CSMCDB - Chapter 96
Chapter 96
After emptying a storage ring to hold the heads, Wen Yuncheng counted each of the mountain bandits' heads one by one. Then, she piled the bodies together and cremated them. Wen Yuncheng rummaged through their main camp for treasures—things that looked valuable, weapons that seemed worth a bit, and boxes full of Star Stones. Wen Yuncheng made sure to pack them all into a separate ring. She could sell these items through Yan Ling, and as for the Star Stones, she could have someone help deposit them into her Star Stone card.
After retracting all the Enemy-Annihilators, Wen Yuncheng bombarded the bandit fortress once more with her turrets and Star Cannons. The entire mountaintop was blasted into a chaotic mess by the Star Power. Only after confirming that the fortress had been so thoroughly destroyed by Star Power that no other traces remained did Wen Yuncheng feel at ease. The cremated remains of the bodies were now mixed in with the soil, rendered unrecognizable.
Once everything was finished, Wen Yuncheng activated her Mechanical Wings and took a roundabout route to leave. She landed in an uninhabited area in the outskirts of Suijin Town and entered on foot. She then took a Gugu Bird back to the Bounty Hall to complete the mission.
Although she had been dressed as a man for the entire mission, others could easily perceive that she was a woman with a scan of their Star Power. After handing over the ring full of heads, Wen Yuncheng specifically used an empty card to collect the Star Stones and then left the Bounty Hall. She deliberately walked into the commercial district, letting herself be swallowed by the crowd, before having 1947 activate its shielding again.
It wasn't as if anyone would necessarily follow her to investigate her identity, but Wen Yuncheng was just being prepared for any eventuality.
There were thirteen mountain bandits in total, earning Wen Yuncheng 650 experience and thirteen points. She discovered that missions to exterminate bandit lairs yielded experience much faster than dueling. A single blast from a Star Cannon left anyone below the Star Lord realm with no power to resist, turning them all into experience points.
[You're not scared at all.]
"The feeling of a sharp weapon cutting through flesh is disgusting, and taking the heads is also disgusting," Wen Yuncheng said honestly. "But it's not unbearable if I just grit my teeth." When she thought about the things these scumbags had done, Wen Yuncheng felt that overcoming a psychological barrier was no big deal.
Human life…
Wen Yuncheng sighed. In the past, concepts like human life and death were just cold words or a string of numbers to her. But today, after she had personally wiped out that small bandit fortress, the feeling of handling the corpses and the visual impact of thirteen bodies made her think of the villages, towns, and even sects that the Empire announced had been massacred by "Fu." When she recalled how news reports would casually mention things like "over a hundred dead" or "of the twenty-eight guards defending the city, there were no survivors," she felt an even greater sense of shock and anger.
She should go buy a mask.
After all, Wen Yuncheng felt this would definitely not be the last time she accepted a bounty like this.
[Mission Issued: Eradicate Fu]
[Mission Requirement: As a member of the Starry Sky Continent's Star Empire, you have a duty to help the Empire eliminate its vermin!]
[Mission Reward: For each "Fu" member killed, gain experience equal to the target's level * 10]
A new mission? Eradicate Fu? 1947, you didn't even issue a mission when I just killed those mountain bandits.
[Opponents on the level of mountain bandits are not worthy of a mission,] 1947 said proudly. [Issuing this mission also makes it easier for you to know the identity of the people you kill. After all, some "Fu" members are indistinguishable from ordinary cultivators in their daily lives.]
Fine. A new mission was a good thing, anyway. Wen Yuncheng thought for a moment and said to 1947: I plan to take on more bounties like this for a while and return to the academy when the semester starts.
[Mm… okay.]
[Timed Mission Activated: Eliminate Evil]
[Mission Requirement: As a member of the Star Empire, it is your undeniable duty to aid the Empire in cleansing evil. (Ends in September)]
[Mission Reward: For each bounty completed, gain 200 experience and 50 points]
After finding time to buy a small white fox mask and reporting back to Yan Ling at the academy, Wen Yuncheng began her bounty-hunting journey, clearing out small groups of mountain bandits in various places. It wasn't that she didn't want to take on larger bandit camps, but with those… she might not be able to ensure a complete wipeout. Not because she couldn't bring herself to do it, but because she was afraid people would escape.
A full-powered blast from her Star Cannons could seriously injure or even kill a few of the bandits, no problem. However, Wen Yuncheng had a limited number of Star Cannons, and the energy required to replenish them afterward was immense. Therefore, it was better to control the output to conserve some energy, then finish them off manually and take their heads as proof. For convenience, Wen Yuncheng had even bought a sharp dagger. Of course, she must never forget to destroy the bodies and erase all traces afterward.
Wen Yuncheng didn't really care about the Star Stone reward when she took on bounties; she traveled to her destinations at full speed on Gugu Birds.
Completing and finding bounties didn't take much time; Wen Yuncheng spent most of her time traveling back and forth. Bounty organizations like this wouldn't publicize the achievements of any particular contractor, so Wen Yuncheng did not become famous. The news that those small bandit camps had been cleared out wasn't widely reported either. The issuers of such bounties were usually several towns pooling their Star Stones together. Now that the bounties were completed, they would still be afraid that not all the bandits were dead and that if word got out, they would face retaliation. So, they wouldn't make a big deal out of it. After all… the peace they gained after the bandits were eliminated was something they could experience for themselves, and that was enough.
The people at the bounty center, however, grew familiar with Wen Yuncheng. It wasn't that they had any particular feelings about it, but they simply found it novel that a female Star Lord would be clearing out various small bandit camps with such high efficiency. They didn't know Wen Yuncheng's exact age, but they could sense from her vitality that she was probably a young person.
By the time school started in September, Wen Yuncheng, still wanting more, finally stopped. She had already wiped out sixteen small bandit lairs and now possessed nineteen Star Cannons.
Host: Wen Yuncheng
Race: Human
Age: 18
Class: Mechanical Overlord
Level: 41
Experience: 21505/29000
Points: 3553
Towards the end of her bounty hunting, Wen Yuncheng had deliberately slowed her pace, spending more time assembling Star Cannons or sparring in the Dueling Arena. This was to prevent the staff at the Bounty Hall from guessing anything when she suddenly stopped accepting bounty missions in September.
Back at the academy, Wen Yuncheng had planned to see Lin Jinyu, but it turned out Lin Jinyu hadn't arrived yet. This made Wen Yuncheng extremely worried. It was only after asking Yan Ling that she learned Lin Jinyu had successfully completed her trial.
"She succeeded in her trial and broke through to the second layer of the Star Lord realm," Yan Ling said. "Lin Jinyu is preparing to take over the Flowing Cloud Sect, so Sect Master Lin has many things to teach and pass on to her. Plus, since she just broke through, she needs to consolidate her realm and temper her sword intent. She has already requested leave to report back later."
"…Is that so." Wen Yuncheng was a little dejected, but she figured it was normal. Since Lin Jinyu was taking on her responsibilities early, it was only natural that she would be busier than before.
Knowing that Lin Jinyu was fine, Wen Yuncheng felt relieved. Thinking about how Lin Jinyu had broken through to the second layer of Star Lord right after her trial, she felt that she too needed to work harder to level up.
Just as she was about to bid farewell to Yan Ling and head to the Dueling Arena, there was a knock on Yan Ling's office door.
Qiu Fei? Wen Yuncheng paused for a moment, looking back at her own mentor, then at Qiu Fei. Feeling that she shouldn't be here disturbing them, she was about to leave when Qiu Fei called out to her.
"Why are you running off? I came to see you." Qiu Fei took a token out of her ring. "A guest elder token for the Flowing Cloud Sect. Jinyu wanted you to have it."
"!" Wen Yuncheng accepted it with both hands. The token seemed to be made of some special ancient wood, with hidden Star Power arrays within it. The front of the token had the two words "Guest Elder," while the back was etched with a pattern of several clouds. "Is Lin Jinyu okay?"
"She's fine, just busy. She can't come over for now," Qiu Fei said coolly. She couldn't bring herself to put on a stern face for this brat who had such a muddled relationship with her disciple. This Wen Yuncheng clearly liked her disciple, yet the two of them were acting like friends. It would be one thing if Lin Jinyu truly saw Wen Yuncheng as just a friend, but her disciple was hopelessly naive in these matters and was troubled by her special feelings for Wen Yuncheng, thinking it was her own problem. All Qiu Fei could do was advise her that it was all normal—wouldn't everything be fine if this brat just confessed? Can't you just say you like her?! The more Qiu Fei thought about it, the angrier she got. But she could probably guess what Wen Yuncheng was worried about. Back then, it was Lin Jinyu who had gone to break off the engagement…Sigh.
Qiu Fei waved her hand. "Go on and do what you need to do. I was just delivering something for my little disciple."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher!" Wen Yuncheng bowed and left Yan Ling's office, clutching the token.
Wen Yuncheng's thumb stroked the token, and the more she looked at it, the happier she felt. She even thought that Lin Jinyu must have given this to Qiu Fei to pass on to her the moment she took over her duties. Thinking this way might be a bit narcissistic, but who cared? Wen Yuncheng was happy to be narcissistic like this.
However, after the initial joy, she began to worry. Was it really okay for the Flowing Cloud Sect to appoint a guest elder who was still a student at the academy and merely a Star Lord? In her eyes, Sect Master Lin was a terrifyingly old-fashioned figure. Would Sect Master Lin agree to this? A guest elder token… the Little Ice Mountain didn't steal it, did she? Ah, but Lin Jinyu wasn't that kind of person.
[Just relax. No matter what, Lin Jinyu will participate in the Beast Tide. Wouldn't it be better to ask her in person then?] 1947 couldn't help but speak up. [You're already level 40 and have advanced your class. Your path as a Mechanical Master has officially begun, and your combat power has greatly increased. You're already outstanding among your peers. Maybe you could try confessing?]
No, no, no, no, no—the first part sounded fine, but upon hearing the word "confess," Wen Yuncheng shook her head frantically. She said: If I were really a boy, I would have confessed for sure, but I'm not.
[In the Starry Sky Continent, strength is paramount. As long as you're strong enough, no one will care about things like that!]
But I'm not strong enough yet, Wen Yuncheng silently retorted. I'm only level 41, which translates to just the first layer of Star Lord.
[You aren't bound by bottlenecks! Just give it time, and you'll definitely become a Star Emperor or Star Saint, you…]
But I'm not one now.
[…Fine, fine.] The old father figure backed down. It couldn't help but ask: [But aren't you afraid that by the time you reach such a high level, Lin Jinyu will already have someone she likes? It'll be too late to compete then.]
But, Wen Yuncheng said, if Lin Jinyu has someone she likes by then, I wouldn't try to ruin her relationship.
[?] 1947 slowly typed out a question mark. Compared to previous Long Aotian candidates, 1947 suddenly felt that Wen Yuncheng had the potential to be the "second male lead." This can't be real! [You damn brat, get a grip!!!]
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