The sickly sweet(?) display of affection from one particular couple drew envious gazes from players outside the city gates. Male and female players alike admired Chang Long for her goddess-like beauty, even though she had tripped over her own dress hem multiple tis, landing face-first on the ground. anwhile, Thankhun, clad in an elegant black martial artist outfit, earned quite a few squeals from the female players. The two walked closely together, occasionally exchanging sweet smiles (if viewed closely), wiping sweat from each other's brows, and playfully teasing each other (in reality, shoving each other to keep their distance).
"I'm going back to kill that woman!"
Chang Long growled nacingly as she turned on her heel, intending to march back into the city. Their clothing had been changed into traditional Chinese-style fashion as a condition of their quest, making Chang Long appear more feminine and adding a touch of soft elegance to her usual look.
"Don't. Just cancel the quest. After all, she's a woman, and an NPC who gave us the quest. Killing her might not be appropriate, and worst case, the system might punish us."
Thankhun advised while using one hand to push Chang Long's head away, which kept uncontrollably leaning on his shoulder.
"Grrr! Let's cancel this ridiculous quest,"
Chang Long agreed, grumbling as she struggled to push away Thankhun's hand, which was repeatedly trying to wrap around her waist. Similarly, Thankhun seed unable to control his own actions.
Thankhun attempted to use his free hand to pull back the offending arm and cancel the quest through his wristwatch, but no matter how hard he tried, his arm refused to obey.
"This isn't working. My left arm just won't listen to !"
Thankhun complained in frustration after several minutes of effort, as his arm stubbornly kept trying to wrap itself around Chang Long's waist.
"Let do it,"
Chang Long said, while trying—and failing—to pull her own head away from Thankhun's shoulder. Neither of them could use their hands for anything else other than shoving each other away. If either of them stopped, they would imdiately end up walking arm-in-arm, with one leaning sweetly on the other's shoulder who held the first's waist—a picture-perfect image of a loving couple.
In the end, Chang Long could not manage to cancel the quest. Both of them could only sigh in exasperation, frustrated at how their misplaced sympathy had landed them in this predicant. If only they had asked Ling Lan for more details about the quest, Chang Long was sure she would have refused to accept it, no matter how much sympathy she felt.
"We should move away from the city gates. Everyone walking by is staring at us."
Chang Long said softly, her cheeks tinged with a faint pink. When she looked up at Thankhun, she noticed his cheeks were red as well.
"Haha. You're embarrassed, too?"
Chang Long finally burst out laughing at his expression.
"What? I... I'm human. Of course, I get embarrassed!"
Thankhun retorted, sounding flustered. Then he quickly dragged Chang Long away from the gates.
"Let go of , Thankhun. Why are you carrying !"
Chang Long protested loudly as Thankhun swept her into his arms. She struggled fiercely, flailing her arms and legs, hitting him repeatedly with a few smacks.
"Stop squirming. Didn't you say you were embarrassed and wanted to get out of sight of the other players?"
Thankhun scolded, tightening his grip on Chang Long even as his face twisted in pain from her struggling.
"Yeah, but I didn't tell you to do this!"
Chang Long protested loudly. Finally, after they moved far enough away from the city gates and the prying eyes of other players, they both collapsed, exhausted, onto the ground.
"You're heavier than I thought, and your hands and feet pack a punch."
Thankhun panted, his arm was still firmly around her waist, unable to pry it away. anwhile, Chang Long's head remained on his shoulder. Both realized how utterly draining it was to try and pull apart from each other.
"What? Who told you to carry in the first place!"
Chang Long retorted, her face flushed. She struggled to pry his arm from her waist, but no matter how hard she tried, it would not budge.
Eventually, Chang Long fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. Thankhun sighed, giving up on freeing his arm and instead tightening his embrace slightly to make it more comfortable for her to rest against him.
"Dummy..."
he murmured softly, glancing down at her sleeping face. He stared at her for a long mont, as if lost in thought, before eventually dozing off himself.
anwhile, the Pirate King Kamaku Hayasa, forced into invisibility due to the quest conditions, observed his heir from afar. Seeing the look in Thankhun's eyes left him uneasy. The battle of the Seven Kings was inevitable in the future, and even the slightest hesitation could be fatal. He could only hope his heir would remain steadfast when the ti of reckoning ca.
Nearly an hour passed before Chang Long began to stir. She blinked groggily, looking around in confusion. When she noticed Thankhun's sleeping face beside her, she recoiled in surprise. Reaching out, she tried to push his head away, but it simply lolled back to its previous position. She resorted to using one hand to hold his head away while using the other to try and pry his arm from her waist.
"Mmm..."
Thankhun finally woke, groaning as he stretched his free hand to massage his sore neck. Looking around, he realized the source of his discomfort—Chang Long had been holding his head back at an awkward angle. Her other hand was still busy trying to remove his arm from her waist. She was so focused she had not noticed he was awake.
"What are you doing, you dummy!"
Thankhun yelled, startling Chang Long so much that she instinctively let go of his head. The montum caused his head to swing forward, colliding with hers in a loud thunk. Both of them yelped in pain, clutching their foreheads, which were now throbbing and red.
"What's wrong with you!"
Chang Long yelled, as though the collision was entirely Thankhun's fault.
"Quit yelling. You're the one who let go, so of course our heads smacked,"
Thankhun snapped back, trying to keep his temper in check as he stood up.
"Forget it. I'm not doing this stupid quest anymore. Why do we have to act like a lovey-dovey couple during a quest anyway!"
Chang Long grumbled angrily.
"Then just stay still."
Thankhun said as he tightened his arm around Chang Long.
"What are you doing? Let go of !"
Chang Long exclaid in shock, quickly pushing herself away. Thankhun sighed and replied calmly.
"If I don't pull my arm closer to myself, how am I supposed to cancel the quest, you dummy?!
"Forget it. I'll just continue with the quest."
Chang Long snapped, her face flushing red with frustration.
"So you're going to stick with the quest? Can you handle being hugged by until we find Zhi Yuan, you dummy?"
Thankhun teased, looking down at her with amusent as she glared daggers at him.
"Of course I can. And stop calling a dummy."
Chang Long retorted angrily.
"But you are a dummy."
"And you're a psycho, cruel, bad-tempered jerk. Let's get moving so we can finish this quest quickly,"
Chang Long fired back. Thankhun gaped at her, stunned for a mont before laughing quietly as he continued on their journey. He had not expected this tomboyish girl to have this side to her.
The weird acting pair continued on their way, once again reappearing in front of passing players. The sight of the couple trying their best to push each other away as far as they could sparked curiosity, earning them the nickna the eccentric couple. No one could tell if they loved or hated each other. One thing was clear, though—whenever they were attacked by beasts, they fought with such ferocity it seed like they were venting centuries of frustration.
What surprised Chang Long was how seamlessly she could wield her sword. It felt as if the blade was attuned to her thoughts, striking swiftly and accurately at her targets. Even against beasts three tis her level, she dodged their attacks effortlessly, despite her level being reduced to just one.
Thankhun watched her in awe every ti she fought, repeatedly checking her stats on the couple's information screen. He alternated between observing her battle skills and double-checking her stats, wondering if there was so sort of error. The ga had just undergone a major update (less than a day ago in the real world), so there could very well be technical glitches—such as inaccuracies in displayed player levels or a hidden level debuff on beasts in the Gobi Desert without prior notice from the system.
"How is this possible? I'm at level 40-sothing, and even I struggle against these beasts. But Chang Long, at level one, is fighting them so effortlessly."
Determined to figure it out, Thankhun approached so nearby players who were hunting beasts. After a brief chat, he discovered that they were all between levels 30 and 40, and each confird that their wristwatches were functioning normally and accurately displaying their levels.
Slash!
"Player Chang Long has slain a Level 34 Giant Scorpion, receiving 4,950 EXP and 2,890 coins."
"Player Chang Long has fulfilled the basic requirents for leveling up. You are now Level 5. The Sovereign Sword has leveled up to Level 7. Attack Power: 7000–7095."
"Ah, good thing my level's increasing faster than I thought. At least we don't have to stay glued together like candy while fighting. But this is strange. Most of my basic stats were reduced to one. Oh well, as long as the fights are this easy, I won't complain."
Chang Long wiped the sweat with the back of her arm. The scorching heat of the Gobi Desert was enough to make players break out in sweat as they hunted beasts. To make matters worse, she was wearing an ornate and impractical fashion outfit that was entirely unsuitable for combat, leaving her with a fair share of injuries from the battles.
"What's your attack power, anyway? Why are these beasts dying so easily?"
Thankhun walked up, curious.
"Don't co any closer!"
Chang Long shouted, panic in her voice, but it was already too late. As soon as the two of them were safe and entered the one-ter proximity required by the quest, the couple's quest restrictions activated once again, forcing them to walk closely together in a hug.
"This is so annoying..."
Chang Long grumbled with a scowl.
"Heh heh heh."
.....
At Wu Ming's Secret Training Grounds, two days had passed since an clueless player had been killed. The owner of the secret grounds, Wu Ming, returned, his face glowing with vitality. However, his good mood vanished the mont he saw the state of his training grounds. With a voice imbued with imnse power, he whispered a call to the caretaker of the grounds, his voice resonating across the area despite its softness. From a hiding spot, a small figure erged—a young girl dressed in white, with green hair and eyes, trembling with fear. She looked up at Wu Ming, a tall man over two ters in height, his white skin faintly glowing, his straight golden hair cascading down his back, and his piercing golden eyes fixed on her quivering form.
"M... Master Wu Ming, you've returned?"
The girl stamred, wringing her hands nervously.
"Little Jade, what has happened to my secret grounds?"
Wu Ming asked in an even tone, his gaze sweeping over the damage on the massive walls of the training grounds, marked with signs of overwhelming destructive force.
"I... I tried to protect your secret grounds, Master. There was an invader, so I... I killed them."
Little Jade stuttered her response.
"Who are 'they,' Little Jade? My secret grounds are under my protection. Who would dare invade?"
Wu Ming furrowed his brows.
"The Red Dragons, Master. One of them broke in, so I dealt with it."
Little Jade replied quickly. Although the creature she killed bore so resemblance to a Red Dragon, the only real similarity was its red eyes.
"A Red Dragon... You're saying a Red Dragon invaded here? How could that be, when there are Dragon Guards posted outside? The only way to bypass them would be through the secret grounds themselves, which are reserved exclusively for travelers seeking cultivation."
Wu Ming's voice carried suspicion. If a Red Dragon had attacked the front of his lair, the Dragon Guards would have reported it imdiately upon his arrival, and there would be signs of a battle. Yet, there was no such report or signs of a skirmish.
"Is... is that true, Master!"
Little Jade gasped in shock. If Wu Ming's assessnt was correct, it ant she had mistakenly killed an innocent traveler who had no malicious intent. The years of cultivation she had painstakingly accumulated could have been wiped out by such an act.
"You didn't listen to a word I explained, did you? How many adventurers did you kill, Little Jade? You'll need to atone for their deaths to prevent your cultivation from deteriorating."
Wu Ming sighed in exasperation. With a wave of his hand, all the damage and gaps in the secret grounds were restored to their original condition.
"I only killed one..."
Little Jade replied in a faint voice.
"Good, at least it's only one. It shouldn't be too difficult to track them down, as they'll bear a distinct mark from being killed by you. Tell , did you use a conventional thod or magic to kill them?"
Wu Ming asked evenly as he began ascending the intricate stone steps leading to his palace.
"I used magic to kill them..."
"Good, then the trace will be even more pronounced."
Wu Ming nodded with satisfaction.
"But..."
Little Jade hesitated.
"But what?"
Wu Ming's tone sharpened.
"The spell I used included a Soul Devouring Curse, Master. I wanted to make sure they died instantly..."
Little Jade confessed as she avoided Wu Ming's gaze. His piercing golden eyes, which rarely widened, now appeared uncharacteristically shocked and intense.
-----
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