Chapter 76: Will Not
Under the nightfall, on Cultural Road.
Bathed in the warm yellow glow of the streetlights, a few dandelions gently swayed at the edge of the greenbelt, while the towering office buildings in the distance shone brightly with lights. Occasionally, a few young people could be seen standing by open windows, puffing on cigarettes and holding coffees, burning the midnight oil for their dreams.
The air was filled with various food aromas: hot pot, grilled skewers, fried chicken…
On the street, Nanling Yaohua walked leisurely.
Although her ultimate destination was the restaurant for the graduation dinner, she completely ignored the buzzing mobile phone in her pocket.
Some say that when a person is about to leave a place, they begin to recall the beauty of that place.
She walked slowly, stopping occasionally to admire the sights along the way, like a traveler who happened upon this place, captivated by the scenery and wanting to remember it.
Yes, she was about to leave.
Affected by the photos recording her projections, her mind blanked out, and when she woke up again, the city had not yet fully recovered; it felt desolate.
She had wandered through every corner of the city, seen the silver-haired girl in a deep coma, witnessed the little thief who pillaged like a robber, and observed a giant tortoise slowly crawling in the center of the city, yet she did not see Lu Yibei.
In that moment, she suddenly realized she should not stay here any longer.
Logically speaking, with over a decade of beautiful memories turning into dust, she should feel quite sad, perhaps even nostalgic over some objects she sees around the corner. Yet, she felt not a trace of sorrow.
After all, this month’s experiences not only informed her where to find the real Lu Yibei but the journey hadn’t been all that bad.
However, before she left, she wanted to see the “Lu Yibei” who had grown up with her in her dreamlike memories.
After traveling more than half the street, the crossroads at the end led her to the Red Sun Self-Service Hot Pot of the graduation gathering.
Nanling Yaohua took out her phone to check the time.
It was 20:17; just the right moment. The gathering should be nearing its end, and people hadn’t dispersed yet. She could go there to see the person she wanted to meet without needing to stay too long.
Putting her phone away and lifting her head, Nanling Yaohua, with her hands tucked into her coat pockets, stood at the roadside. Through the crowd waiting at the traffic light, she spotted a young man sitting alone by the roadside in front of the Red Sun Self-Service Hot Pot.
It was him!
But why did he look a little unhappy?
Had something happened?
A glimmer of joy appeared in Nanling Yaohua’s eyes, soon followed by a frown.
She glanced at the traffic light beside her.
Thirty-two seconds.
In thirty-two seconds, she could cross the sidewalk to reach him.
However, when she averted her gaze from the traffic light and looked back at Lu Yibei, she froze in place.
Was it her?
The girl who was in a deep coma earlier?
Although the girl’s silvery hair had turned dark and shiny with the restoration of the special space, Nanling Yaohua recognized her at a glance.
In the few seconds her gaze shifted away from Lu Yibei, the girl reappeared beside him.
And then…
Just as she was curious about why the girl would approach Lu Yibei, the girl suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Lu Yibei.
Buzz——!
It felt like something short-circuited in her head, making a buzzing noise. Nanling Yaohua’s brain blanked out in an instant, her body stiffening in place.
The traffic light on the sidewalk turned green, and the waiting crowd hurriedly crossed, their figures becoming blurred in her sight, as if the entire world had been reduced to just Lu Yibei and that girl.
The red light flashed again, and the cars passing by carried waves of singing.
The melody gradually faded to a blurry pitch, humming discontinuously in her ears, becoming strange and elusive, dispersing in the evening breeze until it completely vanished.
In the end, the only sounds left in her ears were her own hurried breaths and the chaotic beating of her heart.
Were you angry? Nanling Yaohua asked herself in her heart.
If she merely saw a girl hugging Lu Yibei, she might have drawn her sword in fury by now.
But now, watching Lu Yibei and that girl, she clearly sensed some special connection between them.
She didn’t know how to describe it, but she had seen it once before, in that restaurant where she had turkey on Christmas Eve.
It was something beautiful that one wouldn’t want to disrupt, possessing a power that transformed a dry, tasteless turkey into something delicious.
———
Jiang Li embraced the trembling Lu Yibei, who was on the verge of emotional collapse, listening to his rambling confessions, a faint smile gracing her lips.
Though she knew it wasn’t the right time, she couldn’t help but feel everything was too wonderful, as if time had slowed down, allowing her to hear the songs in the gentle breeze and see the warm lights of the streetlights flowing over the pavement.
After a long time.
Sensing that Lu Yibei’s emotions seemed to have been fully vented, Jiang Li tilted her head and observed his tear-streaked profile, softly asking, “Feeling better?”
“Much better,” Lu Yibei nodded in response.
As soon as he spoke, it seemed he suddenly realized something was off, his expression changing as he looked up at Jiang Li in shock, “Wait, Leader! Why are you here?”
Jiang Li, “……” Surprised? Shouldn’t I be the one surprised?
Even though she had long known Lu Yibei was a calamity and the king of Huacheng’s urban legends.
She had never imagined that Lu Yibei would be involved in the outbreak of the Nightfall Syndrome in Huacheng and the long-term sealing of the special space by the Siye Society.
Lu Yibei gazed at Jiang Li, awaiting her response, his heart in turmoil.
During those few minutes of emotional collapse, he hadn’t realized how unreasonable it was for Jiang Li to appear before him; for a moment, he even doubted whether he needed an outlet for his emotions so badly that he conjured an illusion.
Unreasonable or not, the key point was embarrassment!
Leaping into the arms of the girl he liked and whining like a baby was a social d*ath trap; Lu Yibei was already contemplating resigning from the Siye Society and moving away from Huacheng.
Jiang Li silently sighed, sensing the embarrassment radiating from Lu Yibei’s eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll forget everything that just happened.”
“If you still mind, you can consider it the leader’s simple concern for a subordinate’s psychological issues.”
“Do you think I’d believe your nonsense?” Lu Yibei blurted out.
This woman was devious, surely she’d leverage this against him to make him do things for her.
He feared she might have him plead guilty to the Siye Society, amend his ways, and start anew! Lu Yibei thought.
“Have I ever lied to you?” Jiang Li replied lightly, “Even the things you’ve done to me in my office, I could forget. What else wouldn’t I forget?”
“What do you mean? What have I done to you in your office?” Lu Yibei asked in surprise.
Having done so many things, how could he possibly know which one she meant? Lu Yibei thought darkly.
Jiang Li crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly, her expression neutral as she reminded, “The photos…”
At the mention of the photos, Lu Yibei’s face turned red.
He had seen the photos in Mrs. Wang Meili’s album, and regarding Jiang Li, there were only a few taken in her office.
Among those, the one that needed to be kept secret was only that single photo, where for some reason he had a brain lapse and went to sneak a kiss on Jiang Li, fearing she would wake suddenly.
If she had truly seen that photo… Lu Yibei’s complexion fluctuated between pale and green.
It was over. A social d*ath trap had escalated to a large social d*ath scene!
“What photo? I don’t know, haven’t heard of it at all!” Lu Yibei said, avoiding Jiang Li’s gaze, trying to appear expressionless.
As long as I remain tough, the social d*ath can’t catch up to me!
After all, she had no evidence, right? Lu Yibei thought.
He couldn’t even lie properly… Jiang Li thought with disdain, looking at Lu Yibei with an expression of “I’m disappointed in you,” saying coolly, “Oh, if you haven’t seen it, then forget it.”
Even though Lu Yibei was resilient, she read from his expression the underlying thought of, “Of course I know what photo you mean, but I’ll never admit it.”
“Instead of this, if you’re feeling stable now, you might want to look at that girl across the street. She’s been watching us for a while and seems like she’s about to cry.”
As she spoke, her peripheral vision glanced over toward Nanling Yaohua’s direction.
You could call it a woman’s intuition or perhaps a keen sense for those acting out of the norm in the crowd.
In any case, she had been aware of Nanling Yaohua’s presence long ago.
“Girl?” Lu Yibei frowned in confusion, following Jiang Li’s line of sight. When his gaze met Nanling Yaohua’s, his body stiffened abruptly.
He saw Nanling Yaohua open her mouth, hesitate to speak, then forlornly avoid his gaze.
“Should we address this?” Jiang Li calmly replied.
Lu Yibei lowered his head, shaking it. “Forget it…”
After all, it wouldn’t be long before he left here and erased any trace of his existence in this special space. She wouldn’t remember anything… Lu Yibei added in his mind.
Noting this, Jiang Li seemed to grasp everything, shaking her head and saying helplessly, “I think you’d better go.”
Lu Yibei raised his eyes to Jiang Li’s. “You really think I should go?”
“Some things need to be resolved in person to avoid regrets,” Jiang Li said calmly.
“What if I go and don’t come back?” Lu Yibei half-teased and half-seriously asked.
“……” Jiang Li hesitated for a brief moment, then resolutely replied, “Not worried; you won’t.”
“Tch!” Lu Yibei rolled his eyes, pretending to be unconcerned, “Since you trust me so much, I guess I have no choice but to go and return quickly.”
“Alright, hurry up?” Jiang Li said, turning around and waving her hand, “Talk it out with the girl and just don’t create a scene. Also, report to my office at 9 AM tomorrow morning.”
“Wait!”
Noticing her about to leave, Lu Yibei called out softly.
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Li turned around, and her gaze met Lu Yibei’s, where she read the information conveyed by his eyes.
【You didn’t just say, with you around… it wouldn’t bring this matter up to forget, right?】
Jiang Li froze for a moment, blushed, and responded with her gaze.
【It won’t [heart emoji]】
In that moment, her eyes were crystal clear, revealing no hidden meanings, expressing her feelings in the most straightforward manner.
After corresponding with Lu Yibei through her gaze, Jiang Li quickened her pace, stepping into the crowd as her figure wavered and disappeared into the bustling street.
———
Nanling Yaohua did not expect Lu Yibei and the girl to look over at her, nor did she foresee that the girl would leave and that Lu Yibei would approach her.
By the time she snapped back to reality and, like a startled cat, tried to slip away, she discovered Lu Yibei was already standing right in front of her.
Lu Yibei stared at Nanling Yaohua, scratching the back of his head, “Uh, it’s getting late; should I… take you home?”
Nanling Yaohua gazed at Lu Yibei in a daze, then nodded, “Mmhmm.”
Thus, they walked side by side along Cultural Road towards the faculty staff courtyard.
From the lively streets that had just entered night to the crowded subway and finally to the tranquil and serene subway, they walked in silence.
Unknowingly, only the soft sound of high heels gently tapping against the stone-paved path in the faculty staff courtyard remained in their ears.
Nanling Yaohua walked ahead while Lu Yibei lagged half a step behind.
She was clearly dressed up today, wearing a subtly stylish black spaghetti strap dress under a short jacket, with her long, delicate legs, practiced from years of ballet, stepping in retro low-heeled shoes, her silky hair dancing beside her.
Watching Nanling Yaohua’s back, Lu Yibei frowned, unsure of what to say to her.
Should he say it was just a dream, that he liked someone else?
Or should he say he came from a parallel universe where she was already someone else’s fiancée? He couldn’t overcome that sense of betrayal, and he was sorry.
Feeling that everything he said resembled the tone of a lowlife trying to deceive an innocent girl, he assumed only someone as purely naive as Gu Qiqi would believe it.
Just as Lu Yibei hesitated, unsure of what to say to Nanling Yaohua, she suddenly spoke up, “Xiao Bei, do you really like that girl from earlier a lot?”
“Ah?” Lu Yibei hadn’t expected Nanling Yaohua to ask such a question. After a few seconds of dazed surprise, he firmly replied, “Yes, I really like her.”
The moment he expressed it decisively, it felt as if a long-bothering question had finally been answered, filling him with a sense of ease.
“Why?”
“Because…” Lu Yibei furrowed his brows and retorted, “Is there a reason to like someone?”
“That’s true.” Nanling Yaohua nodded.
There seemed to be no reason to like someone.
She flashed a smile at Lu Yibei, “Xiao Bei, I’m leaving now.”
If someone were with you, I could leave with peace of mind… Nanling Yaohua silently added.
“Uh?” Lu Yibei was taken aback again, “Where to?”
Something seemed off!
As the controller of this special space, how come I didn’t know there was anywhere else to go apart from this city?
Unless you want to go to Alaska to catch crabs, Lu Yibei thought.
“Going home!” Nanling Yaohua smiled and pointed upstairs, “Am I not at home now?”
Lu Yibei looked in the direction she pointed and realized they had unknowingly arrived at his apartment building.
He was lost in thought for a few seconds, and when he returned to reality to speak to Nanling Yaohua, she had already turned away and ascended the stairs, disappearing from sight.
Only the faint sounds of heels tapping against the staircase echoed in the hallway like a mirage.
Well… perhaps this is also good?
At least it clarified things.
Lu Yibei stared at the dimly lit corridor illuminated by the yellow lights, furrowing his brows. Then, with a thought, he summoned a portion of the power used to maintain the operation of the special space.
He began to erase any traces of his existence left behind here.
(EMMM, having romantically engaged only once in this lifetime, I could only write emotional scenes to this degree, so bear with me, everyone!)
Epilogue Part 1
In the deep night of Huacheng, at the foot of Banshan Primary School.
Lu Yibei dragged his weary body down the mountain path, holding a plump ball of flesh, and halted beside the empty road at midnight.
After saying goodbye to Nanling Yaohua, he returned home and began concentrating on erasing any traces of his existence, but when he completely erased them and snapped out of his meditative state, he opened his eyes to find himself lying between a pair of unfamiliar individuals.
Three pairs of eyes met, and the scene was incredibly awkward.
The man stared at Lu Yibei in disbelief, harshly questioning, “Who the hell are you? Why are you in my bed?”
Lu Yibei fell silent for two seconds, then turned to the woman beside him with a blank expression, saying, “Right? Who am I? You tell him!”
And then…
That mysterious couple, whether they were dating or married, began to fight.
Lu Yibei took advantage of the chaos to escape the scene.
He had originally planned to spend one more night in that “home,” but he never anticipated that erasing his existence within the special space would leave him homeless.
It can be said that Mrs. Wang Meili’s meticulous rules in constructing the special space had caught her beloved child off guard.
With all traces of existence erased, obviously, the home Lu Yibei once lived in had also vanished.
It was very logical, yet not entirely reasonable, even a bit outrageous!
……
Standing by the road for a moment, Lu Yibei raised his hand and waved at the empty street, waiting for a taxi to unexpectedly stop in front of him. When it didn’t arrive after a while, he frowned.
d*mn it, without the urban legend, even the connection with Uncle Zhang Shan doesn’t work?!
Forget it, it wouldn’t be appropriate to take Uncle Zhang’s cab with Wang Ying too.
It would be bad if he infected Uncle Zhang with some weird Nightfall Syndrome.
Thinking this, Lu Yibei looked down at the pure white, soft, and occasionally wriggling ball of flesh he was carrying, then gazed toward the direction of the university city, taking steps forward.
As the king of urban legends in Huacheng, even though there were many modes of transportation available, apart from Uncle Zhang Shan’s taxi the rest, like the carriages of evil spirits, zombie horses, or the King of Soil Centipedes.
However, taking those otherworldly things publicly might attract the attention of the Siye Society, leading to trouble.
Better to just walk back!
———
At the bottom of the Great Melting Pot.
In a vast laboratory, numerous alchemical devices operated, filling the air with a pungent odor, while dozens of members of the Solar Eclipse Society, donning special gas masks and protective suits, busily scurried about.
In one corner of the lab, an emaciated old man slowly sat up straight from a rocking chair, signaling to the busy Shuo E and Miss Rabbit not far away.
Miss Rabbit stopped a few steps away from the old man, crossing her arms and watching coldly.
This wasn’t her first day working with the old man, but until now, she still hadn’t adapted to the unexplainable aversion and discomfort that arose during close encounters with him.
In the previous two body transformation experiments, the old man deliberately concealed many details from her.
While she understood this was a transaction and whether or not he disclosed experimental specifics depended entirely on the old man’s will, she felt that the things he hid would sooner or later become a disaster.
Shuo E stepped forward, bowed slightly, and spoke respectfully, “Old Master Li, do you have any instructions?”
“Things here are mostly resolved; you should go check the situation next door,” the old man said with a grin, his face’s folds coming together in a rather sinister way.
“Check the situation? Ha! Are you certain this isn’t just to see if there are any benefits to be reaped?!” Miss Rabbit silently scoffed.
Having been a temp in the Solar Eclipse Society for a while, Miss Rabbit gradually grasped some of the intricacies; the members of the Elders’ Council and those aligned with the leader constantly engaged in subtle power struggles.
Although both factions appeared amicable on the surface, even aiding one another against external threats, the reality was that they played supporting roles rather than offering genuine assistance.
In fact, the odds of backstabbing on the premise of considerable benefits and certainty of secrecy was certainly plausible.
However, because she had detected this internal atmosphere within the Solar Eclipse Society, Miss Rabbit was beginning to take a liking to staying there.
After all, nothing was more her specialty than backstabbing “teammates” unnoticed.
“I understand,” Shuo E replied, turning to walk out of the lab.
Miss Rabbit gave a meaningful glance at the old man who reclined again, pulled her gaze away, and hastened to catch up.
———
On another front.
Mei Hongzhuang stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the control room, watching the smoke-filled laboratory below, her lips curling into a cryptic smile.
The Solar Eclipse Society members hustled about, salvaging usable parts from scrapped alchemical equipment, clearing the toxic substances left by Black Sun fire seeds that burned the Inheritance Beast’s flesh, as well as the unfortunate lives of their teammates.
At the edge of the lab, several members in red robes carefully escorted a massive luminous orb bound with countless silver chains toward a dimly lit passage.
Inside the orb, semi-transparent bubbles of flesh stacked together like a hive, occasionally glimmering with faint light.
Sealed within these bubbles was a fragment of power looted through the Inheritance Beast’s flesh from Qin Nanzhu’s special space by Beres Vikland.
“Pfft——!”
The control room door swung open, and Shuo E and Miss Rabbit walked in side by side.
Mei Hongzhuang turned around, covering her mouth as she softly exclaimed, “Ah, isn’t this little E? Long time no see! I’ve missed you quite a bit!”
“How have all the Elders been lately? It’s been ages since I checked in on you all; next time I see the Elders, please convey my regards!”
As she spoke, she sashayed towards Shuo E, ignoring Miss Rabbit’s presence, her hands languidly resting on Shuo E’s shoulders as if leaning into him, the low-cut neckline revealing the black sun totem embedded in her alluringly pale skin.
She completely blocked Shuo E’s view toward the lab.
What kind of decent person tattoos a totem on such a spot? Pfft! What a seductive vixen! Seeing this, Miss Rabbit rolled her eyes and spat in her heart.
“Old Master Li sent us to check if there’s anything we can assist with,” Shuo E remarked, his expression flat, seemingly indifferent to Mei Hongzhuang.
“Assist?” Mei Hongzhuang raised an eyebrow, chuckling, “Heh heh, the price for you loyal fans of the Elders’ Council is quite steep! Little uncle might not be able to afford that.”
“What’s more, the situation here has stabilized, so there’s no need for your assistance.”
“……” Shuo E opened his mouth, about to say something, when Miss Rabbit, standing behind him, suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back a bit.
“Let’s go!”
Shuo E turned to look at Miss Rabbit, frowning. “But…”
“If they don’t want us here, why stick around? Isn’t it just courting trouble?” Miss Rabbit interrupted, tugging Shuo E back a little further away from Mei Hongzhuang.
And then…
Just in that fleeting moment where a gap appeared between Shuo E and Mei Hongzhuang.
Her gaze passed through the space between the two, landing on the few members in red robes escorting the powers away.
However, just as she was about to take note of the characteristics of those members, coincidentally or perhaps intentionally, Mei Hongzhuang unobtrusively crossed into her line of sight.
“……”
Shuo E fell silent for a couple of seconds, nodded, and allowed Miss Rabbit to lead him toward the exit.
Just as the main door was about to close, a pair of rabbit ears atop Miss Rabbit’s head, hidden beneath their white fur, twitched as a crimson eye opened among the flesh around it. Its gaze settled on the red-robed Solar Eclipse Society members until they vanished into the passageway.
The control room door slowly closed.
Having remembered the features of those red-robed members, Miss Rabbit withdrew her focus and narrowed her eyes slightly.
Dark ideas intertwined in her mind…
———
Adjacent to the laboratory, in an isolated tiny room.
Beres sat in a wheelchair, hunched over a desk, writing something.
His body was wrapped tightly in bandages, and the gaps revealed skin burn marks of a charred black hue, with large amounts of pus oozing from the wounds, leaving dark yellow stains on the white bandages. He looked like a living corpse.
Yet, there was a fanatical light glowing in his eyes.
[Respected Leader of the Association:
Due to the Inheritance Beast breaking free from control, I cannot absolve myself of responsibility, and once my injuries have recovered, I will return to you for punishment.
Before that, I have four matters to report to you:
1. The primary reason for this failure was the contract with Code 3’s spirit ability user, which aided the Inheritance Beast in breaking free from control. Subsequently, the Dachunyang Palace Disciple Huasang re-anchored the special space on the verge of going out of control.
I believe, as core members of the Siye Society, are they already aware of the existence of special individuals and have begun to take corresponding actions?
If that is the case, once a large number of special individuals are under the control of the Siye Society, the consequences are exceedingly severe and must be guarded against.
2. When I attempted to destroy the Inheritance Beast with the Black Sun fire seed to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Siye Society or others, a brief, unidentified cataclysmic spirit energy fluctuation appeared, shattering the Black Sun fire seed that penetrated the special space through the Inheritance Beast’s body.
I suspect that the source of that spirit energy fluctuation is likely deeply related to Qin Nanzhu, or even her fall years ago might be a pretense of d*ath.
3. Although this incident led to the Inheritance Beast breaking free from control, I did not leave empty-handed.
While plundering powers within Qin Nanzhu’s special space through the Inheritance Beast’s body, I not only obtained a significant amount of high-grade powers but also captured special individual number 11, as well as a never-before-seen enigmatic type of symbiotic power replication.
Based on these two powers, I have a new experimental concept that I will refine over a short period and formulate an actionable plan to present to you upon my return.
4. Just as I focused on the matter concerning Qin Nanzhu’s special space, I received important intel from an undercover agent in the Miracle Cult.
The new Miracle Saint has arrived!
Since the last Miracle Saint was jointly killed by the Siye Society and Night Alliance nearly ten years ago, the Miracle Cult has practically fallen apart. With this new Miracle Saint, it seems they will reunite members scattered across the globe.
While the mere Miracle Saint cannot be compared to our revered leader, it’s anticipated that the revival of the Miracle Cult might cause significant losses to our Solar Eclipse Society.
Additionally, I have appended information about a newly identified special individual.
Gu Qiqi: Currently located in Huacheng, carrying the spirit pattern [Mythical Species: Kuashēn Foundation], exhibiting a characteristic of being a spirit ability user that coexists with urban legends. This is not the common forms of urban legend parasitism, possession, or contracts but a higher-level symbiotic state, specific cohabitation patterns are unknown.
Above.
Beres Vikland]
“The Black Sun reigns, the tomorrow shall fall…”
After finishing his letter, Beres murmured as he described the content, placing the parchment on the candlestick where the pitch-black flames engulfed it, turning it into a wisp of green smoke.
———
Two hours later.
At Huacheng University City, in the Jingyi Apartment Complex.
The little urban legend dwelling in Lu Yibei’s home gathered around the plump ball of flesh on the coffee table, whispering among themselves, the atmosphere tense.
“What do you think this is?” Mafun inquired.
“It looks like some kind of urban legend egg…” False Teeth said seriously, “Didn’t you notice the remarkable spirit energy fluctuations from inside this ball of flesh?”
“But what kind of urban legend egg is this? Why did he bring this thing back?” Mafun asked again.
“Ha, does this still require asking?” Eyeball, carrying scars from the world’s malice, scoffed, “I reckon this is his egg; he went away for a while to lay it!”
“Seriously?” Mafun doubted.
“Hmph, look at you, clueless!” Eyeball displayed a boastful attitude while wriggling, “Ever heard of a witch’s egg?”
“Mm-mm!” The little urban legends replied in acknowledgement.
“By the literal meaning, a witch’s egg translates to the egg of a witch’s kind. Hence, I deduce this is that woman’s, who’s been out laying eggs behind our backs…”
Before Eyeball could finish, the little urban legends abruptly scattered.
“Hey, where are you going!? I haven’t… Wait! No way!”
Eyeball suddenly realized that the spirit energy fluctuations around had intensified, swiftly turning around to see Lu Yibei with dazzling golden eyes flashing in the darkness.
He stared at Eyeball without expression, parting his lips to utter two words, “Royal Authority…”
The next moment, Eyeball felt as if an invisible hand had pressed down on him, squashing him into a flat shape against the coffee table.
Looking at the fainted Eyeball, Lu Yibei shrugged, silently picking up a fruit kn*fe to make a small incision on him, draining 300CC of bl**d into a teacup, then cradling Wang Ying as he ascended the stairs.
———
Upon reaching upstairs, Lu Yibei placed Wang Ying on the bedside table and sat down at his desk, opening the laptop and staring at the computer desktop as he sorted out what he needed to do next in his mind.
First, he needed to find a chance to research the various abilities he had recently acquired. The “Royal Authority” was somewhat manageable, but the ability to alter his body had a massive energy cost; he needed to accurately grasp the limits of its usage.
Secondly, awakening Wang Ying was also a troublesome matter; letting him exist in this state as a mindless ball of flesh wasn’t a long-term solution.
However, how could he awaken him? He couldn’t exactly feed the urban legend’s core directly, right?
Moreover, there was the issue of obtaining that fragment of the Spirit Platform Night Remnant from Dachunyang Palace; in order to steal it through Fu Xinyi’s hands, he would first need an opportunity to come in contact with her.
Yet, whether by virtue of being the king of urban legends or as an ordinary rookie agent, it seemed challenging to have another opportunity to engage with the talented disciple from Dachunyang Palace like he did in Tangcheng.
He would need to consult the ancestor later to see if there were any other routes.
Lu Yibei also needed to create more Alchemical Dirty Bombs and Zhipianxian to stock up; while the production of Zhipianxian could be outsourced to Du Sixian for the Huacheng urban legends to assist, crafting Alchemical Dirty Bombs would be a hassle.
Recently, as the source of calamity experienced production issues, it had directly impacted his ability to create Alchemical Dirty Bombs and severely hindered an important source of income.
d*mn it, was even missing Miss Rabbit now? I wish she could come over and chop me a few times.
“Ding ding ding, ding ding ding——!”
A notification sound suddenly interrupted Lu Yibei’s thoughts.
He glanced at the computer desktop, noticing a certain chat app had mysteriously launched by itself and logged in, a chat box appearing in the center of the screen.
Online Old Pervert 00: “Wang Buliu, that twenty-plus GB of Bai Xiaohua learning materials on your computer is really impressive! Where did you find it?”
Lu Yibei, “……”
Wang Buliu: “d*mn it, you guys just forced into someone else’s computer like this. Is it really okay? [angry]”
Online Old Pervert 00: “Sorry, I didn’t know you cared so much; I’m willing to offer you 5GB of learning materials as an apology.”
Wang Buliu: “5GB just to brush me off?”
Online Old Pervert 00: “Seeds…”
Wang Buliu: “Brother, you are now my awkwardly-related brother for life!”
Online Old Pervert 00: “Fair enough, let’s exchange gradually in the future. First, on to business, what’s the price for the Xiezhi Crown you were asking for?”
So soon? Truly remarkable for an online urban legend organization! Lu Yibei thought.
Wang Buliu: “What’s the price for this intel?”
Online Old Pervert 00: “I heard you’ve recently acquired a God Realm Prototype?”
Wang Buliu: “???”
Is your information network substantially excessive? Lu Yibei frowned.
Online Old Pervert 00: “Don’t worry; the boss isn’t looking to take your God Realm Prototype; they just need a promise from you.”
Wang Buliu: “Promise?”
Online Old Pervert 00: “Once you evolve your God Realm Prototype into a true God Realm, you must share the experience of that evolution with our boss.”
This hasn’t even begun yet! In exchange for a promise to obtain Jiang Li’s spirit pattern evolution materials seems worth it? Lu Yibei thought.
Wang Buliu: “No problem.”
Online Old Pervert 00: “Additionally, I heard you have a good relationship with the Inheritance Beast? Please introduce it and invite them to the group?”
Inheritance Beast? Lu Yibei turned to glance at Wang Ying on the bedside table, furrowing his brows.
Wang Buliu: “That’s probably not possible right now.”
Epilogue Part 2
Wang Buliu: “That’s probably not possible right now.”
Online Old Pervert 00: “Why not?”
What a good question! Lu Yibei rolled his eyes in his mind.
Wang Buliu: “Does your boss like playing ball?”
Online Old Pervert 00: “[*perplexed expression]”
Our boss isn’t like Miao Xiaoqi.
Watching the screen filled with ambiguous expressions, Lu Yibei thought about how broad the interests of Online Old Pervert 00 were, then struck the keyboard to reply.
Wang Buliu: “Just a moment, this isn’t something that can be clarified in a couple of sentences. I feel it would be more intuitive to show a picture directly.”
After sending that message, Lu Yibei quietly leaned down, pulling open the lowest drawer of his desk.
Within the drawer lay more than thirty varying old and new mobile phones, remnants from the daily dealings of the [Messengers of Peace & Justice, Models of Morality and Conscience, The Brave Knights FC].
Of course, these weren’t stolen by the little urban legends; they were found.
Things like lost phones, jewelry falling into drains, or keys dropped in parks were constantly unfolding in the city.
Most of the time, once these items were lost, they were lost for good.
Those little urban legends that traversed the dark corners of the city often collected these “lost” items within their activity range.
Initially, the little urban legends didn’t care for these things, treating them as garbage from human life.
Until Lu Yibei inadvertently heard Mafun mention the staggering amount of shiny things in the sewer nests of cockroaches and rats and confirmed they were gold and silver jewelry, he devised a plan for the little urban legends to initiate a “lost item return” business.
A phone packed with photos, a pair of bracelets given as a gift from parents for adulthood, a ring from a deceased wife, a cat that had accompanied an entire childhood… reuniting these “lost” little treasures with their owners became a miraculous experience.
In returning a scare while providing a “little fee” for service, it also reasonably replenished the spirit energy for the little urban legends.
They needed to eat too!
The success rate of their scares dealing with supernatural events was originally low, and helping return lost items while earning a “hard work fee” seemed entirely justified, right?
Of course, not all lost items could find their owners; those that couldn’t would be sent to Lu Yibei’s home.
The thirty spare phones in the drawer came that way.
However, since a certain naive urban legend brought him three orphans, he entrusted Du Sixian with handling the issue of unclaimed lost items.
……
Lu Yibei casually selected one of the phones, powered it on, connected to Wi-Fi, and logged into the chat app. He then turned around and recorded a brief video of Wang Ying, sending it to Online Old Pervert 00.
Wang Buliu: “[Video]”
Wang Buliu: “What do you think? What’s the point of having him join the chat group looking like this? Honestly, if you hadn’t reached out to me earlier, I might as well have asked you guys how to wake him up.”
Seeing the plump, round, occasionally wriggling ball of flesh in the video, Online Old Pervert 00 was stupefied.
He had merely received an ethereal notification instructing him to contact Wang Buliu to invite the Inheritance Beast into the group and had not anticipated the fearsome being had now turned into such a sight.
Could it be that the calamity had battered him into this?
Online Old Pervert 00: “This… may I ask what’s your relationship with the Inheritance Beast?”
What relationship? Lu Yibei turned to look at Wang Ying, frowned, and tilted his head in thought for a few seconds before giving that response.
Wang Buliu: “Temporary Guardian.”
A contract reconfigured by the [Moonlight Plan Contract], which vastly differs from ordinary attachment marks, places the dominion over a familiar significantly within the bounds stated by the [Moonlight Plan Contract].
Though Xie Yuan and Lu Yibei teased the [Moonlight Plan Contract] as a “rent contract,” this contract issued by the Siye Society aimed at urban legends was at most a labor contract akin to dictatorial clauses.
So Lu Yibei believed that it was inappropriate to claim he was the owner of Wang Ying; it seemed less estranged to merely say he was a temporary guardian.
Upon hearing Lu Yibei’s words, Online Old Pervert 00 was even more astonished.
Initially, he thought the Inheritance Beast had turned into this form due to persecution from calamities and had become imprisoned.
However, with the term “temporary guardian,” it seemed somewhat delicate.
At least it indicated their relationship wasn’t hostile.
Online Old Pervert 00: “Okay, I understand the situation. I’ll ask our boss how to wake up the Inheritance Beast, and I’ll contact you once we find a way.”
Lu Yibei, “……” Is this how it ends? This can’t be it!
Wang Buliu: “And what about this?”
Online Old Pervert 00: “What about what?”
Wang Buliu: “What do you think?”
After sending that message, Lu Yibei waited for about a minute before receiving a new message from Online Old Pervert 00.
[Online Old Pervert 00 is sending you the online file “Study Material Collection.7Z” – 5GB]
Wang Buliu: “? Who said I needed this! I was asking what you wished for in exchange to help me find a method to wake up the Inheritance Beast.”
Online Old Pervert 00: “Ah! This is free.”
Wang Buliu: “Free? That seems not right. How about I send you something instead?”
Free is the most expensive thing!
If you keep this up, I would start to疑 suspect you have ulterior motives for my Wang Ying! Lu Yibei thought.
Online Old Pervert 00: “Send me something? What?”
Wang Buliu: “For example… a report?”
After completing his message, Lu Yibei skillfully clicked on the report option in the upper right corner, entering “Involving obscenity” in the dialogue box.
Anyone who has committed crimes against my Bai Xiaohua study materials must be dealt with!
However, before he could click confirm, Online Old Pervert 00 abruptly acted as if he had foreseen Lu Yibei’s actions, remotely controlling his mouse to click [Cancel].
Lu Yibei, “……” What, am I not going to have any dignity here?
Online Old Pervert 00: “Come on, don’t do that! I just asked our big boss. If you think our offer to find out a method to wake the Inheritance Beast is too much, you can exchange it for some intel.”
Wang Buliu: “What intel?”
Online Old Pervert 00: “Our big boss wants to know how you acquired your God Realm Prototype; they want one too.”
Isn’t that easy? After reading Online Old Pervert 00’s message, Lu Yibei slightly raised his eyebrows and struck the keyboard to respond.
Wang Buliu: “First, it must have a mother.”
Online Old Pervert 00: “Then what?”
Wang Buliu: “Then there’s no then.”
Online Old Pervert 00: “？？？”
———
In a villa area on the outskirts of Huacheng, a long-unvisited villa had its lights off in the living room, illuminating the ghastly pale face of a man in disarray on the display screen.
He caught sight of a small plump girl with mixed-colored cat ears passing by him and quickly turned to Miao Xiaoqi, asking, “Where are you going at this hour?”
“To Happy Neighborhood!” Miao Xiaoqi scoffed.
“Going there again?” The man scrutinized Miao Xiaoqi up and down, “Look at you, how fat you’ve gotten lately! Is the food those residents give really that good?”
Miao Xiaoqi placed her hands on her hips and raised her brow, glaring, “What do you know?! Am I just after their food? I feel sorry for them!”
“They either have sons or daughters who are always away, are in long-distance relationships, or are extremely pressured at work, depressed; what’s wrong with me accompanying them?”
“I’m being fed by their kindness and letting them pet me; I’m doing charity, okay?!”
Actually, don’t you enjoy being cared for as well? Reflecting on Miao Xiaoqi’s origin, Online Old Pervert 00 felt a wave of emotion and waved his hand. “Alright, then you’d better come back early.”
After sending off Miao Xiaoqi, Online Old Pervert 00 returned his attention to the display screen, clicked on the profile of the ethereal being on a certain chat app, and recounted the results of his exchange with Lu Yibei in detail.
Ethereal: “Hm, Ah Se, I might be going out for a while to handle some matters. In Huacheng, don’t report anything to me if it’s unnecessary; handle it yourself.”
Online Old Pervert 00: “Understood!”
———
Meanwhile.
In an abandoned warehouse buried under rubble, piled high with electronic components and hardware.
A small white worm observed the display screen ahead, curling its body with its tail supporting its chin, murmuring, “She must have some deep meaning behind doing this…”
“I understand now! If an entity has the potential to become a Cataclysm-level urban legend or spirit ability user, they appear in the role of a guardian to provide aid while cultivating robust relationships with them?”
“If an entity with the potential to become Cataclysm-level is forcefully controlled using attachment marks, it will inevitably go out of control. However, establishing emotions in this manner can also yield beneficial results for oneself…”
“A brilliant idea! As expected of Calamity, capable of manipulating souls masterfully; I must learn from this!”
“Wait, let’s see which ones have recently exhibited potential to become Cataclysm-level…”
As the little white worm spoke to itself, it thought, causing the antiquated monitors surrounding it to suddenly come to life, displaying a stream of data rapidly scrolling across the screens.
———
In the bamboo slips illusion at 5:47 AM, the city lay silent under the night.
Atop an ancient stone tower on Mudan Street, a girl dressed in exotic white attire sat on the railing, her long legs dangling down casually. A pair of bronze bells jingled softly at her ankles in the breeze.
After a while, a strong wind blew, and silvery light like a meteor streaked down from the sky.
The radiance faded away, revealing a strikingly good-looking man appearing beside the girl.
“Xiao Hua, what made you remember to seek out your uncle today? You’ve been in Huacheng for so long, yet this is the first time you’ve come to me!”
Bai Kai said with a playful smile, strolling over to sit beside Nanling Yaohua, taking several big gulps from the small wine pot beside her and exhaling with satisfaction. “Good wine! This must be the pure handmade Huadiao from Lu’s on Mudan Street, still warm. Tsk tsk, much better than those awful drinks from the clubs…”
As Bai Kai began to speak, he suddenly noticed Nanling Yaohua’s expression was rather abnormal, and his words trailed off.
Seeing her looking flushed like she had drunk a little too much, her eyes vacant with an introspective gaze, as though she had something weighing on her mind.
Bai Kai furrowed his brows, “Xiao Hua, what’s the matter? Are you not happy?”
Nanling Yaohua silently took out a palm-sized sword talisman from her pocket, offering a wry smile, “Uncle Bai, do you think Master Lu lied to me?”
“……” Bai Kai was taken aback for a moment, then replied soberly, “How could Master Lu deceive you? Although he’s adept at trickery, he never deceives his own.”
“Then why can’t the marriage contract with Lu Yibei let me escape from my fate?” Nanling Yaohua sighed.
Bai Kai looked at Nanling Yaohua thoughtfully, fell silent for a moment, then gently said, “Child, is there something you’d like to share with your uncle?”
Resting her head on Bai Kai’s shoulder, Nanling Yaohua buried her face there before shoving the sword talisman into Bai Kai’s hand.
Bai Kai examined the familiar Sahai Sword Talisman, infused it with a hint of spirit energy, and suddenly changed his expression.
“Master… So, are you planning to return now?”
“Mm.” Nanling Yaohua affirmed softly.
A look of heartache passed over Bai Kai’s face. He looked down at her, hesitating and sighing several times, before quietly stroking her head as he used to, softly saying, “Xiao Hua, if you encounter any difficulties after returning, reach out to me anytime.”
As he spoke, a cold gleam flickered in his eyes.
“After all, it isn’t only your fate at stake…”
———
In the early morning radiance, the city awoke under the bright sunlight.
Lu Yibei crossed a small bridge, with the wind carrying the floating willow fuzz, his footsteps light as he made his way to the ancient and elegant entrance of the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau.
Then.
He spotted the “corpse” lying in the middle of the entrance.
The “corpse” resembled a young girl, clad in a tattered robe, her messy hair haphazardly tied up, face down on the ground, rendering her features indistinguishable.
Lu Yibei, “……”
What on earth is this?
On my first day back at work, I get into such bizarre business?
Can this be disregarded? Correctly, it can!
After grumbling for a moment in his heart, maintaining the principle of not meddling in others’ affairs, Lu Yibei carefully stepped around the girl with an uncertain fate and hurriedly dashed toward Jiang Li’s office.
Not long after Lu Yibei left, footfalls echoed from the small alley in front of the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau.
Li Xuan approached, leading two portions of breakfast, and when he saw his fallen junior sister, his lips twitched, “d*mn it, in the time it took me to buy breakfast, how did you end up sprawled on the ground?”
“Couldn’t you just wait for me in my office instead?”
Huasang lifted her eyelids and looked at Li Xuan, responding slowly, “It was far, and I was tired, so I waited for you.”
Li Xuan, “……”
As Li Xuan fell silent, Huasang sat up, casting a glance towards the direction Lu Yibei had just departed, “Is there an Ethereal Spirit User named Lu Yibei here?”
“Yeah! That’s Lu Yibei!” Li Xuan answered with disgust.
That’s a guy who annoys me equally… Li Xuan added in his mind.
“His spiritual pattern is quite strange,” Huasang remarked faintly.
Li Xuan paused, perplexed, “Strange in what sense?”
“I’ve never seen an Ethereal Spirit User with a mouth and hands entirely charred black… It looks mutated.”
“You can see others’ spiritual patterns’ true form?” Li Xuan frowned.
“Qi Observation Technique.” Huasang shot a disdainful glance at Li Xuan, “You sword cultivators and talisman cultivators wouldn’t understand.”
Li Xuan, “……” Great, yet another opportunity to be offended.
———
Inside the “V” office at the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau.
In the room, there was a square desk, its surface topped with glass, covered with a layer of white lace for protection.
Jiang Li sat in her seat, one hand holding a porcelain mug that read “Serving the People,” while the other held a file. She appeared to be reading diligently, though her gaze often drifted to the door, revealing a hint of anxiety.
A long while later.
As the door swung open, she hurriedly withdrew her gaze, putting on an act of concentration.
“Leader, I’m back.”
Hearing the voice, Jiang Li lifted her head and briefly glanced at Lu Yibei, nodding slightly, “Mm, just in time, there’s a task to assign you.”
【Welcome back [heart emoji]】
(This volume ends here)
Volume End Summary
Previously, a reader suggested that I write a summary at the end of each volume, and I found it quite reasonable, so I decided to give it a try!
Well, the Dream City volume can be said to be the most challenging one since the serialization of “The Witch,” not only did I undergo significant revisions but I also frequently faced writer’s block and needed breaks.
(Taking time off on genuine grounds is truly hard to make up — it’s really hard to find different pigeon images.)
I personally believe the main reasons I faced these issues are due to the setting of the special space and the protagonist’s chaotic memories, resulting in a certain disjointedness in the story, which slowed down the pace significantly.
Some have said that amnesia plots are one of the most perilous tropes in internet novels; I used to think otherwise, but now I see the truth. Writing such a trope that many readers can accept is indeed quite challenging. Now that I contemplate it, I believe there could have been better ways to present this section of the plot.
However, while the disjointedness of the story was unexpected, the slowed pace was something I planned from the start. I wanted to use this method to add some settings and elaborate on previously obscure elements, completing the transition of the plot.
Indeed, this Dream City volume serves as a bridge volume.
In my conception, the entire narrative is generally divided into three major stages. The first phase involves the protagonist gaining a certain understanding of this world filled with urban legends through various small-scale encounters.
After gaining this understanding, the next phase—Lu Yibei’s engaging with various factions and encountering more special individuals like him/her—should transpire.
As for the third phase… that remains classified for now.
To be honest, at the beginning of writing this volume, I brainstormed extensively, to the extent that the single narrative of Lu Yibei couldn’t be completed, leading to the incorporation of the side stories of Jiang Li and Bai Kai. However, the outcome was that this approach not only muddled the storytelling but also rendered the plots scattered and confusing.
Originally, side stories involving Gu Qiqi and Nanling Yaohua should have existed, which could be seen in the earlier setups regarding Gu Xinian and the graduation banquet. However, since the first two side stories had already impacted the narrative, considerable content was cut after revisions.
To be frank, not having an outline is extremely frustrating. In fact, after the end of the Gambling volume, I had used up the detailed outline I prepared. The outline for the Jumeng volume had only slightly over a hundred words left, while the Dream City one had simply “Into the God Realm!” written.
However, having inadequate detailed outlines during the later stages of writing is a common issue when creating internet novels.
After all, when starting a serialization, the author doesn’t know if the work will be well-received or which characters or points the audience will respond to better, etc. Writing an overly intricate outline can hinder modifications based on the reality of the situation later on.
This experience has taught me the principle of excess being detrimental, suggesting that a steady approach in advancing the plot might be better moving forward.
As a seventeen-year-old youth, committing some experience-based mistakes is understandable, right?
But well, now that the Dream City volume has concluded, there’s nothing I can amend regarding its shortcomings.
Fortunately, everything that needed to be addressed has been, and the necessary settings and planted foreshadowing have been basically completed. Overall, if a perfect score is ten, I would give myself a score of 5.9 for this volume—just shy of passing, lest I get too proud!
Now, let’s move on to the next plans!
I envision that the upcoming narrative should revolve around the Huasang volume, the Sahai volume, and the Solar Eclipse Society volume.
I know many readers feel for Xiao Hua, and truthfully so do I; I will strive to give her a good ending.
However, before writing the Sahai volume, I should first tackle the Huasang volume so that Bei can carry the God Realm Prototype, enhancing his combat effectiveness and better prepare for the Yumen Pass dungeon.
Speaking of the Huasang volume, plots akin to “cultivation sects” have likely been seen countless times in other novels. Crafting a well-written plot that isn’t clichéd or melodramatic, while still resonating with the book’s characteristics has proven quite a headache for me.
As for the Solar Eclipse Society volume… Currently, I only have a vague outline, much like “Into the God Realm!” without further details.
Well, that’s how it is; I’ve partially spoiled the future without fully revealing anything. Hehe!
And then…
Of course, it’s everyone’s favorite segment — the pigeon image appreciation session!
Please allow me to take two to three days off to rest briefly and consider how to write the Huasang volume while refining the outline.
(PS: The college entrance examination is tomorrow; I know many readers are high school seniors, so I wish everyone good luck on your exams!
From the sacred fruits born of the Fushang Sacred Tree, throughout the thousands of kings of magpies—those who resist misfortunes with wealth, the rulers of the 800-mile Peach Spring, the sovereigns of fate and offspring, the revered being with virtue and benevolence, Jumeng, may protect you all!)
So, let’s see some pigeons!
