"What do you mean?"
Yuan Qi Man Man's expression turned solemn. He gripped his sword and urged his horse forward, his shield raised to protect his companions. He frowned, "Leader of the Long Night Embers Alliance, I don't recall us having any grievances, do we?"
"We don't."
Chang Ye Yu Huo shook his head and chuckled, "I just don't like the look of you. Isn't that Mo Chenxue behind you hailed as one of the Four Great Beauties of the National Server? Tsk tsk, ranked alongside Shen Xingchen, Xu Yan, and Chen Xue. But one must have the qualifications to be ranked alongside them. I heard Mo Chenxue's conduct was extremely improper during her time with Prosperous Peony. Even her contract with Prosperous Peony was a double-dealing one – low salary on paper, but a much higher actual payment. It was rumored she slept her way to the top with Ghost King, and then became entangled with several other key figures in Prosperous Peony. Eventually, Ghost King was forced to kick her out of the guild."
His voice deepened, and a smile played on his lips, "I simply feel you don't deserve to be ranked with the other three goddesses. You're a commoner pretending to be nobility, aren't you?"
"Chang Ye Yu Huo!"
Mo Chenxue trembled with rage, her teeth clenched so hard they felt like they would shatter. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I didn't... I didn't... Don't spread slander! You... How could you do this?"
"Do what?"
Chang Ye Yu Huo said indifferently, "It's true you were kicked out of Prosperous Peony, isn't it? It's true you fell out with Ghost King. If it wasn't due to improper conduct, then what was it for?"
"Chang Ye Yu Huo!"
Yuan Qi Man Man's hair stood on end in anger. He pointed his sword at the other man and declared, "Words have consequences. You can't just spread libel like this!"
"Oh~~~"
Chang Ye Yu Huo glanced at him and laughed, "Yuan Qi Man Man? You're that sycophant, aren't you? To put it crudely, I think sycophants are the most disgusting beings in this world. Why do they grovel? Because of an imbalance in external value. Mo Chenxue is so beautiful, with her delicate face, youthful skin, and great figure. You, Yuan Qi Man Man, are just average. You're merely a mediocre person. So you, a toad, desire swan meat. You want a woman you don't deserve, aiming for less than you are. So you hide behind the guise of love, saying you like her, that you fell for her at first sight. In reality? It's just lust, isn't it? Damn it, sycophants are truly disgusting. Ptooey!"
Yuan Qi Man Man was furious. Every word the other man spoke seemed to avoid naming him directly, yet somehow, each word felt directed at him, like a sharp knife piercing his heart.
"Chang Ye Yu Huo, you're not human!"
He gritted out in outrage.
"Am I not?"
Chang Ye Yu Huo smiled faintly. "Brothers, they've insulted your alliance leader. Can we tolerate this?"
"We cannot tolerate it!"
A burly Berserker, brandishing his battle axe, charged forward. "Brothers, let's show them no mercy!"
A surging tide of players engulfed Yuan Qi Man Man. Moments later, Mo Chenxue, Xiao Xia, and Jin Tian Wo Ren were also swiftly defeated. In the blink of an eye, the five-person team was reduced to five corpses.
"This is the first time."
Chang Ye Yu Huo looked at their five corpses and sent a smiling message to Mo Chenxue, "Take your friends and get out of White Horse City. You'll suffer less, and I'll save some effort. Otherwise, as soon as you leave the city, people from our Cold Night Long will be watching you. You won't be able to make a living in White Horse City."
...
Inside White Horse City, before the Grand Cathedral.
Mo Chenxue, having lost a level, gritted her teeth. She was a fiercely competitive person, and now she was filled with both anger and unwillingness. How could people in this world be like this? Did bullying the weak truly satisfy them?
"Xiao Xue."
Yuan Qi Man Man, at 19 years old, only a year older than Mo Chenxue, was at a loss for ideas after reading Chang Ye Yu Huo's threat to Mo Chenxue. He frowned, "What should we do next? Should we... really switch main cities sooner rather than later?"
"Will it help?"
Mo Chenxue's beautiful eyes welled up with tears. "This must be Ghost King's idea. No matter which main city we go to, it will be the same. Someone will emerge to target us. Ghost King just wants to use his money to force me to kneel, to force me to surrender, to force me to willingly become his woman. It won't make a difference where we go..."
"Damn it!"
Yuan Qi Man Man exclaimed, "What kind of world is this?"
"The essence of the jungle law is just like this."
Xiao Xia gently patted Mo Chenxue's shoulder. "Alright, don't be too sad. Let's think of another way. Xiao Xue, think about it, didn't the Scarlet Moon Knights have a similar experience, even worse than ours? How did they persevere?"
"Disperse."
Mo Chenxue bit her red lip, her eyes filled with anger. "From today onwards, we'll each leave through one of the four gates separately. Also, we'll sleep early and wake early. Around five in the morning, when there are no people, we'll leave the city and gather outside. We'll find a secluded spot and focus on leveling. I don't believe they can truly have eyes and ears everywhere. As long as we persist, they won't be able to continuously invest so many resources to kill us."
"Okay."
Yuan Qi Man Man nodded. "That's a plan."
"Actually, there's another way."
Xiao Xia pursed her red lips. "We can ask the Scarlet Moon Knights for help. That White-Clad Alliance Leader has always shown special concern for you, Xiao Xue. If you ask him for help directly... he will definitely assist us. The Scarlet Moon Knights have developed considerably now, with a reported size of over 2000 members. They are not much weaker than Cold Night Long. With White-Clad, Shen Xingchen, and Chen Xue leading the charge, defeating Cold Night Long would not be a problem."
"No! Absolutely not..."
Mo Chenxue became agitated, her beautiful eyes filled with determination. "Absolutely not... I can't trouble White-Clad anymore. I don't want... I don't want him to affect his own plans because of me. It's unnecessary. To him, I'm just..."
...
Yuan Qi Man Man, listening from the side, felt a pang in his heart. A woman, facing such injustice, was still unwilling to ask another man for help, stubbornly wanting to bear all the pressure herself. What did this indicate? It only indicated one thing: she liked him. At least, she had good feelings for him, and... it was a kind of humble, secret admiration. A woman who admired a man would not proactively seek his help, unwilling to let him see her vulnerable side.
"Fine, then we won't mention it. We'll bear it ourselves!"
Xiao Xia nodded. "We'll go to bed early tonight and set off at five in the morning tomorrow. We'll level up without anyone knowing. I refuse to believe Chang Ye Yu Huo can truly crush us. At most, he kills us by one level, and we level up by one level. Eventually, he'll get tired of it!"
"Mm!"
Yuan Qi Man Man nodded.
...
North of Snow Domain Heavenly Pool.
Lin Zhao was completely unaware of everything that had happened in White Horse City. He was still desperately grinding monsters. His goal today was to kill 20,000 monsters before logging off. He would have to stay up all night, but it would be worth it. After killing 20,000 monsters, he would have quite a few sellable equipment and materials in his inventory. He had to return to the city at least once. Since the trip was not easy, he had to maximize his efficiency.
Therefore, while Chen Xue, Ding Chi, and the others logged off for a late-night snack, Lin Zhao continued to grind monsters. To improve efficiency, he even started pulling in over 200 Golden-grade monsters at once, with a desperate determination to rack up experience.
He continued like this until around three in the morning. After killing the 20,000 quota of monsters, he was nearly exhausted. His Thunderbolt Sword, with only 10% durability left, was returned to the mountainside of Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. At this point, he was truly at his wit's end. Most of his equipment durability had worn down to less than 10%, and his inventory was packed with various equipment and miscellaneous items.
"Hmm?"
On the mountainside, Xiang Ji looked at him and said earnestly, "The demon race is hateful, but there's no need to fight them so desperately. Although you are still a swordsman of the Lower Five Realms, I can see that your foundation is deep. You may have a great opportunity in the Upper Five Realms in the future. So, remember this, remember to keep your life."
"Understood."
Lin Zhao grinned. "Thank you for the reminder!"
"Mm!"
The next moment, upon submitting the quest, a glow descended from the sky. He had actually leveled up to 74. This leveling speed was truly monstrous—
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations on completing the main quest [Kill Enemy 3] (SS-grade). Rewards: 60% experience for current level, 2500 gold, 1500 reputation points, 2 charm points!
...
The quest rewards were incredibly generous. As he completed the quest, Lin Zhao couldn't help but glance at the dialogue panel. His heart chilled. Damn, there was indeed another follow-up quest, a "Kill Enemy 4.0" version. But there was no rush. He wouldn't accept it yet. He'd sort things out anew tomorrow. He was truly pushing himself too hard; his body was starting to protest. He would have to sleep until noon tomorrow.
Log off, eat, starving!
When he exited the game pod, the lights on the second floor were still on for him, but Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, and Luo Man had already gone to sleep. He tiptoed downstairs. As he reached the kitchen, Wang Ju's room door opened. She was still awake. She smiled, "Lin Zhao, just logging off?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao scratched his head, feeling a bit sheepish. "Sister Ju, why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Worried you wouldn't eat well."
Wang Ju tied on an apron. "I'll stir-fry something for you. It'll be quick. The rice is in the rice cooker, still warm."
"Ah?!"
Lin Zhao was taken aback. "You really don't have to."
Wang Ju smiled. "Go sit down and wait for your meal. It'll be ready soon."
"Alright then..."
A short while later, Lin Zhao began to eat. Wang Ju had stir-fried celery with shredded pork, which was very fragrant. It was also Lin Zhao's favorite home-cooked dish. He figured Wang Ju had been thoughtful, preparing the celery just waiting for him to log off.
"Sister Ju, please don't do this anymore."
Lin Zhao frowned. "I can't log off early because I have things to do in the game. You, on the other hand, have to prepare everyone's breakfast tomorrow and take Xiao Ju to school. You're not allowed to wait for me anymore."
"But..."
Wang Ju's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her beautiful eyes stared at the floor, seeming unsure of what to do.
"Sister Ju."
Lin Zhao softened his voice. "We all have our own jobs. My job is to earn money in the game. Your job is to take care of everyone's food and lodging. So, we should each do our part. I'll do my best, and you do yours. That's the best situation for our family. So, you really don't need to wait for me. You can't let waiting for me affect your work, right?"
Wang Ju finally relented. "Mm, I'll listen to you. I won't wait anymore."
"That's right."
Lin Zhao wolfed down his meal and went to sleep!