Chapter 116: The Ambush Fails Again

Zhu Zhiquan pointed at "Plant Modification and Alteration: Advanced Edition" (3/3) and asked somewhat nervously, "Th-this... after trading, can it... can it be brought out of the game?"

However, the mysterious merchant shook his head again, indicating that this item could not be brought out either.

Zhao Yuxin said nonchalantly, "Hey, it's fine Ajiu, at worst we can just learn it here. Also, don't just focus on me, you need to pay attention to your own learning too."

Zhu Zhiquan: "............"

"Alright, let me see what good stuff there is." Zhao Yuxin then scanned the merchandise, but there were no Skill Books that Zhu Zhiquan had seen before or anything similar, and these books were all advanced editions; it was highly probable that Zhu Zhiquan would not be able to learn them.

"Hmm~ Ajiu, how about we buy two Draw Cards first? Maybe the first one will let us get out," said Zhao Yuxin.

Zhu Zhiquan nodded slightly, then Zhao Yuxin took out various items, including fruits, vegetables, materials, and weapons, and pointing at the Draw Cards, said, "Two of these."

The mysterious merchant took one of Zhao Yuxin's Xunfeng Crossbows, then tossed out two Draw Cards, and Zhao Yuxin impatiently started with the first one.

The result was gaining 5 Card Points, and instantly the number on their card became 7.

"Yay, Ajiu, you try it." Zhao Yuxin handed a Draw Card to Zhu Zhiquan, and Zhu Zhiquan took the Draw Card to draw, resulting in -1.

The next second their Card Points became 6, which made the two of them feel a bit surprised.

"Wait, how can there be a negative number? That's not how you play, is it!" Zhao Yuxin complained.

Zhu Zhiquan sighed and tugged on her sleeve, signaling to Zhao Yuxin that it was time to leave.

Zhao Yuxin nodded, then asked the mysterious merchant, "Will you stay here forever?"

The mysterious merchant remained silent, and seeing that the other party would not speak, Zhao Yuxin found it difficult to continue asking, so she had to walk out of the restaurant with Zhu Zhiquan.

As soon as they stepped outside, Zhu Zhiquan led Zhao Yuxin to hide in a bush. After the two of them finished arranging the plants, Zhao Yuxin whispered, "Ajiu, do you think anyone will pass by here? I feel like not many people will come here."

Zhu Zhiquan nodded slightly, but did not take any action, just crouching in the bush and waiting quietly.

Seeing that Zhu Zhiquan hadn't taken in a word of what she said, Zhao Yuxin couldn't help but complain, "Ajiu, you really are something. Is there anything you can't communicate more about? You make your mouth sound like it's made of gold!"

Zhu Zhiquan made a shushing gesture toward Zhao Yuxin, and Zhao Yuxin continued to complain, just in a much lower voice.

Zhao Yuxin complained to herself for a while, and Zhu Zhiquan still did not respond to her words. Eventually, Zhao Yuxin noticed a small red flower that felt somewhat unique, and turned to study this little flower instead.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhiquan kept crouching in the bush, trying his best to control his breathing to prevent being detected by other players.

Not knowing how much time had passed, two players walked over from afar. Zhu Zhiquan gently tugged on the corner of Zhao Yuxin's clothes, signaling her to get ready for battle.

But whether she was lost in her research or sulking at Zhu Zhiquan, she showed no reaction to Zhu Zhiquan's tugging.

Helpless, Zhu Zhiquan could only command these plants to fight on his own. Looking at these Sandthorn Bomb-throwers, Zhu Zhiquan gripped the Xuangang Spear in his hand, looking at the two approaching figures with anticipation.

Once they were close, Zhu Zhiquan saw that these two players were a male and female pair.

At this moment, a light breeze blew past, passing over the bodies of Zhu Zhiquan and Zhao Yuxin, carrying their scent to the two approaching players.

The female player twitched her nose and immediately stopped in her tracks, and the man beside her asked curiously, "What's wrong, Xuanxuan?"

The female player did not respond to his words, but shouted at the bush where Zhu Zhiquan and the others were hiding, "Stop hiding, I've already discovered you, come out now!"

Hearing the female player's shout, Zhao Yuxin also stopped her research, turning her head to ask Zhu Zhiquan, only to see that Zhu Zhiquan had already walked out of the bush.

Zhao Yuxin had no choice but to walk out with Zhu Zhiquan, though she still held a Sandthorn Bomb-thrower in her arms as she exited the bush.

After walking out of the bush, Zhao Yuxin sighed and lamented on the side, "What bad luck today, both ambushes failed. Ajiu, where did we show our hand?"

Zhu Zhiquan did not respond, only staring fixedly at the two players opposite.

Sensing Zhu Zhiquan's gaze, the two players opposite glared fiercely at Zhu Zhiquan.

Seeing that the atmosphere between the two sides was a bit tense, Zhao Yuxin took the card out of Zhu Zhiquan's pocket and took the initiative to show their Card Points to the other side.

After all, they might not have met the mysterious merchant, and seeing that the points didn't match their own, they would likely just leave on their own.

Seeing the Card Points Zhao Yuxin revealed, the two looked at each other, and then the man took out a spear from some space that had a white tassel, a yellow shaft, a black head, and was as tall as a person.

The female player took a step back, holding no weapon in her hands, seemingly not intending to fight side-by-side with the male player, but instead cheering from the side, "Xiao Chen, go for it~ If you can beat them, I'll give you a good reward."

"Alright, don't you worry." The player named Xiao Chen stepped forward, aligning the height of the spearhead with his chest, while his back hand pressed the end of the spear to keep it in a head-up posture, his feet shoulder-width apart and slightly bent.

"A practitioner? Azhao, if you aren't going to make a move, I'll test his depth first." Zhu Zhiquan rotated the Xuangang Spear and adopted the same stance, only he held the end of the Xuangang Spear high above his head, pointing the spearhead downward.

Seeing the stance Zhu Zhiquan had struck, both female players were left confused, and by this time Xiao Chen had already launched an attack on Zhu Zhiquan.

Xiao Chen first launched a series of thrusts at Zhu Zhiquan, and Zhu Zhiquan controlled the Xuangang Spear to block them continuously; after only a few moves, Zhu Zhiquan stepped to the left and took the opportunity to thrust at Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen first parried Zhu Zhiquan's spear, then danced his own, and in just a short second, the long spear and Zhu Zhiquan's Xuangang Spear became entangled, after which Xiao Chen seized the opportunity to thrust his own spear out.

As Zhu Zhiquan dodged sideways and retracted the Xuangang Spear, just as Xiao Chen was withdrawing his spear, Zhu Zhiquan suddenly took a step forward, the spear in his hand making a motion as if about to thrust.

But Xiao Chen stepped back after withdrawing his spear, swirling it to thrust at Zhu Zhiquan. Just as the spear was about to hit Zhu Zhiquan, Zhu Zhiquan first raised the Xuangang Spear to parry the opponent's spear, then rotated his body to deliver a horizontal slash at the opponent.

Xiao Chen also stood his spear up to block, using Zhu Zhiquan's force to put some distance between them.

Zhu Zhiquan did not press his advantage, instead revealing an excited expression. After all, it had been so long, and he finally had an opponent who could rival him in technique.

After regaining his footing, Xiao Chen maintained his previous posture in vigilance, though his hand was trembling incessantly, something an outsider wouldn't notice without looking closely.

This brief exchange couldn't help but excite the two men, and it also left their teammates astonished.

"Ajiu, are you hurt?"

"Xiao Chen, can you take this guy down? If you can't, then we're breaking up!"