Chapter 238: The Divine Doctor Requests Your Presence

Niu Niu fell silent; clearly, he was too busy making money to focus on improving his strength.

At that moment, Fang Yue suddenly felt something strange.

He felt that he and Niu Niu had gradually become two parallel lines with no further intersection.

He would keep moving forward, keep cultivating, enhancing his attributes, leveling up, walking ahead of everyone else.

While Niu Niu, who once could have walked beside him with superior talent, would drift farther and farther away, becoming a tiny black dot, utterly unable to keep pace with him.

Fang Yue sighed deeply—what a waste!

Such a powerful innate talent, squandered like this.

But Fang Yue could understand; after all, Niu Niu was just an ordinary player.

Too many people, even if they initially surged ahead thanks to luck, would eventually grow careless or weary due to various reasons, only to be overtaken and utterly swallowed by the crowd.

Clearly, Niu Niu was walking this path, and he showed no sign of pulling back from the brink.

"Niu Niu, this game is far more important than you think. Listen to me—abandon that messy group-buying crew and focus on your own cultivation, train diligently, improve your attributes. Otherwise, you'll regret it later."

Having said this much, if Niu Niu still refused to listen, Fang Yue wouldn't say another word.

"I know, Ye Ge, I do train! My Strength is already ten points…"

"Ten points… Sigh."

Fang Yue said no more, only told Niu Niu that if he ever needed help in the future, he could come to him.

Niu Niu quickly sent several more assurances, but Fang Yue only glanced at them briefly and didn't reply.

Having secluded himself at home for several days of cultivation, Fang Yue knew little about others' recent situations.

After asking a few questions of Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu, Fang Yue nodded slightly.

Basically, nothing had changed since he entered seclusion.

Mo Cun had increased patrols, and villagers were now completely forbidden from going out at night.

As for whether the array had been repaired, Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu didn't know.

After all, this was Mo Cun's matter; aside from outsiders like Fang Yue, who held equal strength and status and were qualified to intervene, others had no right to know such confidential progress.

As for the procurement of Di He stone materials, progress had finally been made—they were nearly enough to fill the carts.

He estimated it would be resolved in one or two days, after which they could begin their return journey.

"That… Ye Ge, you're really leaving Xiao Miao and Niu Niu behind in Mo Cun?"

Xiao Miao?

Fang Yue paused, then remembered—the sardonic girl.

"They're An Shenyi's people; what to do with them is An Shenyi's decision. If they're unhappy, they can negotiate with An Shenyi themselves."

Fang Yue shrugged, then asked: "Why suddenly ask this? How is An Shenyi recovering?"

When they first entered Mo Cun, Ma Ling'er's strangeness had caused An Shenyi to collapse, after which he had rested at home for several days; aside from sending a message through someone to assure Fang Yue that An Shenyi was not in mortal danger, there had been no further news.

Fang Yue had inquired with Chief Captain Lang Wu, and it seemed An Shenyi's family was rather hostile toward outsiders like Fang Yue.

But since An Shenyi was not in mortal danger and was merely resting at home, Fang Yue had no way to probe further.

Originally, Fang Yue had planned to visit An Shenyi again before his team departed.

Now, with Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu suddenly bringing it up, he couldn't help but wonder.

"An Shenyi is recovering well. He came to us yesterday—he came looking for you. But after hearing you were in seclusion, he spoke two words to Blood Hunter, then left."

Blood Hunter…

Fang Yue nodded slightly, acknowledging it.

It seemed something had happened during his seclusion, though nothing major.

"By the way, where's Wei Liang?"

"She's fighting in an alley at the west end of the street."

Fang Yue blinked: "…What?"

"Wei Liang met a new friend in Mo Cun's west street—Ni Dongmei. She goes out early and comes back late, fighting with her every day, and won't even go shopping with me anymore…"

Mentioning that woman, Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu sounded gloomy, as if the woman had stolen her friend.

"Fighting? Wei Liang?"

Fang Yue couldn't picture Wei Liang's frail body fighting anyone.

Probably…

In his mind, he pictured two women in alleyways, tearing each other's hair and clothes, rolling on the ground.

"Uh… you don't go help her when she fights?"

"That woman hates me! She never plays with me!"

"Alright…"

Fang Yue scratched his head, thinking it wasn't a big deal—he'd heard it, so he let it go.

But Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu's eyes flickered, and she said: "Ye Ge, if you have time, go check on Wei Liang—and maybe teach that nasty woman Ni Dongmei a lesson!"

What nonsense!

Do I look like the type who beats women?

Jinfu, Jinfu, cheers all around?

Fang Yue shook his head rapidly: "I can go check on Wei Liang, but teaching her a lesson? No."

After bidding farewell to Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu, Fang Yue left Lang Fu, planning first to visit An Shenyi, then speak with Blood Hunter, and if time allowed, check on Wei Liang.

But before doing any of that, he intended to seek out Chief Captain Lang Wu first.

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu was merely a player with no standing in Mo Cun; the information she could gather was limited, unlike Chief Captain Lang Wu, who knew every detail of Mo Cun.

And Wei Liang…

Fang Yue increasingly appreciated the benefits of Fireleaf, wondering if Wei Liang still had any stock left—he should get more for himself.

Thinking of this, Fang Yue sent a message to Wei Liang.

But the next moment, Fang Yue suddenly froze.

Because the system issued a notification.

"System Notice: No such user found. Please clean your friend list promptly."

No such user?

Fang Yue was bewildered and carefully checked his friend list.

He hadn't sent it to the wrong person—it was definitely 【Wei Liang】.

How could it say "no such user"?

Fang Yue sent another message—still the same system notice.

What the hell is going on…

As Fang Yue pondered, his vision suddenly darkened—he was blocked from the sunlight by some shadow.

"Captain Wu."

At the sound of the voice, Fang Yue looked up.

There sat Captain Wu on horseback, tall and massive, casting a shadow over him, looking down; in his hand, he held a large square box.

With a casual toss, the box thudded to the ground, its lid smashed open, and a human head rolled out, coming to rest at Fang Yue's feet.

One glance—and Fang Yue's pupils shrank sharply!

That was… Wei Liang's head!

"I told you I'd handle it myself."

Captain Wu stared fixedly at Fang Yue, then continued: "Besides this woman, at least two others in the village previously plotted to assassinate Captain Huo. I will find them all and sacrifice them in her honor. The Captain's authority must not be defied!"

Fang Yue frowned at him, brows slightly furrowed.

"She's dead. Is this meaningful? You're just spreading panic in Mo Cun."

"Death doesn't erase what happened! If we forgive everything, who will punish evil? What's the point of having a Captain?"

"... You're just venting your anger."

"It started that way—but now it isn't. Captain Huo is dead, and someone must pay. Even if they didn't pull the trigger, if they plotted, if they schemed—they must pay the price!"

Fang Yue sighed, looking at the obsessed Captain Wu.

"Listen to me—don't make a big scene. Mo Cun just endured something strange. It can't take more turmoil."

"That's for Mo Cun's Captain to decide. Night Captain, just focus on caring for Gu Yue Cun's people."

Saying this, Captain Wu tugged the reins and turned his horse around.

"Also, Pangzi Luo is already dead. You should've seen two heads—but Pangzi Luo died earlier, his head rotted away, so I didn't bring it to show you."

With that, Captain Wu rode off.

Fang Yue stared at the head on the ground, its face still frozen in terror, and sighed again, silently deleting Wei Liang from his friend list.

No wonder the system said "no such user"—she'd already been killed.

Unlike other games, in this one, when a player dies, they're gone—everything they built is erased. They must wait twenty-four hours before re-entering and starting over.

Clearly, Wei Liang had invested heavily in Mo Cun, worked hard for a long time.

But compared to Captain Wu, her foundation was too shallow. Targeting the Captain's position was already reckless—and then this happened. It killed her.

What a pity. Wei Mansion was thrown into chaos; all her accumulated gains were destroyed.

Some of her assets were probably seized by Captain Wu and put into Mo Cun's warehouse—how tempting!

If Fang Yue didn't know Captain Wu's nature, he might've thought he was using this as an excuse to harvest leeks.

Fang Yue rubbed his chin. "Have Lang Fu's people come out and bury the head somewhere."

He wondered: someone like Wei Liang wouldn't just accept this.

Mysteriously beheaded, her entire effort destroyed, and she was rich to begin with—she'd surely find a way back into the game and kill Captain Wu to reclaim everything.

He just didn't know how she'd strike—or when. He hoped she wouldn't act while he was still in Mo Cun.

He mounted his horse and rode to the formation site, where he soon met Chief Captain Lang Wu.

"You broke through? This is… Second-rate Realm!"

Chief Captain Lang Wu's face lit up with joy.

Compared to Captain Wu, Chief Captain Lang Wu had clearly received the news a step late.

But that made sense—he was busy maintaining the formation and repairing the breach. Unless it was major, no one would bother him here.

"Heh, just lucky!"

Though Fang Yue had passed the initial thrill, being mentioned for his realm still made him smile.

"You're how old and you've broken into Second-rate Realm… oh, you're a refugee—but even for a refugee, this is insane! Such prodigious talent and potential—I've only seen it among sect geniuses. Truly one in ten thousand!"

Chief Captain Lang Wu, like a country bumpkin seeing something miraculous, marveled at Fang Yue, circling him repeatedly.

Captain Wu hadn't noticed Fang Yue's change—but Chief Captain Lang Wu saw it instantly. The gap in their strength wasn't just one realm—it was far deeper, a vast difference in soft power.

After gawking and excitedly observing Fang Yue for a while, Chief Captain Lang Wu began telling him about Mo Cun's situation.

As Fang Yue had expected, nothing major—just minor issues.

More outsiders arriving, increased screening.

Someone protesting Mo Cun's curfew rules, causing trouble.

The only noteworthy thing: outsiders claimed they'd seen scattered groups of 【Giant-Headed Blood Hounds】 moving toward the same direction.

【Giant-Headed Blood Hounds】? That's what the Blood Hunters want…

Fang Yue's heart stirred.

The Blood Hunter really wasn't wrong — this period really is the breeding season for 【Giant-Headed Blood Hounds】, which is why so many of them have appeared.

"These scattered 【Giant-Headed Blood Hound】 packs, we actually see them near our Mo Cun every few years. They're ghost-hunters, not ghosts — under normal circumstances, they pose no threat to our Mo Cun.

But as ghost-hunters, the materials on their bodies, as well as their flesh and blood, are worth a fortune. Once the news spreads, many people of unknown origin will gather toward Mo Cun, and then go hunt the ghost-hunters.

Under these circumstances, I'm actually somewhat inclined to refuse opening the village, but doing so would only invite more trouble — like hiding silver in this place when there's none, it'd be better to handle it as we have in previous years.

Fortunately you're still in Mo Cun, so I'd like to ask you for a favor — maintain the peace in Mo Cun for a few days. Once the next Captain to replace Captain Huo is elected, you can set off back to Gu Yue Cun. Is that alright?"

Faced with Chief Captain Lang Wu's earnest request, Fang Yue hesitated somewhat. But after he added, "There will surely be a generous reward afterward — twenty Fire-Leaf leaves, plus some Black Stone rewards, and the previous debts will be written off as well," Fang Yue immediately agreed.

His demand for Fire-Leaf leaves was simply too great; with twenty of them, he could sustain his rapid cultivation for quite a long stretch of time.

It was only a few days later departure anyway, it shouldn't be a problem, right?

After that, Fang Yue chatted a while longer with Chief Captain Lang Wu, then suddenly said,

"By the way, what's the situation with An Shenyi now? He suddenly sent someone to find me yesterday — did something happen?"

Chief Captain Lang Wu's movements paused, and he slightly turned his face away, seeming a bit embarrassed.

"…An Shenyi, he does indeed have something to ask you, but I'm not really in favor of this matter. Of course, if you agree, I have no objections either."

"What do you mean?"

"…You'll know once you go to An Shenyi's place. It's better for the An family to discuss this with you in person."

So secretive.

But judging from Chief Captain Lang Wu's reaction, there probably wasn't any danger.

After bidding farewell to Chief Captain Lang Wu, Fang Yue headed straight for An Shenyi's home.

An Shenyi's residence was much larger than anyone else's house — and far more luxurious as well.

If he hadn't known this was An Shenyi's house, Fang Yue would probably have thought this was the Chief Captain of Mo Cun's home.

One had to say, as expected of the money-grubbing An Shenyi… having money really does as one pleases.

The two Stone Lions at the gate were both made of gold — Fang Yue couldn't help drooling at the sight. How much gold must it have taken to cast them?

Physicians were always raking in money!

A physician who didn't care about his life and only cared about money raked in even more!

(End of this chapter)