The flying vessel gradually disappeared into the distance, until not a shadow remained.
In the woods outside the city of the Women’s Kingdom, the branches trembled lightly and a few leaves drifted down on the wind.
After a moment, a figure carefully stepped out from behind a tree, alertly scanning the surroundings.
“Have they gone?” a man in gray whispered.
The one who stepped out first looked up at the sky and finally breathed a sigh of relief, “Yeah, that Asura is finally gone.”
Asura, of course, referred to Su Fu.
“Come out.”
As soon as he finished speaking, four more people emerged one after another from behind the trees.
At the front was a tall young man, dressed in black, his face wearing the expression of a survivor.
“That scared me to death. I thought the Asura was going to stay on this map.”
If that were the case, they would be finished.
The gray-robed man swallowed hard and said, “Good thing, good thing they were just passing by.”
They had gone through countless hardships, traveling all the way from Flame Mountain.
No matter what, they could not go back.
With Su Fu there, they wouldn’t even have the slightest chance of crossing the map.
Since that was the case, it was better to switch maps altogether.
They exchanged glances again.
The tall youth looked at everyone and asked, “So, are we settling on this map?”
They’d been here for over an hour.
Shen Yan had long since reminded them whether to switch to a new quest map.
They had originally agreed, but when they saw Su Fu’s group arrive, their hearts nearly stopped from the fright.
They thought the Asura had chased them all the way here.
Luckily, it was just a misunderstanding.
A ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the gray-robed man, “Let’s settle here. It’s our only chance.”
“Shen Yan, confirm the new map.”
Shen Yan’s voice sounded at once:
[“Request received. Your current map has been changed.”]
[“Please proceed to Western Heaven as soon as possible to complete your pilgrimage.”]
They all sighed in relief, finally free from the Asura.
“Let’s go.” The tall youth turned and was about to walk down the small path toward the city gate.
Suddenly, someone behind called out, “Wait!”
“Um… that river water—shouldn’t we get some?”
Everyone stopped at once, suddenly tempted.
That made sense.
They’d seen Su Fu take away plenty of water when she left.
If Su Fu wanted it, it must be something good.
“Go?”
“Let’s go!”
“Get some!”
They quickly hurried to the riverbank, completely unaware that a sparrow perched on a branch above was tilting its head as it watched them.
***
Inside the flying vessel, not a word was spoken.
Everyone watched the sparrow’s footage: a group of people excitedly rushing to Subhuti River, as if it was some kind of treasure.
“My God…”
George’s voice trembled, “They’re going to the Women’s Kingdom of their own accord? And to Subhuti…”
He shuddered, “Really… Heaven has a road and you refuse to walk it, but you insist on breaking into Hell.”
Theresa’s expression was complicated, watching as the group reached the riverbank and eagerly began collecting water.
She murmured, “They actually think that water is some kind of treasure…”
Everyone turned to look at Su Fu, clearly aware that she’d started the trend of collecting water, giving the others ideas.
Su Fu’s gaze flickered.
She coughed lightly—well, it was only because she was too poor, just trying to make some money, how could that be her fault!
As for others misunderstanding…
She felt no guilt.
For some people, it really was a good thing.
George closed his eyes and prayed, “God, please don’t let them try to drink it.”
That was his last word of advice.
Su Fu changed the subject, “So, it turns out you can change the quest map too.”
Theresa considered, “If I’m not mistaken, Shen Yan must allocate the initial map based on the candidate’s compatibility.”
“In other words, the starting map is the one Shen Yan determines—after comprehensive analysis of each candidate—to have the highest probability of completion, the most suitable one.”
So, in a way, it’s a kind of optimal resource allocation.
“Of course,” she added, “Shen Yan’s predictions are only probabilities, so it isn’t a forced assignment. If a candidate wants to switch, naturally, they can.”
Just like those candidates in the footage—after coming all the way from Flame Mountain to the Women’s Kingdom, if they could clear the Women’s Kingdom map, it was just as valid.
Su Fu rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
She had only one question, “So, why were Achilles and his team assigned to the Women’s Kingdom?”
Did the system determine they were suited to this map?
Su Fu’s expression changed immediately, ‘Huh, something’s off here.’
Theresa froze, ‘You really are daring to ask, huh? Those are the Seven Great Clans’ scions.’
“Ahem,” she forced herself to appear calm, “it’s probably… because of the team composition.”
She looked at Su Fu and paused, then added seriously, “This year’s third place—Freya, the third in the Second-Ring College Entrance Examination. Her main god is the Goddess of Fertility, Freya.”
“Most likely, the system determined she was the best match for this map, and it just so happened that Achilles, Merlin, and Saffiros teamed up with her.”
Su Fu understood—it must be that Freya’s compatibility was simply too high.
Tsk tsk, picking teammates really requires caution.
“Wait a moment,” Theresa suddenly realized, “That sparrow… was it only outside the city? Or is there one inside…?”
Su Fu looked up at the sky, as if she hadn’t heard anything.
Theresa: “….”
Good grief, no wonder Su Fu agreed to leave so readily—she’d had a backup plan from the start.
Most importantly, this reconnaissance skill was far too subtle—practically impossible to guard against.
‘But wait—if that’s true…’
‘My God, can she even see what’s going on inside the palace?!’
Just then, Yi Congling suddenly pointed out the window and shouted, “Look, everyone! So many commoners!”
Everyone rushed to look.
Sure enough, at the foot of the mountain, a group of commoners were sweating profusely as they carried several large crates up the slope.
“What are they doing?” George asked curiously.
Su Fu signaled for the vessel to drop in altitude.
She glanced down and said, “This is a secluded, cool place, surrounded by green hills—should be Mount Cuiyun. If I’m not mistaken, these people are probably bringing tribute to the Iron Fan Princess.”
According to Journey to the West, in order for the local climate to stay temperate around Flame Mountain, the commoners offered yearly tribute to the Iron Fan Princess, so she would use her Banana Leaf Fan to douse the flames and relieve the heat and drought.
Looks like these people had come to make their offering.
“Seems we’ve arrived at the right place.”
They disembarked from the vessel.
Under Su Fu’s Illusion Technique, the four of them turned into simple mountain hunters, wearing coarse short tunics and carrying hunting gear on their shoulders.
They blended into the crowd and quickly started chatting with the locals.
“Brothers, you’re here to see the Iron Fan Princess too?” a weather-beaten middle-aged farmer asked curiously, carrying a heavy wooden box on his back.
George scratched his head and said, “Yes, the harvest on our mountain wasn’t good, so our clan chief sent us to bring some mountain goods and pray for the princess’s mercy.”
“Sigh, it’s not easy for you either,” the farmer sighed, “It’s the same for us every year. We just hope the princess will use her Banana Leaf Fan to cool us down and dispel the fire.”
“That fan is really that powerful?” Theresa feigned curiosity.
“Of course!” The farmer’s eyes filled with reverence, “The Banana Leaf Fan is an incredible treasure. With just a single wave, it can put out fires, dispel heat, and bring refreshing wind and rain! As soon as the cool wind comes and the rain falls, our land can drink its fill and spring back to life.”
“Hopefully the Iron Fan Princess will be pleased with our tribute this year and wave the fan a few more times,” an old woman nearby added, “This year’s drought is especially bad. If it doesn’t rain, our crops may fail again.”
A young man wiped sweat from his brow and added, “Last year, our village’s tribute wasn’t rich enough, so the princess only waved her fan once. The rain was pitifully scarce, and we went hungry for half a year.”
Taking the chance, the group gleaned plenty of information from the commoners.
Every year, the villagers made regular offerings, praying that the Iron Fan Princess would use the Banana Leaf Fan’s power to cool down Flame Mountain.
Which also confirmed that such a divine artifact truly existed!
They all thought: if they could just borrow the Banana Leaf Fan and extinguish the flames of Flame Mountain, they’d clear the stage smoothly.
Theresa and the others looked at Su Fu with admiration—her avian scouting was simply amazing.
They’d been far from Flame Mountain, yet Su Fu had already collected all the crucial info and led them right here.
Su Fu didn’t bother to explain—sometimes, it just took a bit of imagination.
However, Yi Congling suddenly frowned, sensing something amiss, “Wait, if the fan is that powerful, why do they need to offer tribute every year? Can’t the Banana Leaf Fan put out the flames for good?”
Of course, the villagers didn’t know any of that.
For them, being able to temporarily douse those relentless flames was already a display of godlike power.
“The Iron Fan Princess is already merciful enough,” the old farmer said piously, “Bringing us coolness and rain—that’s already a goddess on earth.”
The other villagers nodded in agreement.
Su Fu, however, knew the truth.
The Banana Leaf Fan could absolutely eradicate the flames for good.
According to Journey to the West, the land god of Flame Mountain said: “With forty-nine consecutive waves, the fire will be forever extinguished.”
But for the Iron Fan Princess, once the fire was gone, why would the villagers keep making offerings?
One feast versus feast after feast—she knew which to choose.
They’d gotten the information they needed and, after a few more polite words, took their leave.
The four found a secluded spot.
The mountain breeze was cool and quiet, a stark contrast to the scorching heat of Flame Mountain.
Theresa leaned against a tree and said, “So the key question now is: how do we get the artifact? Though the villagers describe the Iron Fan Princess as kind and benevolent,” she analyzed, “that Banana Leaf Fan is obviously her core treasure. It’ll be hard to borrow it.”
Let alone borrowing it—just asking might be seen as provocation and get them blown away with a single wave.
After all, the Banana Leaf Fan could extinguish the fierce flames of Flame Mountain.
With a single swing, they might be blasted out of existence.
If that happened, forget clearing the map—they might just be flung off it entirely.
No climbing back.
“With such a divine artifact, the Iron Fan Princess’s strength must be formidable,” Yi Congling sighed, “So borrowing is out of the question, and force won’t work either.”
So what could they do?
George gave a wry smile, “Never thought the artifact would be right in front of us, but we can’t get our hands on it.”
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