Chapter 133: The Hospitality of Yumen Pass
“Whoosh——!”
A stream of cold well water poured over Gu Qiqi from head to toe. Just then, a refreshing breeze blew by, and Gu Qiqi, drenched to the bone, began to shiver uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Ji Yunpei couldn’t help but feel sympathy. She instinctively took a step forward, her lips quivering slightly, but in the end, she didn’t say anything.
What should I do? Will she catch a cold and get sick?
For some reason, she felt an inexplicable and bizarre sense of closeness to the girl before her, as if… she were seeing her own daughter?
But that’s so strange!
After a few seconds of silence, she looked at the girl controlled by an unknown high-level spell, then turned to glance toward the kitchen of Luxi Chuancaiguan, bit her lip slightly, and left the girl behind as she quickly walked away.
Passing through the backyard corridor and the main hall, Ji Yunpei stopped at the kitchen door, lifted the kitchen curtain slightly, cautiously poked her head in, looked around, and spotted Xuan Ying Luo Fu, who was chopping vegetables at the counter. She hesitated for a moment before softly calling out.
“Sis, sister, um… could you help me with something?”
Hearing this, Xuan Ying Luo Fu put down the kn*fe, wiped her hands on her apron, and looked at Ji Yunpei calmly, saying, “If the favor you want me to help with is regarding that girl in the backyard, I’m afraid I can’t assist you.”
“Senior Qing Ji told Wang Ying to leave her in your care before taking her out to play, asking you to find out why she came here, and didn’t ask me to help. If I intervene now, that wouldn’t be good.”
Calamity is her master, and also the master of this God Realm Prototype, while Qing Ji is Calamity’s ancestor. Logically, without Calamity’s instructions, she wouldn’t help Qing Ji in battle; however, for matters like the present situation, she would indeed follow Qing Ji’s intent.
This is the wisdom of dealing with “old” spirit energy items that have passed through three masters!
Just like when Qing Ji saw her dazing by the window of the God Realm Prototype, looking at the street outside, he sent her off to find some things to do. She calculated a bit and decided to clean the restaurant inside and out, then reopened the doors to pass the time.
After all, she had once been a “nanny” for a certain master she didn’t want to mention for a long time, whether it was taking care of kids or cooking, she was still somewhat able to handle it.
“But…” Ji Yunpei wanted to say more, but seeing Xuan Ying Luo Fu’s stern expression, she swallowed the words back down.
Watching Ji Yunpei’s expression that seemed on the verge of tears, Xuan Ying Luo Fu shook her head and sighed, “Hey, weren’t you quick to handle those Solar Eclipse Society members before? How come you can’t even deal with a little girl now?”
“They, they are different!” Ji Yunpei retorted, “Those guys are bad and deserved punishment long ago, but I don’t even know what that girl’s background is. How can I lay a hand on her?”
Perhaps due to being overprotected by her father since childhood, she had a clear view of good and evil, to the point of being somewhat naive about it.
From a certain perspective, even if Luxianbei hadn’t abducted her from Sunrise Biotechnology Company, after working there for some time and witnessing more dark and cruel things, she would most likely have left on her own.
In fact, there were factors that brought Ji Yunpei to Lu Family Manor.
Although she had learned the essence of Luxianbei tormenting those Solar Eclipse Society members, and even though those members were hardly good people, she still felt reluctant witnessing their tortured, lost minds.
With that mysterious curse sent by Miss Lan Yi, most of the Solar Eclipse Society members had already settled down, primarily fearing they might d*e of their stomachs exploding.
Now, those members had formed a “rebellion faction,” spontaneously suppressing and managing the stubborn “conservative faction,” so she didn’t need to worry too much about it.
Thus, when those imprisoned members had their minds collapse and gradually quieted down, she actively requested Luxianbei to let her leave that circular mountain area, only occasionally checking on the situation.
How could someone like her, who couldn’t bear to watch the Solar Eclipse Society members being tortured, even lay a hand on a girl she had never met?
Moreover, she felt a sense of closeness toward that girl.
Pouring two buckets of cold well water onto that girl was already the limit.
In this hot weather, being left to bake in the yard, pouring some water on that girl might even feel refreshing to her.
“……” Xuan Ying Luo Fu was silent for a few seconds before speaking calmly, “How about this, you can let her suffer a bit, but don’t actually hurt her. Once that guy returns, let her handle it herself.”
Honestly, Xuan Ying Luo Fu also wasn’t quite sure how to deal with the girl outside.
She had seen Luxianbei’s mythological form, and when Luxianbei sent the girl into the God Realm Prototype, she recognized at a glance that the girl bore a striking resemblance to Luxianbei’s mythological form.
It was unclear if she was an impersonator or had some bl**d relation to Luxianbei, making it difficult to determine how to handle the situation.
In this regard, Qing Ji was very clever; as long as no major disasters occurred, he ignored all these chaotic matters and simply focused on “educating” Wang Ying.
But Xuan Ying Luo Fu was different; as a spirit energy item, easing the burdens of her master was her duty.
What kind of demonic swords and evil blades would create trouble for the master?
However, ultimately, this was all that rival’s fault!
It’s not like she had nothing to do, taking home trash she found outside and bringing it into this God Realm Prototype, creating all this trouble afterward.
Xuan Ying Luo Fu thought resentfully, her gaze drifting toward Ji Yunpei pacing back and forth outside the kitchen.
Indeed, in her eyes, Ji Yunpei was also a nuisance brought back on a whim by Luxianbei.
Now, that “trouble” was held back by new troubles, it felt like a set of nesting dolls.
“I got it!” Ji Yunpei thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll let her watch ‘Game of Thrones’? Eight seasons in a row, she can’t go to sleep until she finishes.”
But then she won’t sleep at all…
Wouldn’t that be a bit cruel? Ji Yunpei pondered.
Xuan Ying Luo Fu sized up Ji Yunpei, suddenly understanding why Luxianbei brought her back.
Because she really matched well with Luxianbei, never caring about personal affairs.
Was it really too cruel? Seeing that Xuan Ying Luo Fu didn’t respond, Ji Yunpei’s face flashed a hint of embarrassment as she changed her words, “Then can you help me make two dishes? They should be tasty, the kind that makes people want to drool just from the smell, okay?”
Eating delicious food in front of her, tempting her so much, should qualify as making her suffer while not actually hurting her, right?
Hehe, this idea is too great! Ji Yunpei thought to herself, feeling a little proud.
Xuan Ying Luo Fu looked at Ji Yunpei, slightly furrowing her brows. After a moment of contemplation, she nodded.
“Alright, you wait outside for a bit…”
————
In the backyard.
Gu Qiqi tilted her head back, looking at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, watching the fiery red pomegranate blossoms fall, feeling as though she was about to cry.
After that girl with twin tails who spoke very much like a system had left, she had repeatedly tried to sneak away, but all attempts ended in failure.
As a result, her mindset quickly went through a complete transformation, from being full of fighting spirit to feeling anxious, then falling into despair.
The spell restraining her was of a strength and precision far exceeding her imagination, easily suppressing her formidable strength.
The most problematic part was that even the Bamboo Slips Illusion seemed to be suppressed by some mysterious force, rendering it unable to activate.
The last time this happened was in that false Huacheng.
Recalling her experiences in that fake Huacheng, Gu Qiqi couldn’t help but shiver.
“……”
Most likely, it was Calamity’s doing…
Just before losing consciousness, she had been in conflict with Calamity, and when she awoke, she found herself here. If it wasn’t Calamity, then who could it be?
This is terrible; the system has fallen into slumber, and I’ve become Calamity’s captive. There’s definitely no hope left, Gu Qiqi thought despairingly.
In her view, her current situation was no different from a lost child falling into the hands of a human trafficker.
While she was lost in thought, an enticing aroma wafted into her nose, then seemed to sprout little claws, traveling down her airways, starting to scratch at her chest and abdomen.
“Gululu——!”
Gu Qiqi swallowed hard, following the direction of the aroma to see the twin-tailed girl who had left for a long time return, holding two plates, one with spicy chicken and the other with meat on toothpicks.
She placed the plates at a distance where Gu Qiqi couldn’t reach them, turned to grab two chairs, one tall and one short, then said nothing and sat down to eat by herself.
As she ate, she smacked her lips, obviously on purpose!
“!!!!” Gu Qiqi watched the twin-tailed girl in front of her with wide eyes, biting her lip hard to prevent her saliva from flowing down.
Wow, this person must be a devil, right?
She hadn’t eaten anything for nearly ten hours, and her stomach was completely empty.
Moreover, ever since she arrived near Yumen Pass, her meals had either been roasted bread or boiled beef and lamb without seasoning—she couldn’t even dream of such fragrant dishes.
At this moment, the twin-tailed girl not only sat in front of her eating but also smacked her lips; faced with the temptation of delicious food, while thinking she couldn’t let the system down and should show a good face to Calamity’s henchmen, her emotions completely broke down, and the tears she had been holding back streamed down her face.
However, even with tears streaming down her cheeks, she stubbornly remained silent, keeping her neck stiff and gazing at the fiery red pomegranate petals falling above her head, as if seeing the bubbling hot pot and the splattering red soup base.
Just then, a pair of chopsticks holding a piece of meat on a toothpick was quietly offered to her mouth.
Ji Yunpei finally couldn’t bear to watch any longer.
Gu Qiqi’s appearance, holding on with a distorted face, was simply too pitiful.
In an instant, her mouth seemed to act on its own, opening instinctively to swallow the meat on a toothpick.
After chewing a couple of times, she suddenly came back to her senses and spat the meat onto the ground with a “Pah!”
“Pah! I will not eat the things sent by Calamity’s henchmen!”
After that, she glanced reluctantly at the meat on the ground, her gaze lingering.
What a shame, how delicious it is!
If only it weren’t sent by Calamity’s henchmen…
Ji Yunpei looked at the meat on the ground and then at Gu Qiqi, silently sighing, “Why must you do this? Even if you have deep-seated grudges, you shouldn’t torment yourself!”
“If it really doesn’t work, you can pretend to surrender, fill your stomach first, and then talk about escaping!”
Hearing this, Gu Qiqi’s eyes brightened suddenly.
Hey, that makes sense!
I’ll pretend to surrender first, indulge in food here under Calamity, and when the opportunity arises, I can escape, isn’t that better?
But why does that sound exactly like something the system would say?
Gu Qiqi thought, then looked at Ji Yunpei, carefully examining her.
She was petite, her skin so white it seemed to glow, and her eyebrows and eyes were delicate, but when combined, they made her look somewhat aggrieved, evoking a strong urge to protect her, and then mischievously bully her a bit.
She completely resembled nothing like the system! Gu Qiqi thought disappointedly, then quickly shifted her attention to the spicy chicken Ji Yunpei was offering with her chopsticks.
Whatever, let’s eat enough first!
————
It was unclear how long she had been in a deep sleep, but when Luxianbei awakened, she still felt lingering phantom pain on her face.
It was as if Proxy Player Sister’s punch had made her face numb for a brief moment before the sensation of pain finally settled in.
However… bringing pain from the dream back to reality is absurd!
Lying quietly for a few seconds, before she could even open her eyes, an indescribable, decayed odor, accompanied by dry wind, rushed into her nostrils. Then, she heard a loud sound.
“Boom——!”
Deafening, as if some large building had collapsed.
She abruptly opened her eyes and swept her gaze across the dimly lit space she was in, slightly widening her eyes.
It was shocking.
This seemed to be the interior of an abandoned building, with the empty walls enshrouded in a pervasive brown hue, resembling some sort of cult ritual site.
Everywhere she looked, there were twisted trajectories scribbled in dried bl**d on the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Those trajectories resembled both writings and murals, the notes hinting at madness, as if they were the final calls for help in despair, or warnings for future visitors.
But those notes were far too chaotic, having undergone the erosion of time, now utterly twisted and impossible to decipher.
This should be the interior of Yumen Pass… Luxianbei thought.
“Boom——!”
As Luxianbei was dazedly looking at the notes on the wall, another loud sound came.
She collected her thoughts, surveyed her surroundings, got up, and approached the window of the room. Leaning against the wall, she cautiously followed the direction of the sound outside.
Her eyes flashed with astonishment.
Outside the window, the sky was dim, resembling a late evening before a torrential downpour, a deep gray tinged with an ominous yellow.
Beneath the vast sky, broken, earthen-colored huts rose and fell. On the streets between these buildings, pale, twisted plants grew, resembling human forms.
In the shadowy corners, she faintly saw dark figures exuding an ominous aura, shadows lurking, and the sounds of ghostly laughter echoing around, sending chills down her spine.
Further away, atop a colossal structure of deep gray stones, a gigantic figure lay prone, its form reminiscent of the legendary giants. Only a part of its body was visible above the building’s roof.
It was adorned in rough, rugged armor, and the clothes beneath it had long decayed, resembling black sludge of rotten flesh clinging to pale bones, as if it had been dead for a long time.
And the thunderous sounds originated from the direction of this “giant.”
A figure appeared, lifting a stone tower about four or five stories high with one hand and hurling it toward the “giant.”
The tower smashed against the “giant,” exploding on impact. The “giant” suddenly surged back to life, letting out a roar, and swung a fist that sent the other figure flying.
That figure flew through the air in a parabolic arc and then…
“Boom!” It crashed into a dilapidated house less than five meters away from Luxianbei.
Dust billowed.
Luxianbei, “???”
What the hell? How did it fly over here? Isn’t this causing me trouble?
d*mn! Is this the hospitality of Yumen Pass?
