Chapter 71: The Travel Permit

Yun Qing clenched her fists. She too needed to break through to the Innate stage soon, so she could seek opportunities for cultivation in the city of rogue cultivators.

Ye Xiaolang said, “Yun Qing, may I ask you a question?”

He was so solemn that Yun Qing felt uneasy. “Please, go ahead.”

“In the illusion formation, fighting soul corpses grants us the power of their vital energy. I could sense your excitement, but why, when faced with those unruly villagers, was your heart completely unmoved?”

Yun Qing was speechless, uncertain how to respond. She realized, though, that what Ye Xiaolang called experience was the power of vital energy. Her excitement stemmed from the silver she could collect—after finishing a dungeon, she had picked up more than ten chunks of pork belly and over three hundred taels of silver.

As for the villagers’ rudeness, her heart remained unmoved because she knew they weren’t real people, but merely NPCs with limited programming, only capable of repeating a few lines. There was no other way but to do as they said; anger would not help, nor could she kill them—unless she wanted to forfeit her reward.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning seemed to streak through Yun Qing’s mind.

Her thoughts and attitude toward NPCs—weren’t they just like the attitude many people had toward her?

In the modern era, people of higher status and lower status always communicate with polite attitudes. But perhaps those of higher status don’t really consider the others their equals, maybe not even the same kind. There’s no need, no intersection; and if there is, it’s only for a purpose. The simple needs of lower-status people are transparent to those above, who need only communicate kindly and ‘complete tasks’ to achieve their goals.

Even if the lower-status person is rude or impolite, the higher-status person won’t get angry. There’s no reason to let someone with such basic needs affect their emotions. Going berserk and killing NPCs could easily result in mission failure—utterly unnecessary.

As Yun Qing remained silent, Ye Xiaolang said, “I was too abrupt.”

Yun Qing hurriedly replied, “No, not at all. Gaining vital energy makes me very happy. As for dealing with the villagers’ difficulties, I did everything they asked because I thought their strength far exceeded mine. This must be a formation designed by seniors. Apart from following their instructions, I saw no way to save myself.”

Ye Xiaolang nodded. “I see. Then, if you encountered such villagers in Ye Family Village, what would you do?”

In the past, Yun Qing would have thought to retort immediately. Now, she considered whether she and they were truly on the same level. If she were a high-level cultivator, she wouldn’t waste energy arguing with foolish commoners.

“That depends on the situation. Generally, I don’t like to suffer grievances unless I can’t win.”

“Hahaha!” Ye Xiaolang laughed. His mindset was still lacking—he let the puppets in the formation stir his emotions. His cultivation of temperament still needed improvement.

In the darkest hour before dawn, Ye Xiaolang and Yun Qing returned to the village.

By then, everyone at the relief station was resting.

Ye Xiaolang slapped his storage pouch and took out one hundred taels of gold, handing it to Yun Qing. “I have other matters to attend to. The food stored on you, please help distribute it. Give both the food and this hundred taels of gold to the relief station. The gold is my donation; the food is from both of us.”

Seeing the gold held out before her, Yun Qing swallowed hard. If only this gold were hers—all her skills could be learned, and upgrading them would be effortless.

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But a mere hundred taels of gold could never tarnish her character. She believed that, before long, she’d be able to hand out such sums herself.

Yun Qing accepted the gold, her gaze resolute. “Don’t worry!”

“Ye Xiaolang’s favorability toward you +20.”

Ye Xiaolang stepped forward, patting Yun Qing’s left shoulder with his right hand. “Cultivate well. Until we meet again.”

The expected yet sudden farewell left Yun Qing, holding the heavy gold, at a loss. She opened her mouth and squeezed out, “Until we meet again!”

Having bade Yun Qing goodbye, Ye Xiaolang sought out Captain Ye Mao and the former hunting party members in the village.

Before dawn, Ye Xiaolang left Ye Family Village alone.

In this strange world, the one who had helped her most—Ye Xiaolang—was gone. Clutching the hundred taels of gold, Yun Qing felt a complicated mix of emotions as she returned to her room at the relief station, somewhat forlorn.

With a thought, she took out the pork belly dropped by soul corpses from the system backpack. From meat to skin, even the bristles, Yun Qing could only identify it as pork.

“Liuliu, do you eat this?”

Liuliu glanced at the pork belly in Yun Qing’s hand. “Yes, Liuliu likes meat.”

Throwing the meat to the soul sprite, Yun Qing felt there was nothing wrong with giving system-dropped meat to the system spirit—so long as real soul corpses didn’t drop pork, she was fine with it.

After clearing a dungeon and running more than twenty miles through the night, Yun Qing was tired. She entered her cave abode, quickly managed the farm and basic crafting machine, then collapsed onto the simple wooden bed to recover her strength.

Three hours later, Yun Qing awoke on the plank bed, her back aching. Her energy was fully restored.

Leaving the cave, she stretched. “Liuliu, today is another energetic day.”

By now, the sky was bright. Outside was noisy; the relief station housed many people. The elderly, who slept little, had risen early and were chatting about their daily lives.

Yun Qing found a place with water to clean the game Ye Xiaolang had given her the previous night. By the time she finished, the sun had risen.

She went to the relief station and found Aunt Ye Six, donating the food hunted yesterday and the hundred taels of gold.

However, Yun Qing told her everything was from Ye Xiaolang. Since he’d left at dawn, she was merely delivering it for him.

Looking at the well-prepared ingredients, all traces of poison removed, Aunt Ye Six trusted the game was Ye Xiaolang’s, but such careful handling—Little Wolf could not have managed it. It must have been Yun Qing’s work.

Aunt Ye Six accepted the food and gold, and Yun Qing saw through the system’s favorability meter that Aunt Ye Six’s attitude toward her suddenly jumped by several dozen points, reaching “Friendly.”

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In the daylight, brimming with energy, Yun Qing was just short of enough combat experience to reach the Postnatal stage. She decided to try her luck alone in the Poisoned Wheat Field Village.

After checking her tools, Yun Qing left the village alone.

Along the way, she saw many polluted resources but didn’t gather them, unwilling to waste time on a plant or two.

Upon entering the poisoned wheat field’s area, resources suddenly multiplied.

She didn’t discriminate—herbs, weeds, wild vegetables, wild fruits—she gathered anything that granted experience.

Gathering experience +50;
Obtained one intact polluted blood-staunching herb;
Gathering experience +50;
Obtained one intact polluted blood-staunching herb;
Gathering experience +50;
Obtained one intact polluted qi-ginseng;
Gathering experience +30;
Obtained one intact polluted onion;
…

There were no failures in gathering; resources and experience poured in. Barring the risk of sudden wild dangers, this place was paradise.

Luckily, her fortune held. After three hours of gathering, she only encountered rabbits and snakes, small animals that avoided her. No aggressive beasts appeared.

She had collected over three hundred polluted resources. Her gathering skill leveled up, but she still hadn’t reached her goal—the Wheat Field Village.

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