Chapter 00240: A Mutual Effort
# A Mutual Effort
Chapter 240
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 240: A Mutual Effort
The five basic attributes are directly related to combat power, but not absolutely.
For example, on several occasions when Yang Yiyi was fighting alone, she found herself at a disadvantage, but after listening to Li Chengxi's commands, she would suddenly turn the tables.
The ability to fight is influenced by many factors; one cannot simply look at the raw data.
While that was true, if the gap in the five basic attributes was too large, then all skills would be useless.
You might be good at joint locking techniques and able to easily throw a strong man, but could you throw an excavator?
The gap in the five basic attributes between Yang Yiyi and Ning Xian'er was that vast.
It felt like even if Ning Xian'er stood still and let Yang Yiyi make the first move, she probably couldn't even break her defense.
Li Chengxi currently felt as if he were in a firefight in CS when, at the critical moment, his screen suddenly went all white.
He could basically take his hands off the keyboard.
When the disparity was this great, no matter what precautions he took, it was useless.
It was like being in a group fight and suddenly seeing Qiao Feng walk in carrying a boombox.
How could you even fight this?
The only thing Li Chengxi could do now was to watch what Ning Xian'er would do after her sudden appearance.
The result…
Why did this person seem so socially withdrawn?
Ning Xian'er obediently held her bowl and chopsticks, squatting by the bonfire just like Yang Yiyi, watching the food in the pot bubble and boil.
She appeared very calm on the surface, but inwardly, she was so nervous she was practically squirming.
She had indeed struck up a conversation, and then…
Then what was she supposed to do?
Trying to make a friend for the first time in her life, Ning Xian'er wracked her brain, thinking about what to say next to avoid causing any offense.
But perhaps because she was too nervous, Ning Xian'er's focus was scattered, and after thinking for a long time, her mind was still a blank.
Yang Yiyi, on the other hand, didn't have so many worries.
She was an extrovert and wasn't wary of strangers.
Though one could say she was a bit clueless, such people did indeed find it easy to make friends.
Not only did she completely fail to notice how powerful Ning Xian'er was, but she also didn't notice how nervous Ning Xian'er was at the moment.
She was humming a song by the campfire, stirring the ingredients in the pot with a spoon.
"It's ready to eat. Have a taste."
Yang Yiyi enthusiastically went over and served Ning Xian'er a large bowl.
"I even added some mushrooms as a base. The soup is very savory."
Ning Xian'er had studied the Ice-Purity Secret Technique, and this cultivation method came with an innate immunity to all poisons, so she wasn't worried about poisonous mushrooms being mixed in.
But she had been stumped for a long time on how to chat with Yang Yiyi.
Hearing her words, she nodded woodenly and, like a machine, picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of chicken, and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Delicious, this is so delicious!"
"Right? I also prefer the mushroom white soup. The one with red chili oil is too intense."
Yang Yiyi also served herself a bowl.
While eating, she pushed the sliced bread in Ning Xian'er's direction, mumbling with her mouth full:
"There's some dry stuff here too, you can eat it with the soup."
For the past few days, Ning Xian'er had been eating nothing but hard biscuits and cold water.
The mushroom white soup hot pot base produced by modern food industry, combined with vegetables and chicken, was the highest form of enjoyment for her.
After she wolfed down the contents of her bowl, it was empty.
Yang Yiyi served her another one.
"Try this shrimp. It's sea shrimp, sweeter than river shrimp."
Yang Yiyi was carefree and thoughtless.
She remembered that she couldn't tell others about the Jade Tablet and Li Chengxi, but she completely forgot to cover her tracks.
Liu Prefecture was not coastal.
With the current transportation methods, transporting fresh shrimp from the seaside to the inland would certainly result in them spoiling.
"Delicious, delicious. It's my first time eating shrimp that's been rehydrated so well."
Of course, Ning Xian'er knew it was impossible to eat fresh shrimp, but she came up with her own explanation.
There were no fresh shrimp, but there could be dried shrimp, rehydrated in water before eating.
Rehydrated dried goods were certainly different from fresh shrimp, but Ning Xian'er thought it was because Yang Yiyi's rehydration skills were excellent…
This could only be described as a mutual effort.
However, Ning Xian'er still noticed something strange.
The pot Yang Yiyi had set over the bonfire was not an ordinary iron pot.
The body of the pot was silver, and its inner wall was so smooth it could reflect like a mirror.
A hand-hammered iron pot could not possibly be this color; it felt more like steel, and it couldn't possibly be so smooth.
The bread was placed on a special material that was as thin as paper yet transparent, with words and decorative patterns printed on it.
Looking down by Yang Yiyi's feet, there was a packaging bag with a lifelike picture of stewed ingredients painted on it, accompanied by the words 'Mushroom Hot Pot Base'.
Although the character for 'pot' looked wrong to Ning Xian'er, considering it might be some kind of customary abbreviation, it wasn't particularly strange.
None of these items seemed common; at least, Ning Xian'er had never seen them before.
Where did Yang Yiyi get them?
Considering that Yang Yiyi had a profound master guiding her from behind, could it be that these were gifts from that master?
Of course, while thinking about this, Ning Xian'er's mouth didn't stop moving.
It was simply too delicious.
"By the way, I haven't asked for your esteemed name yet?"
Only upon hearing this did Ning Xian'er remember that she hadn't introduced herself.
She quickly put down her bowl and chopsticks, cupped her fist, and said:
"I am Ning Xian'er, a disciple of the Heavenly Absolute Palace."
"I'm Yang Yiyi, unaffiliated with any sect."
Yang Yiyi was also quite thoughtless, only now remembering to ask for the other's name.
"How old are you? You look older than me."
"I... I'm twenty-four."
"You are indeed older than me. I'll only be eighteen after the New Year. Then I'll call you Sister Ning."
"…Alright."
Ning Xian'er quickly picked up her bowl and chopsticks and lowered her head, her heart filled with wild joy.
Someone called me sister!
Ning Xian'er had a host of junior martial brothers and sisters, but they always kept their distance from her.
No one had ever called her so intimately.
At that moment, she was so elated, she felt that her resolve in the Ruthless Dao was even loosening a little.
"Sister Ning, is it nice in the Heavenly Absolute Palace? For such a big sect, the allowance must be very generous, right?"
The way Yang Yiyi asked was like saying, how's your work unit? Is the salary good?
"I've never been to other sects, so I don't know if it's considered good. As for the allowance, I've never had to worry about money."
It was Ning Xian'er's first time making a friend, and she had no idea what to say, so she just answered truthfully.
"It must be nice to be a disciple of a major sect…"
Yang Yiyi chewed on her chopsticks, feeling a little envious.
After all, the situation at the Green Robe Sect was nothing compared to the Heavenly Absolute Palace.
"I used to be in a small sect, and all I did every day were chores like cooking and washing clothes. My master never taught me any martial arts. Later, due to some things, I left the sect."
When Ning Xian'er heard this, she immediately realized the crucial point was coming.
Her original master didn't teach her any martial arts, so where did her skills come from?
Continuing this topic would easily lead to who was guiding Yang Yiyi from behind.
Ning Xian'er quickly seized the opportunity:
"Then where did you learn your martial arts?"
Just as Yang Yiyi was about to answer, she suddenly remembered that she couldn't reveal anything about Li Chengxi, so she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue:
"Actually, I figured it out myself."
This excuse might fool some minions, but it wouldn't work on Ning Xian'er.
She had been following Yang Yiyi for the past few days and had carefully observed her style.
Although they were simple external martial arts, it was true, but each move was definitely not something one could come up with on a whim.
There was nothing superfluous; it was more like something that had been gradually refined over countless generations.
To be honest, Ning Xian'er felt that the person behind Yang Yiyi must have told her not to speak carelessly.
Besides, it was unlikely for someone to reveal all their secrets right after meeting.
Yang Yiyi probably also felt that what she had just said wasn't very credible, so she stood up to change the subject:
"Sister Ning, where are you sleeping tonight? Why don't you camp with me?"
"I'm fine sleeping in a tree."
Seeing Yang Yiyi stand up, Ning Xian'er stood up as well.
At this moment, however, Yang Yiyi was staring at Ning Xian'er's chest with a puzzled expression.
"Sister Ning, have we met before?"
Ning Xian'er's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't show it, calmly saying:
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I feel like I've seen your size somewhere before."
"…"
So you recognize people by their size?
(End of this chapter)