Chapter Sixteen: The Arrival of Xia Mengsi

Wang Xiao had been like this for several days in a row. Every day, he prayed to encounter monsters—not only to increase the number of Dark Knights but also to gain souls. He relied on the Ring of Misfortune to boost his chances of meeting monsters. He didn’t just collect the corpses of monsters; he also went to the trading channel to purchase various seeds. These were his daily tasks, and now Little Bone could serve as the head chef—after all, the dishes he cooked tasted better than Wang Xiao’s own attempts.

However, Little Bone had been acting strange lately, often going outside the Bone House. Whenever Wang Xiao approached, Little Bone pretended nothing was amiss. Suspicious, indeed.

Just as usual, Wang Xiao began his routine dispersal, leaving Little Bone to his own devices. His Mighty Hammer had been upgraded with a card, transforming it from Excellent to Superb. Its shape had shrunk, now looking exquisite, almost like a work of art.

As the mist parted, a monster was chasing a person. Wang Xiao didn’t recognize the monster, but he certainly knew the person.

“Hey, Miss Xia, hello there.”

Hearing her name called, Xia Mengsi paused for a moment and nearly got struck by the monster behind her.

Damn it, I clearly used my Lucky trait—why did I end up meeting this guy?

Xia Mengsi couldn’t help but complain in her heart as she saw Wang Xiao watching like a spectator at a drama.

The monster, resembling a tiger but with a pair of wings, noticed Xia Mengsi was distracted and slashed at her with a huge blade. She barely dodged, but still suffered an injury.

Her shoulder felt numb, as if it didn’t belong to her anymore, yet she endured the pain and ran toward Wang Xiao.

Wang Xiao, meanwhile, was grumbling to himself. I used the power of my Ring of Misfortune—could Xia Mengsi herself be my misfortune?

Damn! This woman doesn’t look like a good person. She’s even luring the monster towards me.

As Xia Mengsi passed Wang Xiao, she grinned, “Handsome, I’m counting on you.”

The giant tiger cared little for the number of people—it would simply have an extra meal tonight. Its massive paw swung at Wang Xiao.

Ha, I’ve always been the one to strike others—no one has dared to treat me this way.

With a roar, Wang Xiao summoned his hammer.

Xia Mengsi was stunned. Brother, where’s your enormous hammer from before? How did it become so small?

Then, layers of bone appeared around Wang Xiao, encasing his whole body. He stopped when he grew as large as the winged tiger.

“Now it’s fair. Come on!”

The hammer in Wang Xiao’s hand grew larger as well, its menacing appearance enough to intimidate anyone.

The winged tiger flapped its wings, soaring into the air, its eyes gleaming with cunning.

So you’ve grown bigger, but can you reach me?

Just as the tiger thought Wang Xiao had no means to fight back, a glob of spit flew straight at its face.

The tiger was furious. Such a big fellow, yet playing a child’s game? Think this is a schoolyard brawl? Watch me tear you apart.

With a roar, the tiger’s wings beat furiously, and it dove at Wang Xiao’s chest, abandoning its earlier prudence for blind rage.

Wang Xiao smiled faintly, raised his hammer high, and as the tiger closed in, unleashed a super-powered blow.

Boom!!

The tiger’s entire body slammed into the earth, dust rising in clouds. “No harm, only smoke?” Not in my hands.

Thud, thud, thud!

A series of hammer strikes followed, and Xia Mengsi could feel the ground trembling beneath her.

Terrifying, indeed~

Blood splattered everywhere, staining the clearing red.

Wang Xiao didn’t stop until the tiger ceased even twitching.

His arm felt sore—time to get some proper exercise.

A warm sensation on his back signaled a new tattoo—and this one allowed him to fly.

I am invincible, in sky and on land!

Wang Xiao dismissed the tattoo and stowed the tiger away. Not bad—killed a fourth-tier monster and gained plenty of souls.

An ordinary man like me, today I’m truly delighted, Wang Xiao hummed to himself.

“Hey, can you not see me?”

Xia Mengsi was speechless. What kind of person was this? Such a beautiful woman right before him, and he didn’t even spare a glance?

Wang Xiao looked puzzled, “Who! Who’s speaking?”

Xia Mengsi’s anger grew. Was this guy crazy?

Her puffed-up expression made Wang Xiao want to laugh, but what was the pity in her eyes? Shouldn’t she be grateful? I just saved her, after all.

“Hey, hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Xia Mengsi turned her head away, “Hmph!”

Wang Xiao’s eye twitched; he turned and left.

“Tch~ What’s his deal? Not even a word of thanks—worse than that silent one.”

Seeing Wang Xiao walk away, Xia Mengsi followed.

“Hey, lady, why are you following me?”

“Is this your road? I’ll walk wherever I please!”

“Fine, fine, suit yourself.”

Wang Xiao continued his collection routine.

Xia Mengsi shamelessly kept following him, leaving Wang Xiao at a loss for words.

He stayed silent, curious what this big-busted, empty-headed woman was up to.

Luck was on his side—he kept running into monsters.

Of course, that was lucky for Wang Xiao; to Xia Mengsi, he was a super jinx.

Three consecutive encounters—she would have cracked under the pressure. And why did he look so happy? That’s not normal!

Wang Xiao headed home, back to his own world.

But Xia Mengsi still followed.

“Sister, what are you doing? I’m going home now.”

“Don’t tell me your house is here too.”

Xia Mengsi felt a bit embarrassed by Wang Xiao’s words, but who was she?

“Heh, my house is here too—what, you don’t approve?”

Seeing her attitude, Wang Xiao had nothing more to say and walked on ahead.

Back at the Bone House, he found Little Bone sneakily touching the walls.

“Little Bone! What are you doing?”

Startled, Little Bone scurried inside with tiny steps.

“Little Bone, I’m hungry. Go make dinner, and I won’t ask what you were just up to.”

With that, Little Bone emerged from beneath the bed, looking cautious.

Xia Mengsi remained outside, not unwilling to enter but blocked by the Dark Knights.

One knight was manageable, but ten stood guard against her.

She had no choice but to stop fifty meters from the Bone House.

At that moment, Xia Mengsi noticed the farm.

She couldn’t help rubbing her eyes—were those verdant seedlings an illusion? Were the chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep in the sheds just a dream?

And why did the greenhouse look better than her own home?

Was this Wang Xiao’s real life?

Was she dreaming?

Xia Mengsi took out her tent. Well, even the livestock here had better accommodations than she did. For a moment, Xia Mengsi felt like crying.