Volume One, Chapter 30: Beneath the Setting Sun, Her Skin as White as Snow...

"High-Altitude-Cold": "Everyone, take note: any creature that dares to intrude upon your plant-spirit perimeter must be dealt with! Please be extremely careful."

"Flower-Picker-Not-Grass-Seeker" (Cold-Blooded): "@Wind-Rising-Sudden, when it comes to being sinister and despicable, I’m nowhere near your level. Why were so many stragglers swarming around my plant-spirit earlier? Don’t tell me you didn’t know."

"Wind-Rising-Sudden": "I truly did not know."

"High-Altitude-Cold": "Can you two please stop fighting? Peace is the only way..."

After the "Living Bodhisattva" stepped in as a mediator, Xu Fengyun and the other two stopped speaking. Li Chuan also fell silent.

However, most of the other players in the channel still sided with the "Three Heroes Alliance," even though many had seen the dozens of stragglers surrounding Little Green, and many had clearly discerned Xu Fengyun’s malicious intentions.

That is just how people are. Most have a strong herd mentality; it has nothing to do with right or wrong. If everyone else is cursing him, then I will curse him too—it’s all about fitting in.

Li Chuan had become immune to this and had no intention of explaining himself.

As the saying goes, a barking dog doesn't bite. Since Xu Fengyun and his cronies had conspired against him, Li Chuan wouldn't just be stopping at a few words in the chat. Sooner or later, he would pay them back.

Li Chuan turned his anger into motivation. He took out his longsword, repeatedly enchanting it while grinding the proficiency levels of his various skills.

...

Evening, just before the white mist descended.

At the players' gathering spot, the "Illuminati," beneath the Snow-Plum Tree.

A dozen members of the Illuminati sat in a circle, the atmosphere heavy.

"Sister Han, our food supply is completely gone, and the healing potions were all given to Chen Gong and the Magic Chef. If there are no low-level missions tomorrow..." The freckled girl trailed off.

Chen Gong and the Magic Chef were the two who had been injured during the skirmish with the stragglers earlier that day. Chen Gong’s shoulder was wrapped in bandages.

"I opposed giving food to those scum yesterday! They’re just a bunch of ungrateful ingrates!" Although he didn't explicitly blame Gao Han, there was a clear tone of reproach in his words.

Liu Haizhu sat on the ground, frowning.

"Only seven of us completed the daily mission and obtained a Photosynthetic Secret Cabin, and there are only two keys among us. That means, at most, only two of us have fully completed the first main quest."

"If tomorrow’s daily mission is low-level, or even medium-level, there’s a chance everyone could complete it. But these keys—are they really that hard to obtain?" Having been assigned to guard the plant-spirit, he hadn't participated in the search for keys and was therefore unsure of the difficulty.

...

Everyone’s outlook was grim. Gao Han knew that if she didn't make some positive change to bring hope to the group, this team, which had been so difficult to assemble, would fall apart.

"The correct path is often the most difficult. As long as tomorrow’s daily mission is medium-level or below, everyone who hasn't participated must do so. It’s not just for our food, but for the Photosynthetic Secret Cabin required to clear the stage—we cannot rely on others for that."

"As for the clearance keys, the difficulty in obtaining them is truly immense. We spent all day in the Deadwood Forest and lost four teammates, yet only obtained two keys. It’s not that we didn't try hard; it’s just that the Deadwood Forest is too treacherous. It is filled with forbidden zones; if you step into them without knowing the rules, it’s a nine-to-one chance of death."

The dozen or so players listened in despair.

...

But Gao Han’s next sentence reignited hope in everyone.

"However, there is someone who roughly knows the taboos and can safely obtain the keys. I will go and consult him, and I am willing to pay any price to do so!"

The freckled girl pursed her lips. "Sister Han, I have a skill book here. Use it as a bargaining chip."

"President, I have four gold coins."

"Boss, although I have nothing, I support you with all my heart."

...

Li Chuan stood by the large pot set over the campfire, methodically adding seasonings.

Scallions, ginger, star anise, dried chili, garlic, goji berries, cinnamon, bay leaves, salt, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar!

He slammed the lid on!

Inside the pot, chopped dog meat was stewing, and on a small wooden block, he had prepared a spicy chili sauce for dipping.

The changes brought about by the system store update were massive—so massive that Li Chuan felt like a human being again.

He sliced up some fresh, tender sashimi and added a bit of horseradish. Good heavens, just thinking about it made Li Chuan feel wonderful.

"Excuse me... excuse me, Mr. Leng."

Li Chuan turned his head and saw a tall, fair-skinned beauty approaching with two subordinates. It was that "Living Bodhisattva," Gao Han.

Li Chuan had no good impression of any of these players.

"Stop! Take another step, and I won't guarantee you'll leave here alive."

Gao Han halted.

"And another thing: my surname is Li, not Leng."

Gao Han pursed her lips. Given her appearance, she had never been treated this way before.

"Mr. Li, I hope you can share the method for safely traversing the Deadwood Forest with everyone. We are all compatriots, from..."

"Get lost."

"Get out! You’re ruining my appetite!"

Li Chuan didn't want to hear her preaching; he just wanted her gone. Everyone knows how to spout grand principles, but "share"? You people wouldn't even leave me a spot to plant my spirit-plant, and now you want me to share?

The freckled girl grew anxious. "How can you be like this? Sister Han is begging you personally—don't you have any shred of humanity?"

Li Chuan laughed.

"Personally? Enjoying the role of a self-appointed President, are you? Why don't you send another envoy or representative? Damn, your skills are mediocre, but your ego is anything but."

"I haven't forgotten what happened in the Deadwood Forest today. Regardless of why you’re here, bring something of value to trade!"

Gao Han raised a hand to stop her subordinates. "Fine."

"I’ve sent the items to you."

Li Chuan opened the pot lid, slowly stirring the fragrant broth. Only then did he open his friend interface to check the list of items Gao Han had sent.

A green-tier skill book, a backpack expansion gem, two green-tier pieces of equipment, and fifteen gold coins.

Li Chuan waved his hand to close the light screen.

"I don't want the two pieces of equipment. For the rest, I’ll trade you two keys. Yes or no?"

Gao Han frowned. "I want the method to traverse the forbidden lands."

The freckled girl tugged on Gao Han’s sleeve, clearly tempted by the two keys, as the skill book was hers, and she would naturally get one of the keys in return.

Liu Haizhu, who had come along, was not satisfied. "All this stuff is only worth two keys? You with the surname Li, aren't you being a bit too greedy?"

Li Chuan looked up and nodded. "Yes, I am!"

Liu Haizhu gritted his teeth. "You—!"

Gao Han, not wanting the trade to collapse, quickly stopped Liu Haizhu from spewing further insults.

"How about this! You name your price. Tell me what it will take to get your method, and I will pool everyone’s resources to trade with you."

Li Chuan turned to look at Gao Han. For some reason, in the sunset, her snow-white skin and delicate, smiling face were exceptionally moving.

*Damn it,* he thought, *I almost forgot about the curse.*

"You don't need to pool anything. Whatever I need, I'll go get it myself!"

"However..."

"If you agree to sleep with me for one night, I might be willing to tell you a thing or two."