wu Yue Shan Qing says to you: “They’ve been roommates since university, it’s normal for them to have a good relationship.”

【PM】 You say to Wu Yue Shan Qing: “Roommates means four years of living together day and night.”

【PM】Wu Yue Shan Qing says to you: “Allow me to remind you.”

【PM】Wu Yue Shan Qing says to you: “We are also roommates.”

【PM】Wu Yue Shan Qing says to you: “And also programmers.”

【PM】 You say to Wu Yue Shan Qing: “…Su Xiaoqing, I’m warning you, I like girls.”

【PM】 Wu Yue Shan Qing says to you: “What a coincidence.”

【PM】Wu Yue Shan Qing says to you: “Me too.”

【PM】 Wu Yue Shan Qing says to you: “And I only like a certain girl.”

【PM】You say to Wu Yue Shan Qing: “I really want to @ that person for you =_=”

【PM】 Wu Yue Shan Qing says to you: “^_^”

 

After Xie Mengyun mailed the Still Water Sword to Sese hong, she quickly received a reply.  

Sese Hong swapped out her original weapon, the Dragon Spring Sword, and mailed it to her.

 

Name: Dragon Spring Sword

Attack: 200~300

Durability: 180

Grade: Yellow

Stamina: 120/120

 

Xie Mengyun swung the Dragon Spring Sword a few times. The grip didn’t carry the faint, subtle chill of the Still Water Sword, yet the ancient, solemn hilt, the blade clear as autumn water, and its gleaming edge still filled her with the heroic ambition of “a single sword’s frost chilling fourteen provinces.”  

—No wonder ‘Riding through the Jianghu’ was so popular. After all, it fulfilled the wuxia dreams of so many people.

Outside Luoyang City, players streamed in and out of the herb fields like an endless trail of ants. Since this was the territory of Great River Eastward, Xie Mengyun followed the map’s guidance and walked a bit farther before changing back into her lake-blue dress, ready to grind mobs.  

The wind in the game was gentle and unhurried, making the herbs in the fields ripple like waves. Xie Mengyun looked at the thief creeping around with hunched backs and couldn’t help but sigh—

Why on earth are you wearing night clothes in broad daylight?

This area was a licorice field. Licorice looked somewhat like bean sprouts, with small purple flowers clustered together, swaying gracefully, vibrant and lovely.

Xie Mengyun stepped into the medicinal field. The thieves’ attack range was three meters. She crept up slowly from behind, and the moment before entering its aggro range, she activated ‘Magpie Steps’ to dash forward, leaping into the air while thrusting her sword straight ahead.  

Before the NPC could react, the Dragon Spring Sword had already sunk to the hilt into their body. With a flick of her wrist, she pushed off the ground and retreated, preparing to strike again, only to see the thief’s HP instantly drain to zero before its body dissolved into white light.  

—Critical hit. Double damage

 

【System】: Congratulations to player Liushui Rao Shazhou for acquiring the title “One-Hit Kill ~ Novice.”

 

In ‘Riding through the Jianghu’, players could earn various titles, and “One-Hit Kill” required defeating an enemy of equal or higher level in a single strike.  

Gaming tropes had always followed predictable patterns: humanoid enemies dropped coins, while beasts dropped materials. Xie Mengyun picked up the twelve copper coins and a ‘basic throwing needle’ left behind after the thief disappeared, sighing at how far she still was from becoming wealthy. Then, repeating her earlier tactic, she brandished the Dragon Spring Sword and charged toward the next mob.  

She had already figured out her advantage against these thieves. These mobs had high agility, evasion, and attack power, but their HP was relatively low compared to other monsters of the same level. Xie Mengyun’s qinggong naturally gave her an edge in dodging and mobility, and the Dragon Spring Sword was at least a Yellow-grade weapon. As long as she timed her strikes right, she could grind them very quickly.

—Though it was also incredibly boring. =_=  

Copper coins, basic daggers, copper coins, copper coins, nothing, basic sword…

The thieves’ respawn rate matched her killing speed almost perfectly. As Xie Mengyun leveled up, her Basic Swordsmanship and Basic Internal Energy also improved. During brief lulls between the respawns, she’d crouch down and diligently gather herbs with her small hoe.

If grinding bandits in the Licorice Field counted as a skill, her proficiency would have already maxed out. Watching her steadily rising EXP bar, she couldn’t help but wish for some unexpected excitement to spice things up…  

“Great River Eastward has claimed this area. All players, move out now!”

…Could she change her wish to something else? Like winning the lottery, maybe?