110: Chapter 110 But I really don't want to leave the village!

Hu Gualing rubbed his cheek, feeling that Xiao Niao's praise was a bit insincere. Besides, this phrasing sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't recall it immediately.

But that didn't matter anymore.

He urged Xiao Niao, "I've already passed the challenge and can leave the village, so now it's your turn. Come on."

Xiao Niao was stunned. He pointed at himself and asked uncertainly, "Are you talking about me?"

Hu Gualing replied, "Yeah. Didn't we agree before that we'd leave the village together? Are you scared? Don't worry, I'll take care of you. You just need to stay in the back and deal damage safely; there won't be any danger at all!"

"Oh, right, just be careful when you're shooting arrows from the back. Just don't hit me."

Hu Gualing had long been looking forward to leaving the village. Imagining the scene of adventuring outside the village with Xiao Niao, he was in high spirits.

"..." Xiao Niao was silent for a moment. He had to dampen Hu Gualing's mood, saying, "What you said is very true, but have you considered that even if you take care of me once we're outside the village, don't I have to pass the village exit challenge first before I can go out?"

Hu Gualing nodded vigorously, "Exactly! So hurry up and come over to challenge her!"

"..." Xiao Niao fell silent again, even longer than before.

He plucked up the courage to glance toward Miao Cuihua. Catching sight of her broad-shouldered and thick-waisted physique, he immediately withdrew his gaze, saying with lingering fear, "Gualing, first of all, thank you for believing in me, but do you really think I have the qualifications to challenge Auntie Miao?"

Hu Gualing said, "Why wouldn't you? Look, didn't I pass it?"

As he spoke, he pulled Xiao Niao to the side, away from Miao Cuihua's view, and began to analyze the situation.

"Xiao Niao, I know you were a bit scared and lost confidence after watching my intense battle just now. But listen to my analysis. Miao Cuihua might be strong in defense, but she isn't invincible. Look at me just now—I was able to deal double-digit damage with just my fists. And look at the weapon I used? brass knuckles, a blunt weapon! And you? You use a bow and arrow! The steel arrows I forged for you are a top-tier Sharp Weapon, and their power is leagues above my brass knuckles. Just two arrows, and I guarantee Miao Cuihua's health bar will be empty."

Xiao Niao listened, half-doubting. Because of his kind heart, he couldn't bear to watch the cruel scene of fighting, so he had deliberately covered his eyes and hadn't seen exactly how much damage appeared over Miao Cuihua's head.

However, regarding health points, he had discussed this with Hu Gualing. They deduced that ordinary human creatures, such as novice players like him and Hu Gualing, as well as most NPCs in the village, generally had health points in the high tens. If someone had undergone long-term training and looked particularly strong, like Niu Dali who did odd jobs in the village, Wang Dachui who had been forging iron for a long time, or Miao Cuihua who had been farming for a long time—people like them with vigorous Qi and blood would have slightly more health, but not by much. Xiao Niao estimated they would have at most 100 HP.

Under these health conditions, if Hu Gualing said he dealt double-digit damage with one punch, wouldn't that mean he should have emptied Miao Cuihua's health bar in two or three hits just now?

But looking at Miao Cuihua's physique, she shouldn't be that fragile, right? Could it be that she just looks intimidating, but her actual strength is quite ordinary?

Even so, Xiao Niao didn't think he could challenge her. He clearly remembered that when the challenge first started, Hu Gualing tried a sneak attack but was easily restrained by Miao Cuihua. Although he couldn't bear to watch the rest and didn't know what methods Gualing used to turn the tables, this at least proved that even if Miao Cuihua's defensive ability wasn't great, her combat skills were certainly nothing to scoff at. Even Hu Gualing was made to wail when she grabbed him, and Xiao Niao certainly didn't think he was a better fighter than Hu Gualing. It was better not to go up there and suffer.

Xiao Niao shook his head. "Forget it. I don't like fighting."

Hu Gualing said, "But if you want to leave the village, you have to pass the challenge quest first. You can't just stay in the village forever, right?"

Xiao Niao said, "This... let's talk about it later. The main thing is, I feel that my current strength still falls short of leaving the village. It's better to consolidate for a while longer."

Hu Gualing laughed. "Do you think you're me? Consolidate? Consolidate my ass! Oh, don't tell me you're scared again?"

Xiao Niao got anxious. "What do you mean 'again'? Besides, what do I have to be afraid of? I'm just... I'm just... I'm just kind-hearted! I can't bear to shoot arrows at people; it's too cruel."

Hu Gualing couldn't help but chuckle at Xiao Niao's stubbornness. "Alright, alright, you're kind-hearted. But didn't you see just now? Once the challenge ends, no matter how many injuries the two of you sustained, you'll both recover to how you were before the challenge started. So what is there to feel bad about?"

Xiao Niao became conflicted.

Of course, he wasn't conflicted about whether or not to challenge Miao Cuihua, but rather about what excuse he could use to make Hu Gualing give up the idea of making him challenge her.

Unfortunately, seeing how high-spirited Hu Gualing was, it would probably be very difficult.

Just as Xiao Niao thought of this, he heard Hu Gualing urging him again. "Go challenge her quickly! She was just beaten up by me. Although her physical injuries have recovered, her mental state definitely hasn't recovered yet. If you challenge her now, it will definitely be much easier than usual. Go, go! Don't miss this golden opportunity!"

Xiao Niao: "..."

After a moment of speechlessness, Xiao Niao sighed helplessly.

Fine, fine. I'll just give it a try. Otherwise, Gualing will go on endlessly.

Anyway, he didn't think there was any possibility of him succeeding in the challenge.

Because the challenge arena was so small, if he wanted to use his bow and arrow to fight, he reckoned that as soon as he nocked an arrow on the string, before he even had enough time to aim, Miao Cuihua would be able to rush in front of him in two steps and give him a big slap.

But there was no other way now. If he didn't give the challenge a try and put the facts in front of Gualing, it would be very hard to send him off to play outside the village by himself.

After careful consideration, Xiao Niao said helplessly, "Alright, I'll give it a try. But I don't have any confidence that I'll definitely win. If I unfortunately fail, then I'll have to stay in the village to consolidate for a while, and I'll have to wrong you by having you go on an adventure outside the village alone."

Hu Gualing said with emotion, "What nonsense are you spouting? Am I, Hu Gualing, the kind of person who would abandon a friend? Even if you fail the challenge, I won't leave the village alone. At worst, I'll just forge you a set of equipment and arm you from head to toe; you'll definitely be able to pass the challenge eventually! But let's not talk about this for now. Hurry up and start the village exit challenge. As long as you shoot accurately, you might just pass this time!"

Xiao Niao was also very moved by Hu Gualing's words, so moved that he was about to wipe away tears... But I really don't want to leave the village!