Chapter 129: Herb Gathering At Cloud Dream Swamp (1)
The Village Chief's residence was just as eye-catching as it was in the past. And, as always, there were two large dogs with awe-inspiring presences standing by its entrance.
However, faced with Shen Jingbin who was now a 'veteran', the two intimidating dogs instantly cowered in fear.
Seeing this put Shen Jingbin in a good mood. She stopped to rub their heads before she walked into the Village Chief's residence with her head held high. At the moment, there just so happened to be two players inside who were receiving their novice rewards.
Shen Jingbin stretched her neck out and looked over their shoulders.
It couldn't be helped. Who asked her to be so short in the game?
However, what greeted her wasn't the peerless and elegant Village Chief from her memories. Instead, she saw an elderly man with a head of white hair and a hunched back that issued several coughs from time to time.
"What happened to my peerless, elegant, beautiful, and alluring Village Chief?!" Shen Jingbin cried out in her heart.
The two players were nearly scared to death when they turned around after receiving their reward. They immediately scrambled out of the Village Chief's residence without looking back. Once they were gone, Shen Jingbin stepped forward and respectfully asked, "Grandpa, do you know where the Village Chief's gone?"
The elderly man raised his head and looked her in the eye as he stroked his snow white beard in the process. "I'm the Village Chief."
"What the f*ck! Bai Hua, how'd you become so old in just a short period of time?!" Shen Jingbin thought to herself in astonishment.
"Then… haven't you aged a little too quickly, Village Chief?"
The elderly man stared at her. "What kind of nonsense are you going on about? This old man has always been like this."
"But you didn't look like this the last time I saw you!" Shen Jingbin cried out.
The elderly man's expression froze. "Last time? This old man doesn't recall meeting you before."
"You see dozens of people everyday, are you telling me you can remember everyone you've met?" Shen Jingbin muttered to herself.
The elderly man might have been getting on in age, but his ears were still perfectly fine, allowing him to catch every single word she said. "Child, this old man definitely wouldn't forget you if he'd met you before."
Shen Jingbin: …
As if he'd suddenly thought of something, the elderly man asked, "Don't tell me you're looking for Bai Hua?"
"Eh? You aren't Bai Hua?"
The elderly man laughed, "Why would you think that this old man is Bai Hua?"
"Who asked you to be here!" Shen Jingbin said inwardly.
"That child, Bai Hua, has left for where he needs to be. This village is temporarily under my care."
He's gone to where he needs to be?
"Are you saying that Bai Hua has returned to Swordmaster Pavilion?"
The elderly man continued to wear a profound smile on his face and said, "This old man doesn't know… That child, Bai Hua, is different from your average person. After living for so many years, this old man knows that the world is facing a period of turmoil, and Bai Hua probably wants to do something for you young'uns. The two of you will meet again if you're fated."
"…" Can all of you NPCs not be so enigmatic when you speak?!
Staying in Evening Sun village held no meaning if Bai Hua was no longer around, so Shen Jingbin left the village after saying her goodbyes to the elderly man.
Thinking that Bai Hua would most likely return to Swordmaster Pavilion once he left Evening Sun village, Shen Jingbin informed her brother about the development and asked if he knew anything about it.
"Did any important NPCs appear in your guild recently?"
"Nope."
"Really? Think carefully!" Shen Jingbin felt that he definitely didn't put any thought into his answer.
"There really wasn't any. Why're you asking me about this anyway?"
"I'm looking for one of the high ranking disciples in your sect to ask about upgrading my equipment."
"Eh… Oh that's right, I almost forgot. Your equipment hasn't been been upgraded and is still low ranked, right?"
"Mm, I plan on upgrading it, but I can't find the NPC."
"Then just forget about it for a little while. We'll have you look for the NPC once Leader comes online… Weren't you learning how to be an Apothecary? Why don't you go increase your proficiency in that? There's lots of other things that you need to take care of, so can you stop horsing around with unrelated people? Have some sense of urgency!"
"You're a nag, be quiet."
"…"
In reality, what Shen Jingchen said was true. She did in fact have many things she needed to take care of.
Since she couldn't upgrade her equipment for the time being, she should train her Life Skill instead. Looking at the time, there probably wouldn't be much time left to play for today.