### Chapter 361: Lu Liangting’s Soul
Reaching out, she gripped the black long kn*fe; the sense of connection was something even bl**d Thread’s imitation couldn’t replicate.
If she’d had this kn*fe during her showdown with Nightmare, she wouldn’t have burned so much energy; the fight would have ended much faster. One might even say it would have been a complete stomp of Nightmare!
The blade shimmered as she waved it lightly.
This kn*fe had accompanied her in countless battles against formidable foes. Perhaps this would be its last stand by her side.
The Dark Moon God was just too powerful. Even a weapon as potent as Night Bright would drain her immensely. In “sc*m Game” terms, that meant durability would plummet to zero, or hover just above the breaking point on numerals.
But whatever, she was done with her old life. Even if Night Bright didn’t shatter after this battle, she wouldn’t wield this kn*fe again; it would remain a nostalgic relic.
She tucked the kn*fe away into the wooden box she had prepared in advance.
With the blade ready, the next step was to help Zhao Mingyue awaken completely. Once she got the hang of it, they could confront the Dark Moon God head-on.
During the past month, the Dark Moon God had been recovering. It wasn’t as if a month later they would magically bounce back. Perhaps in a month, the Dark Moon God would experience a significant recovery, and then she could break through the Ghost Gate and enter the real world.
That was when the real trouble would start. The worst-case scenario.
Before long, Zhao Mingyue and the Dragon Lady returned, chatting and laughing. Upon spotting the wooden box leaning against the wall, the Dragon Lady knew Bai Yu had succeeded.
During lunchtime, Bai Yu brought up the plan.
“Mingyue, this afternoon we’re going to find Lu Liangting. Once we grab his soul, we’ll head into the Ghost Gate tonight.”
“Is it really that fast? I don’t have any objections, but what about Lu Liangting? Taking his soul… will it affect him in any way?” Zhao Mingyue mumbled through a mouthful of chicken leg.
“It will have an effect, but it’s minor. It’s just one-third of his soul after all.”
After Bai Yu finished, the Dragon Lady chimed in, “Just look at me! I had half my soul ripped away, and I’m still standing here after all these years. For him, one-third is just a minor hiccup; he won’t even notice it. The most he’ll feel is slightly dulled emotions.”
“Fine.”
Zhao Mingyue hesitated, biting her tongue. Better let Bai Yu handle the decision-making.
What she really wanted to say was quite simple: shouldn’t they check with Lu Liangting before they go snagging his soul?
The Dragon Lady shot her a knowing glance and smirked, “Mingyue, are you suggesting we should get that little punk’s permission?”
“I didn’t say that!”
“Come on, you’ve been like this since childhood. Just a look and I can read your thoughts. It’s not a bad idea; after all, Lu Liangting is your friend. But let’s be real—we’ve been more than gracious. If we were heartless, we’d be digging out your one-third soul and handing it over to him to deal with the Dark Moon God himself.”
“You both are the same. Anyone can awaken! And let’s be honest, I and Bai Yu are pretty selfish; our own interests come first. Other people’s feelings don’t really matter. If it means we can definitely k*ll the Dark Moon God, I’d pull Lu Liangting’s entire soul right now.”
The Dragon Lady kept grinning as she said this—this was the true sentiment shared between her and Bai Yu.
They had clawed their way out of the sc*m Game; any sense of morality went out the window. Depending on your perspective, you could call them villains.
Taking a third of Lu Liangting’s soul had nothing to do with tenderness or consideration for his feelings; it was simply enough for their needs—no more, no less.
As for informing Lu Liangting about it? Bai Yu wouldn’t bother asking for his consent. At the most, it would be a heads-up: if you show up, I’ll go easy on you and wrap this up quickly. If not, I’ll drag you in, and then your soul is getting snatched while you endure some pain.
Zhao Mingyue glanced at the Dragon Lady, then at Bai Yu, who was staring at her food with a poker face.
She had to admit, the Dragon Lady’s approach matched Bai Yu’s usual style perfectly.
“All right, all right, I’ll message him and ask what he thinks.”
After lunch, Zhao Mingyue sent Lu Liangting a message. She didn’t spill the beans on the specifics—instead, she just invited him out for a more detailed discussion.
Lu Liangting replied almost instantly, agreeing without hesitation.
Recently, he had been stuck at home with nothing to do. Ever since his sister was rescued, he had pretty much abandoned all missions. Plus, who knew what had gotten into that gang of female madmen who were obsessively trailing him? It was dangerous for him to step out; his house was the only safe haven.
What did they see in him, anyway? Each one of them was exceptionally skilled—fighting, assassination, tracking—you name it, they had maxed it out.
With all those abilities, why were they fixated on him? It was beyond annoying.
In the afternoon, at the agreed-upon little park.
This time, there was no one following him, perhaps because the stalkers hadn’t realized he’d lost them.
Lu Liangting looked around again, confirming no one was tailing him before walking toward Zhao Mingyue and Bai Yu.
“Long time no see.” Upon seeing Zhao Mingyue and Bai Yu, Lu Liangting greeted them first.
So much had happened lately; ever since taking down Nightmare, Bai Yu hadn’t seen him again.
“Mingyue, we’re here to…”
“It’s not me looking for you; it’s Bai Yu. It’s really, really important.” Zhao Mingyue raised her hands as if surrendering; she didn’t want to say much.
The Dragon Lady and Chen Yunshi stood in the shade of a nearby tree, eyeing Lu Liangting. In this world, Lu Liangting was essentially the chosen one. Without them and the Dark Moon God in play, he would undoubtedly become the one to save the world, eventually winding up with Zhao Mingyue, the female protagonist.
Their roles had already sealed the fate: one of them would have to sacrifice themselves to awaken the other, and once it was over, that sacrificed one wouldn’t have any issues; instead, their bond would deepen.
It was just like the past with her and Bai Yu, where only staying by Bai Yu’s side could fill the emptiness in her soul.
Unfortunately, the world’s future had been turned upside down because of their arrival.
Not only had the male and female protagonists not ended up together, but in the climactic battle, they’d need to use the male protagonist’s soul to seal the final boss.
Besides that, the male lead had little else to contribute.
Bai Yu quickly outlined the situation for Lu Liangting—from the Dark Moon God to the Ghost Gate, to Zhao Mingyue and his connection to it all, and what that meant for the Ghost Gate world, finally explaining what role they could play in the ultimate showdown.
Once she finished, Lu Liangting didn’t hesitate; he didn’t even ask about the consequences of losing a part of his soul—he simply agreed.
He wasn’t clueless; he could sense how monumental this was.
Just then, the Dragon Lady’s voice came from his side, “Didn’t see this coming! You’ve got some guts there. Don’t worry; we only need one-third of your soul. You can’t say there won’t be side effects—you’ll probably find your feelings a bit dulled. Like those things you used to think were heartbreaking? Well, later on, you might just shrug and think, ‘Meh.’ Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“This won’t turn you into a soulless statue; you’ll just find it harder to get emotionally stirred up.”
Lu Liangting turned his head. After the Dragon Lady finished, he said, “I can accept that price. What do you need me to do?”
“Come to my house. I’ve got all the materials and tools ready,” Chen Yunshi said, arms crossed, with a casual air. She shared a glance with Lu Liangting without elaborating. While she was technically Lu Liangting’s teacher, standing here made any explanations unnecessary.
A moment later, they arrived at Chen Yunshi’s home.
Lu Liangting lay in the center of the array she had drawn, his eyes closed. Chen Yunshi began applying some black liquid to her hands and started chanting.
Everyone else was gathered in the hallway, watching the living room—even Old Yang was peeking in.
He didn’t feel the need to interject, so he was just going along with Lu Liangting’s choice.
He didn’t trust Bai Yu or the Dragon Lady, and don’t even get him started on Chen Yunshi. But he trusted Zhao Mingyue.
The ritual looked pretty straightforward—extract Lu Liangting’s soul and then trim off a third.
It wasn’t about chopping him directly; it was about drawing out the energy. As the one-third of his soul was extracted, Lu Liangting’s spirit visibly faded.
Once his soul was shoved back in, and the extracted fragments were safely stored, the ritual was complete.
The whole thing didn’t take more than half an hour. Though it looked easy, the pale cheeks of Chen Yunshi, along with the beads of sweat soaking her shirt, made it clear this was no walk in the park.
Directly taking the soul was simple enough, but putting it back to make sure Lu Liangting wouldn’t kick the bucket was the tricky part.
Chen Yunshi rarely did this kind of thing—if ever.
For her, reaching the soul extraction stage meant the person should be dead. If it came to that, she figured it was better to get rid of the extracted soul rather than put it back.
The vessel she used to store Lu Liangting’s soul fragments was a chocolate jar. How she managed to keep the soul viable in such a container was anyone’s guess.
“Twelve hours. Anything beyond that and the soul loses its vitality.” She casually tossed the chocolate jar to Bai Yu and headed to the bathroom to splash some water on her face.
“Is it all set?” Lu Liangting sat up, blinking as he checked himself over.
Surprisingly, he didn’t notice anything amiss; he even felt like the ritual hadn’t started.
“It’s all set. The world will thank you for your sacrifice today, though they might never know it.” The Dragon Lady walked over, giving Lu Liangting a reassuring pat on the shoulder and smiling, “In a way, you’re saving the world.”
