Chapter Forty-Six: Braised Chicken with Mushrooms

The sky had already darkened completely by the time I finished tidying myself up, and the others had logged off to eat as well. Tonight’s meal was prepared by Xue Han, and even from a distance, the enticing aroma wafted from the kitchen.

“Lin Fan, I’ve reached level 22 today!” Xue Han emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate, while reporting her leveling progress. A small floral apron was tied around her slender waist, making her look incredibly cute—yes, cute. If that apron were around Xin Yu’s waist, I wouldn’t say the same.

By my observation and deduction, Xu Lin and Xue Han were probably the last two pure-hearted women in our studio.

I replied, “Oh, level 22—that’s great! Xue Han, what are you carrying that smells so good?”

“Chicken stew with mushrooms!”

At that moment, Xin Yu and Xu Lin came out of their rooms, smiling; it seemed they’d had a fruitful day. Upon inquiry, it turned out that just this afternoon, the trio had obtained three pieces of green equipment above level 15—one usable by Xue Han, and the other two had already been sold for more than 500 gold each. Unfortunately, none were melee weapons; otherwise, it would have been a real windfall.

“Lin Fan, did you get anything good last night?” Xin Yu asked, grinning mischievously.

I thought for a moment and said, “A level 26 blue cloak, a level 24 green boots—both usable for me. Plus, a skill book for the Battle Axe Warrior. I’ve put that up for sale at the exchange; not sure if anyone will buy it. And I leveled up straight to 27.”

“Not bad!” Xu Lin smiled, then looked at me teasingly, “Last night, the top two on the city’s ranking both gained several levels. Nothing special going on, right?”

Xin Yu chimed in, “Late at night, alone with a girl—besides leveling, nothing else happening?”

I hurriedly explained, embarrassed, “I just did some quests with Murong Shanshan last night. She’s got good gear, so we worked well together. It’s easier to finish tasks as a team. If I was alone, many quests would be too tough.”

Xu Lin pursed her lips and smiled, “Don’t worry—we’re not stopping you from associating with her. Besides, from what Xin Yu tells me, that Murong Shanshan is a college student, beautiful and wealthy. If you manage to win her over, that’d be impressive.”

---

“What are you all talking about? Nothing’s going on between us. Someone as rich as her would never take an interest in a poor guy like me.”

“Denying it only makes it more obvious.”

“Hmph, forget it, I’m not talking about this anymore!”

I quickly picked up a piece of chicken and mushroom stew, savoring its taste. It was delicious, reminiscent of the flavor from childhood—after the rain, picking mushrooms in the wild, and mom’s chicken stew with mushrooms. Xue Han truly was a gentle, elegant, and beautiful woman!

“Xue Han, this tastes wonderful. If only we could have this every meal!” I praised her as I ate.

Xue Han blushed and said softly, “If you like it, I’ll make it every day.”

“But Lin Fan already has Murong Shanshan now. Xue Han, shouldn’t you try to win him back?” Xin Yu’s tone was tinged with jealousy.

Xue Han just smiled gently and went back to eating in silence.

Suddenly, Xu Lin remembered something and said, “Lin Fan, at seven o’clock, our guild took a commission from a player—a merchant from Shanghai wants us to help their leader complete a class advancement quest. No matter the difficulty, the reward is 2,000 RMB.”

I laughed, “Don’t count on it being easy. He must have failed and that’s why he hired us.”

Xin Yu nodded, “Exactly. Nothing comes easy. Our class advancement quests were straightforward—the monsters we had to kill weren’t high-level, so we managed without trouble. I wonder why his is so difficult. Maybe everyone’s quest is unique?”

Xue Han put down her chopsticks and blinked, “I think so. I heard that in another city, someone hired ten players above level 20 just to barely complete their quest.”

---

I suddenly looked up and asked, “After finishing your advancement quests, did the class trainers reward you with any skills?”

“No, just the usual skills we could learn before. The new ones aren’t particularly impressive. Did you get a reward skill?”

I nodded, “Yes, since I was the first player in the world to advance, I received a skill book—‘Frozen Slash’. It can stun for three seconds and reduces movement speed by 50% for sixty seconds! It’s a top-tier PK skill—yesterday, I used it to take down a level 17 warrior.”

Xue Han was full of admiration, Xin Yu was nearly drooling, and Xu Lin’s face shone with delight. The other girls looked at me with worshipful eyes.

“But there’s something…” Xu Lin’s expression darkened. “About your feud with Mad Warrior—I didn’t want to interfere, but our group is here to make money, so we can’t afford to provoke people like him. If you don’t mind, Lin Fan, I’d like to not publicly acknowledge you as a member of our guild. It benefits everyone—you can act freely, kill whoever you want, be a lone wolf. But when the guild needs you, I hope you’ll help out.”

I nodded silently. Though Xu Lin’s reasoning was sound, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being cast aside—it left a bitter taste in my heart.

Xu Lin glanced at me and said gently, “Actually, I wish I could join you in settling scores and killing everyone who rubs us the wrong way. But reality won’t allow it. The electricity, water, and all our expenses here require a stable income. If we spend all our time PK-ing, it’ll be hard to get gear or take on quests.”

I smiled, “It’s fine. I prefer working solo anyway. Besides, maybe one day I’ll stumble into a team full of girls and win their hearts~”

Xu Lin realized I was joking, laughed awkwardly, and went back to eating.

Xue Han’s eyes glimmered as she glanced at Xu Lin, as if wanting to say something but hesitated. She turned to me and said softly, “Hurry and eat. In half an hour, we need to gather for the commissioned quest. If we’re late, it’ll affect our studio’s reputation.”

Everyone fell silent; only the sound of chopsticks and plates clinking filled the room.