Looking at the chat messages, Lan Qingyou found the situation somewhat baffling.
What was going on? How did this suddenly involve her?
She scrolled back, wanting to see exactly what had happened, and realized it had all started with Xintianle's call for mutual aid.
At first, people were just following Xintianle's lead, talking about helping one another.
But then, someone started stirring the pot, gradually steering the narrative toward her.
“If you ask me, the one with the most supplies and materials in our district is Lan Qingyou. Her potions are such a goldmine! One bottle costs dozens of base units of materials. Selling a hundred or so a day is enough to keep the rest of us busy forever.”
“I’ve done the math. She ships at least two hundred bottles a day. Even if we only count the +30 mana potions, that’s a conservative estimate of 6,000 base units. That’s not even counting the +50 mana potions and the +30 healing potions.”
“I didn't realize it before, but now that you’ve crunched the numbers, she really is making a killing.”
“Holy crap! Does Lan Qingyou really have that many materials?”
“Don't look too closely, don't look too closely.”
“In times like these, everyone should be helping each other.”
“@Lan Qingyou, help everyone out.”
“@Lan Qingyou, it’s just a bit of pocket change. You’ll make back a day’s worth of mana potion income in no time. Don’t be so stingy.”
“@Lan Qingyou, take it from your uncle: sometimes you have to give a little to get a little. Everyone will look out for your business in the future, won't they?”
“@Lan Qingyou, you’ve earned so much. Shouldn’t you cough some up now to benefit everyone?”
“@Lan Qingyou, you wouldn't just stand by and watch people die, right?”
A group of people began tagging Lan Qingyou, trying to pressure her into providing relief.
“Heh!”
Lan Qingyou let out a cold laugh, blocked the instigators, and headed upstairs to read.
If they thought they could use moral kidnapping to get to her, they had picked the wrong person.
“Looking out for my business in the future?” As if they wouldn't buy from her anyway if she didn't give them anything.
Despicable.
As for standing by and watching people die... this was the Villain's Valley. Eight out of ten people here were former criminals. The world would be quieter if they died.
After going upstairs and calming her mind, Lan Qingyou began to read the book in her hand intently.
Eventually, she drifted off into a deep sleep, not waking up until after ten o'clock the next morning.
“I didn't expect to sleep so soundly with the thunder outside. Was it because it sounded like a lullaby?”
Sitting up, Lan Qingyou poked her head out to check the weather.
Just like the previous few days, the sun was shining brightly. It was as if the mana turbulence from the previous night had never happened, much like a midsummer thunderstorm.
This seemed for the best; at least daily life wouldn't be affected.
Lan Qingyou floated up from her mattress and carried her summer comforter out to the terrace.
As she draped the comforter over the terrace railing, she looked around. Nothing seemed to have changed in the surroundings.
Only then did she feel at ease enough to take a hot bath.
After adding the water from her bucket to the tank, she decided to head down to the stream to fill the bucket back up.
The newbie protection period was over, and it was currently a critical time. Lan Qingyou felt a knot in her chest whenever anything in her home wasn't fully stocked.
She was about to start brewing medicine, a process that would take eight hours.
No one knew what variables might arise during such a long period.
However, as Lan Qingyou was floating toward the stream, she passed a medium-sized rock and suddenly lost all control, slamming toward the ground.
THUD!
Though there were weeds below, there were also jagged stones. Lan Qingyou took a hard fall.
The water bucket in her hand went rolling away, clattering several times before coming to a stop by the stream.
Fortunately, since she was nearly at the stream, she hadn't been flying very high—only about two meters.
Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Even so, a pebble had sliced her forehead, and blood was gushing out uncontrollably.
Yet, Lan Qingyou didn't scramble to her feet or cover her wound.
She simply lay there quietly, smelling the scent of damp earth and wild grass, her eyes filled with shock, fear, dread, and uncertainty.
For a split second just now, she hadn't been able to feel her mana, which was why she had fallen from the sky.
What happened? Had her talent vanished?
Her mind was filled with doubt. She wanted to try and mobilize the mana in her body, but she was terrified of confirming the fact that it might be gone.
She didn't want to return to her old life, lying in bed and unable to do anything.
Just then, she saw the Moonlight Stone Dagger that had fallen from her person.
She reached out and gripped the handle of the dagger tightly.
Move!
If the mana was truly gone, then she might as well just die here and be done with it.
Though it would be a shame to go without getting her revenge, now didn't seem like the time to worry about that.
No!
That’s not right!!!
I can’t just die like this.
Even if I can't walk, I still have the magic knowledge from another world.
Crawl back. If I find a way to crawl back to the Tree Hole Shelter, I’ll definitely find a solution.
After taking a deep breath and mentally fortifying herself, Lan Qingyou mobilized the mana within her body.
The mana was still there!!
Upon finding her answer, Lan Qingyou's eyes lit up. She cast the Body Lightening Technique on herself and slowly floated back up.
Unlike before, even basic control was now incredibly difficult.
It felt as if the mana inside her body was rushing around wildly, making it hard to catch.
Wait!
The mana turbulence!
Suddenly, Lan Qingyou realized the problem.
It wasn't that her mana had vanished or that her talent had failed; it was the mana turbulence that had appeared last night.
It was disrupting the flow of mana within her body, which had led to what just happened.
Though it was only a guess, it was highly likely.
“Oh, so that was the reason.”
After she slid the dagger back into her belt, Lan Qingyou wobbled as she picked up the bucket and with great effort managed to fill it with water.
And then...
CRASH!
The moment she lifted the bucket filled with stream water, Lan Qingyou slammed it violently against a nearby rock.
With a full-force strike from her 32 points of Strength, the bucket shattered into pieces against the stone.
“Fuck!”
Her face covered in blood, a snarling Lan Qingyou threw away the remaining fragments of the wooden bucket.
What a disgrace!
How humiliating!
The more she thought about her moment of terror and her thought of just ending it all, the angrier she got. She was seeing red, having a total meltdown while taking her anger out on a wooden bucket.
Just because her mana had faltered and her talent couldn't be used, she had been scared to that extent?
Seriously, this would definitely become one of those shameful highlight reels that would make her cringe every time she remembered it.
Fortunately, no one was around to see it. Otherwise, it truly would have been worse than death.
“Huang Wei! I won’t let you die an easy death!”
Using her wet hand to wipe the mud and blood from her face, a look of viciousness filled Lan Qingyou’s small, dirty face.
Rate on N.U.
