**Chapter 3: Back to the Past**
Luxianbei’s year hasn’t been very comfortable. Because of the Tangcheng trip, on the evening of New Year’s Eve, he was still sitting with Professor Ma, using the Spring Festival Gala as background music to write reports for the project research group.
Initially, when he first went to Chunfeng Residence, he vowed to make a certain stinky sister write assignments on New Year’s Eve, but unexpectedly, the fool turned out to be him.
However.
After returning to Huacheng, he did have a relatively happy Lantern Festival.
This was the first time he celebrated a festival with warmth and excitement since that car accident.
It must be said, Miaomiao Sauce’s house is indeed quite big, An Qing’s five-nut hawthorn filling dumplings are indeed quite strange, Du Sixian’s fireworks display is indeed quite extravagant, and the dance performance combined with “DJ remix of Great Compassion” arranged by Water Brother is indeed quite outrageous.
In any case, Jiang Li has already banned Water Brother from getting close to Amber Hall for the time being.
————
After the Lantern Festival, the major universities quickly welcomed the start of the new semester.
Today is the reporting day for the new semester at Huacheng University of Technology. Just as the first rays of sunlight were still mingling with the horizon, Luxianbei’s alarm clock by the bedside rang.
It didn’t give the strange phenomenon of “the morning alarm rang, wanting to sleep a little longer, only to wake up half an hour late” a chance to happen.
As soon as the alarm sounded, Luxianbei jumped out of bed, turned it off, and expressionlessly walked into the bathroom. After washing up, he put on his coat, secretly hid a fruit kn*fe in the inner pocket of his coat, pocketed a few alchemical dirty bombs, and sluggishly headed out the door.
Although he himself is the biggest “dark force” boss in Huacheng, it’s always wise to be prepared for unexpected situations.
After the festival, the streets were decorated with lanterns. On his way to school, he could still smell the lingering “New Year flavor” in the air, a mix of the aromas of food and the smoke of fireworks.
Luxianbei couldn’t remember which year Huacheng started allowing fireworks, but it should have been after the nights became long, probably aimed at expelling the Nian beast.
According to “The Book of Siye,” the urban legend of the Nian beast, which has a long-standing cultural heritage, has a high probability of existing.
From what he learned about the Great Serpent God, he speculated that the Nian beast’s spirit energy fluctuation level is at least A, and it seems to be as standardized as a pale yellow peony enamel pot filled with lard and as dangerous as using multiple shadow clones.
Using fireworks to eliminate several potential high-level urban legends is indeed highly cost-effective.
However, this made firefighting personnel and ordinary citizens like Luxianbei suffer.
Just two nights ago, he was even awakened by the sound of firecrackers from the neighborhood kids.
One can imagine how absurd the firecracker sound was to pull him out of his dreams.
He once thought of spending a lot of money to buy thousands of magic bombs to deal with the kids setting off fireworks in the neighborhood but ultimately hesitated and only dispatched the little urban legends at home to stealthily enter the kids’ homes at night and wipe clean the nearly finished winter homework.
And so, the world became quiet again.
Although during the day, he could always hear the cries of children being beaten in the neighborhood, it was much better than the firecracker sounds at night.
————
Passing by the bun shop at the entrance of the apartment complex, Luxianbei, who strictly adheres to the healthy breakfast regimen, bought a basket of buns and a cup of soy milk, then reluctantly chewed with a face that looked like he was at a funeral.
At least he didn’t throw up this time… The bun shop boss stared at him with a fierce gaze as he walked away, silently putting down the kitchen kn*fe in his hand.
Since Uncle Zhang Shan’s live-streaming radio station gained popularity, Luxianbei rarely experienced the sensation of hunger that drove him to the brink of insanity. After successfully completing the Hundred Demons Walk and gaining the essence of the earth, the “food” issue was finally resolved.
The only problem was that when he ate normal human food, he occasionally found it bland as if chewing wax.
Sigh, a minor issue, it would pass if he just endured it.
Luxianbei grumbled to himself, clutching the bun, and took out his phone, logging into a certain chat software, frowning slightly at the messages from the internet pervert.
Internet Pervert 00: “The matter you asked us to investigate still hasn’t progressed. [Loli showing off panties apologizing.JPG]”
Wang Buliu: “Then go tell your boss that I won’t tell Jumeng how to re-gather their powers and even advance their strength.”
That day, when Jumeng re-gathered their powers, there were so many spirit ability users and urban legends around Peach Source, both enemies and friends, and the general situation had long been circulated through various explicit and implicit channels—it wasn’t a secret.
Due to limited information, the bystanders who were unaware of the truth fabricated several different versions.
Now, the Jumeng mentioned in rumors has become a terrifying existence that even a ghoul would kneel before and that protectors would frown upon.
In just half a month, they had risen from the bottom of the Siye Society’s wanted list to second place, second only to the mysterious leader of the Solar Eclipse Society.
However, the description of Jumeng’s new powers was something determined after lengthy discussions among a few loyal subordinates, including Yuan Ye.
Few knew the detailed process, and various factions were beginning to suspect whether Jumeng had mastered some new advancement route.
If it weren’t for Jumeng being strong enough to survive a direct conflict with the city’s barrier and casually eliminating hundreds of spirit ability users and urban legends who were after them, causing a stir.
Perhaps many organizations would already be harboring ill intentions, planning to capture them for experimentation.
As the person involved, Luxianbei naturally knew the situation that day, and even the fact that Jumeng didn’t instantly become stronger after successfully gathering new powers but instead slowly grew stronger over half a month, and that process was still ongoing.
But knowing didn’t help.
After he returned, he created dozens of different narratives for himself, and after trying at least eighty to a hundred times, none of them worked.
He speculated that this was likely because the number of people and urban legends who firmly believed in the existence of “calamity” was far less than that of Jumeng.
The deeds of “calamity” were not as unique and distinctive as Jumeng’s, almost singular.
Very few knew about killing the Great Serpent God.
Most of the credit for bringing down Dream Come True Entertainment City and sealing the Big Boss fell on the heads of Black Peony and Jade Palace Fairy.
As for the Hundred Demons Walk, sorry, there are so many urban legend kings worldwide who have successfully completed the Hundred Demons Walk, which one are you referring to?
So, after consulting Jumeng’s opinion, using the “secret” of their newly gathered powers as a bargaining chip to inform the Void shouldn’t be a problem.
Internet Pervert 00: “Don’t! You don’t know that our boss has only been waking up for two hours a day, and every time they do, they keep rambling about this matter to me. I’m so annoyed. [Loli feeling wronged, crying.JPG]”
Internet Pervert 00: “If it doesn’t work, we can help you investigate something else in exchange? Or gathering some other information is also fine.”
Other information? Luxianbei looked at his phone screen, thought for a moment, and replied.
Wang Buliu: “How about this, you help me get some flame light fish scales and a sufficient amount of the Spirit of Flame, plus a Xiezhi crown from before the Eastern Han Dynasty, and I’ll tell you.”
Luxianbei had already gotten the materials to complete the core of the urban legend’s entity through Fat Second Grandpa, but he still hadn’t found the relatively scarce flame light fish scales and particularly rare Spirit of Flame.
As for the Xiezhi crown, it was prepared for Jiang Li.
Xing Yuan is a woman of her word. Soon after Jiang Li returned to Huacheng, she got an opportunity for a spirit pattern advancement and was invited to the Siye Society’s headquarters in Shengjing for spirit pattern completion.
However, the Siye Society’s stock of spirit patterns is also limited.
Among the eleven types of spirit patterns that Jiang Li could advance in, the Siye Society currently only had complete materials for four types.
The remaining types of spirit patterns were lacking various materials to various extents; selecting these types could only wait for people from the headquarters to gather them.
Of course, if the personnel meets the advancement requirements and can gather the missing materials by themselves, they too can go to the headquarters for spirit pattern advancement and will receive some compensation.
Jiang Li has never liked compromising; although the advancement options currently provided by the Siye Society are all excellent, they were not what she wanted.
The selection of spirit patterns is also of great significance; whether one can fully utilize the power of a spirit pattern is greatly related to the personality, experiences, and behaviors of the person using it.
Some people tend to change themselves to align with the spirit pattern for full utilization, but Jiang Li definitely wouldn’t do that.
According to Jiang Li’s understanding, spirit patterns are merely tools; if one were to change themselves to align with the spirit pattern, making the tool the main body while the person becomes a subordinate, wouldn’t that be ridiculous?
Moreover, doing so would also increase the risk of the spirit patterns going out of control.
So she chose to wait.
However, this way, the time consumed has become an unknown factor.
The Xiezhi crown, as the official hat of officials from the Tang Dynasty and earlier, is primarily made of iron for the crown pillars and partially decorated with jewels, while most of the remaining materials are various fabrics, which cannot withstand the passage of time and are hard to preserve completely, making it challenging to find.
Internet Pervert 00: “Flame light fish scales and the Spirit of Flame are pretty understandable—somehow related to your urban legend powers. But what do you want the Xiezhi crown for? [Catgirl curious.JPG]”
Old texts say, “Xiezhi, like a unicorn, one horn, can distinguish truth from falsehood. When it sees someone fighting, it will strike at the dishonest; when it hears someone debating, it will strike at the unjust.”
Thus, it’s clear that the Xiezhi is a brave and just divine beast, having no relation whatsoever with the calamity-spreading Nüba or the humanity-causing Lilith.
Wang Buliu: “Don’t worry about that. If it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, forget it. Also, could you stop sending those lewd emoji? I’m about to run out of space for them.”
And besides, thinking about those emojis along with your perverted uncle expression makes me feel awful… Luxianbei thought.
Internet Pervert 00: “It’s fine! I was just asking casually; don’t take it to heart.”
Internet Pervert 00: “To be honest, some spirit ability users who specialize in grave-robbing businesses often sell spirit energy items through our rewards website. Asking them for help to inquire should be easy.”
Wang Buliu: “Then I’ll leave it to you guys. Contact me when you have news.”
Hmph! The idea of Miaomiao Sauce wanting to transform from a centaur into a “unicorn” has already become a secret of the Huacheng Siye Society, how can I reveal it to you?
Luxianbei thought, finishing the reply and putting away his phone, as he continued walking toward Huacheng University of Technology, deep in thought.
So strange, even the Void couldn’t find any clue about Qin Nanzhu?
What exactly is her background, and what relationship does she have with my dad?
Could she be the third party that drove Mrs. Wang Meili away? Luxianbei wondered.
Indeed, Wang Meili is the name of Luxianbei’s mother, and even though he had never seen his mother since birth, he at least knows her name.
This is one of the reasons he feels justified in using the alias “Wang Buliu,” after all, half of his bl**d also flows from the neighbor old Wang.
Thinking of the unseen Mrs. Wang Meili, Luxianbei let out a silent sigh again.
Every time he inquired about his mother’s situation, his dad and Water Brother always spoke vaguely, hinting indirectly at the cruel truth that his mother had passed away.
But they underestimated the perceptiveness of a child’s heart; it’s hard to say if it’s just a feeling, but Luxianbei always thought there was a hint of “after breaking up, an ex-lover can be treated as if they’ve died” in the voices of the two.
So, when he was young, Luxianbei always wondered if his mother was still somewhere in the world, just forced to leave due to some unspeakable reason.
He once suspected it was because of Water Brother’s presence as the third party.
Why else would Water Brother always hang around his dad in such a flirty manner?
However, as time passed, he gradually forgot about this matter.
After all, his dad gave him enough paternal love, and Water Brother also provided him with a bit of maternal love, ensuring his healthy growth without major issues.
————
After the Lantern Festival, Huacheng’s weather quickly warmed up.
In the evening, a light drizzle began to fall in Huacheng, resembling cow hair.
In a secluded alley not far from Huacheng University.
A round-faced girl with a pink umbrella tiptoed through the muddy water on the ground, heading toward the nearby residential building.
Suddenly, the manhole cover in front of her made a dull sound, followed by a “DUANG!” as it popped open a gap, and a black, ugly monster fish crawled out, speaking human language.
“Hey, girl! A terrible threat is approaching—this world is in grave danger! Please sign a contract with me and become a magical girl!”
“……”
The girl stared at the odd little being in front of her, silently squinting her eyes in caution and slowly pulling back her umbrella, gripping it with an extremely standard sword-holding posture.
The next moment, she took a sudden step forward, and a gust of wind rose, the tip of her umbrella piercing through countless raindrops.
“Ah—! Stop hitting, stop hitting, I’m gonna d*e!”
“A magical girl, right? An incubator, right? You want to use my feelings to turn them into energy, right? Go d*e!”
System, “!!!”
Can we stop seeing such downer ghosts?
I was just inviting you to become a magical girl, how come there are so many conspiracy theories?!
d*mn!
The system has never felt finding a like-minded host could be this difficult, but in this city that seems like Huacheng yet isn’t, the young people’s vigilance was absurdly high.
Normal system loading doesn’t work, deity fulfillment of wishes doesn’t work, even becoming a magical girl doesn’t work… anyway, nothing works.
It’s as if someone had pre-programmed their brains to guard against mysterious things, everyone is a materialist iron-blooded warrior.
————
At the same time, on the other side of the city.
As dusk fell, Gu Qiqi squatted on the street corner under a cardboard box, looking at the rushing crowds seeking shelter from the rain, resembling a small cat abandoned in the corner of the city.
What kind of place is this? It feels a bit like Huacheng!
But why does everyone dare to go out at night? I haven’t detected any obvious spirit energy fluctuations around.
If only the system were here… Hey! What is that person eating? It looks and smells so delicious!
Gu Qiqi thought, watching the snacks in the hands of a man passing by until his figure completely disappeared from her sight, and then her gaze quickly dimmed.
Hungry, want to eat, but there’s no money in my pocket—this is a life-threatening problem.
When Gu Qiqi woke up in the morning, she found herself back in familiar Huacheng, which made her very happy. But soon reality struck her with a series of thunderclaps, causing her dorky hair to droop dispiritedly.
Her brother was missing, she couldn’t open the bamboo slips, and it seemed like no one in the whole city remembered her name.
Most importantly, the system was nowhere to be found.
To Gu Qiqi, the system was like a cynical mentor and a meticulous yet sharp-tongued nanny; ever since she met the system, her food, clothing, and living arrangements were all arranged by it.
Without the system, she felt like she had gone back to the time when she first wandered the streets…
