**Chapter 23: “Humble”**
Luxianbei woke up again, jolting upright from the bed, beads of sweat covering his forehead. The cool wind blew in from outside, and his sweat-drenched clothes clung slickly to his back.
Although Luxianbei had chatted with friends before, he had never found it necessary to take advantage of a female ghost oppressing him; but when he actually encountered one, he realized that the profession of a d*ath knight was truly not something an ordinary person could handle.
He sat dazed on the bed, his fingers gently stroking the solid chest of the Ming King statue, feeling its cold and hard texture while watching the light filtering through the door crack. His emotions gradually settled.
Dreaming of a dream? Luxianbei frowned. “Miss Zhu, I sensed your intentions, what the hell!”
Couldn’t you just say it once? Why did it have to be so terrifying and emphasized again?
No nesting dolls, d*mn it!
After a few internal complaints, Luxianbei rubbed his throbbing temples and fished out his phone from under the pillow to take a look.
It was 10:01 PM, more than three hours since he returned to the room to sleep, yet his spirit felt like it hadn’t rested at all; he was exceptionally fatigued.
Fortunately, my nerves are relatively resilient; otherwise, I would have gone insane long ago! Luxianbei thought. However, no matter how resilient one’s nerves are, they can’t endure this kind of turmoil!
In Huacheng, SAN value plummeting, at this rate, a person would eventually “break”!
Just as Luxianbei was thinking, the door to the room suddenly creaked open, and a figure appeared at the doorway.
The person had a dark expression, eyebrows lowered, with a strange smile at the corners of his mouth, and there was a hint of mockery and resentment in his eyes.
Half of his body was hidden by the wall, while the other half was shrouded in a dark shadow, obscured from the light of the living room.
He stood there motionless at the door, looking as if only half a person was standing there!
Upon seeing this, Luxianbei suddenly thought of something, and a cold shiver shot up his spine.
What is that? What’s going on? Is it really just one wave after another?
With no time to think too much, Luxianbei twisted his body, one hand gripping the Ming King statue’s arm, the other hand on its waist, as if lifting a Gatling g*n, he leaped up from the bed.
“You, don’t come over! If you take another step forward, I’ll k*ll you!”
“Hey—!” Hearing Luxianbei’s neurotic shouting, Su Mi sighed helplessly.
“I’m saying, Bei Ge! Do me a favor, stop causing trouble, okay? If you’re sleeping, just sleep! What kind of nonsense is this? Let people rest easy at work? You know my situation; I have to look after the shop most of the time during the day, and rely on these few hours at night to restock!”
“Uh…” Hearing Su Mi’s voice, Luxianbei froze for a moment, weakly saying, “I… I just talked in my sleep?”
Did I really say the dialogues from the dream out loud? He wondered if she had already known about the scissors. Luxianbei thought that he certainly didn’t want to drag Su Mi into this strange matter.
“Of course!” Su Mi rolled her eyes disdainfully. “You were shouting the name of the little goddess you had a crush on back in middle school, and you occasionally stopped to scream. Honestly, are you dreaming about some indescribable scenario?”
“What’s it to you? It’s been so many years, and you’re still hung up on her? I heard she’s about to have a child, just give up already!”
“Shut up! You’re the one giving up!” Luxianbei rolled his eyes, too lazy to explain.
“Hey—!” Su Mi sighed again, preparing to turn and leave, but upon seeing the Ming King statue in Luxianbei’s hands, she paused.
Though she didn’t know what Bei Ge had been through lately, she didn’t expect he had become so lonely! Even going so far as to not let go of a copper statue!
With this thought, Su Mi rubbed her round belly against the door frame, striking a flirtatious pose, and threw a wink at Luxianbei.
“Bei Ge, if you really can’t sleep alone, considering our years of friendship, I wouldn’t mind letting you sleep with me. Come on, just say it out loud! I can do it!”
“Go away!” Luxianbei’s eyes drooped as he shouted.
A guy who looked like Zhang Fei seemed to be possessed by the soul of Daji, acting all seductive—who could stand that?
“Okay, okay! I’m leaving, I’m leaving!” Su Mi shrugged, and as she walked out, she suddenly dashed back, a lewd smile on her face.
“Bei Ge, if you don’t need me to keep you company, do you need something interesting?”
Luxianbei lifted the copper statue, ready to give that lewd little fatty a “physical transformation,” but after hearing the next words, he begrudgingly nodded.
“A notebook, the yuri notebook of Bai Xiaohua and Chu Xingzi! I just managed to find it!”
“Oh?” Luxianbei squinted slightly. “That thing is hard to find nowadays!”
In this era, where good looks couldn’t withstand the crackdown on adult material, and interesting souls had accounts violating regulations, finding a specific notebook was truly difficult!
“Of course, I spent 50 yuan buying it from someone! Enough talking; do you want it or not?”
“What do you think?” Luxianbei replied, throwing Su Mi a knowing glance.
The two exchanged a smile, and laughter filled the room like a whisper of tax evasion.
Although Luxianbei’s face was mostly expressionless when he laughed, it was clear from his laughter that he felt genuinely happy!
Thus, this night…
Luxianbei: 【Mental +50, Stamina -99】
……
The next morning.
When Luxianbei got up, Su Mi was still sound asleep, and through the door, he could hear his thunderous snores.
Due to the shortening of daylight, tourists on Mudan Street generally appeared in clusters for a couple of hours from noon to just before sunset. Su Mi usually wouldn’t wake up until lunchtime, slowly opening the shop’s door.
Luxianbei didn’t disturb Su Mi and dressed quietly on his own, shouldering the guitar bag containing the Ming King statue, and tiptoed out the door.
He was preparing to report yesterday’s situation to the Siye Society.
Although Zhu Linglong had hinted to him multiple times to help find those scissors, Luxianbei could also sense the malice she carried each time she appeared.
Who asks for help while stabbing scissors into someone’s stomach? Even in dreams, that’s not right!
Who knows what Zhu Linglong’s true intentions are? Does she really want me to help find the scissors and tell the truth to her father, or does she have some ulterior motive?
Running to the scene of her d*ath without knowing what would happen? Luxianbei pondered.
Amidst the clusters of ancient buildings, with bubbling streams, walking on the cobblestone street while basking in the autumn breeze, the fatigue in Luxianbei’s body seemed to dissipate considerably.
However, this refreshed state didn’t last long. Just after he left the ancient brocade Shu embroidery shop, he began to feel a faint pain in his stomach after crossing half a street.
Initially, the pain was very slight. Luxianbei thought it was just some leftover food from last night causing a bit of discomfort. He figured it would get better once he got used to it.
However, as he approached the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau, the abdominal pain became increasingly intense.
From intermittent spasms to severe cramping, finally, it felt like a pair of scissors was stirring inside his abdomen.
Wait! Scissors? Luxianbei suddenly realized something, and he stiffened, his face turning pale as sweat dripped down like rain.
Could it be Zhu Linglong…
“Ah—!”
As this thought flashed through his mind, Luxianbei gasped, one hand gripping the stone pillar by the street, the other clutching his stomach, and he sat down on the stone platform at the roadside, his brow furrowing.
The abdominal pain persisted.
He was still over a thousand meters away from the Siye Society.
Luxianbei had an ominous feeling that if he bore the pain and continued to walk, or took out his phone to contact the Siye Society, before he could be rescued, he would probably be torn open!
d*mn it! Don’t the people of the Siye Society have any means to detect urban legends? Is it because he’s not close enough?
That’s right! There’s a high probability it’s because of being too far!
Zhu Linglong probably didn’t want me getting close to the Siye Society for this reason!
Should I take a gamble?
A gamble that Zhu Linglong wouldn’t be able to k*ll me in time, and a gamble that the Siye Society would discover me and come to rescue me in time.
Luxianbei thought, a fierce glint in his eyes as he stood up again, supporting himself against the wall and walking a short distance forward. The pain paused for a few seconds, then suddenly surged more intensely.
The shadow of d*ath drew closer, and it felt as if his internal organs were being torn to shreds. A hot wave surged in his abdomen, and he opened his mouth, “Ah!” spitting out a lump of half-digested food scraps, mixed with a few streaks of bl**d.
In the next moment, he felt stars bursting in front of his eyes, as if his strength had been drained. His legs could no longer support his weight or the weight of the Ming King statue, and he collapsed onto the ground. Once he regained some strength, he lifted his shirt to look, and his abdomen already sported a faint, ten-centimeter long bloodstain.
d*mn it! The gambler doesn’t get the house! Luxianbei cursed in his heart, making up his mind to compromise.
“You, you win! Gulp—! I, I won’t go to the Siye Society! I’m going to help you find the scissors! Right now, immediately! Is that good enough?!”
As soon as he spoke, the pain in his abdomen gradually diminished until it disappeared.
Luxianbei held his stomach, sitting dazed for a while before muttering quietly, “d*mn it, if you’re so powerful, why don’t you go find them yourself? Why make me do it! What the hell…”
Before Luxianbei could finish, as if in warning, another spasm hit his abdomen.
“Stop! Alright! You win! I’m scared of you! As long as you’re not intentionally trying to harm me, helping you out wouldn’t be a problem.” Luxianbei said fiercely.
As he spoke, his eyes scanned the empty street, as if looking for the elusive Zhu Linglong.
“But let’s agree first, once this matter is settled, I’ll walk my bright path, and you’ll cross your Naihe Bridge, departing amicably! Otherwise, even if I died from pain here today, I won’t go!”
As soon as Luxianbei finished speaking, his abdomen started to ache again, but before the pain reached his threshold, he tilted his neck and sneered.
“If you have the guts, just k*ll me directly, and let’s see how long it takes for you to find someone like me, who can see you and hear your pleas!”
Luxianbei spoke with a cold expression, but his heart raced like a drum, and after completing his sentence, he didn’t dare to take a breath.
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
After ten seconds without the pain returning, Luxianbei secretly sighed in relief.
It’s really like this! Luxianbei thought, yesterday in the dream, Zhu Linglong said she approached me because I “saw” her!
Given the current situation, perhaps the only one who can hear her requests is me, so she won’t easily k*ll me before getting the scissors!
Thinking of this, Luxianbei felt that pressure of d*ath, which felt like an insect burrowing into his bones, lighten considerably.
“Whew—!” Luxianbei slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, “So, I’ll help you find the scissors now; once found, you leave immediately. If you agree, let me feel a bit of pain; if you don’t, let me feel two bits!”
After Luxianbei finished speaking, there was a fleeting moment of pain in his abdomen, followed by a gradual silence, as if reluctant.
“By the way, it’s just me helping you; isn’t it unfair that you don’t give me some reward? I’m not greedy; I just want a limited edition Bai Xiaohua three-year anniversary…”
Before Luxianbei could finish, something sharp struck violently inside his belly. Though it lasted less than a second, the pain was several times more intense than before.
Luxianbei’s voice cut off abruptly, his body curling like a shrimp, eyes wide, clutching his stomach, a metallic taste spreading in his mouth.
The legendary pain of childbirth was probably not even this intense. He had never imagined that in his lifetime, he would get to experience such a sensation.
“I… I don’t want it anymore… I don’t want anything…” Luxianbei breathed weakly.
Can’t want anything? Am I really just working for free? This is too humble! Luxianbei thought.
