Chapter 93: A Pleasant Meeting [4K]
“Hu—hu—!”
Having detached from the inner realm, Luxianbei awoke on the recliner in the office, clutching the Bai Xiaohua pillow tightly, mouth agape, greedily inhaling air into his lungs.
His muscles twitched and spasmed all over, as if shivering and begging for mercy.
As usual, he had been “educated” by his ancestor.
Although he had grown significantly since he first met Qing Ji, he still couldn’t compare to Qing Ji, who, after recovering his old memories, had elevated his swordsmanship from a master level to a “divine” level.
However, with the increase in his strength and as he gradually adapted to using Xuan Ying Luo Fu, Luxianbei shouldn’t have been educated so harshly by Qing Ji.
It was all his fault for not being able to control his mouth. After successfully ambushing Qing Ji, when rebuked for being unfilial, he had thrown out a sly remark, “Your master thinks the same way.”
He hit the mark perfectly!
As a result, his opponent switched from Qing Ji using only 80-90% of his strength to a berserk Qing Ji utilizing all of his power, barely lasting ten exchanges.
In the flurry of sword shadows and surging energy, his body scattered across the ground, just as an ancient poem puts it—“fallen flowers covered in red amidst the rain.”
After catching his breath, Luxianbei wiped the sweat from his forehead and murmured, “It seems my ancestor is quite concerned about my leaving home back then!”
“I didn’t have the chance to explain everything to my ancestor earlier. Once I’m done with my current matters, I need to find an opportunity to detail my findings to them.”
Speaking of which, if my ancestor knew the whole story, they might even want to visit that so-called Yumen!
Luxianbei thought about this, glanced at the time, and leaned back in the recliner.
There was less than an hour until dusk; after a bit more rest, he needed to get moving.
“Ugh, this chair is so hard; it’s uncomfortable on my back!”
“I should really get a couple of massage chairs for the office.”
If the tire bro can transform his office into a tea room, then transforming mine into a Bai Xiaohua-themed e-sports room with massage chairs isn’t too excessive, right? Luxianbei mused internally.
After resting in the office until evening, noticing the sky outside showing a hint of red, Luxianbei left the Huacheng Cultural Research and Management Bureau earlier than usual.
He found a hidden spot; after completing the urban legend transformation, he visited Liao Zhai Tavern to see Hu Boss, took a leave of absence, and then made his way directly to the old swimming pool at Huacheng’s old sports complex.
Night fell, and it was time to reunite with some “old friends” and mix in with the Solar Eclipse Society.
It would surely be a pleasant meeting.
“Back to you, Lord Calamity. Since receiving Miss Du’s notification, we’ve been keeping watch in the vicinity. So far, we haven’t seen any urban legends exiting the swimming pool.”
Luxianbei looked expressionlessly at the urban legend before him, pale and with thin limbs, its abdomen swollen, thoughtfully nodding.
Compared to the Mu Se who had been suppressed here, this urban legend was the true local anomaly of the old sports complex.
In fact, the rumor of deaths occurring at the swimming pool was not unfounded. Before Mu Se was suppressed, after the new sports complex was completed and the old swimming pool closed, there had been fatalities here.
On the road from the main entrance of the sports complex to the swimming pool, there was a small grove with a sewage well. Years ago, some b*stard blinded by money pried off the cover, causing this blundering urban legend, who attempted to “fly” in the grove, to accidentally fall in and break its leg.
It happened during summer when heavy rain would come unexpectedly and sometimes go on for days. By the time people discovered this unfortunate man, he was already dragging his pale body through the small grove near the swimming pool.
Since then, strange events had been reported around the swimming pool.
Whether it was whispers from the water pipes inside the pool, or someone turning back while swimming, glimpsing a swollen eye peering from the bushes outside the swimming pool, or seeing a pale figure trying to wash away dirt in the last shower stall, or the staff on night duty hearing sorrowful sobs from the grove outside, only to find an empty, desolate well.
Although this urban legend hadn’t caused any harm, it merely scared people out of hunger.
Yet its terrifying appearance and erratic behavior had severely impacted the swimming pool’s business.
Later, with Mu Se’s suppression, the deteriorating condition of the pool worsened, ultimately ending its decades-long existence.
And with Mu Se’s suppression here, the members of the Siye Society frequently arrived, forcing this local urban legend to vacate until it received notice from Du Sixian.
Although it was only a C-grade urban legend that could probably be split in two with a single axe strike from Miss Rabbit, it could, if it wanted, completely blend its spirit energy fluctuations into the surrounding environment.
Having this guy monitor Miss Rabbit was indeed perfect.
Du Sixian truly lived up to being my subordinate; she’s as excellent as I am at utilizing the abilities of various urban legends in Huacheng!
Since it had already said it found no urban legends outside Huacheng entering the swimming pool, then Miss Rabbit must still be inside.
Luxianbei thought, refocusing his gaze on the urban legend before him, and stated seriously, “I understand. You’ve done well. I’ll take over from here; you can leave now.”
“By the way, what’s your name?”
“Reporting to Lord Calamity, I’m called Ma Li’ao!” the urban legend said with a fawning expression.
Who else would fall into the well if not you? Luxianbei couldn’t help but mentally scoff and nodded slightly, “Okay, I’ve noted your name. Remember to go to Happy Neighborhood later and collect your reward from Du Sixian.”
Upon hearing this, the urban legend looked as if it had been granted amnesty, its twisted face filled with joy, repeatedly saying, “Thank you, Lord Calamity! Thank you, Lord Calamity!”
In fact, if it hadn’t received orders, it would have longed to leave this cursed place.
Although this was where it was born and its abilities could be significantly enhanced here, both the lingering aura of Mu Se in the swimming pool and the potential presence of Siye Society members made it fearsome.
It felt like the first wave of robbers had invaded its home and claimed it as their own, only for a second, more brutal wave of robbers to come again after the first left.
What a place of right and wrong; better to leave!
Now, not only had it become familiar with the Calamity Witch, but it also heard there was a reward, so it was quite happy.
Watching the pale and twisted figure of the urban legend run away in a hurried stumble before disappearing into the well, Luxianbei withdrew his gaze. He sent information through the jacket’s mark, concealed his energy, and then in a flash, appeared hidden among the branches of a large tree.
Now, all he had to do was wait for those two old friends to come out so he could set his plan in motion.
In Luxianbei’s view, even though she had obtained a counterfeit Black Sun Totem and acquired memories of several former Solar Eclipse Society members from the Proxy Player Sister, it wouldn’t be so simple to gain Miss Rabbit’s and Shuo E’s trust at first glance.
At such times, a bit of strategy was required.
Even if time was tight and he couldn’t afford to provide thorough guidance in advance, making the plan appear somewhat simplistic and crude could still significantly shorten the distance between him and Miss Rabbit and Shuo E.
Thinking of this, Luxianbei quietly extended his spirit perception and took out his phone, opening “Love and Magical Girl.”
Since he had some free time, he might as well grind the event; the limited-time [Waves and Sea Flowers: Bai Xiaohua] was too enticing.
If he could get Miaomiao Sauce to do a cosplay wave, that would be great.
Speaking of which, when Miaomiao Sauce returned, he should be able to catch the tail end of summer and invite her to swim; if she accepted, wouldn’t giving her a set of swimwear be tempting?
Hmm, Bai Xiaohua cosplaying swimwear is still swimwear! Luxianbei mused slyly.
At 11:47 PM, a gentle breeze arose, carrying the scent of dampness. The trees near the swimming pool swayed, their shadows dancing.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a distant rumble of thunder echoed; a thunderstorm was brewing imperceptibly.
Standing before the blinds in the changing room, looking at the outside scene, Miss Rabbit’s lips curled slightly, and she hummed, “Hmph, a moonless night, windy and rainy, is the best time for action.”
“It seems like even the heavens are assisting us today; the time is almost right, shall we set off?”
Hearing this, Shuo E, hidden in the darkness and fiddling with some items, nodded at Miss Rabbit, “Hmm, let’s go.”
They exited the murky, sunless changing room and walked along the dilapidated path outside the swimming pool.
Basking in the refreshing breeze before the rain, Miss Rabbit stretched her arms and took a deep breath, the white fluff on her curvy backside swaying gently.
“Hu—! Fantastic! After spending a few days in that cursed place, I was about to grow mold; finally, I can move around and stretch my bones.”
“Shuo E glanced at Miss Rabbit and flatly reminded, “We’re just going to remind Hua Zhuan to do what she’s supposed to do, not to take action.”
Implying that she wouldn’t be able to stretch her bones.
“Why not?” Miss Rabbit flexed her wrist, saying fiercely, “Once this task is done, we’ll be ready to raise hell in Huacheng, don’t we need to make a grand display?”
“I’m telling you, I’ve thought it through; whatever urban legend I encounter tonight, I’m going to smash it. Not only that, but while they’re still alive, I’ll dig out their urban legend core and swallow it. That’ll be satisfying!”
“No matter what urban legend?”
“No matter what urban legend!”
“What about me?”
Halfway through her words, Miss Rabbit suddenly realized something was amiss; her voice trailed off, and her brows knitted together.
The voice that had just spoken to her was familiar, but definitely not Shuo E’s.
But if it wasn’t Shuo E’s…
Thinking of this, Miss Rabbit startled, swiftly raising her head in the direction of the voice, and saw a bright red light.
Then, a scorching red fireball, radiating incredible heat, descended from the sky, crashing down like a meteor onto the ground before her, erupting in wild flames, scattering glimmering earth and stone with a booming sound, expanding in all directions.
Oh no, it’s Calamity!
Regaining her focus, Miss Rabbit’s toes thrust down against the ground, accompanied by the sound of collapsing soil; her form shot back. In the moment she landed, the enormous axe emitting bluish-purple flames silently appeared in her hand.
Steadying herself, she looked ahead. When she caught sight of a small figure in a green dress, after a brief shock, a strong fighting spirit surged within her.
She could feel that Calamity had become significantly stronger since the last time they met, but during their separation, she had undergone a complete transformation as well.
Though limited by Sesa’s “sacrifice to attain completeness” condition, her spirit energy fluctuations couldn’t progress further, but the forms of power could change tremendously.
Sometimes, even a slight improvement in spirit energy fluctuations could lead to a massive enhancement in strength.
For instance, her moon shadow flames with strong corruption, and that weapon which had accompanied her since birth, previously a crowbar but now a giant axe.
Calamity, huh? Just in time! I’m itching to stretch my muscles!
Leaping from the tree branch, Luxianbei assessed the poised Miss Rabbit and Shuo E unemotionally, saying, “Little Rabbit, I didn’t expect you to be brave enough to return to Huacheng. Don’t you know what ‘d*ath’ means?”
“Hmph, when I was mingling in Huacheng, you didn’t even know where you were!” Miss Rabbit replied coldly.
“Oh?” Luxianbei smirked, seemingly trying to provoke Miss Rabbit, speaking in a sardonic tone, “I know, I know; you mean when you were doing tasks for Mu Se, right?”
“I’ve heard about it, so impressive. Always being ordered around, being treated like a beast of burden, you couldn’t even get half of an urban legend core. You must have felt like crying, but you had to hide and wipe your tears, boo hoo, so pitiful!”
“Now that you’ve finally gotten rid of Mu Se, what use is it? As long as I’m in Huacheng, every time you step onto this land, I’ll make you relive the pain of being controlled and losing your freedom. Isn’t that wonderful?”
According to the plan, Luxianbei hadn’t intended to say so much to Miss Rabbit; he just wanted to confront her with his strongest strength to force her back, leading her into the trap he had set.
However, since she was a bit angry now, he also didn’t want her to feel good.
d*mn Miss Rabbit, why did you come out now of all times? I was busy completing my activity task and watching the plot animation when you chose to appear. What do you mean by that!?
That was a once-a-year event; the Bai Xiaohua swimwear animation!
Although he could still watch the replay later, watching the replay wasn’t the same as watching it right after finishing the task while still immersed in the plot! The experience was completely different, wasn’t it?
Luxianbei thought fiercely, watching Miss Rabbit, who was looking grim and swiftly swinging her giant axe toward him. He channeled his energy and summoned Ling Tai Purification from the God Realm Prototype.
Then, with a clash of ringing metal, he donned the heavy armor, as solid as a war chariot.
Then—
“Boom—!”
With a dull thud, his iron boots crushed the ground beneath him, charging forward against the giant axe swirling flames.
