âHey, have you guys heard? Jade Sea Pavilion started fighting with Life At First Sight again yesterday. Rumour has it that Life At First Sight even sent Nine Ballads out this time around. Alas, the great god Quiet And Steadfast dealt with her in a second.â
âWhat the f*ck! Quiet And Steadfast is really too OP!1 I chanced upon Nine Ballads in Frosty Wind Forest the last time I was there doing a quest, she was hunting monsters and, due to my carelessness, she killed me in a second with an AOE attack. I brought my brothers along with me later on to exact revenge, but she still killed us all. That woman is really a damn pervert!â
âIn that case, are you saying that Quiet And Steadfast is an even bigger pervert than her?â
âI heard differently compared to what you guys are talking about. From what I know, the reason why Quiet And Steadfast could finish off Nine Ballads like that was because an ugly monster trolled Nine Ballads beforehand⌠Well, that ugly monster is the very same player whom Jade Sea Pavilion recently admitted into their guild. Sheâs also the one who everyone deems to be the ugliest player in the history of this game!â
âI know about that ugly monster! Donât think sheâs a nobody just because sheâs ugly! Sheâs pretty awesome. Tell me, are you willing to incur the wrath of White Cloud Templeâs Sect Leader, Song Yuqingâs disciple? If so, then you better be careful when she comes looking for revenge with all of White Cloud Templeâs NPCs backing her!â
âJade Sea Pavilion really is getting more and more perverted! Do you think that Life At First Sight still stands a chance against them?â
âWell, thatâs hard to say. Iâve got a friend whoâs an executive in Life At First Sight, he said that Life At First Sight seems to be negotiating an alliance with Sovereignâs Descent. Jade Sea Pavilion has held the title of being the number one guild for so long, itâs not surprising for them to have long since incurred the displeasure of many guilds.â
âOh yeah, looks like weâre gonna have another good show to watch!â
Shen Jingbin was leaning against the counter in a tavern as she waited for the shopkeeper to gather the medicines she needed.
Thus far, sheâd been relying on her martial arts abilities from real life as a foundation for her combat abilities in the game. However, that battle with Nine Ballads last night had made her realise that her own underlying strength, that sheâd been so proud of, didnât really count for much. It was all down to pure dumb luck that she managed to dodge Nine Balladâs attack yesterday. If she were to compare their martial prowess alone, Nine Ballads would probably be on par with her. Shen Jingbin had merely used the surrounding terrain to her advantage to catch her opponent off guard.
However, as the saying goes: thereâs always another mountain. There might come a day when she encounters someone whose true martial prowess and level outclassed hers. When that time comes, wouldnât she only be able to wait for her death? Hence, she had to prepare life-saving items for herself.
When talking about life-saving items in the game, if it wasnât large health potions, then itâd be the legendary Grandmaster Apothecary who could refine Shen Nongâs secret medicine.
Based on the rumours that sheâd heard, there was a Grandmaster Apothecary NPC in this tavern called âNumber One Tavernâ, and that sheâd be able to buy Shen Nongâs secret medicine through the owner of the tavern.
She hadnât expected to hear so many rumours through the grapevine before she even obtained the medicine.
Sovereignâs Descent was one of the other larger guilds. Although they had the most members in the game, they didnât have all that many elite players, yet their Guild Leader was a very ambitious person. Heâd long since been discontent with the fact that even though Jade Sea Pavilion had less than half the number of members they did, theyâd held the title of the number one guild in the game since the very start.
In <>, a guildâs strength was based on the average strength of its members. Although Jade Sea Pavilion didnât have that many guild members, every single one of them were elites. As a result, they were crowned as the âNumber One Guildâ. Similarly, this was also the reason why they couldnât completely annihilate Life At First Sight despite being the number one guild in the game.
Life At First Sight was significantly weaker than Jade Sea Pavilion, but Jade Sea Pavilion was still no match for them in terms of manpower. There was a saying that an army of ants could kill an elephant. If Sovereignâs Descent really did form an alliance with Life At First Sight, then Jade Sea Pavilion would most likely suffer a little.
After all, this army of ants was truly a little bigger than usual.
âGoddess, hereâs your medicine.â As she was mulling over things, the shopkeeper walked out from the back of the tavern with two small porcelain bottles in hand, âThe total comes out to 100 taels of silver.â
â100 taels?!â Shen Jingbin couldnât control her voice for a moment and cried out.
The guests who were having their meals looked over in her direction, including those few players whoâd mentioned her name just now. She was immensely thankful that sheâd worn a black veil out in the streets today, otherwise the outcome would be unimaginable.
Since Nine Ballads made an effort to remember who she was, Quiet And Steadfast had pulled out a black veil, the same as the one he wore, and handed it to her. Whether it proved to be of use or not, the black veil would still be able to serve some purpose.
Noticing there wasnât anything gossip worthy, the players turned back after they cast a sweeping glance at her.
Since her figure was already so lacking, they reckoned that her face wouldnât be anything to write home about either.
âGoddess, this is a divine medicine. 100 taels isnât expensive at all. Donât you know how many years itâs been since this Grandmaster Apothecary stepped foot outside? Back then, I spent a lot of money just to invite him back here. Honestly speaking, I wouldnât sell this medicine to any Tom, Dick, or Harry who comes looking for me, so a price of 100 taels isnât a loss for you.â The shopkeeperâs smile bloomed like a chrysanthemum as he said, âGoddess, you have an exceptionally lovely aura around you. I can tell that youâre not a normal person from just a glance. You definitely wouldnât take a mere 100 taels of silver to heart.â
What an unscrupulous businessman!
Shen Jingbin cursed him in her heart as she handed over 100 taels of silver, suppressing her tears. After she put away the secret medicine, Shen Jingbin left the tavern with the shopkeeper seeing her off.
All the effort sheâd spent saving up had gone to naught in but a moment.
Shen Jingbin emotionally thought to herself: I want to learn how to refine medicine! These unscrupulous businessmen were really too vicious and greedy!
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