Xu Huo and Bubble Bean returned to the village one after the other. The Girl in the painting had already cleaned the house, and she had also used her social skills to borrow some local snacks from several neighbors—mainly some wild fruits from the forest and edible wild vegetables. She set a small table and emphasized that none of these cost money.

Watching the two "converse," Bubble Bean entered the house with a gloomy expression.

"How did it go?" the Yin Yang Master immediately asked.

"I can’t figure out what role he is playing." Bubble Bean probed unsuccessfully. "If he were playing the Hidden Friend, he would have fought us to the death in the grove earlier, instead of following us here."

"Could it be that he wasn’t confident enough?" the Yin Yang Master said. "After all, it’s two against one, and that girl seems a bit scattered, with no combat ability. It’s quite normal for a Super Evolver with Mental Powers to not excel in combat."

It’s not unusual for Super Evolvers to rely on Super Evolution Power; they’ve encountered many such players.

"We can’t be careless. I’ve already made it clear to him that we won’t interfere with each other," Bubble Bean specifically instructed, "Don’t take the initiative to provoke them. If they’re not really dungeon players, there’s no need for confrontation."

The Yin Yang Master had to nod. At that moment, someone outside called them, saying that dinner was almost ready and invited them over.

When the two went out, they met Xu Huo and his companion. The awkwardness from before was gone, and both parties nodded amicably.

Since it was a communal meal, the table was set outside. Some small dishes that were prepared first had been served, and the villagers first invited them over to taste their homemade fruit wine.

Though Bubble Bean and his companion looked unfriendly, they put down their airs and managed to chat and laugh with people. The villagers bore no malicious intent and were not very guarded against them, making it easy to get along, so the atmosphere quickly became lively.

The Girl in the painting was very popular with the children and was pulled over to their table. Xu Huo, on the other hand, was favored by the girls; several of them gave him handmade jewelry, boldly observing his appearance.

"Hmph!" the Yin Yang Master sneered. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Xu Huo turned his head to look at him, "Is there a problem?"

The Yin Yang Master had intended to mock him, but after glancing at Bubble Bean, he changed his words, "I heard that many people in the game use disguise masks to deceive young girls. They look attractive on the outside, but the real face is too hideous to be glanced at."

Xu Huo ignored him. The girls who heard this weren’t concerned about whether he was wearing a fake face; they were curious about how a fake face could look exactly like a real one, completely indistinguishable.

Indeed, Xu Huo’s face had been altered, but it was an ordinary face. The girls were drawn to him simply because he seemed friendly and approachable, not because of his looks.

He bought several boxes of cosmetic products for enhancing appearances on the gaming platform and gave them to the girls, who promptly shifted their enthusiasm away from him.

"Come, come, with such delicious food, we should drink a few more glasses today." A middle-aged man sitting next to Grandpa He invited Bubble Bean and his companion, and some villagers who loved drinking gathered around.

Overall, the atmosphere was quite good, and the slight tension from their earlier arrival seemed to have dissipated.

Just as the mood was getting lively, a loud noise suddenly erupted from afar in the grove. Though far from them, as they turned to look, a person abruptly appeared in view, followed closely by a second and third.

The two who came later were clearly pursuing the first one, deploying consecutive Defensive Barriers to restrict the first person’s path, then using a Special item to limit their actions, followed by concentrated attacks.

The first person arrived injured, and under continuous strikes, many of his props failed. Struggling to withstand the barrage, he ended up flying in the direction of the banquet!

Bubble Bean and his companion had no intention of intervening, so they stepped aside. The injured player wasn’t entirely powerless and flew toward the banquet without evasion, targeting the villagers around the table.

A just-arrived child became his target, but as his hand reached out, it was seized by another hand. Looking up, before he could see who grabbed him, two slaps landed on his face, followed by a kick that sent him flying!

The injured player staggered back several meters, dodging the follow-up attacks from his pursuers and weaving around behind the villagers, using them as a shield. Naturally, he was most wary of the Girl in the painting who had just hit him since his props didn’t work on her!

The once lively atmosphere vanished as danger lurked again amid the players’ standoff.

At this time, the Girl in the painting gestured emphatically at her communicator, angrily raising it toward the injured player, "Why are you bullying a child!"

The injured player, knowing she was tough, carefully explained, "These two are chasing me. I’m forced to defend myself. What I did just now was merely a temporary measure; I wouldn’t actually harm the child."

"You think I’ll just take your word for it? Do you think I’m an idiot?" the Girl in the painting was furious, pressing down on the child’s head, "This is my new friend, and you dare bully him!"

After speaking, she threw her coat off, and all the paper toys and pieces hidden inside flew out. To keep enough paper on hand, she had stored mainly small pieces. Of course, these ordinary paper pieces were quite lethal, forming a whirlwind upon release that wrapped around the injured player, immediately separating him from the villagers!

The papers controlled by the Girl in the painting, while potent, couldn’t breach the Defensive Barrier of Advanced items, so they temporarily trapped the player. Within seconds, he broke through the paper blade wall and reappeared before everyone, preparing to repeat his strategy!

This time, Xu Huo blocked him.

Intercepting the person midway, Xu Huo pressed down on the other’s shoulders, locking eyes directly and assertively saying, "It’s not quite right to cause trouble while being a guest at someone else’s home, eh."

His words seemed polite, but his gaze clearly wasn’t. The injured player, when held in place, instinctively used an attack prop, but each was deflected by Xu Huo’s Defensive Barrier, not even touching the edge of his clothes...

Under immense psychological pressure, the injured player begrudgingly contained his hostility and capitulated, "If they don’t make a move, I won’t either."

Xu Huo’s expression softened, smiling as he patted his shoulder, then turned to the other two players, "It’s a fortunate coincidence; the food is all served. Why don’t we eat together?"

He spoke as he glanced at Grandpa He, "Sir, do we have extra food?"

Grandpa He snapped back to his senses, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, yes, plenty for all!"

Xu Huo pulled the injured player over and sat him down, then pointed to the opposite seats, saying to the other two, "Please sit."