Chapter 367 Hills of Despair
In the afternoon, I continued to grind levels and also took the opportunity to go to the Cave of the Dead King. There, I gathered some more newly spawned Spirit Recovering Grass, training my alchemy skill until the experience reached 87%. I was missing just a bit more to becoming a Lv10 alchemist and if everything proceeded as planned, I would undoubtedly be Ba Huang City’s first.
……
Around 5 in the afternoon, I logged off to eat with Wan Er and Dong Cheng only to discover that Tang Qi was also at the bottom of the girls dorm. In his hand, he carried his small turtle shell. Grinning at me, he said, “Li Xiao Yao, you came?”
I glanced over at him and said, “Yea, I’m here to pick up Wan Er, you?”
“I’m here to pick up Dong Cheng Yue, you know that…”
“Hehe….”
“F*ck, who are you laughing at?!”
“Who are you, do I know you?”
Tang Qi was speechless.
A few minutes later, the two beauties came down the stairs, hand in hand. They were incredibly beautiful with their dresses fluttering in the wind. Having seen this many times, I was accustomed to it but Tang Qi was completely mesmerized. His entire person seemed dumbfounded as he murmered, “So beautiful…..”
I glanced at him, then couldn’t help but smile. I walked up to Wan Er and asked, “Wan Er, what are we eating tonight?”
“Let’s eat barbeque, I want to eat meat…..” The beautiful little miss coquettishly decided.
My heart skipped a beat and I nearly cried out but managed a normal reply instead, “Alright. There are a few barbecue places in the school and they all seem pretty good. Let’s head over. Dong Cheng, you’re coming along too, right?”
Dong Cheng giggled, “Yup. Of course I’m going with Brother Xiao Yao….”
Tang Qi looked at us awkwardly from the side. Wan Er felt a little guilty and asked, “Tang Qi, do you want to come too?”
“Uh, yes! Yes!” Tang Qi seemed as though he was grasping at straws and sent a gracious look at Wan Er. However, Wan Er quickly grabbed onto my sleeve and dragged me away.
……
Within the barbeque buffet on campus, Wan Er and I sat together, busy greasing and sprinkling spices. Dong Cheng quietly sat on the other side, her beautiful eyes emotionlessly staring at Tang Qi. Tang Qi could only shiver from the glare before asking, “Little miss, exactly what did I do to offend you so much?”
A corner of Dong Cheng’s lips twitched into a smile as she said, “Not at all, you haven’t offended me. It’s just, my personality isn’t that great, and I just don’t feel good seeing you. That’s why my face looks like this. You don’t have to feel guilty, it has nothing to do with you.”
Tang Qi’s face turned green, “This… How could this not have anything to do with me? I’m the person involved…..”
Wan Er couldn’t help but smile, “Alright. Tang Qi you don’t have to panic so much. Dong Cheng isn’t a very narrow-minded girl. She’s just rebelling against the arrangement made by Uncle. When my dad arranged to have Li Xiao Yao stay by my side, I was irritated at first too. I still got used to it in the end; Now, if…”
Wan Er paused and cast a glance at me with her beautiful smiling eyes. She continued grinning and said, “If he were to suddenly disappear from my side now, then I will really feel strange.”
Dong Cheng Yue clenched her fist and pouted, “Don’t say anymore, Wan Er. With Li Xiao Yao staying by your side, at least you like him.. But what about me? It’s a presumptuous super idiot with intellectual deficiency staying beside me……
Tang Qi shuddered and said, “I…… I…… Little Miss, when did I become a super idiot? Although I, Tang Qi, am not an elegant and distinguished person, but…… but I am still considered good looking, brave and strong in my hometown……”
Lin Wan Er giggled, “Okay, Dong Cheng. Stop twisting yourself into a knot with these. You are going to stay with me in the future anyway. Tang Qi is just a shadow that accompanies us when we eat and shop, just regard him as air. You can continue teasing Li Xiao Yao. I won’t mind at all……”
I coughed, “I mind, okay?”
Dong Cheng Yue immediately looked at me with hurt expression, “Brother Xiao Yao, you don’t love Dong Cheng anymore?”
I twitched my mouth, “Sis, when have I ever loved you? Speak clearly, I am not a very careless person, you know. Seriously……
Dong Cheng Yue pouted her mouth and sat there reservedly, “It looks like my days of a one-sided love will still continue for a long time……”
Tang Qi clenched his fist and exclaimed, “I can’t tolerate this any longer. Little Miss, I want to help you uphold justice!”
Emitting a killing aura, Dong Cheng Yue glared at Tang Qi with her beautiful eyes, “Do you have the right to talk here? Get lost!”
Tang Qi was shocked, “Such a quick change of attitude. I…… I suddenly feel slightly overwhelmed with grief…… “
Dong Cheng Yue stretched her hand and pointed southward, “There. A clear lake is near southern side of the library. Many couples are making out there. If you don’t mind, you can do a magnificent jump into it. Tsk, tsk……”
Tang Qi’s face turned purple, “My future living environment is really crazy……”
As he was saying, Tang Qi raised his brows and looked at me, “Li Xiao Yao, isn’t all of this because of you? Even though you came first, I……I, Tang Qi, will not give up.”
I grinned, “What are you talking about? Why can’t I understand? Let me tell you. The three people sitting in this table are [Zhan Long]’s members; just you alone are a member of [Hero’s Mound]. Figure it out yourself. Stay low, if not you will get beaten to death!”
Tang Qi became speechless, “……”
……
……
After dinner, we strolled on the small path of the school. Wan Er walked rather slowly, so I slowed my pace too. My instincts told me that Missy had something to say right now.
As expected, Wan Er stared at the fallen leaves and asked softly, “Li Xiao Yao, are you really going to fight Tang Qi in the number 7 basketball court tonight at 10 o’clock?
I nodded in response, “Yeah.”
“Why must you?” She gave me a perplexed look and said, “You know, Tang Qi is the person hired by Uncle Dong Cheng. You being on bad terms with Tang Qi will cause the relationship between my father and Uncle Dong Cheng to become uneasy. Also, it would not be a good thing for Dong Cheng, since we still don’t know Tang Qi well enough. If he is someone with malicious intent, then Dong Cheng will be in danger!”
I smiled, “Don’t worry. I have my own intentions. I am responsible for your safety as well as Dong Cheng’s safety. I must show Tang Qi who’s the Boss around you two. No matter how strong Tang Qi is, he must obey me during decisive moments, otherwise I can’t promise to keep you and Dong Cheng safe. The fight with Tang Qi today is not because of jealousy, but to decide who’s the Boss!”
Wan Er stared at me with her bright eyes widened. Suddenly, she grinned, “Alright, I really don’t understand the world of you boys. But rest assured, Dong Cheng and I will come at 10 o’clock on the dot to watch the fight tonight……What are you planning to do when you get back to your dorm?”
I pondered and answered, “I wanna rush my Lv 10 alchemy. Wan Er, what maps in Fan Shu City do the Lv 9 herbs, Spirit Recovering Grass, spawn in? I have been to all spawn points of this herb in Ba Huang City, so I am thinking of going to Fan Shu City. I am really close to getting Lv 10 Alchemy.”
“Hmm. I don’t know yet, but I will help you check. With my connections, it’s pretty easy.”
“Alrighty!”
……
I returned to the dorm and went online!
“Shua!”
I appeared in Ba Huang City. After checking my bag, I dissolved some rubbish weapons I took out from National Beauty and received some God Army Cards. I suited up for the journey and went directly out of Ba Huang City. I then opened the world map, locked onto my destination and sped towards Fan Shu City with my Flaming Tiger God in tow.
“Di!”
The Beauty Cang Tong sent a call request, and I immediately answered——
“Li Xiao Yao, I found it. There are three locations that spawn Lv 9 herbs in Fan Shu City. The first one is taken by [Hero’s Mound] and the other one is taken by [Porcelain Goblet]. The last one is quite hidden and not many people know about it. Only this map gives you the possibility of finding some newly spawned herbs.
My eyes lit up, “What’s the name the map?”
Wan Er chuckled, “It’s a hidden map located northeast of Fan Shu City, not too far from Ba Huang City. The exact coordinate is (172373,78484), but the levels of the monsters there are extremely high. I heard the monsters there are almost Lv 80. Plus, many top players of Fan Shu City might also be hunting there. You must be cautious. After all, the badge of Ba Huang City is displayed on your shoulder so the people of Fan Shu City might pursue and kill you if they see you.
“Yeah, I got it!”
“Erm……do you need me to accompany you?”
“Err…… “ I pondered and grinned, “No need. I can gather the herbs myself. I won’t take up any more of your time. You should go training yourself. Muah……”
Wan Er smiled sourly, “Fine, then you watch out. Tell me straightly you got PK and I will bring people there to get revenge for you.
I burst out in laughter, “Don’t worry. It’s the Boss of Ba Huang City going to Fan Shu City, how would he get bullied? They should thank the heavens if I don’t bully them!”
“True that!”
“Get your things done first. I am going to gather herbs!”
“Okay!”
……
After dashing for 40 minutes, chunks of boundary stones appeared in the flourishing jungle. Ba Huang was wrote on the obverse side of the monument and Fan Shu was inscribed on the reverse side. This is the borderline of the two cities.
The instant I stepped past, the system bell rang: Attention please! You have entered the boundary of Fan Shu City!
The system’s map coordinates refreshed and changed into that of Fan Shu City. I saw that I wasn’t too far from the coordinate that Wan Er had informed me of. The journey would take just a maximum of 20 minutes. Perfect! I immediately made my way there swiftly!
After crossing the desolate plain, an abstruse jungle appeared ahead of me. Amidst the dense shrubbery were several hills. As I approached the coordinates, the sound of the system bell rang in my ears——
“Ding!”
System Notification: Attention please! You have entered the perilous map——Hills of Despair！
Map Introduction: Hills of Despair; an enormous zone made up of unstably connected mountain ranges. Due to the earth’s magnetic poles, these enormous mountains float in the sky and and are joined together by green vines. Terrifying wild animals inhabit the jungle surrounding these mountains. It is an area that adventurers of mankind wish to avoid. However, some herbs that people desire thrive within this hilly region, therefore the Hills of Despair became the graveyard of adventurers, accompanied by agony and despair.
……
I looked up and saw mountains floating in midair. Green vines were hanging below the mountains while the howls of wild animals resounded from the mountain peak. This was a really interesting map.
“Pa!”
Grabbing a green vine, I lifted myself up and within moments, ascended the floating mountains.