Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 110

Usually, a crucible needed to be heated for use, so one couldn’t directly touch its contents with their hands; some tools were necessary for assistance.

Even considering from a magical perspective, after adding ingredients to the crucible, a tool was likely needed for stirring.

Therefore, the crucible probably didn’t exist independently. When the wizard created it, he likely also made a tool to go with it.

What could this tool be?

Zhou Qian asked Wu Ren, “When I arrived, did I see you holding a big spoon?”

“Yes. I found it near the crucible. It’s convenient for moving bodies,” Wu Ren replied. “Could it be…”

Before Wu Ren could finish, Zhou Qian asked, “Have you used both ends of the spoon?”

“I have. But it doesn’t seem to have any extra use,” Wu Ren said. “At least I didn’t feel any.”

“Hmm,” Zhou Qian mused. “I’ll go out and check again later. But the spoon probably doesn’t have any use. Because I think I’ve guessed what the real tool is—”

Changing the topic, Zhou Qian looked at Wu Ren and asked with a smile, “Wu Ge, give me a straight answer. You failed to become an emperor in the instance. After I take you out of here, have you considered… hmm?”

Wu Ren: “…”

Zhou Qian: “This is the third time I’m asking. It’s hard for you to refuse now.”

Three minutes later, Wu Ren seemed to finally give up struggling and looked at Zhou Qian resignedly. “Honestly, I’m quite impressed with you. You’ve only been here for a few minutes… and you’ve already found so much key information. So, I just have one question—”

“Later, do I still have to move 50 bodies by myself?”

Zhou Qian immediately said, “Both my son and I can help you.”

“…?” Wu Ren was very surprised, with almost three question marks appearing on his forehead.

“You-Your son? Oh… who did you owe this romantic debt to?

“Right, as the saying goes, ‘Women love bad men.’ Maybe some girls like bad boys like you. I just didn’t expect you to even have a son. Is it from a girl in the game or outside the game?

“You didn’t abandon her, right? If you’re irresponsible, I won’t join your team!”

Zhou Qian asked in surprise, “Do I look like the type to be frivolous and let people down?”

Wu Ren nodded affirmatively.

Zhou Qian: “…”

“Let’s get back to the point,” Wu Ren said. “Anyway, I’ve already agreed to you. I’m not as slick as you. Either I don’t agree, or if I do, I keep my promise. So now—”

“What do you think is the real solution to clear the level?”

After looking around the interior of the crucible, Zhou Qian said, “To help the emperor and provide him with an endless supply of soldiers, the wizard created a magical crucible and a tool to activate it.”

“Now, you haven’t successfully resurrected, unable to return to the real world to help the emperor. However, at the same time, you also didn’t go to the real hell but is trapped in the ‘Crucible World’, in a state of neither living nor dying.”

“So the crucible actually worked, but only half its function. So what’s really going on is now clear—”

Looking at Wu Ren, Zhou Qian said, “I think the tool to activate the crucible was swapped. Someone stole the tool and replaced it with a big spoon.

“The emperor, unaware, put the bodies of the 51 soldiers into the crucible and tried to use this spoon to activate it.”

“The swapped spoon, of course, couldn’t activate the other half of the crucible’s function. So you couldn’t go back. What we need to do now is find that real tool.”

“So… who and for what purpose would steal that tool?”

“And what tool could help that person reach the ‘Crucible World’?”

Without needing Zhou Qian’s explanation, Wu Ren already knew the answer.

With the limited information in the instance, there was only one answer—the person who stole the tool to activate the crucible could only be the “god” who opposed the “last emperor”.

Wu Ren immediately said, “I know! It’s the scepter!”

“The tool that goes with the crucible can only be the scepter in the god’s hands! It’s also because the scepter’s power matches that of the crucible that the god being can enter the Crucible World through it!”

The scepter was very large, as long as the diameter of the crucible. Moreover, whether it was the red rain or the beams, all were emitted by the scepter. The key to the problem undoubtedly lay in the scepter.

The god stole the scepter that could activate the crucible and replaced it with a giant spoon.

Thus, the emperor’s attempt to resurrect his soldiers failed.

Even so, the god, still uneasy, repeatedly entered the world created by the crucible using the scepter, wanting to kill the general completely.

Wu Ren couldn’t help but look at Zhou Qian and ask, “But with the god controlling it, the scepter will attack us! How can we truly activate the crucible with its help, allowing us 51 people to return to the human world?!”

Zhou Qian said, “The crucible and the giant spoon that exist in reality have their counterparts in this ‘in-between life and death’ world, to assist players in solving puzzles.

“So, there should be information about the scepter as well. It’s just that you didn’t have time to find it. Every time you return all the bodies to the crucible, it takes you almost an hour.”

“I’ll move the bodies now. You go find it!” Wu Ren said.

“Actually, there’s no need to search specifically. This is where off-scene information becomes important.”

Zhou Qian yawned and asked Wu Ren, “Do you know about a god named ‘Dagda*’?”

*An important god in Irish mythology. One of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Dagda is portrayed as a father-figure, king, and druid. He is associated with fertility, agriculture, manliness and strength, as well as magic, druidry and wisdom. He can control life and death, the weather and crops, as well as time and the seasons.

Wu Ren decisively shook his head.

Zhou Qian explained, “Dagda is known as the ‘good god’ and is said to control the fertility of the Irish people. So you see, you misunderstood; I’m not a playboy. Dagda is the real womanizer with a string of lovers.”

“Dagda has two very magical treasures, one of which is a rebirthing crucible that provides an endless supply of food, and the other is a gigantic club.”

“Dagda’s club has powerful effects; one end can cause death, and the other can bring life.”

A few seconds later, Wu Ren fully understood.

“The club in our instance corresponds to what we thought was the god’s scepter! The red rain and beams are emitted from one end of that scepter. Are we supposed to find a way to use the other end of the scepter?!”

“Exactly. But this is just my speculation based on mythological stories. Ideally, there should be clues in the instance to further confirm this idea. So—”

“Brother Wu, you continue moving the bodies, and I’ll look for clues.”

As he said this, Zhou Qian muttered to himself, “My son should have recovered some by now.”

Reaching into his bag, Zhou Qian pulled out a scale, rubbed it three times with his finger, and a deep blue little dragon popped out.

Hopping over to Zhou Qian, the small dragon tilted its head and rubbed his trouser leg with its head, making a cute “yip” sound.

“Good boy.” Zhou Qian patted the little dragon’s head. “Can you grow bigger and fly me? If you can, let’s go find the clues quickly.”

Hearing this, the little dragon quickly grew to the size of a person. Its tail swung over, lifting Zhou Qian up and then placing him on its back.

Zhou Qian patted its head again. “Use your treasure-hunting abilities. Let’s find the clues quickly so we can go see your dad soon. I’m starting to miss him.”

Small Dragon: “Yip!”

Zhou Qian then took out three small bottles of medicine and threw them to Wu Ren. “Wu Ge, replenish some health. My son is still young and can only carry me. You’ll have to climb out yourself.”

After saying this, the small dragon swung its tail and flew Zhou Qian to the top of the crucible, disappearing from Wu Ren’s sight.

Wu Ren was stunned for a moment but quickly consumed the medicine. After regaining some health, he hastily started climbing out, determined to collect the bodies quickly.

Having fought the “god” six times, his health was too low, causing his brain to be a bit slow to react.

It was only after climbing out from the bottom of the crucible that Wu Ren belatedly realized something was off.

Wait, why did Zhou Qian tell his “son” that they were going to find “Dad”?

……

The small dragon carried Zhou Qian, quickly circling the entire world.

They flew left all the way and eventually returned to the starting point.

This world was clearly circular.

The circle was surrounded by impenetrable red mist, and the dark red clouds at the top of the sky were also untouchable.

Thus, the investigation seemed to further prove that they were indeed inside a pot; the sky was an unreachable pot lid, and the surroundings were impassable inner walls.

The crucible in this world and the continuous cycle of life and death of those 50 bodies were like a repeated scene from the real world.

These soldiers had died for the emperor in reality and “died” again and again for their general in this “in-between life and death” world.

They together formed an imagery, perhaps with the real purpose of awakening the general’s memory—

General, you have died in battle, but the emperor in the human world is still waiting for your help.

Now, the god is still trying to enter the “in-between life and death” to kill you completely. He even fears your spirit!

Such a powerful general, please recall everything. Lead us to take back the scepter and return to reality! Please fight for the emperor. Avenge us all!

With 10 minutes left before the god’s next arrival, Zhou Qian and Wu Ren were again with a pile of bodies.

Wu Ren asked Zhou Qian, “So, did you find that clue related to the scepter?”

“I did.” Zhou Qian handed Wu Ren a piece of cowhide.

The edges of the cowhide were charred, and it was covered in mud; it was dug up by Zhou Qian after the small dragon smelled it. It was fortunate that it was buried deep below and wasn’t destroyed by the red rain.

The cowhide had several drawings.

The first drawing depicted the wizard creating the crucible. In the image, what was placed in the crucible wasn’t a spoon but a gigantic stick, which was the “god’s” scepter.

The second drawing on the cowhide was also interesting. A cloaked wizard raised the scepter towards a fish belly-up in the water, clearly dead.

The following third drawing showed the fish swimming in the water.

The cowhide was old and ancient, but the fish in the drawing was vividly alive, flipping its tail and stirring up countless droplets, as if they would leave the water and splash onto one’s face any moment.

The last two drawings clearly indicated a fact—the scepter indeed had the power to resurrect.

“Phew… just as I thought. But for a single-player instance, this is too difficult.”

After quickly examining the drawings, Wu Ren couldn’t help but say, “It’s impossible for one person to collect so many bodies…”

“Yes. The mythology of Dagda’s system is relatively obscure for us. Without knowing this off-scene information, it’s very hard for a single person to complete it alone.”

Zhou Qian asked Wu Ren, “What’s the difficulty level of your instance? Why haven’t I encountered it?”

When selecting single-player instances, Zhou Qian looked through each option several times, but he indeed hadn’t seen this ‘Magic Crucible’.

Therefore, if not for Wu Ren pulling him in, he wouldn’t have come here.

Wu Ren said, “I played several instances in Blue Harbor City, and once when I opened a treasure chest, I got an item that could summon teammates. After that, I was able to see this instance. I… I was eager to accomplish something, so I was indeed a bit hasty. The success rate of this instance is only 5%.”

Zhou Qian: “I have such an item, but it still didn’t open for me. Is it because my stats are too low?”

Wu Ren: “If you don’t use your full power when you’re critically injured, under normal circumstances, my output is three times yours. Besides, there are defense and other factors…”

“Alright. So basic attributes are one hurdle to enter this instance. The summoning item is another hurdle.”

Zhou Qian said, “Can it be understood that this instance is only open to you when you can summon teammates? So…”

“Perhaps this can be seen as a kind of hint.”

“What hint? How to deceive the god into using the other end of the scepter to resurrect us. Do you have an idea?”

After Wu Ren asked this, Zhou Qian’s gaze suddenly became more profound.

Wu Ren felt a sudden jolt in his heart. “What do you mean?”

Zhou Qian said, “I mean, actually, the system is being kind to players. It thinks this instance is one you can only pass with a summoning card. You can’t complete it alone.”

“Your HP is only 5,000 now. But you said that when the god arrives in this world, his first move has a 100% hit rate. Even if you completely dodge it, you will still lose 8,000 points of health.”

Wu Ren: “The health restored by the small potions is little, but still barely—”

Zhou Qian: “But it seems we can’t directly take the scepter from his hand. He has the power to fight an emperor with numerous soldiers, not to mention the enhancement from the scepter. Moreover… he can leave this world and return to reality at any time. Can we delay another hour?”

“Once he discovers we know the secret of the scepter, will he still dare to come?”

“Perhaps if we fail to snatch the scepter, we will be completely trapped here!”

By this time, Wu Ren had fully understood what Zhou Qian meant. “You want to… use my death to trick him and get his scepter.”

“Correct,” Zhou Qian said. “This is the hint I mentioned from the instance—you need someone else to help you through this level. Otherwise, you will definitely die.”

“This also means that after you die, the god will let his guard down, which is a certain plot development.”

“Then, your teammate, seizing that opportunity, can take the scepter and then use its other end to resurrect you and the other 50 soldiers.”

“Now the teammate you summoned is me. I’m the only one who can help you.”

“But it’s also possible…”

Wu Ren gave a bitter smile, sat down against the inner wall of the crucible, with two charred corpses beneath him.

The dim light made his normally gloomy eyes squint, and his pupils were deeply black.

“It’s also possible that after I die, the god will kill me, this war god, and then leave. You are not part of the story. Perhaps you can naturally leave.”

“You yourself said that we can talk to each other… This doesn’t fit the setting. It’s outside the story logic.”

“Wu Ge, if you still think like that now, I’m really going to get angry.”

“First, your idea is completely wrong. If you die and I ignore you, I’m afraid I’ll also be trapped here. Although we can talk to each other because of the summoning item, since I can enter the Crucible World in the story, it’s very likely I’m also dead. Second—”

Looking into Wu Ren’s eyes, Zhou Qian’s expression became unprecedentedly serious. “I haven’t met many good people before. But since entering this game, I’ve met quite a few decent people, and you’re one of them. So, Wu Ren—”

“I came to save you, not to kill you. I won’t abandon my king.”

“Do you trust me?”

Staring into Wu Ren’s eyes for 30 seconds, Zhou Qian stood up and said, “If you trust me, then use your death to trick the god into a ‘relaxed plot’.”

“In the story, you’re actually already dead, so you won’t truly die.”

“In the story setting, I’ll use the scepter to bring you back from ‘in-between life and death’ to reality. You’ll return to the human world as a ‘knight’ and fight for your emperor.”

After a pause, Zhou Qian raised his Rib of God, tried to make the little dragon exhale some purple mist, and suddenly white smoke rose from the bone.

The smoke formed a human shape and then dispersed.

Then Zhou Qian clearly saw the astonishment in Wu Ren’s eyes.

Zhou Qian said, “If you trust me, now help me fish out two more bodies.”

Wu Ren quickly understood Zhou Qian’s meaning. “You’re worried that the crucible can only resurrect 51 people at a time?”

The war might have been large-scale, so there could be countless casualties, not just the ones Zhou Qian and Wu Ren saw.

The reason there were only 51 people in this world might be because the crucible could only resurrect 51 people, so the emperor only put 51 bodies into the crucible to try to resurrect them. After all, there were only 51 soldiers carved on the inner wall of the crucible.

Seeing Zhou Qian nod, Wu Ren quickly asked, “I understand your meaning. You were summoned here by an item, so whether you have an identity in this instance is an uncertain matter…”

“So, if you are considered a character in the story, like me, already dead in reality… you’ll need to replace a soldier’s resurrection slot. That way, the two of us can return to reality together.”

“But if that’s the case, I only need to throw out one body. Why two?”

“Did you see the white smoke just now?”

Zhou Qian glanced at the Rib of God and smiled at Wu Ren. “He used to be my teammate and died in someone else’s scheme. He’s temporarily become my bone spirit, maybe just one step away from resurrection.”

“So, I want to try and see if this crucible with the power of rebirth can realize some kind of resurrection for his spirit. Perhaps the resurrection crucible is just a setting of the instance and won’t have much effect, but I’ll try my best. So, Wu Ren—”

Putting away his smile, Zhou Qian became serious again. “You’re right, I asked you to be the so-called ‘king’ because I need your abilities.”

“But in this game, isn’t being teammates about complimenting each other, cooperating, or, in other words, ‘using each other’?”

“You have to believe that I will take you all out alive.”

“I won’t let go of any scum, but for decent teammates, I won’t abandon any. I have that confidence.”

“Wu Ge, maybe I will use you in the future. But now, it’s your turn to use me. You must seize the opportunity.”

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The author has something to say:

The crucible, giant club, and Dagda ‘the good god’ are all from the Celtic mythology~

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Kinky Thoughts:

Oh, I’m glad Gao Shan isn’t really dead.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 109

The situation was becoming increasingly dire, and Wu Ren only had time to say one sentence to Zhou Qian. “In ‘Flower of Evil,’ you hardly saw me really make a move. Don’t tell me you’re just standing by to test my abilities!”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian’s smile became even more pronounced. “You think so badly of me.”

Wu Ren: “…”

With a thunderous boom, the god stepped onto the edge of the crucible, creating a loud noise.

Zhou Qian glanced at him and found, as Wu Ren said, that this god looked quite strange.

Influenced by various legends, people subconsciously believe that gods should be quite large, especially those with world-destroying powers, who must be gigantic.

But this so-called god was different; he was very small, about as tall as Zhou Qian’s waist. He had a pointy mouth and monkey cheeks, which was indeed very odd, yet he was strikingly similar to humans.

It seemed he was essentially a person, just deformed in appearance.

Of course, despite his small stature, his power wasn’t to be underestimated.

A scepter, as long as the diameter of the huge crucible, was wielded by him. After flinging away the bodies of 50 soldiers, it headed straight for the interior of the crucible!

Suddenly, a blood-red beam shot out from the tip of the scepter, and Wu Ren, with his experience, promptly opened a huge protective umbrella.

[Item: Impressive Protective Umbrella]

[Function: An ambitious umbrella, which swore from the moment it was made to be more powerful than the Golden Bell Shield. No matter what moves the target makes, it’s able to block 50% of the damage.]

[Grade: S, Rare]

The moment the beam collided with the umbrella, a loud friction noise ensued. The umbrella looked thin but was indeed powerful; the beam struggled to penetrate it.

Using the umbrella to block the beam, Wu Ren concentrated his hands, and suddenly dark clouds gathered above the crucible.

After a brief charging period, a bolt of lightning followed by a clap of thunder came down—not rain, but thousands of silver needles shimmering with light.

Controlled by Wu Ren, the silver needles turned around, their tips aimed at the god, and then immediately stabbed towards him.

Enraged, the god, seizing the opportunity before the hidden weapons struck, released several beams from his scepter and avoided them with his small and agile body.

His red figure flashed, and he temporarily disappeared.

Only the dark red sky remained above the crucible’s opening.

Seeing this, Wu Ren promptly shouted to Zhou Qian, “Dodge. His first beam is the fiercest. Even if you dodge, you’ll lose 8,000 HP, but the rest can be avoided if you’re fast enough!”

At this point, Wu Ren indeed suffered the aftermath of that unavoidable first beam, losing 8,000 health points, and his body emitted a red warning of critically low vitality.

Opening his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of crimson blood.

Just then, a new crisis emerged, and another beam struck towards his head!

Normally, Wu Ren could easily dodge with his speed, but now he was severely injured. His steps were heavy and slow after spitting blood, and the situation became extremely critical. His heart sank heavily—

If Wu Ren remembered correctly, the last time he saw Zhou Qian, he was leaning against the inner wall of the crucible, looking extremely relaxed, as if strolling through a forest.

And Wu Ren also remembered Zhou Qian holding a flashlight, his gaze fixed on the carvings, so lost in thought that he seemed oblivious.

He might not have heard Wu Ren’s words or noticed these beams.

He didn’t know the attack pattern of the beams or how long it would take for them to reach the bottom of the crucible!

Wu Ren felt he was done for.

If Zhou Qian really had no mana, he was done for too.

They couldn’t escape!

Wu Ren wiped the blood from his mouth and tried his best to dodge forward, but it was too late. The scorching beam was almost exploding above his head. Even if he exerted all his strength, he could only ensure his head wasn’t hit, but he couldn’t avoid it with his back. His entire back was going to be burned by the beam, and he would die from it!

At this critical moment, Wu Ren suddenly saw an abnormal distortion at the edge of the crucible in front of him. Realizing that this was not the god’s trick, he suddenly understood—time had been slowed down!

Zhou Qian’s mana was running low, so he had to use it sparingly.

Therefore, after time slowed down, he only bought Wu Ren an extra second.

But that was enough.

One end of the Rib of God appeared in front of Wu Ren, who immediately grabbed it.

Zhou Qian pulled the Rib of God towards himself with a forceful tug, and due to the excessive force, they both fell down together.

The next instant, a blood-red beam smashed into the bottom of the crucible, but surprisingly, it caused no damage to the crucible’s bottom. It silently vanished into the crucible’s base, as if absorbed by its special material.

Lying on the ground, Wu Ren spat out a mouthful of blood. “Thanks.”

Finally, he saw the acceleration shoes on Zhou Qian’s feet, and some of his confusion was resolved. “No wonder you got here so fast. But you haven’t done many instances. How are you so rich? Who did you con?”

Zhou Qian, getting up, laughed. “My master.”

“Your master?” Wu Ren shook his head, muttering, “Don’t know which poor sap that is.”

Zhou Qian: “Hey, I just saved your life.”

“Fine. Another thank you—”

Wu Ren added awkwardly, then quickly reminded Zhou Qian, “The beams, they’re not over yet!”

“Got it. Hold onto the Rib of God.”

Zhou Qian looked up, his gaze not missing a single beam, and quickly determined their speed—fortunately, they were much slower than the Demon King Son, and he didn’t even need to summon the little dragon.

With the acceleration shoes, Zhou Qian, holding Wu Ren with the Rib of God, started to move swiftly within the huge crucible, large enough to hold 50 people, as if walking on walls and eaves.

Although he had only been through one training instance, Zhou Qian could feel that his movements had become much faster, and with the acceleration shoes, his actions were even more fluid.

There were still seven beams to dodge.

Zhou Qian and Wu Ren avoided them all.

The seven beams almost grazed Wu Ren’s back each time, silently disappearing into the crucible itself.

But fortunately, they made it through without mishap.

Wu Ren dared not take a moment’s rest, and upon seeing Zhou Qian stop, he quickly warned, “The god is coming back! He has another wave of attacks! I need to use another wave of silver needles to drive him away. In this situation, he can only release eight beams. Otherwise, it’ll be even harder for us to escape!”

As soon as Wu Ren finished speaking, he began to gather strength again.

Dark clouds returned, and silver needles formed once more amidst thunder and lightning from the void.

After the god released eight beams to avoid the silver needles, he chose to leave the scene again.

This time, the beams fell faster, making it harder for Zhou Qian, with his swift shoes, to dodge while carrying Wu Ren.

But in the end, aside from Wu Ren’s clothes being scorched by the beams, both of them managed to escape unscathed.

A minute later, the red light at the mouth of the crucible dissipated.

The god returned to his world.

An hour later, or a day in this world, he would come again.

Wu Ren took several deep breaths, leaning against the inner wall of the crucible to rest for a moment, gradually relaxing. Then he looked up at the top of the crucible and slowly climbed out.

Suddenly, he heard Zhou Qian laughing.

Wu Ren immediately looked down at him in surprise. “What are you laughing at?!”

Zhou Qian held up a mirror to him. “Look at your back.”

Wu Ren didn’t want to look but couldn’t help turning to see—his back in the mirror was charred and tattered with more than a dozen holes in his clothes.

Through these holes, his skin was exposed—some parts red, some black, and some even powdery from burnt flesh, looking utterly ridiculous.

Wu Ren took a cloak from his bag to cover his back, then turned around angrily and continued climbing up.

“You’d better think of a way. Otherwise, we’ll both die here. I only have enough mana for one small spell!”

Zhou Qian just said, “Wu Ge, climb slowly. Be careful not to fall!”

Originally, Wu Ren was climbing just fine, but after hearing Zhou Qian’s words, his hands and feet slipped, and he actually fell to the bottom of the crucible with a “plop”.

The fall wasn’t light, and Wu Ren immediately lost another 3% of his health.

Due to the severe injury, Wu Ren couldn’t get up for a while.

Lying flat at the bottom of the crucible, he stared blankly at the blood-red sky through the opening, and after a long time, he said solemnly, “Zhou Qian, I’ve always been quite lucky. How come I drew the card with the least life points when I met you in ‘Flower of Evil’? Zhou Qian, you definitely bring me bad luck.”

“It must be because you didn’t agree to be my king,” Zhou Qian said seriously.

Wu Ren couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

Zhou Qian added, “Have I ever told you that your eyes are too small, so rolling them doesn’t look intimidating?”

Wu Ren felt like he couldn’t even cry. “Zhou Qian, I really regret summoning you.”

“Don’t say that.” Zhou Qian said, “Lie here for a while. We’ll act together later.”

“How are we going to act?” Wu Ren asked.

Zhou Qian said, “This is the apocalypse of mankind. The god is enraged, hence the destruction. All these are your guesses, right? I just want to confirm.”

“Right. But I got clear information—the crucible was made by the most powerful wizard of mankind. He made it to protect the last emperor of the human world.

“Okay, so, after I entered the instance, the red rain fell and the earth was wounded. I was beside a crucible, and 50 soldiers came out to protect me. So…”

Wu Ren said, “Now, besides me, there are no other living people in this world. Naturally, I would think this is the end of the world.”

“There’s only one emperor left in the world, whom the wizard said he needed to protect. So, when I see that I’m the only one in this world, and indeed, 50 people are protecting me, I would naturally think… I am the emperor of this world, and those 50 people are my soldiers.”

“Is there a problem with that?

“But if this is not the apocalypse and I am not the emperor… how do you explain all this?”

Zhou Qian suddenly asked, “Besides these 50 soldiers, have you seen any other corpses, like ordinary people or other animals or plants?”

Wu Ren shook his head, then sat up abruptly, asking seriously, “So… what’s your guess?”

“Do you remember what I told you? The double spirits on this carving have the power of a shaman and can traverse different worlds,” Zhou Qian asked Wu Ren.

“I remember,” Wu Ren said. “You also said the god is probably from another world. The red rain is a medium connecting two worlds and a channel to traverse worlds. The red rain must fall for three minutes, and only then can the channel between the two worlds open. That’s why the god appears three minutes after the rain.”

Zhou Qian further asked Wu Ren, “You never heard your soldiers speak, right?”

Wu Ren nodded.

Zhou Qian: “Even when you first entered the instance?”

Wu Ren had always thought that, when he first entered this world, he and his soldiers weren’t dead.

They were all in the human world. The 50 soldiers protected him with their flesh and blood, and after the first red rain, they died in front of him.

According to the system’s initial prompt, Wu Ren put them in the crucible and witnessed their rebirth through the crucible’s power.

What followed was the repetition of the same story, round after round.

Zhou Qian looked at Wu Ren. “There’s a book called ‘Mabinogion’, which tells medieval Welsh stories with many myths and legends.”

“This book mentions the crucible, the same as the initial information the system gave us. However, the system deliberately omitted a sentence.”

“‘The original words in the book about this story are, ‘Throw the bodies of your soldiers who died that day into the crucible, and they will come back to life unscathed the next day, except for one thing—they can no longer speak.’”

“The resurrected soldiers can no longer speak.” Wu Ren frowned. “The system didn’t give us this sentence… But it doesn’t seem like the system deliberately concealed information. After all, this is something we could observe.”

“True. But knowing the original words in advance would have been more helpful,” Zhou Qian said to Wu Ren. “The first time you came here, your soldiers didn’t speak to you.”

“Have you ever thought that maybe by then, they were already dead? You and the soldiers, together, repeatedly reliving this story.”

Wu Ren’s scalp tingled. “What on earth is this…”

Zhou Qian said, “Maybe you can’t speak either. When you were fighting alone here, thinking you were the only living person, you didn’t need to speak. You didn’t notice this.”

“The reason you can communicate with me is probably due to the summoning item. This is outside the logic of the story. That is, such rare cheat items that help you clear the level, granted you the ability to communicate with your teammates. But in the story, your original identity, perhaps, couldn’t speak, just like those soldiers.”

Wu Ren’s back was sweating. The sweat soaked into his wounds and then stuck to his cloak, making his spine feel ice cold.

“You’re not suggesting…” Wu Ren swallowed hard. “That I’m dead?”

Zhou Qian pointed to the inside of the crucible.

A row of soldiers with closed eyes stood in a circle inside the crucible.

Above them, a row of cavalry did the same, but with their eyes open, moving in the opposite direction to the soldiers with closed eyes.

“Have you ever counted the number of these soldiers?” Zhou Qian asked Wu Ren.

Wu Ren suddenly realized something.

Zhou Qian said, “There are 51 soldiers. There are also 51 cavalrymen.”

“The soldiers with closed eyes symbolize death. They are led by the double spirits with the horns of a cow and the body of a snake towards hell, or another world. Then, they return to the world as cavalrymen with their eyes open. That’s the true meaning of the carving inside the crucible.”

Zhou Qian continued, “When alive, as infantry, they died in battle. Their expectation was… when they returned to the world, they should become stronger to protect their emperor. Thus, they became cavalrymen. And you—”

Looking into Wu Ren’s eyes, Zhou Qian’s pupils seemed to shine with a certain light.

He said, “You are one of them. Perhaps you are the general leading these soldiers. Take a close look. Among these 51 carved soldiers, you can find one dressed slightly differently from the others.”

“So, you mean this is not the apocalypse but some kind of undead world?” Wu Ren said. “In the story, I’ve been dead for a long time. I’m an undead…”

“Right. Wu Ge, look, you’ve been fooled by the system’s trick. ‘The last emperor of mankind’ doesn’t mean there’s only one living human left.”

Zhou Qian smiled. “The real story is now quite clear.”

There was a war in the human world.

The war was between ‘the last emperor of mankind’ and the ‘god’ who could make it rain red with his scepter.

A wizard, to protect the emperor, made a crucible that could resurrect his warriors from death.

In a battle, 51 soldiers, including a powerful general, who is Wu Ren’s true identity in this story, died for the emperor.

The emperor put the general and the 50 soldiers’ bodies into the crucible, hoping they would come back to life to fight for him.

His enemy, the ‘god’, didn’t want the powerful general to come back to life, so he repeatedly tried to enter the ‘Crucible World’ to kill the general’s spirit.

Wu Ren swallowed again. “I understand what you mean. The entire dark red world we see is actually the inside of the crucible. This so-called crucible is just a metaphor or a symbolic representation.”

“The dead should go to hell after death. But because of the crucible… we didn’t go to hell, but were trapped here, neither alive nor dead…”

“You could say that. ‘Crucible World’ is a world between life and death. You are trapped here.”

Zhou Qian said, “Also, why do you think ‘Mabinogion’ specifically mentions that the resurrected soldiers cannot speak? There’s a meaning behind this too.”

Wu Ren shook his head.

Zhou Qian explained, “It means that the so-called ‘resurrection’ is not a real resurrection.”

“The ‘last emperor of mankind’ tried to use the ‘crucible’ to resurrect you, but he couldn’t really do it. What he brought back to the human world with the crucible weren’t truly living people, but zombies. He just wanted to use the power of your spirits. You are his undead army.”

“My guess is that after the war, you will leave ‘Crucible World’, this otherworld, and go to real hell. Of course, this doesn’t affect clearing the level. What’s really important is the meaning of these carvings themselves—”

Pointing at the nearest knight, Zhou Qian said, “As these statues imply, you died, were led to another world by the double spirits, then got a kind of ‘rebirth’ under the crucible’s influence, becoming knights returning to the human world.”

“But so far, you and those 50 soldiers haven’t really become ‘knights’.”

“So… the real way to clear the level isn’t to defeat the ‘god’ but… to find a way to go back; to leave this Crucible World, to return to the real world?!”

Wu Ren stood up straight. “Using the crucible isn’t possible by hand. It requires a tool! This crucible isn’t complete; it needs something else to match with it!”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 108

Within the instance, the sky turned a sinister dark red, spreading in shades both deep and shallow, intersecting with the blackness of the distant horizon. A faint dawn seemed to loom in the distance, but it remained indistinct, as if the land could welcome the light at any moment or step towards oblivion.

The earth was scarred, with cracked ground and collapsing mountains. No snakes, insects, mice, or ants could be seen; no sound of chirping insects or birdsong was heard.

All was silent, for every creature, every person in this world was dead—except for Wu Ren. He was the sole survivor in this apocalyptic world of corpses.

He had struggled to survive alone for quite some time. Thankfully, it was just an instance, not a real apocalypse. Thus, he used a tool to summon Zhou Qian. Now, the two of them were the only living people in this apocalyptic world.

Glancing at the extremely limited information provided by the system, Zhou Qian walked up to Wu Ren, looking at the giant crucible in front of him.

The crucible was engraved with strange patterns, notably two rows of soldiers—the lower row of infantry holding shields as if ready to face the enemy at any moment. The upper row depicted cavalry, carved so vividly it seemed as if the knights could leap out on horseback at any moment.

Apart from the soldiers, a peculiar animal was depicted—a snake with bull’s horns, leading the infantry as if guiding them.

Due to the crucible’s immense size and height, Zhou Qian couldn’t see inside. He bent his knees, jumped up, and, with hands on the crucible’s edge, peered inside to find it filled with countless corpses.

All the corpses were in the same state—blackened like coal, bodies tightly curled, joints bent, fists clenched. The carbonization of bones and muscles at high temperatures caused this posture, indicating they were all burnt alive.

At that moment, Wu Ren stood on a flat stone, using its height to stir the corpses aside with a giant spoon, making space. He then set the spoon aside, jumped off the stone, and lifted another corpse to toss it into the crucible.

The system indicated the crucible had regenerative powers—corpses placed inside would resurrect the next day in their original state. Wu Ren’s goal seemed to be using the crucible’s power to resurrect these corpses, but this was supposed to happen the next day. So, why the urgency in summoning Zhou Qian?

Before Zhou Qian could ask, the instance provided the answer. Suddenly, a fiery arrow-like blaze appeared in the dark red sky, slowly descending. Wu Ren, estimating its trajectory, stayed put. Half a second later, it struck near him, reducing several buildings to ashes.

Wu Ren looked back at the destruction, then at Zhou Qian, with a bitter smile. “The last few houses of this world are gone.”

Zhou Qian gestured towards the sky, prompting an explanation from Wu Ren. “There’s a monster hidden in the sky—the Boss I must fight. It occasionally rains red, turning the land into a sea of fire. Perhaps it’s divine punishment, aiming to burn every living person.”

This explained the burnt corpses. Divine rain of fire, capable of destroying everything.

As Wu Ren moved corpses into the crucible, he shared the story he had learned—

The people had angered God, who decided to end the world. The god, hidden from human sight, randomly rained red, destroying houses and trees. This minor attack was random and not particularly harmful, so it wasn’t feared.

But the god’s major attack was terrifying. Every other day, he would rain a dense red, turning everything it touched into a sea of fire. Almost no one could escape. After three red rains, the world approached its end.

A powerful wizard had enchanted the crucible and offered it to the last emperor and his soldiers. Under its spell, the soldiers would resurrect repeatedly. During each red rain, they’d shield the emperor from harm until he figured out how to confront the god.

“I see. In this story, you’re the last emperor.” Zhou Qian realized, pointing to the crucible almost full of corpses. “And these are your soldiers?”

“Yes. They form a wall of flesh to protect me during the red rain,” Wu Ren replied, bending to lift another corpse into the crucible.

After taking a few breaths and wiping blood and mud off his face, he asked Zhou Qian, “Do you know how many bodies are here?”

Zhou Qian shook his head. Wu Ren compared the numbers and said, “50! Exactly 50 corpses.”

Wu Ren bent down and repeated the same action he had done countless times before, putting the last corpse into the crucible. He then wiped his sweat and said to Zhou Qian, “Just wait.”

Wait for what? 

Zhou Qian didn’t need to ask, as the dark red sky suddenly brightened. It was a sign of God’s wrath—the onset of the world-ending red rain!

“Let’s go. Get into the crucible!” Wu Ren urged.

Zhou Qian leaped up, climbing into the crucible. Wu Ren followed, using the stone’s height to jump in.

Ignoring the blackened corpses underfoot, Zhou Qian looked up at the increasingly blood-red sky.

“The system says these soldiers will resurrect tomorrow to shield us. But the god is already unleashing his power. Is time different in this instance?”

“Smart,” Wu Ren praised. “A day here lasts an hour. Sunrise and sunset happen within an hour.”

Zhou Qian caught on. “How long have you been here?”

Wu Ren sighed. “Five hours. I arrived just as the god first unleashed his power. You’ll witness the sixth with me.”

In the past five hours, the god unleashed its powerful attack five times, causing the soldiers to die five times. They died and resurrected repeatedly, solely to help their emperor, Wu Ren, withstand the red rain. Afterwards, Wu Ren had to repeatedly gather their scattered corpses from various places and return them to the crucible. He had to do this; otherwise, there would be no one to protect him from the red rain when the god attacked again. Thus, Wu Ren collected the bodies five times, each time gathering as many as 50 corpses.

“No wonder you’re so precise with the number. It seems you have a deep resentment towards ’50’,” Zhou Qian said.

Just as his words fell, an extraordinary phenomenon occurred—the sky turned a vivid red, identical to the first spurt of blood from a slit throat. The entire firmament seemed composed of the purest blood.

At the moment it turned purely and intensely red, countless crimson droplets began to fall. This was the wrath of the god, intent on letting his anger flow to every inch of the earth, determined to kill every living person!

Simultaneously, a golden light appeared inside the crucible. The light emerged from countless fine lines and cracks on the inner walls, weaving around Zhou Qian and Wu Ren, then striking the group of corpses inside. In just a moment, each corpse was enveloped in the golden light.

Suddenly, the first droplet of red rain drifted to the top of the crucible, fiercely targeting the last emperor of this human world. In the nick of time, a soldier resurrected and lunged in front of Wu Ren, steadfastly blocking this lethal droplet.

Countless droplets of red rain followed. However, many soldiers were also resurrected. They pushed Wu Ren and Zhou Qian aside and rapidly climbed to the mouth of the crucible. Perhaps due to some secret method, they lay one after another in mid-air. Thus, 50 people, with their flesh and blood, completely sealed the mouth of the massive crucible so tightly that not a single droplet of red rain could enter.

As the red rain hit the soldiers, they immediately caught fire, one after another, soon turning into a vast sea of flames. From afar, the scene was undoubtedly shocking—

The sky turned completely crimson. Countless red droplets carrying the god’s intent to kill showered upon the earth, leaving nothing in their wake as all turned to ash and vanished.

On the cracked earth below stood a gigantic crucible, and at its top, a sea of flames sealed it. The power of this sea of flames was immense, as if it could defy the heavens and burn the sky itself! It was a protective wall forged by the flesh and blood of countless soldiers!

Amidst excruciating pain, not a single one retreated!

They were determined to protect their emperor, the last human being in this world!

……

With the fifty corpses gone, the inside of the crucible became spacious. Zhou Qian moved his slightly aching arm and asked Wu Ren, “I feel you have a good grasp of this instance. So, what’s your plan in summoning me?”

Wu Ren explained, “After five attempts, I’ve figured it out. The red rain lasts for 3 minutes. After that, the 50 soldiers will die again. Then, the god’s true form will appear, probably to check if I’m dead. If he finds me alive, he angrily strikes the soldiers with a scepter. The soldiers forming the human wall will be shattered. Some will fall back into the crucible; others will scatter on the ground. Then, I have to gather all the bodies again for the next attack—”

He couldn’t help but complain, “Although there’s an hour gap between the god’s attacks, I spend all that time collecting bodies, with hardly any time to think of a solution…”

The top of the crucible was completely covered by the 50 soldiers, blocking all light, so Wu Ren couldn’t see where Zhou Qian was.

He could only focus on a spot and said, “Anyway, I’ve realized that every hour, the god rains down red, and exactly five soldiers revive to protect me. After the 3 minutes of red rain, the god’s true form appears, which is my only chance to defeat him!”

“I’ve fought him several times alone, all in vain. Not only did I not kill him, but I also nearly died myself. You have no idea how many ‘Universe Teleportation Mirrors’ I used to escape. Those mirrors are getting more expensive, it really hurts. So, my thought is—”

Wu Ren was very serious. “I can’t keep going like this. I can’t afford to deplete my mana and stamina any further. This time, after the 3 minutes of red rain, the god’s real form will still appear. Zhou Qian, I called you here because I think together we can take the opportunity to kill him!”

“My attack power alone isn’t enough, and neither is yours usually. But this instance’s setting is interesting! An apocalyptic background, corpses everywhere, you have unlimited resentment to use. Your ultimate move can be invincible!”

Zhou Qian thoughtfully said, “Hmm. Seems like a good plan.”

Wu Ren, apologetically, said, “So, I’m going to start bleeding you with silver needles. Don’t worry, my technique is good. I’ll keep your HP stable at 9%—”

Wu Ren’s skill emanated a damp, rainy aura, enveloping Zhou Qian. But before the lethal silver needles could form, Zhou Qian raised his hand in a stopping motion. “Wait!”

“There’s no time! The god only appears for a minute. Then he’ll retreat to heaven!” Wu Ren said, “We must seize the minute after the red rain stops. If we miss this chance, we’ll have to wait another hour… I really don’t want to move 50 corpses again!”

Wu Ren cursed, “I never thought I’d face death from exhaustion. If you hadn’t come to help, I’d rather not throw bodies into the crucible or hide there. Might as well just let the red rain kill me!”

“Wu Ge, don’t rush. Let me finish,” Zhou Qian said.

Wu Ren was impatient to attack Zhou Qian with his hidden weapons. “Hurry up if you want to say something! Don’t delay!”

Zhou Qian replied, “I also want to use my ultimate move.”

Wu Ren said, “Yes, so use it!”

Zhou Qian said, “But I don’t have enough mana.”

Wu Ren: “…What?”

Zhou Qian: “I just came out of an instance. My mana has only recovered to 30%.”

After a long silence, Wu Ren said, “Then you could have refused me. I could have found someone else…”

Zhou Qian: “Wu Ge, why talk about finding someone else? That makes us sound so distant. After ‘Flower of Evil’, I thought you were a good person, so I came to help. You have to trust me. Look, I came because I trust you.”

Wu Ren: “Really? Not because you suggested something earlier, and I refused, so you came to persuade me, even threatening me?”

Wu Ren referred to Zhou Qian’s suggestion to join his team, even urging Wu Ren to become the so-called team leader.

When Wu Ren left ‘Flower of Evil’, rising from A to S, he didn’t dare respond to Zhou Qian’s messages, haunted by visions of Zhou Qian saying, “You will become our king.”

Hearing Wu Ren’s words, Zhou Qian immediately said, “Wu Ge, our team lacks someone like you. Your gambler is also great. I’m sincerely seeking talent. Don’t think it’s a conspiracy. It’s okay if you don’t join. If not teammates, we can still be friends. I’m not that rigid.”

Wu Ren quickly waved him off. “Stop that!”

Zhou Qian seriously said, “I genuinely want you to be our team’s king.”

Wu Ren shook his head. “King my ass. Go to hell, Zhou Qian. Why do you love playing puppet emperor tricks? You just enjoy manipulating everything from behind, right? I understand you now. And let me guess, you’ve always wanted to quietly build an army, but don’t want to be too conspicuous, since so many want to kill you…”

“So, you want to push me as the army’s commander? What team lacks an assassin like me? You want me to join to attract hatred for you, I get it!”

Zhou Qian: “Then why wouldn’t I find someone else? Why you?”

“It’s okay if you refuse. Three visits to the thatched cottage*, I understand.”

*(三顾茅庐) Idiom derive from a historical story. The phrase refers to the story of Liu Bei, a warlord, who personally visited the humble thatched cottage of Zhuge Liang, a very talented but reclusive strategist, three times to earnestly request his assistance. It refers to the act of sincerely and respectfully inviting or seeking someone’s help or expertise.

Wu Ren didn’t speak.

But Zhou Qian knew his personality well and that he would be receptive. Zhou Qian smiled and turned serious, taking out a flashlight from his bag. The faint light shone directly onto the inner wall of the crucible. Zhou Qian moved closer to the edge, examining the drawings inside.

“Wu Ge, have you looked closely at these patterns?”

“Yeah, I have. They’re the same as the ones outside,” Wu Ren replied.

Zhou Qian said, “Yes. Both inside and outside, there are two rows of soldiers, infantry below, cavalry above. But haven’t you noticed, there’s something different about these two types of soldiers?”

“Infantry with shields, cavalry on horses, indeed different, wait—” Wu Ren moved closer to the edge, joining Zhou Qian in examining the drawings. He looked closely and suddenly realized something. “Their walking direction is reversed! Also…”

“The infantry’s eyes are closed, but the cavalry’s are open,” Zhou Qian continued. “This is a crucible that can resurrect corpses. There must be a meaning in these drawings. Right, you said when you first arrived, you encountered the god’s first attack, just as the red rain fell?”

“Right. Then, the soldiers around me were real living people, not dead yet. Later, thinking of the system’s hint and fearing another red rain from the god, I gathered them all into the crucible, and they successfully resurrected. Hiss—”

Wu Ren looked at Zhou Qian expectantly. “So, what are you thinking?”

Zhou Qian asked, “I spent eight months in a hospital, bored out of my mind, reading a lot.”

Wu Ren: “…?”

Zhou Qian: “I read a wide variety, all types of books.”

Wu Ren: “So?”

Zhou Qian pointed to the animal with a snake body and bull’s horns on the inner wall, “Do you know what it is?”

Wu Ren shook his head decisively.

Zhou Qian suddenly laughed.

Wu Ren looked at him incredulously, hearing him say, “I have a soft spot for these crawling, long-tailed snake-like creatures now. Its bull’s horns are a bit like the horns on my Zhou Ge’s head. But just a bit.” Wu Ren: “……….?”

Wu Ren couldn’t follow Zhou Qian’s train of thought, only to hear him switch to a serious tone. “Although it’s a snake, it has bull’s horns. In shamanism, it would be considered a dual spirit, full of shamanic power. A dual spirit, both a bull and a snake, capable of traversing different worlds.”

“Different worlds. What do you mean?” Wu Ren asked.

Zhou Qian countered, “You said after the red rain, the god appears for a minute. You’ve fought him. Do you know what he looks like?”

“I do; pretty strange,” Wu Ren replied.

Zhou Qian continued to question him, “That means he has a physical form. Then why can’t you see the god when he’s hiding in the sky?”

“He can turn invisible?” Wu Ren guessed, “After all, he’s a god! Gods are omnipotent.”

“That’s one possibility. But let me ask you another question.” Zhou Qian said, “Why does he wait three minutes after the red rain, letting all the soldiers burn to death, before coming to kill you? Why doesn’t he just appear in his true form, find you, and kill you directly?”

“This…” Wu Ren said, “Actually, my gambler and I discussed this. We thought it might be a game design issue. They want us to use that one minute to fight the boss. But… thinking about it, the logic does seem flawed.”

Wu Ren carefully recalled the events of the god’s appearance in his mind.

The red rain would fall for three minutes.

After three minutes, the god would appear to see if the last emperor of the human world had been killed by the red rain. If the emperor wasn’t dead, the god would take action himself.

But why would the god need to perform such redundant actions?

The god had already thoroughly destroyed this world.

During this period, he used three red rains to kill everyone except for this emperor.

So, why did he continue to use such tactics against this emperor? He must have known that he might still fail.

He didn’t need to release the red rain anymore; logically, he just needed to appear, find the emperor, and kill him. Why didn’t he do that?

Why did he only appear for a minute and then disappear?

“Although the red rain killed many people in this world, its real purpose might not be to kill. I just asked you if you could see the god on a regular basis. You guessed that he might be invisible but combined with this animal with the horns of a cow and the body of a snake, I guess the truth of the story is related to a different world.”

“You can’t see the god usually because he’s not in this world. He’s been trying to come to this world to kill you. But he can’t do it.”

Zhou Qian said, “I guess that the so-called red rain is actually a medium to communicate between two worlds. The god’s small tricks, those sporadic red rains, are to probe and find the location; once he confirms the location, he sends a large amount of red rain to truly reach this world. But he can only stay for a minute.”

As the two spoke, the 3-minute limit had passed.

The 50 soldiers couldn’t hold on anymore and were all burned alive into char.

Above that crucible, the god appeared like a flame from the sky. He angrily took out a scepter and struck the 50 soldiers, then looked towards the center of the crucible.

Long absent sunlight reddened Zhou Qian’s eyes.

Deep within his pitch-black pupils, it seemed like the flames of hell were dancing.

For some reason, when Wu Ren, who was beside him, saw his eyes, he suddenly felt a sense of palpitation. He couldn’t explain why.

But the reason was soon found—

Zhou Qian said to him, “In the next minute, it’s up to you to deal with the god. You have experience now. First drive him away. Then, we will have a whole hour. In that hour, you can go collect corpses, and I’ll sit in the crucible and slowly think about how to clear the level. By the way—”

After the red rain, the sky gradually turned dark red again.

Zhou Qian sat at the bottom of the crucible, holding a flashlight, smiling at Wu Ren. “Wu Ge, think about my suggestion. Come be our king!”

---

The author has something to say:

Wu Ren: “I am now regretting getting this person involved—very much regretting…”

……

I see some little angels have forgotten Wu Ge. Wu Ge is the poor elder brother who initially drew the least life points in “Flower of Evil” and then was threatened by Qian Ge all the way.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 107

The Purple Mist Mountain was surrounded by clouds and fog all year round, presenting a picturesque scenery with beautiful waters and clear mountains.

The land here contained powerful spiritual energy. Every tree and plant grown from this land was imbued with rich spiritual essence, making it a true paradise.

The Demon King Son absorbed his mother’s lifelong spiritual power and grew up in this treasured land. By the age of four, he had become a very powerful spirit creature.

At this moment, the Demon King Son faced many puzzles. He didn’t understand why his father lay motionless on the ground, nor why the surrounding trees were falling and the ground cracking. He vaguely felt that his father wouldn’t return, and his home was destroyed.

Driven by instinct, the Demon King Son shed tears. He was only four years old and had been raised by his father as food. He didn’t understand right from wrong, nor did he understand emotions. All he knew was that an intruder had disrupted his and his father’s ritual. He was angry and wanted to kill the intruder.

In his mind, without his father, there was no him. When his father needed him, he should give everything. What was wrong with that?

Before going to sleep, his father said to wait 30 minutes, and then he could enjoy him. If he could serve his father and make him happy, he would be very happy.

But why did the intruder, who destroyed everything, insist that he was doing this for his own good, that he was avenging him? What did he mean by “mother”? What is a “mother”? He only knew his father, his only kin.

And now… what did the intruder mean by saying, “Life is unique, and everyone should live for themselves”?

What was nectar to one was poison to another. The Demon King Son could never understand Zhou Qian’s words.

30 minutes later. The little dragon’s tail swept lightly, moving gracefully as it dodged another powerful attack and prepared for the next one. Suddenly, the Demon King Son’s attack stopped.

The illusion of a crying child disappeared, along with the high-speed movement and deadly palm strike. The Demon King Son stopped attacking Zhou Qian and walked silently to his father, kneeling beside him, shaking him.

“Dad? You should wake up! You said you would wake up after 30 minutes!”

He didn’t know his father was already dead. His father, who wanted him to die willingly, never taught him the meaning of life and death. He only remembered his father saying to wake him after 30 minutes to enjoy a meal.

After shaking his father several times without waking him, the Demon King Son shed a few more tears and then looked dazed. He stood up and walked to a thatched hut nearby, its roof overturned during the fight. The hut was in chaos, with various utensils scattered and covered in ash.

The Demon King Son found a cauldron in the messy hut. He brought it to the platform, set up wood, lit a fire, filled the cauldron with water, and then fetched a sack of medicinal herbs from the hut, adding them to the water.

Finally, he jumped into the cauldron without hesitation. Before closing his eyes, he looked towards his father and said, “Dad, remember to wake up and eat me…”

The bronze cauldron was engraved with mysterious symbols. The moment the water began to boil, the runes on the cauldron emitted a golden glow, while a purple mist rose from the mouth of the cauldron.

The Demon King Son cooked himself, offering all his life energy to the cauldron.

As if responding to some signal, the little dragon in the sky opened its mouth, and the endless purple mist from the cauldron flew into its belly, all of it absorbed by the Taotie Golden Pill.

As the little dragon’s life force increased manifold, Zhou Qian also received a system notification. He had successfully completed the level, with a whopping 40% increase in his combat-related stats. After gently patting the little dragon’s head and commending it as a good boy, Zhou Qian used his mind to command it to descend to the ground.

It was then that he noticed something unusual with the Rib of God—some of the purple mist was seeping out of the little dragon’s mouth and moving towards the bone.

Soon, the Rib of God was surrounded by the purple mist. Following this, a faint white smoke, almost invisible, emerged from the bone.

If Zhou Qian didn’t know it was impossible, he might have thought the Rib of God was on fire. The white smoke collided, intertwined, and merged with the purple mist, forming a faint, light purple smoke.

Eventually, the purple part completely disappeared, leaving only the white smoke, which coalesced into a human shape in front of the bone.

It was as if a soul had taken residence inside the Rib of God, too weak initially to leave its life source. Now, it had absorbed some life force and appeared before everyone.

Zhou Qian, with a serious expression and a furrowed brow, vaguely realizing something, earnestly said to the little dragon, “Longlong, try to emit some more life force for him!”

Upon hearing this, the little dragon immediately tried, but it had been exhausted from helping Zhou Qian evade the Demon King Son’s attacks for 20 minutes and couldn’t afford to expend any more energy.

Nevertheless, it managed to release a bit more life force before sitting down on the ground, its body slowly shrinking back to its original small dragon form.

However, its actions were meaningful. The white smoke absorbed more of the purple mist, taking on a more human-like appearance, and the features of the person in the smoke became clearer.

Zhou Qian, gripping the Rib of God, recognized something in the white smoke and immediately smiled. “Shan Ge, is it you? Did you stay in the Rib of God during ‘Last Wish’? Is my bone spirit actually you?”

Gao Shan faced Zhou Qian, raised his hand as if to say something, but couldn’t make any sound. He then tried to step towards Zhou Qian but disappeared instantly. The white smoke returned to the Rib of God, leaving no trace.

Zhou Qian immediately resolved to further enhance his stats quickly. Perhaps next time, he could actually talk to Gao Shan, maybe even revive him.

Since Gao Shan’s skills were still present, Zhou Qian’s team might still have a very powerful tank.

A short while later, Zhou Qian, holding the little dragon, descended the mountain, waiting at the exit to be transported out of the instance.

During this time, his watch on his left wrist vibrated—it was a summoning request.

[Item Name: Affectionate Call]

[Function: When facing a crisis, this item allows the user to summon a past teammate to assist in clearing the level; the teammate will receive 80% of the experience points.]

[Restrictions: Only usable in solo instances; only applicable to monster-slaying type instances; similar function cards can only be used once every three months.]

[Grade: S, extremely rare]

Zhou Qian was familiar with the function of this item because it was among the many things Bai Zhou had given him, including the [Affectionate Call]. However, when he was playing solo, he couldn’t use this item to summon Bai Zhou, as players of Bai Zhou’s level were completely unable to enter ordinary low-level instances.

Therefore, this item could only summon teammates of the same level, limiting its usefulness and preventing it from being used like a cheat code to summon powerful external support.

Upon seeing the message [Player Wu Ren has sent you a summoning request. Please confirm within one minute whether to accept.], Zhou Qian decided to go. At this time, he was in the process of being transported out of a solo instance and could message other teammates.

He quickly sent a message to Bai Zhou: [Zhou Ge, I can’t come back right now; I need to help a friend. Also, I think I might be able to summon a bone spirit now. Maybe I can revive an old friend. I’m going to try. Wait for me! I’ll be right back!]

……

Blue Harbor City, 2301, near the entrance of Purple Mist Mountain.

Anticipating Zhou Qian’s return, Bai Zhou bought some black tea and his favorite snacks. Just as he returned to the entrance of Purple Mist Mountain, he unexpectedly received a message from Zhou Qian.

Bai Zhou’s gaze lingered on the system panel for three seconds until the text disappeared. Then, he shifted his gaze, took out a portable sofa and a sun umbrella from his bag, and sat down. Since Zhou Qian didn’t mention which instance he was going to, Bai Zhou could only wait there for the time being.

He took out a cup of black tea and took a sip through a straw. Sitting under the sun umbrella, Bai Zhou opened a book to read.

After a while, a “tick” sound echoed as if a droplet of water had fallen in front of him. Bai Zhou shifted his gaze from the book to the ground—

It was a drop of red blood.

Casting a casual glance at it, Bai Zhou returned his attention to the book. His expression was indifferent from beginning to end, merely stating, “When he’s around, don’t appear in this form.”

“White Dragon, oh White Dragon, you are as heartless as your Breaking Dawn.”

A male voice spoke.

A female voice quickly countered him, “That’s not fair to say. He is heartless towards us, but affectionate towards that person!”

Male voice: “Xiao Mo, I think you have a problem.”

Female voice: “You’re the one with a problem! You’re so disgusting. You’re actually a drop of blood!”

Male voice: “You’re the weird one. Aren’t you also blood?”

With some arguing, the drop of blood on the ground began to spread and enlarge, bubbling like red lava, and finally, a person made entirely of red—wearing a red hat, dressed in red clothes, even the face emanating red—rose from it.

Strictly speaking, it couldn’t be considered a person because this body had two heads.

[Blood Demon] was always an object of fear among many players. It was notorious for its eerie appearances and disappearances, and for its ruthlessness in killing without blinking an eye. After every kill, it absorbed all the blood from its victim’s body.

Few had seen its true form and, thus, were unaware of its peculiar appearance.

This male and female duo shared one body; they were conjoined twins since birth. In the real world, no surgeon could separate them, and doctors had predicted they wouldn’t live past the age of nine.

So, they chose to participate in an experiment, entering the game, which has allowed them to survive until now.

Among the two, the male called himself “Xiao Xue¹” and the female “Xiao Mo²”. They both had a joking nature.

¹Blood. The Xiao is referring to “little”.
²Demon/Devil. The Xiao is referring to “little”. 

In serious situations, Xiao Mo was usually more composed and mature, while Xiao Xue tended to be more impulsive. However, they complemented each other well and usually managed to turn perilous situations around.

As for their usual behavior, neither were easy to get along with, and they often bicker. Ever since Hidden Blade met them, he frequently pondered a question—whose opinion should he listen to when they argue?

Both of them unanimously responded, “Of course, listen to me. This body is male/female, so I make the decisions!”

At the moment, as Bai Zhou slightly furrowed his brows and turned the pages of his book more forcefully, the two’s quarrel abruptly ceased. Staring at him for a while, Xiao Mo said, “You haven’t reported back to Master for a long time.”

Xiao Xue pondered for a moment. “Hmm, I’ve realized we don’t need to be so servile to him!”

Xiao Mo added, “Yes, yes, White Dragon is far from his peak now!”

Xiao Xue mused, “I wonder if that Rank S kid knows what White Dragon sacrificed to save him. Such a touching story.”

Bai Zhou ignored them and silently turned to the next page of his book.

Xiao Xue and Xiao Mo said in unison, “Master wants you to return immediately! We’re dying here! Why are you still leisurely reading a book?”

Bai Zhou, without looking up, replied, “I’m waiting for my future Master to level up.”

Xiao Xue and Xiao Mo: “…”

Bai Zhou: “He will also be your future Master.”

At this, Bai Zhou seemed to sense something, abruptly threw the tea in a certain direction, his gaze turning sharp. Soon, a girl with big eyes, riding a turtle, and looking very cute and silly appeared not far away.

“Ah, I stayed hidden a bit longer this time. I’ve improved!” The cute-looking girl, riding a silly-looking turtle, approached the trio very slowly.

She yawned. “Much better than last time. Last time, White Dragon discovered me in a tenth of a second. This time it took half a second!”

Xiao Xue and Xiao Mo: “…”

The silly girl’s code name was [Turtle Fairy].

When Hidden Blade first saw this name, he thought it belonged to a centuries-old person with white hair, a white beard, and wrinkled face.

He never expected the real person behind the code name to be such a young girl*.

*Clarity: The fairy is [xian] (仙) which can also mean an immortal/celestial being, which is why Hidden Blade was thinking it was some immortal hermit-type guy that cultivated for hundreds of years.

Turtle Fairy blinked at Blood Demon and then looked mysteriously at Bai Zhou. “Lord White Dragon, I divined for that kid, oh no, for our future Master, using my turtle shell. He’s entered a very dangerous instance. Do you want to know if he wins or loses? Hehe—”

She paused, squeezing out a very cute smile. “If you want to know, accompany me to see Master. I’ll tell you on the way!”

Bai Zhou looked down and turned to the next page of his book. “He won’t lose.”

“Hahaha…”

Turtle Fairy laughed awkwardly, exchanged a look with Blood Demon, and then tried again. “You have so much confidence in him, his code name is… oh, Nightmare Commander, right?”

“Mm.” Bai Zhou nodded.

“I actually came to Blue Harbor City a long time ago. That day, I followed him for a few steps, and he didn’t notice me. Hehe, it was when you guys came out of the Murder Exhibition Hall, and Nightmare Commander went to the hotel alone.”

Turtle Fairy said, “At that time, I used [Mind Reading] to take a look—”

Before the naive girl could finish speaking, she was suddenly met with Bai Zhou’s abruptly cold gaze.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately looked at Xue Mo for help, then hurriedly said, “Hey, my mind reading skill is not entirely active—it’s a passive skill. I’m forced to hear the thoughts of lower-level players, and actually, I find it very noisy every day! Cough cough…”

“White Dragon, do you know, he thinks you don’t understand his heart, don’t understand what is… love!”

Xiao Xue and Xiao Mo immediately began an exchange of glances.

“Turtle Meimei* has been getting bolder lately. Have you noticed?”

*Little Sister (妹妹) When used with a name, it often conveys a sense of affection and endearment, generally towards a girl who is younger than you.

“Actually, Turtle Meimei is our team’s pet. Mind reading, fortune-telling—how amazing. A prophetic master we must protect!”

In an instant, however, Turtle Fairy’s demeanor changed as if she was possessed.

Initially, she was sitting sideways on a turtle’s back in a white dress, with big eyes and a tilted head, while speaking. This was her most genuine and adorable appearance, seeming naive and cute.

But then she suddenly stood up, almost floating above the turtle’s back in a drifting pose. Her facial expression became very serious, as if she had suddenly matured several years.

She stared straight at Bai Zhou and said something she herself hadn’t anticipated—

“Have you ever thought that the emotions between you two are not equal?”

“You can give him everything. But for him, even if he heard of your death, he would indeed be sad, but he could still peacefully get through these seven years.”

“These seven years he has been doing very well, so, actually, with or without you, for him, it doesn’t matter.”

“He would leave you behind any time for his friends. He has many important things to do every day. You are never the only one in his heart.”

“Maybe he does like you, and you are indeed different from others. But this difference is limited, and the extent of your importance to him is also limited.”

“Essentially, you are no different from his other friends.”

“From seven to seventeen years old, you’ve only known each other for ten years. Excluding those childish years, how many years of true affection are left between you?”

“But you’ve been apart for seven years.”

“Bai Zhou, have you ever thought that, to him, you’re not that important. If it weren’t for the time you spent with him in your youth, perhaps he would see you no differently from others.”

“He thinks you don’t understand his heart, don’t understand emotions. But in reality, it’s he who doesn’t understand.”

“I’m saying this just to remind you, about our battle in the future…”

……

After hearing these words, Xue Mo didn’t dare to look at Bai Zhou’s face. She only saw the swirl of her red rob and Turtle Fairy’s forehead being struck, knocking her out. She fell motionlessly back onto the turtle’s back.

When Turtle Fairy woke up, Bai Zhou was already gone.

Only Xue Mo was in front of her.

Turtle Fairy, realizing something from Xue Mo’s expression, annoyingly slapped her own head. “Did I enter… divinity state again? Did I babble things I shouldn’t have?”

Without Xue Mo saying much, Turtle Fairy had guessed everything.

“It’s over. Oh no, I didn’t mean it!”

“What about Master’s task? He asked the three of us to make sure Bai Zhou meets him.”

Xue Mo sighed. “What do you think he said before he left?”

Turtle Fairy blinked twice and asked, “What did he say?”

Xue Mo: “He said he wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye again. He will accompany Zhou Qian to finish this instance. Let’s wait a bit longer.”

……

Zhou Qian was completely unaware of what happened outside the instance.

He arrived at a vast stretch of open land, with a few scattered houses behind and a huge stone pot in front.

Next to the stone pot, stood a man holding a giant spoon.

He was badly wounded, almost unrecognizable.

With great difficulty, Zhou Qian recognized him as Wu Ren.

Wu Ren’s small eyes were completely buried in the mud and sand, almost completely invisible.

He squeezed out a smile at Zhou Qian, uglier than crying. “I almost thought you were going to refuse me.”

“You’re lucky. I just finished an instance, or else I couldn’t have made it.” Zhou Qian sized him up. “What’s going on with you?”

[Player Zhou Qian enters the instance: Magic Crucible.]

[I will give you a crucible. If you throw the bodies of your fallen men into it today, they will be resurrected unharmed tomorrow*.]

*See author’s note.

[Use this crucible to win our war!]

---

The author has something to say:

The part is adapted from <Mabinogion>.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 106

The Demon King Child’s method of attacking people was easy to figure out. He would first use illusions to confuse his opponent, making them see countless children and unable to discern which one was real. Once successful, he would approach his enemy at high speed and then use his ultimate move, “Love Slap”.

With the combination of illusions and high speed, the Demon King Child’s strike was extremely difficult to avoid. However, Zhou Qian’s weapon had two abilities that were naturally the nemesis of these tactics.

The Rib of God, in itself a divine artifact for creating illusions, hadn’t yet fully unleashed its power due to the limitations of Zhou Qian’s own stats. But against such monsters, it was more than enough, allowing Zhou Qian to momentarily come to his senses and identify the real Demon King Child amidst the illusions. Zhou Qian’s ability to control time, effectively slowing down speed, was the trump card against the Demon King Child.

Thus, Zhou Qian had easily killed the Demon King Child with a short knife. But, as expected, the situation wasn’t that simple—the child could resurrect.

Zhou Qian’s time-slowing skill was very powerful, but it also drained MP quickly.

He had tried to conserve his MP but still used up 15% of it. It had taken him about a minute to kill the Demon King Child once.

But in the next 29 minutes, he could use such a tactic at most six more times before running out of MP. If the Demon King Child could resurrect without limit, Zhou Qian would be completely unable to resist him. To make matters worse, when the time was up, the Demon King Father would awaken.

Currently, it seemed that the child’s resurrection was related to his father. Perhaps the father’s “womb” was a medium capable of transferring life points, allowing his son to continuously resurrect.

The system mentioned that the life points of the Demon King Father were unknown. Perhaps this number was infinitely large, allowing him to provide endless life points to the Demon King Child.

Should Zhou Qian try to kill the father first? But given his seemingly infinite life points, that seemed too difficult.

Waking him up prematurely would only lead to a dire two-on-one situation without any other benefit.

Moreover, the system had specifically emphasized at the beginning not to easily awaken the Demon King Father, whose attack power was unfathomable. It was very likely that upon waking, the Demon King Father would directly unleash a powerful move.

This meant that the moment Zhou Qian woke him up would be the moment of death, as his basic stats were too weak to withstand a major attack from a big boss.

Lacking attributes, Zhou Qian resorted to using items. Before the Demon King Child launched his next attack, Zhou Qian hastily equipped his small dragon with armor and himself with a full-body protective device.

Additionally, to save MP, he put on shoes that increased his speed to 200% for up to 10 minutes.

Just a minute later, the Demon King Child recovered and quickly launched a second round of attacks on Zhou Qian.

Accompanied by the piercing cries of the child, the illusion surged, and layers of child-like afterimages interwove into a giant web around him, slowly tightening as if to strangle Zhou Qian to death.

With the Rib of God firmly in his left hand and leveraging the power of the weapon, Zhou Qian identified the real Demon King Child within a thousandth of a second and then quickly found the right direction to retreat with the help of the speed-boosting shoes.

Even though his speed was fast enough, it was still too late—

Just as Zhou Qian retreated ten steps, the Demon King Child, with palms combined, rapidly struck at his face! But at that moment, Zhou Qian’s right hand holding the short knife didn’t even have time to swing!

In this critical moment, Zhou Qian had to repeat his tactic and slow down time again.

With the speed-boosting shoes, he didn’t slow time down too much this time and only consumed 7% of his mana to successfully counter-kill the Demon King Child.

However, the golden light on the Demon King Father’s belly soon brightened again.

The lifeless body of the child lying on the ground quickly came back to life!

……

When Zhou Qian chose to enter this instance, high-level gamblers once again gathered to watch.

Initially, they weren’t interested in Zhou Qian playing such instances, always feeling he would clear them easily.

But as the situation developed, they too became somewhat nervous.

It seemed that fighting alone wasn’t Zhou Qian’s strong suit.

[Wait, I think this pair of bosses isn’t too hard to beat! Am I alone?]

[You’re not alone. I thought of it too. The key problem might lie in the father’s “womb”. Players indeed can’t kill the father in one blow, but piercing and destroying his womb should be doable.]

[Exactly. Without the womb, the father shouldn’t be able to resurrect the Demon King Child. Then, players can kill the child and focus on fighting the father.]

[But according to the system’s hint, the father might unleash a big move upon waking. How will Qian Ge dodge it?]

[Doesn’t Qian Ge have a pet? Use it to bait the big move!]

[Right, pets are for sacrifices, after all!]

[Right! So, Qian Ge’s correct approach should be: attack the father’s womb, severing the life connection between him and his son; meanwhile, let the pet dragon take the brunt of the father’s powerful move! Once the father has used his ultimate move, there will surely be a cooldown period, which Qian Ge can use to deal with the Demon King Child!]

[Reliable plan. After killing the Demon King Child, the next consideration is how to kill the Demon King Father.]

[But still… Even if the son dies, the father is tough to deal with, with all his stats unknown and thus unfathomable. From a numerical perspective, he completely overwhelms the player in every aspect! How can this be fought?]

[The father can keep resurrecting the child indefinitely. He’s immortal—impossible to defeat!]

[Yeah, I was wondering why Qian Ge didn’t think of destroying the womb earlier. Qian Ge is truly Qian Ge. He wouldn’t act rashly for a reason.]

[No, I think Qian Ge is wrong this time. If it were me, I would have let the dragon bait the ultimate move first. Dealing with one monster is always better than two!]

After a long discussion without a conclusion, the gamblers watched as Zhou Qian had already killed the Demon King Child three times, with less than 70% MP remaining.

At this point, everyone turned their attention to Priest.

[Priest, we need an answer. How do we solve this?]

[We initially thought attacking the father’s womb was the way to go. But the more we discuss, the more we feel it won’t work. Even if we sacrifice the pet to kill the child, it’s useless. The father’s life points are infinite… This puzzle is unsolvable!!!]

Hearing everyone’s words, Priest slowly said, “100 people enter, 10 die from the Demon King Child’s first attack; of the remaining 90, 10 will choose to attack the Demon King Father, fail, and get killed by the father and son combined—”

[And the rest?]

[Damn, what’s the answer?]

“Only 15 people clear the dungeon successfully, so 65 people will make the same mistake—”

“Like you, they think of destroying the Demon King Father’s womb to cut off the connection between father and son. But according to the system’s hint, this means waking up the father and very likely triggering his ultimate move; even if they survive the move, they still have to deal with these two…”

Priest continued, “They hesitate, not daring to make an immediate decision, only to kill the Demon King Child over and over again in their indecision and contemplation.

“Perhaps after killing the Demon King Child ten times, they finally make a decision—continuing like this isn’t the way might as well go with the initial plan—destroy his womb first and then adapt as things unfold.”

Pausing for a moment, Priest added, “Of these 65 people, about 30 will die in the combined attack of the father and son after waking the father by removing his womb, leaving 35 alive.”

“But at this point… these 35 people don’t have enough MP to face the real monster.”

“So ultimately, all these 65 people die.”

Smiling at the image on the tablet, Priest said, “These numbers are actually quite objective. The foolish or those with low combat power are eliminated at the beginning, about 20%; those who clear it are 15%; and those who die slowly in between make up 65%. You can calculate, does it approximate a normal distribution?”

[I get what Priest means.]

[Me too. He’s mocking us for being part of that 65% majority.]

[If we were in that game, we could avoid the early attacks and think of removing the womb, but we belong to the majority who hesitate, delay, and ultimately die due to lack of MP.]

[Wow, shh, quiet, look! Qian Ge is making his move!]

[!!! He’s really going for the Demon King Father’s womb!]

[Why?! He didn’t let the dragon bait the ultimate move?!]

[Ah, then he himself will have to face the ultimate move… This can’t be good! He’s finished…]

[Ah, the Demon King Father is waking up!]

……

In the game.

Zhou Qian tightly gripped the Rib of God in his left hand to slow down time, and while the effect of his speed shoes hadn’t worn off, he used his extreme speed to reach the Demon King Father before the Demon King Child could catch up.

The Demon King Child seemed to sense something and suddenly shouted, “Daddy!”

Some fear of losing his father probably triggered him, and suddenly, he charged at Zhou Qian with unprecedented speed, his palms creating numerous palm prints, all striking towards Zhou Qian’s back!

Zhou Qian leaped up, his back, abdomen, and legs all stretched out straight, almost parallel to the ground. This way, he narrowly avoided a few palm strikes and then adjusted his posture as he landed, eventually flipping halfway and returning to the ground in a kneeling position on one knee.

The wind created by his landing fluttered the hair on Zhou Qian’s forehead, revealing a pair of cold and slightly mocking eyes.

Meanwhile, he reversed his grip on the short knife and thrust it downward with force. As the cold light vanished, the tip of the knife pierced straight into the meatball on the Demon King Father’s belly.

Purple blood splattered on Zhou Qian’s pale, thin chin. He raised his knife-wielding hand, thumb up, casually wiping his face, and then stood firm without retreat or avoidance.

“Ah—! How hateful!! Pay with your life!!”

The Demon King Father woke up, immediately letting out a tremendous roar.

That roar was filled with endless hatred and murderous intent, as if determined to chop into a thousand pieces the one who woke him up and even destroyed his womb!

However, facing this hatred, Zhou Qian remained calm and composed.

While slowing down time, he slightly sidestepped to avoid a slap, merely dodging the Demon King Child attacking from the side as usual.

[What is Qian Ge doing?]

[Why is he so calm?]

[The Demon King Father is about to unleash his ultimate move, right? Wuwuwu, I’m scared]

[Hasn’t Qian Ge dodged yet?]

[Hey, look, the Demon King Father didn’t unleash his ultimate move!]

At this moment, Priest spoke up. “He can’t unleash it.”

The gamblers said in unison, “Why?”

Priest, with a faint smile, said, “At this moment… he doesn’t have an ultimate move at all.”

On the screen, Zhou Qian looked at the Demon King Father with a pleased smile on his face.

“The system says he has unknown vitality, unknown defense, unfathomable attack power… Initially, everyone would think his health points are incredibly high. But who would have thought that he would actually be easy to kill.”

After finishing his words, Zhou Qian reversed his grip on the knife and mercilessly slashed at the Demon King Father’s neck.

“Maybe you also have fast speed and astonishing attack power. But under my slowed-down time, all of that is of no use.”

Zhou Qian watched with a smile as the purple blood slowly spilled out and climbed up the knife, but this smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Staring into the eyes of the Demon King Father, Zhou Qian’s gaze was extremely cold and ruthless.

Only when he saw the Demon King Father’s data on the system panel did his eyes show a bit of satisfaction.

“Your unknown vitality is because it’s merely a thousand points. I’m already at Rank S, with a life value of 50,000. It turns out ‘unknown’ can also mean very small, so small it can almost be ignored. Indeed, it’s a trick of the system.”

The Demon King Father’s life points quickly bottomed out, and he lay motionless on the ground.

Zhou Qian turned to look at the Demon King Child.

The Demon King Child, caught in the drastically slowed-down time, seemed to be moving very slowly. But he seemed to sense something, his eyes becoming watery.

Tears were accumulating in his eyes but couldn’t flow out, merely because they were constrained by time.

“The key to clearing the dungeon is in the word ‘cooking’.”

Zhou Qian said to the Demon King Child, “Your father is skilled in childbirth, childcare, and cooking. But what was he cooking? Of course, it was cooking a delicacy for himself.”

“So, it’s not that he has endless vitality and can transfer it to you upon your death. The real situation is the opposite—”

“The one who is truly immortal and has endless life is you. He nurtured you, raised you, and in the end, he was going to cook you and eat you to absorb your power.”

“As for that golden light… It’s also a trick to deceive the players.”

As he spoke, Zhou Qian reached into the broken belly of the Demon King Father and felt a golden pill-like object.

Shortly after it was in Zhou Qian’s palm, it emitted a golden light, flickered a few times, and then went out.

Its intermittent glow wasn’t the Demon King Father transferring life to his son; rather, it was absorbing life from his son.

Why?

Only because his own life force was extremely weak.

In fact, he needed to rely on his son to live.

Shortly after securing the golden pill, Zhou Qian received this prompt—

[Player Zhou Qian obtains item: Taotie* Golden Pill]

*An ancient Chinese mythological creature that is one of the “four evil creatures of the world.” It is one of the four that’s opposed to the holy four creatures (Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise). Notably, it’s known for its gluttony (thus the word (饕餮) can mean glutenous).

[Effect: The Taotie never knows satisfaction, and it loves to absorb people’s life force the most, so under certain circumstances, it can help you absorb someone else’s life force.]

[Player Zhou Qian unlocks the complete story: —

A man on the brink of death from a severe illness obtained a Taotie Golden Pill from an old Taoist and swallowed it. The pill could absorb the life force of people around the man, allowing him to hang on to life.

But the life force of ordinary people was limited and couldn’t satisfy the man’s needs, so he began searching for ways to extend his life.

Hearing that there was a spiritual woman on Purple Mist Mountain with a robust life force, the man spent his days searching for her on the mountain. His goal was to kill her and absorb her spiritual power.

After successfully meeting the spiritual woman, the man realized her power was too strong for him to kill directly, and even the golden pill couldn’t actively absorb her power.

So, the man began to deceive the woman, making her fall in love with him and eventually marry him.

He bought an apartment in Blue Harbor City, claiming he wanted to bring the spiritual woman into the world to live an ordinary life. He cared for her in every way, and the spiritual woman, unsuspecting, willingly bore his child, and the two became a loving couple in the eyes of others.

Unbeknownst to the spiritual woman, while she was pregnant, the man used an old Taoist to cast a spell on the child in her womb.

Thus, each day as the child grew, it consumed more of the mother’s spiritual power.

By the time the child was four months old, the spiritual woman’s spiritual power and life force had been completely consumed by the child, leading to her eventual death from depletion of her spiritual energy. She transferred all her spiritual power and life force to the child.

While the child’s physical body wasn’t fully developed, it could provide limited life force to the man, enough for him to live another hundred years. However, if the child was carefully nurtured, absorbing the essence of Purple Mist Mountain and turning into a spirit monster, upon reaching the age of four, the man could eat its flesh and blood to become immortal and god-like.]

“Your father deceived your mother’s feelings, using her womb as a tool or vessel to create an elixir of immortality, and the medicine cultivated in this vessel was you.”

“He was skilled in cooking—not to cook food for you, but to cook your flesh and blood, making you his delicacy. He raised you to four years old to eat you.

“Such a scoundrel; he deserved to die. I have avenged you and your mother.”

Quickly scanning the story sent by the system, Zhou Qian spoke to the child before the slowed time ended. “So, when the system initially said that the Demon King Father would wake up from his sleep in 30 minutes, it really meant that in 30 minutes, you would turn four years old.”

“Why did the system say the Demon King Father was unfathomable?”

“Because 30 minutes later, when he woke up, he would eat you and then become immortal.”

“Probably that’s why so many players couldn’t clear the dungeon. Many of them faced the Demon King Father, who had become immortal.”

“The system’s so-called unbelievably strong Demon King Father actually referred to him after becoming immortal, that is, after waking up and eating you.”

“Indeed, who could beat him in that situation? So, the system wasn’t really lying, right? I’m tired of these little tricks from the game designers. But I never expected—”

“To encounter the power of the Taotie here. Speaking of which…”

Zhou Qian smiled, holding the golden pill, and patted the small dragon on his shoulder. “Dragons have nine sons, and the Taotie is one of them. What kind of dragon is your father? Are you related to him?”

Yawning, Zhou Qian began to think of ways to delay time.

Actually, only about 10 minutes had passed in normal time.

Zhou Qian estimated that if he could delay another 20 minutes, he should be able to directly absorb the Demon King Child’s life force with the golden pill in his hand and then clear the dungeon.

However, in the next 20 minutes, Zhou Qian couldn’t really kill him. According to the setting, after absorbing all the spiritual woman’s power and turning into a spirit monster on Purple Mist Mountain, he would resurrect time and again.

His life force was endless and invincible, only absorbable by the golden pill.

Zhou Qian brought out all sorts of items: the Universe Teleportation Mirror, Flying Ropes, even Flash Smoke Bombs, and more. Now that the Demon King Father was dead, Zhou Qian’s MP was almost depleted.

Surviving the next 20 minutes against the Demon King Child wouldn’t be easy.

Zhou Qian decided not to kill the Demon King Child futilely. He would hit and run, simply biding time.

With so many items, plus using the small dragon for cover, even though he might be heavily injured upon leaving, clearing the dungeon wasn’t a big problem.

Unexpectedly, just as Zhou Qian prepared all his items and planned everything for the next 20 minutes, the small dragon, staring at the golden pill in his hand, suddenly made a move.

The golden pill suddenly rose into the air and hovered. The next moment, the small dragon opened its mouth, and the golden pill flew into it and was swallowed.

“Little Dragon, you—”

Zhou Qian blinked and saw it surrounded by a golden glow, rapidly growing in size, quickly becoming the length of an adult, rising into the air, and hovering.

From the data panel, its strength had increased significantly, and the system even offered options to increase its skill values.

Considering the current situation, Zhou Qian immediately increased all its skills to speed, granting the small dragon extremely high agility.

Essentially, Zhou Qian still considered the small dragon a part or incarnation of Bai Zhou, and after dividing his spiritual power with the small dragon, he could control it as a Shepherd.

“Not bad at all.” Zhou Qian patted its head. “Even the incarnation has upgraded so quickly. Then—”

After cleaning the bloodstained knife and putting it away, Zhou Qian switched the Rib of God to his right hand. Narrowing his eyes at the Demon King Child not far ahead, he waved his left hand forward. “Little Dragon, cover me!”

Time resumed its normal pace.

Zhou Qian’s MP was down to 5%, but he didn’t care.

The small dragon swooped in, and he leaped up, mounting it.

The infant’s crying sound rose again, and countless illusions immediately surrounded Zhou Qian. After identifying the real Demon King Child coming from the left with the Rib of God, Zhou Qian thought of dodging to the right. The small dragon swiftly received the signal from his brain and immediately moved to the right.

Two palms fiercely struck the ground, the force so great that it tore open the earth.

But the dragon had already carried Zhou Qian away in advance, soaring lightly like a drifting cloud, rising several feet into the air, facing the Demon King Child from a distance.

“Ugh—!”

The Demon King Child furiously slapped the ground again, causing it to crack open instantly.

Stepping on the battered ground, he leaped up, lunging towards Zhou Qian in mid-air.

In mid-air, however, a deep blue dragon tail swept across, hitting the Demon King Child’s head and flipping him harshly to the ground.

Zhou Qian’s voice echoed in the air. “Didn’t you understand what I said? Your father is the one who harmed you. I’m the one avenging you.”

The Demon King Child didn’t listen, his health dropping to the lowest and then instantly restored to full, as he roared and charged at Zhou Qian again.

Zhou Qian shook his head.

It seems the child’s mind was completely altered by his father.

He must think his life is for his father.

Maybe when his father wanted to eat him, he would willingly sacrifice himself.

“Without me, there would be no you. Your life was created by me, and you should serve me, offering all your flesh and blood to me.”

Sitting on the small dragon’s back, Zhou Qian looked down at the Demon King Child with a piercing gaze. “Did your father brainwash you with this line?”

“But have you ever thought about your mother?”

“Maybe she willingly gave birth to you. Maybe she was willing to share her life force with you. But did she want to give it to your father? She was harmed by him for her entire life.”

The Demon King Child couldn’t understand Zhou Qian’s words at all.

Under the curse, from birth, he lived for his father.

Even his daily cultivation, eating fruits and animals rich in spiritual power, was to make himself tastier.

He was pitiable, but beyond saving.

Zhou Qian patted the small dragon’s head. “Your dad and I wouldn’t do that to you. Don’t fight him head-on. He can’t die. If we wait until 30 minutes, we should be able to use the golden pill to absorb his life force.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 105

2301, Blue Harbor City, inside the Compatibility Testing Center.

The four players, Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou, Hidden Blade, and He Xiaowei, were divided into two groups and all received instance recommendations from the machine. The most suitable instance for both groups to take on together, which was opening soon in Blue Harbor City, was an instance named “The Red God’s Banquet.”

“The Red God’s Banquet” would open in two days. After making their selection, they received the following message:

[Instances in the game also seek out those with fate, and you have chosen it as it has chosen you. Your action of selecting the instance at the Testing Center demonstrates your trust in the system. Hence, the system will provide you with a tip.]

[Rules to abide by: 1. Do not walk counterclockwise around the Tower of Tara; 2. Do not spend the night in a house where you can still see the light of fire from the window after sunset (Note).]

[Discover more rules within the instance.]

Afterward, the four didn’t leave but went to the rest area of the Testing Center. There were lounge chairs, swings, and vending machines, though the items in the machines were as exorbitantly priced as those in the Murder Exhibition Hall.

Since Zhou Qian had saved his life, He Xiaowei, who was usually a bit stingy, became exceptionally generous towards him. Seeing Zhou Qian sitting on a lounge chair, he eagerly offered, “Qian’er, do you want a Coke? With ice? Or room temperature?”

Zhou Qian shook his head decisively. “I don’t drink that kind of junk. You should cut down on it too. I haven’t seen you for a day, and you’ve already gained weight.”

He Xiaowei pouted unhappily. “Qian’er, that’s not fair. I only scored higher than you once, and you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder all this time! Are we still brothers?”

Zhou Qian looked at him seriously. “I’m not mocking you; I’m concerned for you. My college roommate used to drink three bottles of Coke a day and got diabetes within a month.”

He Xiaowei: “…………”

After a while, He Xiaowei still gulped down a bottle of Coke, then said in a self-consoling tone, “I don’t drink it every day. Besides, Qian’er, you don’t eat this and that; refuse barbecue and fried chicken; what’s the fun in life?”

“Really? I find it very interesting to manipulate villains, NPCs, or occasionally teammates. Besides—” Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou beside him with a smile. “So what if I don’t drink Coke? I have a boyfriend.”

He Xiaowei was first confused by the logic of Zhou Qian’s statement, then shocked, and took a moment to react.

It took a while before he understood what Zhou Qian meant, and he ended up spitting out the Coke he hadn’t swallowed yet.

“What? You like guys, Qian’er? Your boyfriend? Who is it? No, we’ve been grinding instances. When did you have time for a relationship?”

Beside him, Hidden Blade held his forehead.

He Xiaowei turned to him in surprise. “Master, did you know?”

Hidden Blade: “……”

Zhou Qian didn’t look at He Xiaowei anymore but glanced towards the door.

They had been at the Testing Center for quite a while, but they hadn’t seen any other Rank God players.

After thinking for a while, Zhou Qian turned to Bai Zhou and asked, “Shall I go to that solo instance soon?”

Bai Zhou held his hand. “Before you go, do something with me first.”

Zhou Qian asked, “What is it?”

Bai Zhou didn’t answer immediately but just stood up, pulling him along. They left the Testing Center and headed back to the seaside villa.

After a long while, He Xiaowei, looking at their retreating backs, asked Hidden Blade in great surprise, “Ah? Oh! I get it! The boyfriend Qian’er mentioned, is it him?”

Hidden Blade: “……Who else?”

……

After a 20-minute walk, the two returned to the seaside villa.

Bai Zhou squeezed a glass of orange juice for Zhou Qian and handed it to him before saying, “The instance you want to go to is quite dangerous. Did you see the success rate? Only 15%.”

“The lower the success rate, the higher the reward. Through this instance, I can significantly improve my basic stats. It saves time. If I quickly clear the instance, I can still make it to ‘The Red God’s Banquet’ with you.”

At this point, Zhou Qian smiled, sipped the juice, and looked at Bai Zhou while drawling out his tone. “Zhou Ge, are you worried about me?”

Zhou Qian, of course, knew he was asking the obvious.

But he wanted Bai Zhou to say something, like he was indeed very worried about him.

Bai Zhou asked Zhou Qian, “Where is the scale from before?”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian took out the scale that could be used as a medium to enter Bai Zhou’s mental domain and asked, “Right, didn’t you say there was an official ceremony at the Testing Center?”

“Yes. 30% is the minimum compatibility requirement. Above 30%, a Rank God player and a Shepherd can enter a harmonization period, but only after reaching 65% can an official ceremony be held to complete the binding.”

Bai Zhou pointed to the scale Zhou Qian just took out. “After the ceremony, this scale can be placed inside your forehead, and then you can use your skills to enter my mental domain.”

Zhou Qian: “So, we can’t hold the ceremony yet.”

Bai Zhou: “Mm. After ‘The Red God’s Banquet’, we should be close to 65%.”

“I understand. Before that, I couldn’t freely enter and exit your mental domain. I need to place this medium scale on my forehead each time.”

Zhou Qian then asked, “So, why did you ask me to take out this scale now?”

Bai Zhou: “Now, enter my mental domain.”

Placing the scale on his forehead, Zhou Qian held Bai Zhou’s hand and once again entered his mental realm.

The last time he was here, the place was shrouded in darkness and littered with mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

This time, however, he found himself in a clean and cozy room, which he quickly recognized as Bai Zhou’s bedroom.

Back in the day, after Bai Zhou left without a word, Zhou Qian, in a fit of anger, went looking for him, only to find his bedroom had been transformed into a new nursery by his mother. But before that, Zhou Qian often spent time in this bedroom with Bai Zhou, playing games, doing homework, and having playful arguments.

This bedroom held many memories of their past. Bai Zhou’s parents were often busy and not at home, making Bai Zhou’s house, in a sense, another private space for the two of them. Back then, Bai Zhou frequently cooked Zhou Qian’s favorite food.

“It’s nice to see this bedroom again,” Zhou Qian commented, sitting on Bai Zhou’s bed, but he didn’t elaborate on the fact that the bedroom in reality had been turned into a nursery.

Bai Zhou seemed to understand something from his words but didn’t inquire further about his parents’ current situation. Instead, he spread his hand, and a deep blue scale materialized in his palm.

Zhou Qian, curious, asked, “What’s this?”

Bai Zhou: “This is what I got by dividing some of my mental power. Remember the three little dragons?”

Zhou Qian blinked. “Ah? Remember! So this—”

Bai Zhou took Zhou Qian’s hand and placed his palm on the scale as well. Thus, their fingers interlocked, tightly sandwiching the glowing, deep blue scale.

Bai Zhou explained, “I’m still not entirely at ease with you going alone. This scale can be used as a tool for you to take into the instance. It’s now absorbing our combined mental power and will materialize as a product of our combined mental energies.”

“I originally thought you were going to create a clone for me. But now, it seems… you’re making our child?”

Zhou Qian said without reservation, then teased Bai Zhou, “Zhou Ge, what did you do to me last night? How am I suddenly having a child?”

After a moment of silence, Bai Zhou leaned forward and whispered in Zhou Qian’s ear, “Really? Between the two of us, who’s the one with special talents?”

Was Bai Zhou hinting at what he did with his fingers… to him?

Zhou Qian turned his head and asked, “When will the little dragon come out?”

Bai Zhou gave him a faint look. “Wait a bit longer.”

Zhou Qian: “Oh.”

Bai Zhou: “Don’t rush.”

Zhou Qian: “I’m not in a hurry. How can one rush having a child?”

Bai Zhou: “……”

“Zhou Qian?”

“Hmm?”

“Focus a bit more. This won’t do.”

“Got it, got it.”

20 minutes later, Zhou Qian, holding a scale that could summon a little dragon, left the mental realm with Bai Zhou and headed towards a place called “Purple Mist Mountain”.

It took them another 20 minutes to reach the foot of the mountain.

The mountain was obscured by clouds and fog, unclear to the eye. A small path had been built at the foot of the mountain. The path extended to the roadside, where a wooden fence and gate had been constructed. A sign on the gate read: “Purple Mist Mountain has recently been inhabited by demons. Citizens, please be careful and do not enter this area recklessly!”

Thus, the sign effectively isolated ordinary NPCs who were citizens.

Just as Bai Zhou approached the sign, he received a prompt:

[Continuing forward leads to the instance area. Rank God player 137’s level is too high to enter.]

Zhou Qian, however, walked unhindered to the entrance and then turned back to smile and wave at Bai Zhou. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.”

Bai Zhou: “Once you’re inside, summon the little dragon immediately. This is different from last time. You can train it, nurture it, and make it a powerful companion to keep by your side.”

“Alright.”

Zhou Qian waved again at Bai Zhou, then turned and stepped decisively into the entrance.

Upon entering, Zhou Qian received a prompt for loading the solo instance.

[Player Zhou Qian entered solo instance: Purple Mist Mountain.]

[Purple Mist Mountain has recently been overtaken by strange demons. Citizens passing by the mountain have all been killed, and the surrounding area is in panic. No one dares to come near anymore. We hope you, with your kind heart, can eliminate these demons and restore peace to Purple Mist Mountain.]

[According to incomplete statistics from the Blue Harbor City’s Bureau of Paranormal Investigation, at least 30 people have died here, with no survivors. Only one victim managed to escape Purple Mist Mountain and ran towards a hospital, but still couldn’t be saved and died. Before dying, he left a message—the demons here seem to be a father and son.]

[The exploration is about to begin. Kill the demons of Purple Mist Mountain to clear the instance.]

[Clearance Rate: 15%]

[Player Zhou Qian: Wishing you good luck.]

After reading the prompt, Zhou Qian took out the scale from his bag and successfully summoned a little dragon. The blue dragon landed with a “plop”, opened its round eyes, curled up its tail, and then came around to touch Zhou Qian, as if testing whether it could get close to its master.

Seeing this, Zhou Qian bent down, smiled, and stroked its head, then picked it up with one hand.

Feeling the closeness of its master, the little dragon seemed very happy. It made a “yip” sound and affectionately nuzzled Zhou Qian’s neck before jumping onto his shoulder and sitting down obediently.

“I still feel like this is Zhou Ge’s clone. He must be worried about me, but too shy to say it,” Zhou Qian mused, stroking the little dragon’s head. “Or else… Zhou Ge, can you see me?”

The little dragon: “Yip?”

Zhou Qian patted its head and didn’t say anything else, but then took out another item and held it in his hand—his weapon, the Rib of God.

This weapon had a skill that Zhou Qian had never used before—nurturing and summoning a bone spirit. When he had unlocked this skill, he tried it once but failed. He wondered if there were other hidden conditions for successfully nurturing a bone spirit that the system hadn’t told him.

After all, nurturing a bone spirit required players to consume their own life points.

However, Zhou Qian’s life points had been very low, belonging to the lowest tier of the Rank S.

He wondered if, after this instance run and a significant boost to his stats, he would be able to possess a real bone spirit.

With the small dragon perched on his left shoulder and the Rib of God in his right hand, Zhou Qian had stepped towards Purple Mist Mountain.

The path to the foot of the mountain had been shrouded in fog on both sides. Zhou Qian checked the map, noting that these areas were marked as unexplorable.

In such a monster-farming area, there was probably not much to explore; players should just follow the main path to fight the boss.

However, with an instance clearance rate of only 15%, Zhou Qian suspected there might be some secrets behind it.

With this in mind, he didn’t rush straight to the boss’ location but observed his surroundings as he walked.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Zhou Qian finally discovered some information.

There was a bulletin board there, covered with many newspapers.

Zhou Qian noticed that the latest newspaper was from three months ago. Probably, that was when the monsters appeared here, deterring any staff from posting new information.

After reading the newspapers carefully, Zhou Qian caught a key piece of information.

It mentioned a bizarre story from five years ago—

In Blue Harbor City, there had been a deeply loving couple. They dated, married, and the wife naturally became pregnant. Tragically, when she was four months pregnant, she was diagnosed with a serious illness. If she chose to keep the baby, she would surely die, but aborting the baby might offer her a slim chance of survival.

Later, the husband found a skilled doctor who implanted an artificial womb in him. The doctor transferred the baby from the wife’s womb to the husband’s body. Thus, the husband saved both his wife’s life and their child.

Thanks to Blue Harbor City’s advanced technology, including artificial wombs, men could also become pregnant. The husband received much praise from the city’s citizens.

The praise was mainly because this technology was still immature, with few successful trials, and he took a significant risk.

Additionally, the technology could cause severe side effects, causing excruciating pain for the pregnant man, but he chose to proceed, earning praise for his courage and responsibility.

However, the good times didn’t last. Despite the child’s removal, the wife eventually succumbed to her illness.

The man then carried the pregnancy to term alone and miraculously gave birth to the child…

At first glance, this story seemed heartwarming, with everyone praising the husband’s love for his wife.

But upon reading it, Zhou Qian felt something was amiss.

It seemed the man cared more about the child than his wife.

In Zhou Qian’s view, given his wife’s severe illness, as a husband, he should have first focused on caring for her.

If the artificial womb implantation was risky, why did the husband insist on trying it?

If he had died in the attempt, who would have cared for his seriously ill wife?

Moreover, even if the surgery succeeded, the pregnant husband would suffer greatly, likely unable to care for his wife properly.

It was clear he cared more about the child.

Why did he go to such lengths to keep the child?

Since this was a monster-farming dungeon, the clues for the story and puzzles should have been straightforward and direct.

Thus, Zhou Qian could almost confirm that the “father-son demons” of Purple Mist Mountain were likely the father and son from this news story.

This so-called husband probably saw his wife merely as a tool for childbirth. For some reason, he and his son had turned into demons.

For such a despicable person, Zhou Qian had no mercy.

After reading all the newspapers on the bulletin board and instructing the small dragon to tear them down, Zhou Qian didn’t miss even the news on the back.

Then he had the dragon dismantle the entire bulletin board. Once he was sure there was no more information, he continued forward.

On the way, Zhou Qian patted the dragon’s head. “Zhou Ge said, cough, your dad said, do you have the ability [Treasure Hunt]?”

The small dragon nodded obediently. “Yip!”

Zhou Qian asked, “If there are any clues along the way that I missed, can you find them?”

“Yip yip!”

“Good boy!” Zhou Qian was very satisfied and strode forward. “Then I don’t need to be distracted looking for clues. Don’t miss the bushes, under the trees, and in the soil on the sides of the mountain road.”

“Ang~!”

A true monster-farming instance.

However, after climbing several dozen steps, Zhou Qian had arrived at a platform midway up the mountain—

The father-son demons were right there!

[Target: Demon King Child]

[Age: 4 years]

[Level: S+]

[Specialties: Infant Cry, Illusion Attack, Love Slap]

[Note: Be careful when he cries!]

[Target: Demon King Father]

[Age: 32 years]

[Level: Unfathomable]

[Specialties: Childbirth, Childcare, Cooking; Others: ???]

[Tip 1: Attack skills unknown, life points unknown, defense unknown, special skills unknown. Players must explore on their own.]

[Tip 2: The Demon King Father’s attack and defense are incredibly strong. Be very cautious when fighting him.]

[Tip 3: The Demon King Father has a cultivation sleep period. If disturbed and awakened, he will launch a powerful attack on the player.]

[Player Note: The battle is about to begin!]

[The Demon King Father is in cultivation sleep. His cultivation requires sleep. He will wake up in 30 minutes; the Demon King Child will notice you in one minute, giving you one minute to prepare.]

Zhou Qian had already arranged the necessary items and potions at the front of his inventory for easy access.

Thus, during this one-minute period, he could carefully observe the two monsters.

The bodies of this father and son duo were entirely purple, with pointed ears, and their skin was covered with many granules, some large enough to resemble fleshy bumps.

Although they didn’t have any grotesquely shaped appendages, with such appearances, it wasn’t surprising that they were called “demons”.

As the system had indicated, the Demon King Father was currently in a deep sleep. He lay on his back at the edge of the platform, not at all looking like he was practicing any skills and even snoring lightly.

Oddly enough was his belly—he was shirtless, exposing his abdomen, which had a large fleshy bump on it, as if he was still pregnant.

Was that the “artificial womb” mentioned in the report?

Why hadn’t he removed it yet?

On the other side, the Demon King Child was crawling on the ground. Even at four years old, he seemed unable to walk.

He hadn’t turned around yet, so he hadn’t noticed Zhou Qian.

According to the system’s prompt, he would attack the player after a minute.

As for his father, the Demon King Father, he would wake up after 30 minutes.

In this situation, there was an optimal strategy for defeating the demons—

For the next 30 minutes, the Demon King Father would remain in a “sleeping” state. If disturbed, he would wake up and then attack the player.

Given his incredibly strong defense, it was virtually impossible for a player to kill him in one blow.

This meant that if a player attacked the Demon King Father first, it would wake him up, prematurely triggering his attack. Meanwhile, the Demon King Child would still be alive. Consequently, the player would face a daunting two-on-one situation.

Therefore, the optimal strategy for the player was to kill the Demon King Child within the first 30 minutes without disturbing the Demon King Father.

After 30 minutes, the player would then engage in a one-on-one duel with the Demon King Father.

By defeating the father and son separately, the player could avoid the disadvantageous two-on-one situation.

Such a strategy was something anyone but a fool could come up with.

But why then did only 15% of players successfully clear this instance?

Could it be that the Demon King Father, with his unknown attack power, was truly invincible?

One minute later.

The four-year-old Demon King Child turned around, lifted his head, and looked at Zhou Qian.

Suddenly, he burst into tears, launching the [Infant Cry] skill at Zhou Qian.

Zhou Qian’s vision immediately blurred with double images, and he felt the earth tremble and the tree shadows flicker endlessly; even the blue sky seemed to shatter into countless pieces.

In that moment, it was as if numerous Demon King Children had appeared, advancing on him from all directions.

Guessing that this move was related to some kind of illusion, Zhou Qian frowned and then saw countless Demon King Children rushing towards him.

Due to their high speed and the multiple illusions created by their skill, the children seemed to multiply in an instant.

Zhou Qian was immediately surrounded by countless Demon King Children, each raising a hand to deliver a [Love Slap].

If he were really hit by this slap, Zhou Qian estimated his life points would be halved immediately.

Thinking this, Zhou Qian immediately gripped the Rib of God, consuming a little mana to slightly slow down the flow of time.

Then, he closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. When he opened his eyes, the illusions caused by the crying had disappeared, along with the multiple images, leaving only one fast-moving Demon King Child approaching him from one direction.

The Demon King Child’s attack power might not be very high, but his incredibly fast speed was probably his greatest asset in combat.

Fortunately, one of Zhou Qian’s trump skills was time control, which naturally slowed down the little Boss’ speed.

Immediately, Zhou Qian curled his lips mockingly and said, “Is that all?”

In the next instant, the child leaped up, his hand reaching for Zhou Qian’s forehead in a slap.

Putting the Rib of God in his left hand, Zhou Qian further slowed time and sidestepped. He then drew a short knife given to him by Bai Zhou and swiftly slashed at the child’s neck.

The sharp blade, imbued with killing intent, flashed and disappeared in an instant, and purple blood surged from the child’s neck.

Zhou Qian quickly sidestepped to avoid the disgusting demon blood.

To conserve mana, he promptly stopped slowing time.

On the platform, under the blue sky, the Demon King Child lay motionless in a pool of purple blood, no longer breathing.

Through the system panel, Zhou Qian saw that his life points had dropped to zero.

Logically, he should be dead.

But just then, Zhou Qian’s peripheral vision caught a glimmer of golden light.

Turning around, he saw that the golden light was actually emanating from the large fleshy bump on the sleeping Demon King Father’s belly.

The golden light flickered on and off, and after a few flashes, the Demon King Child on the ground suddenly jumped up.

The wound on his neck had vanished.

At the same time, Zhou Qian saw his health bar restored to 100%!

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 104

Zhou Qian finished washing up slowly and went downstairs to the dining room. Bai Zhou had already set up breakfast.

The breakfast was a Hong Kong-style meal from a tea restaurant, including light rice noodle rolls, dried scallop congee, crab meat buns, and shrimp dumplings.

During the meal, the two were silent. At one point, Zhou Qian reached for a tissue after drinking some congee, but Bai Zhou beat him to it, handing him two sheets.

With his eyelids lowered, Zhou Qian saw Bai Zhou’s index and middle fingers through the thin, translucent paper. Remembering where those fingers had been last night, his face reddened again.

Taking the tissue, Zhou Qian wiped his mouth and asked Bai Zhou, “About your answer this morning… Zhou Ge, I mean, there are some things I want to ask more clearly.”

“You didn’t treat last night as… like, just mutual assistance between good brothers, did you?”

Bai Zhou took a tissue for himself, wiped his mouth, and then looked up at Zhou Qian. His deep, dark pupils reminded Zhou Qian of the undercurrents of last night.

So many times when he was clinging to Bai Zhou, it seemed Bai Zhou looked at him with that gaze.

Then he heard Bai Zhou counter, “Which good brother do you help like that?”

Zhou Qian: “…”

Bai Zhou: “Hmm?”

“You’re misinterpreting my words,” Zhou Qian said, lowering his head and starting to eat a crab meat bun. “Is this restaurant run by a player or an NPC? It’s really good.”

After finishing the bun, Zhou Qian looked up and asked, “According to you—”

Smiling, he asked, “So, you like me?”

Bai Zhou took a sip of coffee, quietly watched Zhou Qian for a moment, then set the cup down. “I’ve heard He Xiaowei say that to you before.”

“That’s different!” Zhou Qian said.

Bai Zhou nodded slightly. “Qi Liuxing?”

“Also different. Xiao Qi is still a minor!” Zhou Qian said.

Bai Zhou: “Only less than a year younger.”

Zhou Qian laughed, lifting his foot under the table to rub Bai Zhou’s leg. “Are you jealous, saying that on purpose? You know it’s not the same.”

Bai Zhou quietly watched Zhou Qian for a while. “Were you really that out of it yesterday? You don’t remember?”

“Can’t I hear you say it again? Besides—” Zhou Qian said earnestly, “I really don’t remember clearly. Last night, so much happened—some images felt real, some like a dream…”

“And you?” Bai Zhou asked him.

Zhou Qian: “Hmm?”

Bai Zhou: “What are your thoughts about me?”

Zhou Qian, resting his chin on his hand, looked at him. “So, you never noticed in school?”

Bai Zhou was silent for a moment before saying, “Actually, I’m still not sure now.”

Zhou Qian: “Ah—?”

Bai Zhou: “You used to be very close to me. But it seemed like you could also blend in well with other classmates.”

Zhou Qian: ?

Bai Zhou leaned forward slightly. “When you entered ‘Apple Paradise’, did you know Epoh was me at first?”

Zhou Qian quickly became serious, asking with his usual persuasive tone, “Zhou Ge, do you believe in intuition?”

“You, pulling Epoh’s hair, asking him to marry you then?” Bai Zhou said indifferently, “No.”

Zhou Qian: “…………”

“At that time…” Zhou Qian continued seriously, “I was trying to get information! I just wanted to know if it was just an NPC, only understanding things related to the setting, or if it could react differently to what I said. Zhou Ge, you’ve misunderstood me.”

Looking into Bai Zhou’s eyes, Zhou Qian added firmly, “Really.”

Bai Zhou continued drinking his coffee, his expression cool and detached.

Zhou Qian: “Besides, that’s an NPC, all data. Even if you take ten thousand steps back, why are you even jealous of yourself?”

Bai Zhou took a third sip of coffee.

Zhou Qian: “You see, it’s because you didn’t tell me the truth back then.”

“Although there were rules limiting you—”

“Eh? Were you always watching me? So the moment I entered the game, you came?”

Bai Zhou didn’t respond, and Zhou Qian thought he was really angry. He touched Bai Zhou’s leg again under the table, then saw Bai Zhou put down his coffee cup and stand up, walking over.

Zhou Qian: “Hmm?”

Bai Zhou raised his hand to stroke his hair, then leaned down to kiss his hair. “Yes. Zhou Qian, I like you.”

Zhou Qian smiled and immediately grabbed his arm, asking, “Zhou Ge, why don’t you give me a nickname? Calling me by my full name feels so distant.”

Bai Zhou looked deeply at him. “Because these two words are very important to me.”

Zhou Qian: “!”

Bai Zhou turned to clear the dishes. “When I went out this morning, I ran into He Xiaowei and the others. They said they messaged you but got no reply. What are your plans for the afternoon? Do you want to meet them?”

Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou for a while and said, “Although you’re asking me, I feel like you already have an idea.”

Bai Zhou smiled faintly. “If you don’t have plans, come with me to a place.”

Zhou Qian: “Actually, I had some things I wanted to do. But since you’ve asked. Okay. I’ll go with you first. What are we going to do?”

Bai Zhou: “A place for formal ceremonies, exclusively for Rank God players and Shepherds.”

Zhou Qian was quite curious. “Will Xiaowei Ge and Hidden Blade also go?”

Bai Zhou nodded. “Yes, we can go together. Although we’ve only experienced one instance, we can already go for a preliminary compatibility test. If we reach 30%, it’s considered successful.”

“I feel that we’re already communicating very well on a spiritual level in the instances,” Zhou Qian said. “We definitely won’t have any problems.”

Bai Zhou nodded. “Yes, 30% should be no problem. But there, we can test the specific compatibility and help analyze where the gaps are, then guide us to play certain instances specifically to increase our compatibility.”

After a pause, Bai Zhou continued, “Actually, the instances in Blue Harbor City are divided into two types, regular and irregular. The Murder Exhibition Hall is obviously an irregular instance, and it’s newly opened. What makes it particularly special is that as soon as you arrived here, you received a flier from them, plus there are unfinished hidden tasks behind it…”

“I tend to think that it’s another hidden instance that the system has intentionally opened just for you.”

Zhou Qian said, “So… the system might assign me other instances, and perhaps we need to test our compatibility first to find out.”

“Mm.” Bai Zhou nodded.

“Alright,” Zhou Qian said. “Then let’s go! But—”

Thinking of something, Zhou Qian subconsciously bit his finger joint.

Noticing his action, Bai Zhou, holding two plates, asked him, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Qian looked at him meaningfully. “Zhou Ge, I can’t figure you out.”

Bai Zhou: ?

“It’s nothing. Go ahead and clean up.”

Zhou Qian stood up, still feeling a bit uncomfortable in a certain part of his body.

Catching a glimpse of Bai Zhou’s fingers, he quickly turned away. “I’ll rest on the sofa for a while.”

Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Qian thought—originally, he hadn’t even agreed to be Bai Zhou’s Shepherd before coming here. But now, not only had he agreed to that, but also…

Hearing the sound of washing dishes from the kitchen, Zhou Qian turned his head and could see Bai Zhou’s gentle profile as he looked down. A question arose in his heart, one he found quite interesting to ponder—between him and Bai Zhou, who was the hunter and who was the prey?

Thinking about last night, Zhou Qian was actually a bit apprehensive.

The feeling of having all his senses completely dominated by someone else was thrilling and unfamiliar, and it gave him an indescribable feeling.

It was like he could guess anyone’s thoughts and easily control anyone, but Bai Zhou was always the exception.

Even though on the surface, he became a Shepherd who could control Bai Zhou in battle.

But on the other hand… wasn’t he also being controlled by Bai Zhou?

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Bai Zhou’s gentleness, almost obsessive protection, constant vigilance, and even his astonishing self-control… all formed a giant web.

Zhou Qian realized that, from a young age, he had willingly fallen into it with no escape.

This didn’t make him feel fear or discomfort; instead, he found this side of Bai Zhou more enchanting, and it aroused in him an even greater desire to challenge, explore, and conquer.

He wanted to be the smartest hunter, which meant first becoming the prey. His target wasn’t other prey, but another hunter.

……

2 p.m.

Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao went to look for any newly opened irregular instances while also strolling around Blue Harbor City to investigate if anyone else was targeting Zhou Qian. Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian, along with Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei, headed to the Compatibility Testing Center on Qingyun Road.

The name of the center sounded grand, but there was only one person on duty who was fast asleep on the desk, probably due to the lack of regular activity. After all, Rank God players were much rarer compared to ordinary players.

Zhou Qian approached the desk and sharply woke the sleeping employee with a slap on the table. Just as the employee was about to curse, Zhou Qian flashed a stunning smile, which completely dazed the employee. Zhou Qian’s good looks and innocent smile were effective tools in such situations.

The employee coughed and said, “Ah, oh. Here for compatibility testing, please come in. Actually, it’s all automated service here. I’m just a witness. Go in. The machine operation instructions are all there.”

Yawning, the employee went back to sleep.

“You’re neglecting your duty—” Zhou Qian seemed about to tease the employee further but was promptly pulled away by Bai Zhou. “Let’s go.”

“Hey, Zhou Ge?”

“Let’s go inside.”

Following them, He Xiaowei, influenced by the employee, also yawned. “Hmm… I feel like Qian’er is unusually excited today. When I first met him, he often smiled, but I could tell he was usually in a bad mood. But now it seems different. Very different.”

Hidden Blade didn’t respond, only saying, “Hurry up and go in.”

“Yes.” He Xiaowei yawned again. “Qian’er, such a big devil… seems like only a Rank God player like 137 can handle him. Haha, it would be great if he joined our team.”

Hidden Blade’s eyelids twitched with worry.

Really? Will 137 manage him? Or will he just indulge him?

After all, if they both go crazy, we’re the ones who are doomed.

Entering the compatibility center, the first thing they saw was a row of machines, as tall as people, arranged for two users each. Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou approached one machine, while Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei headed to another. The four of them aligned their system panels with a port on the machine, which could then automatically read their data from completed instances.

After waiting for half an hour, the compatibility data was out.

Before the data was revealed, Zhou Qian was confident. “Zhou Ge, I think we must be at 100%.”

But after the data came out, Zhou Qian was stunned—it was only “35%”.

“There must be a bug with this thing,” Zhou Qian said in surprise, glancing at Bai Zhou. “We’re only at 35%, so He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade must be even lower. He Xiaowei, you guys—”

Before he could finish, he saw He Xiaowei happily running towards him. “Qian’er, what’s your score? Master and I got 61%. Hehehe, not bad. At least we passed.”

Zhou Qian: “…………”

Zhou Qian’s competitive spirit flared up. He grabbed Bai Zhou’s wrist, clearly unhappy. “This machine is faulty. Let’s try theirs!”

Bai Zhou, however, held his hand in return. “Look at the detailed data on the panel.”

After waiting 10 seconds, the detailed data analysis indeed appeared.

The analysis report gave a thorough explanation of why their compatibility was low. Zhou Qian found that the root of the problem was the vast difference in their attributes, such as health, defense, skills, movement speed, and so on. They were incomparable.

Zhou Qian fell silent, leaning against a machine, his lips pursed and eyes slightly downturned.

Bai Zhou, sensing something, said, “Zhou Qian, after all, I have been here for many years.”

“Mm. I know. I’m just thinking…” Zhou Qian looked at him. “Is the machine now calculating which instances we should go to?”

“Yes.” Bai Zhou nodded.

Zhou Qian said, “Actually, we don’t need it to calculate. I have an idea. I want to go to a single-player trial instance to grind monsters and improve my basic stats, the kind where you go in and out quickly. Does Blue Harbor City have an entrance to such instances? Can you and He Xiaowei wait for me here? I’ll be back soon.”

Zhou Qian had this idea partly because of the analysis provided by the machine and partly because he realized his shortcomings during the double-world serial killer chase. Although his role was the “brain” of the team, commanding teammates and having a powerful output partner like Bai Zhou, he still needed to reach a basic pass level in attack, defense, and speed for the team’s guaranteed victory.

Moreover, Rank God players like Bai Zhou either couldn’t join regular players in instances or their abilities were significantly restricted. It was hard for Zhou Qian to find suitable instances to match with him, largely due to his low basic stats.

If Zhou Qian could enhance his base levels, he could join Bai Zhou in true side-by-side combat sooner.

Bai Zhou thought for a moment and said, “Yes. Pure grinding instances are quick. Finish the grind and come right out. Quick in and out.”

“Mm.” Zhou Qian asked, “Can you pick one for me? Oh, and I can also ask Hidden Blade for advice. It would be even better if I find one that can enhance my crowd control abilities.”

……

Real world. Whitewater Mental Hospital.

A beautiful, clean-looking girl with tidy makeup was leaving. Her name was Yun Xiangrong, and she had just finished her volunteer work there.

Yun Xiangrong had been working part-time at this place for over a year. Once, after working until midnight, she found a watch and accidentally joined the game. After completing a task, the system gave her another watch, indicating she could invite someone to join. She invited Gao Shan.

Initially, Yun Xiangrong’s purpose in the game was simple: she just wanted a jade ornament that she couldn’t afford. Her desire for the jade wasn’t out of vanity, but because of a kind elder sister she had met in her childhood. Before the sister died, she gave Yun Xiangrong a jade ornament, which she accidentally broke. She had always wanted to make up for that regret.

At first, her obsession wasn’t so strong; she just thought owning the jade would be nice. But later, Yun Xiangrong began to play the game seriously, realizing that it seemed possible to approach divinity through the game. She was curious and wanted to see for herself if deities truly existed.

She hadn’t expected to lose Gao Shan in the process.

At a bus stop on the mountain road, Yun Xiangrong waited for the bus while checking her phone to see if her part-time pay had been deposited. The weekend was approaching, and she planned to return home and re-enter the game in the quiet of the night.

She had been living a tough life recently, unsure if her persistence had any meaning, but she had no choice but to continue.

As the evening approached and the streetlights lit up, a bird suddenly flew into a light pole at high speed, hitting it hard. It fell to the ground, dead. Yun Xiangrong crouched to check and confirmed its death.

Then, a breeze brought a faint scent of flowers, and suddenly, many peach petals appeared before her. A pleasant, lively voice spoke as if a fairy was casting a spell. The bird’s wings fluttered twice, and it came back to life, swiftly flying towards the sky.

Stunned, Yun Xiangrong turned around and saw a girl in a pink dress approaching. She was petite and looked like the most innocent of young girls. No one could imagine that such an appearance hid such immense power.

This isn’t in the game! She can resurrect a bird in real life?!

“Rongrong, or should I call you Rong Mei*? How do you prefer to be addressed?”

*Address referring to specifically younger sister, usually implies a friendly or intimate relationship.

The girl, appearing young but with an ancient look in her eyes, smiled slightly. “Hello, my surname is Xie, Xie Huaying.”

“H-How did you do that?” Yun Xiangrong asked.

“Because I have indeed become a god. Resurrection is my ultimate power,” Xie Huaying said with a hint of compassion in her gaze, which made Yun Xiangrong feel uneasy.

Xie Huaying looked too young, but her eyes were those of an elder—full of loving kindness towards a younger person.

It was as if… a person with a baby’s face had the eyes of an 18-year-old adult.

“Don’t be afraid of me. My appearance is preserved by divine power. You would never guess my real age.”

Xie Huaying smiled and took her hand. “I know what you want to do. I will help you. But resurrecting a person is not as simple as resurrecting a bird. We can take our time.

“By the way… you didn’t cremate Gao Shan, did you? We need the body.”

Yun Xiangrong pursed her lips and shook her head. “No. I managed to persuade his parents.”

“That’s good,” Xie Huaying said, gripping her hand a bit tighter. “Only a woman understands another woman’s helplessness. I will help you.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 103

Layers upon layers of water continuously spilled out of the bathtub, colliding with the thin layer on the light gray floor tiles, creating splashes and ripples that turned into white mist.

In the increasingly dense mist, two figures clung closer together.

Bai Zhou held Zhou Qian with one hand while supporting the back of his head with the other, kissing him first lightly, then deeply.

Zhou Qian gripped Bai Zhou’s shoulders tightly, his eyes misted with steam, unconsciously leaning back slowly. His gaze was filled with confusion, bewilderment, and fulfillment—all emotions eventually transforming into genuine joy.

Suddenly, the sound of water splashing intensified as more water overflowed from the bathtub’s edge, increasing in volume and speed.

Caught off guard, a loud “splash” was heard as Bai Zhou, unable to restrain his passion, kissed Zhou Qian deeply, causing them both to plunge beneath the water’s surface.

Breathing became increasingly difficult.

Yet, neither wished to stop.

Outside, the wind over the sea intensified, with waves crashing against the shore, increasingly stirring up the sand back into the ocean.

The neon lights in the sky dimmed and the night deepened, yet the hustle and bustle of this city that never sleeps didn’t quiet down.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Bai Zhou opened his eyes to see Zhou Qian’s face turning red. He forcefully pulled him up with the hand resting on Zhou Qian’s neck.

As their upper bodies emerged from the water, fresh air rushed into their oxygen-deprived lungs. Zhou Qian, after catching his breath, suddenly grabbed Bai Zhou’s shoulder, attempting to pull him back under the water.

Bai Zhou, worried about Zhou Qian choking, held his head steady to prevent him from moving.

However, Zhou Qian’s loss of control made him restless and uncontrollably rebellious.

A kiss that descended again calmed him.

Yet Zhou Qian seemed still unsatisfied.

Restlessly moving, he caused large splashes to overflow the bathtub and roll onto the floor.

Taking a breath, Bai Zhou temporarily broke the kiss, his magnetic voice blending with the sound of water, reaching deep into Zhou Qian’s ears. “Be good, Zhou Qian.”

“Zhou Ge, my head hurts. I feel terrible.” Zhou Qian gripped Bai Zhou’s shoulders several times, leaving clear fingerprints.

No matter how much Zhou Qian pleaded, Bai Zhou remained unmoved, so Zhou Qian abruptly embraced him, almost forcefully pulling him underwater.

During each episode, Zhou Qian yearned to do something extreme, frenzied, and dangerous.

Whether it was setting fires, smashing furniture, or swimming into the dangerous depths of the sea, each act brought him a thrilling sensation.

Just now, he discovered a new thrilling game—kissing Bai Zhou underwater to the point of near suffocation.

The dangerous, satisfying, and exciting feeling was intoxicating.

But now Bai Zhou wasn’t cooperating. His waist was tightly held by a hand, making it difficult to move.

So, when Bai Zhou leaned in to kiss him again, Zhou Qian ducked and quickly bit his shoulder, muttering discontentedly. “You’re bad. I don’t like you anymore.”

Zhou Qian was confused.

He didn’t realize he had never properly expressed his feelings to Bai Zhou.

He also didn’t know how deeply his words had hurt Bai Zhou—just minutes ago, he had said “no regrets,” and now, “I don’t like you anymore.”

So, taking advantage of Bai Zhou’s momentary distraction, Zhou Qian successfully pushed him away, sliding into the water alone, closing his eyes underwater with a satisfied smile, his body seemingly drifting with the flowing waves to an unknown destination.

But the next moment, he was pulled out by Bai Zhou.

“Zhou Ge?” Zhou Qian opened his eyes, his expression confused as he looked at Bai Zhou.

Bai Zhou wrapped him in a bathrobe and, without a word, carried him out of the bathroom, heading directly upstairs to the bedroom.

Along the way, Zhou Qian struggled intensely, unable to bear even a second of silence or stillness during his episodes. Every cell in his body seemed to crawl with ants, all clamoring for him to release his emotions in some intense manner.

“Zhou Ge, let’s go running, swimming… or take a bath?”

Zhou Qian, clinging to Bai Zhou’s neck, moved restlessly on him. “I’m not sleeping anyway. I can’t sleep now. Just let me vent; it won’t take long. Just wait a little longer.”

Bai Zhou remained silent, his expression lost in the night, indecipherable.

Zhou Qian became unhappy. “Let me down. Zhou Ge, you—”

In the darkness, everything was blurred, and combined with his unclear consciousness, Zhou Qian was somewhat unsure of the kind of environment he was in.

The only constant was his innate trust and openness towards Bai Zhou.

So much so that when Bai Zhou took a belt from the drawer and tied one of his hands to the head of the bed, he still didn’t feel that Bai Zhou meant to harm him.

He was just irritated by the loss of the thrilling sensation of suffocation underwater. He looked at Bai Zhou somewhat bewilderedly. “Zhou Ge?”

Bai Zhou leaned down close to his ear. His voice was deep and serious. “I can play with you. But there must be limits, no real danger.”

Zhou Qian blinked unconsciously. “I’m a good swimmer. I won’t drown.”

Bai Zhou: “Let’s not play with water. Let’s change the game.”

Zhou Qian asked with some anticipation, “How? It’s not fun being tied up.”

Bai Zhou didn’t respond. At some point, a bathrobe belt that had fallen to the floor was picked up and then gently placed over Zhou Qian’s eyes.

Darkness enveloped him, and he could see nothing.

Feeling uncomfortable, he instinctively reached out with his right hand to pull at the belt, but then his wrist was tightly grasped.

“Zhou Ge…”

Having lost the freedom of both hands and with something covering his eyes, Zhou Qian seemed to finally become a bit anxious, his body showing clear movements.

“Zhou Ge, I feel uncomfortable.”

Sensitively sensing Bai Zhou’s lips approaching, Zhou Qian instinctively raised his head to kiss him.

Their lips touched lightly, but soon Bai Zhou turned his head aside.

Zhou Qian frowned, instinctively trying to chase a certain warmth, then felt Bai Zhou kiss his cheek and heard him say slowly by his ear, “Mm. I know. I’ll help you.”

……

The mountain’s lifeline was held by the wind.

A warm breeze came, sweeping away the snow and ice. The hard frost gradually softened, turning into spring rain, flowing and nourishing everything.

Streams flowed again, tender buds sprouted, and mountain flowers bloomed one after another.

It was a cycle that repeated endlessly.

“Zhou Ge… I…”

After some time, Zhou Qian’s hands were free again. At this moment, he was restlessly grabbing Bai Zhou’s shoulders and then his neck.

Bai Zhou whispered in his ear, “Do you still want to play in the water?”

Zhou Qian immediately shook his head.

“Do you still want to play this?”

“Hmm? …No, not playing anymore.”

Bai Zhou almost coaxed him. “Do you really not want to play?”

Zhou Qian slowly hugged him, burying his head in his chest, and said softly, “…I do.”

……

The next day.

Zhou Qian woke up at noon.

His first reaction was extreme fatigue, so he turned over, wrapped himself in the blanket, closed his eyes, and continued to sleep.

Then he suddenly remembered something.

He didn’t know if Bai Zhou had those kinds of feelings for him, so he tested him.

And then?

Then he seemed to have gone to play in the sand…

What happened after that?

Certain images in his mind became clearer, and Zhou Qian was stunned.

After realizing what happened, he sniffed his shirt and looked closely at the bed sheet and duvet cover—

Everything was clean and had a faint scent of soap.

Could it be just a wet dream?

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qian quickly went to the window and opened the curtains, only to see the bed sheets, shirts, and robes drying on the balcony downstairs.

So.

It wasn’t a dream.

What did I do yesterday…

How he clung to Bai Zhou, scratched him, and seemed to have cried and made a fuss several times…

All these images appeared in Zhou Qian’s mind.

Even with thick skin, he couldn’t help but blush at this moment.

The two had grown up together and were always close. Zhou Qian wasn’t worried about Bai Zhou seeing him in a bad state. After all, he had been embarrassed many times as a child, and Bai Zhou had seen it all.

But they hadn’t seen each other for seven years, and now they were both adults. Many things were different from before. Moreover, they hadn’t really talked about some issues. They hadn’t been reunited for long, so how could they suddenly…

Zhou Qian was unable to accept it for a while.

When he fully recalled last night’s events and counted how many cold showers Bai Zhou had taken, his face reddened even more.

Zhou Qian, in this situation, stood still for a long time.

After a while, there was a knock on the door behind him.

Then Bai Zhou’s deep voice followed. “Awake? Go wash up and come down for lunch.”

Zhou Qian was too embarrassed to turn around and look at him, subconsciously biting his finger joint, and said in a muffled voice, “Okay.”

Bai Zhou paused for a while, then entered the room. “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Qian quickly jumped onto the bed and pulled the blanket over him. “Nothing. I want to sleep a bit more.”

Bai Zhou asked him, “Feeling better now?”

“Yes. It rarely happens once a month. Don’t worry,” Zhou Qian said softly.

“Then don’t sleep now. Get up and eat something. You spent the entire night—”

“I-I didn’t…” Zhou Qian interrupted him, trying to save face. “It wasn’t all night. Just an occasional episode.”

Bai Zhou didn’t say anything, seeming to smile, then reached out and patted Zhou Qian’s shoulder through the blanket.

Zhou Qian reluctantly sat up, glanced at Bai Zhou, and was stunned again.

—Bai Zhou’s neck and collarbone were covered in red marks, as if he had fought three hundred rounds with a crazed, biting, and scratching wild cat.

“I…” Zhou Qian turned away, picked up the water on the bedside table, and drank it with his back to Bai Zhou, asking, “So, what’s for lunch?”

Bai Zhou: “You’ll see when you go downstairs.”

“Okay. You go ahead.” Zhou Qian headed to the bathroom. “I’m going to brush my teeth and wash my face.”

“Alright. I’ll wait for you downstairs.” Bai Zhou walked to the corridor and was called back by Zhou Qian.

“Zhou Ge—”

“Hmm?”

“Last night, why didn’t you—”

In his mind, a certain number fluctuated between 5% and 35%.

Then Zhou Qian heard Bai Zhou say, “You weren’t very clear-headed last night.”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Oh. Good on Bai Zhou.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 102

The air by the sea always seemed to be filled with a faint salty taste.

In the vast darkness of the room, the light that seeped in was initially dense white, gradually fading in concentric circles. It finally dispersed into elusive halos, swirling in front of the two people, one lying and one standing, by the bed.

The expressions of the two were hard to capture in the night. The only clarity was in the slender, upright silhouette, its lines tautening.

A gentle breeze stirred the soft curtains, floating up and down. From the bed, there was a slight rustling sound. It was Zhou Qian sitting up.

Moments later, he heard Bai Zhou say, “This issue, I never really thought about it before.”

Perhaps because they met when they were too young and spent almost every day together, high school-aged Bai Zhou always naturally assumed they would be together for life, under any name, regardless of how their relationship was defined.

It wasn’t until a separation of seven years, not anticipated by him, that certain questions rose to the surface, visible with just a bow of his head.

Zhou Qian, who disliked solitude and feared loneliness, always had a group of friends around him. So, was there someone whose relationship with him surpassed what they had in the past?

Or even, could it be possible he had previous romantic partners? If he suffered heartbreak, would he call friends to drink and cry with, then look forward with a smile the next day?

However, no matter how close he seemed with others, Zhou Qian probably didn’t invest much emotion. He liked liveliness and had enough charm to always have people around him that his surroundings were forever filled with noise and laughter.

At first glance, he seemed the worldliest, but upon closer inspection, he stood coldly detached from the world, never truly blending in. Too clear-headed, seeing people and things too clearly, he was always left without attachment. Who could hold on to such a person, and how?

Bai Zhou said slowly, “I never defined our relationship. I’ve long regarded you as the closest and most important person in my life—our relationship encompassing friends, brothers, classmates, and—”

Zhou Qian suddenly interrupted, “Zhou Ge, can you turn around?”

At that moment, Zhou Qian, having removed his trousers at some point, wore only a long white shirt. The collar was skewed, with the top three buttons undone. His right shoulder was mostly bare, leading to a straight collarbone that was partly bathed in deep light and shadow, with the rest hidden in the white shirt.

As Bai Zhou turned, Zhou Qian leaned back on the bed, his right foot resting on Bai Zhou’s left shoulder. In that instant, Bai Zhou’s gaze seemed briefly perplexed but soon returned to normal, the usual expression that tolerated any of Zhou Qian’s whims.

Yet, the lines of his shoulders, neck, and arms tensed visibly, his pupils deep and unfathomable.

Zhou Qian smiled, watching him, his toes twinkling with a light movement downwards, touching each button, and finally stopping.

The wind outside grew stronger, pushing the partially opened window wide. The curtains danced, casting ghostly silhouettes in the dim light. Zhou Qian looked up, seeing the wind lift Bai Zhou’s bangs, the dense shadows in his eyes almost tangible.

With a very satisfied smile, Zhou Qian said, “Alright. I’m clear now, about… 15%.”

Bai Zhou asked, “What 15%?”

Zhou Qian didn’t answer but asked, “Continuing our earlier topic. Does that relationship include—lovers?”

“Zhou Ge, you like me, don’t you?”

Zhou Qian first stared into Bai Zhou’s eyes, then glanced down significantly near his foot, wrapped in fabric.

“See, you don’t need to answer. I already know.”

Suddenly, Zhou Qian’s ankle was firmly grasped by a strong, broad hand. Twisting Zhou Qian’s leg to the left, Bai Zhou naturally wedged himself between his legs. With his right hand on Zhou Qian’s face, Bai Zhou leaned in touching their foreheads. He asked in a deep, hoarse voice, “Would you do this with someone else?”

“I told you; you never understood me. I don’t know what bad impressions I left you with as a child,” Zhou Qian said with a smile under Bai Zhou’s gaze. “But… well, maybe it’s down to 9% now.”

Bai Zhou didn’t speak or move. His hand on Zhou Qian’s leg seemed frozen. Turning his head, Zhou Qian whispered, “You can move your hand up. I’ll allow it.”

“Zhou Qian…” Bai Zhou’s voice was hoarse beyond recognition, but he made no move.

“Shh—”

After observing Bai Zhou for a while, Zhou Qian pushed him away and sat up on the bed. “How about you close your eyes?”

Bai Zhou did as told and asked, “What do you want to do?”

Zhou Qian replied, “Of course, turn the tables.”

Hearing this, Bai Zhou kept his eyes closed, waiting quietly, but Zhou Qian didn’t act.

Suddenly, Bai Zhou heard Zhou Qian say, “Zhou Ge, I think… I’m a bit excited.”

Zhou Qian’s excitement was truly of a spirited nature. Bai Zhou, sensing something, opened his eyes, but before he could ask, he saw Zhou Qian leap off the bed and head downstairs. His movements were fast and heavy, making the wooden stairs echo loudly.

Sensing something amiss, Bai Zhou didn’t follow immediately but ran to the window and saw Zhou Qian running out of the house towards the beach. Bai Zhou braced against the windowsill and jumped down.

Zhou Qian left the villa and ran towards the beach, then jumped into the sea, submerging half of his body. Hearing Bai Zhou calling his name from behind, he turned around, laughed, and threw handfuls of sand and mud at him.

“Zhou Ge, let’s swim. Who’s faster?”

Zhou Qian continued throwing sand while laughing. He seemed overly excited, as if he had become a lunatic.

Bai Zhou reached out to Zhou Qian. “Alright. I’ll play with you. But come a little closer. Don’t go too deep into the sea.”

Zhou Qian didn’t listen and dove into the salty sea water, swimming towards the distance.

Zhou Qian hadn’t expected to have an episode in the virtual world, possibly because of the special nature of Blue Harbor City and the long duration of his stay.

But now, he couldn’t care less. Without tranquilizers, every cell in his body was filled with joy and excitement, needing some way to vent.

In this sunless world, the seawater was too cold and the sea breeze too strong. Although Bai Zhou wanted to join Zhou Qian’s wildness, he quickly stepped forward, worried about him catching a cold, and picked him up. “Let’s go home to play.”

Now both of their white shirts were soaked through and stained with mud. Zhou Qian, very dissatisfied, easily broke free from Bai Zhou and fell straight into the sea.

Bai Zhou had to bend down and pick him up again, forcibly taking him back to the villa and directly to the bathroom.

Placing Zhou Qian in the bathtub, Bai Zhou turned on the shower, lifted the showerhead, and let the hot water flow out, washing the mud and sand off Zhou Qian’s clothes.

He stretched out his hand and touched Zhou Qian’s face, finding it warm. Bai Zhou turned to get a towel but was suddenly grabbed by Zhou Qian, who tried to stand and walk out. But the bathtub was too slippery, and he fell but was quickly caught by Bai Zhou again.

Zhou Qian knew he looked very disheveled—without pants, his shirt soaked and muddy, and his hair wet and messy.

In a critical situation, he would suppress his abnormal excitement with all his rationality and self-control. But now, he didn’t want to control himself. After all, only in front of Bai Zhou could he be so unrestrained.

Grasping Bai Zhou’s wet collar, Zhou Qian looked at him intently through his wet lashes, across the steam rising from the hot water.

“Zhou Ge, you asked me earlier if I was afraid of you. Are you afraid of me?” Zhou Qian said. “See, my madness isn’t cured yet.”

Bai Zhou picked up Zhou Qian and sat him back in the bathtub, then stepped in himself. Zhou Qian blinked at him, then raised his hand, curiously looking at it before biting down.

Bai Zhou quickly pulled away his hand to prevent him from hurting himself. Holding him again, Bai Zhou pulled him into his arms and comforted him, patting his back and pressing his head against his shoulder.

“Bite me.”

Zhou Qian opened his mouth, touched Bai Zhou’s shoulder with his teeth, and then let go, pressing his forehead against him, sounding a bit aggrieved. “I wanted to swim.”

Bai Zhou stroked Zhou Qian’s neck, pulling up his head to look at his face. Zhou Qian seemed restless, uneasy, and extremely uncomfortable.

Bai Zhou’s thumb slid down his forehead to his nose and lips. Seeing this, Zhou Qian tried to bite his finger, but Bai Zhou withdrew in time.

Zhou Qian, increasingly irritated, pushed Bai Zhou away, wanting to leave, probably still wanting to swim to vent. But as soon as he stood up, Bai Zhou pushed him back down, causing water to splash everywhere, covering the tiles with a layer of hot water.

Bai Zhou extended an arm, tightly restraining Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian struggled more and more fiercely.

Bai Zhou had to lift his face to see his eyes.

“Didn’t you ask me a question earlier?” Zhou Qian, feeling agitated, said, “Let’s talk about it later. If you won’t swim with me, let’s go running. You’d better let me go outside and run to vent the mess in my head. Otherwise, the consequences might be severe. Last time I burned the doctor’s uniform—”

Before Zhou Qian could finish speaking, Bai Zhou interrupted him. “Doctor? Another one of your gamblers?”

“Yeah.” Zhou Qian nodded, his consciousness already blurring as he clutched at Bai Zhou’s arm and rambled, “If he were here, he’d give me medicine or an injection, and I’d be fine. I’ve been in the virtual world too long this time—”

Staring into Bai Zhou’s beautiful eyes, Zhou Qian, not knowing why, suddenly reached up and hooked his neck, leaning forward for a kiss. But Bai Zhou didn’t move; he just gently stroked his face with his thumb again.

Zhou Qian, with widened eyes, tried to bite his finger, but Bai Zhou evaded again.

Zhou Qian was extremely frustrated when he suddenly heard Bai Zhou ask, “Zhou Qian.”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve always been in my heart.”

“Okay. I know.”

“And you?”

“What?”

Zhou Qian felt his temples throbbing and his ears buzzing, barely hearing what Bai Zhou was saying.

“The me you see now, and the entire Blue Harbor City, might all be an illusion. My real appearance might be completely different from what you imagine.”

Bai Zhou asked him, “Are you afraid?”

Hot water poured down over them, filling the entire bathroom with steam. In Bai Zhou’s mind, he recalled the words spoken by the fake Zhou Qian in the corridor of the Saiya Hotel—

“You’re not a good person at all.”

“You drew me into this game. I genuinely hate you.”

“You are a complete monster.”

“I curse you and Zhou Qian to hell together!”

So, what answer would the real Zhou Qian give him now?

“I’m not afraid of anything, Zhou Ge. No matter what you become, I won’t be afraid.”

Zhou Qian’s voice, clear and strong, echoed in Bai Zhou’s ears through the mist. “I received news of your death. After that, what do you think I could still be afraid of? I’m not afraid of anything anymore.”

“Zhou Qian, you can’t regret it.”

“I’ve never done anything I regretted in my life.”

For a moment, no one spoke, and only the sound of water remained in the bathroom. The bathtub was full, overflowing from their waists.

Bai Zhou’s hand, placed behind Zhou Qian’s head, slowly moved forward. He pressed his lips three times.

Zhou Qian, lingering on the warmth of the thumb, opened his mouth to bite it again, but Bai Zhou evaded once more.

“Zhou—”

Zhou Qian swallowed the words he was about to say.

Bai Zhou leaned in and kissed him.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 101

When Zhou Qian came to the hotel before, he had already chosen a luxury suite in advance, located at the top of the hotel with a view over the entire Blue Harbor City. It was perfect for him and Bai Zhou to sit down, have some drinks, and clear up matters from the past seven years.

However, the silly receptionist now completely disrupted his plans.

Although the suite had two bedrooms… accommodating six people was still a bit too cramped.

Moreover, considering how naive the receptionist seemed, Zhou Qian really didn’t want to be the one asking everyone to leave the hotel. What if the receptionist let something slip and ruined his reputation?

Before he could say more, the receptionist swiftly pulled out a tablet and began introducing the features of the suite. He Xiaowei, Hidden Blade, and the recently arrived Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao, all approached curiously.

The presentation was quite novel, resembling an AR mode where a 3D image of the suite rose directly from the tablet, allowing a full 360-degree view.

Upon seeing the room, He Xiaowei was amazed.

But the price was definitely steep. He couldn’t help but say, “Wow, it’s so expensive. If we convert the Blue Harbor currency to gold coins… it’s truly pricey! Unless all six of us split the cost, I think it’s just barely acceptable.”

Amidst the lively discussion, Bai Zhou remained silent, his gaze settling on Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian, sensing something, met Bai Zhou’s gaze. It felt like despite the world’s noise, their eyes always found a way to intertwine.

After a moment, Bai Zhou approached Zhou Qian, whispering, “Let the four of them stay.”

Zhou Qian pondered. “And what about us?”

Bai Zhou: “Let’s have dinner first. After that, I’ll take you somewhere.”

Staring at Bai Zhou for a while, Zhou Qian chuckled. “Zhou Ge, you have quite a few secrets.”

……

20 minutes later, the six of them were seated in a Hong Kong-style hotpot restaurant.

After chatting with He Xiaowei for a bit, Zhou Qian finally understood why they could find him so quickly—the hotpot restaurant was actually just 800 meters diagonally across from the hotel.

He Xiaowei cheerfully said to him, “We just discovered this place and thought we’d come to find you to see if it met your standards. Just as we left the restaurant and were about to cross the road, we bumped into you and Bai Zhou going to the hotel…”

He Xiaowei didn’t finish his sentence because he was elbowed by Hidden Blade.

“Master?”

Hidden Blade gritted his teeth. “Mind your words.”

He Xiaowei: “?”

Zhou Qian: “…”

He Xiaowei continued to smile broadly. Given his personality, he quickly became friendly with anyone. However, in just this short distance, he had already gotten quite familiar with Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao.

“Let’s go and get the sauces!” After He Xiaowei made this suggestion, everyone started to head towards the sauce area.

Noticing that Zhou Qian remained seated, He Xiaowei asked him, “Eh, Qian’er? Aren’t you coming? Want me to prepare it for you?”

Zhou Qian didn’t respond but looked at Bai Zhou, who stood behind He Xiaowei. Bai Zhou simply smiled cryptically, not saying a word. Completely puzzled, He Xiaowei then heard Bai Zhou ask Zhou Qian, “Just the satay sauce again?”

“Mm.” Zhou Qian nodded and said, gazing at Bai Zhou, “See how sentimental I am? My tastes haven’t changed in so many years.”

He Xiaowei scratched his head, looking back and forth between the two. “Eh, what…?”

Hidden Blade couldn’t help but facepalm and quickly pull He Xiaowei away.

When they officially started eating, the main conversation was between the four ordinary players.

Hidden Blade chose to remain silent, while the genuinely aloof Bai Zhou was quietly helping Zhou Qian with the food, scooping up shrimp, fish, and abalone. Zhou Qian barely had to use his chopsticks.

Qi Liuxing, having been taught from a young age to do things for himself, sometimes disapproved of some of Zhou Qian’s behaviors. This disapproval peaked when he noticed Bai Zhou carefully extracting crab meat to place in Zhou Qian’s bowl, prompting Qi Liuxing to exclaim, “Zhou Qian, it’s not like you don’t have hands!”

Zhou Qian immediately placed his hands behind his back and boldly claimed, “I don’t have them.”

Qi Liuxing: “…”

Zhou Qian laughed, “Ah, such pleasures, Xiao Qi Gege, you as a minor wouldn’t understand.”

“Besides, you’re always so serious. It was thanks to that trait that when we first met, I was able to successfully draw aggro and you shielded me. Next time someone pulls that stunt, don’t fall for it, okay?”

Qi Liuxing: “……….”

“By the way,” Zhou Qian continued, “I know why He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade went to the hotel. But what about you two?”

“After we leveled up to Rank S, we rushed here,” Qi Liuxing said. “I was curious about Blue Harbor City and wanted to see what the instance looks like after reaching Rank S. By the time we arrived, it was late, and having not rested since our last instance run, we found a nearby hotel. We just wanted to rest for the night and try to contact you guys. We didn’t expect to run into you as soon as we entered.”

“So… why did you level up so fast?” Zhou Qian asked.

Qi Liuxing responded, “We found a double experience card.”

“That’s a rare item, isn’t it?” Zhou Qian frowned.

“Yes, it is,” He Xiaowei exclaimed, also surprised. “I thought I was super lucky… but…”

“Free gains often imply a plot.”

At this point, Zhou Qian picked up a piece of crab meat, dipped it in sauce, and instead of eating it himself, he offered it to Bai Zhou, who accepted it after a glance.

Zhou Qian smiled. “Right. You should eat too.”

Seeing this, Qi Liuxing, who was seated opposite them, whispered to He Xiaowei, “I missed one instance run. Did they start dating?”

He Xiaowei responded, “What? Dating? Who’s dating?”

With sharp ears, Zhou Qian shot a meaningful and warning glance at Qi Liuxing, who met his gaze defiantly. “You told me yourself that you were the ‘gazing husband stone’.”

Zhou Qian: “…”

Qi Liuxing added, “And during ‘The Flower of Evil’, you said—”

“Stop!”

Zhou Qian halted Qi Liuxing mid-sentence, set down his chopsticks, and grabbed Bai Zhou by the collar, turning him to face him. His movements were smooth, fluid, and accomplished in one go.

“Zhou Ge, let’s get back to our earlier topic. Why is it that my teammates always end up with these experience cards? Is there some hidden agenda behind this? How much do you know?”

“It could be a deliberate influence, but that’s just one possibility,” Bai Zhou replied. “There’s another possibility.”

Zhou Qian: “What possibility?”

Bai Zhou: “The system assesses player data from various perspectives and provides them with specific instances based on that. You’re already aware of this. Choosing the instances recommended by the system helps players improve their specialized skills. Haven’t you noticed that you always get instances related to hidden achievements?”

Zhou Qian pondered for a bit. “So you mean… the system dropping these cards for my teammates is, in a way, assisting me in selecting team members?”

“No, more precisely, it’s helping many people choose their teams. Is it trying to establish a… genuine legion? What is its endgame?”

“I’ll share some of my speculation about it later,” Bai Zhou said. “For now, eat.”

“Alright.” Zhou Qian released his grip and picked up a shrimp. “The exhibition hall was indeed exhausting. Let’s not talk about that now.”

At that moment, Ke Yuxiao, who had been relatively quiet, spoke up. “I’m familiarizing myself with the interface after reaching Rank S… There’s a public information board here that regularly posts updates, like newly opened instances, and where you can see everyone’s comments. I just saw…”

His tone became serious. “The Peach Blossom Legion has doubled the bounty on Zhou Qian.”

Zhou Qian laughed. “The Peach Blossom Legion doesn’t have capable members, so they’re hiring others as cannon fodder?”

Having heard He Xiaowei’s account earlier, Qi Liuxing got the gist of the situation. After some contemplation, he said, “Something feels off. What’s the Peach Blossom Legion up to? They’ve had multiple encounters with you and should know you aren’t easy to deal with.”

“This bounty might be tempting for smaller legions, but notable legions wouldn’t be interested in such a small reward. As for solo experts, many would be aware of you, especially since your previous clear videos are publicly available. So in special instances where one can’t predict the challenges, no one would dare act recklessly. Why then…”

Qi Liuxing’s point was clear: only the brash and overconfident, like the seemingly Invincible Legion, would dare accept such a bounty. It seemed the Peach Blossom Legion’s bounty was meaningless, as if they were just luring cannon fodder to Zhou Qian.

“First, they might still be testing me. Second, while there are many minor players who want me dead, it still creates some nuisance. They might just be trying to annoy me,” Zhou Qian speculated.

He then asked Ke Yuxiao, “So, is anyone brave enough to take up the bounty?”

“No one has accepted it yet. There’s an interesting comment. Someone wrote—” Ke Yuxiao began reading from the board, “‘I consulted with my Rank God player friend. They say player ​[137]​ is usually very low-key. He never takes on apprentices, nor has he ever taken anyone to a special achievement instance.”

“Hence, he’s never showcased his strength to the average player. Almost no one knows about ​[137]​, but he’s the real deal. This person advises everyone not to take the bounty.'”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian laughed again, looking at Bai Zhou. “I always said, Zhou Ge, you’re my lucky charm. Plus, we have two Rank God players here!”

……

Inside a private booth in the virtual game hall.

As the door opened, high-level gamblers who placed their bets on Zhou Qian were leaving with satisfaction.

To protect players’ privacy, certain content within the game instance wasn’t broadcast in real-time, such as when a player was taking a shower. For semi-open major instances like Blue Harbor City, the system didn’t provide a broadcast feature either. Therefore, since Zhou Qian hadn’t entered the instance yet, the high-stakes gamblers had the opportunity to relax.

In a corner of the booth, Priest slowly smoked a cigarette. By the time he finished it, the surroundings had emptied. He stood up and noticed the sparse crowd in the hall. After scanning the area, his gaze landed on a person sitting quietly in the corner, shivering slightly. He had been sitting for a long time, drained of all strength.

At this time, he heard a voice.

“Do you feel it’s unfair? You’ve put in so much, invested money, energy, and did research. You gathered countless outside information, trying to help Wen Bin achieve victory…”

“But he lost, and so did you, utterly defeated. On the other hand, Zhou Qian’s high-level gamblers… They just followed the right person, did nothing, and effortlessly won money?”

It was Priest’s voice. Observing the man’s reaction, he continued, “The money they won was essentially taken from losers like you. When you think about it, it feels even more unfair, right?”

“You… Are you from the Peach Blossom Legion?” The man looked up. “What do you want from me?”

Priest responded, “Based on your behavior, I think you have potential. That’s all. This game is as such; placing your hopes of victory on someone else feels too elusive. Join the Peach Blossom Legion, and I will personally mentor you.”

“To clear my debts… seems like this is the only path I have left. But I have questions for you,” the man said.

“Ask away.” Priest’s expression is gentle.

The man inquired, “Can Zhou Qian’s gamblers keep winning forever?”

Priest chuckled. “There are no eternal winners in this world. The only difference is whether they fall sooner or later. Experience usually shows us the higher one climbs, the harder they fall. Zhou Qian will face this fate. So will his gamblers.”

“But what if? What if Zhou Qian keeps winning? Then his gamblers can effortlessly win, right?” The man clenched his fists. “Like you said, it’s unfair!”

“If you think that way, then you underestimate human nature,” Priest said. “Human greed knows no bounds.”

“You mean…”

“Before reaching Rank S, a player has only one gambler. At that time, all the prize money belongs to that gambler. But after reaching Rank S, even though the total prize money decreases, the number of people wanting to become Zhou Qian’s gambler increases. If you were one of them, would you be willing to share what belongs to you?”

Seeing the man’s reaction, Priest smiled. “Wait and watch them all sink together.”

……

Blue Harbor City 2301.

He Xiaowei and the others went to the hotel.

Zhou Qian ignored the doubtful look in Qi Liuxing’s eyes and just followed Bai Zhou to the beach.

After walking around the deep blue sea for about ten minutes, Zhou Qian asked Bai Zhou, “So, where are you taking me?”

Bai Zhou looked straight ahead and responded in a gentle tone, “I told you before, I came to Blue Harbor City and bought something at the auction house.”

“Mm.” Zhou Qian looked at him. “So, what did you buy?”

“We’re here.” Bai Zhou slightly tilted his chin forward.

Zhou Qian looked up and saw a two-story villa by the sea.

“You bought a house?”

Zhou Qian walked up to the peculiar-looking door and, turning to Bai Zhou with a smile, asked, “How do you open this?”

Bai Zhou approached and said, “First, let’s register your fingerprint.”

Bai Zhou then pressed Zhou Qian’s index finger on the door lock’s system panel three times, completing the fingerprint registration. After entering the living room and changing shoes, Bai Zhou gave Zhou Qian a tour of the entire house, eventually leading him to the master bedroom, where he provided a clean set of clothes and a bath towel.

“You’ll sleep here tonight. I’ll be in the guest room next door. Do you want to take a bath before sleeping? Want me to make you some milk?”

Zhou Qian, not in a hurry to shower, pointed at the clothes in Bai Zhou’s hand and asked, “Are these all in my size? How long ago did you prepare these?”

Bai Zhou replied, “I thought there might come a day when you’d need them. I wasn’t sure about the size, though. Try them on. If they don’t fit, I’ll buy you more.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian examined the clothes thoughtfully before accepting them. His expression then turned serious. “Zhou Ge, after my bath, I’d like to drink some alcohol.”

Bai Zhou nodded. “Alright. Just a little. Red wine?”

Zhou Qian replied, “Sounds good. How about we drink together and chat?”

“Okay,” Bai Zhou nodded again.

Afterward, Zhou Qian showered upstairs, and Bai Zhou did the same downstairs. They then climbed the small staircase, heading to the rooftop. The view from the rooftop was stunning, offering a glimpse of Blue Harbor City’s neon-lit sea and the colorful horizon. Zhou Qian enjoyed the vibrant colors, which lifted his spirits.

Taking a sip of wine, Zhou Qian turned to find Bai Zhou draping a light jacket over him.

Zhou Qian squinted and said, “Zhou Ge, sometimes I think you’re quite romantic, like right now. But sometimes, I feel like you don’t understand anything at all.”

Bai Zhou just smiled softly, adjusting the jacket for Zhou Qian and taking a sip from his own glass.

Zhou Qian faced the vast sea ahead. The sea breeze touched his cheeks, leaving a hint of a salty taste in his words.

“I often wonder what the hell you’re thinking.”

Adjusting his white shirt, Zhou Qian began, “Like these clothes. Did you prepare them in advance because you knew I’d enter this game?”

“The time I had carbon monoxide poisoning in the real world, was it you who saved me? That night, I’m sure I saw a dragon. I’m beginning to doubt something…”

Taking another sip of wine, Zhou Qian continued, “Did I die then? Did you, as a god, revive me? What did it cost you?”

He set down his glass and looked at Bai Zhou, tilting his head slightly. “Who is the god in this game?”

Bai Zhou paused before replying, “Your father was a gambler in this game.”

Zhou Qian nodded. “I suspected as much.”

Bai Zhou continued, “He lost in the game and tried to win back his money in the real world through gambling but lost even more. When I found out about it, I learned someone hired your father to kill you. If he succeeded, all his debts would be forgiven. He failed and was killed.”

“So, who has been trying to kill me all this time?”

Zhou Qian frowned. “I’ve always wondered about the motivations of the Peach Blossom Army.”

“In a way, I feel the game chose you. Or us. It’s like an inescapable destiny for both of us. However, someone doesn’t want us to have this ‘destiny’. I have some speculations. In the future, we can verify them together. About that night—”

Bai Zhou continued, “My divine status was already quite advanced. At that time, I already had the ability to manifest as a dragon in reality. That’s why I was able to come to your aid when I received the message. The dragon you saw was indeed me. However, I only managed to get you out of the room. I don’t have the power to resurrect the dead, neither now nor then. So you never died.”

“After forcefully manifesting as a dragon in reality, I exhausted much of my spiritual energy. While you were hospitalized for eight months, I was bedridden for the same period, unable to enter any instance. Unlike you, we aren’t bound by time limits for entering instances. I’m sorry that after getting you out of the room, I couldn’t maintain my dragon form and had to leave, unable to save your mother.”

Zhou Qian shook his head and asked, “You were incapacitated for eight months… So the dragon I saw later wasn’t you?”

Bai Zhou replied with another question, “Are you saying you saw a dragon at Spring Hill Mental Asylum?”

“Yes, many times,” Zhou Qian confirmed. “It was what led me into the game.”

“That wasn’t me,” Bai Zhou admitted. “If I could, I wouldn’t have wanted you to enter. But ever since the incident with your father, I felt the game had chosen you. So…”

Zhou Qian chuckled.

It seemed he had found the answers he was seeking, and he appeared relieved. Looking at Bai Zhou, he said, “So you bought this house and prepared these clothes for me? Zhou Ge…”

“Yes?”

Zhou Qian became serious. “When I was younger, I said some childish and hurtful things. Please don’t take them to heart. About buying a house… I was just trying to annoy you back then. I never expected…”

“Bai Zhou, so what if you’re smart? You’ll never be able to afford a house like mine.”

“Zhou Ge, I’m sorry for what I said that day. You will buy many houses like that.”

……

Thinking about it now, whether it was the former or the latter statement, maybe for Bai Zhou, both were burdensome, right?

He was confined and couldn’t buy a house in the real world. Yet, in his mental sanctuary, he genuinely remembered this and acted upon it, as if he wanted to prove something to someone.

Unbeknownst to him, Zhou Qian put down his glass of wine, laid down, and gazed at the colorful clouds and stars in the night sky.

After a while, Zhou Qian whispered, finally asking the question that bothered him the most. “Zhou Ge, why… seven years ago, did you leave without saying goodbye and transferred schools?”

When asking this, Zhou Qian didn’t look at Bai Zhou; he just stared at the night sky. But his ears were perked up, clearly paying attention to every breath Bai Zhou took.

Bai Zhou replied, “On the day I received the diagnosis, I sat alone in the park behind the hospital for a long time. Someone approached me, asking me to participate in an experiment related to a ‘gene regression’ program. They said it could cure me and promised I’d recover in a few months. I agreed and signed a confidentiality agreement.”

“I see. You thought that in a few months, you could act as if nothing had happened and happily reappear before me.”

As Zhou Qian whispered this, he suddenly realized something.

He often told Bai Zhou that he was perfect. But it turned out that such words might have been a burden for him.

Especially back then, when Bai Zhou was so young. He was at an age where he needed guidance. But perhaps, at that time, Zhou Qian was too dependent on him, making Bai Zhou feel that he could only be the one to rely on and should never show his vulnerability.

Only now did Zhou Qian truly understand that Bai Zhou’s decision to participate in the experiment wasn’t because he wasn’t afraid of death or because he was naive. Even if he knew the chances of survival were slim, even if he realized how absurd the “gene regression experiment” sounded, he would still proceed.

All because he wouldn’t want to be seen in a state of physical decay, becoming paralyzed, disabled, and finally dying miserably.

Of course, it might not be just because of Zhou Qian. Bai Zhou’s parents were also problematic. Due to his birth, his mother missed a promotion and always resented him. His father seemed too busy to care for him.

Bai Zhou felt that his parents couldn’t accept an imperfect version of him. They couldn’t bear the idea of their promising son becoming a victim of a degenerative disease, becoming a lifelong burden.

Both Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou were children neglected by their parents. Both carried trauma from their original families. But these traumas shaped their personalities in very different ways.

At this moment, Zhou Qian couldn’t help but think that Bai Zhou had his own obsessions, wrapping himself in layers of chains. But he didn’t know what he truly looked like in his heart.

There were some things… Maybe he really didn’t understand.

He was always been fulfilling what he believed were his duties and responsibilities in an almost clumsy and stubborn way, but he didn’t understand anything at all.

Zhou Qian clenched his hands tightly, relaxing only after a long while. The starry sky suddenly became blurry, and then he closed his eyes as if to hide his emotions.

But Bai Zhou seemed to see something. He said, “Zhou Qian, when I chose to participate in this experiment, I never thought of seeking death. I have always been fighting for a chance to live. I never thought of leaving you behind. Back then I—”

“It’s okay. Zhou Ge, I understand now,” Zhou Qian said with his eyes closed. “After these few days together and the conversation tonight… I fully understand. I won’t be angry with you anymore.”

“Zhou Qian…”

“I’m tired. I want to sleep here for a while.”

“Alright. Then sleep.”

After an unknown period, feeling Zhou Qian’s breathing become steadier, Bai Zhou knew he had fallen into a deep sleep. The night deepened, and the wind by the sea grew strong. Fearing that Zhou Qian might catch a cold, Bai Zhou eventually carried him downstairs and then into the master bedroom, placing him gently on the bed.

After tucking Zhou Qian in, Bai Zhou turned off the bedroom light and then went out to the hallway.

What Bai Zhou didn’t know was that Zhou Qian, pretending to be asleep, had clenched and then released his hand under the blanket. Standing quietly in the hallway for a long while, Bai Zhou re-entered the room and sat in the chair next to the bed.

The white light from the hallway faintly illuminated half of Zhou Qian’s face while casting a long shadow of Bai Zhou sitting on the chair. After a long while, that shadow finally moved—

Bai Zhou leaned forward, gently brushing away the stray hairs on Zhou Qian’s forehead with his hand. Then, with utmost care, he leaned down and lightly kissed that smooth forehead.

After the soft kiss, Bai Zhou got up to leave. But as he turned, a hand reached out from under the blanket, grabbing his wrist. Bai Zhou stood still.

After a moment, he heard Zhou Qian ask him, “After you transformed into a dragon during ‘Last Wish’, did you do something like what you just did?”

The night was deep.

Zhou Qian’s tone held a hint of provocation.

He then asked, “Zhou Ge, under what pretense should I stay at your house? As brothers, friends, old classmates, or… something else?”

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