At dusk, Liu Weian and Lu Yan left the cemetery. Despite the large group they had brought, they killed fewer zombies than on the first day, and the drop rate was abysmal—only three white-grade items turned up, the rest mere copper coins. The best haul yielded just 120 coppers. Even so, after deducting the cost of power seeds and Black Ox's transportation fee, each of them still pocketed 15 gold coins. With the bonus from the Celestial Mercenary Corps, the day's total rose to 35 gold coins.
Such an efficient way to earn money made Lu Yan see real hope for getting rich. But at the same time, it awakened something darker within her—a growing bloodlust. Judging purely by profitability, looting corpses far outstripped killing monsters. As a result, whenever she looked at other players, her eyes glinted with a hunter's gaze.
Though the earnings were to be split evenly, Lu Yan only accepted a third. She understood that while they were partners, Liu Weian was the true backbone of their operation. She had virtually no losses all day, whereas Liu Weian burned through nearly 300 arrows. Though she wasn't an archer and knew little about arrows, even she could tell Liu Weian's arrows weren't ordinary and were likely quite costly. An equal split simply didn't feel fair.
Liu Weian, however, had a different philosophy. A team meant equal distribution. Otherwise, what would happen if a rare drop appeared—one that he happened to need? Fair division prevented disputes before they happened. Still, Lu Yan was firm. She took only 10 gold coins and adamantly refused the rest. When pressed, she simply logged off.
Liu Weian smiled and put away the coins, his respect for Lu Yan growing deeper. She loved money but wasn't greedy. She knew her limits and acted with integrity. That was the kind of person worth befriending.
After crafting 57 talisman arrows, Liu Weian didn't log off. Instead, he sat pondering a pressing issue. At his current skill level, he could produce about 110 talisman arrows per day—split between morning and evening. That wasn't bad for someone half-trained, but still far from enough for zombie hunting.
They were killing over 200 zombies a day, consuming about 300 arrows. Even though he tried not to waste a single shot, he was still human, not a machine. Even master archers occasionally missed—let alone someone who had picked up the bow just four and a half months ago. Missing fewer than 20 out of 300 arrows was already a stunning hit rate.
He had about 80 talisman arrows left, plus today's 50 or so, and another batch tomorrow morning. That would just barely cover the next day. But after that, there would be a shortage of around 200 arrows daily. This shortfall had to be addressed.
If he used only regular arrows, he'd calculated that—working with Lu Yan—they'd barely manage to kill 30 zombies a day, and that was an optimistic estimate. Even small guilds with dozens of members were only averaging about 30 kills daily. For just the two of them, that number was likely already an overestimation.
Selling 30 zombies would earn about 3 gold coins—1.5 each. For most, that was already a decent income. But for someone used to pulling in dozens of gold coins daily, Liu Weian couldn't settle for so little. He knew Lu Yan wouldn't either.
But without talisman arrows, killing zombies efficiently was impossible. Yet his progress in talisman crafting was excruciatingly slow—barely a two or three arrow improvement per day. Unless The Dark Emperor's Sutra broke through again, like the last time when his skill had doubled overnight... but imagining the eighty thousand power seeds required made that a laughable dream.
Robbery wasn't a long-term plan either. Even if he dared rob another store, it wouldn't yield eighty thousand power seeds. Ever since the Pegasus Convoy incident, every shop in Stonehold had drastically tightened inventory flow. Most of them now shipped valuables off-site every few days.
To gather eighty thousand power seeds, he'd have to loot every store in Stonehold—which was absurd. Worse, Liu Weian had a strong hunch that the next breakthrough in The Dark Emperor's Sutra would require even more than eighty thousand. Maybe ninety... or a hundred thousand... maybe even more. He trusted his instincts.
So, the Sutra path was out. The next possible route was finding a skill book to boost his talisman crafting. But after searching every shop in Stonehold, he hadn't found a single relevant manual. In fact, there were very few skill books available at all—these treasures usually got snapped up the moment they appeared, often fetching sky-high prices. Liu Weian had searched even knowing it would end in disappointment.
That left the final option—using different arrows.
A few days ago, a new type of arrow appeared in the market. It boasted immense power but came at a steep price.
Wolf Fang Arrow: Made entirely from refined iron, both shaft and head. Exceptional penetration. Price: 210 copper.
More expensive than some white-grade equipment, these arrows could practically double as weapons. Their sleek, silver-glinting design exuded a cold, deadly aura. Anyone who saw them couldn't help but whisper: What a fine arrow!
Price wasn't the real issue. After all, a single zombie corpse sold for 1 silver—still a net gain. Especially when you counted the loot pouches. The problem was the limited supply: only about 50 arrows per day.
Liu Weian guessed they were crafted by a lone player. Guild-made gear was usually kept in-house—especially high-quality items like the Wolf Fang Arrow. Only unaffiliated players would put something that good on the market. They were in it to make money, not build collections.
Even if he bought out the entire daily stock, there would still be a 150-arrow shortfall—an obstacle to his grand zombie-hunting scheme. He needed to maximize kills quickly, before more players flooded the cemetery. Once that happened, would he still have a foothold there?
He knew better than to think he could take on an organized guild alone. The Celestial Mercenary Corps he wiped out? That wasn't even a third-rate outfit. Barely a loosely organized rabble. At best, they were a notch above your average temporary raid group.
The night deepened. A blood moon rose into the sky, casting a crimson glow across the world. But Liu Weian still had no solution. Countless ideas swirled in his mind, but none held up under scrutiny. Shaking his head, he logged off.
The next morning, Liu Weian and Lu Yan returned to the cemetery and immediately noticed something different. There were many new faces. Most of the people from yesterday were gone, replaced by new groups. The total headcount had grown to about five hundred.
After a quick moment of thought, Liu Weian figured out what had happened. The newcomers must have fought through the night—unaware that zombies grew stronger after dark. They likely suffered heavy casualties. These small groups had fixed rosters, and every death mattered. Unlike major clans, they couldn't afford to recruit at will. Their benefits were poor, and unless members had prior connections, few would join such groups willingly.
Their usual spot had been taken, but Liu Weian and Lu Yan didn't mind. There were plenty of corners in the graveyard. They picked a new spot and got to work. But after just a few kills, trouble came their way.
"Hey, girlie, this spot belongs to the Invincible Cosmic Mercenary Corps. Be smart—leave the corpses and get lost, and we'll let you off easy."
The speaker was a burly, bear-like man with a bushy beard and a broad, hairy chest. He stood well over six feet tall and was flanked by five or six thugs. Behind them, about twenty more were "fighting" a single zombie—but all of them were really watching this confrontation.
Lu Yan stepped forward, blocking the path. Her eyes, usually beautiful and serene, now gleamed with a dangerous light—feral and war-hungry.
"Got something to say?" the bearded man asked. Usually, anyone blocking his way would be met with a fist. But this girl was so damn pretty—soft-skinned, delicate features. For a second, he hesitated. Could she be... into him? His chest puffed out and he smiled, thinking he looked charming.
Then a flash of steel. A silver arc split the air. The bearded man suddenly found himself airborne. His vision spun—and then he realized he was staring down at his own headless body, spurting blood like a fountain. Just as the thought "Wow, decapitated bodies really spray a lot" crossed his mind, everything went black.
Lu Yan's blade didn't slow. She darted forward like a panther, slicing through the remaining five goons like wheat. Her bloodlust was terrifying—she didn't speak, didn't hesitate, just killed. She sprinted toward the rest of the group.
Liu Weian provided long-range support. His bowstring thrummed, releasing a volley of arrows. As the stunned players looked up, Lu Yan was already upon them. Her blade struck, another head flew, blood arced through the air.
Trapped between a horde of zombies and a cold-blooded killer—with Liu Weian's arrows raining down from afar—the fight lasted less than a minute. The Invincible Cosmic Mercenary Corps was utterly annihilated.
Lu Yan quickly looted the bodies, only for her face to fall. Despite the flashy name, the corps had been dirt poor. One black-iron weapon and less than 60 silver coins.
After that, no one dared bother them again. As evening approached, Black Ox arrived, and the two left with the caravan.
Lu Yan logged off. Liu Weian stayed on, sketching more talisman arrows, his mind still grappling with one question:
How can I speed up the crafting process?
Tomorrow afternoon, his arrow reserves would run dry.