Chapter 156: Chapter 156

「Did something good happen to you?」Medicine Master Wen suddenly asked.「You look really happy.」

This time, Yan Qing was truly startled. They were separated by a screen, for goodness' sake! When the alternate character wasn’t speaking, she always had a blank expression—how did she manage to tell he was in a good mood through the avatar?

「Why do you say that?」

「Because, little sister, you’ve been hopping around nonstop.」Medicine Master Wen replied, looking speechless. The source of this content ɪs N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

Only then did Yan Qing realize he had been subconsciously holding down the jump key. From the moment they left the room, Bunny Heroine had been bouncing her way forward. Not just Medicine Master Wen—even the servant leading the way had noticed that this girl, who stirred up the entire stronghold upon arrival, seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.

Honestly, pressing the jump key while walking was a totally normal thing for players to do. In fact, most games included a jump key just for this purpose—not for climbing or parkour, but to give players something to do while traveling. Still, Yan Qing had always been mindful of his alternate character’s personality. No matter how dull the journey, he never spammed the jump key. He had definitely let his guard down.

It was clearly because of Shang Xinlei. The mood had been primed for a falling-out, and yet she said it was just about not having dinner together for one day. Yan Qing had not only fallen right into her trap, he even gave her a Rare Token—then got mocked hard for it... If I ever trust her again, I’m a dog! Yan Qing clenched his teeth and cursed silently.

「No, I just remembered how my brother got scammed by a woman—it pissed me off!」

「With how weird your brother is, he should be grateful someone was even willing to scam him...」Medicine Master Wen quipped sincerely.

Yan Qing really wanted to argue, but based on Bunny Heroine’s character profile that he’d crafted over these past few days, there wasn’t even an option to defend her brother’s dignity. He had no choice but to change the topic:「Is it really okay to leave Sister Wu Qiu and Sister Shi Dong in the room like that?」

「We can’t drag them around forever. From the moment we decided to come to Shu Mountain, we prepared for the possibility of getting into danger,」Medicine Master Wen said calmly.「The secret manual just gave them a chance to gain power. True power comes from courage and talent. Without those two, even if a weakling becomes a Third-Stage Messenger, they’re still just a trembling wreck... This situation is already better than I expected. It lets them feel the pressure and danger without actually putting them in harm’s way. In this kind of environment, weaklings only have two paths: either evolve into butterflies, or be crushed completely.」

「If they chose this path themselves, what is there for me to worry about?」Medicine Master Wen smiled boldly.「As long as they can keep up with me—Second Job Change, Third, whatever—I’ll fight to get them all the resources they need!」

After the fall of the Duke of Jin’s Mansion, Medicine Master Wen had come to understand White Fox’s words more deeply.

In this world, if a weakling cannot become strong, then no amount of numbers will help. What the strong rely on, will always be another strong companion. If a Messenger is satisfied with their status and power, they could act recklessly and eliminate any threats—just like her father. But if they aim higher, then what they need is not submissive subordinates, but allies equal in status.

But how many people can you really know in one lifetime?

Character cannot be trusted—people change. Who would have imagined twenty years ago that the loyal and righteous Mo Ke would end up branded a rebel, left without even a burial? Only bonds are chains worth gripping—the longer the time, the tighter they hold. That’s why Medicine Master Wen chose to cultivate Wu Qiu and Shi Dong from the ground up—they had already been by her side for years. That’s also why White Fox chose to go back and save Red Snake and Yellow Dog—they would still fight side by side many times in the future.

So... Medicine Master Wen sneaked a glance at Bunny Heroine’s reaction. I’m showing such strong leadership qualities—surely little sister, your heart must be stirred?

Her words were sincere, but her intent to raise Bunny Heroine’s affection was also entirely real. If Wu Qiu and Shi Dong were worth developing for strength, and the thieves worth investing in for friendship, then Bunny Heroine, who had both strength and emotional bond, was worth every ounce of effort to bind to her side.

Medicine Master Wen had even made up her mind: as long as Bunny Heroine agreed, even if her ever-mentioned Brother showed up, she’d blast his dog head open without hesitation—truth be told, she kind of wanted to do that anyway.

But then she saw Bunny Heroine bouncing joyfully again, as happy as a rabbit.

They followed the servant through the stronghold. The servant was extremely respectful—whenever they looked toward any building, he’d immediately explain:「That’s Drying Field No. 3. The cured meat there is quite good; feel free to take some and try... That’s the Heroes’ Hall. They serve wine day and night. As for food, that depends on whether the cook’s around. But you ladies don’t need to bother—just tell me what you’d like, and I’ll have it delivered directly to your residence... We’re here. The Three Guardians are all waiting upstairs in the Demon-Slaying Hall.」

The most majestic and central structure in the whole stronghold wasn’t the Guardians’ residence, but this Demon-Slaying Hall. As soon as Bunny Heroine and Medicine Master Wen stepped inside, it felt like a bustling city marketplace. The noise hit them like a wave.

The first floor of the hall was filled with long tables. Dozens of people sat inside drinking, chatting, gambling, and arguing—more than half of them had red names. In fact, it was surprising that half of them weren’t red-named. They slammed tables and shouted, but weren’t fighting—instead, they were haggling.

「Xiong Da, you and your brothers are too greedy. Three guys want five wolves? We have ten brothers here!」

「Then you hold off the first wave of wolves! If no one does that, your ten hunters without even full Defensive Tokens are useless! You think you can shoot through a Shadow Wolf’s skull with one arrow?」

「Fuck, is no one taking on the Wind Wolf King? We’ll handle the rest. We just need someone fast enough to lure away its breath attack. We’ll give 30% of the rewards for that alone!」

「Even the Blood Attendant wouldn’t say he can do that. Who the fuck wants to die? Red-Haired Ghost, draw straws with your crew.」

「Heh, the Blood Minister has confidence. Why don’t you go ask him?」

「If we’re inviting a Great Guardian, might as well get Boss Beiyou to lead. Fucking cowards, damn you all—」

「Red-Haired Ghost, fuck your mother, watch your mouth!」

「I! Fuck! Your! Mom!」

The quarrel quickly escalated into a battle of flying cups. Clinks and crashes rang out, but fortunately, they all had some self-restraint—just throwing cups, not throwing punches.

On the wall of the first floor hung a massive blackboard, upon which a roughly drawn Secret Realm map was displayed. Alongside terrain details were demon distributions, with many names written underneath. For example, near the entrance of the realm, beneath “Shadow Wolf,” were over ten names:「First Wave: Xiong’s Three Brothers, Ten Hunters」「Second Wave: Black Wolf Guild, Chai Father & Son」「Third Wave: Poison Gentleman, Fire Vanguard, Nameless, Dragon Ao...」

At this moment, Red-Haired Ghost seemed to have secured a deal with another group, and the two teams went up and wrote their names under the Wine Pool Wolves at the center of the map.

「They’re claiming demon-slaying tasks,」Medicine Master Wen explained. She’d already looked into it beforehand:「Every day they claim tasks for the next day, all voluntary. Any number can enter, and the Three Guardians won’t interfere with how rewards are split. But if they kill demons, they must pay Shu Mountain toll fees. And of course, the chests inside also get taxed.」

「They’re okay with such a loss?」Bunny Heroine asked in confusion.

「Because the demons themselves are resources,」Medicine Master Wen replied.「They can skin and process them or sell them to Shu Mountain for Spirit Jade. Didn’t we pass many drying fields earlier? Those are for processing wolf meat from the Secret Realm.」

The servant added,「Most Messengers sell the demons to Shu Mountain and then buy the jerky. Messengers can eat fresh meat freely here, but preserved jerky is expensive—ten Spirit Jade per piece. Many come up the mountain just to buy jerky.」

「Huh?」Bunny Heroine looked completely bewildered—too many questions, not sure which to ask.

Medicine Master Wen wasn’t surprised.「Totally normal. Any Messenger away from a military garrison has to find their own food. Regular rations don’t satisfy. A Second-Stage Messenger needs at least four meals a day if they rely on common food like beef or pork. If they stay in one place, that’s fine. But these Demon-Path Messengers roam all over. If they don’t prep food in advance, they’ll spend most of their day just hunting meals.」

She herself had experienced that—after escaping the garrison those first few days, she had no time to hunt, surviving solely on Healing Pills to maintain her condition. Without food, she’d have no strength to fight.

「Jerky made from Third-Stage Secret Realm wolves, paired with some grain, gives great satiety. Just one piece can last several days. While the Third-Stage realm is tough, killing the Shadow Wolves near the entrance isn’t that hard. Shu Mountain’s reputation as a Demon-Infested Zone is well-earned. As long as they’re strong enough, Demon-Path Messengers can easily restock here.」

Yan Qing had once wondered why Demon-Path Messengers would cluster in one place. They weren’t exactly starving refugees—they could’ve dominated backwaters and played warlords.

Turns out they were starving, or most of them were. Once outside a Secret Realm, even eating became a serious problem. They weren’t like Yan Qing, who had all the time in the world and didn’t have to cook—one day feasting on Jiang Ten’s special meal, the next enjoying the Rat Monk’s vegetarian dishes from the Liang garrison.

Demon-Path Messengers were out robbing and burning—how could they suddenly light a campfire and cook in the middle of nowhere?

Righteous Messengers didn’t face that at all. Even on patrol, they had complete logistics. Garrisons never lacked rations. In comparison, Demon-Path may be free, but they had to solve everything alone. Righteous Messengers relied on their background, but had an organization behind them. Life wasn’t that bad.