Chapter 4: Blow Them All Up
Chen Huaian didn't usually play games, but even if he hadn't eaten pork, he'd seen pigs run. In game maps, enemies were usually marked with red dots.
These five red dots were moving extremely fast. In just a couple of breaths, they had already closed in on the small house.
"Oh no! Li Qingran is still outside washing dishes!"
On the screen, Li Qingran was focused on scrubbing the plates, completely unaware of the abnormality around the house.
Chen Huaian's heart sank. He quickly searched the game interface, looking for any option that could warn Li Qingran.
There were plenty of options in the game interface, but most of them were locked.
[Recharge 100 to purchase a Sound Transmission Talisman to send a message to Li Qingran once.]
A recharge interface popped up.
Chen Huaian didn't have time to think about why the talisman was so expensive. He immediately recharged.
Alipay sounded a deduction notification, and at the same time, a talisman appeared in the center of the screen.
[Please hold the talisman and speak.]
Chen Huaian's mouth twitched. He took a deep breath, pressed the Sound Transmission Talisman, and said in a deep voice, "Demons are attacking! Retreat!"
A loud shout echoed in the void: [Leave quickly!]
Li Qingran, who was washing dishes, suddenly froze and looked around.
Was that... the senior's voice?
"Awooo—!"
A sharp wolf howl pierced through the rain.
Accompanied by low growls, three pitch-black demon wolves, each the size of a water buffalo, charged into Li Qingran's field of vision. Behind them, the figures of two more demon wolves loomed.
"Black-backed demon wolves?"
How could this be...
Li Qingran immediately realized.
The demon wolf she had driven away some time ago must have been a scout.
No wonder that wolf hadn't fought her head-on. As soon as she put up some resistance, it retreated. Turns out, it was just scouting.
The nearest demon wolf was only five meters away from Li Qingran.
Without any hesitation, it pounced.
Although her cultivation had been crippled and her spiritual roots removed, her combat experience remained. Li Qingran seized the moment, sidestepped, and rolled to the ground, dodging the first wolf's attack. She then threw the plate in her hand at the second wolf preparing to pounce.
Outside the screen, Chen Huaian's heart was in his throat.
Seeing Li Qingran move as agilely and decisively as a spirit cat, he couldn't help but slap his thigh. "Well done!"
What he feared most was characters who would just freeze in place when faced with danger.
Fortunately, Li Qingran was calm and quick to react.
These demon wolves had been living in the Ten Thousand Green Mountains for years, occasionally clashing with cultivators from the Qingyun Sect. Seeing a white object flying toward them, they thought it was a magical artifact and instinctively dodged.
The plate fell to the ground, and nothing happened.
The wolves exchanged glances, feeling humiliated. Their crimson eyes grew even more ferocious.
Meanwhile, Li Qingran had already taken the opportunity to dash back into the house and slam the door shut.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Li Qingran muttered as she dragged various pieces of furniture toward the door, her heart filled with worry. "Dealing with one demon wolf almost cost me my life a few days ago. How am I supposed to handle five now?" She was already running out of strength, and even dragging a table was a struggle. Her face turned red from the effort.
Before she could get the table to the door, the vibrations of the approaching wolves could already be felt.
Li Qingran's pupils contracted, and she immediately retreated to the window.
Jumping out the window might be her only way out.
However, just as she thought the wolves were about to break through the door—
Boom—!
A deafening thunderclap erupted outside the door.
Even through the door, she could see a flash of lightning.
Then came the agonized howls of the wolves, and the smell of burning filled the air.
Li Qingran looked up in shock and saw a talisman on the door, radiating brilliant lightning. The square outline of the talisman was visible even from the other side of the door, spewing thunder and fire that reduced the approaching wolves to charred husks.
"Thunderfire Talisman!" Li Qingran immediately recognized the talisman.
She hadn't noticed the talisman on the door when she entered or exited earlier. There was no doubt it was the work of that senior.
Talismans and pills were categorized into five grades: Mortal, Medium, Superior, Supreme, and Immortal.
Immortal-grade talismans were wrapped in golden light and possessed unparalleled power.
Only the ancient monsters from major sects specializing in Daoist arts could draw Immortal-grade talismans.
Ordinary Thunderfire Talismans were only suitable for dealing with enemies at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages. However, an Immortal-grade Thunderfire Talisman could even kill a Golden Core stage demon. It was a treasure that couldn't be bought with money.
The talisman before her was golden—an Immortal-grade talisman!
Most cultivators would keep such a talisman as a life-saving trump card.
Yet that senior had casually stuck it on her door?
What a waste of a precious treasure!
Li Qingran felt both touched and heartbroken.
Outside the house—
The two wolves that had approached first had been blown to pieces by the Thunderfire Talisman.
The remaining three wolves stared wide-eyed, their tails between their legs, utterly terrified.
What had they done to deserve this?
They were just small demons at the Qi Refining stage. Was it necessary to use such a powerful talisman on them?
The talisman on the door was still glowing, clearly indicating that this path was blocked.
But giving up on their prey wasn't in their nature.
The three wolves exchanged glances. Two of them circled around to find a window, while the third prepared to climb onto the roof to look for an opening.
However, before it could reach the roof—
Boom—!
The two wolves that had gone around to the window were also blown to ashes.
What was going on?
The last wolf no longer cared about finding food. It turned tail and fled in terror.
[
"What?!" Chen Huaian's face turned green.
If this had happened before, he would have uninstalled the game in a heartbeat.
But looking at Li Qingran's frightened expression in the game, and thinking about the possibility that the wolf might return with even more of its kind...
"If you don't uproot the weeds, they'll grow back with the spring breeze! Charge it, damn it!"
Chen Huaian clenched his fists, his face twisted in a grimace, as if he were holding a Thunderfire Talisman himself.
As 288 vanished from his Alipay account, a talisman shot toward the fleeing demon wolf.
From Li Qingran's perspective, she heard a thunderclap in the air, followed by a beam of golden light shooting toward the fleeing wolf in the rain. The moment it hit the wolf, it exploded violently, leaving behind only raging lightning and scorching flames that refused to die even in the heavy rain.
"Three Immortal-grade Thunderfire Talismans in a row..."
Li Qingran stared blankly out the window.
In less than half a minute, all five demon wolves were dead.
Yet the senior hadn't even shown their face, only sending a voice transmission as a warning.
Such divine abilities were truly terrifying. But why would someone like that help her?
She couldn't help but think of her senior brothers and master from the Qingyun Sect. Before her junior sister arrived, her senior brothers and master had treated her decently, but for her master, it was just routine. As for her senior brothers, their kindness was often mixed with ulterior motives.
For example, Senior Brother Lu Changtian, who had a fire spirit root, wanted her, with her water spirit root, as his Dao companion. Second Senior Brother Xiao Yifeng was obsessed with alchemy and often made her manage the spirit herbs and even test his pills. Third Senior Brother Yun Zimo was a martial fanatic who frequently sparred with her, never holding back. Fourth Senior Brother Zhang Hanxiao was mischievous and troublesome, often causing trouble during sect missions and leaving her to clean up the mess...
So what was this senior's purpose?
But she had nothing, only a worthless life.
Or perhaps there was no purpose. Maybe the senior was just passing by, saw her in a difficult situation, and decided to help?
Li Qingran shook her head, pushing aside these complicated thoughts.
Regardless, the senior had saved her life.
If she could survive, she would do her best to repay the kindness.
"This junior, Qingran, once again thanks the senior for your help!"
This time, she didn't say anything else. She simply knelt toward the sky, kowtowing with a solemn expression.
[Li Qingran's favorability +5. Current favorability: 15]
"Not bad, the favorability is rising pretty fast." Chen Huaian stroked his chin and nodded with a smile. "At least it's worth the 288 I just spent."
This game was indeed intense. He hadn't been playing for long, but he'd already spent several hundred. He could somewhat understand those internet-addicted teenagers who borrowed money to recharge games. They were probably just as hooked as he was.
[Ding! Li Qingran's health report has been generated. Detailed identity information has been generated!]