Chapter 83: Chance Encounter with Gan Jiang Mo Evil

After a day and a night of deep sleep, La Tiao's evolution progress has painstakingly reached 99%.

Its body size hasn't changed much; it's still the same as before—if you don't count the tail, it's only the length of forearm plus palm—but its fur has completely changed, making it feel unfamiliar.

Originally black and yellow mottled, only showing purple fur under sunlight's reflection, now it's abnormally chaotic, with purple, yellow and white intermingled without any pattern.

At a glance, it looks somehow uglier.

But if you look closely, you'll notice a hint of special charm within the chaotic colors, a very natural harmony that gives an illusion of unity between heaven and man.

Even so, Chen Shicheng feels as if the child he raised from infancy has suddenly become a spirit little sister: "It's fine, no matter what you turn into, you're always my offspring; grow without worry."

Chen Shicheng gently cradles the unresponsive La Tiao, then begins to check the condition of Tai Sui inside the Storage Bag.

Unlike ordinary Storage Bags that open a void space, Yu Wei specially prepared a Storage Bag for Tai Sui, containing land, grass, ponds—everything—resembling a sealed ecological garden.

Although not large, it glows without external light, and the air seems connected to the outside, with no sense of staleness.

Moreover, if you aren't worried that stored items could be easily stolen, you can even keep miscellaneous things, such as ashes that occupy five storage slots.

To test Tai Sui's defying-heavens Skill, Chen Shicheng piled all the ashes inside.

Tai Sui is now burying itself in the ashes, occasionally extending a tentacle to scoop a handful of ashes and swallow them, looking utterly delighted.

However, ashes are not flesh; after Tai Sui ate for a day and night, Chen Shicheng still didn't see the so‑called blood essence appear.

To witness the blood essence and to stock food for La Tiao in advance, he quickly tidied up, then, with the reluctant Hui Siye, left the inn to start grinding wild monsters.

A day passed, and the affairs in the Underground Palace were basically concluded.

The Cultural Tourism Bureau Logistics Department cleared all high‑level wild monsters inside, then withdrew, leaving only the C City Reserve whose members generally ranged from level 8 to 10.

They, together with some solo players, remained in the Underground Palace, continuing to clear missed monsters.

Some players unwilling to compete for resources gathered, forming teams to clear wild monsters around the outskirts of the gathering point.

Strangely enough, monster congregations indeed occur when a dungeon‑type instance like this is opened.

According to previous standards, such instances are usually long‑sealed, with severe accumulation of yin and resentment inside; only after activation do they attract monsters born of the world's grudges.

Yet this Underground Palace, clearly ancient and turned to dust, only hosts native subterranean insects as wild monsters.

Even so, nearby monsters keep converging here for unknown reasons.

The Cultural Tourism Bureau Logistics Department staff also investigated, but due to level restrictions they couldn't enter Bu Xian Shan, only conducting a brief outer survey, with obvious results.

The officials, having gained nothing, merely ordered the C City Reserve to stay alert for anomalies, estimating that deep within the mountain lies an undiscovered ruin, then left the mess behind.

Recalling the information gathered today via the invisible E Gui Wan, Chen Shicheng arrived at the entrance of the gathering point.

Compared with a day ago, this place feels a bit desolate as news of monster convergence spreads.

Those with means at the gathering point have paid to hire players as escorts to Iron‑Forging Town; the less affluent have reduced outings and stayed home, apparently gaining some sense of security.

However, Chen Shicheng always feels the locals are over‑thinking; players' brick‑carrying instincts awaken, intercepting monsters far from the gathering point.

These people ignore level gaps, endure experience penalties, and grind every creature within sight, just for the chance of a few drop materials.

After all, such monster hordes rarely fall into traps themselves! "How many copper coins can that stuff fetch, why the rush."

Glancing at his panel's balance, Chen Shicheng launched E Gui Wan skyward, seeking an empty spot to grind monsters alone.

But after wandering for a while, he realized he had underestimated players' feather‑plucking instincts.

They seem to have formed a tacit agreement, partitioning the outskirts of the gathering point segment by segment, each responsible for a zone.

The main force gathers in formation, while a few players skilled in light‑body techniques disperse, luring monsters within their zones; then the main force surges, AOE‑clearing a wave, then scatters again, endlessly forming a perfect assembly line. Apart from joining a team, Chen Shicheng cannot think of any other way to solo grind.

"Should we imitate the officials and book a private arena for a trial? After all, with masks on, no one can recognize us, huh?"

Just as Chen Shicheng was about to act domineeringly, E Gui Wan's view suddenly spotted a familiar figure—actually, two figures.

About a kilometer before the main gate of the gathering point, on the forest path with the densest monster congregation, a man and a woman lead a dozen‑plus players clearing nearby monsters.

The duo wield a green and a purple flying sword, continuously slicing through the air; sharp sword‑qi, like unrivaled grass‑cutting, strings the converging monsters into candy‑like skewers. The other dozen‑plus players spread out, constantly luring monsters, just barely keeping pace with the duo's killing speed.

Only when the duo's True Essence is depleted do the dozen‑plus players step forward to clear nearby monsters and protect them while they recover True Essence.

If I'm not mistaken, those two are precisely the show‑off pair from the player trading gathering—Gan Jiang Mo Evil.

The players beside them are likely members of the Mutual Aid Guild they founded.

"What a coincidence."

Seeing the familiar pair, Chen Shicheng touched the pendant around his neck and gave a knowing smile.

He immediately summoned E Gui Wan back, handed it a Soul‑Attracting Incense, then guided it to a hidden spot near Gan Jiang Mo Evil to light it.

At once, an odor undetectable to humans but uniquely alluring to monsters spread majestically across a ten‑kilometer radius.

As the scent disseminated, the forest fell into an eerie hush, then countless roars and birdcalls rang through the heavens, and the monsters, as if maddened, surged forward toward the incense's location.

From E Gui Wan's perspective, countless monsters formed a semicircle, encircling Gan Jiang Mo Evil's party, the rising dust like ten thousand troops, creating an overwhelmingly grand scene.

"Huh? What's that sound?"

The breathing Gan Jiang opened his eyes, looked toward the distant forest, then his expression shifted instantly, "MD, you made…

"It's not us!"

"Yes, we have no ability…"

"Just now you asked us to lure more monsters; now isn't that perfect…"

The nearby players, hearing his profanity, immediately began a cacophony of protests, some snidely taunting.

They have long disapproved of the couple's behavior; their tone remains condescending, even demanding the pair handle monster‑hunting personally, leaving others unable to act and forced into grunt work.

It's as if they fear the pair might obtain something to hide, their petty scheming matching that of a needle's edge.

If not for the Mutual Aid Guild's generous benefits—monthly salary and Elixir distribution higher than other guilds—they would have quit long ago.

"Alright, cut the chatter, let's clear this wave of monsters first before anything else."

Mo Evil quickly stepped forward as mediator, offering gentle counsel while shaking the arms of dissatisfied members, forcibly suppressing their discontent with sheer vigor.

"*tch*."

Through the invisible E Gui Wan, Chen Shicheng observed everything, feeling an inexplicable respect for Gan Jiang rise within him.

Surely, those who achieve great things are not bothered by trifles; that green flying sword indeed hasn't chosen the wrong person, and such breadth of mind is no wonder he can rally a group and form a mutual aid society.

It's just that Mo Ye is somewhat hard to put into words, and one doesn't know what reaction those players will have when they see, after removing the mask, that face full of laugh lines.

"Fifty-year-old looks, twenty-year-old makeup, an old-era target, wanting to suffer new-era gunfire—this Mo Ye is also extreme, matching Gan Jiang's face."

While Chen Shicheng was shaking his head and watching the show, the fastest wave of monsters had already come into contact with Gan Jiang, Mo Ye, and them.

Seeing that these monsters' levels aren't high and their numbers are only about double those previously lured, Mo Ye affectedly flicked her hand, then covered her mouth and laughed, "Look, what's there to be angry about? Maybe it's just a random wave of monsters; cleaning them up would be fine, not worth getting angry."

Speaking, she mobilized her not-yet-fully-recovered True Essence, pointed at the flying sword circling nearby, and a huge violet light-sword phantom instantly enveloped the flying sword.

As she spun in place once, half-squatting and pointing forward, the flying sword instantly turned into a streak of light, carrying the huge phantom straight into the charging bandits.

Irresistible!

Men and horses shattered!

Although Mo Ye this woman is quite abstract, hard to comment on, her strength is absolutely not to be underestimated.

Any monster blocking the flying sword was split in half, five-colored entrails scattered on the ground, the foul smell instantly permeated the whole area, and with just one strike a bloody path was carved through the monster horde.

(End of chapter)