Chapter 76: Chapter 76: I Have a Friend... (Part 1)
Mountain Wilderness Forest.
Gong Longfei and Zhou Yuntong’s group had intended to travel overnight, but Zhou Yuntong’s men had just completed a non-stop forced march. Now, both men and horses were utterly exhausted. Seeing this, Gong Longfei had no choice but to let Zhou Yuntong and his team rest for one night. This time, they were leading a team to Fengxiang Prefecture to fight the Blood Demon Sect. Going with fatigued bodies wouldn’t be fighting; it would be courting death.
Zhou Yuntong couldn’t argue with Gong Longfei and reluctantly agreed to rest where they were for the night.
Everyone took this chance to rest temporarily in the Dense Forest, ensuring they could recover as quickly as possible.
While they were resting, a group of riders came galloping at full speed from outside the Dense Forest.
The Brocade Guards from Celestial Origin Mansion, sensing the disturbance, reported the news immediately.
"Someone’s approaching? Only six?" Gong Longfei’s eyebrows raised slightly, but he didn’t seem too worried.
Six people against hundreds of their Brocade Guards. There could only be one outcome.
Fortunately, those six people didn’t come closer. Instead, they continued their overnight journey, quickly cutting across to the other side and passing through the Dense Forest.
Gong Longfei wasn’t concerned. He instructed his Brocade Guards to watch the surroundings vigilantly. They were about to enter Fengxiang Prefecture’s territory. Upon spotting anyone from the Blood Demon Sect, they had to eliminate them immediately. The news of their presence could not be leaked.
「Elsewhere.」
Xu Nian led Junlin and his team. Just as they passed through the Dense Forest, he stopped and turned. "Let’s rest here for one night and continue our journey tomorrow."
Players needed to log off and rest. After all, they were different from Xu Nian.
Junlin and his team had been wanting to log off and rest for a while. Having stayed up this late, they couldn’t hold out much longer. Even if Xu Nian hadn’t spoken, they were planning to say so.
"Finally, we can log off! Riding all the way here, I’m almost at my limit."
"Those tales of traveling the Jianghu and covering a thousand miles a day on horseback? They seem so fake now. Riding a horse non-stop like this really makes your body feel like it’s falling apart."
"I can’t go on. My wife expects me to deliver the ’public grain’ tonight, so I can’t accompany you guys," Abbess declared.
"Abbess, what’s with you? Doing that on purpose?" someone teased.
...
The five of them chattered and laughed for a while, then sat down on the ground and chose to log off and rest.
Xu Nian, on the other hand, wasn’t in a rush to rest. One could never be too careful about potential night raids. To ensure safety, it was better to be cautious. He would be responsible for keeping watch tonight.
They should reach the Nine Heavens Alliance by tomorrow. The problem then would be how to get the Red Dragon Sword from Cui Shengshu. Eleventh in the World. With such a reputation, Xu Nian didn’t know if he could snatch the Red Dragon Sword even with all his might. The Eight Gates Escape Armor martial art was too broken; no one could guarantee the outcome. Xu Nian now had enough Internal Energy to activate it, but there was still a time limit. The more meridians he opened, the greater the strain on his body became, and the faster his Internal Energy would be consumed. Facing someone like Cui Shengshu, his only chance was to settle it in one decisive blow. But what about after snatching the Red Dragon Sword? Would the people of the Nine Heavens Alliance let them leave Celestial Origin Mansion easily? Or rather, could he leave alive? Players could reincarnate, but Xu Nian had no way to participate in Reincarnation! With so many disciples in the Nine Heavens Alliance, it wasn’t possible to establish a new Reincarnation Point this time. Players wouldn’t be able to arrive immediately. The pressure, therefore, fell entirely on Xu Nian. Could he only win by wit? The Cyan Shirt Blood Sword, Cui Shengshu. Could someone like him really be that easy to fool?
Xu Nian rubbed his aching temples, feeling a wave of helplessness.
「One Night, no words were uttered.」
The next day, Junlin and his team logged on early. Except for Abbess, who seemed a bit drained after his ’endeavors’ last night, the others had all recovered their spirits well.
"Let’s pack up and get ready to leave," Xu Nian said, glancing at Junlin and his team without further comment.
Junlin walked over to Abbess and asked softly, "Abbess, how are you doing? Did your wife drain you dry last night?"
"A woman is like a wolf at thirty and a tiger at forty. Your wife nearly took half of Abbess’s life in one night!" Poisonous Panda chimed in with a tease.
Even Abbess, who had grown somewhat thick-skinned, couldn’t help but blush.
Could he be blamed for this? He’d even taken Goji Berry Medicine last night, prepared for a battle to the death. And the result? They’d gone at it until past three in the morning, and only then did his wife give him a grudging ’not bad.’ If he hadn’t needed to log on early for the game, he would have fought on all night!
"I have a prescription from a friend. I’ll let you try it later," Junlin whispered. "This prescription is from a Tibetan Doctor. I guarantee it works. It will definitely make your wife see you in a new light."
Men, after all, placed some importance on such matters. Moreover, Abbess had reached middle age. His spirit was willing, but his flesh was weak. Now, his own wife was starting to look down on him.
Could he tolerate this?
Junlin, a Rich Second Generation accustomed to an extravagant lifestyle, naturally had connections for such things. For Abbess, this medicine was a lifeline.
"How much money?" Abbess asked in a lowered voice.
"It’s free. Just give me an address later, and I’ll have it couriered to you," Junlin said, mounting his horse with a laugh. "Don’t worry, this medicine has no side effects. I’ve used it several times myself. It’s foolproof."
This instantly perked Abbess up.
A man’s pride couldn’t be insulted!
Under the Phoenix Tree sidled over and whispered, "Junlin, um... I have a friend... who’s also feeling a bit... lacking in stamina. You think...?"
Oh? A ’friend’? They all exchanged knowing smiles.
Under the Phoenix Tree blushed slightly, looking a bit embarrassed.
"No worries, I’ll mail you a portion too when the time comes."
"Thank you!"
Their voices naturally didn’t escape Xu Nian’s ears. Hearing them discuss such private masculine matters, he felt a flicker of interest.
Should he also get some of that medicine for himself in the future? Forget it! His body was still pretty good, and as far as he knew, this body had only been with Consort Shen once. Hmm... That shouldn’t be an issue. As a martial artist, how could he rely on medicine to restore his masculine prowess? He, Xu Nian, didn’t need such things!
"Let’s go. We must reach the Nine Heavens Alliance today." Xu Nian cast away his other thoughts and spurred his horse forward, taking the lead.
Junlin and his team quickly followed suit.
Meanwhile, as they rode off, the Nine Heavens Alliance was also preparing to send the gifts they had purchased to the Profound Yellow Sect. After all, they were both Jianghu Sects. It was only right to send congratulatory gifts to those who had risked their lives fighting the Blood Demon Sect.
Sending charcoal in snowy weather is far better than adding flowers to brocade. But adding flowers to brocade is still better than doing nothing at all.
The so-called Jianghu, when it came down to it, was mostly about navigating human relationships and worldly wisdom. It involved sharing a few cups of wine for pleasantries. Constant fighting and killing, ultimately, was considered a crude path...