Scourge Messenger

Chapter 149 I am invincible
what?
Both the bunny girl and Yan Qing were stunned.

He looked at Yaoshi Yuan on the screen; she was travel-worn and covered in dirt, even her beautiful, fair face was stained. Although she could have taken a bath last night, Yaoshi Yuan probably didn't trust the restaurant's reputation and didn't dare to take off her clothes and be unguarded, so she only wiped herself down at most.

It's not that I'm saying that Yaoshiyuan is so remarkable for doing all this; Wuqiu and Shidong are the same, and they even have to serve Yaoshiyuan.

But the reason why Yakushi was able to endure all this was because she harbored a great wish in her heart, and was even willing to die for it.

That is to restore the Ba River Pharmacist and return him to the Zhou Dynasty court.

Compared to these, revenge was not the highest priority in the pharmacist's heart. She could accept her father's death; in court intrigues, the victor takes all, and when her father was in power, did he ever let his political enemies go? But she could not accept the downfall of the Duke of Jin's mansion, nor could she accept the end of the Ba River Pharmacist's business. This legacy was passed down from their ancestors, not solely by her father.

If the pharmacist were willing to give up this wish, she could live a perfectly good life. Shi Dong had secretly discussed with Wu Qiu more than once the possibility of persuading the young lady to flee to another country.

The Qi and Liang states would be more than happy to support a persecuted member of the enemy royal family as their moral paragon, especially since the Pharmacist has a third-level cultivation.

Even without surrendering to the enemy, it wouldn't be difficult for Yaoshi to go into hiding. Places like Liangzhou and Shuzhou are far from the emperor's reach. As long as she changes her name and hides, the Zhou Kingdom will give up after a while.

But she didn't want to.

Inheriting Si Wuxie's legacy and then returning as a king to reclaim the glory of the Duke of Jin's mansion sounds simple, but the risks involved are even greater than the pursuit by the Zhou Kingdom.

Putting aside how she will inherit Si Wuxie's legacy, Shudao Mountain is a dangerous place for demons. If she inherits the legacy, she will have to face the covetousness of hundreds of demon messengers.

She gave up all the easy options and insisted on taking the most difficult path. Even though Yan Qing had reservations about her obsession, her unwavering will was enough to earn Yan Qing's approval.

Therefore, he could not accept the pharmacist's decision at this time.

"Where are Wu Qiu and Shi Dong?" The bunny girl looked behind the pharmacist. "Where are they? If they were here, they would definitely stop you, big sister."

"They have already returned to Chang Le City. I gave them spirit jade, enough for them to stay at the restaurant for three days."

"Aren't you afraid someone will cause trouble for them?"

"I trained them for two hours last night. Although they're not incredibly skilled, they're enough to cause a stir in Chang Le City if they encounter any thugs. As long as the three protectors maintain this black market, they'll be safe," the pharmacist said calmly. "Of course, there are still risks, but they all agree with my decision."

"Even if you die on the mountain?" the bunny girl questioned. "Big sister, you heard it yourself, the mountain is full of traps and ambushes, and countless powerful demons are gathered there. Is Zhong Ji planning to make it impossible for us to escape... or do you have some other plan?"

"This is my first time in Shudao Mountain, what plan do I have? Zhong Ji is a local tyrant, how could he leave any loopholes for us to exploit?" Yaoshi Yuan shook his head: "But sister, you saved our lives, and I, Yaoshi Yuan, am clear about gratitude and grudges. I will do my best to repay you, even at the cost of my life."

She paused, then continued, "If I hadn't stopped Wu Qiu and Shi Dong and told them that you would only be a hindrance, they would actually have wanted to come and stand with us... They asked me to tell you that they hope you won't misunderstand them as cowards."

The bunny girl was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled, "Would Shi Dong say that?"

"Naturally, it was Wu Qiu who said it. Shi Dong was so worried that she didn't dare to speak." The pharmacist smiled and said, "But don't think Shi Dong is cowardly. She took the initiative to ask to go into the secret realm with me, just because I needed someone to help carry the arrows... As long as it's her duty, no matter how scared she is, she will muster up the courage to do it."

"I believe that no one in my sect is a coward who is ungrateful."

"And what about your ambitions? Didn't you want to inherit Si Wuxie's legacy?" the bunny girl asked. "Are you going to give up your grand plan to revitalize your family?"

"Grand ambitions... Ha." The pharmacist leaned the Soul-Severing Spear on the ground and said self-deprecatingly, "I lost my family, I lost my status, I lost everything. Apart from my martial prowess and two maids, all that my family left me was the dignity of being a pharmacist from Ba River."

"Plans can be revised, but once dignity is tarnished, it is a permanent disgrace. Perhaps there are many unconventional kings in this world, but I am not one. The only principle I, the Pharmacist, am willing to uphold is to pursue a conscience free from shame."

The bunny girl shook her head and shrugged like a little adult: "Big sister, you're too impulsive."

"Haha, now it's your turn, little sister, to say I was impulsive. You were the one who said you wanted to storm Mount Shu." Yaoshi Yuan chuckled, but quickly suppressed his laughter. "Perhaps it was impulsive. I will probably have to pay a heavy price for this impulsiveness, but this is my code of conduct. If even the code of conduct cannot be upheld, then the Ba River Pharmacists will truly be in decline."

She looked down into the eyes of the bunny girl: "You don't need to persuade me, just as I won't persuade you. And don't even think about agreeing temporarily and leaving on your own. If you die on Mount Shu, I will definitely retrieve your body and bury it. I will not allow your body to be desecrated for even a second longer... Sister, you either give up completely or leave with me. I will not give you a third way."

"You're a bit too heavy," Yan Qing sighed inwardly.

Now that things have come to this, he has no choice but to reveal one more trump card... though he doesn't really care.

"Big sister, look." Suddenly, a token appeared in the hand of the bunny girl, with the words 'Return' engraved on it.

The pharmacist was slightly taken aback: "A Return Order? I heard that half a month ago, a madman named Jiang Shi appeared in the Mansu Forest of Liang Kingdom. He killed two third-level cultivators, defeated all the messengers on the spot, and then escaped from the clutches of Chen Liexia, the Thunder King of Zhenyu, using a Return Order... Could this be the Return Order that Jiang Shi used to escape!?"

This was the first time Yan Qing had heard about other people's experiences with alt accounts from someone else, and it felt... pretty cool.

It has the aesthetic appeal of a network narrative found in single-player games!
"That's right, it's the Return Token that even a Foundation Establishment Messenger can't shake, and it guarantees a safe escape. It's a treasure my brother gave me," the bunny girl said. "So, big sister, you understand now? If I encounter any accidents on the mountain, I can use the Return Token to escape at any time. I'm not going to my death. Big sister, you don't need to come with me."

Of course it's fake.

Yan Qing only had two more Return Orders left, and he was reluctant to use them on his alt account. Although he would still try to escape, he was willing to accept defeat if he couldn't escape. As for a city massacre, it was normal to lose; he could test his abilities again after reaching Foundation Establishment.

However, after hearing these words, the pharmacist did not show any relief or reassurance. Her expression became very subtle, just like the expression Yan Qing would have when she bumped into other classmates at the internet cafe after climbing over the wall, thinking to herself, 'So you're the same way.'

"Although it's not as powerful as your return order, I still have a way to escape."

The pharmacist slowly said, "However, my method can only guarantee my own safety, not yours, and once exposed, the consequences will be endless. I originally intended to do my best to cover you and get you to a safe place when you were in danger, and if you died, I would at least take your body with me... I didn't expect you to be prepared."

The medicine master's method of escape was very simple: go to the thief's house.

As long as she goes to the Thieves' Den, no one in this world can harm her, but she also can't influence anything outside. Moreover, if she's exposed, she'll basically be unable to move around outside, as many messengers would want to capture her in exchange for a chance to go to the Divine Marquis's Mansion. So, she won't choose this option unless absolutely necessary.

Bunny Girl was taken aback: "You have one too? But why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Well..." Yakushi hesitated for a moment, "If I don't tell you, you might give up on going up the mountain, and... if I tell you first that I can escape at any time, I won't be able to say what I just said..."

Yan Qing thought about it for a moment and quickly understood what Yao Shiyuan was thinking: she deliberately hid this information in order to increase the favorability of the bunny girl!
A pharmacist's wish to advance and retreat together despite having no way out is naturally more moving than a pharmacist's wish to retreat.

In fact, Yan Qing did indeed win her favor, otherwise he wouldn't have had the bunny girl display the return order to dissuade the pharmacist.

Damn it, this seemingly careless pharmacist is actually quite cunning!
Yan Qing was both amused and exasperated, but since the pharmacist was so honest, he couldn't bring himself to be angry.

"So you still want to come up the mountain with me?"

"Of course, otherwise why would I tell you I have a way out?" The pharmacist replied decisively, "Sister, you want to persuade me with the return order, and of course I can persuade you in the same way."

"But why are you doing this?" the bunny girl asked, puzzled. "If you were protecting me to repay a debt of gratitude, I've already shown you I can leave safely. If you come with me, it means you'll offend one of the three guardians of Shudao Mountain, and might even incur the hostility of all the demonic messengers... Don't you want to inherit Si Wuxie's legacy?"

The pharmacist fell silent, gazing at the Soul-Severing Spear in her hand, seemingly considering her words.

"My previous plan was to pledge allegiance to one of the three guardians, then gather intelligence on the Foundation Establishment legacy and seize the opportunity to act," she said slowly. "But to be honest, I didn't want to associate with the demonic path, but I had no other choice."

"Perhaps it's because I've been in Chang'an for so long that compromise has become a matter of course for me. As long as it's for a greater good, I can cooperate with anyone... If it weren't for you, little sister, I would have forgotten that I actually had another option."

She suddenly flicked her Soul-Severing Spear, unleashing a fierce spear flourish.

"Let's test our swords on the Shu Road and subdue the Three Protectors!" The Pharmacist said earnestly, "They are merely third-rank messengers, and so am I. Why should we submit to them? A bunch of demons and monsters, we should carve out a place for ourselves with our spears!"

"Since you, my sister, are determined to rid us of all demons, how can I not accompany you to the end? I was worried about getting away before, but now that we are all confident of escaping unscathed, what do I have to hesitate about?"

The pharmacist extended a fist towards the bunny girl; the fist was dirty and seemed to be splattered with blood.

"On this journey up the mountain, I am invincible!"

Upon witnessing this scene, Yan Qing instinctively held his breath, feeling as if his heart had stopped. This was the first time he had ever wished he could switch places with his alternate account and personally participate in the upcoming adventure… Even through the screen, he felt a surge of heroic spirit welling up within him.

Bunny Girl stretched out her tiny fist and bumped it against Pharmacist Yuan's fist.

"I am invincible!"

(End of this chapter)