The next day, morning.
Fang Qiu got up quite early.
Going by the time of her previous life, it was probably just past nine in the morning.
Breakfast consisted of the leftovers packed from last night.
After finishing her meal and bathing in the morning sunlight, Fang Qiu hurried to the agreed-upon meeting spot.
She had just arrived near the bounty board when she spotted Hu Tao.
Hu Tao was carrying a fiery red spear. The tip was distinctly different from ordinary spears, looking more like a halberd; thin, crimson blades extended from both sides of the spearhead.
At this moment, she had cornered a passing adventurer and was speaking to him in a torrent of words.
Fang Qiu only heard her clearly once she got closer.
"You have to trust me! Accidents happen in life, and for an adventurer like you, who knows when you might just vanish? As long as you pre-order our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's services, we can give you a 30% discount when that accident eventually happens. That way, your wife and children won't have to pay such exorbitant fees."
Upon hearing this, the adventurer instantly flared up, but after taking a careful look at the bizarre spear in Hu Tao's hand and the Vision she wore, he fell into silence. After holding it in for a long while, he finally squeezed out a sentence:
"Uh, I don't have a wife or kids."
"What about a partner?"
"I don't have a partner either..."
"You will eventually."
"I'm already forty... there's no chance left."
"Uh... don't be too sad..."
Seeing Fang Qiu approach, Hu Tao immediately abandoned the adventurer, who was now questioning his entire existence.
"Morning!"
Hu Tao said with a grin.
After chatting for a short while, Xiangling arrived with Guoba.
Xiangling was also carrying a fiery red spear, though hers was different from Hu Tao's.
A crimson-gold dragon was coiled around the shaft of the spear in her hand.
Fang Qiu asked about them. Their spears were named the Staff of Homa and Dragon's Bane, respectively.
Just listening to the names, Dragon's Bane sounded a bit more powerful.
Moreover, it looked a bit cooler too.
By the time they reached the trade route, it was already noon.
"Shall we try it out on them first?"
Fang Qiu pointed at a small Hydro Slime hiding in the bushes near a water pool and spoke.
"Mhm."
Fang Qiu nodded, her gaze determined.
A small slime was just right for combat ability testing.
Although it was called a small slime, it wasn't actually that small...
It was about the size of a large beanbag chair from her previous life.
Fang Qiu walked near the slime, raised her hand, and waved. A cloud of azure ice mist immediately swirled before her, condensing into an ice sword.
Just as Fang Qiu was taking aim, the slime seemed to sense her movements. Its gelatinous body snapped like a rubber band, launching itself violently toward Fang Qiu.
In an instant, it was right in front of her.
"So fast."
Fang Qiu's pupils constricted.
What was going on?
In her impression, slimes were supposed to be the kind of existence that approached people slowly, right?
How could it be this fast?
With no time to think, Fang Qiu instinctively grabbed the floating ice sword and slashed at the Hydro Slime.
Squelch.
The sound of the blade entering the body rang out, water splashing everywhere.
However, Fang Qiu's strength was simply too weak. The sword only managed to cut a third of the way into the Hydro Slime's body before stopping.
Before setting out, Fang Qiu had specifically asked Hu Tao.
She said that when a Cryo Vision uses Cryo elemental attacks on a Hydro Slime, it would produce a Frozen effect, freezing the slime solid.
But to her surprise, her strike only froze the area around the cut she had made.
Before she could react, a massive force was transmitted back through the ice sword.
Fang Qiu felt a sudden, sharp pain in her wrist. The ice sword immediately flew out of her hand, and she stumbled back two steps, landing hard on her butt.
In that instant, Fang Qiu remembered the physics she had learned in middle or high school.
Forces... are mutual!
And that Hydro Slime, seemingly oblivious to pain, hit the ground and immediately charged at Fang Qiu again.
Fang Qiu's expression changed slightly. She immediately waved her hand to condense another ice sword.
But just as the ice sword formed, the Hydro Slime gave a violent hop and lunged at her.
Too late.
Fang Qiu's face went pale.
Slimes were way too strong, weren't they?
For a moment, Fang Qiu seemed to recall the 'Game Over' CG she had imagined in her mind yesterday.
No way!
Just as Fang Qiu intended to disregard her image and roll away, the Staff of Homa suddenly thrust out from the side, instantly piercing the Hydro Slime through the heart.
It was Hu Tao making her move.
The Hydro Slime immediately exploded, dead as a doornail.
Huh?
Are slimes this weak?
Hu Tao didn't even seem to use elemental energy, did she?
Is the gap in strength really that big...?
"Are you okay?"
Hu Tao quickly rushed behind Fang Qiu, supporting her, and asked.
"N-no... I'm fine."
Fang Qiu shook her head and replied.
Logically speaking.
For Fang Qiu, this should have been fine, just a small scene...
Setting aside the fact that Hu Tao and Xiangling were protecting her, even relying on herself, she should have been able to turn the tables just now.
But for some reason, her legs felt a bit weak.
Thinking it over, Fang Qiu could only attribute the cause to the instincts of this body.
After all, she was a sickly person.
The body's instincts were afraid of the slime, so it wasn't her fault.
Then, Hu Tao slid her hands under Fang Qiu's arms to pull her up from the ground.
In the process, Hu Tao grabbed the wrong spot.
Hu Tao's hands immediately shifted down, finally getting stuck near the lower curve of her chest; however, at least this time she could get a good grip.
By the time she stood up, she saw that Xiangling had already finished off several other slimes that had rushed nearby without her noticing.
She was diligently collecting slime condensate, and liquid was constantly dripping from the spear in her hand.
Hmm? Liquid?
Fang Qiu froze, only then noticing that the long pants she had specifically changed into were soaked through by the splash from the exploding Hydro Slime.
Because it was summer, the pants were very thin. Now that they were wet, not only did the fabric cling tightly to her fair legs, but the material also became transparent after being drenched.
Her straight, jade-like legs seemed exposed to the air.
Even Fang Qiu herself, looking down, wished she could hold these legs and appreciate them properly.
Unfortunately, they were her own legs, so she couldn't exactly admire them.
Not only that, but several other places on her body had gotten wet, revealing quite a bit of 'spring scenery' in various spots.
Fortunately, the surroundings were empty; there was absolutely no one else around.
However, even Hu Tao, who was also a girl and had bathed with her, couldn't help but stare at her a few times.
Being stared at by Hu Tao like that, Fang Qiu felt uncomfortable all over, as if a strange sensation was rising within her body.
"Don't stare like that."
She subconsciously covered the exposed areas with her hands, a flush of crimson involuntarily rising on her face.
"I know, I know. But Fang Qiu, your body really is beautiful; even I'm a little tempted looking at it."
Hu Tao chuckled, teasing her as she turned around to pick up the Staff of Homa she had placed on the ground to help Fang Qiu.
However, just as Hu Tao bent down, Fang Qiu suddenly saw a basketball-sized water orb shoot violently out from the dense bushes near the distant pool, blasting toward Hu Tao's back.
"Watch out!"
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