Chapter 18: The Game Merchant

One afternoon, while Lin Yi was away, Dugu Feng and several militia members managed to kill a lone demon boar. The demon boar was only a level six minor demon and had fallen into the militia’s trap, making it easy to dispatch. However, it reportedly dropped only a single white-quality material. Dugu Feng gained nothing but a small amount of contribution points as compensation—a stroke of bad luck.

Apart from his militia duties, Lin Yi spent his time in the game practicing the Heavenly Star Archery Technique. Notably, he exchanged all the contribution points he had originally saved for amulets to instead purchase blood food. The remaining 36 contribution points could only buy 15 grams of blood food. After two days of consumption, his health increased by three points, bringing his current health to 13.5.

That morning, with the three-day cooldowns refreshed, Lin Yi eagerly logged in and prepared to draw a new talent. But before that, he decided to use his talent “Treasure Sense,” which also had its cooldown reset. Why waste it?

Using “Treasure Sense,” Lin Yi searched for treasure within Ancient Pool Village. A mysterious force seemed to guide him westward, as if good things awaited in that direction. “This talent is truly remarkable!” Lin Yi thought, following the inner guidance all the way to the westernmost city wall of the village. The area was dense with shrubs and low-growing plants.

Finally, his gaze settled on a cluster of red fruits hanging from a plant.

[Peony Red Fruit · White]: A special wild fruit. When ground into a liquid, it can detoxify and stop bleeding.

A healing-type fruit? Lin Yi wondered about its value. Without hesitation, he picked three of the Peony Red Fruits from the plant. Satisfied, he decided to keep one for backup and exchange the other two for contribution points, as he was currently in dire need of blood food to boost his health.

Returning home, Lin Yi proceeded to draw his talent for the day. As the dice spun on the talent page, a blue light flashed.

“Ding! You have drawn the blue talent [Blood Drain]!”

A blue talent! Lin Yi’s heart skipped a beat. Blue talents were even better than green ones, and this was his first time acquiring one. His luck today was truly exceptional—first finding three white-quality spirit fruits, then drawing a blue talent.

He quickly checked the description of [Blood Drain]:

[Blood Drain]: A blue talent. By killing creatures carrying blood, one can absorb their blood energy, which automatically converts into health points.

Note: This blue talent can be activated a thousand times. Increasing its level can raise the number of activations.

Reading this, Lin Yi was thrilled. This talent seemed extraordinary—a growth talent that could stack attributes. He wondered how much health each activation would restore. If it granted one point per kill, a thousand kills would yield a thousand health points.

However, today was a militia duty day. Lin Yi had to join the second militia team at the city wall and had no time to test the talent’s ability.

Upon arriving at the city wall, most of the second team members were already present. Gu Chenghu waved and said, “Go, everyone, take your positions along the defense line. Don’t let any demons slip into the village.”

Lin Yi, without a fixed position, naturally followed Gu Chenghu.

The guard duty was tedious; no demons lurked outside the wall, and none were found inside the village. After more than two hours, Lin Yi’s shift ended, and he handed over to Dugu Feng. But he didn’t log off immediately. Instead, he went to the Fufeng Tower and bought a live chicken and a live duck from the kitchen staff.

He wanted to test if killing these animals could trigger the talent.

“Ding! You have killed a common chicken! No experience bonus!”

“Ding! Your blue talent [Blood Drain] activates, granting 0.8 permanent health points!”

One chicken yielded 0.8 health points. Lin Yi then tried the duck.

“Ding! You have killed a common duck! No experience bonus!”

“Ding! Your blue talent [Blood Drain] activates, granting 0.8 permanent health points!”

The same amount. Lin Yi raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. It seemed the health gained might correlate with the creature’s size. Chickens and ducks were roughly similar in volume and blood content, so both yielded 0.8 health points.

He decided to test other creatures. Lin Yi found Li the butcher in the village’s east and asked if he could personally kill a pig.

“A pig? You’re even paying me?” Li the butcher looked at Lin Yi curiously. “I’ve seen many born-again players, but this is the first time someone wants to kill a pig here and pay me for it.”

Seeing Lin Yi wearing the militia uniform, Li’s curiosity grew. If he remembered correctly, about a week ago, this young man was a newcomer to Ancient Pool Village. Yet in just a week, he had joined the militia. He must be capable.

Lin Yi was unaware of how much the militia uniform added to his aura. Li said, “Alright, since you’re paying, do as you please.”

Li led Lin Yi to the backyard, the pig slaughtering area. Several chops of pork hung on the walls, and the ground was littered with bloody entrails. The air was thick with a pungent metallic smell.

Li called out, “Changsheng, come out and help! Go to the pigpen and bring a live pig!”

A young man emerged from inside, holding a bone-picking butcher’s knife, his coat stained red with pig’s blood.

“Master, didn’t we just kill one this morning? Why again? Times are tough?”

“Stop talking nonsense. Go now.”

Under Li’s urging, the young man named Changsheng sighed and went to fetch a pig. Before leaving, he glanced at Lin Yi but said nothing.

Lin Yi’s eyes narrowed. By his demeanor and attire, this Changsheng was also a player.

Another player? Since arriving in the Tianqi world about a week ago, including the chubby member of the third militia team, Dugu Feng, a newcomer he met recently, and now this one, there were four players in Ancient Pool Village. Apparently, many players had been reborn here.

Soon, Changsheng returned with a large, jet-black domestic pig weighing over three hundred pounds. Sensing death, the pig roared wildly upon entering the yard.

Li stepped forward, pinning the pig with one hand and wielding a black iron butcher’s knife in the other. With a swift slash, the pig collapsed, its throat cut open by a massive wound.

Lin Yi’s eyelid twitched. Li the butcher was a hidden expert!

“Kid, I don’t know why you want to kill this pig, but it’s barely alive. If you want to finish it, do it quickly!”

“Thanks, Li!” Lin Yi didn’t hesitate. He grabbed a handy butcher’s knife and struck the pig’s wound three times, finally killing it.

“Ding! You have killed a common domestic pig! No experience bonus!”

“Ding! Your blue talent [Blood Drain] activates, granting 1.4 permanent health points!”

1.4 health points! Much more than chickens or ducks.

Indeed, the proper use of [Blood Drain] was killing larger creatures. However, as far as Lin Yi knew, livestock was scarce in Ancient Pool Village. Even counting black pigs, wild goats, and poultry like chickens and ducks, reaching a thousand kills would be extremely difficult.

“Brother, I see you’re wearing a militia uniform. Don’t you know killing pigs and ducks gives no experience?” Changsheng approached, noticing Lin Yi’s thoughtful expression. He extended his hand. “I’m Qin Changsheng, an old player. What’s your name?”

Lin Yi shook his hand. “I’m Qing Shan Bu Lao.”

Qin nodded. “Nice name. I’ve been in Ancient Pool Village for three or four months. I’ve met some top players in the militia, but Qing Shan, you seem new.”

“Yes, I haven’t been here long,” Lin Yi replied, then curiously asked, “Three or four months? What level are you now?”

Qin chuckled. “Me? Just level one. After learning people could die in this game, I never left the village. I’ve been here for months, learning pig slaughtering from my master.”

Lin Yi was speechless. This player was cautious indeed—after so long in Tianqi, still only level one, spending months killing pigs.

Seeing Lin Yi’s expression, Qin smiled knowingly. “I’m not like you guys who see this as a transcendental world to grind and level up. There are demons and strange spirits here; it’s too dangerous. I have only one life, and no adventure is worth losing it.”

Lin Yi said, “If it’s so dangerous, why stay?”

Qin grinned. “To make money—as a game merchant.”

He then pulled out a slip of paper with a string of bank account numbers.

“Qing Shan, this is my overseas remittance bank account. I sell all kinds of Tianqi game items, intel, silver, and external skills. Anything you can pay for, I can get you in the game.”

Lin Yi’s interest piqued. “Everything? External skills? What’s the price?”

“External skills? Like skill books in the game, they’re extremely rare. I have two types: one is ‘Spinning Turtle Skill,’ which can be learned instantly without practice and boosts health and constitution, priced at three million RMB. The other is ‘Pig Slaughtering Swordsmanship,’ taught personally by my master, guaranteed to learn, for five million RMB.”

Hearing the million-RMB price tags, Lin Yi gasped.

“Brother Changsheng, five million RMB? Why so expensive? And if Li the butcher finds out you teach external skills to others, won’t he be mad?”

Qin explained, “External skills vary in quality. ‘Pig Slaughtering Swordsmanship’ is one of the best white-quality skills in Ancient Pool Village. It adds damage against demons, so five million is actually a bargain. And don’t worry about my master—I share part of the profits with him.”

Impressive—making money alongside local NPCs.

From what Lin Yi heard, this skill was comparable to Gu Yongqiang’s ‘Flaming Sun Swordsmanship,’ another white external skill. One boosts damage against demons, the other counters strange spirits. No wonder village elder Gu He had recommended Lin Yi seek out Li the butcher and Gu Yongqiang—truly considering the needs of reborn players.

Lin Yi pondered, then asked, “Brother Changsheng, what about silver, items, and game intel? What are their prices?”

Qin pulled Lin Yi aside. “Silver is cheap—10,000 RMB per tael. Whether you want to buy or sell, that’s the price. Items depend on your needs, but a deposit is required. Intel prices depend on importance.”

“Do you sell spirit weapons? What’s the price?”

Qin glanced at Lin Yi. “Spirit weapons? Don’t joke. They’re extremely rare; hardly any in Ancient Pool Village. I don’t sell them. But I can get ordinary weapons for you.”

“I can get ordinary weapons myself. What about intel? Any important info?”

“Well, here’s some free info—for friendship. The Tianqi game appeared about half a year ago and has had multiple activation code releases.”

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? Nothing more?”

“Hmm, also, our country has formed specialized player squads. Almost every prefecture-level city has an agency responsible for this. So it’s best not to reveal your identity in-game, or you might get investigated.”

Hearing this, Lin Yi nodded. The officials who handled Liu Hong’s death case were likely part of this special organization.

He asked, “What’s wrong with getting investigated?”

Qin shrugged. “Nothing bad, just no freedom. You’d be watched closely. If caught killing players, you’ll probably be jailed. Though I heard the officials are short-handed now, so if you pass political vetting, there’s a chance to be recruited.”

Lin Yi nodded thoughtfully. “What about Ancient Pool Village? Any important intel? And what about career tiers beyond level ten?”

Qin sighed helplessly. “Brother Qing Shan, I’m no gossip king. How could I know everything? You’re militia and higher level; you should have more info than me.”

Lin Yi decided not to press further, sensing Qin’s knowledge was limited.

He then asked directly, “Forget it. Can you get blood food? What’s the price?”

Qin shook his head. “Nope. Blood food is a controlled resource in Ancient Pool Village. Only militia members can exchange for some. I was hoping you could get some—I'd pay well.”

Lin Yi looked disappointed. “Brother, you seem to have nothing.”

“Hey, not nothing—you just want high-level stuff.” Seeing Lin Yi turn to leave, Qin called out, “Brother, I know of a map resource outside the village where you can farm original external skills. Not many know about it yet. Interested? I’ll sell it cheap.”

Lin Yi waved him off. “The valley to the southwest? That info’s old news.”

He then handed over his limited silver to Li the butcher to pay for the pig and left without looking back.

Though Qin Changsheng claimed to be a game merchant, his knowledge and resources were quite limited. Still, Lin Yi was content to have gleaned some free information from him.