Chapter 97: The Pegasus Card

Jingjing’s HP was the same as Meng Ji’s—both at 1000—but its hide was incredibly thick. Unless an attack actually broke its skin, it didn’t even count as a valid hit. In short, this thing was nearly impossible to kill.

“This isn’t working. We need to find its weak spot.”

Watching as the Jingjing grew slipperier by the second, using its thick hide to nullify their attacks, the experienced Tengu hunters immediately realized they couldn’t keep going like this.

Awa aimed a punch at Jingjing’s skull, but it dodged nimbly, twisting its sturdy, thick body in an almost unnatural way to block the blow with its hide. The punch landed solidly, but Jingjing didn’t even flinch—its health bar above its head didn’t drop by a single point.

Awa’s face, as resolute as if cast in bronze, froze for a moment. Then he turned and shouted, “Ge Miao, I’ll distract it and keep its attention. You use your water arrows to probe for its weak spot.”

Of the ten people present, only Ge Miao and a young man had ranged abilities; the rest were all close-combat specialists. Ge Miao’s control was more precise, so the task fell to him.

“Got it,” Ge Miao replied seriously, his expression grave as he focused on the Jingjing, which was trapped in the middle of their encirclement, occasionally ramming furiously in an attempt to break free. He didn’t hold back, firing water arrows at it one after another as if they cost nothing.

Legs, tail, head, eyes, nose, horns—

When a water arrow struck Jingjing’s horn, its health bar suddenly dropped by a huge chunk, and the whole beast went berserk.

Ge Miao was overjoyed and immediately shouted the discovery to his teammates. “The horn! Its weak spot is the horn!”

As soon as Awa and the others heard, they all aimed directly at Jingjing’s horn with swift, accurate attacks.

Once they’d found the weak spot, their efforts paid off—the health bar plummeted rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, only 10 points remained.

“Chief Yun—!”

“I’m on it.” Yun Qimu, who had been quietly standing aside like a wallflower, took out a rough-looking wooden bow from her storage.

A sharpened wooden arrow, infused with a trace of her spiritual power, shot through the air and struck the bleeding hole where the horn had been chopped off, finishing off the struggling Jingjing beast in one blow.

Jingjing let out a miserable scream, its massive body crashing to the ground—another silver treasure chest appeared.

The ten-person hunting party immediately gathered around, delighted. “Hahaha, we finally took it down!”

“Man, if Chief Yun hadn’t chopped off one of its horns earlier, this thick-skinned thing might really have gotten away.”

“This Jingjing is different from other monsters that attack on sight—it actually tried to run.”

“With skin that thick, do you think the meat will be too tough to eat? Last time we killed a berserk beast that looked like a cow, the meat was terrible.”

At that, Yun Qimu raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.

On the contrary, Jingjing meat was especially delicious. In her previous life’s VR game, it was ranked third on the beast meat leaderboard—top-tier quality. Even kitchen disasters could make a feast out of it; just grilling it casually would produce a gourmet meal.

After she retired and started a pastoral life in the game, she’d eaten plenty of Jingjing roast.

But she just smiled and said nothing, letting them find out for themselves, then strolled over to open the treasure chest.

[Ding dong—Congratulations, player has obtained: 1 Fishing Rod!]

[Ding dong—Congratulations, player has obtained: 1 slab of Jingjing Beast Meat!]

[Ding dong—Congratulations, player has obtained: 1 Defensive Jade Pendant!]

[Ding dong—Congratulations, player has obtained: 1 packet of Sweet Potato Seeds!]

[Ding dong—Congratulations, player has obtained: 1 Agility Ring!]

[Ding dong—Congratulations, player has obtained: 1 Pegasus Card!]

[Ding dong—Congratulations, player has obtained: 1 Campfire!]

Seven draws in a row—Yun Qimu had just broken her previous record for loot drops.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement, especially at the sight of a few particular items.

[Name: Fishing Rod]

Effect: Increases bite rate by 10%.

Note: Works even better with delicious bait.

[Card Name: Pegasus]

Card Level: C (Upgradeable)

Card Skill: Summon three thousand-li horses at once for travel—covering a thousand miles a day is no dream.

Note: Each horse currently lasts three hours. Higher card levels increase duration and number of summons.

[Name: Campfire]

Effect: Instantly ignites wherever placed—no need to gather heavy firewood. Essential for home and travel. Can be used for grilling, warmth, or driving away beasts.

Note: Burns for 2 hours. Single-use consumable.

Oh wow, this really is a must-have for camping and travel. With this campfire, grilling outdoors would be so much easier, and there’s no need for dry wood.

After all, the villagers had already picked the junkyard clean of usable wood. Soon, there’d be no firewood left, and they’d have to chop and dry their own.

The campfire was a timely boon—she wondered if she could use it in the stove back home.

Yun Qimu pondered, planning to try out the item later.

Then she turned her main attention to the card.

Card drops were truly rare—this was only her second one so far.

And she was extremely familiar with this “Pegasus” card.

Back in the game forums, she’d seen plenty of gossip about the player who owned this card.

The card’s owner was a thief, a master of stealing and running. One day he’d steal a player’s weapon, the next a girl’s hair ornament, and he even dared to steal from top-tier players. Every time, he got away clean.

It was all thanks to this “Pegasus” card.

The horses summoned by the card were incredibly fast, far outpacing any tamed mount or flying method.

The game forums were full of complaints, wanted posters, and calls for raids against him, but no one could ever catch him.

He always vanished right after a theft, never hesitating, and his targets were so random that no one could predict or trap him—those he’d robbed were driven mad with frustration.

Ironically, his flashy antics earned him a crowd of fans who loved the spectacle. They even gave him a catchy nickname: “King of Thieves.”

No one knew if he was actually handsome—every time he pulled a heist, he wore a special black cloth over his face, hiding his identity and even his in-game ID.

Once he took off the cloth, he’d blend into the crowd—no one could recognize him.

As far as Yun Qimu knew, even by the time she died in her previous life, no one had ever exposed his identity. He remained the game’s legendary, mysterious King of Thieves.

That just showed how powerful the “Pegasus” card was.

Yun Qimu smiled slyly, thinking it would be perfect for her soon-to-be traveling merchant partner."