Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Massaging Each Other

Zhao Chi grimaced and winced in pain.

Gu Qing didn’t let go. "Lord, since you have a bit of that macho pride, how can you cry out in pain in front of a woman? Since my massage is working, you’ll just have to bear it."

Cold sweat beaded on Zhao Chi’s forehead.

’It really hurts.’

’How can such fair, delicate little hands produce so much Power?’

’This world’s logic is completely broken.’

After a while.

Gu Qing finally stopped.

Zhao Chi let out a sigh of relief. He felt like his arm had gone completely numb.

He sighed and said, "Aren’t you tired? Should I give you a massage, too?"

"Okay~"

Gu Qing agreed cheerfully, then sat on Zhao Chi’s bed.

"..."

He was just being polite.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to massage Gu Qing, but he was completely out of Physical Strength.

But Gu Qing had already sat down, so he had no choice but to help her.

Her skin was very smooth.

Her muscles were very soft.

With just a little pressure, he could feel her bones.

’With an arm this soft, if I squeezed as hard as Gu Qing did, wouldn’t it just burst?’

He squeezed hard!

Gu Qing’s brow furrowed slightly.

He relaxed his grip.

Gu Qing’s brow smoothed out as well.

’So she’s afraid of pain, too.’

Zhao Chi copied Gu Qing’s technique, watching her expression as he kneaded her arm with force.

Gu Qing smiled through a frown. "Lord, what are you doing? Are you trying to get revenge on me?"

"Of course not."

"Then why did you look like you wanted to laugh when I frowned?"

"Huh? Did I?"

"Yes!" Gu Qing said decisively.

Zhao Chi chuckled. "I just thought your expression was cute. I didn’t mean to get revenge."

Gu Qing shook her head. "How is that possible? Could you really find a 26-year-old woman cute? Lord, you’re only 20."

Zhao Chi said, "Cuteness has nothing to do with Age."

"Who’s cuter, me or Tang Ruan?"

"You!"

Zhao Chi blurted it out without thinking.

’A question like that doesn’t even require a single thought.’

"Huh?"

Seeing him answer without the slightest hesitation, Gu Qing was the one who was stunned.

"You’re cuter!" Zhao Chi answered again.

"R-Really?" Gu Qing was a little incredulous. "But Tang Ruan is only 18, and she’s all rosy and delicate."

"You’re cuter!"

"Oh... hehe. I get it. Lord, you don’t have to massage me anymore. You should get some rest."

Joy blossomed on Gu Qing’s face.

The corners of her mouth curved up uncontrollably.

She stood up and added, "Lord, if you rest by yourself, your Recovery will be faster. I won’t keep you company. Good night!"

"Okay, good night."

Gu Qing skipped out of the room.

She closed the door behind her.

Zhao Chi sighed in relief and flopped down heavily.

His arm was still a bit sore and swollen, but after Gu Qing’s massage, it was much better.

He had just laid down when a ferocious wave of drowsiness washed over him.

He was fast asleep in the next second.

「When he opened his eyes again, it was past 7:00 in the morning.」

He pushed the door open and went outside.

The morning sun was warm and gentle.

Ten new pits had appeared on the ground.

Ten fair-skinned women were eating.

Their hair was soaking wet.

Their skin reflected the lustrous morning light, a clear sign they had just finished bathing.

When they saw Zhao Chi, they all froze.

A few seconds later, they started trying to cover their bodies.

Gu Qing smiled. "He is our Lord, Lord Zhao Chi. Hurry and greet him."

The women quickly put down their bamboo cups and knelt on one knee. "Greetings, Lord."

Zhao Chi said, "Get up, quickly. You just got clean, don’t kneel on the ground."

The women stood up after thanking him. They wanted to pick up their bamboo cups, but also wanted to cover their bodies, and weren’t sure if they should. One by one, they hesitated.

Not wanting to embarrass them, Zhao Chi turned and went back into his house.

While washing up, he looked at the system.

There were many unread messages in the system.

First was yesterday’s summary.

[Yesterday’s Work Summary]

[Collection]Wild Vegetables ×8, Wild Fruits ×7, Medicinal Herbs ×1

[Hunting]Meat ×114

[Forging]Tools ×48

[Woodworker]Wooden Shield ×8, Wooden Cart ×1

[Sewing]Cloth Clothing ×14, Cloth Pants ×14, Cloth Shoes ×20

The Collection and Hunting were done yesterday morning, led by Gu Qing. The results were good.

They had gathered 15 kilograms of fruits and vegetables, and 1 kilogram of medicinal herbs.

There were 114 kilograms of meat.

After all, when Zhao Chi chose his starting configuration, he had selected quite a few extra animals.

This food was enough for several meals.

The tools included axes, Firewood Knives, daggers, and various other types.

The Woodworker’s output was relatively low; yesterday, only Li Zhu was working as a Woodworker.

Now all the cloth shoes were finished.

Every woman had shoes to wear.

However, there were still 11 women with no clothes to wear.

’Not a big deal. Besides, I’m the only guy here.’

Besides the work summary, there were also many unread messages in the class group chat and private messages.

Zhao Chi opened the official class group chat:

Inside was a notice from Instructor Li Ruanyu:

[After a thorough search and rescue yesterday, we came up empty-handed.]

[It is with great sorrow that I must inform you all that Liu Xun is lost and will not be returning.]

[All of you must learn from this lesson and always put Life first! In the face of death, territories and money can all be abandoned. You must remember this!!]

[Also, we will soon be facing a Magical Beast siege. Do not go near the walls, and especially do not use Spiritual Techniques near the walls.]

[Recently, nobles from Zone 7 have come to the southern wall on business. Everyone should go out as little as possible. Stay in your territories and develop them. Do not get into conflicts with them, or it will be very troublesome.]

[Everyone, reply to me with "Received."]

Below was a string of replies from his classmates.

Many also expressed their sorrow for Liu Xun.

Essentially, everyone had already confirmed this outcome yesterday.

But there had still been a sliver of hope that he might be found at the edge of the fog.

Now, his status as ’lost’ was finally confirmed.

All that awaited Liu Xun was despair and death.

During a Magical Beast siege, the Array outside the walls would be activated at maximum power. Approaching it rashly could be dangerous, especially when using Spiritual Techniques nearby.

As for the nobles...

They were true nobles, with great power and high Identity, a different breed from commoners.

They represented an insurmountable chasm for common people.

Zhao Chi then clicked on his private messages.

They were from Yang Xiong and Lu Yi.

Yang Xiong: [Zhao Chi, my Beastman Hero is about to reach Level 3! Just say the word, and I’ll back you up with everything I’ve got, damn it!]

Lu Yi: [Don’t listen to him. Don’t be impulsive. Just focus on your own development and don’t get sidetracked.]

’Hm?’

’What’s going on?’

Although he hadn’t figured out the situation yet.

But Zhao Chi could be sure that something had happened in the unofficial class group chat.

He opened the group with 99+ messages, and sure enough.

The earlier messages were just the students’ daily chatter.

They talked about everything and anything.

There were also all sorts of items they’d gotten from Treasure Chests, which they were trading and selling to each other.

Wang Lie: [Has anyone found a Goblin’s Exclusive Building? I’m buying.]

Tan Wei: [How could you possibly get an Exclusive Building during the novice period?]

Wang Lie: [Hehe, just asking. You never know, right?]

Cao Feng: [Wang Lie, stop your damn "hehe-ing." Why’d you stop trying to sell the Silk Stocking Improvement Book? Did someone buy it?]

Wang Lie went silent immediately.

He didn’t say another word.

Cao Feng: [Don’t play dead!]

Wang Lie: [It’s already been sold.] 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Cao Feng: [Who the hell did you sell it to? Who would dare buy it?]

Wang Lie: [I sold it to the Exchange.]

Cao Feng: [Bullshit! I know people at the Exchange, don’t make me go check. I’ll ask you one more time, who did you sell it to?]

Wang Lie: [It’s just a crappy Improvement Book for a trashy cosmetic item. It’s not worth much, you can easily buy one yourself.]

Cao Feng: [This isn’t about money now, understand? Don’t make me ask you again.]

Wang Lie: [...Zhao Chi.]

Cao Feng: [Fuck? Impressive. It’s you again, Zhao Chi, you son of a bitch? Are you really looking for a beating?]

Yang Xiong: [Cao Feng, aren’t you supposed to be mourning your two Shadow Leopards? How come you start spewing bullshit the second you get unmuted?]

Cao Feng: [Yang Xiong, you can’t run either. After I’m done with Zhao Chi, you’re next. So shut up.]

Yang Xiong: [Done with me? You and what army?]

Cao Feng: [That’s right, me. I’m more than enough to take care of you two losers. I’ve already supplemented my Shadow Leopards to 30, and I have 5 Centaur Shooters.]

Lu Yi: [Cao Feng, that’s enough. Just drop it.]

Cao Feng: [Zhao Chi, you playing dead? Still not gonna fucking show your face? You waiting for me to send you a duel request?]

Lu Yi: [Cao Feng! The Military academy strictly forbids duels between Lord students!]

Cao Feng: [This isn’t the Military academy. This is outside the school, a free-for-all. Am I right, Class President?]