Jiang Ye wasn't lying.
Ever since Ji Shanshui exposed her id in the World Channel, revealed her misdeeds, and threatened to bring her down this way, Jiang Ye had received countless friend requests.
What might disappoint Ji Shanshui was that not a single one of these friend requests had come to curse her.
Jiang Ye, foresighted as always, had already turned off the option that displayed her information to other players. Now, when people searched for her id, they could only see her name and level, and nothing else.
After she posted and argued with Ji Shanshui on the forum, a few new things appeared in her friend requests.
For example:
I Have a Lot of Hair: Boss, how do you take orders for dungeon carries?
And this one:
Chun Dengluan: Interested in trade, please accept my request.
See, all familiar faces!
Every time Jiang Ye saw this hapless I Have a Lot of Hair, she actually started to feel a bit guilty about taking advantage of him. The guy's hair was already thinning, and if she kept plucking the same sheep, she worried he’d be totally bald by the end of it.
As for Chun Dengluan—
She knew him too.
He’d bought a plate of tuna fried rice in her stream, had asked her a few clever questions; now he was proactively approaching her alt to cooperate.
It would be hard not to suspect this guy of having some ulterior motives!
Jiang Ye glanced over her friend requests and spotted one that made her laugh out loud.
Dominate the World: Duel me. I’ll pay you.
The name, combined with the message, for some reason gave Jiang Ye a strong sense of elementary-schoolers arranging a fight outside the front gate.
She didn’t accept anyone, treating it all as a fun little moment.
Now, she really didn’t have time for this stuff. The most important thing at the moment was to kill the boss.
Finally, five minutes later—
Ji Shanshui had already spammed messages in the World Channel who knew how many times.
[World · Ji Shanshui: A Leaf Boat!! Liar!! Don’t brag if you can’t clear the dungeon! And don’t take money! Refund me!]
[System: Congratulations to players A Leaf Boat, Ji Shanshui, Young Master With Money, and Yuchi Xi for achieving Instance First Kill in the dungeon “Hunt the Deep Mountain Wolf”, completed in 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 34 seconds. Rewards in gold coins and experience will be distributed according to dungeon Contribution Points.]
[World · Ji Shanshui:...]
[World · Drizzle: Shocking! This was a Hidden Instance!!]
[World · Just Watching Not Talking: Damn, Boss is Level 12 now!]
[World · Gossip Rookie: Not just the Boss, Ji Shanshui was just Level 6, now he’s Level 8. And the two other teammates both leveled up too.]
[World · I Have a Lot of Hair: Boss kept her word, huh? Boss, notice me! Please carry me for leveling and dungeons!]
Ji Shanshui kept trying to hold it together.
[World · Ji Shanshui: Huh, if it wasn’t for me, this dungeon couldn’t have been cleared at all. Also, where’s the reward you promised me?]
[World · A Leaf Boat: Relax, I’m doing it.]
[World · Drizzle: Group photo!!]
After defeating the Wolf King, A Leaf Boat picked up the precious wolf fur and stood motionless in front of the treasure chest for a long time, silently praying.
Three seconds later, she opened the chest and shared its contents to the World Channel.
[World · A Leaf Boat: Congratulations to the player for opening the treasure chest and obtaining “Common Armguard x1,” “Common Skirt-pants x1,” “Black Iron x5,” and “Copper Coin x100.”]
[World · A Leaf Boat: Initiating trade with player Ji Shanshui.]
[World · A Leaf Boat: No need to split, it’s all yours.]
Ji Shanshui’s face turned green when he saw that pile of junk.
Who wants this crap!
Any two random mobs could have dropped these things!
Was A Leaf Boat scamming him?
But no matter how Ji Shanshui double-checked, the result was the same.
This really was all A Leaf Boat got from the chest. The System Notice couldn’t be faked. To prove her innocence, A Leaf Boat even posted screenshots on the game forum.
What Ji Shanshui never expected was that—
After spending so much money and going all out trying to get the Hidden Instance reward, this was all he ended up with.
He was furious, but didn’t even know who to blame.
After thinking it over, there was only one thing he could do.
[World · Ji Shanshui: Trade request from A Leaf Boat declined.]
[World · Ji Shanshui: This crap, I’d never want it.]
[World · Ji Shanshui: A Leaf Boat! How the hell are you always this unlucky!!! Are you from Africa or what!! Get out of Carrefree Wanderer!!]
[World · I Have a Lot of Hair: Bro, not cool for you to say that. Aren’t we all African? Not allowed to have bad luck?]
[World · Drizzle: +1, you hairless people make sense.]
[World · I Have a Lot of Hair: I! Have! Hair!]
[World · Melon Field Mistake: Turns out the Boss is “African” too. Suddenly, I feel more balanced.]
As Ji Shanshui saw everyone’s focus shift away, he decided to go to the forum and keep flaming A Leaf Boat. But the moment he opened a thread, he realized the responses under the post had changed direction.
After the system posted the Instance First Kill record, the thread responses were a sea of people looking for a transaction.
187th floor: Boss!! Still taking orders? I’m low-key and drama-free, totally willing to pay big for a Hidden Instance run!! I’ve never experienced the thrill of a Hidden Instance!
197th: Boss, we sincerely invite you to join us, high pay, all we need is the First Kill.
208th: Boss, do you sell methods for Hidden Quests and dungeons? I can pay. Just one request: hope you’re not the one opening the chest. Facepalm. Someone in our team has really good luck!
221st, Ji Shanshui: Are you all insane?? Didn’t you see how unlucky she is? Let her carry you through? You must have too much money to burn!
250th, I Have a Lot of Hair in reply: That’s right, bro does have money to burn.
Ji Shanshui never imagined someone would use that line to mock him to his face someday.
After all, as far as he remembered, he was always the one saying it.
But—
Ji Shanshui stared at that id for a long time, feeling more and more like he recognized it.
So he clicked into the person’s forum profile.
This person’s posting history was publicly visible, so Ji Shanshui quickly found that eye-catching, nearly all-red-letter thread:
[Forum Bounty Post! The entire net is searching for this Dual Blacks woman!]
Back then, even Ji Shanshui joined in the fun and bumped that thread himself.
Now, as the realization dawned on him, flames started to flicker in Ji Shanshui’s eyes.
He couldn’t wait to spread the news and messaged I Have a Lot of Hair.
[The “boss” you’re all fawning over, A Leaf Boat, is actually a Dual Blacks dog!]
Original poster: Ji Shanshui.
Content: Kk, no pic but all true.
Reply 1: No pic no proof.
Reply 2: Dual Blacks, so what, OP? Don’t you know you can dye your hair and change eye color in the game?
Reply 3: og, if that’s true, then meh, I really have no good feelings toward A Leaf Boat. That stunt she pulled, probably just too short on cash, huh? Dual Blacks, from Wasteland?
Reply 8: If the Boss really is Dual Blacks from Wasteland, then I respect her even more. If you know, you know.
Reply 17: Why do you have to sort everyone into ranks even in a game? What’s the point?
As Ji Shanshui watched the discussions around A Leaf Boat heat up again, his mood improved significantly.
He looked at his Private Chat and earnestly sent a voice message.
“Bro, you and I must have a common enemy. Right now, you should stand on my side and resist A Leaf Boat. Got it?”
[Private Chat · I Have a Lot of Hair: Huh?]
Seeing that reply, Ji Shanshui curled his lips into a confident smirk.
He loved watching A Leaf Boat fans defect under his guidance.
As if this proved his anger was justified, as if this meant there was one more person in his camp, as if it could really hurt A Leaf Boat.
But after waiting a minute, the reply he got stunned him.
“No pic no proof, what bullshit are you talking, bro? Do you know how many people claimed to have caught the Dual Blacks woman since I started this game? I’m telling you, bro’s got money, but bro’s not easy to scam!”
“I’m not stupid enough to fall for your lies and go against the boss! Pah!”
“No way I’m letting you monopolize the chance to have her carry us!”
“Who the hell is trying to monopolize?!” Ji Shanshui snapped back, only to get a system notification—he had been blocked by player I Have a Lot of Hair.
By now, Ji Shanshui was about ready to jump up and down in frustration.
He never wanted to do a dungeon run with A Leaf Boat again, ever!!!
He wouldn’t do it for money, either!
[Private Chat · Chun Dengluan: Hello, is this Ji Shanshui?]
“What do you want!” Ji Shanshui, venting his anger, snapped at the new friend just added.
[Private Chat · Chun Dengluan: May I ask, are you on A Leaf Boat’s Friends list? If so, can I pay you to take me and her through a dungeon together?]
“Get lost!!” Ji Shanshui roared.
Had the world gone crazy, or was it just him?
[Private Chat · Chun Dengluan: Understood.]
[Private Chat · Chun Dengluan: In that case, may I pay for information about her?]
Ji Shanshui looked at this message, was silent for a moment, then grinned with a sinister smile.
[Private Chat · Ji Shanshui: Sure.]
Since A Leaf Boat scammed him, today he would scam it back from others!!
Ten minutes later, Chun Dengluan looked over the information he’d spent ten thousand gold coins to buy about A Leaf Boat, then sent it to his senior Jin Luyi after mulling it over.
[She, despite being Dual Blacks, is tremendously powerful, unstoppable. She comes and goes like the wind, a shadow of the night. With a single dull blade, she can slay gods and Buddhas alike. Her head is unbelievably hard, with one strike her brains could explode! Her name is A, Leaf, Boat!]
“Thanks, little brother.” Jin Luyi considered her words carefully. “Are you sure this intel isn’t copied straight from a Star Network novel?”
“What novel?” Chun Dengluan was totally confused.
Jin Luyi hadn’t expected that her seemingly cold, aloof junior was actually pretty clueless. She gave a helpless sigh.
“Alright. Leave it to me.”
She’d been worried she’d never find information on the number one in the level rankings, but look at that—search high and low, only to find it with zero effort.
After hearing her promise, Chun Dengluan pursed his lips, tabbed out of the game, and searched Star Network. After seeing dozens of similar rhetorical templates, he came to a decision.
[Private Chat · Chun Dengluan: Next time I see you, I’ll kill you.]
“Tch, and who do you think you are?” Ji Shanshui replied, scornful.
[Private Chat · Chun Dengluan: Number Three.]
Ji Shanshui didn’t get it, and forwarded the message to his friend, mocking the idiot.
His friend, Meteor Moon, was silent for a long while before sending him a screenshot.
Third on the level rankings, id: Chun Dengluan.
WTF!
“Don’t tell me you only ever look at the number one spot?” Meteor Moon said helplessly.
“Wait, why did A Leaf Boat level up again?!” Ji Shanshui stared at the leaderboard, suddenly picking up on something.
Didn’t she just hit Level 12? Now she was already Level 13.
Could it be—
A sudden System Notice popped up, answering his question.
[System: Congratulations to players A Leaf Boat, Young Master With Money, and Yuchi Xi for completing the dungeon “Hunt the Deep Mountain Wolf,” updating the Strategy Leaderboard. Cleared in 23 minutes, 37 seconds, and ranked first. Rewards in gold coins and experience according to Contribution Points. Title “Hunter of Wolves” awarded.]
[World · Melon Field Mistake: Damn, how did they clear it again so fast?? Seems like Boss can clear faster and better without Ji Shanshui~]
[World · Gossip Rookie: Someone just said that if not for him, the dungeon wouldn’t be cleared. That’s some top-tier face-slapping right there!]
[World · Melon Field Mistake: Wait, that title wasn’t there before. Does that mean it adds an attack buff or something?]
[World · Drizzle: So the Boss must know how to trigger hidden quests and enter the dungeon!! Damn, Boss, share the secret!!]
[World · Just Watching Not Talking: With how greedy the Boss is, like she’d ever share it? No way.]
[World · I Have a Lot of Hair: Boss, don’t share!! I’m willing to spend money! I’ll buy an exclusive license!!]
[World · A Leaf Boat: Congratulations to the player for opening the treasure chest and obtaining “Rare Armor x1,” “Rare Bracelet x1,” “Legendary Bow x1,” “Wolf King's Cloak (Legendary) x1,” “Wolf King's Treasure (Legendary) x1.”]
[World · Drizzle: Three legendaries! I’m going mad with envy! If I were Ji Shanshui, I’d probably want to die right now.]
[World · Melon Field Mistake: Everything is fate, everything is destined.]
[World · A Leaf Boat: Ji Shanshui, come here, is this still “unlucky”?]
Ji Shanshui stood on the city street in-game, feeling the sympathetic glances from surrounding players. He couldn’t take it anymore and, gritting his teeth, jumped into the river.
Luckily, the water was deep enough. Floating on his back downstream, watching his stamina bar drop close to zero, Ji Shanshui felt a sense of relief.
Alright, let him end today’s disgrace with death!
The next second, a pair of big hands scooped him up.
“Boss, boss! There’s a—there’s a tuna!”
Ji Shanshui opened his eyes, but before he could see who’d fished him out, the next instant he was hurled heavily back into the river.
“Oops, mistake, it’s not a fish!”