Chapter 116 The Koi Master is Right Beside Me

Chapter 116 The Koi Master Is Right Here With Me

Guan Tiantian, who had always been at odds with Song Yan, noticed her subtle reaction and felt a surge of schadenfreude. She made up her mind: whether Zhu Bin was trying to salvage Hua Diao’s reputation for the captain’s sake, or if Hua Diao truly possessed such skill and luck, Guan Tiantian was unilaterally claiming her as a good friend.

Humming a cheerful tune, she chimed in with Zhu Bin’s words, "Vice-captain’s right. We really should thank Sister-in-Law. Monsters are getting stronger, and the captain’s guns alone aren’t cutting it anymore. This morning, we barely held off that monster wave outside our villa district. We absolutely need game weapons. With these basic-level game weapons, we can hit the forums and find the Koi Master to upgrade them into advanced ones. The gold coins spent on these weapons will never be wasted; they’re a much better deal than the captain’s un-upgradable guns."

Her words made the other team members pause and reconsider.

She was right! Game weapons could be upgraded. Spending gold coins on them wasn’t a waste; it was an investment. The captain’s un-upgradable guns were the real waste.

Zhu Bin gave Guan Tiantian an approving look. This girl had potential.

Even Xie Tingsheng, who had just been "slandered," wasn’t angry. Instead, he gave her an appreciative glance.

Thus, thanks to Zhu Bin and Guan Tiantian’s coordinated efforts, Hua Diao—who hadn’t even made an appearance in the team yet—had already garnered a wave of goodwill.

Once the items on the coffee table were distributed and the crowd dispersed, Quan Yumeng, Song Yan’s close friend, leaned in and whispered resentfully into Song Yan’s ear, "Who knows if any of this is true? Don’t take it to heart, Yan. Guan Tiantian is building Hua Diao up so much—if Hua Diao really does join our team, we’ll just wait and watch her fall flat on her face. Hmph! No matter how lucky she is, it can’t possibly compare to the Koi Master."

Zhu Bin, who hadn’t gone far and had returned to grab something, suddenly had a lightbulb moment.

*The Koi Master… Wait, could Sister-in-Law be the Koi Master?*

Her incredible luck perfectly matched the description.

*Hiss—*

The mere possibility sent a thrill through Zhu Bin. *The Koi Master is right beside me! How exciting is that?!*

He immediately abandoned what he’d come back for and rushed out. "Brother Sheng! Brother Sheng, wait up! I have something to ask you!"

Back in the room, Quan Yumeng jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to Song Yan in a panic. "What do we do? Do you think the vice-captain heard what I just said?"

Song Yan sneered. "So what if he did? You spoke the truth. There’s nothing to fear from a confrontation."

Quan Yumeng immediately puffed out her chest, her guilt vanishing.

Meanwhile, Zhu Bin had already caught up to Xie Tingsheng and, in a hushed, conspiratorial tone, asked if Hua Diao was the Koi Little Fairy.

Unfortunately, Xie Tingsheng didn’t answer—he just gave him an ambiguous "you figure it out" look.

Zhu Bin stood there dumbfounded, scratching his head and wishing he could pick a flower to count its petals for answers. He’d heard flower petal divination was quite accurate.

Alas, all the plants in the villa district had withered due to contaminated soil. There wasn’t a single flower—or even a blade of green grass—left.

For the rest of the day, Zhu Bin felt like he had a rabbit trapped in his chest, restless and unable to focus. While running a dungeon, he nearly got his hair singed off by a Goblin Priest. By the time his distracted, hazy day finally ended and it was time to go home, he quickly packed up, ready to follow Xie Tingsheng back.

But the moment he stepped out of the villa, his beloved Brother Sheng coldly rejected him—and declared that from now on, he wouldn’t be allowed to stay overnight at his place.

Zhu Bin: ...Thunderstruck!

*Kicking the ladder away after crossing the river!*

*I never thought you’d be this kind of person, Brother Sheng! Fine, no sleepovers—but at least tell me if Sister-in-Law is the Koi Master!*

Alas, this question remained unanswered. He could only trudge home, still carrying that restless rabbit in his chest.

Hua Diao, unaware of this entire debacle, had been busy all day, her schedule packed.

In the morning, after seeing Xie Tingsheng and Zhu Bin off, she contacted Tao Fu. First, she traded over the upgraded weapons, then brought up the matter of the two elderly residents and the house.

The moment Tao Fu heard about this golden opportunity, she agreed without hesitation—even offering to prepay the compensation. As long as the elderly couple agreed to transfer the property to her in the future, she could start delivering food to them immediately. Once she arrived in Qingcheng, she’d even take care of them in their old age.

Armed with this excellent offer, Hua Diao went to the third floor to negotiate with the elderly couple.

The matter was settled easily. The house was sitting empty anyway—exchanging one unit for food and future care was nothing but beneficial for them.

Once the deal was finalized, Hua Diao made sure to inform the administrator, Chen Fei, asking him to keep an eye on the elderly couple.

With the game merging into reality, the couple couldn’t afford any mishaps before the property transfer was complete—otherwise, all the food and supplies Tao Fu sent would go to waste.

After wrapping that up, Hua Diao gathered materials to craft space items and set up a second Smithing Table.

Just because Zhu Bin couldn’t afford it didn’t mean others couldn’t—especially the Special Operations Bureaus in major cities. While space items were still rare, she could forge a few more without worrying about sales.

Next, she posted ten slots for advanced weapon upgrades on the forum. Once the arrangements were made, she placed the weapons and materials on the Smithing Tables.

With both tables occupied, she finally took out her Dungeon Fragments, piecing together five fragments to form the three-headed dog territory dungeon. Then, she dove back in to train and improve herself.

Clearing dungeons, opening treasure chests, assembling Dungeon Fragments into new dungeons, training, upgrading weapons for others, selling space items...

Occasionally, she’d go downstairs with Xie Tingsheng to check on the elderly couple or head to the entrance of Jinxiu Huayuan to clear a few monster waves, enjoying the feeling of being carried by her husband in a team. Then, she’d return to open more chests, prioritizing sales to the Peanut Squad.

And so, Hua Diao spent these past few days in fulfilling busyness. Her strength and stats improved significantly, and thanks to selling space items, she earned no small amount of gold coins.

Xie Tingsheng, too, was satisfied with their current life. Every night, he got to be intimate with his wife, and during the day, he could slaughter monsters to his heart’s content, venting his bloodthirsty, restless emotions.

Following his wife’s suggestion, he even started a food cultivation project in the villa district, rallying all residents to farm. Even Zhu Bin, who had resisted becoming a farmer, was forcibly enlisted as the head of the food production team. Every day, after clearing dungeons and fighting monster waves, he had to roll up his pants and work the fields.

Within days, his face had tanned to a deep shade, giving him the rugged look of a hardworking old farmer.

Xie Tingsheng smirked. This blood-soaked life was somehow far more comfortable and enjoyable than his days as the head of the Xie Group in his past life.