**Chapter 28: Both a Calamity and a Man-made Disaster**
Before sharing her powers and perceptions with Meng Meng, Luxianbei had prepared herself for a fierce battle against some powerful urban legend or spiritual ability user.
However, when she discovered that there were two spirit energy fluctuations and a serpent-like urban legend on the empty long street where Meng Meng was located, she suddenly had second thoughts.
With proxy players banned and unable to be there in person, it was already quite a stretch for her to think of defeating such a high-level urban legend on her own.
Moreover, a triangle possesses great stability; three strong and mutually opposing urban legends coming together would surely lead to a stalemate unless someone broke the deadlock.
Meng Meng still needed to divide some of her spirit energy and focus to control those black-robed figures and put the residents of the Happy Neighborhood into a dream, making them unaware of the battle here.
In such a situation, if they all attacked her together…
She feared she would d*e, Luxianbei thought worriedly.
After a brief moment of contemplation, she decided it would be better to act first rather than wait for those two to team up. She would strike first and stoke the flames!
So…
“By the way, you have no idea what she says about you, right? It’s really harsh! If it were me, I couldn’t stand it!”
“…”
Miss Rabbit remained silent. After a brief clash of glances with Mu Se, she squinted and asked Meng Meng, who was currently acting as the intermediary for Luxianbei, “What has she said about me?”
Just as Luxianbei was about to speak up and showcase her skills, she heard Mu Se coldly sneer, “Hmph! Little bunny, I didn’t expect you to still be so clueless after all this time!”
“Clearly, she’s trying to deflect the fire to escape, and you just jumped right into the pit?”
As she spoke, she cast a disdainful glance at Luxianbei and said, “I want to ask you, when have you seen us? How do you know how we talk about each other?”
Hearing this, Miss Rabbit’s expression changed, and a pair of fluffy white rabbit ears slowly emerged from her hair.
Then, her slender arm trembled slightly, and a rough, dark, shiny weapon that resembled a fire axe and was engraved with dark golden patterns suddenly appeared in her hand.
Just as she seemed ready to make a move, she appeared to remember something and turned her head to Luxianbei, squinting her eyes.
Clearly, she also wanted to hear Luxianbei’s explanation.
“…”
Rabbit ears… the weapon looks like a mutated fire axe… it seems familiar…
Could she be Miss Rabbit?
No wonder I felt a familiar spirit energy fluctuation lurking not far away; it must be that Solar Eclipse Society ability user who often hangs out with Miss Rabbit.
After a brief daze, Luxianbei looked directly into Mu Se’s eyes and said earnestly, “We’re all urban legends; having some special means to know what others have said or done is quite reasonable, right?”
As she spoke, she paused briefly before adding, “By the way, that dark green block of ominous organization in your hand, I wonder if you’ve planted it yet?”
Upon hearing Luxianbei mention the fragment of Pestilence Taijie’s organization, Mu Se’s heart tightened, and her eyes flickered slightly, falling silent.
Noticing the unusual expression in Mu Se’s eyes, Miss Rabbit, who knew her well, raised her chin slightly and sneered, “Heh! I didn’t expect you to still be so arrogant after all this time!”
“Why are you always so proud and conceited? Haven’t you learned anything from being taken down by that limping girl from the Siye Society?”
For Mu Se, being ambushed and humiliated by a rookie from the Siye Society was the most shameful thing in her life. Miss Rabbit’s deliberately mentioned remark struck her heart like a thorn.
Thus, just as Miss Rabbit’s words fell, Mu Se suddenly turned her head back, her eyes filled with murderous intent, and her spirit energy fluctuated completely, surging to a terrifying level.
However, Miss Rabbit was no longer the weak urban legend that would shiver at just a strong spirit energy fluctuation. Seeing this, she stepped forward without retreating, defiantly raising her head.
Two sharp gazes clashed, chilling the air, as the spirit energy fluctuations of fiery red and pale white violently rubbed against each other, stirring up small and chaotic arcs of electricity in the air.
Luxianbei, “…”
Wow, I haven’t even made a move yet! How did they end up clashing already?
But, just now Miss Rabbit mentioned Jiang Li? Does that mean this urban legend in a red dress was the Mu Se who was killed and had her remains sealed by Jiang Li? Luxianbei pondered.
In the midst of her thoughts, Mu Se and Miss Rabbit suddenly both looked over here, almost simultaneously speaking, “You tell us! What did she say?!”
Though they both clearly knew that Luxianbei likely intended to sow discord with such statements at this time, they were still curious enough to hear this improbable truth before the battle began.
After all, their relationship was already extremely bad; could it possibly get any worse?
Hello, yes, it could.
As a master of ruining relationships, Luxianbei, after figuring out the dynamics between them, still felt confident she could escalate their relationship from tense confrontation to a deadly feud.
Facing the questions from the two urban legend ladies, she quickly calculated how to fuel the flames while feigning reluctance, saying, “Well now, some things are best left unsaid, right?”
“After all, those words are truly harsh, and it’s hard for me to say them!”
Upon hearing this, Mu Se raised her chin slightly and glanced sideways at Miss Rabbit, saying, “You can say it directly; I want to hear what she said.”
Miss Rabbit furrowed her brow slightly, remaining silent, but her expression was already indicating she shared the same attitude as Mu Se.
“Cough, cough!” After observing the expressions of the two urban legend ladies, Luxianbei spoke up, “I want to clarify! To me, both of you are incredibly strong and accomplished urban legends.”
“What I’m about to say is what you both prompted me to say; I’m just stating facts and it has nothing to do with my personal opinions. Don’t take it out on me in anger!”
“Stop wasting time!” Miss Rabbit said, “Just say it.”
“She said, you’ve always been arrogant without sufficient ability, and you were played around by that crippled girl from the Siye Society! You must have gotten some filler during your botox treatment at the hospital if you’re this foolish—can’t even beat a disabled person.”
“She also said you always wear red clothes that are terribly gaudy. In this era of a nationwide aesthetic leap, you’re just that one unlucky fish that managed to slip through the net.”
“What gives you the right to be the queen of urban legends in Huacheng without any ability or looks? You’ll find yourself quickly swallowed by urban legends greater than you… no, actually, there’s probably nothing worth swallowing in that inferior core stuffed with glue anyway.”
Some people just speak nonsense without any burden on their conscience, even breathing heavily as if they had just run a marathon.
“Enough!” Mu Se interrupted sharply, “Did that wretched servant really say that?”
As a former urban legend who walked beneath the night of Huacheng, at the pinnacle of the pyramid, she always considered herself close to perfection in all aspects apart from power, with a sense of pride and arrogance.
At this moment, upon hearing Luxianbei say that, whether it was Miss Rabbit’s exact words or not, anger welled up in her heart.
In response, Miss Rabbit opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but Luxianbei quickly jumped in.
“Uh, sorry! I am quite fond of literature, so I might have embellished a little in my choice of words, but the gist is about right. If you feel some discrepancies…”
“Why don’t you just repeat it yourself?”
Caught off guard by Luxianbei’s sudden question, Miss Rabbit was momentarily speechless.
“…”
Repeat it? You already said it all, what else is there for me to say?
After all…
I have indeed thought of something similar! Miss Rabbit silently thought.
“Since there are no objections, I’ll continue!” Luxianbei pointed at Mu Se and opened her mouth, “She, tsk tsk, I’ve never seen a master who looks down on their followers like this!”
“Ah—so pitiful!”
“Her most commonly said thing is that she regrets ever taking you in as a follower, saying that keeping you is worse than keeping a dog… no, in fact, a rabbit isn’t even as good as a dog.”
“A being worse than a dog dares to resist? And as a result? The witch’s egg that you barely managed to get was taken away? How laughable.”
Hearing the mention of the witch’s egg, which was a source of pain, Miss Rabbit clenched her fists, finally coming to believe that she really could peek into others’ pasts.
After all, aside from her and that little thief, only Mu Se could know through the bond between master and follower.
———
While Luxianbei rambled on, destroying people tirelessly, Gu Qiqi, prompted by the system, made her escape.
Though she had been injured by Mu Se’s special ability, she quickly regained consciousness, thanks to the strong physique brought by the spirit patterns, and quietly snuck into the bushes a hundred meters away to hide.
As for the internal damage constantly depleting her remaining strength, she could only wait until she returned to rely on alchemical potions to repair it.
Not long after.
Just as Gu Qiqi was worried if the few urban legends would cause any waves that might affect her nearby profit-generating small vehicle, she suddenly heard a sigh from the system.
“Tsk tsk, Gu Qiqi, did you see that? Learn from it!”
“Huh? What?” Gu Qiqi stared blankly, “Learn trash talk? But it looks so hard!”
“Ah—!” the system sighed, “Never mind, we won’t force it; just be a bit more careful when you go out in the future.”
“What do I need to be careful about when going out?” Gu Qiqi asked in confusion.
“…”
After a long silence, the system finally managed to suppress the urge to curse, and said seriously, “Gu Qiqi, don’t look; they’re about to fight. We should hurry up and leave!”
“Eh?” Gu Qiqi looked at the tense Mu Se and Miss Rabbit in the distance, who were poised yet had not yet made a move, and then at the green-clad urban legend who seemed to thrive on chaos, and asked in confusion, “How do you see that?”
“It’s obvious! The calamity is controlling that urban legend’s speech! Those two are definitely going to fight,” the system said. “The title of calamity is not given for nothing.”
“Oh, right!” Gu Qiqi suddenly remembered something, her eyes lighting up slightly, “System, you’ve never told me how Luxianbei got that title!”
“She…”
The system was about to speak but fell silent again. After hesitating for a moment, it explained to Gu Qiqi, “Actually, the term ‘calamity’ should be understood separately; it’s both a natural disaster and a man-made one.”
“The natural disaster refers to the core of her urban legend, symbolizing pure destruction, while ‘disaster,’ as in man-made calamity, refers to her actions, symbolizing…”
“I know, I know, it represents fueling the flames!” Gu Qiqi interjected, cutting off the system’s about-to-say “stirring up disputes.”
Then.
The system thought for a moment and felt that “fueling the flames” and “stirring up disputes” were quite similar in meaning, so it saw no need to explain further to Gu Qiqi.
After all, as long as she could understand, it would be a relief.
The system thought to itself just as a loud explosion suddenly rang out ahead.
Following the sound, two figures moving so fast they were almost invisible had already collided together.
The system, “…”
What did I just say?
There’s no fight that calamity can’t provoke, no fuel that can’t ignite flames.
———
“Today, I will personally deal with the traitor! Come on, let me see your current skills!”
With a cold shout, Mu Se’s spirit energy surged, a fiery red glow radiating from behind her. The dark long street seemed to shift to twilight as her figure vanished in the haze, leaving only the flash of a blade accompanied by a sharp howl.
As the long kn*fe swooped down, Miss Rabbit’s figure suddenly transformed into an illusion, re-solidifying several meters away. Just as she steadied herself, countless wildflowers wilted and fell beneath her feet, and her figure disappeared again.
Following this, the petals where she had just been transformed into a stream of crimson, leaving deep gashes on the ground.
Miss Rabbit reappeared, the dark golden glowing fire axe manifesting in her hand, striking out without warning at Mu Se from behind, colliding with the wind wall raised by the sharp scream.
“Hmph! To still use such coarse weapons after advancing, truly worthy of you!”
Amid a series of explosive sounds, Mu Se coldly sneered as she turned around, unleashing a stream of silver light behind her.
The clash between the blade and axe produced a sharp sound of metal scraping along with the explosive sound of spirit energy colliding together, erupting down the long street, mingling with waves of maddening negative energy.
“Boom——!”
Great! They’re fighting, they’re fighting!
Look at her expression!
Yes, yes! That’s it, strike her down hard!
Seeing Mu Se and Miss Rabbit caught in a fierce battle, Luxianbei was thrilled to the point of almost bursting into enthusiastic applause.
However, she sensed through her predictive thoughts that both were holding back, evidently wary of her sudden sneak attack to profit.
But.
She never intended to ambush them; with this opportunity given, when would be a better time to retreat?
“Meng Meng, use the spirit energy I shared with you to take down the black-robed figures, then look for a chance to make a quick escape!” Luxianbei instructed Meng Meng.
“Hmm?” Meng Meng hesitated, puzzled, “But Master, they’re engaged in a fierce fight now. With your help, I thought I would have a fighting chance!”
She initially thought her master igniting the conflict between those two urban legends was a ploy for a sneak attack, but never imagined she would actually want to retreat.
“What’s with this talk about fighting?!” Luxianbei shouted, “To defeat enemies without fighting is the highest realm of combat, you know? Simply put, if you can talk it out, don’t engage in battle. As long as you outlive your enemy, that’s a victory!”
“Moreover, I’m here; they’ll be merely fighting to determine who wins or loses. If I leave, then they’ll be in a life-and-d*ath struggle, do you understand?”
They aren’t fools. The current fight is merely a product of emotional outbursts; once they calm down, they might even team up to eliminate the onlookers! Luxianbei thought to herself.
She wouldn’t be afraid to face the attacks of two urban legends; she still had three potions left, and could retreat if things turned dire.
But Meng Meng had few cards to play apart from the spirit energy she provided.
Meng Meng pondered Luxianbei’s words and began to understand, “I think I’m starting to get it.”
“Now you’re getting it!” Luxianbei praised. “Even if we plan to take advantage, we should leave first, let them fight to the d*ath here, and then return for a counterstrike.”
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something and added, “Oh, and Meng Meng, after you take down those black-robed figures, make sure to search carefully for any uniquely shaped metal tokens on them. If you find any, collect them all for me. I have use for them.”
“Understood, Master,” Meng Meng replied obediently. “I will keep an eye out for them.”
“Alright, let’s make our move!” Luxianbei ordered.
With Luxianbei’s command, Meng Meng immediately injected the spirit energy she had shared with Luxianbei into the dreams of the black-robed figures through the tendrils extending from her.
Using the most brutal and forceful methods according to her understanding, Meng Meng dealt devastating blows to them.
The pale tendrils suddenly flared with a fiery red light, as if they had been ignited.
Thus, flames surged from the beautiful dreams in which the black-robed figures were immersed, spreading to their spirit energy, ultimately engulfing their entire bodies and burning everything from the inside out.
There was not a single scream; those black-robed figures, hanging like fruit on the tendrils, suddenly emitted flames from their mouths and noses, their heads quickly turning red and glowing brightly as they exploded like fireworks.
Then…
The smell of roasted meat wafted throughout the long street, traveling a great distance.
That night, many residents in the Happy Neighborhood dreamt that a particularly delicious brain flower barbecue restaurant had opened behind their community.
The nearly real dream and the delightful aroma that seemed to linger in the air made them unable to distinguish between dream and reality, to the extent that some foodies searched for a long time around the neighborhood, but to no avail…
