“Life span! Could it be such a heavy price?”
Wuzzy Beard opened his mouth, and the half-burned cigarette fell to the ground.
He suddenly felt very guilty, after all, the talisman was obtained by Chen Huaian at the cost of his life, and he just bought it for a mere 100,000 yuan?
At that time, Chen Huaian probably didn’t know the value of this talisman.
This made him feel like he was deliberately deceiving.
“How did you know the price would be your life span? I remember you didn’t know the talisman could be used before, right?”
Chen Huaian had prepared his words carefully, speaking flawlessly: “It’s true that I didn’t know before. About how I determined the price was life span… ” He rolled up his pant leg to show Wuzzy Beard the dense bone tumors on his leg.
“To be honest, I’m a late-stage cancer patient, but I was only mid-stage a week ago.”
Wuzzy Beard looked at the bone tumors on Chen Huaian’s leg, stunned: “So, because you traded for the talisman, your cancer worsened?”
“Yes, the doctor said my cancer cells spread at an unprecedented rate, and the cancer started to worsen after I traded for the talisman.”
“Then, how long can you still live?”
“Who knows?” Chen Huaian smiled: “Maybe half a year slower, or a month faster.”
Wuzzy Beard’s mind went blank, unable to imagine that the sunny-looking handsome man in front of him was already a dying person.
But the bone tumors on his leg told him it was true.
This young man was indeed at the end stage of cancer, with little time left.
‘I really deserve to die!’
He gave himself a mental slap.
As the head of the Demon-Slaying Division of the Heavenly Abode District, he actually deceived a terminally ill cancer patient, tricking him out of such a precious talisman with just 100,000 yuan! Not to mention his own conscience wouldn’t let him off, if other districts found out about this, they would surely kill him!
“Brother Huaian, I’m sorry.”
To ease his conscience, Wuzzy Beard quickly apologized to Chen Huaian.
“I shouldn’t have deceived you out of a talisman before.”
“It’s okay~” Chen Huaian waved his hand: “I still have more talismans here. I was already a terminal patient, a doomed man, so it doesn’t make much difference whether I spend some more of my life span.”
Wuzzy Beard silently looked at Chen Huaian, feeling even sadder inside.
“I’ll transfer another 100,000 yuan!”
“Alright.” Chen Huaian swiftly opened his phone to show the QR code for payment.
Wuzzy Beard: “…”
After transferring the money, the atmosphere between them clearly became more sincere.
“Brother Huaian, what are your plans in the future?”
“Plans…” Chen Huaian and Wuzzy Beard watched the passing traffic together. His plan was simply to keep making money to fund his games. Previously, not knowing that the ‘digital girlfriend’ was a Companion Spirit Item made him willing to pay, and now that he knew, he was even more willing to spend money, in case some day the game released a prop that could cure his cancer.
Also, is the world within the game real?
If the game is fake, why is his digital girlfriend so lifelike?
But if this game is a real world, wouldn’t its civilization level long surpass Earth’s? After all, even a common Thunderfire Talisman is already terrifyingly powerful, so what about immortal-grade talismans? And other higher-level talismans, wouldn’t their power be comparable to missiles or even nuclear bombs?!
This made no sense.
A three-dimensional world surpassing a two-dimensional one was clearly unreasonable.
Moreover, this world has so-called main quests, storylines, and dialogue choices.
What qualifications does he have to control the direction of a real world?
If he were that powerful, he would have become immortal long ago.
From any angle, the Cangyun Realm looks more like a game world.
Therefore, Chen Huaian is sure that the digital girlfriend game in his phone is the ‘Companion Spirit Item’ mentioned by Wuzzy Beard.
As for whether the cultivation world within the digital girlfriend is real, he remains skeptical.
Seeing is believing.
Of course, he hopes Li Qingran is real.
But sometimes having too much hope isn’t a good thing.
It means one must pay a heavy emotional price when reality contradicts expectations.
Wuzzy Beard thought Chen Huaian was lost in indecision when he remained silent, and he understood this very well. Many Resurrectors are confused when faced with this issue, so he patted Chen Huaian on the shoulder:
“This world will become increasingly chaotic, and everything we protect could shatter at any moment.”
On the sidewalk, schoolchildren holding hands sang songs as they walked home.
On a park bench, a couple embraced passionately.
The sun followed an elderly man carrying a basket of vegetables, while a food delivery worker stopped his bike in frustration at the slow-moving old man.
Chen Huaian watched all this, hearing Wuzzy Beard’s voice in his ears:
“Brother Huaian, why don’t you join the Demon-Slaying Division? I can help you contact some Resurrectors with healing abilities to see if they can solve your cancer problem. The Demon-Slaying Division is different from before. Do you know about the Breathing Technique? It’s similar to the cultivation methods in novels, allowing one to absorb spiritual energy from the world around them. Currently, only our division has it.”
“Of course, from my perspective, I don’t want you to join the Demon-Slaying Division for these benefits. I hope you do it for the mission!”
“To protect humanity, to protect a peaceful life!”
After saying this, Wuzzy Beard glanced at Chen Huaian out of the corner of his eye.
These were the standard recruitment lines taught to members of the Demon-Slaying Division.
Usually, if a Resurrector listened, there would be some emotional reaction on their face.
Especially for someone like Chen Huaian, who loved to hear passionate speeches.
However…
Wuzzy Beard noticed that Chen Huaian was completely expressionless!!!
“Thank you for telling me these things and for your invitation.”
Chen Huaian scratched his head, still smiling, though his words weren’t very humorous.
“What can I say? You know, my parents died in a forest fire. They were supposed to compensate me with 200,000 yuan, but due to various strange reasons, I only received 20,000 yuan.
These years have been hard for me. When I thought I would get through college and graduation, I found out I had late-stage cancer. The hospital only asked if I had insurance and money, and if not, to raise funds first, otherwise they wouldn’t treat me.
My girlfriend cheated on me, and when she found out about my cancer, she dumped me…”
Wuzzy Beard looked at the young man basking in the sunlight, struggling to speak: “Do you think the world is unfair? So…”
“No, I think the world is fair.” Chen Huaian shook his head: “Dying without treatment because of lack of money is reasonable. Compensation not being issued due to various reasons is also normal. A boyfriend getting cancer and the girlfriend leaving is understandable too.”
“So, what about you?”
“I just feel that when I was most desperate, the world didn’t embrace me.
If I were to turn around and embrace the world now, I would find it disgusting.”
Chen Huaian looked at Wuzzy Beard, his eyes flickering with light and darkness.
Wuzzy Beard felt that this young man sitting in the sunlight seemed to exude a sense of death.
“Uncle, what you protect is your world. But my world, it’s not yet worth protecting.”
…
At the end of the street, Chen Huaian’s figure, dragging his suitcase, gradually faded away.
He turned back, smiling and waving goodbye, then blended into the crowd like everyone else.
Wuzzy Beard sat silently on the steps, smoking one cigarette after another, the sound of Chen Huaian’s departing words echoing in his ears.
“I won’t join the Demon-Slaying Division. At least now, I can’t find a reason to join, nor do I see the mission you spoke of. But if you need help, you can find me. Though I don’t know if I can help.”
The red light turned green.
Wuzzy Beard stubbed out his cigarette and merged into the crowd.
He didn’t return to the Demon-Slaying Division, choosing instead to wander around.
To see the people living under the same sky but existing in different worlds.
…
