My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

Chapter 17: Chatting Online

In the carriage, Jin Li couldn't wait to flip through the book. As the night grew deeper, she continued reading after returning to her palace, searching for the information Qi Yuan needed.

"Your Majesty, it's already the early hours of the morning. You should rest. If your health suffers, I can't bear the responsibility," a maid in a yellow palace dress reminded her.

Without lifting her head, Jin Li replied, "Hmm."

There were many records about the Yi Guan Forbidden Zone in the Yu Manor's collection. Jin Li was looking for the answers Qi Yuan asked for, and also gathering other related information to share with him, to help him out.

"Finally found it," Jin Li's eyes lit up. "All Yi Guan demons are connected, sharing a collective consciousness, but at night, this connection significantly weakens!"

With this information, she quickly took out the Linglong Yuxi and relayed it to Qi Yuan.

At the same time, she shared the other information she had gathered about the Yi Guan Forbidden Zone.

After sending these messages, she felt a surge of excitement. However, as she continued reading, a puzzled expression appeared on her face.

"The ancient texts mention that there are only bridal gown demons in the Yi Guan Forbidden Zone. Strange, how does Qi Yuan explain the bellyband demons he mentioned? Could it be that new types of Yi Guan demons have emerged in the forbidden zone?"

Jin Li was perplexed.

However, she would soon be able to ask the returning guards she sent. Perhaps they had seen Qi Yuan and could explain the situation.

She was curious about Qi Yuan's appearance.

Putting down the book, a wave of exhaustion hit her. She felt tired, and her long legs and delicate feet were sore. The aftereffects of kneeling for three hours hadn't fully dissipated.

The sun shone on Qi Yuan, making him feel lazy. Climbing out of a pit, he still had traces of dirt on him. He looked up at the sun, "So round, just like a golden elixir."

As usual, he opened the chat interface.

There were many messages from Jin Li in the chat area.

He read through them one by one.

"As expected, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. Asking Jin Li for help really paid off."

From Jin Li, he got useful information.

"So, the Yi Guan demons indeed have a collective consciousness, but it weakens significantly at night. This is my chance."

"But right now, it's broad daylight, so testing it will have to wait until night."

Qi Yuan continued to read the other information.

Jin Li not only provided the answers he asked for but also marked some dangerous areas and mentioned the distribution of powerful Yi Guan demons.

"She's really... considerate, no, more like meticulous and thoughtful," Qi Yuan thought, realizing something and quickly correcting himself.

After all, in his previous life, the word "considerate" had taken on a somewhat derogatory connotation.

"Waiting until nightfall to hunt demons is so boring."

Feeling bored, Qi Yuan sent a bunch of messages to Jin Li.

Although Jin Li might not be online to reply immediately, it didn't matter.

He continued talking to himself.

"The scenery here is really beautiful, but the Yi Guan demons are quite creepy, more terrifying than ghosts in horror movies. If I weren't level 82, I might actually be scared. It's a pity I can't take pictures, otherwise, I could show you the scenery here. It might scare you."

Thinking of this, Qi Yuan suddenly asked, "Hey, what do you look like?"

If pictures could be taken, he might be able to see what his online friend looked like.

Unfortunately, in this game, you couldn't send pictures or have video calls.

Qi Yuan initially thought Jin Li might reply later, but to his surprise, she responded quickly after he sent the message.

"I... look okay."

On the other side, Jin Li's emotions were more tumultuous than when she had met the powerful Prime Minister Sima Ting.

"I look okay too. How about we meet up someday?" Qi Yuan had a good impression of Jin Li.

When he was seriously ill, he lived alone, and Jin Li was his only chat companion.

Jin Li's personality and temper suited Qi Yuan well. Simply put, they got along well, and he didn't see any traits in her that he disliked.

Sitting on a sandalwood chair, surrounded by a faint fragrance, Jin Li looked at the words on the Linglong Yuxi for a long time before seriously replying, "Alright!"

Qi Yuan smiled when he saw this. "By the way, is your map different from mine? The map I have now only includes the four forbidden zones and two unique locations. I can only stay here and can't leave."

"Map? Four forbidden zones and two unique locations? Isn't it just one unique location?"

"By the way, you should be following the game's storyline, right? What's your role here, and what difficulties are you facing? Tell me, maybe I can help."

Jin Li, in the hall, felt a bit dizzy.

She knew Qi Yuan spoke in a strange and mysterious way.

He asked about difficulties? Role?

Was he asking about her real-life identity?

Initially, she hadn't fully revealed her identity to Qi Yuan, considering her unique position as the Empress of Nan Qian Kingdom.

Now...

"I am... the Empress of Nan Qian Kingdom," Jin Li decided not to hide her identity any longer.

"Wow? Your character is so powerful, being an Empress! No way, we definitely have to meet. I've never even met a mayor, and an Empress is really rare."

Jin Li couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"What is your current task?" Qi Yuan continued to ask.

Task?

Jin Li was getting used to Qi Yuan's peculiar way of speaking and roughly understood his meaning. "As the Empress of Nan Qian, I have to deal with the Prime Minister Sima Ting who covets the throne, the northern Khanate's invasions, and occasional beast attacks."

"So, your main task now is to get rid of Sima Ting, secure the throne, and then deal with the other enemies?"

Jin Li was a bit shocked by Qi Yuan's casual tone.

She had considered these major issues, but accomplishing them seemed impossible.

Maintaining peace was already a challenge.

Even if Qi Yuan was an unparalleled emperor, mastering the way to enter the Xuanyuan Forbidden Zone and being able to traverse the Yi Guan Forbidden Zone, he couldn't achieve what he mentioned.

"Sigh, I wonder how high the level of the characters you encounter is and whether they can be killed with a sword," Qi Yuan said, then asked, "Have you read the 'Art of Dragon Slaying' by the great man? It's a very great book. The great man is very powerful. If you can grasp a few insights from his work, this situation will be a piece of cake."

"I haven't read it. The 'Art of Dragon Slaying'? It must be very precious, right?" Jin Li guessed it must be something very valuable.

Hearing Qi Yuan say that understanding the 'Art of Dragon Slaying' could easily resolve her issues, she thought it must be worth a fortune.

"It's not expensive, maybe a few hundred coins? You can buy it for about a hundred pounds of grain. Unfortunately, I haven't read it myself, otherwise, I could teach you and revolutionize the game world."

To avoid sounding too serious, he used "revolutionize" instead.

Jin Li was stunned.

Such a valuable book was worth only a hundred pounds of grain.