Chapter 64: Is This Even Possible?

Leveling up from 10 to 11 actually requires 110,000 experience points? Are you kidding me? The required experience just increased a hundredfold! As Chen Yun was about to curse out loud, another system notification arrived.

“Player Chen Yun has completed the first stage of the A-rank chain quest. During the quest, no NPCs from the Justice faction were harmed. Stage one evaluation: Special Grade.”

Chen Yun was stunned. That’s it? You’re just giving me a notification and nothing else? Where’s my experience reward? My fame reward? Item rewards? Did you eat them all?

“Stage two quest initiated: Cure the mysterious illness afflicting NPC Shen Qi. Countdown: 59 minutes, 59 seconds…”

Before Chen Yun could finish complaining, the second stage of the chain quest appeared.

“Damn it, now there’s a time limit? This is outrageous!” Chen Yun couldn’t waste time complaining anymore. He quickly switched back to his real body and dashed toward the banquet hall.

The banquet hall was still in chaos. By now, even the most thickheaded bodyguards stationed outside by Shen Qiang realized something had gone wrong inside. They arrived immediately, shocked by the devastated scene. Under the orders of their captain, some protected Shen Qiang and the guests, while others cleaned up the aftermath, removed the corpses, and scrubbed away the blood. For a time, the scene was a flurry of hectic activity.

Yet, clearly, the guests’ attention was not on the slain assassins. After all, if you placed a corpse and a high-level cultivator before anyone, all eyes would be on the cultivator. The guests’ conversations revolved entirely around the enigmatic high-level cultivator who had appeared so suddenly and disappeared just as quickly. If not for his final warning, they would have already sent people far and wide to search for him.

After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please!” The microphones and sound system had been completely destroyed, so Shen Qiang had no choice but to shout at the top of his lungs, “You’ve all seen and heard what just occurred. I want everyone here—including myself—to keep this matter to yourselves. Do not let it spread. The world of high-level cultivators is not one we can touch.”

“Tonight, everyone has been frightened. I truly appreciate you all coming to my daughter Qi’s birthday banquet. However, after what has happened, the banquet must end here. Please return home, and remember: do not spread a word of this. Otherwise, the high-level cultivator may indeed come looking for you.”

Few present paid heed to Shen Qiang’s earlier words, but his last sentence certainly caught their attention. The memory of that cultivator wiping out seven men with a wave of his hand, along with his chilling warning, made everyone reconsider. They resolved to keep this secret, reasoning that if a high-level cultivator could foresee trouble tonight, he might well be able to discern whether they had spread word of it.

“Heavens! What happened here?” Chen Yun reappeared at the banquet hall entrance, feigning an exaggerated look of shock, raising his voice so all could hear: “Was there an earthquake? Good grief, someone’s dead?!”

Chairman Jiang heard Chen Yun’s voice and hurried over, examining him carefully. Only after making sure Chen Yun was unharmed did he ask, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I just came from the restroom. But what happened here?” Chen Yun pretended ignorance, though he knew exactly what had transpired.

“Well… Some things are better left unknown. Knowing too much does no one any good.” For Chen Yun’s safety, Chairman Jiang kept the truth from him, little knowing that the main actor in tonight’s drama was standing right before him.

“Oh… alright.”

“Come on, the banquet can’t go on tonight. Let me take you home,” Chairman Jiang said, pulling Chen Yun along.

Wait! I can’t leave! If I go, how am I supposed to complete the second stage of the quest? Chen Yun panicked. Just then, he caught sight of Shen Qi trembling uncontrollably and quickly said, “Chairman Jiang, look—the mayor’s daughter doesn’t seem well.”

Hearing this, Jiang Shan turned to look at Shen Qi, who was being supported by the mayor’s wife. After a moment, he sighed and said, “She must have been frightened, which aggravated her condition. Such a beautiful girl—what a pity.”

“A pity? Why is it a pity?” Chen Yun asked.

“This young lady suffers from a rare illness,” Jiang Shan sighed. “There are only thirty-five recorded cases worldwide. Medically, it’s called aquagenic urticaria. It’s a strange disease: the patient cannot come into contact with anything but distilled water. She can’t even cry, because the salt in her tears causes her skin intense pain. In severe cases, patients can only drink small amounts of cola to stay hydrated, cannot remain in contact with water for long, and can only shower for a few minutes at most. This young woman’s condition is extremely severe; any part of her body that touches water causes excruciating pain, to the point where even using the restroom can make her faint. To date, there is no known cure.”

Chen Yun listened in a daze, but the description gave him chills. Drinking water was agony, using the bathroom could make her faint—how terrifying was that?

“Master, can you take me over for a look?” As he spoke, Chen Yun cast a diagnostic skill at Shen Qi, but the system notified him that the target was too far away, so the skill failed. He turned to Jiang Shan.

“What, do you have an idea?” Jiang Shan asked, always hopeful for surprises from this young man.

“I don’t know. Let me take a look first.” Chen Yun was being honest. He depended entirely on the system to complete tasks. If the system said it could be done, it could. If not, there was nothing he could do.

“Alright, I hope you can help. Such a good girl having to suffer like this is truly a tragedy. I’ll take you over to have a look.”

Jiang Shan led Chen Yun over to Shen Qiang.

Shen Qiang had also noticed his daughter’s distress. He and his wife were supporting her, one on each side. Seeing Jiang Shan approach, he called out anxiously, “Chairman Jiang, please take a look at my daughter. She’s suddenly in so much pain—has her condition gotten worse?”

“Yes. The fright caused her blood flow to accelerate, resulting in severe pain throughout her body. We must calm her emotions before considering further action,” Jiang Shan said after feeling Shen Qi’s pulse.

Meanwhile, Ye Ming, standing to the side, used a diagnostic skill on Shen Qi.

The next second, Chen Yun’s eyes widened in shock.

What the hell? There’s a function like this?

System, are you kidding me?

“NPC Shen Qi. Race: Human. Class: Novice Scholar. Level: 14. HP: 300/300… Abnormal status: Advanced stage aquagenic urticaria. Treatment methods: 1. Use a high-grade Exorcism Pill. 2. Recruit target as maid (for females; males become attendants), which will automatically remove all negative statuses.”

“Player Chen Yun has triggered the attendant function. Would you like to activate it?”

Chen Yun felt as if a flock of cawing birds was circling his head. How could a simple quest turn into unlocking the attendant feature?

“Not now,” Chen Yun muttered inwardly, his face clouded with indecision.

The system was clear: there were only two ways to cure her. The first was a high-grade Exorcism Pill—whatever that was, he’d never heard of it before.

“Am I really supposed to make the mayor’s daughter my maid?” The thought of the cherished daughter of Blue Rhythm City’s mayor trailing after him, calling him “Master,” filled Chen Yun with a strange and overwhelming excitement.

But then came the real question: how was he supposed to explain this to them?

Was he really supposed to say, “I can cure your daughter, but only if she becomes my maid”?