LWGP - Chapter 74
Chapter 74: Homestead
Wang Jiu, who had been ambushed, narrowly dodged. Faced with such a terrifying attack, with death just inches away, her heart rate briefly spiked for a moment before she instantly calmed it.
Slipping to the side, she quickly darted into the forest, using the trees as cover to evade the opponent's direct charge.
An active skill like Charge had a cooldown, but she didn't know the exact duration. Most opponents she fought never got a chance to use a second Charge before she finished them off. However, based on the performance of bosses, it was likely over 30 seconds.
Still, it was best to be cautious.
Even Wang Jiu was startled by this person, let alone the others. The aura of bloodlust around him was at least five or six times denser than her own. This was a damn butcher with maxed-out stats!
And the blade in his hand... it gleamed with a silver light.
A Silver Grade Weapon.
Fuck, a high-level murderous demon had appeared in these mountains!
Run!
At this point, no one was talking about killing a Red Name for their gear. Even ten brainwashing pyramid scheme experts wouldn't have convinced them. While the opponent was locked onto Wang Jiu, the others turned and fled without a word. But they hadn't gotten more than a few meters before the butcher flashed forward and cut down the nearest person.
Unluckily, it was the person from He Ruguang's group who had been lurking on the other side. A single slash, without even using a skill, was an instant kill.
Four or five items dropped to the ground, but he didn't even bother to pick them up. He moved in an arc and instantly killed another person.
Each one fell to a single slash.
But he never strayed far from Wang Jiu.
He was gauging the now-still Wang Jiu's likely escape route while also waiting for his Charge to cool down—he had already determined that her Agility was slightly higher than his.
Without Charge, he couldn't catch her.
So he had to play the long game and maximize his gains in the process. That's why he started slaughtering the others nearby.
This was a butcher, but also a seasoned hunter.
To him, Wang Jiu was a difficult but absolutely delicious prey.
By now, He Ruguang and the others had long since fled. The souls of the deceased, like He Ming, were scared witless and immediately revived back in the city.
Only two people and one pig remained.
Wang Shu felt he had his reasons for not leaving, even if it was already the wrong choice. But why wasn't Qiao Xuejing leaving?
Holy shit, am I that charismatic?
Or is the young lady just too kind? That made sense. Although she didn't talk much, she seemed to treat people with propriety and gentleness.
No, she wasn't staying out of kindness. She wanted to team up with his master!
Master + Qiao Xuejing + Dao Dao should be able to hold their own against him.
Just as Wang Shu had this epiphany, Qiao Xuejing and Dao Dao charged out.
In that same instant, Wang Jiu moved too. She darted out from behind a tree, switched back to her bow, and an arrow was already flying.
Right, she hadn't been standing still to plan her escape, but to exchange glances and hand signals with Qiao Xuejing in the opposite woods.
Smart people didn't need to conspire.
But as they charged out, the butcher also moved. Wang Jiu's arrow was swift—her Agility was too high, after all—and he was forced to parry it with his blade.
At that moment, boom! Dao Dao stomped her hoof, causing a five-meter-diameter patch of ground to tremble. The butcher shifted his footing slightly to offset the imbalance from the tremor. At the same time, Qiao Xuejing's sword arrived.
Clang!
The butcher raised his blade, a cruel grin on his face, and swung back. With a flick of his wrist, he aimed a second slash at Qiao Xuejing's waist.
He treated such an elegant and refreshing beauty as if he were slaughtering a pig. It was truly ruthless.
But the arrows were faster. Two arrows, one after the other, targeted his eyes and the area between his legs.
Aiming for the heart wouldn't be very effective, as his Stamina was surely high, and she might not even break through his defense. Wang Jiu didn't waste her effort, focusing her rapid shots on those two spots.
The butcher frowned and dodged backward, trying to pursue from another angle. But the sow had already unleashed a second Ground Slam. Was this a skill? How did it cool down so fast? As the butcher was forced to rebalance himself again, Qiao Xuejing suddenly used Heavy Strike!
Bang!!
The butcher, who had blocked the attack, took a step back. His wrist was a little sore and his breathing was slightly uneven, but he wasn't seriously injured. Just then, another arrow came!
Clang! Clang! The butcher had to parry the arrows again. At the same time, Qiao Xuejing's second slash arrived!
She landed a blow on his waist, but it was blocked by his belt.
Having taken a solid hit, he retreated three steps. However... his Charge had cooled down. Whoosh! The moment the butcher charged, Dao Dao was horrified and almost rushed to intercept him, but Qiao Xuejing seemed to have anticipated it and dodged.
It wasn't an Evasion skill, just pure prediction—she had timed his Charge cooldown perfectly.
Her performance was stunning, but the butcher's gaze was dark. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing the white tip of a sharp tooth, and suddenly twisted his blade for another Heavy Strike!
Danger!
To prevent Wang Jiu from interfering with this Heavy Strike, he deliberately turned his side towards her, shielding the weak spots of his eyes and between his legs.
But... the arrow was aimed at his ear canal!
Was there no fatal point she couldn't find?
The butcher had no choice but to dodge yet again, avoiding the arrow. Just then, the pig used Ground Slam again!
This combination of two people and one pig...
It didn't seem like their first time working together, did it?
The butcher frowned, suddenly retreating and leaping into a tree. He instantly swapped his blade for a bow and arrow.
To deal with the powerful teamwork of these two people and one pig, he had to change his attack pattern.
Fortunately, his bow wasn't Silver Grade. But with his terrifying Strength, its damage would still be immense. If he added Heavy Strike... not only would Qiao Xuejing have a hard time dodging, but Dao Dao would be in great danger, as her Ground Slam could no longer affect him.
Just as the advantage of their teamwork was about to crumble, the butcher's arrow arrived.
This time, even with her predictive abilities, Qiao Xuejing couldn't successfully dodge. She braced herself for injury.
Clang! It was struck mid-flight and knocked off course. Qiao Xuejing immediately dodged.
But in an instant, the butcher had already anticipated this outcome. His second arrow flew towards Wang Jiu, who had just fired her own.
Whoosh... Relying on her high Agility, Wang Jiu narrowly dodged. The arrowhead grazed her arm, tearing her sleeve and leaving a bloody scratch. But as she side-flipped and landed, she saw his next arrow already aimed at her forehead.
Wang Jiu leaped up to dodge again.
"Master, be careful!!" Wang Shu suddenly shouted from the woods. He saw the man throw something.
Whoosh, a card!
It's over, it's over! With Master's Red Name status, getting killed would be like a goddess scattering flowers—a torrential downpour of equipment and treasures.
Wang Jiu, having just dodged, saw the card land and instantly transform into a human-sized armored guard with a sword.
It was a timed summon; otherwise, he would have used it long ago. But right now, the heads of Wang Jiu and the other woman were certainly more valuable than a temporary card, so he used it.
The armored guard was probably even stronger than the Fishman Chieftain. It leaped and brought its sword down towards Wang Jiu's head...
He's too strong, this butcher is too strong, we can't beat him! Unless my master also uses a card to fight back, but there's no need.
They had no obligation, and at this point, they could actually retreat.
After all, they really couldn't win.
However... Qiao Xuejing suddenly saw Wang Jiu press something in her palm onto the ground.
Buzz. A not-so-huge, 90-square-meter Homestead appeared, materializing and suppressing the ground.
At the same time, before the mighty armored guard's leaping slash could reach Wang Jiu, it slammed into the luminous wall of the 90-cubic-meter structure.
The blade struck it.
A system notification popped up: "An enemy is attempting to attack your private Homestead's protective wall. Do you wish to reflect the attack?"
Did it even need to ask?
Wang Jiu: "Reflect it!"
And so, with a bang, the powerful puppet guard was sent flying seven or eight meters, snapping two trees in the process.
Its legs were broken.
The power... even Wang Jiu was surprised, not to mention the others. The butcher was also shocked. He considered himself one of the strongest elite players, having slaughtered no fewer than a hundred people, yet he had never encountered such a method or treasure.
A treasure? A Manor Homestead?
Quickly getting the answer from the system, the butcher's eyes on Wang Jiu were practically bleeding with envy. How could this woman have such terrifying luck? Why didn't he have it!
But he reacted extremely fast, drawing his bow and nocking an arrow. Was he testing if he could still attack Wang Jiu?
No, the arrow was aimed at...
Bang!!
Wang Shu, who was running towards the Homestead to get inside, was just half a meter away when he was suddenly shot and killed by an arrow. He fell to the ground, but immediately revived on the spot and decisively rushed in. The butcher didn't even have time to react. When he looked at the ground... the spot where the fatty's corpse had just been was empty.
The butcher: "..."
This was his most ineffective kill.
At the same time, he couldn't see or hear any movement inside the Homestead. The luminous wall concealed everything.
Wang Jiu hadn't disabled the Homestead's privacy function. She had only sensed that a formidable opponent was targeting her and had thought of this trump card for self-preservation. She had guessed it must have some isolating capabilities but didn't know the specific way to use it.
Now she had her answer... She had no time to study its other functions, because Wang Shu was wailing with tears streaming down his face: "Master, I've finally found you, Master!"
The emotion was genuine and deeply moving.
But Wang Jiu only asked Wang Shu faintly, "Why didn't you drop anything when you died?"
Her tone was long and mournful, her gaze blatant.
Was this the first reaction a master should have?
But Qiao Xuejing and Dao Dao could understand.
Yeah, why didn't you drop anything?
If there were a resentment meter right now, their combined score would rival Kayako with her theme music playing.
Wang Shu was stunned for a moment. "I don't know! It's the first time I've been killed. Good thing I didn't drop anything. Master, let me tell you, I have a lot of good stuff on me." Wang Jiu: "Did this lady take you grinding?"
Qiao Xuejing raised an eyebrow.
Wang Shu: "Yeah, yeah! No, that's not right. I still want Master to take me grinding the most."
He saw the faint look in Wang Jiu's eyes and immediately changed his tune.
Dao Dao snorted a cold laugh, wagging her pig tail, looking like she wanted to charge him.
Wang Jiu: "Is that so? Did she let you loot the boss?"
Wang Shu: "I did, I did... She went against everyone's opinion and let me loot. It really pissed off He Ming and the others, but they didn't dare say anything. Then when I looted something good, their expressions all changed."
Holy shit, Master, your expression changed too.
Your expression is terrifying.
Wang Shu trembled, feeling that disaster was imminent. To protect himself, he decided to strike first.
"By the way, Master, why did you abandon me? You just left Luoyang and ran off. Were you trying to get rid of me?"
But Wang Jiu reached out and patted his head, her tone gentle and her expression sad. "How could I? I've been looking for you all this time. I've finally found you."
Beside them, Dao Dao couldn't help but mutter, "We clearly just ran into each other by chance."
Wang Shu's eyes also grew mournful. Master, I'm not an idiot, you know.
But Wang Jiu smiled. "If heaven hadn't been moved by the sincerity of my search for my disciple, how could you have run into me? Besides, I attracted all these people to attack me and caused such a commotion precisely to find you, Ah Shu."
Wasn't it because you killed too many people and got ganged up on?
Just as Wang Shu was about to speak, Wang Jiu looked at him and said softly, "But as for meeting a new big sister and egging her on to kill me for my gear... I'm not sure who said that. It couldn't have been you, could it, my little Ah Shu."
"Of course it wasn't me! My filial piety towards Master is as clear as the sun and moon!" Wang Shu immediately pointed to the sky and swore. "My gratitude for Master's kindness could move all the gods and buddhas in heaven!"
"I know. I missed you too, little Ah Shu."
What a pair of master and disciple. Their acting could put Hollywood to shame, moving hearts and touching all of China.
The System let out a derisive "Heh."
Qiao Xuejing, with her elegant demeanor, didn't interrupt the master and disciple. Instead, she observed the Homestead. There wasn't much to see, really. She had asked the system for information and confirmed that it was a top-tier item, something one could only dream of. She couldn't help but sigh in admiration, but she also kept an eye on the outside.
"He's hidden himself. I don't know if he's left," Qiao Xuejing said when Wang Jiu looked over.
"It doesn't matter if he's left or not. As long as he can't get in."
But Wang Shu was worried he would camp them. Wouldn't that be a waste of time?
"If he camps us, it's actually better. You guys can fight the boss, but he can't."
Hearing Qiao Xuejing say this, Wang Shu was surprised. He seemed to realize something and quickly looked towards a spot. "Holy shit! The Homestead is blocking the entrance to the tree hollow, it's right up against the vortex! Haha, Master, we can just walk out the door and into the vortex! Master, you're so smart..."
A stream of flattery came pouring out.
Dao Dao was dumbfounded.
Qiao Xuejing also felt it was a bit... strange.
From her observation, the relationship between this master and disciple was likely maintained entirely by looting corpses and flattery, but it was an absolutely stable one.
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