Who are you calling a stable boy?!

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's been a long time since any human guests have visited. I almost forgot."

Before the words were finished, a figure materialized in front of Zheng Jing and the others.

"Hmm, not bad, not rusty."

The girl in the black dress twirled in place, her flowing skirt like a blooming black rose, highlighting her beautiful face in soft light.

"Hello, three players from the courtyard. I am the organizer of the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament. If you need a title, well... just call me Wen."

"Although I'd love to chat with you all more, I imagine you're all eager to receive your rewards sooner. I'll take you to the treasure vault to choose later. Anything in the vault is yours to take. If you're really overwhelmed by the choices, you can check the inventory records. Oh, right, let's start with wishes!"

The girl who called herself Wen looked at Xueqing and Lin: "I already know your wishes, you two little ones. The matter of the Eight Heroes is simple. From now on, they will have nothing to do with Orochi. However, as for Orochi, Gaia and I are quite close, and I'm a little reluctant to be so ruthless... How about this, I'll reluctantly turn him into a collectible and put him in the treasure vault."

"How was it? If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Lin and Xueqing exchanged a glance and shook their heads at Wen in unison.

“Very good, I like efficient kids, so you can go and choose first.”

As he spoke, Wen flicked his finger, and Xue Qing and Lin vanished instantly.

"You're the only one left, little monkey."

With his hands behind his back, Wen approached Zheng Jing, bent down, and looked up at him: "Is it that hard to think of anything? Powerful strength, rare knowledge, long life, or even just another piece from my collection, I can grant you all of these."

"That's right!"

Wen laughed: "If you feel one isn't enough, why not try making a wish to me, and ask for a hundred more wishes or something?"

Zheng Jing scratched his cheek.

"Then... please be kinder to the people in this material plane."

"Oh?"

Wen raised an eyebrow.

"It's a bit of a surprise. I thought you were the type who had no desires. I didn't expect you to have such strong desires."

She laughed even more heartily.

"Sure, I like kids with a strong will."

As she spoke, she beckoned with her finger.

Zheng Jing felt a slight pain at the back of his head and subconsciously reached out to touch it. Then he saw a black and gold strand of hair on Wen's hooked finger.

He recognized it immediately as one of his hairs.

"Okay, take your time choosing, don't rush."

Before Zheng Jing could speak, with a flick of Wen's finger, Zheng Jing's figure, like Xue Qing and Lin, instantly disappeared from this wondrous library.

"I didn't expect there to be such an unexpected bonus."

Looking at the strands of hair tangled in his fingers, Wen smiled and muttered to himself, "Let me see more interesting stories, little monkey."

Like a child who has received a favorite gift from a friend on her birthday, the girl hummed a song and slowly melted into the soft light.

-

Judging from the perceived time, Zheng Jing felt that the three of them had been in that place, which was more like an asteroid than a treasure trove, for almost a day.

The main problem was that Xueqing and he really didn't know what to choose.

Rin went straight to check the so-called inventory records as soon as she came in.

It was a huge stone tablet; by simply reaching out and touching it, one could access the treasure vault's entry records.

Once they've chosen what they want, all they need to do is touch the stone tablet to leave the treasure vault and return to the material plane where Kyoko and the others are.

After they came out, through conversation, they concluded that time seemed to have stood still in that treasure vault.

Moreover, it seems that only Zheng Jing and his teammates, who were the champions, met the girl who called herself Wen.

Kyoko and her two teammates, who were runners-up, and Hell Band, who were third place, were all sent directly to the Treasure Trove.

Yes, the third place goes to Hell Band.

After all, Master Long voluntarily withdrew from the competition, so the actual third place winner was Hell Band.

Kyoko and the others had worried that if they were allowed to select items from the treasure vault, the Hell Band might choose something dangerous and cause trouble.

However, the choice made by the three members of Hell Band left Kyoko and the others puzzled.

A golden ball that can self-replicate on schedule.

A roll of silk thread that can change into various colors according to the holder's will, and can never be used up.

A set of kitchen utensils that is said to be made from meteorite iron from outer space and has various magical effects.

To say that gods are not magical is an understatement; they are indeed quite magical.

But as for whether it's dangerous or not...

Moreover, they didn't seem to care much about completely losing contact with the giant snake.

They all seemed very relaxed.

How to deal with people like them is something that Kyoko and the others need to think about.

Chapter 246: Do you understand me, Bleach VS Naruto?

"Hey! You're back!"

Zheng Jing stood up and stretched.

Xueqing, sitting on a futon, watched him.

"You're really not going? Xiaolin seems genuinely angry."

After completing their duel with Master Long and visiting the Cursed Spring Village, Zheng Jing and Xue Qing naturally had to part ways with Lin and return to their respective homes.

Before parting, Rin specifically asked Jung-kyung if he would go to celebrate Sakura's birthday.

Zheng Jing said he would definitely do it next time, and then asked Lin to help him give the birthday gift he had prepared to Ying.

Recalling Xiao Xiao Lin's hard, cold face at the time, and the kick she gave him in the shin after receiving the gift, Zheng Jing grimaced and gasped.

"Well, if I want to ease the tension between Xiaoxiaoying and her family, I, Old Zheng, can't be around her too often. Especially since she's still young, it's the perfect time to make amends. I don't expect them to be completely back to normal, but at least they can be harmonious, right? Of course, I, Old Zheng, also know that it's better to guide than to block, which is why I had Xiaoxiaolin deliver the gift for me."

Xueqing rested her chin on her hand, remaining silent and staring at Zheng Jing.

"W-What are you doing? Miss Cao, why are you like this?"

"......well."

Xueqing sighed.

She always felt that things wouldn't develop as smoothly as Zheng Jing had envisioned.

Zheng Jing's words are not without merit.

She knew that if Zheng Jing were by her side, her heart, riddled with holes, would be completely filled by him, leaving no gaps.

In this situation, how should one accept other forms of compensation?

However, perhaps we can try a different approach.

Now that the foundation has been rebuilt, why not try to create something new and wonderful on top of it?

Just like she is now.

Every family has its own problems.

Shaking her head and muttering something, Xueqing sat up straight and patted the futon beside her: "Come back."

"What's wrong?"

Zheng Jing sat back down cross-legged next to Xue Qing. As soon as he asked a question, Xue Qing leaned to one side and lay down, resting her head on his lap.

"I'll upgrade."

"What a coincidence?"

Zheng Jingyi raised an eyebrow.

"I want a promotion too."

-

[The monk's level has been increased to LV7.]

The following player skills are enhanced: Somersault (Blue), Transformation (Blue).

Somersault (Blue): Consumes internal energy to accurately teleport to any location within a 5-kilometer radius that you can see.

Transformation (Blue): Consumes internal energy to transform oneself. Currently, one can only transform into a humanoid form, and can change one's body size. One can continue to expand from a gigantic size, and can continue to shrink from a miniature size.

-

Zheng Jing and Xue Qing opened their eyes at almost the same time.

Reaching out, Zheng Jing gathered the strands of Xue Qing's hair that had almost fallen onto the prayer mat along his thigh, and held them in his hand. With his eyes lowered, he casually checked the strands of hair in his hand for any knots, and asked softly, "Miss Cao, you just leveled up, what important things are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking, maybe it's time to go back to the sect."

"Oh?"

"Go back and let them know I'm safe. I bet everyone in the martial arts world is saying I'm dead... Don't laugh! Seriously, it's been over a year over there, the news should have spread by now. I bet my master, my senior brothers and sisters really do think I'm dead."

"When are you leaving?"

"I can go back by myself."

"What local specialties should I prepare for you to take with you?"

As he spoke, Zheng Jing plucked two strands of his own hair and hid them in Xue Qing's long hair.

"for example?"

"Like a fully automatic rifle?"

"We are Hidden Sword Manor, not Tang Sect..."

In the end, Xueqing, unable to resist Zheng Jing's insistence, packed a sack of Wang○ gift packs into her backpack and set off.

Zheng Jing actually knew that Xue Qing's trip this time was probably not only to report her safety to her sect, but also to seek revenge in the martial arts world.

After all, the reason she left the material plane where Hidden Sword Manor was located was because her projection during her rookie stage was destroyed.

To put it bluntly, someone harmed her back then.

Zheng Jing certainly wanted to go along.

But since Xueqing said she wanted to go by herself, he wouldn't insist on going with her.

Having heard Xueqing describe what the martial arts world of that material plane was like, Zheng Jing knew that with Xueqing's current strength, she could at least be a formidable opponent in the martial arts world, if not invincible.

In addition, the three strands of hair he left on Xue Qing's body would be enough to protect her even if they encountered some ancient demon that jumped out of the deep mountains and forests.

If all else fails, just shake him over there.

After seeing Xue Qing off, Zheng Jing, sitting alone in the main hall, rested his chin on his hand and opened the trading group.

He hadn't been paying attention to the group chat for a while.

-

Poor Tom (Asia): Waaah! Brothers and sisters! I finally reached level 5! Yay!

[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Europe)]: Congratulations, Mr. Tom!

[Friendship is Magic (Americas)]: That's great! I'm just too busy; I simply can't find the time. I'm only at level two so far...

[White Bear (Europe)]: Bro, I think the problem lies with you. This isn't an online game; you could just quit your job.

[Friendship is Magic (Americas)]: No way, how am I supposed to support my family if I don't have a job?

[White Bear (Europe)]: You could just use your courtyard coins to buy gold and then exchange it for the local currency. That would be more profitable than working a job, right? I remember that Ordinary Bone Gold is very cheap on the exchange.

[Friendship is Magic (Americas)]: ...Damn it, why didn't I think of that before?

[Poor Tom (Asia)]: Wait a minute, it's fine if you want to make money like this, but I remember you don't have any underground connections, right, Uncle Magic? It might be okay to occasionally take some gold and sell it at a gold shop, but if it happens too frequently and in too large quantities, aren't you afraid of being targeted?

【Friendship is Magic (Americas)】: What you said makes sense.

[White Bear (Europe)]: Then buy from me. I'll buy your Courtyard Coins with gold, and the price will be 20% higher than on the exchange. You also don't need to worry about your specific address or identity being exposed through the exchange.