Upon entering this level, the four players automatically changed into military uniforms. Moreover, except for Situ Qing, who retained most of her appearance despite being slightly behind in progress, the faces of the other three players became increasingly similar to others.
After looking around the deserted pier, the three tried to walk towards the city area.
Five hundred meters from the dock was the city area. It was evident that this city was once quite prosperous. Skyscrapers and buildings were closely packed, and the streets were built very neatly. But on the long streets, in the tall buildings, and in the alleys… there was not a soul to be found. It seemed like a ghost town.
There was no sign of life in this city. It was enveloped in an eerie silence. After walking down a long main street, Zhou Qian noticed a small alley to the side. He took out the little dragon from his bag and whispered some instructions to it. The little dragon nodded obediently and slipped into the alley.
Seeing this, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but hiss. “Your pet is so cute. It’s inhumane to do this. Did you send it to scout the alley for danger?”
Zhou Qian looked at him and said, “Yes, it’s quite inhumane. Why don’t you go?”
He Xiaowei bumped Zhou Qian’s shoulder playfully. “If something happened to me, who would take care of you?”
Zhou Qian tilted his chin towards the alley and said, “I’ll be responsible for your safety now. At the beginning of the game, players are separated, but later levels often require collaboration. But the four of us…”
Zhou Qian didn’t need to finish his sentence, He Xiaowei understood.
Yun Xiangrong had changed from a healer to an attacker, but with only 30 skill points, she could only get very low-level standard attack skills, meaning her attack output could be ignored.
Situ Qing had offensive capabilities, but she clearly wasn’t trustworthy. As for He Xiaowei, though he could both attack and heal, and his skills had no cooldown and consumed little mana, both his attack and healing were weak.
Finally, Zhou Qian wasn’t an attacker, at least not a consistent one. He had a control ability, but his ultimate consumed a lot of mana and had stringent conditions. Without corpses or souls to utilize, his ultimate would be nearly powerless.
The more He Xiaowei thought about it, the more uncertain he felt about their future. At that moment, the little dragon quickly returned from the alley and jumped into Zhou Qian’s arms. Zhou Qian gently patted its head.
He Xiaowei remarked, “You’re not bothered by its dirty legs? So you’re not a clean freak; just averse to blood?”
Zhou Qian didn’t respond, asking the little dragon something in a low voice. The dragon shook its head, and they proceeded into the alley.
Both sides of the alley were lined with breakfast stalls, some selling steamed buns and others selling soy milk and fried dough sticks. The steam rose from the buns, and oil bubbled in the frying pans, but there were no vendors or customers.
At the end of the alley was a small open park with several large trees, and under each tree was a chessboard, some with Chinese chess set up, others with Go. The Go pieces were in mid-battle, but the players were nowhere to be seen.
Zhou Qian noticed an open window in a nearby building and had the little dragon jump in. It soon opened the door from inside.
Zhou Qian led He Xiaowei into the building first to investigate, and as expected, found no one inside.
On the balcony, one cloth shoe was hung up to dry, while the other was on the floor. It looked as though someone was in the process of hanging the shoes when they suddenly disappeared. Next to the shoes, a watering can was half-filled with water and tipped over on the ground; inside, a bun with a bite taken out of it was slowly getting cold on the dining table…
Throughout their journey, Zhou Qian saw many such strange scenes. It was as if the city’s residents were living their normal lives, and then, in an instant, they all disappeared.
Leaving the empty room, Zhou Qian and his group returned to the alley.
At that moment, the sound of musical instruments came from not far away.
As dusk approached, thick clouds obscured the setting sun, shrouding the entire city in a peculiar gray-yellow hue and a strangely quiet atmosphere.
The sudden appearance of celebratory music at this time seemed rather out of place.
He Xiaowei swallowed hard and quickly approached Zhou Qian.
Just as he reached out, intending to grab Zhou Qian’s sleeve, Zhou Qian swiftly stepped back, avoiding him.
He Xiaowei: “…”
Did you seriously just step back from me?
Suddenly, a system panel notification popped up.
Zhou Qian opened the system map and noticed an exclamation mark on a nearby street.
The System then sent a message:
[Main quest “West Pier” initiated.]
[Proceed to the location marked by the exclamation point for the main storyline.]
With the festive music echoing through the city that was about to fall into dusk, despite finding it bizarre, players had no choice but to follow the sound.
Situ Qing took out her bell and took the lead with a cold expression.
Yun Xiangrong retrieved a protective shield given to her by Gao Shan, glanced back at He Xiaowei and Zhou Qian, and followed Situ Qing.
After another unsuccessful attempt to grab Zhou Qian’s sleeve, He Xiaowei cautiously took out his guqin, which was ever so contrasting with his demeanor, yet he remained vigilant to his surroundings.
The four of them returned from the alley to a main street close to the pier and continued moving towards the marked location on the map.
The main street was as quiet as before, though it seemed dimmer due to the evening gloom.
Walking along the deserted street, Zhou Qian suddenly noticed something unusual with the little dragon in his arms. The creature tapped Zhou Qian’s shoulder and pointed to a spot around the corner, making a “yip” sound.
That spot seemed empty, but the little dragon kept staring at it, blinking, seemingly perplexed.
Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei instantly jumped back several meters.
Zhou Qian covered the little dragon’s eyes with his hand, trying to see through its eyes.
The little dragon was formed from his scales after he had transformed into a god. The System also said that the little dragon would share a life essence with him, so in a sense, it was a part of him.
Moments later, although the vision wasn’t clear, Zhou Qian succeeded.
Through the little dragon’s eyes, he saw a young girl at the corner.
She wore ragged clothes and crouched on the street, holding a bowl with a chipped edge.
Her face was dirty, and her uneven hair, which appeared to have been haphazardly cut by herself, reached her shoulders.
She seemed to be a beggar, probably asking for alms on this street near the pier because of the numerous well-off individuals passing by.
The vision Zhou Qian received was blurry, resembling an old water-damaged photograph.
Before he could get a clearer look at the girl’s face, she vanished as if disappearing into thin air.
Animals often could perceive things humans couldn’t, like ghosts.
Could the girl be a ghost rather than a human?
Had everyone in the city died and turned into ghosts? How did they die? Where are the other ghosts?
Wait, if the girl was indeed a spirit, did she genuinely vanish, or was it just that the little dragon’s ability to perceive spirits momentarily waned?
Following this line of thought, the city might not be deserted after all.
Perhaps the streets, even the entire city, were occupied by spirits, still living their lives, unaware of their deaths.
Players couldn’t perceive them simply because they couldn’t see them.
Could this new main quest be a supernatural instance?
With these thoughts, Zhou Qian, accompanied by his teammates, following the system map’s directions, entered a relatively broad alley.
The joyous music grew louder. At the end of the lane, there stood a lavish residence adorned with lights and decorations. Two stone lions, draped with red silk, guarded its entrance, while two bright red “囍*” characters adorned the main gate.
*Happy. Often used for weddings.
It seemed someone was about to get married.
Such a festive door should be matched with a bustling crowd. However, the deserted alleyway contrasted starkly with the vibrant red everywhere. The only thing matching the big red “double 囍” character was the sound of the suona* approaching the alley.
*A traditional double-reeded Chinese musical instrument. It had a distinctively loud and high-pitched sound, and was used frequently in Chinese traditional music ensembles, particularly in those that perform outdoors.
Yet whether it was the suona or the “double 囍” character, in this desolate setting, as the sunset gradually receded, the scene seemed eerily eerie.
After a short while, night had fully set in. The only illumination came from two lanterns hanging in front of the vermilion door.
The wind blew, causing the lanterns to sway. Through the lantern fabric, the shadows cast on the ground wavered. He Xiaowei, out of the corner of his eye, mistook it for a ghost in red, quickly grabbed Zhou Qian’s arm. Zhou Qian managed to dodge just in time, barely avoiding He Xiaowei’s grasp.
“What are you doing?” Zhou Qian asked.
“Fuck me, I was scared! I thought there was a ghost…” He Xiaowei realized it was just a lantern and took a deep breath.
But to his surprise, Zhou Qian immediately said, “You’re right, there is a ghost.”
He Xiaowei: ?!!
The ghosts came from the alley behind the players, and there was more than one. When Zhou Qian, who had dodged He Xiaowei’s grasp, looked back, the first thing he saw was a large amount of paper money fluttering down like snowflakes.
The coins made of yellow paper floated down like snow, and the sound of the suona and traditional music grew louder and nearer. Four figures, seemingly without feet, carried a bright red sedan chair. They appeared to float as they approached the vermilion door from the alley.
On each side of the sedan were two maidens, and beside them walked an old lady with a mole typical of a matchmaker on her face. Behind the sedan was the group responsible for the music. The joyful tunes that the players had been hearing came from them.
Looking at their faces, their skin was pale but otherwise normal. The issue was with their feet—it looked like they weren’t walking but floating above the ground.
Seeing the players, the old matchmaker walked over with a smile and greeted them warmly. “Ah, you must be [Dong Shui’s] comrades! You’re all from the Falcon Squadron, right? I’ve heard it’s tough to get into your squad! No wonder you all look so outstanding! Haha, good to see you all. Let’s go in and enjoy the wedding feast!”
[Dong Shui] was the character that He Xiaowei was currently role-playing as. Was the current plot about him marrying a ghost bride?
Indeed, the next second, the matchmaker looked at He Xiaowei: “Ah? [Dong Shui], why are you here? Hurry up and change into your wedding attire! The bride is here. Why haven’t you changed?”
He Xiaowei widened his eyes in fear, but before he could escape, the vermilion door flung open, and two servants rushed out, swiftly taking him inside.
“Oh dear young master, why are you here?”
“If the master and madam see you haven’t changed, they’ll scold us!”
“We need to hurry and get you changed. Don’t miss the auspicious time!”
The two servants whisked He Xiaowei away, and soon after, the bright red bridal sedan chair was also carried inside to the sound of festive music.
Moments later, a lively group of “people” walked from the alley into the vermilion gate, leaving the matchmaker chatting with the players.
“Ah…times are tough. Just think about it, [Dong Shui] abandoned his vast family business to join the army. He said that the youth should be willing to die for the country… Yes, his intentions are noble. But as his elder, we worry for him.”
“He joined the army, and now he’s off on a special mission with the Falcon Squadron. I heard it’s extremely dangerous. The [Zhang] family girl is so stubborn… She insisted on marrying him even after Dong Shui wanted to call off the engagement.”
Wiping her tears with a handkerchief, the matchmaker continued, “They’ve known each other since they were children and wanted to get married… but who would have expected such national calamities? Dong Shui, in fact, cares deeply for Miss Zhang and didn’t want to hold her back, fearing he might die on his mission. He wanted to break off the engagement, but she insisted on marrying him.”
“Now he’s joining the Falcon Squadron for a mission. She wanted to get married before he left. She said if he were to sacrifice himself, at least she would have no regrets being his wife.”
The matchmaker sighed deeply. “But I could tell from her tone, if anything happens to Dong Shui, she might join him in death.”
After wiping away her tears, the old matchmaker turned her attention to the players. It seemed like something suddenly dawned on her and her expression turned serious. “Wait? Why are you wearing the uniforms of the Seventh Squadron? I heard that the S Army is about to attack! It seems they’ve placed spies in Cypress City beforehand and are constantly monitoring the movements here!”
“Quick, quick, come with me! I’ll take you to change your clothes! You absolutely can’t go around in these uniforms!”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian sensed something and promptly took a step back. So, the ones the matchmaker grabbed by each hand were Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong.
“Come on, hurry. I’ll take you to change, then we should hurry to the wedding banquet!”
Zhou Qian glanced at Yun Xiangrong, then said to the old matchmaker, “They can go with you first. I’ve left something behind. I’ll go get it and be right back.”
Immediately, Zhou Qian turned around, swiftly took off his military uniform, and stashed it in his bag. After purchasing a random T-shirt from a trading stand and putting it on, he returned to the alley they came from.
Has everyone in this city truly turned into ghosts?
Could there possibly be a few living humans who had survived?
If there were any living people here, given the haunted nature of the city, they would surely hide.
The loud wedding procession just now might attract any survivors. Out of fear, they wouldn’t dare approach these ghosts. But once the ghosts entered the vermilion gate, perhaps the survivors would venture out.
This was the reason Zhou Qian came back to investigate the alley.
It didn’t take long for Zhou Qian to find something.
When he reached the middle of the alley, he heard a wooden door “creak” open. Through the crack of the door, two pairs of pitch-black eyes, as big as soybeans, were staring at him.
At the same time, through the gap in the wooden door, Zhou Qian detected a strong, pungent smell of blood.
Ying Feng and Ling Xiao were already wrestling with each other on the ground. From the moment Ling Xiao bared his fangs, Ying Feng instinctively felt something was wrong. When the latter targeted his chest to bite, a wave of strong resistance surged from deep within, accompanied by a sense of danger and fear of the unknown, even more so than when facing the Kui.
Just as Ling Xiao was about to bite, Ying Feng mustered all his strength and landed a punch, pushing him away.
That punch gave Ying Feng a brief moment of respite. However, it was quickly interrupted by Ling Xiao’s relentless assault. In this uncontrolled state, Ling Xiao was numb to pain. Regardless of his own injuries, his sole focus was to overpower the man in front of him.
Ying Feng didn’t understand why Ling Xiao was behaving like this, but every time those sharp fangs approached, his heart’s fear intensified. He was determined to prevent Ling Xiao’s intentions and fought back without hesitation.
Thus, both received and dealt several punches, panting heavily from their intense struggle. Their fighting was crude and primitive, like two barbarians who didn’t know how to fight at all, brutally attacking each other without care for appearances. Their uniforms, already stained with dirt and blood, worsened.
If someone were there, they would never recognize them as the outstanding fledglings from the tenth grade at Bikong. They might mistake them for two mad dogs fighting over territory.
With a swift move, Ying Feng gained the upper hand, pinning Ling Xiao beneath him. Without hesitation, he punched Ling Xiao’s face, trying to snap him out of his chaotic state.
“Have you lost your mind?” To Ying Feng, Ling Xiao seemed like an irrational madman.
Ling Xiao, seemingly numb to pain, took the punch without even attempting to block. Then, using his strength, he reversed their positions and landed a heavy punch on Ying Feng’s cheek.
Ying Feng tasted blood in his mouth, making his anger surge. The Kui failed to kill them, but now they were brutally fighting each other, with Ling Xiao looking like he wanted Ying Feng dead.
It was unclear whether it was the lingering effects of the ember or the fact that Ying Feng had just gone through a series of ordeals, but his physical strength was far from its peak. Ling Xiao, whether in terms of attack power or speed, seemed to be much stronger than usual.
During training or practice, Ying Feng could clearly match Ling Xiao and even take the lead in some moves. However, at this moment, he was clearly at a disadvantage. There were several times when he was almost completely overwhelmed by the other. If not for his heightened instincts, he would have been no match for Ling Xiao.
After dozens of exchanges, Ying Feng realized he wasn’t dealing with a regular human. The ferocity in Ling Xiao’s eyes and the growls emanating from deep within resembled that of the Kui, a beast—devoid of reason, fear, or pain. He was like a wild animal, a machine, or perhaps just a tangible thought.
And that thought was to ruthlessly plunge his fangs into Ying Feng’s chest.
“Have you awakened?” Ying Feng, once again pinned down, finally realized.
With a terrifying growl, Ling Xiao held Ying Feng firmly beneath him, his fangs getting closer, about to pierce into Ying Feng’s chest…
…..
Another violent shake. The rescuers had to steady themselves against the wall to avoid falling.
“Listen!” Fu Yao suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone strained their ears. From an unknown direction, a muffled rumbling sound echoed. As the noise faded, everything went quiet again. Occasionally, restless sand and stones would fall, their impacts creating a stark silence. The scene was like a grand performance suddenly halted, leaving the audience clueless about what had just transpired.
“The fluctuations… seem to have ended?” The instructor murmured softly.
What happened?
Everyone felt an internal alarm. Calm often signaled greater danger. If there really were legendary creatures lurking, with their fledgling abilities, they would stand no chance against them. If the creature’s power had vanished, the most likely scenario was a severe cave-in deep within, burying all living beings.
This would be the worst possible outcome. The loss of even one fledgling would be a severe tragedy for their race. If more than one were lost, it would be a disaster.
The principal’s and the major’s faces changed simultaneously. Without a word, both threw a crystal into their hands. The crystal disappeared, and their palms emitted a white light.
Both placed their palms on a massive stone to the right. Miraculously, the solid rock began to melt like ice. Each carved out a hole on the rock’s surface.
Watching anxiously, the instructor knew that generating such high heat to melt anything would also rebound upon the user, burning them. Not every Tianxiu person could master this kind of self-damaging technique.
Only this slow erosion wouldn’t risk another collapse. The two quickly exhausted their energy, and only a thin layer of rock remained.
The principal’s and the major’s right hands drooped down. The instructor knew that their hands couldn’t be used again until they received adequate treatment.
Others rushed to help, carefully chiseling out an opening in the rock face. A tense fledgling appeared behind the stone wall. He sat on the ground, tightly holding a dagger, warily and fearfully eyeing everyone.
It was the fledgling from Team A, the one who could barely hold a dagger. The instructor’s anxiety eased a bit. Regardless of how fragile the student appeared, he never wanted harm to come to them.
“Don’t be afraid. It’s me,” the principal said, extending his usable left hand to Zhu Yue. “I’m your principal. Give me the weapon.”
Slowly recognizing the voices, Zhu Yue, overwhelmed by fear, let the dagger clang to the ground.
“Are two other students trapped here? Have you seen them?” The principal asked after Zhu Yue was helped up.
“Others?” Zhu Yue’s eyes flickered in confusion, thinking that with their abilities, others could have easily escaped, leaving only him trapped. “Who?”
“One is Ling Xiao from Team B, and the other is Ying Feng from your group. Did you see them?” The instructor interjected quickly.
Zhu Yue’s eyes widened in shock. “Ying Feng is also missing?”
His reaction clearly answered the principal’s question. Seeing that Zhu Yue also didn’t know the whereabouts of the two, everyone present exchanged somber glances, their hopes sinking once again.
……
Ling Xiao’s fangs drew nearer. Realizing his intentions, Ying Feng understood his erratic behavior.
Using all his strength, Ying Feng thrust Ling Xiao aside, desperate to escape the suffocating cave. It seemed Ling Xiao, due to the aftereffects of the Embers, couldn’t control himself. However, Ying Feng didn’t want to be dragged into some bizarre coming-of-age ceremony.
As Ling Xiao attacked again, Ying Feng’s latent power erupted, launching a furious counterattack. He needed to subdue Ling Xiao quickly to prevent this absurd accident.
The two wrestled and rolled on the ground. Seizing an opportunity, Ying Feng choked Ling Xiao with one hand and pummeled him with the other, targeting his weakest spots.
Ling Xiao, already severely injured from the earlier fight with the Kui and only propped up by the Ember’s effects, temporarily lost his ability to fight back after this onslaught.
Knowing Ling Xiao would recover soon and unable to find any substitutes in the cave, Ying Feng bit the bullet. Tearing off Ling Xiao’s already tattered clothes, he firmly bound his wrists together.
After doing all of this, Ying Feng heavily sat by the wall, with his disordered breathing and rapid heartbeat, reminding him of a terrible fact.
The abnormal physical reaction was not only due to the intense physical exertion. Another hidden reason slowly emerged and even began to dominate. The warning from Yao Tai only resonated in his ears now:
—Remember, although this suppressant can suppress your bodily reactions, you still need to be careful not to get too close to those who are awakening. Otherwise, the hormone secretion in their body may also affect you, indirectly causing the drug to lose its effect.
How could Ying Feng know that in the past week he had been interacting too closely with someone who was pre-awakened but unaware of it in the medical building, training hall, and field practice? Frequent physical contact caused the suppressant in his body to fail multiple times, and even the last shot given by Yao Tai had become useless.
After the recent confrontation, Ling Xiao’s out-of-control hormone levels further triggered hormonal chaos in Ying Feng. Heavily influenced by Ling Xiao, Ying Feng could no longer control his physiological reactions.
At the other end of the narrow space, Ling Xiao struggled desperately, madly trying to break free from the shackles on his wrists. It was only a matter of time before he broke free from this rudimentary restraint. At this crucial moment, Ying Feng suddenly remembered the emergency suppressant spray given by Yao Tai.
He immediately checked the spray in his pocket. Even though the terminal screen had been shattered by the Kui’s violent attack, the bottle miraculously remained intact, which was a stroke of good luck.
Without hesitation, Ying Feng pressed the nozzle near his mouth and nose and took a few deep breaths. Numerous tiny liquid particles flowed with the air into his nostrils, trachea, and lungs, rapidly combining with his cells and starting to work.
The psychological comfort temporarily calmed him down. Ying Feng closed his eyes to recover, trying to regain his usual calm during this rare break. But the time was too short—so short that he hadn’t noticed the abnormality of the drug before being drawn into a new round of struggle.
The sudden gust in front alerted Ying Feng, and he swiftly dodged to the side, evading an attack from Ling Xiao.
The punch went deep into the wall, with dozens of stones rolling down. Some, with high speed, splashed out. One hit the medicine bottle in Ying Feng’s hand, shattering its hard shell.
The liquid inside quickly evaporated, filling the space with a colorless and odorless gas. The substance mistakenly placed by Zhu Yue, which could cause a hormonal imbalance in humans, infiltrated the bodies of the two, who were already out of control or close to it.
Ying Feng finally let out a low growl, no longer passively counterattacking but actively launching a fierce assault on Ling Xiao. His strength and speed were both much greater than usual, and the gap between him and Ling Xiao was gradually closing, even reversing. Ling Xiao’s more severe injuries meant that Ying Feng slowly took the upper hand.
In their inevitable contact, their body temperatures kept rising. The boiling blood burned their reason, and their defenseless offense turned this fight into a slaughter.
More terrifying than a Tianxiu person were two out-of-control Tianxiu people. They recklessly tangled and fought in the collapsing mine, with falling stones and dirt showering on them, covering the Kui’s corpse with a thick layer.
Ying Feng’s last memory was of conquering the person in front of him at all costs. He used all his strength to knock him down, pounced, pinned his limbs, and bared his sharp fangs.
The moment the fangs pierced Ling Xiao’s chest, he still struggled hard, but soon, his resistance weakened, and as his blood was drained little by little, his hand hanging in the air weakly fell.
In his unfocused pupils, it was as if someone had extracted the black pigment little by little with a needle, leaving only a shallow gray behind.
The extracted black was then poured back into Ying Feng’s eyes in the same way, deepening until it became bottomless black.
There were no arrow horses this time, and they had no time to take any detours. The members of the Kushan Sect, after discussing for half a day, decided to travel with the Sun Clan’s medicinal herb convoy.
With Sun Huaijin around, they didn’t need to worry much. Despite Elder Sun’s somewhat dazed appearance, he was as efficient as ever. The five of them divided into three carriages, with plenty to eat and drink. The carriage was filled with medicinal herbs, which exuded a pleasant aroma.
“Since Sister Shen is a woman, it’s convenient for her to sit alone. This carriage is quite big; the four of us can squeeze into one. It’s better this way—”
Yan Qing hadn’t finished speaking when he was silenced and dragged back by Su Si. “What do you mean ‘big’? Look how many herbs are packed inside. The Sect Master even brought a pile of books. There’s no room for you. Come on, let’s take another carriage.”
Yan Qing looked at Su Si puzzledly but eventually didn’t argue and obediently boarded the carriage.
Since medicinal herbs were fragile, the Sun Clan’s carriages had wheel covers made of bamboo, which were even more stable than ordinary carriages. As usual, Yin Ci gave Sun Huaijin some instructions. As soon as he entered the carriage, he was almost startled by the scene inside.
In a short while, Shi Jingzhi managed to create a makeshift nest using the herbs inside the carriage. From the outside, one would only see herbs, but inside, everything was orderly. There was a place to lie down and sit, and even a small gap left to look outside. Beside Shi Jingzhi was a precarious pile of books on one side and a pile of food containers on the other. He sat atop a bag of herbs, looking as if he was sitting on a throne.
Seeing Yin Ci coming in, Shi Jingzhi quickly shifted to make room on the “throne”, offering the side with the food containers to Yin Ci.
Yin Ci chuckled. “This kingdom of herbs, this disciple rather not share.”
However, he still sat next to Shi Jingzhi. Yin Ci glanced at the pile of books and found various versions of Sun Wang’s biography and about ten volumes of “Great Yun’s History”. Shi Jingzhi seemed to have returned to his bookish state from the Northlands, only this time he was reading history.
But this time, Sect Master Shi remembered to negotiate. “A’Ci, let me lean on you first, and then you can lean on me later.”
Before long, Yin Ci faced his second historical review. Shi Jingzhi rested his head on Yin Ci’s lap and held a book in front of him. “The journey is long. Let’s go over each battle from the founding period, shall we?”
Yin Ci looked down and saw a pair of smiling eyes above the book. Just as he was about to touch them, Shi Jingzhi ducked his head behind the book. “Let’s start with the earliest ‘Puzhong Rebellion’—”
The carriage was packed with herbs and books. Sunlight streamed in from the gaps. Although Yin Ci usually disliked cramped spaces, the aroma of the herbs put him at ease. The warmth on his thigh felt incredibly comforting. A golden beam of light glided over the cover of “Great Yun’s History”, making the floating dust sparkle.
Yin Ci took a deep breath, letting the warm, herb-infused air fill his lungs. Then, smiling, he leaned down, his lips brushing the rough spine of the book. “Go on, ask.”
Yin Ci hated reminiscing, especially about the ambiguous past. Even though he’d seen many delusions, every delusion had the same ending—he must have been betrayed, leading him to a state of despair.
In a way, Yin Ci’s situation was the opposite of Shi Jingzhi’s. He might not have lost any memories, but the fragments of his daydreams, colorful as bubbles, obscured the truth behind a mist. Each time Yin Ci tried to discern reality, the vast darkness would engulf him again.
However, in this ordinary moment, the darkness didn’t return.
Yin Ci played with Shi Jingzhi’s fingertips, staring at a clean, rounded fingernail. He spoke distractedly, and more blurred, uncertain “memories” emerged.
[I’ve collected so many beautiful stones. Cuicui will surely love them.] A handsome man in the yellow sand appeared, beaming. [Unfortunately, there’s nothing here but sand. When we go south to fight, I can also buy some jewelry to bring back.]
[Brother Sun brings back some sand, and your wife will love it too!] The soldiers beside him laughed. [Every time Brother Sun goes out, he picks up gifts. Your wife is so blessed—]
“Brother Sun” wasn’t laughing. [What blessing? Fighting every day, how can that be a blessing? My second child can recite the Three Character Classic* yet doesn’t even know what his father looks like. I’ve promised your sister-in-law that once the world is at peace, I’ll hang up my armor, return to the fields, and go to the countryside to live a simple life with her—that’s a true blessing.]
*A classic Chinese text that was written in the 13th century.
[With you and Imperial Preceptor He, peace will come sooner or later. Brother, after the war is over, will you leave the army? Isn’t it good to be an official?]
“Brother Sun” heaved a sigh. [I can’t recognize many characters, and when leading soldiers, I can only follow orders. When it comes to being an official, I have to rely on my dear brother… My brother is young and talented, without family encumbrances. He’s the ideal candidate for officialdom!]
He rubbed the beautiful stone in his hand and turned around. [But I wonder where we could find a woman worthy of my brother. Fortunately, Brother Xu is the one who worries about arranging a marriage. In my opinion, with your face, you should marry the most beautiful woman in the world—]
“A’Ci?” Shi Jingzhi’s voice seemed distant and muffled. “A’Ci, what happened?”
The howling sound of wind and sand by Yin Ci’s ear gradually faded, his gaze slightly scattered. “Hmm?”
“…You stopped answering when I asked about the second major conflict of the ‘Battle of Shafu’.” Shi Jingzhi frowned slightly, stretching his arm to rub Yin Ci’s forehead. “You suddenly stopped responding.”
“Hmm.” Yin Ci rubbed his temples, feeling as if his insides had been frozen. “I was just distracted for a moment.”
“To be honest, I always feel you have some connection with Sun Wang.” Shi Jingzhi stood up and massaged Yin Ci’s acupoints on his head. “After all the games we’ve played, your commanding spirit is not something that can be cultivated from trivial skirmishes.”
“You just find me pleasing to the eye.”
“I’m not blinded by love; it’s called seeing clearly from an outside perspective.” Shi Jingzhi pulled on Yin Ci’s long hair. “I’m also somewhat of a veteran; I wouldn’t be mistaken.”
Yin Ci gave him a sidelong glance. “Somewhat of a veteran?”
Shi Jingzhi tilted Yin Ci’s head back. “From the time I was sensible, my elder brother taught me military tactics and strategies using the sand table. Before I left the palace, Great Yun consulted me for every battle. Saying ‘somewhat’ is just my modesty, understand?”
He still couldn’t let go of the fact that he was once defeated by this person.
“The Emperor really made good use of the ‘Children of Desire’.”
“Indeed… Wait, don’t change the topic.”
Yin Ci was more forthcoming. “I do have vivid impressions related to Sun Wang, but he’s unnamed in history, and the mansion mentioned doesn’t exist. Maybe I was one of his subordinates, which led to such a vivid fantasy.”
Shi Jingzhi looked at Yin Ci quietly for a while. Surprisingly, instead of probing further, he gently kissed the side of Yin Ci’s neck.
“Mm, once we find out what the Immortal Assembly is up to, we’ll know in due time.” Shi Jingzhi rested his chin on Yin Ci’s shoulder, speaking in a calm and matter-of-fact tone.
Yin Ci was silent, thinking Shi Jingzhi would probe deeper. Instead, Shi Jingzhi casually flipped through his books.
Sun Huaijin had influence everywhere. Along the way, they weren’t detected by officials or other martial masters. Except for the cramped carriage, Yin Ci had never felt so at ease.
They were half a day away from Shafu when Shi Jingzhi finished his last book. He stuck to his disciple excitedly. “A’Ci, Shafu can be considered your territory. If things don’t work out, you—”
Before he could finish, everything suddenly spun. Ancient books scattered everywhere, the medicine Shi Jingzhi painstakingly collected was ruined, and even the Medicine Cures Illness flag was almost broken.
“There’s no sign of intruders. The carriage got caught.” Yin Ci protected Shi Jingzhi’s neck, speaking coldly. “A trick of the sand bandits.”
Subconsciously, Shi Jingzhi placed the flag in front of them, then put it away upon hearing this. “…The sand bandits have reached here?”
Sun Huaijin was as slippery as an eel. For his business caravan to be robbed now meant that the surroundings of Shafu had become chaotic.
“A few days ago, Elder Bao of the Ling Sect was killed. His Shafu branch lost its leader, so some disorder is expected,” Yin Ci whispered. “Many of his subordinates are sand bandits, not necessarily loyal to the Yan bloodline.”
With the death of Bao Zu, the sand bandits, who were once loosely controlled by the Chigou Sect, now acted freely and chaotically.
The trained coachmen of the Sun Clan weren’t alarmed but tried to placate the bandits with money. However, the bandits didn’t care. Before the coachmen could react, they were beheaded.
“There are people in the medicine cart!” Several voices shouted.
Yan Qing had already raised the Sword of Compassion wrapped in cloth, standing in front of Shen Zhu. Su Si also drew his butcher knife, his amorous almond eyes darting around. Thanks to the sudden collapse of Sect Master Shi’s medicine nest, the disciple and master of the Kushan sect were covered by the herbs and could only watch the scene unfold.
After their ordeal at Zongwu Mountain, if these two servants couldn’t handle a few sand bandits, they might as well be expelled on the spot.
“Heh, I’ve seen couples elope before, but this is the first time I’ve seen a trio. Quite interesting, huh?” The leading bandit, belly sticking out, flashed a mouthful of yellow teeth. “Using Elder Sun’s carriage, you must be wealthy.”
Su Si responded with confidence, “Among the three of us, one is a servant. Can you guess which two are eloping?”
The bandit was momentarily stunned. Su Si chuckled and was about to strike his throat. However, before he could step forward, a sudden blow from a long stick hit right on the nerve of Su Si’s wrist. He clicked his tongue and spun the butcher knife in his hand, preparing to strike again when—
“I’ll handle these few.” A cold, feminine voice spoke up. “The rest of you, go collect the herbs.”
“Yes, yes, as the young lady says.” The leader left with a smirk.
They all recognized this voice. Su Si’s blade halted mid-air, and the expressions of everyone from the Kushan sect froze in unison.
Shi Jingzhi opened the herb bag in alarm and looked closely. The speaker was dressed in shabby sand bandit attire with a cheap iron sword hanging from her waist and her long hair tied into a high ponytail. Though her face was covered with wind-blown sand, her features remained clear—
It was unmistakably Shi Zhongyu.
The author has something to say:
Shi Zhongyu: ? Wherever there’s trouble, you guys seem to be there.
After settling matters with Sun Huaijin, Yin Ci walked back to his room through the corridor pavilion. The moonlight was elegant, and the night breeze was mild. On a nearby roof, two figures could be glimpsed, along with a swaying big goose. Yin Ci paused to watch for a moment before heading toward Shi Jingzhi’s room.
Now that everything was out in the open, he didn’t feel the need to put on a facade for Sun Huaijin. Even though the Sun Mansion always kept the lights on in the dark, Yin Ci was no longer accustomed to spending the long nights alone.
However, his attempt to find Shi Jingzhi proved futile—Shi Jingzhi’s room was dark and empty, and even his pillow and luggage were missing. With Sect Master Shi’s audacity, it wasn’t surprising to think they’d ended up in the same place again.
Pretending like nothing happened, Yin Ci took a detour and returned to his own room. As expected, Shi Jingzhi was leaning against the bedhead, almost dozing off. The candlewick hadn’t been trimmed for a while, casting a warm glow on Shi Jingzhi’s long hair. Silently, Yin Ci approached him. Without even opening his eyes, Shi Jingzhi snuggled up against him.
“Mm, you’re back,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around Yin Ci’s waist. “What did the old man say?”
“We’ve set a date. I’ll personally propose.” Yin Ci chuckled, patting his back. “Move over and make some room for me.”
Shi Jingzhi suddenly perked up. “Are you serious?”
Yin Ci: “……” The reactions of the old and the young were really two extremes.
“Yes,” Yin Ci said helplessly. “We’ll watch the lanterns first and choose a good day for the wedding. I’ll bring my servants, invite Sun Huaijin, and you can decide how you want it to be, alright?”
“I better make sure to live until then,” Shi Jingzhi said with a mix of jest and melancholy.
Yin Ci’s brows furrowed. “You smell of blood. Did you cough up blood again?”
“It’s the same as before, nothing serious.”
Yin Ci’s expression didn’t look too good. He took Shi Jingzhi’s pulse for a while. The pulse was the same as when they first met—despite Shi Jingzhi’s martial arts getting increasingly refined and his magic learned meticulously, the state of his health had not improved but was deteriorating step by step.
Initially, Yin Ci didn’t take it seriously. But now, he felt as if there were burning coals in his heart, causing a scorching pain. With the Shirou close at hand, it was like a miracle that Shi Jingzhi still decided to investigate the Immortal Assembly.
“The first time I met Sun Huaijin, all I could think about was how to use him. Tonight, he displayed the full demeanor of an elder, and I felt a little happy.”
Seemingly sensing Yin Ci’s concerns, as soon as he settled down, Shi Jingzhi embraced him from behind. Several bursts of vital qi flowed out with Shi Jingzhi’s movements, causing the flickering candlelight in the room to extinguish, leaving only moonlight.
Sect Master Shi spoke in a languid tone, heavy with drowsiness, yet it sounded oddly sincere.
“To be honest, I want to stay here for a few more days.” Shi Jingzhi buried his face in Yin Ci’s long hair. “Having friends who have shared hardships, a blood-related elder, and a loved one by my side… since the day we parted in Juyi Valley, I’ve never felt this content.”
Yin Ci gripped the hand that Shi Jingzhi used to embrace him.
That hand was warm and strong, and the embrace from behind was incredibly comforting. Yin Ci traced Shi Jingzhi’s fingers, slowly opening them and turning around. “You’re easily content.”
Since witnessing his “true body”, the two had truly understood each other, and Yin Ci never teased Shi Jingzhi ruthlessly again. But now, hearing Shi Jingzhi’s coquettish words, a bitter taste welled up in his heart, and he wanted to divert his thoughts.
The moonlight was just right, perfect for intimacy.
But just as he turned to face Shi Jingzhi, Shi Jingzhi seriously asked, “A’Ci, do you remember the ‘Battle of Shafu’?”
Yin Ci, feeling somewhat disrespected, paused with his hand under the blanket, then slowly retracted it. “…What?”
“The Battle of Shafu, the most famous battle during the founding of the country against the western rebels. The Qituo people were also involved, and the battlefront stretched far. It was all thanks to General Sun Wang that the tide was turned.”
Yin Ci wondered why their intimate night talk turned into a history lesson. He calmly replied, “The main branch of the Chigou Sect is in Shafu. I was the Patriarch of the Chigou Sect for so long; if I didn’t know, I should.”
“When was the Battle of Shafu?”
This really felt like a test. Yin Ci found the development of the night increasingly strange. “May… no, June, I think.”
Shi Jingzhi said meaningfully, “Why would your first reaction be ‘May’? Every book records the Battle of Shafu in June. You’re immortal. Did you witness that battle?”
“I must have remembered wrongly. As for the battle, I probably didn’t see it. It was just a slip of the tongue in the middle of the night.” Indeed, whether it was folk tales or written records, the Battle of Shafu took place in June. However, “May” was the answer that slipped out before he realized it.
Living for so long had its drawbacks; everything seemed familiar, and memories blurred between reality and imagination. One thing led to another, and Yin Ci lost all interest in flirting. He lay down flat.
But Sect Master Shi didn’t give up. “During the mid-June Battle of Twin Rivers, Sun Wang led troops in the Twin Rivers. Shafu and Twin Rivers are quite far apart. Did Sun Wang travel back and forth using arrow horses?”
“Maybe there’s an error in the records. There were major and minor battles every day during the founding of the nation. It’s normal for the dates to be inaccurate after 300 years,” Yin Ci calmly said. “I know what you want to investigate. My knowledge of leading troops mostly comes from my time as a Patriarch. Not just leading troops, I also embroider quite well. Shizun, do you want to investigate the embroidery shops during the founding era?”
Shi Jingzhi had never been one to yield to anyone’s domineering aura. He propped himself up, maintaining eye contact with Yin Ci. “It seems you don’t like discussing leading troops into battle.”
“I have looked into it myself, to no avail. Let’s talk about the rest tomorrow. Let’s sleep for now.”
Countless illusions, especially those regarding “leading troops”, ended in inexplicable despair. Once the truth about the Immortal Assembly was uncovered, everything would have an answer. There was no need to rush things.
Suddenly, the face of the fox spirit drew closer. “I just found a book—”
The kid isn’t done yet.
Yin Ci took a deep breath, pushing Shi Jingzhi to the side, then hugged him tightly as if in warning. “Save your trivial matters for our journey to Shafu. You’ve just coughed up a lot of blood, so it’s better you rest…”
As he embraced him, he realized something had changed with Shi Jingzhi’s body, a detail that didn’t escape Yin Ci’s notice.
Yin Ci: “…”
People often say that a moment of romantic intimacy is invaluable. However, in Sect Master Shi’s case, he babbled on about the history of the country. No wonder he kept talking incessantly, probably to mask his nervousness.
Yin Ci couldn’t help but smile and teasingly bit Shi Jingzhi’s ear. “So, Shizun is this nervous? You once mentioned marriage, but now you’re retracting?”
Discussing history was better than biting fingers; this boy had improved significantly.
“The Purifying Words can control desires, but the current situation is even more taxing than my lifelong desires. I’m afraid I can’t control myself, and it won’t be a pretty sight,” Shi Jingzhi earnestly replied.
Yin Ci shook his head, undid Shi Jingzhi’s hairband, and his long hair cascaded down. As the faint scent of medicine filled the air, Yin Ci said, “Why think so much? You can touch me. You’d have to be very skilled if you lost control and hurt me—”
Thump, thump, thump.
Just then, the sound of a cane knocking on the ground could be heard from outside, indicating the anxious pacing of an old man.
…Perhaps it was indeed an agitated old man lingering outside.
Sun Huaijin might not have any ill intentions. Having lived for over a hundred years, he probably couldn’t fathom the audacity of the two. Distressed, he paced back and forth in the corridor.
The sound of the cane tapping on the ground was like the beat of a wooden fish, instantly dissipating the budding romantic thoughts of the two. Their feelings vanished like smoke in a temple, and they didn’t have the audacity to intentionally scare the old man. Even though Yin Ci had no more taboos, he wouldn’t do anything inappropriate to someone younger, especially not in someone else’s home and in front of them. For the second time, he slowly withdrew his hand, his heart as calm as an ancient well. Shi Jingzhi wrapped himself in a blanket, resembling a lifeless silkworm cocoon.
The continuous sound lingered. The two exchanged a dejected look, then decided to dress up and sleep as usual.
On Shen Zhu’s return the next day, the Kushan Sect was ready to set off.
Shen Zhu brought back definitive news. Through some indirect sources, she had secretly examined the remains of the Yan Clan’s servant. The so-called “birth mother” of Yan Budu had never given birth. The local rumors in Qizhou were all verified—Yan Budu might be the royal bloodline that was swapped out.
“It is rumored that someone told the Yan woman who entered the palace that her son was unique and wouldn’t end well if he stayed there. So, she bribed the maids and servants to swap out her living son with a dead infant,” Shen Zhu mused. “But there’s no solid evidence; those involved in the palace at the time covered it up neatly.”
Who knew that this royal blood would spread so rapidly?
A long distance away.
“…Yan Budu is of royal descent.” Someone sighed softly. “With the support of the imperial court, it was no wonder our sect wanted to exterminate them thoroughly, regardless of innocence.”
Shi Zhongyu gripped the Reverse Yang Token in her hand.
On the back of the Reverse Yang Token was a small mechanism. On the outer cover, it was engraved with the words “Know Shame, Then Courage”. Inside the lid, text was inscribed in a minuscule script, so fine that one had to look very closely to read it. Rather than saying it contained the secrets of Taiheng, it was more accurate to say it held the most regretful and guilty secrets of the high-ranking members of Taiheng through generations.
“Miss, your carriage is ready. You’re dressed so lavishly, are you sure you want to ride in our carriage? It’s quite bumpy. Perhaps you’d prefer to rent a more comfortable one upfront?” the driver said.
Dressed more like a merchant’s daughter than a martial warrior, Shi Zhongyu smiled at the coachman. “Your carriage is the fastest to Shafu, right? I’m in a hurry to get home. Thank you for your trouble.”
The coachman hesitated and then said, “Miss, the northwest has been quite unstable lately. It might be best to stay in Yidu for a couple more months. I worry for you traveling alone, especially with the demonic sects about.”
“Don’t worry,” Shi Zhongyu replied.
She climbed into the carriage, gently pulling down the curtain.
The Taiheng Sect’s caravan to Shafu was soon on its way, using the fastest carriages on the smoothest commercial roads. Only such a light and efficient caravan could keep up.
“…In the end, we don’t know if we’ll encounter the ‘demonic sect’ or the ‘righteous path’.”
The author has something to say:
Sun Huaijin’s revenge (×
Shocking! The master and disciple of the Kushan Sect failed to get in the car*. How could this happen!
At night, the temperature in the public restroom was very low. The warm breath exhaled by the players gradually formed a thin layer of frost on the huge mirror. The frost obscured the reflections of their features, making it difficult for the players to clearly see their own appearances in the mirror.
However, when they faced each other directly, they could still clearly see the changes in their teammates’ faces.
He Xiaowei, a burly man, was visibly frightened at this moment and instinctively stepped back towards Zhou Qian’s direction.
Zhou Qian asked him, “Are you afraid of ghosts?”
“Uh, well…” He Xiaowei blinked twice without admitting his fear.
In fact, through their recent experience dealing with Situ Qing, Zhou Qian had an unexpected realization—He Xiaowei’s skills actually complemented his own very well.
Moreover, He Xiaowei’s personality seemed quite obedient. Thus, Zhou Qian decisively decided to win him over. “Don’t be afraid. Follow me, and I’m sure I can help you clear this instance.”
He Xiaowei seemed to genuinely respect Zhou Qian. “Indeed, through that ‘Checks and Balance’ game, I’ve come to fully realize it! But, Brother Zhou Qian, you see, I consumed half of my HP to replenish your mana. If you don’t back me up later on, it wouldn’t be fair, right?”
Suddenly, Zhou Qian asked, “Would you like to join my team?”
He Xiaowei looked at him warily. “What do you mean?”
Zhou Qian responded, “Your gambling habits suggest you dabble in everything without mastering anything. Have you considered specializing in healing?”
He Xiaowei immediately declined. “No!”
Zhou Qian tried to persuade him. “In our team, there’s an exceptional damage dealer, a Swordmaster. You could form a duo with him and call it ‘Sword and Heart*’!”
*This is referencing the idiom courage of a warrior (sword), soul/heart of a musician (lute) (剑胆琴心). It refers to someone who is both sentimental and courageous. || In this context, they will literally be that, with Qi Liuxing being the sword and He Xiaowei being the musician (since he uses the guqin).
He Xiaowei hesitated. “Is that person a girl?”
Zhou Qian shook his head. “No.”
He Xiaowei also shook his head. “Then what’s the point? I want to team up with a girl… I want to find a girlfriend.”
Zhou Qian solemnly remarked, “Why are you so fixated on gender?”
He Xiaowei: “……”
“Anyway, I don’t want to.”
“Alright then… If we can’t agree, I’m going back to my room.”
“Hey, don’t! Given the weird situation, shouldn’t we all stick together?! Granted, there are many conflicts between the four of us… but—”
Looking at the others, He Xiaowei continued, “We should cooperate temporarily, right? After all, if we keep fighting, what if we all die here?”
He Xiaowei’s words made a lot of sense.
The game designer’s intentions were truly malicious.
In “Apple Paradise”, players had to go through a scoring game before proceeding with the main storyline. The intention was clearly to divide players through the scoring game. The same pattern was evident in “Last Wish”. Before realizing they could use corpses to draw out the bullets, players’ first instinct was likely to sacrifice 2-3 players, leading to disagreements and division into smaller groups.
However, the reason for Zhou Qian and his team’s division wasn’t about sacrifices, but it was now quite challenging for them to cooperate.
Frowning slightly, Zhou Qian turned and left the restroom. Worried that Zhou Qian might truly abandon him, He Xiaowei quickly followed. “Alright, alright! I’m willing to be a healer… I mean, a healing dad*, okay? I’ve come to realize that there are very few dedicated healers because they lack offensive capabilities and can’t even clear mobs. If I specialize in healing… I’ll definitely be the favorite in our group! Everyone will call me ‘Dad’!”
*Clarity: The term usually used in online gaming for healers is “milkmaid or wet nurse” (奶妈). Given his machoism, he changed it to “healing dad or manny/daddy daycare” (奶爸). This is probably also why he doesn’t fully focus on healing (because of his machoism), since he views the profession as more feminine and doesn’t have any offensive capabilities (not cool for a guy).
Zhou Qian raised an eyebrow. “Hmm…?”
He Xiaowei quickly added, “Except for you.”
With a satisfied smile, Zhou Qian thought: Mission accomplished.
Leaving the restroom, Zhou Qian walked along the corridor bathed in cold lighting. Instead of returning to his room, he stopped in front of Room 701. The small dragon with deep blue scales was still waiting there. It looked up and smiled at Zhou Qian, leaping into his arms. Zhou Qian caught it and peeked into the room.
Inside, Jiang Yuqing was still sleeping peacefully.
Zhou Qian opened the door slightly, observing the room while stepping in. Using the faint light from the hallway, he glanced at Jiang Yuqing and noticed that he didn’t seem to have grown any younger. Zhou Qian then turned his attention to the photograph on the wall.
The light at this moment was too dim, and the tone of the photo was also dark. Zhou Qian couldn’t see it clearly for a moment, so he took out a miniature flashlight he had purchased in advance from his bag. He shined the flashlight directly on the photo without illuminating other areas, startling Jiang Yuqing, who was asleep.
Through the cold light, Zhou Qian discovered that the photo had indeed changed.
The seven people in the photo were originally blurry; their facial features seemed to have been blurred by the dampness of the rain. But now, the appearances of three of them have become somewhat clearer. The faces of these three were very familiar to Zhou Qian; they resembled himself, Yun Xiangrong, and He Xiaowei, whom he had just seen in the mirror of the restroom a few minutes ago.
In other words, the faces of three people in the photo were becoming clearer. And the appearance and identities of Zhou Qian and his companions were moving closer to those three individuals.
By touching the photo, by ten minutes past midnight, the transformation of the three of them had reached 40%. So, after a while longer, would they completely become the people in the photo?
There was a noise from the bed behind him, which was Jiang Yuqing turning over. Seeing this, Zhou Qian left room 701 and put the little dragon down to guard the door.
After giving He Xiaowei a glance in the corridor, the two of them went to room 702 together.
As He Xiaowei entered while complaining, he asked, “Are you sure this place isn’t haunted?”
Zhou Qian replied indifferently, “If this instance really had ghosts, you would’ve been possessed by now.”
He Xiaowei: “……”
Watching Zhou Qian sit on the sofa, seemingly lost in thought, He Xiaowei quickly sat across from him. “I didn’t dare to go in just now. What’s going on?”
Zhou Qian looked at He Xiaowei and suddenly asked, “How were you able to enter this instance?”
He Xiaowei was momentarily confused by the question. “Huh?”
“I just thought of something. This instance has a hidden achievement. That Yun Gao couple and I can come in because we cleared ‘Apple Paradise’ with the same property. But it seems you didn’t.”
Zhou Qian looked intently at He Xiaowei. “So, how did you get in? Don’t tell me it’s just by luck that this instance just happened to open for you.”
He Xiaowei responded, “Huh? Isn’t that possible? Some people repeatedly do low-level instances to get tickets to hidden instances!”
“But you don’t seem like them. Xiaowei bro—” Zhou Qian continued, “I did say earlier that your skills complement mine well, and I intended to invite you to our group. But what if this is a carefully arranged coincidence?”
“What kind of arrangement? You’re just being overly suspicious. Just because one teammate wants to kill you, do you think everyone else has issues?” He Xiaowei was getting irritated. “Have I done anything to harm you?”
Zhou Qian replied, “No, but it’s always better to be cautious. Given my guess, the upcoming instances won’t be easy. I need to be sure.”
“Damn, I indeed didn’t get the ticket myself. But my involvement in this instance has nothing to do with you! It’s a test from my future master!” He Xiaowei immediately explained.
“Oh? And who is your future master?” Zhou Qian immediately asked, sensing that something was amiss.
He Xiaowei said, “His name is Hidden Blade! Let me tell you, he’s incredibly strong! He’s a Rank God player! We are at Rank D now, and you probably think Rank S is the highest in this game, right? But that’s not the case. Rank S is just the beginning! From what I heard, Rank God players were chosen by the gods right from the start. Their progression is entirely different from ours! They probably never did the instances we did! When they started this game, they were already at Rank S! They’re naturally talented and inherently strong!”
Zhou Qian asked, “How many Rank God players are there?”
He Xiaowei: “There shouldn’t be more than 10!”
After a pause, He Xiaowei added, “This is all from a guy I met in the last instance. He is one of Hidden Blade’s chosen disciples! Man, Hidden Blade is amazing! His weapon seems to be a skull, one that can give nightmares to anyone. His skill set is about crowd control, similar to yours…”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian quickly started connecting the dots. He speculated that it might have been that 137 person who asked Hidden Blade to take him as a disciple. Even though Hidden Blade was reluctant, he still sent an invitation because of the request from 137.
So, did 137 want Hidden Blade to be his master because both of them had crowd control abilities?
He Xiaowei continued, “In any case, I also wanted a powerful master. So, after exiting the last instance, I’ve been lurking around the trade house and such. In the dead of night, I finally saw Hidden Blade post a message seeking some small prop!”
“I immediately approached him for a private chat and tried to team up!”
“At first, he declined, saying that my skill direction didn’t match his. But who would’ve thought…”
“After a day, he contacted me again, saying he would take me as a disciple, but only if I come to this instance!”
“So, the entry ticket to the ‘Last Wish’ instance was given to me by him.”
After hearing this, Zhou Qian was silent for a moment, then asked, “Is it possible that Hidden Blade really doesn’t want to take you as a disciple, but after someone urged him, he agreed?”
He Xiaowei was taken aback. “I wouldn’t know about that.”
Zhou Qian then asked, “Rank God players… There might only be 10 of them. Have you ever heard of 137?”
“Ah? No, I haven’t.” He Xiaowei shook his head. “Does someone use a number as a code name???”
Zhou Qian asked again, “How much do you know about Hidden Blade’s abilities? Is he the strongest among those 10 Rank God players?”
He Xiaowei: “I really don’t know. But from the description by the guy in the last instance, Hidden Blade seems extremely powerful. Given our level with 12 gunmen, I think he might be able to make all the gunmen fall asleep, then directly go in and get evidence!”
“Let’s assume that in this game, there are very few people who can truly become friends. Let’s also assume that Hidden Blade and that 137 aren’t particularly close. Then, if even a strong player like Hidden Blade has to listen to 137, act on 137’s orders to recruit disciples, and give out small potions to lower-tier players… Does this imply Hidden Blade owes 137 something?
“Does it further imply that 137 might be stronger than Hidden Blade?”
He Xiaowei: “Brother Qianqian, I really don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Zhou Qian smiled. “Nothing much. I’m just thinking that this 137 must be quite powerful.”
He Xiaowei: ?
Zhou Qian said gleefully, “So, even if I don’t know who he is, it seems I can make good use of him!”
He Xiaowei: “Ahem, Qian Ge, what about this instance…”
Zhou Qian let out a yawn and headed to his bed. “Sleep now, Xiaowei Ge. By tomorrow morning, you should know what’s happened.”
Indeed, at 6 o’clock the next morning, He Xiaowei learned of the events. He and Zhou Qian received messages at the same time.
[Player Zhou Qian: Transformation rate 60%, direction – Bei He]
[Player He Xiaowei: Transformation rate 60%, direction – Dong Shui]
After reading the system prompt, having slept on the sofa, He Xiaowei immediately ran to Zhou Qian. “What does this mean? What’s this Bei He, Dong Shui?”
“If I’m not wrong—” Zhou Qian yawned, glanced at the system prompt, and said, “These are names. There are seven people in the photo. We will transform into two of them, named Bei He and Dong Shui.”
After the two finished washing and eating, they left the room and met Yun Xiangrong, who also received a new prompt. She would transform into someone named Xi Jiang.
Hearing her name, He Xiaowei couldn’t help but say, “Hiss… Xi Jiang, Dong Shui, Bei He. Our names all combine a ‘direction’ with a ‘water’ word. It’s a pity that Situ Qing didn’t trigger this*—”
*Clarity: North River [Bei He] (北河), East Water [Dong Shui] (东水), West River [Xi jiang] (西江)
Just then, Situ Qing walked out of her room. She not only looked like herself but also bore the shadow of someone else. After glancing at the others, she shared the information she had, probably because she didn’t want to die in the main plot.
“Last night, I went to Jiang Yuqing’s room and touched that photo. I saw a military officer writing poetry, and then he burned the poem. That illusion should be the same as what you all saw. Currently, I’ve achieved a 20% transformation rate. However, I still don’t know who I will transform into or what his name is.”
He Xiaowei blinked. “Anyway, your surname will most likely be ‘Nan*’, and your name will be related to water.”
*South.
The corridor fell silent. Apart from He Xiaowei, no one else spoke. He looked at the others with a complicated expression, feeling that aside from him, they all had ulterior motives, each harder to deal with than the last. Of course, Zhou Qian being the biggest devil among them.
By 7 a.m., someone finally arrived. It was the security guard they had met the day before. The guard, holding a notebook and pen, stepped out of the elevator. Seeing the four caretakers in the hallway, he said with satisfaction, “Good! Everyone’s here!”
He Xiaowei swallowed hard and bravely asked, “Is it really everyone? Don’t you remember… there were six of us yesterday? No, if you count Lao Yu and Lao Tie, there were eight of us in total?”
The security guard looked at him in surprise. “When was this? Were you dreaming? Weren’t there just the four of you? Fine, as long as everyone is here, my attendance task is completed.”
“Has Mr. Jiang woken up? Take good care of him. Oh right, when he wakes up in the morning, he usually reads for a while. Then he goes back to sleep. If you all want to slack off, wait until he’s asleep. Other floors are still not open. Don’t run around!”
After instructing the players, the security guard turned to press the elevator button.
However, Zhou Qian called out to stop him. “Wait. Were you in charge of our attendance?”
Yesterday afternoon, when they first entered the building, Zhou Qian clearly remembered that the receptionist at the front desk was responsible for attendance. The receptionist even emphasized that she was responsible for everyone’s attendance.
The security guard looked back at Zhou Qian and replied naturally, “Yes! I’m in charge!”
Zhou Qian asked, “Wasn’t there a receptionist yesterday? Haven’t you seen her?”
The security guard shook his head in confusion. “We haven’t hired a receptionist. I’ve even helped post several job advertisements. Probably because the job’s far, the pay’s low, and the workload is high, no one even applied!”
He Xiaowei felt flabbergasted and couldn’t help but exclaim, “What the hell?”
The security guard shrugged. “Is it your memory that’s faulty or mine? Are you guys dreaming, or am I?”
Before entering the elevator, he concluded, “You all must be dreaming. My memory is perfectly fine!”
The security guard took elevator A and left. At this point, He Xiaowei was pretty convinced of one thing—people’s sudden disappearance in the building had nothing to do with the elevators. He wanted to share a glance with someone, but Yun Xiangrong and Situ Qing weren’t responsive. As he wasn’t sure how to approach the girls, he turned to Zhou Qian.
Zhou Qian said, “Didn’t the security guard ask us to take care of Jiang Yuqing? Let’s go to his room. We can’t go to other floors anyway. We can only go to 701.”
Before Zhou Qian finished speaking, a system notification popped up.
[Main Quest Triggered: Players must go to Room 701 within 5 minutes to take care of Jiang Yuqing.]
Thus, the four players had to return to Room 701.
Inside, Jiang Yuqing was already awake, reading a book quietly without causing any disturbance.
Seeing this, the players, although tasked with “taking care” of Jiang Yuqing, felt it redundant and aimless.
He Xiaowei turned to Zhou Qian. Even though he thought Zhou Qian was intimidating, he was currently the only person He Xiaowei could communicate with.
He Xiaowei whispered, “I suddenly realized something. Jiang Yuqing hasn’t eaten, drunk, nor used the restroom. At first, I thought taking care of an elderly dementia patient would involve lots of dirty work. But we haven’t had to do anything like that!”
“Moreover, since yesterday, aside from a piece of osmanthus cake, he hasn’t eaten anything. There isn’t even a cafeteria in this building. I haven’t even seen anything like a water dispenser. Him not eating or drinking… it’s totally illogical!”
Zhou Qian responded, “Actually, it’s logical.”
He Xiaowei: ?
Zhou Qian explained, “This only further proves that this is Jiang Yuqing’s consciousness world. In real life, he has severe dementia. He doesn’t remember eating, drinking, or taking care of basic needs. Perhaps the [Wang’s Osmanthus Cake] is very precious to him, something he hasn’t forgotten. So, in his consciousness world, it’s the only food that remains.”
He Xiaowei: “Makes sense.”
Zhou Qian continued, “The same goes for this building. Normally, buildings are designed with staircases. But perhaps in real life, Jiang Yuqing never used the stairs. He might have been wheelchair-bound and taken directly to 701 via the elevator. So, in his consciousness world, there are no stairs. Or maybe he did use the stairs but just completely forgot about them.”
“Also, due to dementia and probably rarely visiting other floors, he has no memory of them. Maybe there is a cafeteria on one of those floors, but he doesn’t know. So, in this memory world, the other floors remain permanently sealed.”
He Xiaowei: “Oh shit, it’s like this! Wait, wait! I suddenly had a thought!”
Zhou Qian spoke up, voicing his thoughts. “So, in our current world, the reason why people disappear out of thin air one after another is just because they are forgotten.”
The vase on the bedside table and the flowers inside vanished into thin air simply because Jiang Yuqing forgot.
The caretakers who looked after Jiang Yuqing disappeared one by one because he forgot about them and couldn’t recognize them anymore.
The receptionist disappeared, of course, because Jiang Yuqing forgot her.
As for this room. The reason the faces of the seven people in the large photo were always blurred was simply also because Jiang Yuqing forgot their appearances.
Even Jiang Yuqing’s own features seemed vague.
It was also because he forgot himself.
Turning his head, Zhou Qian looked at the photo on the wall, which seemed to have been soaked in water, and said, “There are seven people in the photo. And there are six players who came this time. One Jiang Yuqing, plus six players—isn’t that exactly seven?”
He Xiaowei: “!!!”
“The reason why the elderly Jiang Yuqing became young yesterday evening isn’t because he was practicing some sort of rejuvenating magic. It’s just that through yesterday’s ‘Checks and Balance’ level, we helped him recall a bit of his past. So he remembered a bit of what he looked like when he was young.”
Pointing to the photo, Zhou Qian continued, “The same goes for the others. I think Jiang Yuqing and these six people are all comrades from the 7th Brigade. Just as he forgot himself, he also forgot their appearances. Of the six people, we still don’t know the names of three, but now at least we know that the other three are called Xi Jiang, Dong Shui, and Bei He.”
“So I think—”
Turning around, he walked to Jiang Yuqing, squatted down, and looked at his still aging face with indistinct features.
He took Jiang Yuqing’s old hand and said softly, “Your so-called ‘last wish’ is just not to forget, right?”
“Mr. Jiang, you don’t want to forget the past, don’t want to forget yourself, and don’t want to forget those six comrades, right?”
“You want us to help you, right?”
On the side, watching quietly, He Xiaowei felt a bit moved.
He wasn’t sure if Zhou Qian was acting.
All he was doing might be trying to get information from the NPC.
Yet He Xiaowei was still deeply touched. How many precious memories does one have in a lifetime? Although he felt his life was mundane, he still had many memories that he would never want to forget until death.
The first day of school, the first friend, the first love, the taste of the first piece of cake, the feeling of the first plane ride, the first college entrance exam, the first job interview… he never wanted to forget any of them.
Physical death was one thing, but if memories remained, perhaps one wasn’t truly gone. But if even the memories were gone…
It was as if one had truly vanished from the world.
In the warm room, the elderly expressionless Jiang Yuqing sat in a chair, holding a book in his lap. One hand was held by the squatting Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian’s gaze was clear and tender, but Jiang Yuqing looked confused.
After watching this scene for a bit longer, He Xiaowei felt his eyes become moist.
So, Jiang Yuqing’s real last wish wasn’t to live a few more days or to become young.
He just didn’t want to forget.
Jiang Yuqing seemed still not sure how to speak and didn’t understand what Zhou Qian was saying. So he withdrew his hand and continued to read.
Zhou Qian stood up and looked back at the old photo.
Wiping away a tear, He Xiaowei quietly asked, “So our task…”
“Our current direction is correct. The caretakers come and go and are seen by the elderly Jiang Yuqing. But they are not Jiang Yuqing’s most precious memories, so they were forgotten one after another. Jiang Yuqing’s most precious memories are probably the years he spent with those six comrades. Xi Jiang, Dong Shui, Bei He… as long as we complete the transformation to 100%, we can fully become his comrades. In this way, we can say we live in his memories. If we survive in the memory world, we are not forgotten and thus complete the task.”
He Xiaowei still had questions. “By the way, in the photo illusion, what’s the deal with that young officer?”
Zhou Qian thought for a moment. “We previously triggered two states of Jiang Yuqing, [Manic Jiang Yuqing] and [Dementia Jiang Yuqing]. That officer… is probably also Jiang Yuqing, and he might be the [Young Jiang Yuqing].”
He Xiaowei: “What do you mean?”
Zhou Qian explained, “We analyzed it yesterday. The manic and dementia versions of Jiang Yuqing are both harmful to players and show hostility. However, the young officer aids the players, showing good intentions. Based on today’s new findings, we can understand yesterday’s analysis from a different perspective—”
“The elderly Jiang Yuqing with dementia and manic, in essence, represents his old age. Only the officer represents his younger version.”
“Let’s anthropomorphize this a bit: when you grow old, there are two personas fighting inside your head. One is killing your memories, every individual in them; while the other is trying desperately to protect those in your memories.”
He Xiaowei widened his eyes. “Ah, I get it… The young officer represents Jiang Yuqing’s youthful memories, so he’s protecting us!”
Zhou Qian nodded. “Exactly. That’s why the officer said, ‘It’s you who came’ when he saw us yesterday. The young officer is still Jiang Yuqing. In this world, by protecting us, he is essentially safeguarding his comrades and, in turn, his memories.”
Upon hearing this, He Xiaowei didn’t feel elated from nearing the real solution to the game but instead sighed heavily, feeling melancholic.
About forty minutes later, as the clock approached 8:30 in the morning, Jiang Yuqing put down his book and went back to bed, soon drifting into a deep sleep.
He Xiaowei snapped out of his daze, his expression turning serious. “He’s sleeping again in broad daylight; could it be—”
Before He Xiaowei could finish, Zhou Qian had already reached room 701’s door and swung it open.
Outside the door was no longer a hallway but, unexpectedly, a vast sea.
A new consciousness world had indeed emerged, indicating that a new level had been activated.
Moments later, He Xiaowei, Yun Xiangrong, and Situ Qing also stepped out of room 701. The moment the door closed behind them, room 701 vanished completely.
Before the players, the hallway was replaced by a desolate sea. The water wasn’t a deep blue but had a dull gray tint with hints of yellow and black.
In the distance, where the sea met the sky, the heavens were also a dull gray. Such a setting set the tone for this part of the game.
Oppressive and gloomy, no one felt uplifted.
They stood on a pier, which looked rather luxurious. Several passenger and cargo ships were docked. However, there were no dock workers or passengers. The sea and dock were eerily quiet.
The only option for exploration seemed to be the city.
Turning their gaze forward, right in front of the three players was a sign. It read: [Year XX37, September, Cypress City, West Pier.]
Zhou Qian looked down at his attire. He was no longer wearing the caretaker’s uniform but was dressed in a military uniform with a “7” inscribed on it.
After Fu Yao’s troops entered within a quarter of an hour, it didn’t take long for the school’s rescue team to quickly arrive. Leading the team was the current principal of Bikong Academy. The two prominent figures of Bikong’s history appeared at the same time, yet the situation remained dire.
“Just now, the military personnel came,” the team doctor said in a low voice, trying not to alarm the students. “They mentioned unusual energy fluctuations in this area, suspecting the presence of a rare high-risk creature.”
The principal, of course, knew what that meant. As soon as he arrived, he saw a military aircraft with a familiar emblem on it. “Where are the military personnel now?”
“They’ve already gone in.”
“How many of our people haven’t come out yet?”
“About a dozen students and one instructor.”
“I see.” The principal adjusted his cuffs. “Just to be safe, you stay here. Have everyone else evacuate the students. Ensure everyone is safely returned to the academy.”
“What about you, Principal?”
In between the fingers of the principal’s right hand, three objects that looked like crystals appeared. “Of course I’m going in. My students are inside; I can’t possibly leave them behind.”
The team doctor watched with concern as the principal disappeared into the entrance. A collapsed mine was the most dangerous place, especially with unknown wild creatures inside. These rescuers all went in with the mindset that they might not return. Now, all he could do was sincerely pray that the students trapped inside could be rescued unharmed.
The way through the mine was littered with the bodies of Giant-tailed Lizards, a testament to the military’s effectiveness. For these well-trained soldiers, A-grade creatures were just beasts that could be dealt with in one move. But their real enemy was still nowhere to be seen.
Following the trail of bodies, the principal encountered Fu Yao deep in the mine. He was organizing his subordinates to escort two recently rescued students to the entrance. The instructor had just joined them. The three groups finally met.
“Principal, I’m sorry.” The instructor immediately apologized upon seeing him. “I failed to protect them.”
The principal patted him on the shoulder. Doing so seemed a bit out of place given the instructor’s taller stature, even though the principal was much older. “It was an accident. Our priority now is to rescue the students. We’ll discuss the rest later.”
It was then that Fu Yao interjected, “It’s been a while, senior.”
The instructor knew both were graduates of Bikong, but he hadn’t realized they had once studied together. However, Fu Yao’s tone lacked the warmth typically reserved for old classmates.
“I guessed it was you,” the principal replied in the same tone. “Should I address you as Major General now? Congratulations.”
“I didn’t expect our reunion to be under these circumstances. You haven’t grown taller at all.”
“You’ve grown quite a bit since then, but even with that height, you’re still so short.”
The instructor was stunned. Everyone knew about the principal’s short stature, and Fu Yao’s height was a well-known off-limits topic. Was it appropriate for these old classmates to pick on each other’s sensitive topics upon reunion?
The deputy officer, the only person on the scene who knew both of them, helplessly rubbed his forehead. These two had always been at odds, and years later, they still didn’t get along. The principal noticed the gesture and slapped his arm as a friendly greeting, and the deputy nodded in response.
“What’s the situation now?” The principal asked, seeing that this wasn’t the right time to argue with Fu Yao.
The instructor quickly briefed him. “Most of the students have been rescued successfully. Thankfully, only minor injuries. Two students seem to be trapped since their positions haven’t changed. Major General Fu Yao has sent someone to rescue them.”
After sharing the good news, he continued with the concerning part. “Three students are missing. One named Zhu Yue; his last location was here.” The instructor pointed to a dim dot on the tablet. “The other two are Ling Xiao, the first student to lose contact, and Ying Feng. It’s suspected that the danger started from their location.”
Without asking Fu Yao, the principal turned to his deputy. “And you?”
“We detected an unusual energy source nearby, in the same direction as the missing students. However, the signal is unstable. Many passages here have been blocked due to collapses, but we’re trying to approach that area.”
“Do you have any idea what the energy source might be?”
The deputy hesitated for a moment before saying, “The only thing that can alert satellite monitoring is the energy radiation emitted from a soul stone or a rare creature within an SS-grade or above.”
The principal had already prepared for the worst, but upon hearing this, he frowned. “Is there any way to start from the outside?”
“No, forcibly drilling is highly likely to cause a cave collapse, endangering those still inside.”
“As long as there’s a glimmer of hope, we can’t give up,” Fu Yao interrupted their conversation. “Now the only method is to target the last known signal direction and manually forge a path. We need to move quickly but gently, with the priority being the survival of those inside. We absolutely cannot trigger another collapse.”
“Understood!” The soldiers responded in unison, lowering their voices.
……
Ying Feng, with a dagger in hand, charged at the Kui. However, before he could reach the Kui, a shadow sprang from behind him, punching the Kui and sending it flying several meters.
Ying Feng stopped in disbelief. How could anyone possess such immense strength to repel a creature many times his size? Moreover, the speed of this shadow was astonishing, making it impossible for Ying Feng to discern its features.
Under the mysterious figure’s assault, the Kui was continuously forced back until it was kicked hard against the cave wall, creating a loud rumbling sound.
Ying Feng realized with horror that their reckless fighting might cause a more severe cave-in. Frantically, he looked around for Ling Xiao, whom he had pushed aside earlier, but he was nowhere to be seen.
More rocks began to fall, blocking all exits. In the confined space, the shadow continued its fight with the Kui, whose massive arms flailed in anger but failed to land a hit. The enemy moved so fast that afterimages appeared, giving the illusion of multiple attackers targeting the Kui’s head, chest, and back. The Kui roared in anger, the sound echoing throughout the cavern.
The shadow leaped onto Kui’s back, choking him. In this moment, Ying Feng recognized the figure—it was Ling Xiao!
His eyes were bloodshot, filled with a wild murderous intent. Killing his opponent seemed to be his sole focus; Ying Feng was sure that Ling Xiao wouldn’t hesitate to attack him if he intervened. His fighting prowess was extraordinary, overpowering the highest-level creature with ease—a strength that seemed impossible for someone who was still a fledgling.
The Kui mustered all its strength to throw off Ling Xiao, who landed high up on the cave wall. From there, he once again lunged at the Kui. His punches and kicks were so fast they became a blur, hitting the Kui repeatedly. Ling Xiao planted his foot on the Kui’s chest and ripped off its left arm with a single hand.
The Kui roared in pain, blood splattering all over—the ceiling, walls, floor, and all over Ling Xiao. The scene was gruesome, and even Ying Feng was taken aback. But Ling Xiao, unfazed, proceeded to tear off the Kui’s other arm, then somersaulted away, coldly observing his handiwork.
At that moment, Ying Feng didn’t see Ling Xiao; he saw a merciless, cold-blooded killer.
The Kui, now armless and defeated, charged at Ling Xiao, seemingly ready to take him down even if it meant its own demise. Ling Xiao stood still, not even blinking.
“Ling Xiao!” Ying Feng exclaimed. What was he thinking, facing such an attack without dodging?
Ling Xiao stretched out his arm, aiming straight at the charging Kui. His arm punctured the Kui’s chest without deviation.
The Kui gave its final roar, and Ling Xiao, emotionless, twisted his arm, crushing the Kui’s heart. With a bloody arm, he withdrew from the Kui’s body. The Kui staggered for a moment.
In one lethal move, Ling Xiao jumped back to a safe distance, leaving a fist-sized hole in Kui’s chest, from which blood spewed.
Life slowly faded from the Kui, and after stumbling a few steps, the king of beasts, who once dominated these parts, finally fell face-first into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Silence engulfed the cramped cave.
Ying Feng couldn’t believe what he saw. Taking two steps forward, he suddenly felt something under his foot. Stepping back, he picked it up and recognized it as a portable injector with a small amount of bright orange liquid remaining inside.
Scouring his memory, Ying Feng remembered where he had seen this object before.
“Is this… Embers II? Did you actually steal this from the base?”
Ling Xiao turned his head. A flash of red appeared in his eyes, which quickly returned to their normal gray. The blood on his face made him look terrifying, but his eyes were filled with confusion.
Ying Feng wasn’t sure what to say. Ling Xiao’s bold action had surprised him, but if Ling Xiao hadn’t stolen the serum from the lab, they would probably be dead by now.
As the drug’s effects wore off, Ling Xiao seemed to be drained of all energy. He fell to his knees. Ying Feng muttered under his breath, dropped the injector, and hurriedly helped Ling Xiao up before he could collapse further. Ling Xiao’s head hung limply, seemingly unconscious.
Holding up a barely conscious person, Ying Feng passed the corpse of the Kui and the two severed arms scattered on the ground. He set Ling Xiao against a wall and began searching for a way out of the enclosed space.
However, he soon found out that the exit paths were blocked by fallen rocks. Trying to forcefully break them led to more rocks falling from above. Fearing that the only available space would collapse and bury them alive, he didn’t dare to proceed.
Checking his terminal, he found its screen had been smashed during their escape, rendering it useless. Ling Xiao’s wrist was empty.
After the Kui’s appearance, they now faced another problem: being trapped in a collapsed mine with no contact with the outside world. At this point, all they could do was wait for rescue. Ying Feng believed that the academy was actively searching for them and hoped help would arrive soon.
Exhausted from the tension and escape, Ying Feng sat opposite Ling Xiao, trying to conserve his energy. As he closed his eyes to rest, a faint moan reached his ears. Opening his eyes, he realized something was wrong with Ling Xiao. He had seen similar symptoms in Yao Tai before.
“Ugh…” The moan this time was louder than before. Under Ying Feng’s gaze, Ling Xiao’s eyelids slowly opened. His unfocused eyes made Ying Feng certain that Ling Xiao’s attention wasn’t fixed on him.
“Ling Xiao, Ling Xiao!” Ying Feng waved his hand in front of him.
“Can you see?”
After a moment, Ling Xiao let out a slow “ah”.
“I feel… unwell.”
Relieved that Ling Xiao was still conscious, Ying Feng said, “Of course you do. Dr. Yao said that Embers II is only a prototype and has strong side effects. I can’t believe you stole it.” But seeing Ling Xiao’s feeble state, Ying Feng’s tone softened. “Well, I guess it was a blessing in disguise.”
Ling Xiao once again closed his eyes in pain and leaned against the wall. His uniform had been torn in several places from the recent fight and was stained all over with blood from the Kui, giving him a terrifying look.
The side effects of “Embers II” were so intense. It felt as if a fire had been lit inside his veins, repeatedly evaporating his blood.
Hallucinations began to appear in his vision, showing forbidden movies and stories he shouldn’t dream about. And the protagonist of those stories seemed to be right next to him.
“Ying… Feng…”
It took Ying Feng several tries to recognize that Ling Xiao was saying his name. Yet, he couldn’t clearly hear what was said next.
“What did you say?”
Ling Xiao moved his lips, but the sound he produced was barely audible.
With no other option, Ying Feng moved closer. “What did you say just now?”
“I feel so hot…”
This time, Ying Feng heard him clearly. “Hot?”
He reached out and touched Ling Xiao’s exposed skin, shocked to find it wasn’t just warm but burning. It felt as if he was going to combust from within, likely the reason behind the name “Embers”.
Realizing that the side effects had gone beyond Ling Xiao’s tolerance, Ying Feng felt helpless. Rescue hadn’t yet arrived. Having narrowly escaped death at the Kui’s hands, would Ling Xiao now succumb to the drug’s side effects?
An unconscious touch from Ying Feng elicited a moan from Ling Xiao, a moan different from his previous pain, revealing a hint of something different in its rising tone.
As an inexperienced fledgling, Ying Feng couldn’t understand the meaning behind that sound. Ling Xiao’s abnormal behavior made him anxious. He didn’t want to see him die after escaping from the Kui’s threat.
Yet, Ling Xiao’s breath grew fainter and fainter, almost ceasing completely. Ying Feng could barely detect his breathing.
“Are you okay?” He shook Ling Xiao vigorously by the arms, trying to rouse him.
“Hey, snap out of it!”
Just as Ying Feng was at a loss for what to do, the dying man in front of him suddenly opened his eyes. With a burst of unexpected strength, Ling Xiao pushed Ying Feng to the ground, his arms firmly on either side of him.
In the darkness, Ling Xiao’s eyes gleamed dangerously.
“What are you doing?” Ying Feng, pinned beneath him, was taken aback and frustrated by the sudden turn of events.
What answered him was an unheard growl. The once-dominant Ling Xiao opened his mouth, revealing two sharp fangs.
Ying Feng’s eyes widened in shock. What is this? A vampire?
Nol had never seen the candle show such a human side before.
It looked odd and had a high-pitched voice, reminiscent of a fast-forwarded cartoon character. But at this moment, the vertically aligned eye of the candle stared back with intense seriousness, making Nol feel as if he was gazing into the eyes of an elder.
Thinking about it, there was no substantial pact between Kando and him. Kando had no reason to stay, but it seemed intent on staying by his side, having never mentioned leaving.
This mysterious candle possessed the ability to “transcend space” and had an inexplicable knowledge of the dungeons and the system. Its origins must be significant. Moreover, it had witnessed Nol expelling Liang Guanghui with the letter opener… but remained silent about it. Nol had almost forgotten about this.
“Do you know a lot about the gods?” Nol directly asked, sitting down beside the bed.
“Discussing the gods is equally dangerous. Be careful, very careful. You might have already caught their attention,” Kando seriously replied. “This world doesn’t always make sense.”
As the creator of this world, Nol was slightly irritated, but he quickly adjusted his mood. “Since you seem so knowledgeable about all of this, why not explain it all at once? In exchange, I’ll try to help you—if you need my assistance.”
The candle remained silent, staring fixedly at Nol. For some reason, Nol felt sadness in that single eye.
“I do know some truths, but only a fraction. Regrettably, I can’t reveal them. If I spoke them out loud, you’d instantly attract the attention of ‘the gods’.”
“As for help… your continued pursuit of the truth is already aiding me.”
“Are these ‘gods’ some kind of evolved version of Demons?” Nol couldn’t help but wonder, rubbing his temples. “What about your own story?”
“Sorry, I still can’t tell,” the candle replied dejectedly. “But I can assure you that I’m not someone important.”
Had the candle still retained its arrogant demeanor, Nol might’ve argued with it. But its tone was almost sincere now, and Nol didn’t want to push it further. “Can you give us some hints, like you did in the dungeon?”
The black candle squinted and pondered for a long time. As Teest began to play with a ball of yarn impatiently, Kando finally spoke again—
“The ‘system’ is the absolute law of this world. Even the ‘gods’ have to obey it,” it said slowly.
“You just said Nol doesn’t conform to these laws,” Teest quickly pointed out.
“This gentleman is special. I believe he understands his uniqueness,” the candle murmured. “It’s normal that you don’t know. That’s how it is when marital relations aren’t good. Trying to charm someone face-to-face and failing to entice them is quite pitiful.”
Teest’s smile remained unchanged. “Most people call that respecting someone’s privacy.”
“You failed in your charm. Completely useless.”
“How unfortunate. That’s one of our main goals.”
“You failed in your charm. Completely useless.”
Maintaining his smile, Teest turned and poured a jug of water onto the candle.
“Ahhhhhh—! You ruthless bastard!!!” The black candle screamed.
Does this thing get uncomfortable if it’s not causing trouble every three minutes? Nol took a deep breath, hoping Aunt Sophie wouldn’t hear.
Still, at this point, he was certain that the candle… didn’t seem to harbor ill intentions, probably.
Judging by Kando’s tone, it didn’t hold any reverence or affection for the so-called “gods”. Of course, Kando had its own motives, but Nol had a cold confidence—if it dared to harm them, it would be no match for him.
Realizing this, Nol almost laughed. Everyone who came to him had a motive. Such a life was refreshing but also annoying.
Fortunately, at least he didn’t need to be wary of Teest. In this environment full of hidden currents and mysteries, Nol suddenly appreciated how reassuring it was to have “a teammate who couldn’t harm him”.
Was Teest accompanying him because he felt the same way?
Nol looked at Teest, directly meeting his shimmering golden eyes.
…Damn, it’s that unannounced charm!
……
The next morning, Aunt Sophie looked at the two with a particularly meaningful gaze.
Teest smiled unaffectedly. Meanwhile, Nol walked a bit unsteadily, his posture unusually stiff, with faint bruises on his wrist.
Nol recognized the teasing gaze of Aunt Sophie, but he pretended not to see it. The truth about “Last night, Teest practiced charm magic with me on the second floor the whole night. In order to break free from the control as soon as possible, I used various self-harming methods, including, but not limited to, bumping into objects. In the end, I didn’t even have the energy to heal myself” was complicated. If he explained, it would sound ridiculous. Let her misunderstand. It wasn’t like it would hurt him physically.
However, at the breakfast table, just as Nol reached out with his fork to the fragrantly seasoned special roast meat, Aunt Sophie pulled the plate away. She placed a bowl of oatmeal with milk in front of him and added two puddings. The plate full of roasted meat was pushed to Teest.
“Have something light, young man,” Aunt Sophie kindly suggested.
Damn, I really lost out on the meat!
Nol gritted his teeth in frustration, watching Teest stuff a big piece of roasted meat into his mouth with satisfaction, even giving him a smug look.
“We didn’t really…” Nol muttered, staring at the meat. He had been completely drained last night, both mentally and physically. The plate of fragrant meat seemed to glow like it was holy.
“I know, I know. It’s okay. I’ll make it again in a few days. You’ll definitely get to eat.”
Aunt Sophie sighed. “This guy paid us well, and you don’t need to worry about the damage in the room. But I have to say, being young is one thing, but moderation is also necessary…”
Nol covered his face in anguish.
……
Four hours later, Teest was dragged by Nol to the business street of Grape Collar.
Compared to Whitebird City, Nol didn’t react much to the scenery of Grape Collar. It was too bustling, resembling a touristy old town in the western world. The shop facades were delicately designed, with various magical items shining brilliantly, adding music and lights to the streets, making it less of an “otherworldly” feel.
The entry into the city went smoothly.
Aunt Sophie provided them with fake identities. Teest retained his black braided hair look and even pretended to wear gold-rimmed round glasses.
Nol didn’t bother changing his appearance and just put on a cloak, making him look rather gloomy.
His appetite was anything but gloomy. Nol walked to a street-side roasted meat stall, buying the largest serving—
The meat here was wrapped in large green leaves, cut into bite-sized pieces, and heavily seasoned. One of the spices smelled like cumin, reminding Nol of the roasted skewers from City A.
“Sss, it’s really fragrant,” the candle remarked from within the fabric. “Grape Collar’s spices have always been famous. I’d love to have a bite…”
[Is there any good loot this time? Like the “Ruthless Tyranny” title from the previous Night of the Hunt—forgot to mention, thank you for that little surprise. I really like its effect.]
Teest ignored the candle, smiling as he watched Nol munch on the meat.
Nol shrugged indifferently.
The title “Ruthless Tyranny” permanently boosted attack but limited team member count.
Given Teest couldn’t team up with others anyway, the debuff of this title was roughly equivalent to the “halved attributes” of Nol’s staff—for them, it was almost negligible.
Indeed, there was an upgraded version of this title. However, this task was in the standard map, and Teest probably wouldn’t get the chance to “massacre NPCs”.
[The jewelry set is enough for you. Kando said your charm is stronger than the average succubus… If it’s right, you can exploit the jewelry’s power beyond its level.]
As Nol savored the juicy, spicy roast meat, his thoughts seemed a bit sluggish.
[Imagine, you can erase your presence all day without using a skill. How terrifying is that?]
[It’s more like, “How wonderful is that.”] Teest tried to steal a piece of Nol’s meat with his fork. [Well, I hope the “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” style looks good.]
‘You’re underestimating our design team’s capabilities,’ Nol thought, stuffing the last piece of meat into his mouth before Teest’s fork could reach it.
“Let’s go,” Nol said heartlessly, looking at Teest’s disappointed face.
After a hearty meal, it was time to find some Players to witness the miracle.
Grape Collar was the capital of the great nation of Shidina, one of the top cities on the Tahe Continent. With members of the Homeward Saints nearby, Nol wasn’t worried about finding targets.
However, after only a few steps, Nol’s attention was captured by a storefront—
It was a bakery that the production team had originally set as a “century-old shop”. It had survived until today, with almost four hundred years of history.
The store was almost identical to its original concept, but the sign now bore the emblem of the Alva Merchant Group. Seeing the familiar sight, Nol felt an urge—he hadn’t yet tried the food from the shop he’d designed in this world.
“Do you want to buy something to eat?” Teest found that he couldn’t pull Nol along, so he also looked at the bakery named “Good Blessings”.
“Let’s go in and take a look. Just a few minutes.” Nol gazed at the storefront with a hint of longing.
Teest: “Okay, I’ll wait for you outside.”
This surprised Nol a bit. However, the Mad Monk always had more experience. Teest probably thought that two people would attract more attention than one. Nol gave him a thumbs-up and entered the store on his own.
Upon entering, Nol felt as if he’d stepped into a sweet and warm cloud. The store was filled with the aroma of butter, honey, and fresh bread, creating an intoxicating sense of happiness. The interior was mainly decorated in a lively red. The store was crowded, and the staff were busy like bees.
In the center display window of the shop, there was a sign written in shimmering ink—
[◆New Arrival This Season◆ Kurt’s creation, peach teacup cakes from the distant snowy mountains! Limited time offer: 2 for 1 silver hook!]
Nol snapped out of his reverie upon seeing this and quickly adjusted his hood. Teest was right. You never know when you might run into someone you know.
But he still wanted to eat… After a moment of contemplation, Nol lowered his head and bought two peach cakes.
As he exited, Teest leaned against a streetlight, looking towards the end of the street. Hearing the door chime, he slightly turned his head, just in time to see Nol coming out with the cakes.
Nol then realized why the Mad Monk was so elusive. Now, Teest was dressed in a robe, his black hair braided and draped over one shoulder, and he wore round glasses with a delicate gold chain. Even after spending so much time with Teest, Nol took a few seconds to recognize him.
“Did you buy it?” Teest asked.
“Mm, here’s one for you.” Nol casually handed over one of the cakes.
The cake was delicate and beautiful. Soft cake topped with fresh white cream and enticing pale pink peach flesh peeking through. The sweet, with a hint of refreshing aroma, surely tasted great.
The Mad Monk rarely ate ready-made products, and Nol figured Teest probably hadn’t had a cake in a while, especially since he knew Teest enjoyed honey cakes and presumably didn’t dislike sweets.
But Teest didn’t take it.
He looked at the cake, then at Nol expressionlessly. With his new appearance, he seemed momentarily unfamiliar.
“It’s made by Mr. Kurt. I remember you like peaches,” Nol said, pushing the cake forward again. “Did you forget your wolf-tooth pendant? Hmm, habits are hard to change…”
Nol wasn’t holding it very securely. As he pushed it forward, Teest still didn’t take it, and the cake wobbled, falling to the ground.
The clean cream hit the dirt, and an awkward silence enveloped the two.
Before Nol could think of a way to break the silence, a burly man rushed towards the bakery, stepping right on the fallen cake. He moved so swiftly, and the cream was so slippery, that he lost his balance, crashing into the bakery’s glass window and sending blood gushing everywhere.
Nol’s heart raced, and he quickly moved to help the man. However, before he could reach him, the man grabbed Nol’s arm and pushed it into the shattered glass.
Only then did Nol notice the cleaver the man clutched in his right hand.
“Fuck! What trash did you throw? You ruined my chance to make a fortune. All ruined! It’s all your fault!” The man yelled, reeking of alcohol.
His bloodshot eyes glared at Nol, and he raised his knife to strike. Things had been going too well recently. Was fate trying to give him a bout of bad luck? Instinctively, Nol reached for his staff to block the knife.
Just then, there was a surge of magical energy nearby. In a flash, the cleaver in the man’s hand disappeared.
The man’s momentum carried him forward, and Nol took a punch to the chest… Fortunately, it wasn’t that strong, and he only lost 1 HP. However, his cake rolled into the glass shards, now inedible.
Without paying attention to the dazed, burly man, Nol turned to where the magical energy had emanated.
“Bold of you to cause trouble on this street,” a chilling voice remarked.
It came from a young man dressed in gray with a discreet appearance. With black hair and eyes and rogue-like accessories adorning him, he stood next to the Priestess Player from yesterday—though she had changed her outfit to look more like an ordinary citizen.
It seemed luck was on Nol’s side after all.
“It’s you!” “It’s you!” Both Nol and the Priestess exclaimed almost simultaneously.
“Ah, you’re quite unlucky,” the Priestess said with her signature gentle smile, rushing over. She stepped on the back of the burly man, helping Nol up from the shards of glass.
Unseen by others, a glow emitted from her palm, and the scrapes on Nol’s body began healing quickly. The burly man, pinned down by the young Priestess, was unable to move an inch.
“My name is Anakin.” She extended her hand to Nol. “It seems we have a bit of fate. Would you like to have a meal together? Of course, bring your brother with you.”
“You’re a Saint.” Nol didn’t take her hand, striving to sound shaken.
“I sneaked out today to visit my cousin. Just treat me as a commoner,” Priestess Anakin laughed. “I’ll let you in on a secret. I actually quite dislike the Temple’s tedious rules.”
“…I understand. Thank you for your grace,” Nol said, waiting for her to get friendlier.
Having said that, he instinctively looked at Teest—Teest was still standing next to the shattered cake, with a rare dazed expression. He was staring straight at Nol, as if they were complete strangers.
Teest’s condition today was… strange.
Normally, Teest would have instantly subdued the strong man. But just now, the legendary Mad Monk was just like an ordinary person, just standing there in a daze.
The moment the cake hit the ground, Nol admitted he was somewhat upset. But seeing Teest in this state, all he felt was concern.
“Wait for me for a moment, Miss Annakin,” he said to the Priestess. He dusted himself off in front of everyone, and walked back into the shop.
Minutes later, Nol walked out with four peach cakes. This time he had them specially wrapped, and the shop gave him a small wicker basket.
Anakin: “……” This NPC has a unique character. Does he just want to eat cake?
She blankly stepped on the burly man on the ground, who let out a painful cry. The Rogue with her glanced at Anakin, then at Nol, looking increasingly perplexed.
Nol ignored the psychological activities of the two Players. He carried the cake and strode to Teest.
“Do you want some?” He held up the basket, his question clear and serious. “If you don’t want any, just say so—if you don’t eat, I’ll eat two myself. They’re not that big.”
Teest stared at him intently. His lips moved slightly, and the dazed look on his face faded a bit.
“Can I have a taste?” He gazed at Nol. “Can you give me a bite? It might be… inconvenient for me to take it myself. Just one bite is enough.”
Nol swallowed the question he was about to ask, picked up a cake, and held it to Teest’s lips. Teest took a nip of the cream, still gazing intently at Nol.
“It tastes good,” he said with a sigh, gradually revealing a smile, though this time it seemed a bit forced, almost like a rigid mask.
Teest hesitated for a few seconds and then gently took the cake. “Aren’t you angry?”
“No,” Nol said decisively.
“Don’t you care?” Teest asked lightly.
“I care a lot,” Nol whispered, “but if you want to talk, then talk. If not, let it be… We still have plenty of time to get along.”
This time, Nol really didn’t want to ask. Teest was different from when he joked about “wanting to know the truth about the world”. This time, his hands, which were skilled at dissecting monsters, were trembling slightly.
Whatever caused Teest to freeze up, it wasn’t good news.
Teest held the cake with both hands, gazing at Nol for a long time.
“Thank you,” he said.
The next moment, the serious image of Teest vanished like an illusion. The Mad Monk returned to his usual demeanor, seeming in control of everything. He quickly finished the cake, licking the cream from the corner of his mouth.
He wanted the “truth of the world” because he sought redemption, wanting to rid himself of the guilt that haunted him like a shadow and find the way home with everyone. He had no other choice.
But what about Teest?
“The truth of the world” wasn’t a taboo subject. Back on Earth, countless scientists had debated and pondered over it.
Yes, when people were intrigued by a mystery, they usually opted for formal research. They didn’t resort to torturing possible informants and then publicly displaying their bodies.
The Mad Monk revealed his motives but digging into them felt like unearthing sweet potatoes from the ground—pull one out, and a string of other questions followed.
“Next, I’m going to tell you about my tragic past… Are you looking forward to it?” Teest said with a smile, his original hair and eye color restored. The evening shadows covered his eyes, and his golden pupils turned into a deep honey color, making his gaze equally intense.
“If you’d like, I can lend you my shoulder,” Nol offered.
“Really? That story began a long, long time ago—” Teest began with a sing-song voice.
Nol subtly shifted his posture and listened intently.
But just as Teest began, he stopped as if he had bitten his tongue. After a moment, he tilted his head. “Do you prefer the ‘unlucky guy with cursed blood’ version or the ‘descendant of a fallen noble’ version? If you want something more exciting, the ‘innocent and persistent seeker of knowledge’ version works… You choose the style, and I promise to be emotional.”
Nol stared at Teest expressionlessly. Are you planning to make it up on the spot? You missed your calling as a bard.
“I’d prefer the truthful version,” he said tersely.
“Ah, then I have nothing to say,” Teest replied theatrically, pretending to wipe away a tear. “You’re so cruel.”
Nol looked at the man in front of him, amused. He didn’t expect the Mad Monk to easily open up. If Teest had done so, Nol would’ve been concerned.
Throughout their interaction, Nol had secretly summarized Teest’s “Three Laws of the Mad Monk”—
Teest never asks too much.
Teest always has his own agenda.
Teest never speaks his true feelings… at least not yet.
“Forget it. Let’s discuss our next move.” Nol swiftly changed the subject. “To become a main NPC in the truest sense, I need a grand debut in front of the Players. To do that, I need to kidnap a few ‘Players witnesses’ to keep with me.”
“You’re going to use quest intelligence as bait? That could work…” Teest quickly caught on. “Wait, why are you making that face?”
“Because what I’m using as bait is somewhat related to you,” Nol replied, avoiding eye contact and clearing his throat. “Have you ever heard of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’?”
Teest looked at him confusedly and shook his head.
“That’s what I thought. It’s a challenging chain quest. ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is the final reward—a jewelry set.”
“You sure this is attractive enough?” Teest asked curiously, knowing that Players usually value rare magical items and legendary weapons more than jewelry or armor, which they could craft themselves.
“It’s not powerful in terms of attack, but Players will definitely want it.”
[A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A jewelry set that includes 1 crown, 2 earrings, and 1 necklace. Each piece has an “existence control” effect that significantly lowers or raises others’ attention towards you. Wearing the complete set makes others feel a passionate love for you.
※ This effect only occurs while wearing the full set, and after the effect wears off, severe adverse reactions might occur based on individual differences.]
Nol directly inputted the item description into Teest’s mind, who began to show a complicated expression.
“For Players, using the individual pieces is just perfect.” Nol pointed to his left ear. “Their earrings and appearances are quite noticeable and not conducive for covert operations.”
“We also need it. It’s indeed valuable,” Teest said thoughtfully.
Having roamed the Tahe Continent for many years, the Mad Monk knew the advantages and troubles appearance could bring. Previously, he could only manipulate impressions through various means. But as they planned to act openly, this item was perfect.
“…But what do you mean by ‘somewhat related to me’? Concealing appearance concerns both of us.”
Nol’s gaze shifted away again.
“This reward is on a semi-open map. We NPCs can join forces with Players. But the thing about that map… uhh…”
Teest took a few steps forward, leaning in close to Nol, forcing him to meet his gaze. “What about the map?”
“That map is called ‘Succubus Lair’,” Nol said.
Teest: “.…..”
“This set of jewelry grants bonuses when worn by a succubus or someone with succubus traits. It really suits you,” Nol quickly added. “Good luck, outstanding Mr. Mad Monk. I’m counting on you!”
The corner of Teest’s mouth twitched a couple of times. “…What do you mean you’re counting on me? Aren’t you coming?”
“I will, but everyone has a love for beauty. I’m not very resistant to charms. I’m afraid I might get soft-hearted…” Nol mumbled. “You are somewhat more… suited for the vanguard role.”
“Soft-hearted, huh? Even a stray kid on the street can tell you’re a pure soul.” Teest was skeptical about Nol’s ambiguous description of him and stared at Nol for a moment expressionlessly. “Are you sure you can convincingly play the ‘leader of a monster organization’ well?”
“That’s why I said I need you!” Nol’s voice grew slightly louder. “Don’t worry, Mr. Mad Monk. I’ve made it this far, surpassing countless mentors.”
Teest gave a long “hmm”, rhythmically tapping the windowsill with his knuckles. Finally, as if having made up his mind, he stopped tapping.
“This sounds too troublesome. If you get charmed, I’d have to watch out for you in the middle of the fight… I hate complications.” Teest stated, “What if I told you I could help you overcome your susceptibility to ‘charm’ beforehand?”
“You have an item that resists charm?” Nol’s eyes lit up.
“No,” Teest replied. “But starting today, I can keep charming you until you build up resistance.”
“…What?!”
“I said charm you.” Teest casually walked back to the table, tearing another piece of honey cake. “Literally. I also have that skill.”
“Teest, tell me honestly, do you have succubus blood in you?” Nol held his breath.
“None. ‘Dream Manipulation’, ‘Charm’, and another useless skill. Those are the only three succubus talents I have.”
Teest bit into the soft cake nonchalantly. “I haven’t used ‘Charm’ yet. It’s a good time for both of us to familiarize ourselves with it.”
Nol gaped at Teest.
[Charm] was an offensive skill. While it didn’t do physical damage, it could mess with one’s mindset… But both he and Teest were straight, so no issues should arise…right?
“Alright then, I’ll be relying on you,” Nol finally said after debating between “potential disgrace” and “strength”, choosing the latter.
……
“It seems ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is genuinely hard to obtain. No leads from Amazon or Hermitage?”
After seeing off Teest and Nol, the four Players didn’t immediately leave. They met with two other Players near the village and collectively sighed in a small cabin.
Despite the cramped hut being filled with handsome men and beautiful women, the atmosphere didn’t lighten.
“Maybe this quest requires the help of NPCs,” the Paladin leader suggested. “The system wouldn’t issue an impossible quest. We must have missed something.”
“Do you think it’s those two handsome brothers?”
The Holy Priestess sat on the edge of the chair, swinging her legs, speculated. “Do you honestly believe their good looks are a coincidence? I don’t. There’s something about them, like succubus bloodlines. Isn’t ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ related to the succubus realm?”
The White Mage leaning against the wall, hearing this, took a painful breath. “Let it be. You saw how the younger brother got agitated. He’s under stress, and if you try to increase his favorability now, it may backfire.”
“The harder it is to gain their favor, the more valuable the quest might be. They might be main storyline NPCs. That younger brother seems to harbor a strong hatred for the Eternal Church. It’s an opportunity for us… Good opportunities are rare,” the Priestess remarked with a hint of gravity in her lively tone.
“I personally suggest giving up for now. The effects of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ are excellent, but we’ve already invested too much. The Eternal Church cultists are expanding towards Shidina, and those Demons are leagues ahead of us in power. Leveling up should be our priority,” the Paladin commented earnestly.
“Leveling up? What’s the point of leveling up? As long as we don’t massacre, even if we train non-stop, we can’t surpass those scumbags—the efficiency difference between killing monsters and killing people is huge.”
Upon hearing this, the Priestess frowned, her previously gentle demeanor now nowhere to be seen. “I thought our intense search was to prevent the Eternal Church from getting it first. Anyway, I’m going to continue on this lead. You all do as you wish.”
“Anakin!”
“If ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ falls into the hands of the Eternal Church, the mere thought is terrifying. I said I’ll follow, and I’ll continue to. Lao Yan, you’re not my boss, and neither are those people at the Temple.”
The Priestess forcefully tapped on the table with a cold face.
The Paladin’s handsome face twitched a little, and after a while, he sighed helplessly. “It’s good if someone keeps searching, but just be careful. Do you need us to help you find companions? It’s too dangerous for you to act alone.”
“No need. I have friends at Hermitage. One of them is currently in Grape Collar,” the Holy Priestess Anakin said. “I’ll check in regularly… I’m sorry for my tone earlier.”
“It’s fine. We all understand your concerns,” the Paladin replied with a weary smile. “I hope you stay safe, Miss Qu.”
“I’m a Holy Priestess. Charm spells don’t work on me.”
The Priestess laughed, but it wasn’t a relaxed smile. “The real trouble is the Black Forest… Let’s pray that we find the ‘Succubus Lair’ first.”
……
Late at night, on the second floor of Aunt Sophie’s house.
Thanks to Teest’s blessing, Aunt Sophie assumed the two handsome young men were in a relationship, so she generously arranged a double bedroom for them.
“The room is soundproof. Just don’t make too much noise,” she said with a suggestive grin.
Nol awkwardly laughed it off at the time, but now he couldn’t even muster a smile. They were bound to make some noise, but it probably had nothing to do with Aunt Sophie’s assumptions—
The two stood at opposite ends of the bed. The tension in the room was palpable, as if they were about to duel.
The night belonged to the shadows. The shadow wolf’s head occasionally popped out from odd corners. At the moment, it was amusing itself by sticking its head out of an open drawer. The magic staff with Kando stood at the foot of the bed, with its blue flame flickering.
“What sins did I commit in my past life to witness this in this one?” It lamented to the shadow wolf. “Why is it that every time I regain my freedom, these two beasts do something I can’t comprehend?”
The shadow wolf glanced at it, confused, then quickly refocused on the two humans.
At this moment, Nol stared at Teest, as if facing a formidable enemy. He even rolled up his sleeves— although he didn’t know what that would accomplish—ready for anything.
Teest looked back at him with a complex expression. He seemed to have many things he wanted to say but held back.
“I’m starting,” he simply said.
In an instant, his golden eyes shone brightly, like flowing gold or falling stars.
Nol’s mind went blank.
Teest was naturally handsome and quite attractive. Nol would usually be wary because of the dangerous aura under Teest’s appearance, but now, that danger became a tempting ornament.
Bathed in soft moonlight, it felt like Teest was the only being in the world—his fragrant hair, flawless body, and those eyes… eyes that seemed to pull one into a honeyed mire.
He wanted those eyes, wanted their owner, wanted to see a smile from the owner of those eyes… He was willing to give anything for it. He just needed a command…
No! Snap out of it! A voice in his heart whispered. You’re not even into men. This is just the effect of magic!
He wanted to get closer, to touch him, to caress his face and hair. What was he waiting for? Why was he still standing there…?
Are you crazy? The voice in his heart screamed. That’s the serial killer Mad Monk! He’ll hang you up!
Nol felt the tug-of-war inside him.
This was way stronger than “Dream Manipulation”—if “Dream Manipulation” was like seeing flowers in the fog, making one sink into it unknowingly, while their subconscious thoughts veered off-course; “Charm” was like shoving those flowers directly into your mouth, making you feel the blunt sweetness, irresistibly wanting to swallow…
Clap, clap.
The spell-like attraction suddenly faded, and Teest applauded by the window.
The crisp sound snapped Nol back to reality. He wiped the sweat from his face, feeling a mix of lingering fear and a deep aversion to mental magic.
“As expected, Mr. Lich has exceptional mental resistance.” Teest happily said, “The first time you faced my charm head-on, you didn’t move a step. I must admit, I didn’t expect this—I’ve seen people charmed before, and they all rushed forward like monkeys in heat.”
With that, Teest stretched out a finger and gently flicked it in the air. Moonlight slid by, instantly illuminating the room full of spider-web-like golden threads.
Nol: “.…..”
Had he taken even a step forward just now, he would have been instantly cocooned.
…Come on, brother, was that really necessary? My strength and agility are just two-digit numbers, while yours are in the thousands!
Teest spread his hands innocently, gesturing Nol to look elsewhere.
It was then that Nol looked down and saw his surroundings.
While resisting the system’s influence earlier, he seemed to have unintentionally affected some inanimate objects—his bedside table had fallen over causing a vase to shatter. The decorative painting on the wall fell, the frame broken into pieces. The bed and floor were covered with fresh scratches, as if a desperate beast had gone mad here.
‘Great,’ he thought with a wooden face. There was no explaining this to Aunt Sophie now.
“To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed.”
After a moment of silence, Teest showed a meaningful smile. “You don’t often rush towards me. I thought… hmm.”
‘You thought I’d run straight into the golden threads? I think you don’t often get a chance to hang me up,’ Nol thought sarcastically.
With a grimace, Nol stepped over the debris, casually patted the shadow wolf’s head, and poured himself a glass of water. “I need a break. We’ll continue in a bit.”
As he passed Kando, Nol deliberately avoided eye contact. That creature was always sharp-tongued. Who knows what it would say.
Surprisingly, Kando didn’t mock him. The one-eyed creature looked at Nol for a while. “You really don’t have any mental resistance items?”
“Maybe I excel in subtlety, or maybe my sexual orientation is particularly firm,” Nol said dryly. “Or maybe because Mr. Teest isn’t a real succubus. His charm is a sub-par version—he himself said it was his first time using it.”
Kando still stared at Nol. “No, I think it’s not related to those reasons. Teest’s charm is stronger than any succubus I’ve seen. It’s impossible for you to be unaffected.”
It narrowed its only eye, looking intently, making Nol feel as though he was being sized up by a detective.
“Magic is an absolute law.” Its’ tone was so serious it was chilling. “Whether it’s the magic effect or the resistance level of the object, it’s a predetermined outcome… You don’t fit that outcome, Nol.”
“You absolutely cannot let anyone else discover this,” Kando continued.
“…After all, the gods don’t like surprises.”
The author has something to say:
It’s hilarious. The two main characters in this story have a huge misconception: believing they’re straight.
They won’t stay straight for long, I tell you (in that tone).
This matter wasn’t noticed by He Xiaowei until Zhou Qian mentioned it. But after hearing it, he took a closer look and felt that Jiang Yuqing indeed seemed younger.
“Could it be…” He Xiaowei thought of a terrifying possibility. “Did he set up some kind of magical formation, killing those two caretakers? His purpose was to kill and rejuvenate himself—”
He Xiaowei’s voice rose. “I get it. Jiang Yuqing is the boss of this instance. Aren’t we supposed to fulfill his last wish? I think his wish is to become young again! Now… he has killed two players and three janitors in a side mission. And two caretakers vanished in the main storyline…”
“It’s horrifying. Extremely cruel. He must have used some dark magic?!”
Zhou Qian, looking through the window into room 701, said, “I don’t think so.”
He Xiaowei: “Huh?”
Zhou Qian continued, “There must be a way to clear this game, and the clearance rate of this stage is as high as 60%. If Jiang Yuqing’s wish is to kill all of us and become young, and we need to fulfill this wish to clear the level… think about it, isn’t that contradictory and impossible?”
He Xiaowei nodded vigorously. “Right. True. This building feels very strange.”
“It is strange,” Zhou Qian said. “Have you ever seen, in the real world, an entire nursing home where everyone revolves around just one person?”
“No… I haven’t!” He Xiaowei exclaimed. “You mean, this isn’t real?”
What He Xiaowei meant was ambiguous since they were both in a game world, which wasn’t reality.
But Zhou Qian understood him.
Regardless of the game’s backdrop, based on the plot in this instance, everything they encountered didn’t seem to follow the logic of the real world. They seemed to be in a virtual space, like an illusion.
Zhou Qian began, “If my guess is right, this might be Jiang Yuqing’s conscious world, where he controls our existence and disappearance.”
“He slept for an hour in the afternoon. During this hour… we entered another layer of his conscious world, which was the side quest.”
“The side quest called ‘Checks and Balance’ isn’t easy to clear, but surviving it is simple. Players avoiding those 12 rooms, enduring an hour, and returning to 701 can leave the side quest and return to the regular 7th floor. In reality, Jiang Yuqing would wake up after that hour, ending the dream.”
“However, since we cleared it, everything we experienced, and the ending scenes are significant and might be related to the hidden achievement.”
“The S squad’s gunman kills the 7 squad members with bullets marked ‘S’. Our mission was to help a young officer collect 12 bullets marked ‘7’, which he then used to retaliate against the 12 S squad gunmen.”
“There’s a meaning in this, but I haven’t linked them to the main plot. Also—”
Looking at the peculiar damp photo on the wall, Zhou Qian said, “I still can’t grasp the meaning of that photo.”
On the photo were seven blurred faces. When the side mission started, touching the photo would reveal a handsome officer giving players hints. Dead players would vanish when the side mission ended. All the janitors disappeared during the side mission, and caretakers started disappearing as well…
What was the meaning behind these images?
It was as if a curtain covered the truth.
Now, Zhou Qian had lifted most of it. Just a bit more, and he would see the entire truth.
At that moment, there was movement in room 701.
Jiang Yuqing asked three times in a row, “Where’s my osmanthus cake?”
With the two girls lost in their thoughts and not answering him, he began to act.
[Target: Jiang Yuqing]
[Rank: B]
[Specialty: ???]
[Due to not getting his beloved osmanthus cake, Jiang Yuqing becomes agitated and shows a strong murderous intent. Players, be careful!]
Suddenly, all four players received this notification.
At this moment, Situ Qing calmly nestled beside the bookshelf, as if nothing had happened. This was probably due to her physical and mental fatigue and also because the protective shield around her had not yet completely disappeared.
Yun Xiangrong quickly hid near the door. Pushing it open, she exchanged a glance with Zhou Qian and silently moved to the other side of the corridor.
Following Yun Xiangrong out of the room was the little dragon Zhou Qian had brought with him earlier. Sensing danger, it widened its eyes in surprise, let out a faint “yelp”, and rushed out of the room, jumping straight into Zhou Qian’s arms.
Zhou Qian patted its head, and it curled up into his embrace without making any fuss.
At the door, He Xiaowei first curiously looked at the little dragon, then turned his gaze, full of concern, towards Yun Xiangrong not far away. Seeing her red eyes, he seemed to want to comfort her but didn’t know what to say. So he lowered his hand and whispered to Zhou Qian, “Hey, did Jiang Yuqing’s irritability happen because he didn’t get to eat the osmanthus cake? Should we give it to him?”
“Yes. But wait, let’s observe first.”
Zhou Qian held the little dragon close and signaled He Xiaowei to be quiet, then continued to look into the room.
Inside the room, only Situ Qing and Jiang Yuqing remained. Even though the system had alerted that Jiang Yuqing now had a strong killing intent, he didn’t seem to show any noticeable aggression towards Situ Qing.
However, Jiang Yuqing was indeed “irritable”. He first smashed a vase on the table, then walked to the bookshelf. Without even glancing at Situ Qing by its side, he pulled out several books and threw them on the floor, stepping on them forcefully.
With a fierce look in his eyes, he seemed ready to tear the books apart when he suddenly froze. It appeared he remembered something, slowly turned around, and then looked at the photographs, walking towards them.
“What the hell—” At the door, He Xiaowei frowned and asked Zhou Qian, “Bro, have you figured anything out yet?”
“How can a man with only three days left to live suddenly become a Rank B ‘monster’?” Zhou Qian countered.
He Xiaowei quickly responded, “So, you were right! This is a consciousness world, not reality! In reality, Jiang Yuqing indeed has only three days left to live! But now, we are in a consciousness world. So, this consciousness form of Jiang Yuqing, under someone’s control, can suddenly become powerful!”
“Yes, it should be like that. But if… the elderly Jiang Yuqing in front of us is aggressive towards players, and the side quest ‘Checks and Balance’ related to the 12 rooms is also his creation in a dream, based on these points, it’s safe to infer that in this instance, this elderly Jiang Yuqing is hostile towards us players. But at the same time—”
Inside, Jiang Yuqing was walking towards the photograph. Zhou Qian glanced at the photo three times and then said, “The young military officer in the photo gave us clues to pass ‘Checks and Balance’; in the end animation, it was also him who dealt with the 12 gunmen. Does this mean that the young officer is opposed to Jiang Yuqing? That is, in this instance, unlike Jiang Yuqing, this officer is relatively friendly to players.”
Before He Xiaowei could respond, Zhou Qian suddenly entered the room. The moment he stepped in, he said to the person opposite, “Mr. Jiang, your osmanthus cake has arrived.”
These words were as soothing as a spring breeze, calming all turbulent emotions. Jiang Yuqing immediately smiled.
[Player triggers clue hint: “Wang’s Osmanthus Cake” can soothe Jiang Yuqing’s emotions; Jiang Yuqing’s irritable state is resolved.]
[Player unlocks two states of Jiang Yuqing: 1. Manic Jiang Yuqing; 2. Dementia Jiang Yuqing.]
So, the system had now clearly indicated that this elderly Jiang Yuqing indeed had dementia.
After the manic episode subsided, Jiang Yuqing, like a child, happily walked up to Zhou Qian, stretching out his hands in a candy-seeking gesture.
Zhou Qian handed him a piece of osmanthus cake he had prepared earlier. Receiving the cake, Jiang Yuqing showed an innocent, childlike smile and carelessly sat on the wooden floor, eating the cake bite by bite.
The centenarian sat on the floor eating sweets, crumbs scattering everywhere. But he seemed not to care at all.
He Xiaowei followed Zhou Qian into the room. When he saw the scene, he felt rather emotional.
Throughout one’s life, people would go through the long passage of time, experiencing childhood, youth, middle age, and old age… But when people reached a certain age, it seemed like they had returned to their childhood.
Physically, they would lose their ability to take care of themselves, and they would have to rely on others for eating, drinking, and their daily needs. Mentally, they became like children in their infant stage, seemingly losing all reason and becoming prone to crying and fussing.
‘Perhaps life is a cycle,’ He Xiaowei thought.
As for Zhou Qian, he didn’t pay much attention to Jiang Yuqing. Instead, he looked at the photo again.
The reason he had entered the room just in time to give the osmanthus cake was because he had seen—when Jiang Yuqing in his manic state approached the photo, he tried to grab it, seemingly intending to destroy it.
From Zhou Qian’s previous analysis, whether it was the [Manic Jiang Yuqing] or the [Dementia Jiang Yuqing], both were harmful to the player. The former might attack the player, while the latter could use dreams to activate the “Check and Balance” mechanism to harm the player.
By contrast, it seemed that the only one who could help the player right now was the young officer in the photo.
So, Zhou Qian must prevent the photo from being destroyed, lest the officer in it disappear.
After giving Jiang Yuqing a piece of osmanthus cake, Zhou Qian hid most of the remaining cake in his bag.
Now he approached the photo again, trying to take down the framed picture to prevent Jiang Yuqing from potentially destroying it unexpectedly at night.
However, Zhou Qian found he couldn’t remove it.
The frame didn’t seem glued or nailed to the wall, but Zhou Qian simply couldn’t take it down.
He gave up, and at that moment, a hand suddenly grabbed the back of his collar.
Turning around, Zhou Qian found himself face to face with Jiang Yuqing.
Jiang Yuqing’s gesture had no other meaning.
He simply hadn’t had enough snacks and was asking for more.
Zhou Qian raised his hand, playfully tugged at Jiang Yuqing’s white hair, and said as one would to a child, “That’s all. Eating too many sweets is bad for you. You can have more tomorrow.”
But he didn’t say anything, silently turned to a bookshelf, and began reading a book.
It seemed that a small piece of osmanthus cake was enough to calm him down. He didn’t become agitated again.
The osmanthus cakes in the bag might come in handy later.
Then, Zhou Qian noticed that the book Jiang Yuqing was reading was on physics.
The “Check and Balance” level was related to mechanics in physics.
This could be seen as a clue—the side quest was constructed by the thoughts of Dementia Jiang Yuqing in his dream.
With Jiang Yuqing now calm and engrossed in his book, Zhou Qian looked around the room. Books were scattered on the floor, thrown by Jiang Yuqing during his fit.
A blue and white porcelain vase with fake flowers had been knocked over, its petals scattered like stars.
Suddenly, Zhou Qian looked at another bedside table. He noticed something amiss. On the other bedside table, there was supposed to be a glass vase with fake flowers. But now it was gone.
Zhou Qian glanced down at the little dragon in his arms and whispered in its ear, asking if anyone had moved the vase when he wasn’t in the room.
The little dragon, having witnessed everything, obediently shook its head.
If no one moved the vase, it meant that it had vanished out of thin air.
Could it be that the elderly caretakers, Lao Yu and Lao Tie, and even many others who “left without getting their salaries” as the front desk recalled, had they also disappeared in the same way?
There was no so-called magic circle that reverses aging, nor any haunted supernatural events.
Many objects and people simply disappeared in this consciousness space.
But what did that imply?
Among the myriad clues, Zhou Qian grasped at a fragmentary piece of evidence.
He began to have a rough idea of the whole truth.
A moment later, the phone in room 701 rang.
Zhou Qian answered it, hearing the voice from the front desk. “Just letting you know, security and I are about to clock out. We’ve turned off the elevator, so just stay on the 7th floor and rest. See you tomorrow!
“Oh, and Mr. Jiang likes to read at night. If he’s tired, he’ll go to sleep early. He usually doesn’t cause trouble at night. No special precautions needed. You guys should rest too!”
Since this statement was from the front desk, it basically meant:
Players will live here for the next three days. The main plot probably won’t resume until tomorrow. All plot clues have come to a temporary close. Everyone can finally take a break.
With that, the players left Room 701 one after another, returning to their own rooms to rest.
The front desk prepared six rooms for the caretakers. Due to the deaths of two people, only four were now available.
Zhou Qian casually chose Room 702, right across from 701, also at the very end of the corridor.
Before entering the room, he heard He Xiaowei nervously say to him, “Bro, be careful. Rooms at the end of the corridor tend to be haunted!”
Zhou Qian: “That’s nice. Being alone is boring.”
He Xiaowei: “…”
Bidding farewell to He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian entered room 702.
The room was actually quite good, like a standard hotel room. But Zhou Qian undoubtedly looked down on it.
Once upon a time, he only stayed in high-end suites.
While squeezing into the tiny shower, Zhou Qian was showering when he suddenly remembered a middle school trip.
The teacher took them to a famous scenic spot in Lin City, with green mountains and clear waters. But the location was remote, so the accommodation wasn’t great.
The moment Zhou Qian entered the hotel lobby, he showed his dissatisfaction and was even more disdainful after seeing his room.
His repulsion peaked when he found cobwebs on the window, refusing to stay in the “shabby inn” of the scenic area. He insisted on going to the city to find a star-rated hotel and sneaked away when the teacher wasn’t looking.
That night, Bai Zhou, the class president, concerned about Zhou Qian, followed him.
To this day, Zhou Qian still remembers Bai Zhou’s very serious expression that night.
He also remembers saying to Bai Zhou, “Zhou Ge, do you think I’m wasteful? But my dad’s a gambler. He might go bankrupt one day. If I don’t splurge now, I won’t have the chance in the future!”
Bai Zhou ignored Zhou Qian’s bizarre logic and tried to persuade him to go back. “Stick with the group. You don’t know this place. It’s not safe.”
Zhou Qian faked sickness and lay down on the bed. “I can’t move. I have a fever.”
Bai Zhou: “If you can’t walk, I’ll carry you back.”
Zhou Qian refused and made excuses. “Actually, I have a reason for not going back. I’m avoiding the beauty of the class next door. She confessed to me yesterday. When we were assigned rooms, she was right opposite me. It’s so awkward!”
“No, Zhou Qian—”
“Huh, why did your face change when you heard this? Do you like the beauty from next door?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Come back with me!”
“You go back if you want to. I won’t!”
Bai Zhou sighed. “I’m mainly worried about you. If you go alone—”
Zhou Qian smiled at him, tempting him to break the rules. “Then why don’t you stay here too? If you don’t leave, I won’t be alone.”
Bai Zhou: “…”
Suddenly, Zhou Qian sat up and looked into Bai Zhou’s eyes. “Actually, the beauty from the next class likes you. I heard she’s writing you a love letter. Hey, will you accept that letter?”
…..
After showering and turning off the showerhead, Zhou Qian’s thoughts, immersed in memories, came back.
Then he solemnly frowned, feeling that his junior high self was embarrassingly childish.
As he dried his hair and lay down to rest, Zhou Qian turned his full attention back to the current game.
First, he entered the trading house.
The system’s trading house consists of several different sections.
In the first section, all sellers were the system, equivalent to a system store, selling daily necessities like food, water, tissue, and common tools like daggers and scissors.
Regardless, in Zhou Qian’s view, the fact that the game didn’t provide food and required players to buy it from the trading house was purely a money-grabbing move by the system.
In the second section of the trading hall, the sellers were players.
Players could sell unwanted items or tools they’ve made or collected to earn money.
Rare items like health potions, when listed, were usually snatched up immediately.
There was also a third section in the trading house. This section was for buyers seeking purchases.
If players wanted to buy something they couldn’t find, they could list a “wanted” item, state their demand, and offer a suitable price; if a seller agreed, they could chat privately and enter a system-supervised transaction platform.
In the trading hall, Zhou Qian first went to the system store section to buy water and food. Reluctantly eating the food, which he found barely palatable, he then headed to the diverse second section to try his luck at finding some good items.
Players, when resting in a completely safe environment, would slowly recover health and mana. However, this recovery was painfully slow. Zhou Qian’s health was full, but he estimated that by tomorrow, his mana would only be half full. By common sense, the mainline instance levels would become more challenging, and he would inevitably face monsters. Having only half his mana might not suffice. Mana recovery potions were rare to come by, so he hoped to find some useful items in advance.
After buying food and selecting some items, Zhou Qian proceeded to the third section. Knowing the chances were slim, he still listed items he wanted to buy, including a mana recovery potion.
Zhou Qian gave his purchase request a very catchy title— [High price for purchase1, sincere offer…]
Three minutes later, he saw some comments under his post.
[Whoa, I thought it said ‘paying a high price for a child1‘ at first.]
1Clarity: Zhou Qian’s listing is (重金求购). The comment replying to it says he thought he saw (重金求子) with purchase (购) replaced with child (子).
[Same upstairs.]
[+10086]
[You’re not right, I’m not right, we’re all not right.]
Zhou Qian: “…”
He quickly replied, [If you’re not selling, don’t comment.]
Then, Zhou Qian went to sleep. But he didn’t sleep well. Roughly two hours later, he woke up.
The system notified him of unread messages. Upon opening, he saw someone had responded to his purchase request. The person had sent a trade request.
[Trade Item: “I Can Still Fight”; Potion; S+ grade; restores 400 MP; Quantity: 2]
Previously, there was someone named [Hidden Blade] who at least had a codename. This person’s name was just a string of numbers. Was “137” his codename? What kind of weird code name was this?
Opening the trade interface, Zhou Qian immediately messaged, [Who are you?]
A moment later, the reply came: [I am a friend of Hidden Blade. I heard he recently took you on as a disciple. I saw your purchase request while browsing the trading house, so I sent over the potions you needed.]
A friend of Hidden Blade? But didn’t Hidden Blade say he took me as a disciple on someone else’s behalf? Was that “someone” this “137”?
Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes while typing back. [I never agreed to be his disciple.]
The other side paused before asking, [Then what kind of master do you want?]
Without waiting for Zhou Qian’s reply, he added, [The master-disciple system is just for convenience—to send messages, transfer items, etc. In future special instances, the system may limit regular chats and trades, but the master-disciple system will remain unaffected.]
Ignoring the question, Zhou Qian cheekily asked, [How about you? Who’s stronger, you or Hidden Blade?]
Before he received a reply, Zhou Qian rapidly shot back several probing questions.
[Are you considering taking me on as a disciple?]
[Do you think Hidden Blade is better suited to be my master? Why?]
[Oh, is it because you think he’s stronger than you?]
[So, you’re not up to the mark?]
Feeling quite pleased with his cheekiness, Zhou Qian quickly agreed to the trade to avoid offending “137” into canceling the deal. He then leisurely waited for “137” to respond, sipping on a bottle of juice.
However, after a while, there was no reply from “137”. Zhou Qian, slightly puzzled, initiated a trade request, only to receive a system prompt he found very strange.
[The other party has gone offline. Trade cannot be initiated.]
Offline?
This was the first time Zhou Qian saw this term. It was strange since he had never seen anyone in an “offline” status before. Whether in the game battling through instances or back in reality, players were always “online”, as they could still chat, trade items, team up, participate in instance matching, and so on.
That was to say, Zhou Qian had always thought that the player was always “online”, the only difference being whether they entered the instance or not. Unless they died, Zhou Qian still had no idea how a player could go “offline”.
“137” remained offline since. Zhou Qian waited for a while and, not seeing him, fell back asleep.
By the time Zhou Qian woke up, it was almost midnight. He was awakened by a noise. The sound was harsh, like fingernails scraping a blackboard, causing Zhou Qian to immediately frown. When he got up and looked, it was the small dragon he had conjured using scales, scratching at the door, seemingly wanting to get out.
Three scales could conjure up three small dragons that fully obeyed him. That was what the System had explained. But why did this dragon now seem to have its own consciousness?
Walking up to it, Zhou Qian squatted down and patted its cute little head. “Where do you want to go?”
“Ah, ah, ah…” The little dragon tilted its head and smiled at Zhou Qian, then pointed outside. It couldn’t speak, but it seemed to have a place it wanted to go.
Zhou Qian squinted slightly, didn’t say much, but stood up and cracked the door open. He then quietly followed the little dragon, only to find it heading to room 701.
The little dragon tilted its head and stared at the door of room 701, looking a bit lost. It tentatively pushed the door, and finding it locked, its eyes showed a bit of urgency. In its haste, it seemed to want to scratch at the door again.
With the corridor light shining, Zhou Qian peered through the window into the room. Jiang Yuqing was already asleep. He was lying quietly on the bed, looking very peaceful. For now, it seemed that he hadn’t become agitated or tried to destroy the photo frame.
Zhou Qian thought for a moment, squatted down, and tried to calm the dragon. The little dragon quickly settled down, its eyes glistening as it looked at Zhou Qian, appearing extremely adorable.
“Don’t disturb others’ sleep, okay?” Zhou Qian whispered to it. The dragon stared at Zhou Qian in confusion, but it was very obedient. It blinked in comprehension, not making any noise or trying to scratch on the door of room 701. Instead, it cuddled in Zhou Qian’s arm and nestled into his embrace.
Patting its head again, Zhou Qian felt a twinge of reluctance, thinking that it would disappear by tomorrow afternoon. After all, to him, animals were much more adorable than humans. Even though this little dragon was artificial and didn’t have life.
Zhou Qian then asked, “Do you want to stay here?”
The little dragon nodded.
Zhou Qian said, “Alright. Then you’ll help me keep watch here. Make sure the person inside doesn’t destroy any furniture or clues. If he acts up, come to my room and alert me.”
The dragon smiled, obediently nodded, and hopped to the entrance of room 701, sitting down and assuming a serious guarding posture.
Zhou Qian waved at it and turned to head back to his room. Just then, he heard footsteps. Looking over, he saw Situ Qing approaching from the end of the hallway.
Under the cold lighting, Situ Qing’s hair and eyes appeared even darker, exuding a cool elegance. Her red lips added a touch of allure. It seemed she had recovered quite a bit, looking much better than her previously distraught state. But when her gaze met Zhou Qian’s, she frowned.
In the corridor, Zhou Qian’s tall figure cast a slender shadow. His face was sharply defined by the lighting, and his dark, emotionless eyes held a hint of mockery. “Did your gambler send you? He wants to check on Jiang Yuqing’s condition at night and see if he’ll destroy that photo?”
Situ Qing avoided Zhou Qian’s gaze, her face turning slightly pale. She continued walking to the door of room 701 and turned to look inside at Jiang Yuqing, leaving Zhou Qian with a view of her slim and straight back.
Watching her, Zhou Qian said, “The previous two times, I told you two sharp truths. They might not have been pleasant to hear, but they were accurate.”
“The first was that he fears you becoming too powerful and slipping from his control. The second was that he wishes to control you because you’re useful to him. Now, let me tell you a third thing. Hey, don’t be so quick to leave. This one will sound much better than the previous two.”
Seeing Situ Qing turn away, but her silhouette momentarily paused, Zhou Qian chuckled. “You have a talent for output, but you lack the wisdom to play such games. That’s why you can only act based on his cues and commands.”
“But think about it from another perspective,” he continued. “It seems you’re living in his shadow, but perhaps he can’t afford to lose you either. Why would he go to such lengths to control you otherwise?”
“That brings me to my third point. If he still needs to control you, it means you’re still valuable to him. So, while you’re still of use to him, you should take the chance to escape. I can help you.”
Hearing this, Situ Qing stayed silent for a while. Finally, she turned to face Zhou Qian and met his gaze. “I’ve told you before, you’ve got it all wrong. You misunderstand our relationship.”
“Really? And what is your relationship?” Zhou Qian probed.
Situ Qing replied, “It’s one of mutual love. We love each other. There’s no control or manipulation like you’re suggesting.”
“Oh, so you’re willingly imprisoned by your love for him?” Zhou Qian’s words grew more cryptic. “I’ve said it before, a bird in a cage usually doesn’t meet a good end.”
For a brief moment, a look of surprise flashed across Situ Qing’s clear eyes. But she quickly turned cold again. “I love him. That’s more important than anything else.”
Did she truly love him? Or was she saying all of this for his benefit, knowing he’d be watching?
Regardless, this conversation between Zhou Qian and Situ Qing had only deepened the rift between them.
Zhou Qian laughed with a hint of malice. Then he heard Situ Qing’s tone become more urgent. “You really don’t get it. Talking about caged birds…You’re so presumptuous. How much life experience do you think you really have?”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qian, without hesitation, revealed a painful memory. “Actually, my mother was an amateur singer. She sang beautifully. Her best song—do you know its name? It’s called ‘Caged Bird’.”
Situ Qing frowned upon hearing this. Zhou Qian continued, “For her, I’d say I pity her misfortune but am angry she never fought back. She wouldn’t dare defy my father, even when he tried to harm me and gambled me away.”
“Really?” Situ Qing asked, “And what happened to her afterward?”
Zhou Qian stepped closer. His dark pupils were fixed on Situ Qing as he whispered, “She died. My father killed her.”
Situ Qing instinctively stepped back, as if Zhou Qian was some malevolent creature. If she got any closer, she might get ensnared by him. After a deep breath and a long pause, she finally looked back at Zhou Qian.
Situ Qing said in a hoarse voice, “I know what you’re trying to do. Our conversation can be heard by him. You’re intentionally saying all of this to sow distrust between us so you can find our weakness later. Zhou Qian, an enemy like you, is truly terrifying. They say one shouldn’t air their dirty laundry, and no one would usually share such dark secrets. But you’re willing to share even this with your enemy to break me down and ruin our relationship. Honestly, I admire that. But you should know—”
At that exact moment, it struck midnight. Suddenly, Situ Qing froze mid-sentence, her expression turning to one of utter shock, as if she was seeing something unimaginable.
Then, from down the hallway, He Xiaowei’s voice exclaimed in panic, “Fuck! My face! There’s something wrong with my face! Brother Zhou Qian—oh, you and Situ Qing are here! Shit, your face too… I’m going to get Yun Xiangrong—!”
Three minutes later, four players stood in front of a large mirror in the 7th floor bathroom. Three of them, Zhou Qian, He Xiaowei, and Yun Xiangrong, had visibly changed features, somewhat recognizable but drastically different from before.
[Player Zhou Qian, Transformation 40%]
[Player He Xiaowei, Transformation 40%]
[Player Yun Xiangrong, Transformation 40%]
The three of them not only had their facial features changed, but they also received these notifications. From start to finish, the only one who hadn’t undergone any changes or received any notifications was Situ Qing.
Late at night, with a chill in the air, even the cold lighting added a sense of eeriness.
He Xiaowei couldn’t bear to look at himself in the mirror for more than a few moments. He turned away, dripping with cold sweat, and didn’t dare look at the mirror again.
He couldn’t help but hug his arms tightly. “What’s going on? I’m so scared… Wuwuwu. Have I been possessed by a ghost?”
Zhou Qian glanced at his reflection in the mirror with a calm expression.
Then he said, “During the side quest ‘Checks and Balance’, in order to find the clue to pass, the three of us touched the photo in room 701 and experienced illusions to varying extents. Only Situ Qing didn’t touch it. That’s probably why we transformed, but she didn’t.”
The author has something to say:
Zhou Qian: Zhou Ge, are you not up to the task?
Bai Zhou: ???????
——
P.S. Mu Sheng and Situ Qing are not blood related.
“The Caged Bird” is a lovely old song. Highly recommended~.
“I’ve heard quite a few rumors about the principal.” The team doctor waiting outside the cave was chatting with the instructor. “If he’s as strong as you all claim, why did he lose in the coming-of-age ceremony?”
“It’s because…” The instructor was interrupted as the monitoring device in his hand suddenly sounded an alarm. He picked it up, and his face turned pale. “This is bad!”
A light representing the location of a student on the map went out instantly. Nearby, another light, initially pure white, had changed to a blinding orange.
There were only three possible reasons for the light to disappear: First, the person intentionally shut off their communication device; second, the terminal was destroyed; and the worst scenario, the holder of the terminal had lost their life.
The orange indicated that the person’s heart rate had reached its peak. Unless something extremely exciting happened, they were definitely in mortal danger. What could possibly induce such fear in a mine inhabited only by creatures below A-grade?
The instructor quickly responded, “Call for backup immediately! Summon all students to regroup!”
Without waiting for a response, he rushed into the mine. Once inside, he found the area shaking violently, with a large amount of sand and soil spilling from the cracks in the stone walls. Rocks overhead were swaying ominously, threatening to collapse at any moment.
The terrain inside the cave was complex, making it hard to determine which path the two had taken. He could only try to move in their last known direction.
But “two people” was the best-case scenario. What if…
A sharp pain jolted Ling Xiao’s senses. Known for his quick reflexes, he was thrown against a wall without being able to counter. He hadn’t even gotten a clear look at his attacker.
Pain radiated from both his chest and back. With every breath, he felt a sharp sting in his chest, suggesting that his ribs had been broken from the impact. The dust and debris in the air obscured his vision, but as it settled, he managed to squint open his eyes. What he saw left him in shock.
A few meters away from him stood a creature from legends, a Kui—an ultra-rare species said to appear once every century. These creatures preferred the darkness, often hibernating in sunless areas for extended periods. They were not only rare in numbers but also, due to their long hibernation, rarely spotted.
This legendary creature was so rare that even those who wrote biology books had never seen it in person. In the books, there were only a few hand-drawn images and descriptions of its habits, and most of the details were vaguely described.
In terms of danger level, the Kui surpassed the A-grade of the Giant-tailed Lizards and even exceeded the S and SS grades, reaching the epic SSS grade. Only 12 creatures on the entire planet reached this terrifying level, with a total population of less than a hundred. Many people would never get the chance to see one in their lifetime.
Its killing power was such that even the elites of the military might not stand a chance against it, not to mention Ling Xiao and Ying Feng, who were still fledglings.
Encountering a Kui was a stroke of terrible luck, especially for two fledglings who hadn’t yet undergone their coming-of-age ceremony.
The tension in the cave was palpable, every minute detail magnified. Ying Feng’s breathing sounded slow and deliberate, every slight movement of the creature in front of him tightening his nerves.
The massive Kui, too large to stand upright in the confined space of the cave, was on all fours. Its gaze circled Ling Xiao before settling on Ying Feng.
Ying Feng’s back tensed. It was the first time since his awakening that he felt such raw fear. No person or creature had ever posed such a threat to him.
When faced with an overpowering enemy, one’s instinct was often to lose the will to fight. All Ying Feng could think of now was to call for help.
With an almost imperceptible motion, his right hand moved slowly towards the terminal on his left wrist, fearful that any sudden movement might alert the creature.
However, the Kui noticed. Just as Ying Feng was about to activate the alarm, a powerful attack from the Kui aimed directly at Ying Feng’s wrist.
Seeing what happened to Ling Xiao, Ying Feng mobilized all his attention and narrowly dodged the first punch. But immediately, a second punch followed. With the Kui’s strength, it could easily send Ying Feng flying. In this critical moment, Ying Feng could only throw himself to the ground, rolling awkwardly a few times. Taking this opportunity, he quickly pressed the alarm on his terminal. Almost instantly, the tracking point on the tablet changed from orange to red, and a sharp alarm sounded.
The instructor, upon receiving the alert, had countless speculations flash across his mind. Could there really be an S-level creature lurking here?
‘No.’ He quickly dismissed the thought. The two fledglings in danger were those he had previously set high hopes on.
Even if they were up against a threat with an S-level danger rating, such a sudden event wouldn’t occur. Beyond that, he dared not think of the other possibilities.
The students inside the same cave panicked and ran out, crashing right into the incoming instructor.
“Instructor!” They sought his help upon seeing him.
“Have you seen Ling Xiao and the others?” The instructor immediately asked.
The students shook their heads anxiously. “They rushed ahead as soon as we entered; we don’t know where they are now.”
“Instructor, what’s going on? Was there an earthquake?”
“Is the cave going to collapse?”
The students bombarded him with questions, but without any useful information. The instructor’s face tightened. “Evacuate from here immediately. The medical team is outside. You must protect yourselves, understand?”
The students nodded and dashed toward the exit. The instructor quickened his pace, hoping the two talented fledglings could hold on just a bit longer…
Outside the cave, the waiting medics were shocked to see military forces arriving. Seeing a short officer leading the troops disembark from the aircraft, the medic thought he was hallucinating. It was the youngest and most famous Major General of Tianxiu, Fu Yao.
Following him was his tall and mighty deputy, and then an orderly, well-trained team jumped out of the aircraft, quickly setting up some kind of lethal weapon.
“Download the target coordinates,” Fu Yao commanded.
“Report, coordinates downloaded!”
“Good, aim and prepare…”
“Wait!” The medic ran in front of the weapon, arms outstretched. “Can you tell me what happened? Why is the military here?”
Fu Yao only noticed him then. “Who are you? Why are you here?”
“I’m the field medic for Bikong Academy’s field training.”
“Bikong?” Fu Yao’s expression shifted. That name was familiar; it was his alma mater. “You’re saying there are students here for field training?”
The medic’s face paled. “Didn’t you come because of the distress signal?”
“We came because satellite monitoring detected abnormal energy fluctuations in this area, suspecting the presence of rare, high-risk creatures.”
“Rare high-risk creatures? But the instructor said that there hasn’t been any trace of an S-grade creature here in a hundred years.”
“What if it’s a once-in-a-century creature, even more dangerous than S-grade?”
The medic turned white. “Oh God.”
“Where are the students now?”
Before he could answer, students began pouring out from several entrances. Some were responding to the emergency return signal, others escaped from the accident-stricken cave, all looking disheveled.
“What happened inside?” The medic asked impatiently.
“We’re not sure, probably a collapse,” the students replied in a frenzy. “On our way out, we met the instructor, who told us to evacuate, but he went deeper into the cave.”
“Are there more students inside?” Before the medic could ask, Fu Yao was already ahead.
“Yes, many.” The students exchanged glances. “We got separated from many of our classmates after the incident.”
“Approximately how many?”
The medic quickly counted those who had already emerged. “Around ten.”
“Any other useful information?”
The medic, trying to remain calm, reported to Fu Yao, “Before the instructor went in, the tracking signal of one student had already been lost, and another showed an orange warning.”
Upon hearing this, the students looked horrified. Even if they didn’t understand exactly what the orange warning meant, they knew it wasn’t a good sign.
Fu Yao briefly contemplated and then gave a new directive.
“Cancel the bombing mission; everyone follow me into the cave for an emergency rescue.”
“Yes!” The soldiers responded in unison.
“Remember, the primary objective is to ensure the safety of the students. If faced with danger, rather sacrifice yourself than let any of the fledglings be harmed. We absolutely cannot allow any mishaps to befall them.”
“Understood!”
……
With a thunderous noise, the Kui’s massive palm slammed fiercely onto the ground. Ying Feng, who had already stopped, had to forcibly roll several times to avoid this deadly blow.
Ying Feng had never been beaten to this extent before. Even the most basic defense was extremely challenging for him, let alone mounting an effective counterattack. The sheer difference in their abilities rendered him defenseless, making the odds of victory in this one-sided battle practically nonexistent.
At that moment, a dark figure leaped from the ground, soared into the air, and lunged directly at the Kui’s head. Caught off guard, the Kui took the hit and, in a reflexive action, swatted away the audacious Ling Xiao, who landed not far from Ying Feng.
In the darkness, Ying Feng saw clearly that Ling Xiao had thrust a dagger. And he had indeed hit the target, but the Kui seemed unharmed, while the dagger that fell to the ground was broken in two.
This creature wasn’t only immensely powerful but also seemingly invulnerable to weapons. Seizing the moment while it was still reeling, Ying Feng sprung up from the ground, grabbed Ling Xiao, and dashed in the direction from which the Giant-tailed Lizard had been fleeing.
“Run!” Without further explanation, Ying Feng grabbed Ling Xiao’s wrist and dashed out. Dizzy and disoriented, Ling Xiao stumbled along behind him. The two ran at top speed through the narrow corridor, dodging falling rocks and dirt.
Ying Feng couldn’t avoid all the hazards, sustaining injuries, and he knew Ling Xiao’s condition was even worse. However, he couldn’t think about that now. All he wanted was to get out of the Kui’s attack range, hoping for reinforcements from their instructors outside.
Having just been attacked, the Kui was enraged and let out a roar before giving chase. Due to the narrowness of the mine and its massive size, it quickly lagged behind the fleeing duo.
As Ying Feng and Ling Xiao distanced themselves from the beast, just as they started feeling a bit relieved, a massive rock collapsed ahead, blocking their path. Ying Feng managed to stop abruptly, but Ling Xiao, propelled by inertia, was yanked back just in time by Ying Feng and crashed into his embrace.
The heavy footsteps were drawing closer. With a beast ahead and rocks blocking their retreat, they were trapped. Even the heavens seemed to have abandoned them.
The Kui let out a final growl at the two cornered individuals, its deep rumble threatening to shatter Ying Feng’s eardrums.
Who would have thought that my life would end this way, alongside this person…
Ying Feng reached inside his uniform, touching the peach pit over his chest. Regrettably, his unfulfilled wish would never see fruition.
It was over. Using all his strength, Ying Feng threw Ling Xiao as far away as possible, drew his dagger, and charged fearlessly at the unbeatable enemy.
—There are some whose deaths are deemed unsuitable for society, destined to be eliminated by the survival of the fittest.
—Once such individuals perish, their souls scatter, never to exist in this world again.
—That’s you, all the fledglings who have not undergone the coming-of-age ceremony.
Kinky Translations 