Chapter 106: I Had No Choice Before (7th Update, Requesting Subscriptions!)

"Can't catch the person? A thief?"

Fang Yue frowned suspiciously: "Even Lin Ling can't catch him? Not even Lord Han?"

"How is that possible!"

The man immediately said: "Not just the Captains—even the Deputy Captains could catch him. But Lord Han said stealing is also a skill; as long as he doesn't cross the line, we can turn a blind eye."

Oh… reemployment of special talent. No wonder he's still alive.

Fang Yue had been puzzled—how could a thief possibly survive in such a united village like Gu Yue Cun? He should've been caught and beaten to death long ago.

Though the man was let go, everyone else's gaze toward Sugar-Vinegar Ribs was filled with revulsion.

Sugar-Vinegar Ribs bowed and smiled apologetically, then was shooed out of the Talent Market in disgrace.

But among the players, many envied, resented, and hated Sugar-Vinegar Ribs.

In their understanding, Sugar-Vinegar Ribs had found a patron, found a master, switched to the Thief class, and was now running around with dual daggers.

That was far better than their own status as unemployed youths!

As for bad reputation? Being disliked by villagers? What a joke! Who cares!

No, someone actually did care.

Sugar-Vinegar Ribs cared.

Reading the system notification, he nearly burst into tears.

"System Notification: 【Zhang Santie】, Squad Leader of the Gu Yue Cun Guard Team, has -1 favor toward you."

"System Notification: 【Wen Tian Tu】, Official Member of the Gu Yue Cun Guard Team, has -1 favor toward you."

"System Notification: 【Jianyin Chun】, Official Member of the Gu Yue Cun Guard Team, has -1 favor toward you."

"System Notification: 【Long Tianming】, Official Member of the Gu Yue Cun Guard Team, has -1 favor toward you."

If these notifications had appeared only once, it would've been fine.

But for Sugar-Vinegar Ribs, he saw them repeatedly popping up—favor plummeting wildly.

It was as if every glance from those guards dropped his favor by '-1'—another glance, another '-1'.

His favor was plummeting like a waterfall; it was a miracle they hadn't attacked him outright!

No wonder, no wonder the beggar old man insisted I keep our master-apprentice relationship secret—this was the trap!

When Sugar-Vinegar Ribs passed by Fang Yue, he let out a faint sigh of relief.

Because he realized Fang Yue, this NPC, hadn't lowered his favor toward him.

But strange—why does this guy look at me favorably? The old beggar said no one in the village liked him; once they knew he was my master, everyone would shun me.

Could it be… he's one of us?

Sugar-Vinegar Ribs recalled Fang Yue's sharp eyes earlier, which had instantly spotted his agile figure scaling the wall—and suddenly he felt an eerie resonance, as if Fang Yue shared his soul of thievery.

Hmph! Hypocrite! Pretending to be virtuous—your favor value just betrayed you!

As Sugar-Vinegar Ribs was thinking this, the system notification suddenly popped up again.

"System Notification: Player is despised by most villagers of Gu Yue Cun. 【Gu Yue Cun】 Dislike +5."

Sugar-Vinegar Ribs:!?

No way—does Gu Yue Cun want to expel me? Don't kick me out of the village! I heard there's no survival outside.

Thinking of this, Sugar-Vinegar Ribs hurriedly quickened his pace—out of sight, out of mind.

Sure enough, once he was out of view, the favor-decrease notifications vanished completely.

Merging into the night, Sugar-Vinegar Ribs pondered what to do next.

The old beggar said to find him at dawn—he'd help arrange the lifespan-related quest, no need to worry.

But before dawn? Where should he go to boost his stats, get some gear?

As he walked, Sugar-Vinegar Ribs realized he'd already left the Talent Market far behind.

Around him was pitch-black, visibility extremely low; he could barely make out the path by the dim moonlight.

He had no Soul Torch from the Guard Team to provide light.

And then, Sugar-Vinegar Ribs noticed—up ahead, there seemed to be… a figure, holding something?

Weird?!

Sugar-Vinegar Ribs froze, stared closely—and saw the figure holding something that looked like… a bloodstained human skin!

Ssshh—

Sugar-Vinegar Ribs' pupils shrank; he stiffened in terror. Before he could turn and run—the figure shot forward, closing the distance in a blink, and in that instant, Sugar-Vinegar Ribs recognized the person's face.

"Wait! Don't kill—"

His vision went black… he was forcibly logged out of the game.

I… died?!

…

Talent Market.

Fang Yue had realized these players were babbling nonsense everywhere, utterly lacking any sense of danger.

They probably still thought this was an old-style game, waiting passively for designers to guide them like hungry chicks.

Fang Yue shook his head slightly—he doubted most of these people would survive until tomorrow night.

After watching the Talent Market for a while, he found it boring. But Jing Yan was fascinated, filming nonstop, saying he'd make a video and a show.

Fang Yue turned to leave, planning to patrol and see if he could encounter something strange; if not, he'd go find Niu Niu.

But just as he was about to leave, a short, hairy, monkey-like figure in the crowd fumbled in his pocket and shuffled over.

"Bro, smoke a Huazǐ…"

What?

Fang Yue stared, baffled. Is there still Hua Zi here?

"Oh no, no—I just got used to smoking Hua Zi… Uh, brother, I heard you're in the Guard Team. Can you tell me how to join? I wanna get in, grab some lifespan, learn some martial arts, boost my stats."

"Figure it out yourself."

"Come on, big brother, help me get into the Guard Team. I'll tell you where that guy who annoyed you earlier is right now."

"That guy who annoyed me?"

"Yeah, the apprentice of that old thief—Sugar-Vinegar Old Ribs. He's my roommate! I'll sell you his location, just don't say it was me. Let's make a deal, mutual benefit. The Guard Team must give rewards for catching thieves, right?" The skinny monkey chuckled.

In a normal village, catching a thief should come with a reward.

But in Gu Yue Cun… probably no chance. Lord Han is so permissive—why would he even bother catching anyone?

Fang Yue waved him off and turned to leave.

"Big brother? Big brother? Even if the deal's off, let's be friends. Maybe you can think of a price?"

A friend request popped up. Seeing how persistent he was, Fang Yue casually accepted it.

"【Water in Water】?" What kind of name is that? Even uglier than my ID!

Leaving the Talent Market, Fang Yue wandered around but encountered no anomalies. Disappointed, he arrived at Han Fu.

"Niu Niu? You there? I came to see you."

Fang Yue sent a message to Niu Niu. No response.

Figures—he must be offline.

This guy goes offline even while recovering from injuries. What's the deal?

Almost everyone in Han Fu was sleeping or resting; only servants kept watch at night. Fang Yue didn't dare enter.

Passing by Han Fu, Fang Yue returned to the Guard Station. The moment he stepped into the courtyard, he saw Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu lying on the ground, seemingly on the verge of death—suddenly, he jolted upright, scrambling frantically toward Fang Yue on all fours.

"Ye Ge! Ye Ge, save me! Waaah! I'll eat! I'll eat, okay?! I had no choice before, but now I want to eat to boost my stats! Let me eat! I'm quitting martial arts forever!!"

What the—?

(End of Chapter)