Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"Before I studied medicine, old man here used to play with blades."

As he spoke, Hua Que's medicine pouch vanished in an instant, replaced by a Crimson Curved Sword gleaming with a bloody hue. With the blade in hand, Hua Que's demeanor transformed drastically, as if he had instantly become a warrior. Raising his sword, he charged at Qin Han like a gust of wind.

"Nightmare, run!"

The moment Qin Han spoke, Nightmare, understanding his intent, bolted with incredible speed.

But this time, even Nightmare's godly swiftness was nearly overtaken by Hua Que. Fortunately, at the critical moment, Qin Han drew his bow and fired several arrows at Hua Que's legs in succession.

After a few shots, Hua Que's speed slowed by a third.

Yet before Qin Han could catch his breath, Hua Que's terrifying regenerative abilities kicked in. Within mere seconds, his speed surged once more, forcing Qin Han to hastily fire more arrows.

And so, a grand chase unfolded in this idyllic paradise of birds and blossoms.

From midnight until dawn, the two raced relentlessly.

Nightmare's speed never faltered, and Hua Que, bolstered by his extraordinary recovery, only grew fiercer.

But Qin Han, who merely sat atop Nightmare without running—only shooting arrows—was exhausted.

His body was still that of an ordinary man.

A sleepless night, already draining, coupled with not a drop of water consumed, left him in a state of utter fatigue and nausea.

Dizziness blurred his vision, causing several arrows to miss their mark.

More than once, he nearly suffered a slash from Hua Que.

And though he had fired enough arrows over the night to put even Zhuge Liang's "borrowing arrows with straw boats" to shame, Hua Que hadn't shed a single drop of blood.

Though the Witch Poison Pearl countered him, under the pressure of level suppression and overwhelming regeneration, it was utterly ineffective.

"Brother Hua, look—this horse of mine is a supernatural steed from another dimension. It could run for a hundred million years without tiring."

"Since you can't catch me anyway, how about we take a break?"

Qin Han's words seemed to have an effect.

Hua Que abruptly halted, plunging his sword into the ground before sitting cross-legged.

Seeing this, Qin Han cautiously guided Nightmare to stop about ten meters away, his eyes filled with wariness.

After observing for a while and confirming Hua Que remained still, he quickly pulled out a piece of beef he had bought earlier and devoured it ravenously.

Once his strength recovered slightly, he tentatively asked, "Brother Hua, tell me—what must I do for you to let me go?"

Hua Que, eyes closed, replied coldly, "Return what's mine, and I can pretend you were never here."

Qin Han hesitated.

"That... might not be possible. This token is crucial to me. Without it, I may never find another like it."

"How about this? Let's make a deal. You let me keep the token and let me go. Once I grow stronger, I’ll do something for you in return. Or perhaps I can find you a medical-type Treasure?"

Hua Que glanced at Qin Han dismissively.

"A weakling of your race—even if I gave you the Pharmacist Profession Token, your growth would never surpass mine."

"Those Treasures you carry may be decent, but they’re far from enough to help me in any meaningful way."

"Hand it over!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Han's heart leaped with joy.

Judging by the tone, it seemed promising.

With a casual motion, he pulled out the Saint-level Profession Token and waved it before Hua Que's eyes.

Instantly, Hua Que's expression turned as if he had seen a ghost.

"A Saint-level Profession Token!!!"

"If you had this all along, why didn’t you show it earlier?"

"The person I’ve been waiting for is the one who comes to me carrying a Saint-level Token!"

Qin Han was stunned. "Ah... this..."

As a veteran player, he instantly grasped the truth of the matter!

In that same moment, he pieced together the entire logic behind it!

The game wouldn’t place an invincible NPC in the Beginner's Village.

There must be two ways to obtain this Hidden Profession Token:

The first was to take it while Hua Que was away and flee immediately.