Chapter 137: Chapter 137

It was dark. Medicine Master Wen and the others began to set up camp.

The Bunny Heroine could travel through the night, but the trio of master and servants clearly didn’t have that ability. Moreover, since Wu Qiu and Shi Dong were both ordinary people, in theory, the Bunny Heroine’s traveling speed was far slower than if she were traveling alone.

But since it was “in theory,” it meant that forming a team brought more advantages than disadvantages for Yan Qing. The reason was simple: Yan Qing had to sleep too, and couldn’t travel at night.

During the day, if the pace was slower, so be it. After all, Yan Qing simply entrusted the Bunny Heroine to them while he switched to Jiang Ten or the Rat Monk’s alternate character to clear other instances, essentially skipping the meaningless traveling part.

In fact, Yan Qing had found it a bit interesting the first two days. After all, bandits would randomly spawn along the road, and the scenery outside was appealing to someone like him who was usually stuck inside the Thieves’ House.

But very soon, Yan Qing grew tired of the tedious and lengthy journey.

It reminded him of his past experience playing another MMORPG, where he had to run back and forth between quest points, reading maps and dialogues just to progress the main story—it was practically like being in prison. Precisely because of this dreadful gameplay experience, Yan Qing had completely switched to being a solo-game purist, and even after graduating to work at an online game company, he had no interest in online games.

Still, skipping didn’t mean ignoring everything. For instance, in the afternoon, when a pack of gray wolves blocked the path, Yan Qing received the alert, but by the time he switched characters, the wolves had already been slain by Medicine Master Wen. They had even skinned and bled them, carrying the meat on their backs. At the time, Yan Qing was confused, wondering if they intended to sell it—but this didn’t seem like a place with merchants who’d buy wolf meat or pelts.

It wasn’t until Yan Qing returned after dinner that he understood their intentions: over the blazing fire, the wolf meat sizzled and oozed oil. All three wolves had been roasted; one had already been picked clean to the bone.

When the Bunny Heroine stirred, they immediately looked over. Wu Qiu came over, concerned, and asked:「Heroine, were you too tired? We called you to eat earlier, but you didn’t respond at all—it was like you were asleep...」

To avoid conversations with others, Yan Qing had set up an automatic behavior for the Bunny Heroine: if she remained still for over thirty seconds, she would perform the action “Meditate with Closed Eyes.”

Yan Qing checked the log and saw that they had called out to her multiple times. Shi Dong had even suggested reaching out to shake the Bunny Heroine, but Medicine Master Wen had said the girl might need to sleep for some special reason. She had already seen the Bunny Heroine catch naps multiple times that afternoon—better not to disturb her, let her have a good rest.

To Yan Qing’s surprise, they didn’t find the Bunny Heroine aloof. Instead, they made up all kinds of justifications for her. Yan Qing felt it necessary to offer an explanation.

「My brother fed me a pill that makes me fall asleep when I’m bored,」the Bunny Heroine said.「If I ignore you later, it’s not because I’m cold—it’s just because I fell asleep from boredom.」

Wu Qiu smiled without saying whether she believed it or not. Instead, she brought over a plate of roasted wolf meat. The plate was made of tree bark, and the meat looked like the best, most tender parts, already cut into small, easy-to-eat pieces.

「Come have dinner. Try it. If it’s cold, I can heat it up on the stones.」

She handed the plate and a small knife to the Bunny Heroine, but the latter didn’t take them. Instead, she looked at them and asked,「Is wolf meat tasty?」

「Not really,」Medicine Master Wen said as she gnawed on a roasted wolf leg.「It’s dry, the blood wasn’t drained properly, and we don’t have any spices—it has a muddy, gamey taste... But it’s still better than wild berries.」

「Then are you all full?」

Wu Qiu seemed to misunderstand and quickly nodded:「Shi Dong and I ate while you were asleep—we’re full, don’t worry. You and Miss are Messengers, you need to eat more to maintain your vitality.」

「I’m full too,」Medicine Master Wen clapped her hands and stood up, taking a big swig from her water jug.「There’s still one wolf left. If it’s not enough, I can go hunt more.」

Though their escape had been hasty, Medicine Master Wen was, after all, a Third-Stage Messenger. There was no way she’d go hungry in the wild—but eating well was another matter.

「Are you really full?」

「Really really full?」

Suddenly, a steaming roast chicken appeared in the Bunny Heroine’s hands, its aroma thick in the air. The delicious smell made all three of them take deep breaths involuntarily.

They watched as the Bunny Heroine tore off a drumstick and started gnawing on it, oil dripping from her mouth. Everyone was stunned.

Medicine Master Wen couldn’t help but ask:「Where did you get roast chicken?」

「My brother’s afraid I’ll starve to death, so he stuffs my storage with food every day,」the Bunny Heroine replied.「Come, let’s eat together. I’ve got plenty more.」

Stuffing her with food?

As unbelievable as it sounded, the steaming hot roast chicken was no lie. Unless it had been freshly made, there was no way it could still be this juicy and tender.

But was there really a Token in this world that could transmit goods over long distances? Wu Qiu and Shi Dong looked at Medicine Master Wen, who also appeared clueless.

They had been skeptical of the Bunny Heroine’s talk of a brother, but after seeing the roast chicken, they mostly believed her. Shi Dong asked curiously:「Where is your brother now?」

「Hiding in some place where no one can find him, eating and waiting to die,」the Bunny Heroine sighed.「He’s really hopeless.」

Do you really have the right to say that? The trio silently grumbled.

「Is there more roast chicken?」Medicine Master Wen suddenly asked.

The Bunny Heroine nodded and pulled out another one. Medicine Master Wen split it in half and handed one portion to Wu Qiu and Shi Dong:「Eat up. Wolf meat has no salt or fat. Only this can replenish your salt.」

Wu Qiu quickly waved her hands:「No need, Miss. We’re already full—」

「Don’t refuse. We’re still a day away from Shu Mountain. We’ll need to eat Bunny Heroine’s food for both breakfast and lunch tomorrow. Are you not going to eat tomorrow either? I’m not touching wolf meat again.」Medicine Master Wen turned to the Bunny Heroine.「Too many polite words are tiring—thanks.」

「Big Sister, I like you,」the Bunny Heroine said bluntly.「My brother says being able to accept kindness gracefully is a sign of confidence. You’re a very confident person.」

「Rather than confident, it’s more that I know I’ll repay you tenfold in the future.」

Medicine Master Wen sat down and began munching on the chicken leg, showing none of the grace expected of a noble daughter. Instead, there was an unrestrained naturalness about her.

「Wu Qiu and Shi Dong are good people too. They just don’t know how to repay you. You’ve helped them too much... Kindness is like a debt—nobody likes being in debt. To them, accepting your food feels like adding more to a debt they already can’t repay. It makes them uncomfortable.」

Wu Qiu looked like she wanted to explain, but Medicine Master Wen glanced at her, and she fell silent.

「That’s why I said I’d be the one to repay it. Because I can. To me, kindness isn’t a debt—it’s a way to bond with a genius like you,」Medicine Master Wen said.「To owe a future Foundation-level powerhouse a favor—what an honor.」

「Hehe, my brother praises me like that too when he’s begging me for help,」the Bunny Heroine said with great satisfaction.「I thought Big Sister was the kind who didn’t flatter others.」

「Oh, I do flatter people—just not most people, because they’re not worth flattering.」Medicine Master Wen paused.「I used to be the daughter of the Duke of Jin, Medicine Master Mo Ke, Chief Overseer of the Embroidered Guard in Chang’an. For the past ten-plus years, my father wielded great power, and I was gifted from a young age. Very few people ever impressed me—all I saw were sycophants.」

「The only consolation is that although half of the Embroidered Guard betrayed us, some still remained loyal and rushed overnight to warn me. That’s how I escaped the garrison before the purge. But more people just went with the wind. As soon as the Duke of Jin’s house fell, they threw stones at the well—some even set up ambushes under the guise of helping, eager to capture the Duke’s daughter and use her as a stepping stone to glory... Such is the coldness of the world.」

By the end, her voice was filled with sorrow, trailing into a long sigh in the forest.

「Miss...」Wu Qiu and Shi Dong murmured, moved.

「But perhaps it’s precisely because of all this hardship that I met you.」Medicine Master Wen’s eyes lit up as she looked at the Bunny Heroine.「You draw your blade for injustice, overflowing with talent and grace, noble in character and outstanding in looks... Bunny Heroine, I feel like we’ve known each other forever. Shall we become sworn sisters?」

Wu Qiu and Shi Dong were dumbfounded, their gazes darting between Medicine Master Wen and the Bunny Heroine before realization struck—Miss was trying to kidnap this little girl!

Well, it made sense. The Bunny Heroine might seem a bit odd, but her talent, character, and combat ability were flawless. Plus, her family could equip her with Legendary Tokens—her background had to be at least equivalent to a Pillar of the Nation.

Miss encountering such an innocent prodigy was like a wolf spotting a maiden—how could she not be tempted?

「What!」The Bunny Heroine was shocked.「You actually want to be my sister-in-law!?」

「...No no no, I just want to be sworn sisters with you.」Medicine Master Wen hastily explained. She was indeed curious about the Bunny Heroine’s brother, but not that curious.「Not sisters by blood, but sisters in heart!」

「Wait, let me check if my brother wrote instructions.」The Bunny Heroine turned around and pulled out a manual, flipping through it before exclaiming:「Found it!」

She turned around and showed them the page:

【If you want to form a sworn sibling bond with someone, I, as your older brother, won’t interfere—but you must get your sister-in-law’s permission.】

Well, that brother’s not too bad, knowing not to meddle in his sister’s relationships... Medicine Master Wen looked hopeful.「Then can you ask your sister-in-law?」

「That’s the problem,」the Bunny Heroine said, waving her hand.「I don’t have a sister-in-law.」

Medicine Master Wen froze.「Then...」

「Which means, until my brother gets married, I can’t form sworn bonds with anyone,」the Bunny Heroine said regretfully.

The first attempt at recruiting had failed, but Medicine Master Wen wasn’t giving up. To her, the Bunny Heroine was at the perfect rebellious age, with no family supervision nearby—how could she follow her brother’s rules forever? As long as they spent more time together, she’d win her over sooner or later!

Medicine Master Wen suddenly remembered something:「Sister, what’s your business at Shu Mountain?」 Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on N0veI.Fiɾe.net

Wu Qiu and Shi Dong couldn’t help but glance at Medicine Master Wen—you haven’t even formed a bond yet, and you’re calling her ‘sister’? This is like a rejected suitor calling a girl ‘wife’ already!

「My brother said Shu Mountain has the inheritance of the Foundation Messenger. It hasn’t been passed on in years. If I can inherit it, I’ll be famous across the land,」the Bunny Heroine said.「In the storybooks, this kind of inheritance is always waiting for someone like me, the protagonist!」

「Then I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.」

「Why? Shu Mountain doesn’t have the inheritance?」

「The inheritance is there, but the one who will inherit the legacy of Si Wuxie... won’t be you,」Medicine Master Wen raised her brows, her voice full of pride.「Because I am here!」