Chapter 89: A Terrible Relationship

Meng Li looked at the maiden before her with a face full of doubt. The other’s appearance, though not exactly delicate, did have a certain cuteness. If she were to be put on her menu as a regular dish, she might even have a unique flavor.

“Why have I never seen you before…?”

“Ah? Well, that’s…”

Meng Zhuyue’s eyes darted around, clearly trying to hide something. Meng Li felt the emptiness within her body. Although the memory from that time was very blurry, she could clearly sense the gap in her connection to her avatar.

“If my avatar hadn’t reacted in time and saved my life, wouldn’t I have died an unexplained death? And yet you’re still hiding something from me!”

“I truly am a thousand times sorry! I… I was just too eager to improve! That’s why I refined that strange, bizarre pill. Please, I beg you, please don’t report me!!”

“You claim to be the Head Disciple under the Elder of Alchemy Peak. Why haven’t I seen the Elder herself appear even though you’ve injured me this badly?!”

“I… I…”

Meng Zhuyue’s voice grew quieter and quieter. Meng Li narrowed her eyes. She could clearly tell something was wrong here. In the game, Alchemy Peak was just one of the many Immortal Peaks within the Sect. It wasn’t even an area that had been developed into a proper map. And now, just as she arrived, this happened.

A map that hadn’t even been developed in the game—she had now stepped right into it. Clearly, she could indeed come into contact with some different things. However, the most important issue right now was: given that she had been injured this badly, couldn’t she legitimately swindle something out of this?

“If the Elder of Alchemy Peak can just casually order her disciples to harm fellow disciples, then haven’t I simply suffered a huge injustice?!”

“That’s not it! I absolutely didn’t mean it that way. It really… it really was just an accident! Junior Sister, if you want something… I… I can give you anything!”

“Then give me some pills to raise my cultivation realm…”

Meng Li didn’t stand on ceremony. She directly stretched out her hand and demanded. She thought to herself, since this was Alchemy Peak, it must be the place within the Sect responsible for refining pills. Asking for a few dozen pills shouldn’t be an issue, right? However, Meng Zhuyue visibly froze upon hearing the request.

“Junior Sister, you want pills…?”

“What? This huge Alchemy Peak can’t even spare a few pills as compensation for me~?”

After hearing this, Meng Zhuyue still seemed to want to say something. Instead, she retrieved a long, rectangular Jade Box from a nearby cabinet. Seeing the box appear, Meng Li’s eyes immediately lit up. After all, in the game, she had always freeloaded off Situ Xue. Now, if she had another source, wouldn’t she be able to get double?

“Alas, my poor Evil Self. I will silently mourn you in my heart. Let’s first see how many there are~”

With excited anticipation, Meng Li hurriedly opened the Jade Box before her. She intended to experience the sensation of being blinded by golden light. However, as the box opened, a series of strange lights emanated from within. The initially thrilled Meng Li was instantly dumbfounded.

【Blue Quality】

【Green Quality】

【Blue Quality】

【Purple Quality】

Meng Li stared at the large box, seeing not a single trace of golden light. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. She lifted her head and looked at this Senior Sister Meng before her. The other also raised her head and looked at Meng Li. The two exchanged a glance and were speechless. Meng Li slowly closed the box.

“Senior Sister Meng, don’t think you can fool me just because I look young…”

“Wuwu… this is the best I can refine! I want to improve too! Waah!!”

Meng Li watched the other retreat into a corner, looking totally autistic. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if the other was fooling her or not. This appearance of being unable to refine pills seemed quite genuine.

“Doesn’t the Sect’s pill exchange have Immortal Grade…”

Meng Li wanted to ask what exactly was going on. However, she then saw Meng Zhuyue, her face already streaked with tears, walk over. She dismissively tossed the box onto a nearby table and then brought out another meticulously packaged Jade Box.

“You mean this, right?”

As the box opened, a golden light burst forth. A dense pill fragrance wafted throughout the entire room. Without even looking at the nearby panel report, Meng Li immediately knew that what lay before her was absolutely Immortal Grade.

“So you do have them~ Wait, what is this…”

Meng Li reached out and picked up the pill. She noticed a single character, ‘Snow,’ engraved on the bottom of the pill. In that instant, Meng Li seemed to understand something. She lifted her head and looked at the Meng Zhuyue before her, who was forcing a smile.

“Decades spent refining pills, I do not know how many years have passed. In the end, I am still nothing more than a casual joke in the hands of a genius…”

“All the Supreme Grade pills, and even the Immortal Grade pills sold within the Sect, were refined by Senior Sister Situ?”

“Alchemy Peak has long existed in name only. Alchemists are renowned throughout the world, divided into nine grades from low to high. But the one who refines these pills is absolutely a High Grade…”

Hearing the other’s words, Meng Li needed a moment to process. Normally, in the game, she was painfully aware of how difficult high-quality golden pills were to obtain. But for some reason, ever since she came to this world, almost every pill she encountered was Immortal Grade.

Behind every single pill she had used, there was that cold, aloof face. Meng Li once again recognized the true value of Situ Xue. Every game she had ever played was ultimately constrained by the settings of the in-game lore. When had she ever considered that what she saw in the game was the other’s upper limit?

“Even so, since you’ve injured me this badly, letting me see the Elder of Alchemy Peak isn’t too much to ask, right!”

“Ah, this…”

Meng Zhuyue’s previously downcast expression once again turned visibly flustered at this request. Meng Li immediately sensed something was amiss. After everything they’d discussed, the other was still refusing to let her see the Elder.

“You aren’t some spy who imprisoned the Elder and took her place, are you?”

“How could that be! My identity is fully documented and traceable!”

Watching the other’s increasingly panicked demeanor, Meng Li began to calculate in her mind what she should ask for. Given the earlier situation, it seemed she couldn’t swindle money or cultivation treasures. But then, Meng Li carefully sized up the Meng Zhuyue before her.

“Then… does Senior Sister Meng have a spouse~?”

“N-no… why are you suddenly asking that…?”

“Since you don’t, you still have to compensate me, don’t you? There’s a bed right there. How about you, Senior Sister…”

Just as Meng Li was about to reveal her true nature, the room’s door was suddenly kicked open from behind. A petite figure stood just outside the doorway, her body wrapped in only a thin bedsheet. The violent noise instantly drew the attention of both people in the room.

“Shi… Shizun!”

“Honestly, what’s all the noise? You had me up so late last night, are you tired of being the Head Disciple?! Tonight, I will definitely…!”

The little loli who suddenly appeared had long, emerald-green hair draped over her shoulders. Her disheveled clothes exposed glimpses of her fair skin, and upon that skin, several kiss marks could be seen.

As Meng Li raised her head, she instantly froze in place. She looked at the loli before her with utter disbelief. The little loli who had burst in, also mid-sentence, clearly noticed the unfamiliar loli sitting on the bed.

“You call her Shizun?!”

“Fine! You slept with me last night, and now you’ve found another one today! Who is she?!”

The little loli standing at the doorway pointed furiously at Meng Li, who was sitting on the bed. At the same time, faced with this sudden intruder, Meng Zhuyue was clearly thrown into a panic. Meng Li was even more stupefied, looking at the other’s disheveled state and those scandalous words, then looking at the blushing Meng Zhuyue.

“No, Senior Sister, you…!”

…