Who Walks in the Rain?

Tommy was caught off guard and scratched by a Gnoll. In the heat of battle, he couldn't tend to the wound, so he had to let the blood flow freely. Under its effect, swinging his greatsword became a struggle, and he felt like he was losing his footing.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Li Shaolin quickly fired Bone Fang in a rapid shot, but a Gnoll lashed out with its claws, clanging twice as it deflected the incoming projectile. Seizing the brief reprieve, Tommy scrambled back to Li Shaolin's side.

Planting his sword on the ground, Tommy gasped for air twice and cursed, "These two Gnolls are way tougher than usual. Wonder if they've got some leader or something."

A flash of inspiration struck, and Li Shaolin was about to use Detection to check, but before he could act, the Gnolls howled and charged.

"Can you still fight?" he asked Tommy.

"Hah, this little scratch is nothing." Tommy hoisted his greatsword. "One each?"

Li Shaolin nodded, fired off two more Bone Fangs, and the Stone Golem along with Tommy surged forward to meet them.

Though the Gnolls were formidable, they couldn't withstand the three-pronged assault. Bone Fang consumed very little mana, and after a few rapid volleys, Li Shaolin blew one Gnoll's head off. The other saw the writing on the wall, abandoned Tommy, and turned to flee.

With a shout, Tommy swung his sword fiercely, leaving a gash across its back, but he couldn't finish it off, and it escaped across the river.

Once the Gnoll was gone, Tommy dropped his greatsword and collapsed to the ground, utterly spent and unable to move. The wound on his hip had torn wider, staining everything red.

"You alright, kid?" Unable to find anything else, Li Shaolin tore off his own clothes and started bandaging him up. He made a mental note to stock up on supplies next time he went to Goldshire.

"Cough, could you help me back? Sorry for the trouble." Tommy said awkwardly.

There was no time to recall the Stone Golem, but with his repeated level-ups, Li Shaolin's stamina and strength had soared. Supporting Tommy, a man nearly two meters tall, felt effortless.

Back at the farm, their return caused another stir. Someone had already notified Bonis, and Tommy was escorted to his room by servants, freeing Li Shaolin to pull out the Book of the Dead and store the Stone Golem away.

Soon after, Bonis came downstairs.

She glanced at Li Shaolin and asked with some concern, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Is Tommy okay?" He didn't catch the hidden worry in her tone.

"Yeah, I was planning to have the town's priest take a look, just in case something lingers." Bonis brushed her shoulder-length hair back, looked at him, and then let out a soft chuckle.

"Do I have something on my face?" Li Shaolin asked, puzzled.

"No, I was just thinking—you're a professional, yet you don't carry bandages and resort to such an old-fashioned method, tearing your clothes, hehe." Bonis laughed again.

"Well... I ran out of bandages." Li Shaolin was mortified.

"By the way, Lin, your house is finished. You won't need to stay in Goldshire anymore." Bonis straightened her expression.

"That fast?"

"Come on, I'll show you."

So the two wound through the farm and arrived at a small wooden cabin.

The house was set apart from most of the others, likely because Bonis had considered his profession as a mage and wanted a quiet spot for him. The structure was like most local ones, built from wood and stone—a simple two-story building leaning against a massive Elwynn Ancient Tree. Not bad at all.

So that's why it was built so fast. I was thinking in terms of reinforced concrete and forgot they don't use that here.

Bonis smiled. "Make do with this for now. If you need anything, just ask. Of course, if you want a bigger place, you'll have to pay for it yourself."

"Heh, having a place to stay is enough. I'm really grateful." Even though she was doing him a favor because of the Fargodeep Mine, he was still thankful. At least he had a home in this other world now.

"Alright, go take a look inside. I'll have someone bring you a change of clothes. Oh, and if you get lonely sleeping alone at night, I can arrange a maid for you." Bonis winked teasingly.

"Cough!" Caught off guard, Li Shaolin choked. "Don't joke around. I'm heading to Goldshire now to grab my things. By the way, is there a priest I can hire to check on Tommy?"

Bonis thought for a moment. "The town's priests are all busy. Usually, patients go to them; it's rare to get one to come out. Maybell from the Makrolen Family is a priest too, and she and Tommy have something going on. She might be willing to help, but..."

"What's the problem?" Li Shaolin asked, confused.

"Our families have a blood feud. I've let it go and don't care, but her old stubborn father won't budge. There's no way he'd let Maybell come out."

So that's it. Li Shaolin pressed on, "No other way?"

"Other way? Let me think." Bonis pondered briefly, then shook her head. "Unless we could get an Invisibility Potion for Maybell to sneak out, but where would we easily find one of those?"

An Invisibility Potion? Didn't I get a stack from Azshara's Tower? Li Shaolin quickly pulled out a bottle and handed it to Bonis. "Is this it?"

Bonis was startled. "Where did you get this?" She paused, then grinned. "You didn't use this stuff for anything shady, did you? Alright, then you should go invite Maybell yourself. Tommy can help out at Jerod's Dock later."

Li Shaolin nodded. Bonis returned the Invisibility Potion and turned back. He entered his room to take a good look around.

On the first floor, two sets of wooden tables and chairs gave off a fresh woody scent, clearly just made. The fireplace was built but unlit, lending a chilly feel. Beside it, a wooden staircase led to the second floor.

Upstairs, there was a brand-new wooden bed with a bookshelf placed nearby—thoughtfully arranged. Not bad at all.

After checking everything, he came back down to find a young girl standing outside, holding a linen robe. Seeing Li Shaolin, she quickly said, "Lord Li, the clan leader said to change into this. Also, your bedding and such will be delivered shortly."

Though he wasn't used to being addressed that way or having people speak so formally to him, there was no helping it—that was just how this world worked.

He nodded, took the clothes, and didn't bother changing properly, just threw the robe on over himself. It fit well enough.

Just then, another young man led over the black horse that Old Man Makrolen had given him.

Well, time for me to hit the road again.

Riding along, Makrolen Farm soon came into view. Coincidentally, a young girl was patrolling on a small white mare—it was Maybell.

She looked up, and seeing Li Shaolin, blushed a little. After all, having someone deliver a love letter was pretty embarrassing.

Li Shaolin reined in his horse. "Maybell, are you a priest? Tommy got scratched by a Gnoll. You need to come quick."

"What?" Maybell's heart jolted, and worry flooded her face.

So Li Shaolin explained the situation, then took out a bottle of Invisibility Potion and handed it to her, saying, "You should go now."

Maybell nodded, looked at the Invisibility Potion, and hesitated, "My father's foot bones are injured right now, so he can't look after me. I probably won't need this."

"Take it, it might come in handy. By the way, can't you help treat your father's injury? It should heal faster that way," Li Shaolin asked curiously.

"Well, my healing ability is very weak. I can only treat simple flesh wounds; I have no way to heal broken bones," Maybell replied sheepishly.

Watching Maybell walk away, Li Shaolin thought about where to go. Maybe he should check out the mine? He could go alone at night to scout Jerod's Dock.

The sky was already getting late and had turned overcast; he wasn't sure if it would rain. Sigh, I hope Old Man Makrolen doesn't find out about Maybell and Tommy. As for how Maybell will get back later, Bonis should handle that.

When he reached the mine, he felt more and more at ease there. Homor saw him coming, put down his work, and hurried over.

Li Shaolin told Homor about what happened at Makrolen Farm, implying they wouldn't cause trouble anymore. Homor was instantly filled with admiration. After all, the feud between the two families had lasted for years, and Li Shaolin had resolved it in half a day—though not completely settled, it was still impressive. Homor immediately started flattering him endlessly.

Li Shaolin wasn't very familiar with this world anyway, since there were some differences between the game and reality. Homor, naturally, was eager to get closer to his actual master. So the two scoundrels—one like Zhou Yu, the other like Huang Gai—spent ages chatting and boasting aimlessly. Half a day passed in no time, and it was already dinner. By then, a light drizzle had begun to fall.

In just a short while, Homor had grown quite familiar with Li Shaolin. He stood up and said, "Wait here, I'll have someone bring you dinner. I'll go make arrangements first."

Li Shaolin nodded, signaling for him to do as he pleased.

Before long, the cook brought bread, pumpkin soup, and roasted meat, and the aroma filled the air.

Meanwhile, the rain outside was getting heavier. Under Homor's orders, the workers had all taken shelter in the wooden cabins and were starting their dinners.

Sigh, the class divide in this world is huge. After chatting with Homor for a while, Li Shaolin had come to understand a lot. Staring at the mine entrance, where a puddle had already formed, he couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a faint figure flash across the water's surface, disturbed by the raindrops!

Who was that?