Chapter Thirty-Four: The Sword That Topples the City and the Drunken Yearning

Racing all the way toward the coordinates Lingyue had sent, Ye Chen arrived to find not only Lingyue but also the eldest sister, Sword Grace, the second sister, Drunken Longing, and several other girls from the studio all gathered there. Counting heads, there were exactly eight of them. Yet, their appearances were a bit bedraggled—more than a few of the cloth-armored girls had torn clothing, exposing patches of fair skin.

Ye Chen hurried forward, greeting them, “Hello, eldest sister, second sister, and all you beautiful ladies.”

Swish!

With a flash, Sword Grace drew the longsword at her waist and shouted, “Who’s there? Show yourself or don’t blame me for being rude!”

Ye Chen froze for a moment, suddenly remembering he had yet to cancel his stealth state. No wonder he had startled them—they must have mistaken him for a sneaky rogue. He was just about to explain when Lingyue spoke up ahead of him.

“Don’t attack, don’t attack! That voice sounds like Ye Chen. Ye Chen, is that you?”

Ye Chen smiled faintly—trust Lingyue to be the one who cared enough to recognize him. Honestly, the eldest sister and the others were a bit too indifferent. Sure, voices might change a little in-game, but they’d all met here before. How could they not recognize a fellow member’s voice?

“It’s me, it’s me. Wait, let me come out of stealth.” As he spoke, Ye Chen cast a black fireball at the rock wall, instantly breaking his stealth so his figure appeared before them.

Seeing Ye Chen materialize out of thin air inside the cave, all but the typically composed eldest and second sisters let out a simultaneous gasp. “Heavens, it really is Ye Chen! How could our little ‘Second Nanny’ possibly stealth?”

Ye Chen chuckled, pulling out a Ghost Elixir. “Why not? With this, anyone can go into stealth, regardless of class!”

The girls’ faces all displayed shock as Ye Chen shared the elixir’s properties. Even the calm Sword Grace and Drunken Longing couldn’t quite hide their surprise. Sword Grace arched an elegant brow, a glimmer of excitement flashing in her eyes as she asked, “So you used this elixir to lure the little demons of the canyon onto Fierce Tiger’s team?”

Ye Chen gave her a thumbs up. “That’s why you’re the eldest sister—right on the mark.”

Sword Grace smiled slightly, her beautiful eyes sweeping Ye Chen up and down once more. She quickly sensed a change in him—a shift in temperament, now calm and confident, cheerful and self-assured. She didn’t know what had triggered this transformation, but she was no stranger to that air. Many top players possessed it, and its source was always outstanding skill. She realized she’d need to reevaluate this supposedly ‘greenhorn’ support worker in her own studio.

Under Sword Grace’s gaze, Ye Chen felt no discomfort. For the first time, he boldly took the measure of his superior—the studio’s own queen, Sword Grace. Frankly, she was an extraordinarily beautiful woman, with a stunning figure and exquisite features. In-game, she wore a form-fitting black swordswoman’s armor, her hair dyed a fiery red, the very picture of a heroic lady swordsman—imposing and radiant.

But she was undoubtedly a rose with thorns.

“Well, well, well! Little Ye Chen’s bold today, daring to look our big sister up and down. What, you actually have the nerve to harbor wicked thoughts?” Drunken Longing, the second sister, teased with a coquettish smile. She sauntered over, slipped an arm around his shoulders, her soft body pressed close. Even through the thin mage’s robe, Ye Chen could feel her warmth and supple curves.

He smiled, subtly edging away from Drunken Longing. If Sword Grace was an armored angel, then Drunken Longing was a seductive witch—and witches were dangerous creatures indeed.

“Ye Chen, you told Lingyue earlier you wanted to strike back against the Fierce Tiger Guild. Do you still have more of those Ghost Elixirs?” Sword Grace’s gaze was intense. Today’s setback had stung; she might appear calm, but she was far from unshaken. The elixir, however, offered a glimmer of hope for immediate revenge.

Ye Chen nodded with a smile. “I do—twenty-seven more. That’s three for each of us, more than enough to give those Fierce Tiger guys a taste of their own medicine.” As he spoke, he produced a pile of Ghost Elixirs from his bag and handed them to Sword Grace.

Sword Grace’s eyes lit up as she received the vials, instructing Drunken Longing to distribute them before she shot Ye Chen a thoughtful look. “Ye Chen, I’ll remember this favor. These elixirs must cost a fortune. I don’t know how you scraped the money together, but we’ll put it on the studio’s books and settle it at the end of the month. You shouldn’t bear this expense alone.”

Ye Chen smiled lightly and shook his head. “No need to be so formal—it barely cost anything. I made them myself, just spent a little on materials.”

“You made these?” Sword Grace paused mid-motion, the others turning shocked gazes on him. As experienced players, they knew exactly what this meant. Sword Grace drew a deep breath, half-disbelieving. “Unless I’m mistaken, only a hidden sub-class could make these. Don’t tell me you…”

“That’s right! I became an Alchemist today. The Ghost Elixir is a level-three concoction. I also brought some other potions—Strength Pills, Wisdom Elixirs, and Blood Coagulation Pills.” As he spoke, Ye Chen pulled out several bottles and displayed them.

The girls’ mouths all dropped open in astonishment, even Sword Grace and Drunken Longing unable to mask their surprise. Drunken Longing, in particular, gazed hungrily at the Wisdom Elixirs, a glimmer of drool appearing at the corner of her lips, her cheeks flushed with excitement—a sight both bewitching and deadly.

“Ye Chen, you… you’re really giving all these to us?” Sword Grace’s expression was incredulous as she saw the pile of special potions in the trade window. She knew their value—by her calculation, they were worth at least a hundred gold coins, likely more. Yet Ye Chen handed them over without hesitation, and she was genuinely moved.

“That’s enough, big sister. No more talk—let’s focus on wiping out those Fierce Tiger trash. I’ve already earned back the cost of these potions, the rest are all for you girls.” Ye Chen grinned, a deep sense of joy flooding his heart. Ever since Drunken Longing had rescued him into the studio, the girls had looked after him, working hard every day to earn money in-game while he could only do some trivial tasks. He’d received so much kindness from them. Now that he finally had a chance to give back, how could he begrudge a few special elixirs?