16: Chapter 16 Exchange List Update

The cheers of victory burst briefly through the forest, only to be quickly replaced by an even more eerie silence.

A dozen pairs of eyes, like Columbus discovering the New World, were fixed intently on the two Chen Family Cultivators who were tied up like zongzi.

It wasn't the look one gave to loot, but rather the way a naturalist scrutinizes two never-before-seen rare species—filled with undisguised curiosity, inquiry, and a hint of... eager cruelty.

"Alive! It's really a live immortal cultivator!" A player stepped forward and poked the cheek of one of the cultivators, which was flushed red with anger and humiliation.

The cultivator struggled with "wuwu" sounds; a rag soaked in lard was stuffed into his mouth, making it impossible for him to even utter a single threat. He could only use a gaze that could kill to mentally flay the surrounding "madmen."

"Hey, don't say, this skin is really well-maintained, much better than ours after being exposed to the sun and wind every day."

"Quick, see what good stuff he has! The waist token's been felt, where's the Storage Pouch? Where's the legendary Storage Pouch?"

"I Love Exploiting Loopholes" did not let the fervor go to his head. He calmly stopped the crowd who wanted to get handsy: "Don't mess around! The Ancestor's quest is to 'capture alive' or 'kill.' A live one is definitely worth more than a dead one! Besides, there's a hidden quest that requires getting something from that manager named Chen Ping. These two are our sources of intelligence!"

His words calmed everyone down.

Right, intelligence.

"Gossip Reporter Little Trumpet" pushed up her non-existent glasses and walked up while rubbing her hands, a professional and chillingly sweet smile appearing on her face.

"Two little brothers, don't be nervous. Big sister just wants to chat with you and ask a few questions, that's all."

She squatted down and attempted to remove the rag from one of their mouths.

"Pei!"

As soon as it was removed, a mouthful of spit carrying spiritual power was accurately spat at her.

Luckily, Little Trumpet reacted quickly and leaned back to dodge it. The spit hit the ground, actually corroding a shallow pit.

"Wow, so fierce!" Instead of getting angry, Little Trumpet became even more excited. "Sisters, did you see that? The NPC interaction details are done so well! I like this personality!"

The surrounding female players let out a knowing laugh.

The following scene made even the remaining male players feel a chill.

Traditional coercion and bribery were interpreted here as bizarre performance art.

"Little brother, look, this is our Novice Village specialty, 'Tusked Wild Boar' tusks. Ground into powder and mixed with water, it's very nourishing! As long as you tell us the Chen Family's defense map, this bag is yours!" — This was the simple trading style.

"Not talking? It's fine. Skillful Hands, bring over your newly researched 'Prickly Grass' powder. Yes, the one that makes people itch for three days and three nights without being able to disperse it with cultivation. We won't use it on him, just sprinkle a circle around him and let him watch." — This was the precise psychological deterrence style.

"Look at his clothes, the material is so good. I wonder if stripping it off could decompose into 'silk' materials. Eh, it's just stained with a bit of lard and wolf dung, it should still be usable after a wash." — This was the most rustic threat from the life-skill players.

The two Chen Family Cultivators, who had always considered themselves proud immortal sect disciples, had never seen such a display.

In their world, enemies were either ferocious demonic beasts, eerie demonic cultivators, or at worst, cultivators from other families.

Combat was the collision of Flying Swords and spells, the contention of Dao and principles.

But this group of people before them... they simply didn't play by the rules!

Their methods were mean, low-down, and unheard of!

They were filthy tricks dug straight out of the gutter!

Half an hour later, when "Gossip Reporter Little Trumpet" stood up satisfied with a map drawn with charcoal on animal hide—crooked but containing all the essential elements—the eyes of those two Chen Family Cultivators had completely lost focus.

Their psychological defenses had completely collapsed under the ultimate humiliation of "being watched by dozens of burly men discussing whether their pants style fit mainstream aesthetics."

They confessed.

Not only did they reveal the patrol routes and shift times of the Chen Family's perimeter, they even clearly stated how many dishes and soup Auntie Wang in the kitchen made for lunch today.

"Done!" Little Trumpet gave everyone a "V" sign.

"I Love Exploiting Loopholes" took the map, compared it with his previous scouting results, and nodded, his eyes shining with the light of wisdom.

He looked at the two prisoners and gave the command: "Strip them naked, tie them to trees, gag them tight. Let's go!"

"Ah? Not taking them back to the Ancestor?" someone asked.

"Why take them back? To waste food?" "I Love Exploiting Loopholes" sneered. "The Ancestor's quest is to 'capture or kill.' We've already completed the 'capture' part and got the intelligence. Leaving them here now makes them the best chess pieces."

"How so?"

"Think about it, when the Chen Family finds the patrol missing, what will they do? They'll definitely send people to look. When they find them here, two fellow disciples stripped naked and hanging from trees, what will their reaction be?"

Everyone immediately had a mental image and showed a "you know" smile.

"Anger! A humiliating disgrace!"

"They'll think we're provoking them! They'll look down on us even more, thinking we're just a bunch of savages who only use underhanded tricks!"

"I Love Exploiting Loopholes" snapped his fingers: "Exactly! What we want is this arrogance! Arrogance will make them relax their guard when they step into the hunting ground we've carefully prepared. Let's go back and turn in the quest! A new storm is coming!"

...

Qingxi Chen Family, Council Hall.

A soul jade hanging on the wall cracked with a "kacha" sound, a fissure opening up.

Immediately after, another one next to it also cracked in response.

The disciple responsible for guarding the Soul Hall rushed in stumbling, his face as pale as paper: "Manager! Something terrible has happened! The soul jades of Chen Yuan and Chen Hao... have cracked!"

The soul jade wasn't shattered, meaning they were still alive, but cracking meant they were severely injured or their souls had suffered a massive shock.

At the head of the hall, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe with a sinister face was holding a teacup. Hearing this, his movements paused slightly.

He was the Head Manager of the Chen Family, Chen Ping, a Mid-Stage Qi Refining cultivator.

"Oh?" He lifted his eyelids, his tone flat, revealing no emotion. "How long have they been missing?"

"Reporting... reporting to Manager, they haven't sent back a message for over an hour past the scheduled time."

"A bunch of trash."

Chen Ping put down the teacup with a soft clink.

He stood up and paced to the front of the hall, looking at the distant mountain forest they considered a barbaric land.

"Just a pack of kept mad dogs; they really think they can bite just because they have numbers and can dig a few holes?" He curled his lips into a disdainful sneer. "It seems the lesson given last time wasn't deep enough. They haven't truly understood what the chasm called 'magical power' between mortals and immortal masters actually means."

He tidied his spotless sleeves as if the news he just heard was merely about two lost watchdogs.

"Prepare the carriage, bring ten Household Servants."

He ordered indifferently, with a natural air of arrogance.

"I will go personally to sweep that land clean."

In his view, this wasn't a battle, just a cleanup.

A trivial labor to make ants recognize their place.

...

In front of the Ancestral Hall, after "I Love Exploiting Loopholes" and "Gossip Reporter Little Trumpet" handed over the animal hide map and the captured Chen Family waist tokens, the long-absent, majestic voice rang out in the minds of all players involved in the operation.

【Family Quest 'Distinction Between Immortal and Mortal' updated.】

【Quest Objective 2: Capture or kill a 'Chen Family Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator'... Completed!】

【Reward issued: 1,000 contribution points.】

【Family Shop exchange list updated, new items: Basic Talismans 'Sharp Metal Talisman' and 'Thick Earth Talisman'.】

Boom!

The entire player base was boiling with excitement.

The forum was instantly flooded with posts.

"Holy crap! We're rich! One thousand contribution points!"

"Talismans! It's talismans! Can we use spells too?"

"The one above is overthinking it; these are probably consumables like grenades. But... hehe, grenades are good! I like them!"

"'Sharp Metal Talisman' deals one-time piercing damage; 'Thick Earth Talisman' creates a temporary earth wall in front of you. Damn, isn't this 'armor-piercing rounds' and 'mobile cover'? Ancestor is awesome!"

Everyone swarmed the contribution shop, looking at the two new glowing talisman icons, their mouths almost watering.

However, the high exchange price—50 contribution points per talisman—made most people hesitate.

"Too expensive! Hunting hard all day isn't enough for two!"

"This is forcing us to kill Chen Family people! Killing one gets you twenty!"

"Killing the goose for the golden egg isn't advisable. But... what about robbing them?"

A weak voice spoke up, but it instantly lit up everyone's eyes.

"Right! Doesn't the Chen Family have a spirit stone mine? Let's rob the mine! With spirit stones, who's afraid of lacking contribution points?"

The "Demolition Office Director" looked grim; the penalty from his last death had almost sent him back to square one.

He posted directly on the forum with a blood-red title.

【Stop arguing! The Chen Family people are coming soon! Anyone who wants revenge or to get rich, get moving! 'Shield Mountain', pull out your 'Door Panel Array' now! 'Infrastructure Maniac', I don't care what method you use, I want to see a maze at the village entrance! Everyone else, gatherers gather, cooks cook! A great battle is coming, if anyone messes up, I'll be the first to kick them!】

The big shot's roar was more effective than any mobilization.

The players' suppressed anger and greed for new equipment combined perfectly into unprecedented preparation enthusiasm.

With "Shield Mountain" as the core, twenty strong players gathered at the village entrance carrying various "shields" they had scavenged.

The scene was like a Beggars' Sect meeting.

Someone carried a furnace door removed from the blacksmith shop, someone held a bedboard from their own home, and more held round shields reinforced with iron plates captured from Black Wind Stockade.

"Shield Mountain" stood at the front, holding a giant square shield made of two layers of door panels with a layer of iron plate sandwiched between.

He slammed the shield heavily onto the ground with a dull thud.

"Listen!" His voice was steady, with a natural air of authority. "We aren't going to kill people. Our mission is only one—hold the line!"

His gaze swept over everyone. "No matter if the other side uses Flying Swords or fireballs, we are a wall! People can die, but the formation must not break! If the front row falls, the back row fills in immediately! As long as we hold the first wave, the brothers behind can shove all those 'goodies' into the mouths of those immortal masters!"

Behind him, "Skillful Hands Mending" was leading a group of female players to distribute "projectiles" emitting an indescribable smell.

Further away, "Infrastructure Maniac" commanded dozens of people to frantically dig trenches, set tripwires, and even cut most of the roots of several large trees, tying them with vines to make simple catapults.

The entire Novice Village turned into a high-speed war machine.

Chaotic and primitive, yet showing a heart-palpitating, seamless efficiency.

They, with mortal bodies, were preparing to face the thunderous wrath of immortal masters using their wisdom and "unscrupulous" tactics.

The afterglow of the setting sun stretched their shadows long.

"Shield Mountain" took a deep breath, propping the giant door-panel shield in front of him, leaving only a pair of resolute eyes staring at the end of the mountain road leading to the Chen Family.

The wind brought the scent of dust from afar.

He knew the enemy was coming.