The hidden quest

Everyone in the livestream chat was spamming the same line.

[Like owner, like dragon hatchling.]

[Bubu's picked up bad habits.]

Only after the human and dragon had completely disappeared did Doudou start complaining to Chen Rui.

"Rui, why are you scared of her? We could clearly..."

"Could what?" Chen Rui gave a bitter smile. "You saw what happened to those players. If you don't want to die, stay out of her way next time you see her. Otherwise, no one will be able to save you!"

"I just don't get why you're scared of her!"

Chen Rui was a pretty formidable player, yet he was such a coward.

If Doudou had known he was this spineless,

he never would have teamed up with him!

Doudou stormed off to sit nearby, glanced at the players still howling in pain, then cried out:

"Rui, look! Why is their blood that color?!"

Chen Rui turned to look. The blood flowing from one player's wrist wasn't red, but dark green!

He looked at the others. They were all the same!

Doudou couldn't see his own neck, so he didn't know what his wound looked like, but Chen Rui had seen it. The blood flowing from Doudou... was green too.

Chen Rui's heart sank.

Her blade was poisoned.

Bubu lay on Xin Jiu's shoulder and asked in confusion, "They treated you so badly. Why didn't you just kill them?"

If it had been Qingming, he would have killed them before giving them a chance to speak.

"There's no difference between killing them and not killing them."

"...?"

"My bayonet was upgraded. Its blade is poisoned. If they can't find a player with a healing skill or a universal antidote, they won't last long."

Besides, their wrist tendons had been severed. A single minor monster would be enough to kill them.

As for Doudou... he should live a little longer. His wound was small, after all, so the poison would spread more slowly.

Bubu shrank back.

A quick death from a single stab would have been better than that.

After walking a little farther, Xin Jiu found a large tree and sat down against it, then laid out the skill cards and items Bubu had robbed in front of her.

She still had to find Yin Lingzi shortly, and there was no telling what she would encounter. She would check for anything useful first. Two of the skill cards caught her attention.

[Skill: Bubble Cage (A-rank)]

[Skill description: Reduces the enemy's speed by 30% when used. Duration: 30 minutes. Cooldown: 8 hours.]

[Tip: Trap your enemies in bubbles. How romantic!]

It could actually reduce an enemy's speed by 30%!

She picked up the other skill card.

[Skill: Let's Blow a Kiss (A-rank)]

[Skill description: When used on enemies with lower perception than your own, converts them into your slaves. Maximum: 5 people. Duration: 2 hours. Cooldown: 1 day.]

[Tip: Just pucker up and blow a kiss to get yourself a slave. How awesome!]

Xin Jiu: "..."

What a perverse skill.

The journey to find Yin Lingzi wasn't easy.

Even with Bubu leading the way, and with Rapid Speed and teleportation cards, it still took three hours to reach the grotto where Yin Lingzi lived.

Thick moss covered the rock walls outside the grotto, and the interior was pitch-black.

"Stinky."

Xin Jiu and Bubu covered their noses at the same time.

Yin Lingzi actually lived somewhere this foul-smelling. He really had no sense of hygiene. By comparison, Qingming's home could be called a paradise on earth.

Just as Xin Jiu was about to enter the grotto, the system interface suddenly popped up.

[Hidden quest triggered: Wrath of the God of Escape]

[Quest description: Provoke Yin Lingzi and raise his anger to 100% to obtain the skill "Copy." This skill can copy the skill of any one player.]

[Quest hint: Yin Lingzi is a firefly who cultivated beneath a ginkgo tree and became a demon. He has an unpredictable temperament and can glimpse the future. Warning: this NPC is dangerous. His wrath may cause unpredictable consequences. Accept?]

Options to accept or decline appeared on the interface.

A copying skill?!

Then she definitely had to accept this quest!

Xin Jiu tapped accept without hesitation.

[Quest: Wrath of the God of Escape has begun.]

[Yin Lingzi's current anger: 0%]

[Tip: Not only is he not angry right now, he actually seems to be in quite a good mood (yellow bean covering its mouth and laughing).]

Xin Jiu: "..."

Just as she and Bubu were about to enter the grotto, the friends' private chat interface popped up.

[Hash Brown Heavy Dependence: (Coordinates)]

[Hash Brown Heavy Dependence: I found a pair of speed boots at these coordinates. They increase speed by 80%. Check whether they've spawned on your side?]

[Hash Brown Heavy Dependence: I sent this to Heartless Dao Dabao too.]

If she remembered correctly, he was seventh on the leaderboard. He was actually sharing information of his own accord? Xin Jiu was a little surprised, but still replied.

[Xin Jiu: Got it. Thanks.]

Elsewhere, Heartless Dao Dabao also replied to Hash Brown Heavy Dependence.

[Heartless Dao Dabao: Mm.]

Ao Lin thought that he was as concise as ever. It suited his style perfectly.

In his mind, Heartless Dao Dabao was a burly man with a full beard, perhaps even a special forces soldier.

Xin Jiu closed the panel.

With Rapid Speed and the speed boots, her speed would reach 200 km/h. Who needed a Navigation Card then? She could just keep running and pop a Bear Gummy when she got tired.

Then she would be the fastest woman in the tower.

She definitely had to find those speed boots, but right now, Yin Lingzi clearly mattered more than finding items.

Bubu lay obediently on her head.

The cave was even damper than she had imagined. Besides the smell of moss, there was a faint trace of ginkgo leaves in the air.

Xin Jiu continued deeper inside. After several hundred meters, the space before her suddenly opened up.

A huge ginkgo tree stood in the very center of the grotto. Beneath it was a raised seat made of pure white jade.

Someone reclined on the seat, propping his head on his left hand.

Xin Jiu's steps faltered.

Long, silvery-white hair spilled loosely over an ink-black robe. His skin was fair, and his eyes were an exceptionally clear green, like the tender buds that had just emerged on branches in early spring.

Like Qingming, he didn't wear his clothes properly either.

A large expanse of his chest was exposed.

Xin Jiu: "..."

The livestream chat exploded again.

[Aaaaaah! Silver hair! Green eyes! Black robes! What an unrivaled beauty!]

[I haven't even recovered from the nine-tailed fox's beauty, and here's another one. Are all the NPCs in this instance this good-looking?!]

[My mom asked why I was kneeling and licking the screen. I told her I'd met the man of my dreams.]

[Get a grip, you lot. That's Yin Lingzi, an ancient demon god!]

[The demon god looks so lonely, so empty. Come let big sister warm you up (just kidding).]

Xin Jiu also marveled inwardly: Aren't the NPCs on this floor a little too good-looking? Anyone with less self-control wouldn't be able to bring themselves to attack.

Bubu said disdainfully, "He's changed his skin again."

"It's fake?"

"Yeah. Yin Lingzi's real form is actually really ugly."

Xin Jiu pursed her lips.

Yin Lingzi noticed them, and a trace of confusion flashed through his pale green eyes.

"A player?" Then he saw Bubu lying on Xin Jiu's head and frowned. "Little dragon?"

Why was this purple lightning dragon with a player?

"What are you doing here?"

Xin Jiu kept it brief. "Getting Qingming's fan."

Yin Lingzi laughed mockingly. "He actually sent an ant here to die. That fox really has gone mad."