The Second Round of Competition with Lin Yueru

Ghost Yin Mountain, located southwest of Baihe Village, earned its name because the surrounding foliage is dense and shadowy, appearing eerie and terrifying, much like the silhouettes of ghosts.

Such a place is naturally a prime spot for bandits and mountain brigands; it is said that the imperial court has sent troops to suppress them many times. Unfortunately, like wild grass that cannot be burned away by fire and grows again with the spring breeze, every so often, new outlaws take up residence here. Whether they are passing travelers or nearby villagers, everyone has grown accustomed to it—if you can't afford to offend them, you simply take a detour. Is it not better to avoid trouble than to face it?

Although the Ghost Shadow Flower is named after the entire mountain, it does not grow everywhere. On the contrary, its growth conditions are quite harsh, restricted to a small area on the mountainside. Since that location is easy to defend and hard to attack, it has always been a haunt for bandits, so the idea of avoiding the bandits to pick a few flowers and leaving is simply not feasible.

Naturally, the battle-hungry Lin Yueru felt the bandits were too weak and showed signs of disappointment, but Gao Xu's solemn expression seemed to suggest that the enemies were not so simple, which inevitably stirred some anticipation in her heart.

Reality did not disappoint Lin Yueru. Whether it was a deliberate arrangement by the space or simply Gao Xu's good luck, the moment the two reached the foot of Ghost Yin Mountain, they happened upon a conflict.

At the foot of Ghost Yin Mountain, there is a natural cave that was cleared by predecessors, leading directly to the mountainside—the very gathering place of the bandits.

Such a vital location was naturally guarded by heavy forces; several bandits with fierce, scarred faces held broadswords and clubs, each exuding an aura as if one man could hold the pass against ten thousand.

On the other side, however, were over a dozen Miao Tribesmen. They were burly, their faces flushed with vitality, the veins on their hands bulging, and their temples slightly distended—all of them were formidable martial artists.

With these two sides clashing, there was bound to be a good show. Lin Yueru was oblivious to the situation, but Gao Xu knew exactly what was happening: this was surely the battle mentioned in the original plot where the Moon Worship Cultists seized Ghost Yin Mountain.

Gao Xu gestured to Lin Yueru, signaling that neither side in the conflict was a good sort, and the two hid in the shadows to observe silently.

"Have you decided yet? Today is the final ultimatum!" The leader of the Miao Tribesmen wore a turban inlaid with a brilliant, shimmering gemstone, and his entire body radiated a brave and fierce aura, standing as steady and imposing as a mountain.

Unfortunately, while his presence was strong, the bandits were not buying it. These Miao Tribesmen had been arrogantly driving them out since they arrived, and only after a skirmish had they been forced to retreat. Now they had brought someone a bit tougher and thought they were something special? An ultimatum? Did they think they were scared easily?

"Get lost, you Miao barbarians! If you provoke us, you won't be able to leave even if you want to!"

The bandits' reply clearly infuriated the Miao Tribesmen, especially the highly insulting term "Miao barbarian," which sent the Miao leader into a rage.

This man was Tai Zhuonan, one of the core members of the Moon Worship Cult. He might be more familiar under another identity: the Miao leader who killed Granny Jiang on Immortal Spirit Island, kidnapped Zhao Ling'er, and was later K.O.'d by Auntie Li's Cloud Piercing Palm—he was also the first boss encountered in the game.

Enemies in the space are divided into four levels: Normal, Elite, Leader, and Boss. At this moment, Tai Zhuonan was set as a Leader-level enemy, while his Miao warriors were Elite-level. This group had been ordered by the Moon Worship Cult Leader to scout the Central Plains and establish a stronghold to prepare for future operations, so they were naturally no pushovers.

In Tai Zhuonan's eyes, a bandit den like Ghost Yin Mountain was a good choice; even if government troops came to suppress them, they could simply retreat. After all, once the princess was brought back, the stronghold would be useless anyway.

Who would have thought things would not go as smoothly as he expected? After his subordinates returned empty-handed twice in a row, he finally could not sit still.

However, even with Tai Zhuonan personally stepping in, his tone remained condescending and bossy. Moon Worship Cultists were used to acting recklessly and tyrannically in the Miao borderlands, and having treated the Central Plains as their own backyard, how could they not invite insults?

The conversation had broken down, the masks were off, so what was there to wait for? Time to fight!

Clearly, the furious Miao side held the initiative. A handful of powder was scattered, and a bandit standing in the front stiffened. His exposed skin suddenly turned multicolored, and he collapsed straight to the ground, quickly dissolving into a pool of blood.

"Hanzi!!" A bandit standing next to him was horrified. Just as he was about to rush over, someone grabbed him and pointed to the ground where Hanzi had fallen, whispering, "Do you want to die?"

"What a terrifying poison!" The bandit looked closely and couldn't help but gasp. The ground was actually emitting faint wisps of smoke, and the inch-thick turf had been completely corroded away!

The Black Miao Tribe is skilled in poison, while the White Miao Tribe is proficient in Gu arts; each has its own strengths. Such a vicious poison not only intimidated the bandits but also caused Lin Yueru's expression to change, and she no longer dared to underestimate them in the slightest.

"The target is tough, retreat!" Seeing the enemy's powerful poison, the bandits shouted their usual underworld slang and retreated into the cave with lightning speed. This move made the Miao Tribesmen feel immensely proud, and they followed them inside with wild laughter.

"What do we do now? Let them tear each other apart, or..." After both groups disappeared into the cave entrance, Gao Xu slowly walked out, and Lin Yueru asked from behind him.

"These Miao Tribesmen are likely in trouble. Look, the bandits' footsteps are scattered but not chaotic, clearly retreating in an orderly fashion, while the Miao rushed into the other side's territory in a swarm. Heh, casualties are absolutely unavoidable!" Gao Xu said, pointing to the footprints on the ground.

Lin Yueru curled her lips and said, "Those Miao people use such terrifying poison and dare to cause trouble in our Central Plains; it's good if they die!"

Gao Xu nodded and sighed, "If our mission this time were to wipe out the bandits, we wouldn't need to care about their lives. But I fear these Miao people will use poison everywhere and contaminate the Ghost Shadow Flowers. If that happens, killing them a hundred times won't make up for it."

"True, so we must eliminate the Miao Tribesmen first, then wipe out the bandits. Hmm, that sounds interesting~" Lin Yueru nodded in agreement, her eyes brightening as she smiled, "Why don't we have another contest? Let's see who has the greater combat ability, how about it?"

Number 1897 has triggered a B-rank side quest: The Second Contest. Accepting the quest will enter a duel mode with the plot character Lin Yueru. The winner is determined by the number of Miao warriors personally killed, with the Miao leader Tai Zhuonan counting as five kills. You cannot return to the space until the duel ends. Winning the duel will increase Lin Yueru's favorability and reward 1500 points; losing the duel will decrease Lin Yueru's favorability with no point penalty. Refusing this quest will set Lin Yueru's favorability to 0. Please choose carefully.

Gao Xu was stunned; he hadn't expected Lin Yueru to be so persistent, trying to find a way to win back that previous round. To be honest, he had indeed won the battle in the Hidden Dragon Cave by luck. If Lin Yueru hadn't used Ten Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand for her third move, but had chosen Seven Absolute Sword Qi or Dragon Slaying Art instead, he wouldn't have been able to break it, as his Insight could only affect B-rank skills at most.

Now this little girl was stirring up trouble again, and the space was even helping her—if he didn't accept, his favorability would be wiped out. How treacherous!

Gao Xu helplessly clicked to accept the quest. Just as he was pondering how to find an opportunity to win, a red cloud drifted past him. Lin Yueru had already leaped past him like a startled swan, using her lightfoot technique to speed toward the cave, leaving behind only a string of silver-bell-like laughter:

"Do your best! Don't lose too miserably~"