Chapter 40: Scapegoat

Gathering courage and chanting slogans, the main force rushed toward the Di He.

Along the way, many villagers joined the ranks, armed with weapons—forks, iron-tined rakes—still half-dressed.

The village's survival is everyone's responsibility!

Watching the numbers swell, Fang Yue gradually relaxed—unexpectedly, he even spotted Xiao Hu among the large group.

"Xiao Hu, over here!"

Fang Yue waved to Xiao Hu, who, startled, hurried over and stared at Fang Yue in disbelief, scanning him up and down.

"Ye Ge, how are you here? Oh right—I remember you're part of the Guard Team—but weren't you severely injured? Wasn't it hopeless?"

Zhanshu Huxi Hu was Hong Dafu's apprentice, a medicine boy who'd previously accompanied Hong Dafu to examine him—he was the only player, aside from NPCs, who knew Fang Yue's true condition.

At the time, Fang Yue's condition was simple: he was rendered useless, unable to practice Martial Dao, grievously wounded, and needed at least ten to fifteen days of bed rest—no different from a dead man.

In Xiao Hu's mind, Fang Yue was just waiting for dawn to arrive, his lifespan exhausted, ready to die.

Who would've thought he'd now see Fang Yue alive and well in the Patrol Team, showing not a trace of Heavy Injury, let alone Meridian Disorder or Qi Deviation?

Seeing Xiao Hu circle him like an alien, Fang Yue smiled mysteriously.

Tsk tsk tsk, Xiao Hu, your info's outdated.

What you saw before was my daytime version.

Now I've been updated—negative status effects fully removed, Night God of War returns in full force!

In short, my nighttime self? It's like a heifer riding a motorcycle—Niu Bi, roaring loud!

Of course, Fang Yue couldn't tell Xiao Hu the whole truth—he only messaged him, saying he was fully recovered.

This left Xiao Hu marveling, staring at Fang Yue as if he were a medical miracle.

Because according to his cheap master Hong Dafu, Fang Yue's Qi Deviation was beyond even gods' ability to save.

Even Lord Han, that mysterious figure, had to travel to other villages to beg for medicine just to have a chance—proof of its severity.

In truth, it was exactly that bad.

Imagine a normal person with only 1 point in both attributes, forcibly trying to cultivate a Martial Dao technique requiring 30 points.

Not dying on the spot from cultivation was sheer luck; Qi Deviation was already a reprieve from death.

Fang Yue naturally believed this.

But he was different—he had 【Night's Breath】.

As long as he had one breath left, by nightfall, he'd kill even gods.

Qi Deviation? Not worth fearing.

As the two chatted, Niu Niu suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Xiao Hu's hand tightly.

"Fox Boss, save me!"

……Why do you always start by yelling "save me" to everyone?

Fang Yue was speechless—this guy had been so arrogant just earlier.

He'd trained day and night, claiming his palms were invincible.

His Control stat of 3.7 towered above everyone else—he was practically invincible, even wanted to challenge me.

And now, before night was even over, he's turned into someone who shouts "Boss!" and "Save me!" to anyone he sees.

Brother, your image collapsed way too fast.

Niu Niu didn't know what Fang Yue was thinking—if he did, he'd spill his whole belly of grievances.

Who could've guessed that his day-and-night of training in fist techniques meant nothing against the anomaly? He wasn't even as good as Tao Zi!

If not for Fang Yue stepping in, he'd already be dead.

Now he's afflicted with 【Curse of the Anomaly】, and he's met a player who hangs around with a doctor—he naturally rushed to beg for help.

Doesn't matter if it works—first, shout "Boss!"

Xiao Hu hadn't expected this the moment they met—he was caught off guard and gripped tightly.

He struggled hard, but found his strength was roughly equal to Niu Niu's—he might actually break free.

3.7 Control? That's it?

Xiao Hu didn't know Niu Niu was afflicted with 【Curse of the Anomaly】—his stats had already dropped to 1, same as his own—he thought the stat boost effect was just weak.

He glanced at Fang Yue, then at Niu Niu, stopped struggling, and asked: "Speak up—what's wrong with you? But I'm warning you, I've only been studying medicine for less than a day—I can't help you much."

In Gu Yue Cun, players were roughly divided into two groups.

The first group relied on their own strength—before the rainstorm ended yesterday, they used various methods, showing off skills to sneak into the village and build their own paths—some high-level players with inflated self-worth.

The second group was brought into the village entirely by Fang Yue's persuasion, ordinary players.

The former seemed to admire each other, forming a closed little circle.

They had little interaction with the later arrivals, feeling superior, convinced they were on a different level from those who entered only because Fang Yue let them in.

Fang Yue's group, however, stuck together—they all knew each other's faces, shared information, and got along fairly well.

Of course, this was only surface harmony—when it came to resource distribution, anyone might tear the mask off.

Regardless, under Fang Yue's name, this group's internal relations remained stable.

So Xiao Hu naturally knew Niu Niu—they'd met a few times, enough to be familiar.

Hearing Xiao Hu's words, Niu Niu quickly explained his situation.

"Curse of the Anomaly? Stat reduction? Countdown?"

Xiao Hu, hearing these unfamiliar terms, shook his head helplessly, giving three answers in a row.

"Don't ask me—I don't know, I don't understand at all!"

Niu Niu was instantly disappointed, but Xiao Hu continued: "Still, if you ask my cheap master Hong Dafu, he might have a solution."

Fang Yue asked curiously: "By the way, where's Hong Dafu? With the Gathering Fire Order this big, even villagers are mobilizing—he should be out too."

Niu Niu, upon hearing this, looked at Xiao Hu with eager attention.

But Xiao Hu shook his head: "No, the old man refused to come out—he locked himself inside and just sent me away. I'm a player, so I don't care. With something this big happening in the village, I treated it like an event and joined the crowd just to watch."

After a pause, Xiao Hu pointed ahead.

"That blood Hunter's apprentice, that carpenter's apprentice, and those few others—they're all high-tier players. They're probably just like me: their masters responded to the Gathering Fire Order by sending them out to die."

The Gathering Fire Order concerns the survival of Gu Yue Cun; certain villagers with vital roles must respond in person, or face severe punishment after the fact.

But this rule has a loophole: sending a subordinate student as a substitute still counts as compliance.

After all, skilled people are precious. Non-combatants sent to the scene would suffer too high a casualty rate and cause heavy losses. So the village tacitly accepts their exploitation of this loophole.

In fact, without this loophole, some masters might not even want to take on new students.

In a sense, apprentices like Xiao Hu, when sent out, are nothing but sacrificial pawns.

But players love responding to game events—enjoying the spectacle, courting death—it's no big deal to them.

Some even treat it as a task to raise favor, gladly accepting it with delight.

Sorry it's a bit late today.

There's another update tonight—three updates as usual.

(End of Chapter)