Qin Feng was puzzled. With his Tang Dao, what use did he have for blueprints?
*To forge another one for Uncle Jiu?*
*Hmm... that's not a bad idea.*
Just then, the long-awaited System voice echoed in his ear:
Ding! By taking advantage of the situation, your Host's "Chicken-Heartedness" and "Cleverness" stats have increased by +1. This is highly consistent with Iron Man's persona. Iron Man similarity has increased by +2. Reward: All physical attributes +10.
Qin Feng: ...
Cleverness is fine!
But what the heck is "Chicken-Heartedness"?!
After his internal rant, he noticed the sky was darkening. After a long day, it was time to head back.
With a blast from his boot jets, Qin Feng soared toward the national gate.
When he arrived, Sister Bao'er had already returned.
"Brother Qin, come quickly and eat some pork! I caught this myself! *Burp*..."
She had already roasted the pork and was tucking in, her belly round and full.
Qin Feng smiled.
*The girl's still as innocent as ever.*
"Sure thing. From now on, the national gate is all thanks to Sister Bao'er."
"Of course!" Sister Bao'er puffed out her chest. "Don't worry, with me watching your back, everything will be fine."
"Hahaha, my wife is still as adorable as ever."
"You silly girl! Such bold words!"
"Exactly! It was just a fluke, killing that dead bastard. And we only managed it thanks to my husband's mecha."
"What fluke? My wife still brought back three pigs! Those pig-headed...!"
"Right! If you ask me, the worst is that Daoist. He's always pretending to be divine, tricking people out of free meals."
"I agree. Great God Qin Feng should trick him into going out and dying somewhere remote. We'd be better off finding him a proper helper for Great God Qin."
At that moment, Uncle Jiu looked troubled and had little appetite.
He held a piece of roasted pork but had no interest in eating it.
Qin Feng asked, "What's wrong, Uncle Jiu? Did you run into trouble outside today?"
Lin Jiu shook his head quickly, looking embarrassed. "No, it's just... I've been here doing nothing while you two guard the nation's gates. I feel quite ashamed."
"Heh, it seems you're not entirely without self-awareness."
"Don't worry, Daoist. With Great God Qin Feng here, everything will be fine."
Qin Feng reassured him, "Don't say that, Uncle Jiu. Your profound Daoist Arts will be crucial if any demons or monsters appear in the future."
If foreign species like zombies have appeared, could it be long before the Dragon Kingdom's own supernatural creatures emerge?
Qin Feng knew that Uncle Jiu wouldn't remain idle.
"Exactly! Why overthink it, Uncle?" Sister Bao'er said carefree. "Tomorrow, after sunrise, you should come out and explore. This place is so fun!"
Lin Jiu forced a smile. "Alright, but tonight at midnight, I still need to perform a ritual at the Corpse Raising Ground. I need to accelerate the Golden Armored Corpse's emergence and try to finish before the invasion tomorrow night. That way, we'll at least have one more ally."
"That would be perfect," Qin Feng said with a smile.
*I should give the Daoist priest a chance to prove himself,* Qin Feng thought. *If he just stays here, he'll end up doing nothing but overthinking and doubting himself.*
Sister Bao'er, however, had no such concerns. She was now more interested in the Golden Armored Corpse.
"Uncle, is that Golden Armored Corpse you mentioned cool? Is it stronger than my Crab Sea?"
*Clank! Clank! Clank!*
She tapped the Mark Prototype Machine beside her.
"Uh... it's hard to say. They each have their own strengths."
Lin Jiu replied perfunctorily, feeling awkward.
*Should I tell Brother Qin that my Golden Armored Corpse is even more formidable?*
*Wouldn't that be bragging and a slap in the face?*
If he wanted to be humble, Lin Jiu genuinely wanted to.
But when he thought about how he'd done nothing but laze around and eat for free all day, humility felt impossible.
Undeterred by the perfunctory response, Sister Bao'er remained enthusiastic. "Hey, I haven't checked yet! I wonder if that little brat damaged my Crab Sea today."
She walked around to the back of the Prototype Machine and examined the knee joint for damage.
The moment she saw it, her mood soured.
"That little bastard dented my leg! Next time I see him, I'll kill him! Next time I'll bury him! Let's see how he resurrects then!"
Sister Bao'er fumed, then launched into a heroic tale of how the Kimchi Kingdom's Guardian had tried to steal her Treasure Chest and how she'd heroically retrieved it.
---
*Comment Section:*
* - That silly girl is being cute again. What's a "dented leg"? Someone explain!*
* - Upstairs, it means the mech got a dent in its leg.*
* - Hahaha, my wife is too adorable. I'm definitely marrying a Sichuanese girl someday!*
"Hey, upstairs, don't try to steal my girl!"
"Heh, you animals driven by your lower halves. As if that Sichuanese girl is just waiting to be picked by you. Do you have an empire to inherit? Think you can just claim any Sichuanese girl you want?!"
"Exactly, this is hilarious."
After Sister Bao'er finished recounting her heroic deeds, Lin Jiu was stunned.
"That little girl is truly a hidden talent. She could even defeat someone with Golden Talent."
After obtaining Purple Talent and +20 attribute points, Lin Jiu felt a qualitative leap in both his physical prowess and his comprehension of Daoist Arts.
Not to mention the terrifying Golden Talent, which was twice as strong as his own!
Yet he had been utterly defeated by that little girl, and in an instant...
This girl before him was truly terrifying...
Lin Jiu's mind raced with a thousand thoughts.
"Oh, right, Brother Qin, I almost forgot. Here, take these."
With that, she dumped everything from her Battlefield Warehouse onto the ground.
Instantly, a huge pile of materials formed around the campfire.
"Whoa, that's a lot of stuff."
Qin Feng hadn't expected Sister Bao'er to make such a small fortune.
"What am I supposed to do with all this?!"
Sister Bao'er raised her pretty face, seeking praise.
"Sister Bao'er is so fierce!" Qin Feng teased, mimicking her in a Sichuan accent.
"Haha, little brother, you've got potential for the Sichuan accent! Keep practicing with your big sister, and you'll be a master in no time."
"You got it!" Qin Feng replied, continuing the imitation.
"Haha..."
Their laughter lifted Lin Jiu's spirits considerably.
After all the supplies were stored, Qin Feng took stock.
"900 wood, 650 stone, 490 steel.
And 200 units of Mystic Iron!"
*So much stuff?*
Unknowingly, Qin Feng had become quite wealthy.
This was just the materials, not including the blueprints and weapons.
"Tang Dao blueprint, one advanced wall blueprint, two basic wall blueprints, four peach wood swords, and oh, a Tang Dao!"
Qin Feng pulled out the Tang Dao and said to Lin Jiu, "Uncle Jiu, why don't you take this one?"
"This..." Lin Jiu's face grew even more ashamed.
First, he'd been given a hundred-year-old peach wood sword, and now a Mystic Iron Tang Dao.
*I don't deserve this...*
As Lin Jiu hesitated, Sister Bao'er said:
"Oh, Brother Qin already has a Tang Dao? I was planning to keep it a secret and give you one as a surprise."
At that moment, Sister Bao'er produced the gift she had prepared and handed it to Qin Feng.
"Perfect. I'll give mine to Uncle Jiu, and I'll use this one you gave me from now on."
Seeing this, Lin Jiu no longer refused.
He accepted the Tang Dao.
*After all, I don't lack weapons. Any further hesitation would just be overly formal.*