94: Chapter 94 Trip to Dragon City

I lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The feeling of 30% vitality, how should I put it, is like having 70% of your HP bar drained, making you feel lightheaded when walking. But more than that, what kept me awake was what Ye Liuli said just now.

Ye Wuji.

That name sounds like trouble. Ye Liuli's cousin, colluding with the Shadow Pavilion in reality, trying to obtain core game data to orchestrate a Business War. Why is this plot unfolding more and more like some Business War drama?

"System, do you think I should go buy a lottery ticket?" I muttered to myself. "This luck is truly something else. Not only did I get stuck with a shady stall system, but now I have to play cat and mouse with real-life corporate spies."

[Current Host Mission: Travel to Dragon City to investigate the distribution of Ye Wuji's forces in the game.]

[New mission line unlocked: The Intersection of Reality and Virtual.]

[Cross-server trading feature enabled. The Host can now conduct cross-server merchandise trading through the stall system.]

I rolled over and looked at the moonlight outside the window. Dragon City, Phoenix City, and Nether City—the three major main cities are all unlocked. What does this mean? It means my stall system business can expand and thrive, creating new heights of glory!

But the prerequisite is that I have to keep my life first.

Early the next morning, I went to find Mo Wentian with dark circles under my eyes. The old man was in the courtyard practicing Tai Chi, his movements as slow as a sloth.

"Master, I'm going to Dragon City."

Mo Wentian paused his movements, slowly finished his stance, and turned to look at me. "Have you thought it through?"

"I have." I nodded. "Ye Wuji's matter cannot be delayed; the sooner we investigate, the better."

Mo Wentian was silent for a moment, then pulled a letter from his robes. On the envelope, three words were written in a flamboyant style: To Old Iron.

"The Dragon City Lord, Tie Shan, is an old friend from my youth. Take this letter to him, and he will help you."

I took the letter, feeling a warmth in my heart. Although this old man is usually stingy, he is quite reliable when it counts.

"By the way, Master," I hesitated, "my vitality has only recovered to 30%. What if I encounter danger on the road..."

"If you're afraid of dying, then don't go." Mo Wentian rolled his eyes.

"I'm not afraid of dying; I'm afraid of dying without knowing why!"

Just as I was speaking, that guy Qin Wuji appeared out of nowhere, dressed in flowing white robes, pretending to be some kind of celestial being.

"Junior Brother Chen is going to Dragon City? Coincidentally, I am also going out for training. Why don't we travel together?"

I looked at him suspiciously. "You? The inner sect's head disciple going out for training with an outer sect disciple like me?"

"Inner sect disciples also need to broaden their horizons." Qin Wuji said with a straight face. "Besides, having one more person means an extra layer of support."

I sneered inwardly. Support? I'm afraid he's here to monitor me. But on second thought, having a level 35 expert following along would indeed make the road safer. Besides, if he really had any malicious intentions, I'd be worried if he didn't show his true colors.

"Sure, let's go together then."

Not long after, Ye Liuli also arrived. This woman had changed into casual clothes, no longer wearing that gorgeous guild master outfit, but a cyan dress, which looked quite refreshing.

"I'm going too." She said concisely.

"Why are you going?" I was stunned for a moment.

"Ye Wuji is my cousin; I understand his style of acting best." Ye Liuli said calmly. "Besides, this matter started because of me; I cannot let you go on this adventure alone."

I looked at her, feeling a bit complicated. This woman could clearly stay out of it, yet she insisted on wading into these muddy waters.

"Fine, then it's a three-person party. Let's go!"

...

Stepping out of the teleportation array, we arrived at a vast plain. Dragon City is some distance from Tianqi City; even with the teleportation array, we could only reach the nearest town, and the rest of the journey had to be traveled on foot.

"According to the map, there is a place called Apricot Blossom Village ahead. We can take a rest there." Ye Liuli said, unfolding the map.

"Apricot Blossom Village?" I scratched my head. "The name sounds quite poetic. There won't be any trouble there, will there?"

As it turns out, my mouth is jinxed.

As soon as we entered the village entrance, we heard crying and the sounds of smashing. The three of us looked at each other and rushed in.

The village was in chaos. A dozen NPCs looking like bandits were going from house to house looting property, while the villagers were fleeing in panic, crying out for help.

"In broad daylight, in this clear world, how dare you be so arrogant!" I said, filled with righteous indignation. "Brothers, attack!"

Qin Wuji and Ye Liuli didn't move.

"What's wrong?" I asked, turning back.

"Your vitality is only 30%. Are you sure you want to be the first to charge?" Ye Liuli raised an eyebrow.

"Uh..." I coughed awkwardly. "Well, Senior Brother Qin, please?"

Qin Wuji's mouth twitched, but he drew his sword and charged. With a flash of sword light, two bandits fell to the ground on the spot.

Ye Liuli didn't hesitate either; she waved her staff, and frost magic rained down, instantly freezing four or five bandits.

I watched from behind, clicking my tongue. The coordination between these two was absolutely seamless.

"Chen Ergou, why are you just standing there?" Ye Liuli turned back and glared at me.

"Coming, coming!"

I pulled out an "Explosive Potato" made by the system and threw it into the pile of bandits. With a bang, sparks flew, and the bandits were blown over.

"What kind of hidden weapon is this?" Qin Wuji looked at me in surprise.

"Exclusive secret recipe, not for public disclosure!"

Just when we thought victory was in our grasp, a roar came from the village entrance: "Who dares to touch my people!"

A burly man over two meters tall walked in, carrying a large saber, exuding a fierce aura.

[Bandit Leader: Wang Tiezhu]

[Level: 32 (Elite)]

[HP: 8000/8000]

"Level 32 Elite monster?" I swallowed hard. "Isn't this a bit beyond our level?"

Without saying a word, Wang Tiezhu swung his large saber at Qin Wuji. Qin Wuji raised his sword to block, but was forced to retreat three steps by the impact.

"What great strength!"

"Attack together!" Ye Liuli shouted.

The three of us besieged Wang Tiezhu, but the fight was extremely difficult. This guy not only had thick blood and high defense, but his attack power was also incredibly fierce. As a level 30 squishy player, if he grazed me once, I would lose half my HP bar.

"System, is there any item that can handle this guy?" I asked anxiously in my mind.

[Recommended item: Paralysis Poison (can paralyze the target for 3 seconds)]

[Recommended item: Weakness Charm (reduces target's attack power by 20%)]

"Give me one of each!"

Taking advantage of the gap while Wang Tiezhu was entangled with Qin Wuji, I snuck behind him and smeared the Paralysis Poison on his neck.

"You..." Wang Tiezhu's eyes widened, but his body began to stiffen.

"Now!" I shouted. "Full output!"

Qin Wuji and Ye Liuli seized the opportunity and unleashed a combo. Wang Tiezhu's HP bar dropped rapidly, and finally, he collapsed with a crash, dropping a pile of equipment and materials.

[Congratulations to the Host for defeating the level 32 Elite monster, gaining 5000 EXP!]

[Obtained: Bandit Leader's Large Saber (Blue Quality)]

[Obtained: Rough Leather x 10]

[Obtained: Silver Coin x 50]

I let out a long sigh and sat on the ground. This fight was even more tiring than fighting that bunch from the Shadow Pavilion.

The villagers only dared to come out then, weeping with gratitude, insisting on keeping us for a meal. We couldn't refuse, so we had a farmhouse meal in the village.

Before leaving, the village chief stuffed a bag of items into our hands: "These are rare materials treasured by the village. Thank you for saving our lives, heroes!"

I opened it to look, and good heavens, it was full of rare ores for forging and several high-level medicinal herbs.

"I'm rich, I'm rich!" I was grinning from ear to ear.

...

After walking for another half a day, finally, a magnificent city appeared on the horizon.

Dragon City.

I looked up at the walls that were dozens of meters high, and I was dumbfounded. This scale was more than three times larger than Tianqi City! The walls were inscribed with various runes in a flamboyant style, emitting a faint glow, looking domineering.

"As expected of one of the three major main cities..." I muttered to myself.

Entering the city was an eye-opener. The streets were spacious and tidy, lined with shops on both sides, bustling with people. Moreover, the players here generally had very high levels; just a casual glance revealed that players below level 30 were rare.

"Is this where the top players gather..." I felt like a country bumpkin coming to the city.

"Should we go check your branch store first?" Ye Liuli suggested.

"Yes, yes, yes, business comes first."

Following the system prompts, I found the stall system branch store located on Dragon City's commercial street. As soon as I walked to the entrance, I was stunned by the sight before me.

There was a long queue at the branch store entrance, with players stretching their necks to peer inside, shouting:

"Boss, are there any more strength pills?"

"I want that... what's it called, Explosive Potato, give me ten catties!"

"Is there any stock of Invisibility Talismans? I'll pay double the price!"

Looking at this hot scene, tears were almost falling. This is what doing business should look like!

The NPC manager of the branch store saw me and immediately came up to greet me: "Boss, you've finally arrived! The stock for these few days is almost sold out; you need to replenish it quickly!"

"Replenish! Must replenish!" I waved my hand. "Take out all the good stuff from my inventory!"

I busied myself in the branch store for half the day, checking accounts and replenishing goods, having a great time. Business was indeed ridiculously good; the daily turnover was more than my main store in Tianqi City in three days.

But just as I was preparing to close the store and rest, the system suddenly popped up a notification:

[Warning: Detected that the Host is being followed by an unknown force.]

[Suggestion: Be vigilant and watch your safety.]

My heart skipped a beat, and I scanned the area without changing my expression. Sure enough, in the shadows across the street, several sneaky figures were peering over here.

"Ye Wuji's people..." I narrowed my eyes. "They move quite fast."

It seems the waters in Dragon City are even deeper than I imagined.