Scourge Messenger

Chapter 371 What is our relationship now?

"On the last night, four calamities descended from the sky, furious and hideous..."

The conversation over lunch naturally revolved around Yan Qing and Ying Rushi's experiences in the Demon Gathering Land over the past six days. However, Ying Rushi did most of the talking, interrupting Yan Qing every few words with her quick additions. In her description, the three-person team was usually serious, decisive in action, and isolated from each other—completely three bloodless and tearless fighting machines.

When Shang Xinlei was clearing away the dishes after dinner, she suddenly nudged him as she passed by.

Then I got goosebumps on my neck, and when I turned around, Yakushi En had already looked away.

Yan Qing looked at Ying Rushi, but Ying Rushi avoided his gaze. As a result, Yan Qing was able to stare at her ample bosom, which she deliberately concealed with her inner armor, without any restraint. She couldn't help but turn away.

Having been bullied by Shang Xinlei and Yaoshiyuan, she dared not speak up and instead sought revenge on Ying Rushi.

Back in her room, Yan Qing changed into some comfortable clothes and wondered what to do that afternoon.

Should I log into Bunny Girl's account and try out the secret realm of Swallow Town, or log into Rat Monk's account and continue farming Xuanwu Lake Town? But I don't feel very interested in either, since Yan Qing already has plenty of second and third tier resources, so accumulating more wouldn't make much difference.

His situation has a specific term in gaming forums: 'Lumbering Threshold'. Many players who reach the sixth level of Foundation Establishment will encounter the Lumbering Threshold. Their cultivation and equipment are at the top level, and the income from logging becomes very low, but they are still not enough to reach the Gold Seeking Ascension. This is the point where players are most likely to quit the game. If they want to go further, they either have to risk participating in the Seeking Dao War and offending other players, or they can simply use real money to hire a Golden Core Immortal Lord to protect them.

While others encounter the logging threshold only when seeking gold, he encountered it right after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage... In fact, the so-called logging threshold means that one is unable to acquire higher-level resources, and lower-level resources cannot propel one upwards.

Knock knock, the door was knocked on. Yan Qing went to open it and saw a bulging snake.

Without a word, Shang Xinlei pulled him back to her room, closed the door, and questioned him:

Didn't I just tell you to come find me?

Yan Qing was speechless: "Didn't you just elbow me in a fit of anger?"

"Am I that easily angered?!" Shang Xinlei waved her little fist: "Believe it or not, I'll hit you!"

But after saying that, she laughed and lightly punched Yan Qing: "You promised me before that you would come back and go sightseeing in Jiangnan City with me."

"Shall we go now?" Yan Qing asked.

Shang Xinlei was somewhat tempted, but still shook her head: "You're not afraid of death, but I am. We're about to start the Foundation Establishment stage. If I accidentally scratch or injure myself, I'm doomed. I need to master the new secret technique as soon as possible in the next five days. It's a movement technique, you know."

As she spoke, she suddenly became annoyed, pouting as she said, "It's all your fault. I've been waiting for you to come back for the past two days... If I had known the mission would be this difficult, I would have focused on my cultivation."

"I'll protect you all during this mission, after all, I was the first to reach the Foundation Establishment stage—"

"Does Black Wolf need your protection?" Shang Xinlei rolled her eyes at him: "I don't need your protection."

Spending time with her makes you forget that Shang Xinlei is actually a very strong-willed girl, so strong that she dared to assassinate the emperor by herself. That's how it is with a noble lady; she loves to enjoy life and never loses to anyone in her career. She wants everything and wants to get all the benefits without even standing up. So even if she is severely reprimanded by the pharmacist, she will not run away... She is just not strong enough for now, but she is definitely no worse than anyone else.

Yan Qing took her hands and stuffed two things inside.

Shang Xinlei looked down and saw a stone imprint and a bell, from which a faint pulse could be felt that invigorated her blood, spirit, and soul.

"The Mountain-Whipping Stone Seal and the Spirit-Driving Bell." Yan Qing asked, "You want me to protect you... huh?"

In that brief moment of distraction, Shang Xinlei had already absorbed all the Heavenly and Earthly Fiends. She closed her eyes, savored the sensation, and smacked her lips: "Pretty interesting." Anyone who didn't know better would think she had eaten something delicious.

"Then I won't delay your cultivation any longer, Miss. Go back and adapt to the changes in your Qi, blood, and spirit. If possible, see if you can master the Heavenly Gang Technique and Earthly Fiend Technique."

"Wait," Shang Xinlei grabbed his hand and turned it over: "Sure enough, this is a new injury, how did you hurt yourself again?"

"That's how it is when you fight a hundred guards."

Why aren't you applying the medicine?

"I applied it once and felt it was slowly getting better, so I got lazy and stopped applying it..."

"That won't do. It has to be applied until it's completely healed. Honestly, can't you take better care of yourself?"

"uh-huh."

How do you feel about the clothes?

"Make me a few more sets, I don't have enough to wear, and one of them is torn."

"Hmph, it depends on my mood."

...

When Yan Qing came out of Shang Xinlei's room, her hands felt slippery.

He opened the door but hadn't even gone in when he heard the door open behind him. He thought it was Shang Xinlei again, but when he turned around, he saw that it was Yaoshi Yuan who had opened the door. She peeked out from the doorway, but she didn't expect to see Yan Qing. She instinctively shrank back a little, but then peeked at Yan Qing again, looking just like a meme saying "I will always be watching you."

Yan Qing blinked and went to enter her room. The pharmacist pulled out a chair and sat down, asking, "Will the tools come in handy?"

"Of course, it was a great help."

"Then you can take these too." The pharmacist took out a bunch of indestructible talismans, fire paper, and other props from the drawer. Anyway, they were Zhou Kingdom's benefits, so why not take them for free?

"I happen to have something I'd like to discuss with you," Yan Qing said. "There's an opportunity that would benefit the Bunny Girl, but it also carries certain risks. Do you want her to go?"

"You shouldn't ask me, you should ask her."

"But this opportunity is also related to you," Yan Qing said. "Do you know where Master Suolong is now?"

"She usually cultivates diligently in the Medicine King Valley Secret Realm."

How far is the Medicine King Valley Secret Realm from your location?

"If I'm quick, I can get there in a day."

“Okay, I need you to go there first. I’ll tell you the details tomorrow.” Yan Qing said cautiously, “To be honest, I still haven’t decided whether I should involve you…”

"If you're worried about me, that's really not right. I can always go back to the Thieves' House. As for Wu Qiu and Shi Dong, there are still places in the Disaster Organization, right? If something really happens, just send them to the Red Serpent. They'll be maids anyway, and they're not that delicate."

"Are you willing to part with the name of the Ba River Pharmacist family?" Yan Qing asked.

"I was so stubborn and impulsive before because I wasn't sure how far I could go. But now I possess both the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, and when I return after completing my foundation building, the Ba River Pharmacist Clan Genealogy will naturally begin with me. Why bother with temporary fame?" Pharmacist Yuan said with a smile.

Aren't you going to ask me what I want?

"Would you bother me for something so trivial? Your most important task right now is to advance to the fourth stage of Foundation Establishment." The Pharmacist stood up: "There's no time to lose. I'll head back now. I'll tell everyone I'm going sightseeing and won't reveal my whereabouts."

That's how it is to talk to a pharmacist. There are no follow-up questions or entanglements. You tell her what you want to say, she listens and everything is settled. If it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't. It's as straightforward as a nail being driven into a wooden board. She will also fill in any parts that she hasn't mentioned.

"I thought you came to ask me to read books together," Yan Qing said with a smile.

"Let's talk about it another time." Pharmacist Yuan didn't seem to care much about this little agreement.

However, she paused before leaving and glanced at Yan Qing: "Are you very tired? You fell asleep in the lobby last night."

Yan Qing hummed in agreement, but Yao Shiyuan remained standing still, watching him. A thought struck Yan Qing, and he went over and hugged Yao Shiyuan. Yao Shiyuan also wrapped her arms around his waist and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm a little tired, I want to hug you," Yan Qing said. "I'm the kind of person who would bother you with something so small."

“If you’re really that tired, fine.” Yakushi rubbed her face against his neck. “Well, you’re the leader, after all.”

……

...

Yan Qing came out of Yaoshi Yuan's room, and after taking two steps, she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Ying Rushi's door.

Stare~
No one opened the door.

So Yan Qing went straight over and knocked on the door.

Knock knock, no response. Knock knock, still no response.

Is he really not here?
Just then, the door suddenly opened a crack, and Yan Qing felt herself being pulled inside. When she came to her senses, she was already pressed against the door, and in front of her was Ying Rushi, who was furious.

"What are you thinking?!" Ying Ru looked like she wanted to hit someone. "How dare you knock on the door? Aren't you afraid of being discovered by Black Wolf and Red Serpent? Just now in the meeting, you almost exposed our relationship!"

"What is our relationship now?" Yan Qing asked in return.

(End of this chapter)