The money system in Shushan is based on copper coins, silver, and gold, with exchange rates aligned with international standards: one thousand copper coins equal one tael of silver, and one hundred taels of silver equal one tael of gold. Monsters do occasionally drop money, but the main source is still players selling equipment to NPCs.

Pity the copper coins I once had—all spent to exchange for that wooden sword which broke off in the Green Fang Ghost King's body. Other than the newbie's coarse clothes, all I have now is this newly acquired Green Fang Ghost Arrow. Oh, right! There's also a belt that those two Emei players dropped just now.

When I opened the system to check, I was instantly shocked.

Episode Six: Blood Bee Sting

The belt dropped from that Emei female player is an item that can be used for storage, and inside it is only a small, cute red gourd.

“Blood Bee Sting, magic treasure type, contained in a red jade gourd native to Kunlun, equipment requirement: level 6, attack speed 30–45, damage 1–5, demon power 20–25, vitality 5. Can release a swarm of blood bees to attack enemies. The blood bees are kept in the gourd and must be fed fresh blood daily; one new bee is bred automatically each day. If all blood bees are killed in battle, they cannot reproduce further. The maximum number of blood bees is 108. Being stung by a blood bee causes brief paralysis.”

“Damn! If that woman had reacted a bit faster at the time, and instead of using a fire talisman, released the blood bee sting from this gourd first, I would have been stung into a pig’s head and died a wrongful death.”

Secretly relieved, I rather smugly equipped the Blood Bee Sting in my magic treasure slot. The most amazing thing about this treasure isn’t its attack power, but that once released, the swarm of blood bees will automatically attack enemies without consuming mana.

In the wild, there are plenty of demons and ghosts. With my new magic treasure, I was eager to try it out, and immediately two red-haired ghosts drifted over. I slapped the red jade gourd, and over a hundred blood bees instantly swarmed out, trapping the two red-haired ghosts.

On my end, I used the Qingcheng Sword Technique to control the Green Fang Ghost Arrow. With one move, “Welcoming Guests with Pine,” I knocked out more than half the HP of one red-haired ghost. Then, with another move, “Scattered Clouds Across the Sky,” a group attack sword technique, I heavily injured the other red-haired ghost and instantly killed the first one whose HP was already depleted. Before I could make a third move, the remaining red-haired ghost was already sent to the afterlife by the chaotic stings of the blood bees.

After killing these two red-haired ghosts, I suddenly felt a rush of heat through my body, and after a warm current, I had leveled up again.

“This Blood Bee Sting really is a great treasure! Although, like the Green Fang Ghost Arrow, it’s a bit sinister, the key is in the user... Ha! Seems I’m not exactly a good guy myself!”

I have to admit, a few days later I deeply regretted my decision to travel on foot. How could I be so stupid! Just to avoid a few enemies in the game, I put myself in such a tough spot. If I’d known, I might as well have switched accounts and started over—after all, a level 7 character wasn’t worth cherishing.

But this decision finally made me realize how fierce I could be. My goal was Chengdu, the city closest to Qingcheng Mountain. Along the way, monsters and demons popped up like bamboo shoots after the rain, one after another. If it weren’t for the Blood Bee Sting in my hand, I don’t know how many times I would have died.

In Shushan, every time you die, not only do you lose 5% of your current experience and randomly drop equipment, but you also lose five points of lifespan. After creating a character in Shushan, depending on your innate attributes, you have between 200 and 350 points of lifespan. As your cultivation increases, so does your lifespan—each level up adds five points. Once your lifespan runs out, you naturally die, and all your data is wiped.

By the time I reached the outskirts of Chengdu, my level had increased rapidly, almost reaching level 15, and my Qingcheng Sword Technique had reached the third level. Now, every time I attacked with the sword, I got a 30% power bonus and a 30% speed bonus. Combined with the Green Fang Ghost Arrow’s sharpness of 39, each attack could deal 80–150 damage to monsters. I had also mastered the ten forms of the Qingcheng Sword Technique, and every time I struck, the Green Fang Ghost Arrow turned into a six-foot-long eerie green light, giving me a bit of the air of a sword immortal—though this flying sword looked so sinister, it hardly seemed righteous.

From Qingcheng Mountain to Chengdu, I fought desperately but didn’t get any new magic treasures or flying swords. I did manage to change into a new set of clothes with a bit more defense. Luckily, with the Blood Bee Sting gourd, I barely made it to Chengdu. Once in the city, I sold everything I could and immediately bought five Earth God Talismans for returning to Chengdu.

Honestly, as soon as I entered the north gate of Chengdu, I ran into something pretty interesting—I didn’t expect to find myself on a wanted notice.

“Wanted: one Qingcheng Sect disciple (photo attached). Anyone who kills this person, with system recording as proof, can claim a reward of ten thousand taels of silver from Emei Sect’s Mosquito.”

Just my luck! This Mosquito sure is rich! Ten thousand taels of silver is equal to one hundred taels of gold! Of course, that’s just talk—the key point is, Shushan’s gold can be exchanged for RMB at equal value. In other words, if someone kills me once, they can get one hundred yuan of real Chinese currency! That’s genuine, hard cash—enough to buy two McDonald’s family buckets! If I’m especially heroic and die a hundred times, that’s just over ten thousand yuan!