Chapter 190: A Troublesome Partner

“Yijian, I didn’t expect you to be near Quanzhou too.”

The Long-Legged Lady approached him. The two female and one male Players beside her all had remarkable appearances, clearly not ordinary individuals.

“Let me introduce them. This beauty is my good friend Taotaole. These two are Peach’s friends, Liu Tiya and Ji Wuhuang. They’re both Emei elites.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

Noticing their rather lukewarm attitude, Ye Rong responded with little enthusiasm.

If Ji Wuhuang’s coldness towards him could be explained by possessiveness over the beautiful women around him and a natural male aversion, Taotaole’s indifferent attitude truly puzzled him.

Taotaole was the Long-Legged Lady’s close friend. There was no reason for her to show hostility; it seemed completely unnecessary.

“So you’re the famous Yijian Kurong? Not bad yourself. Yet, Dream Butterfly insisted on waiting for you, wasting so much of our time. Frankly, I don’t see why we need to cooperate with you. What level are you anyway?”

Taotaole was attractive, with a tall figure. Unlike the traditionally slim, delicate beauties, she stood noticeably larger than the Long-Legged Lady. Her eyebrows were thick and heavy — imposing on a man, lending great courage, but on a woman, they felt overpowering, eerily reminiscent of a stern, matronly school dean.

Someone whose eyebrow twitch could unleash a torrent of furious scolding.

“Peach! What are you saying? Yijian is my friend too! If you talk like that again, I will get angry!”

The Long-Legged Lady quickly tugged at Taotaole’s arm, sneaking a quick wink at Ye Rong, hoping he would endure this and not clash with her best friend.

Hmph! Ye Rong snorted inwardly, turning his head away. No point bothering with a crazy woman.

He was here solely to help the Long-Legged Lady with the quest. This ‘crazy woman’ had nothing to do with him, and getting angry was pointless. Better to just ignore her.

Thinking like that helped him endure it. Otherwise, pretty or ugly, who did she think she was? Was the Chief someone she could casually criticize and treat with such disrespect?

“Brother Yijian, apologies. We’ve been waiting nearly two hours near this sea area. Peach’s mood was bound to be foul, hence her sharp tongue. Please don’t take offense. After all, we’re all here for the quest.”

Ji Wuhuang stepped forward with a smile, trying to smooth things over. The three were all Emei Players, though whether they belonged to the Shushan Sword Alliance was unclear.

Still, Ji Wuhuang cut an impressive figure. His purple Daoist robe shimmered faintly with violet energy, its surface woven with countless talismanic inscriptions stretching across the chest, back, and even spilling onto the sleeves. Flickers of golden thread blurred in and out of view — this was clearly no ordinary robe.

Seriously? What kind of logic is that? Her bad mood is somehow my fault? Twisting everything to put the blame me? Contempt surfaced briefly.

The Long-Legged Lady felt a headache coming on. She hadn’t anticipated tensions erupting right at the start, nearly causing infighting before setting off.

“Alright, enough of this. Let’s get going. Yijian, I’ll brief you on the quest details along the way.”

No sooner had the Long-Legged Lady spoken than Taotaole and Ji Wuhuang immediately leaped onto their swords, soaring off towards the sea. Only Liu Tiya lingered behind. Her gaze darted nervously between the departing figures and the remaining group, small face flushed red with uncertainty.

“Meng… Dream Butterfly Sister, should we… should we go now too? Sister Peach has already left.” Liu Tiya stammered, clearly still looking like a very young girl — tender, barely blossoming. Her obviously flustered state, wanting to leave but too shy to mount her sword, struck Ye Rong as oddly endearing. A hint of a smile touched his lips.

“Liu Liu, could you please explain the quest to Yijian along the way? I need to focus on navigating with the sea charts.”

The Long-Legged Lady winked playfully. With a flourish, she summoned her pair of Dry Flame Golden Wheels and flashed away in pursuit of Taotaole and Ji Wuhuang.

This was, of course, just a convenient excuse. Explaining the quest wouldn’t take more than a few minutes, easily done anytime during the journey. It was a ploy to ease the tension between Ye Rong and her friends, using the shy Liu Tiya as a channel.

She knew this little girl was simple and adorable at heart, prone to nervous stuttering. Taotaole doted on her, treating her almost like a younger sister.

If Yijian gets along with Liu Liu, and this little one acts as a mediator, Peach should stop being so confrontational with him. Honestly, I don’t get why Peach acts this way towards Yijian. I really wanted both of them to help me with this task… looks like I’ll need to minimize their interactions from now on. The Long-Legged Lady thought resignedly.

Having made her choice, she sighed internally. One was her dearest friend, the other she’d enlisted. She had no choice but to try and manage the friction.

“Are you an Emei Player?”

“…Yes.”

“Who’s your master?”

“…Qi Xia’er.”

…

Liu Tiya proved to be quite the well-behaved little darling. She answered every question honestly, always trying to keep a serious face despite her youthful features. Her earnestness completely dissolved the remaining traces of anger Ye Rong held.

Through their conversation, he also discovered this young lady came from an extraordinary background. As the disciple of Qi Xia’er, the eldest daughter of the Emei Sect Leader True Lord Miaoyi, she had indeed secured an excellent master.

Even gaining entry under a notable second-generation disciple would pale in comparison to being accepted by Qi Xia’er.

Qi Xia’er was a disciple of the divine nun Master Youtan. This meant Liu Tiya could technically be considered part of the Buddhist School, even as she held the identity of an Emei disciple. Of course, being the disciple of the Sect Leader’s daughter, how could she not be recognized?

Thus, this little girl potentially mastered the strengths of both Buddhist and Daoist traditions. She could cultivate both Master Youtan’s Buddhist techniques and Emei Dao Spells. With such dual potential, making the right choices promised an incredibly bright future.

As for Taotaole and Ji Wuhuang… they were indeed no ordinary Emei disciples either. Taotaole studied under the Dragon Slayer Master, while Ji Wuhuang trained under Shen Tu Hong, the chief disciple of True Lord Miaoyi. This was already a far superior position compared to the countless Players stuck under faceless Third-Generation Disciple NPCs.

Given the sheer volume of Players joining Emei, the game designers had added numerous unnamed third-generation disciple NPCs specifically to handle recruitment, each with an enrollment quota of hundreds.

Dubbed “Disciple Recruiter Machines” on the Forums by Players, these NPCs offered nothing beyond granting the formal status of an Emei disciple. They provided zero assistance in cultivation, bestowed no Flying Swords or Magic Treasures, and offered no training guidance.

Consequently, many Emei Players bitterly complained online. They felt stuck under such expendable NPC masters, lamenting that their progress was often worse than friends who had chosen smaller or mid-range Sects, deeply regretting their choice.

“Hmm, Taotaole’s fiery temper really does resonate with the legendary disposition of her master, the Dragon Slayer Master. Looks like the game system really does pair masters to Players based on personality. But what on earth do I have in common with that old drunkard I respect as master? Can’t find a single bit…” Ye Rong mused internally.

Teasing little Liu Tiya during the journey turned out to be quite amusing. Her flustered blush, frantic stammers when she tried to speak, and, on two occasions, the trembling lip and shimmering tears in her large, wide eyes were especially… entertaining. Only when she looked genuinely close to crying did Ye Rong pull back abruptly, a quick sense of unease flashing through him.

He could easily imagine Taotaole’s expression — that ‘crazy woman’ charging at him with murderous rage — the instant Liu Tiya shed tears.

“Liu Liu,” Ye Rong shifted topics abruptly, now standing at the sea’s edge already feeling the damp sea breeze. “What exactly is this quest we’re doing? Are we diving deep into the ocean?”

It struck him now that he still hadn’t asked about the specifics and remained completely uninformed.

Logically, Liu Tiya should have explained it. But this shy little darling likely wouldn’t have offered any information unless prompted.

“Y-yes,” she stammered, “It’s a quest Sister Peach received. They say… it’s very hard. We need to find the legendary Immortal Isles of the East Sea. Everyone debated for weeks. No definitive solution emerged. Sister Dream Butterfly said… it boils down to luck. Whether it succeeds… or not, is up to Heaven…”

Though her narration was somewhat disorganized and a bit hard to follow, Ye Rong eventually pieced together the important points — with considerable effort.

Essentially, Taotaole had received a quest from her master, the Dragon Slayer Master: venture to the Immortal Isles of the East Sea and retrieve ten special Sacred Woods dedicated as a birthday tribute for Emei’s Sect Leader, True Lord Miaoyi.

Successfully completing this quest would not only elevate Taotaole’s core sect cultivation method by three full levels, but also presented the opportunity to pocket one or two extra logs of the Sacred Wood.

The quality of the Sacred Wood deemed worthy enough for True Lord Miaoyi’s birthday was staggering. For Players, acquiring something like that was near impossible. Even if they obtained it, they likely wouldn’t be able to utilize such a celestial, otherworldly resource.

But the Long-Legged Lady had a specific use for it.

She needed Yi Jing’s skills to forge a high-grade giant ship. The Bodhi Wood she already possessed was insufficient; it required supplementary materials. Yi Jing was willing to provide minor parts and fittings, but the ship’s keel still demanded a specific, suitably powerful antique timber. Only then could the whole vessel be successfully forged.

The Overseas Sacred Wood that formed the core of Taotaole’s quest stood as one of the few ideal old-growth timbers specifically recommended by Yi Jing as adaptable into the perfect keel wood.

Precisely because of this potential keystone material did the Long-Legged Lady harbor such unwavering determination to succeed in locating the Overseas Immortal Isles Sacred Wood pill. Without this crucial incentive connecting the quest directly to her aspirations, she wouldn’t have summoned Yijian Kurong solely to aid her friend.

“So that’s how it is! Overseas Immortal Isles, Overseas Sacred Wood…” Ye Rong muttered inwardly. “My connection to the Overseas World seems quite strong lately — several quests in a row revolving around it. I still have that peculiar golden leaf those Min elders foisted upon me upon their escape, claiming it could reveal clues to an overseas Immortal Manor overflowing with treasures…”

Subconsciously cataloging his recent encounters, the pattern appeared quite conspicuous.

Since the successful outcome of this quest clearly determined if the Long-Legged Lady’s ambitious ship project succeeded, accepting responsibility became unquestionable. He had to help see it through. If the Bodhi Wood couldn’t ultimately transform into a completed high-grade ship, then the absolute windfall of her passing over both Seventh-Rank Flying Swords encountered within the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb solely in favor of him solidified it beyond price — essentially incurring an astronomical debt of gratitude.