Chapter One Countdown One
【“d*ath of Calamity” Countdown: 120H05M17S】
Sitting on the city wall of God Realm Yumen, looking out at the undulating wind-eroded hills of Sanlongsha, which had already been flattened during a brutal battle, all that could be seen was a patch of black desert that had endured intense Night侵蚀.
“Xiao Hua… uh, you wouldn’t mind if I called you that, would you?”
Lu Yibei said, turning to look at the stunning girl sitting beside him, who, in the eyes of most people, didn’t exist at all.
Upon hearing his words, Nanling Yaohua smiled slightly and reached out her small hand towards the paper and pencil next to Lu Yibei.
Thus, that small pencil began to tremble gently as if endowed with life by some mysterious power.
Although preparing the paper and pencil was her suggestion to facilitate communication between the two, her effect on the things of this world remained too weak; even holding a pencil to write seemed a bit strenuous.
Watching Nanling Yaohua’s stubborn look as she pursed her lips and furrowed her willow-like brows, appearing to exert all her strength in a battle with a pencil, Lu Yibei felt a wave of inexplicable pity.
He considered interrupting Nanling Yaohua, but he knew he would have to stay with her for a long time, so he needed to establish an effective communication method with her quickly to ensure they could coexist harmoniously during this period.
“Sasa, sasa.”
After continuous attempts for seven or eight times, accompanied by a light sound of her nose brushing against the paper, Nanling Yaohua finally wrote a line of crooked little characters.
【I like it very much.】
“Well, that’s good…” Lu Yibei nodded, and then, as if running out of conversation, fell into an awkward silence, unsure what else to say.
This was a very rare occurrence for the “Chatty Princess” of the generation.
“By the way, what exactly did you say to your grandfather yesterday? How did he agree to let you leave?” After pausing for a while, Lu Yibei finally found a new topic.
Upon hearing Lu Yibei’s question, Nanling Yaohua seemed to suddenly recall something embarrassing, her cheeks flushed slightly, and then, as if a potential had been triggered, she quickly wrote another line of small characters on the paper.
【It’s a secret!】
After writing, she put down the pencil and instinctively reached out to push Lu Yibei, but her small hand passed right through his shoulder.
Seeing this, Lu Yibei opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to say some comforting words, but before he could speak, he saw Nanling Yaohua nonchalantly pout.
It seemed that the real Xiao Hua was just as carefree and uninhibited as the one in Dream City… Lu Yibei thought.
Just as he was pondering, Nanling Yaohua picked up the pencil again.
“Sasa, sasa.”
【Speaking of which, you should be going to Shancheng next, right? To investigate that crippled girl’s situation… I heard Master Bai’s conversation yesterday.】
“This…” Lu Yibei raised his head and looked at the suddenly leaning in Nanling Yaohua.
Those amber eyes were less than ten centimeters away from his, extremely clear, yet he felt they were unfathomable, making it impossible to guess Nanling Yaohua’s thoughts.
After hesitating for a moment, he weakly probed, “You don’t mind?”
“Sasa, sasa.”
【I care a lot, care to d*ath…】
Seeing Nanling Yaohua write this, Lu Yibei’s heart skipped a beat, and he furrowed his brow.
The thing he feared the most—Nanling Yaohua being concerned about his investigation into Jiang Li’s whereabouts, or being uneasy about him contacting Jumeng, could provoke some unpredictable actions—had indeed happened.
To be honest, if he could avoid this situation, he would do everything in his power to prevent it. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he did care about Nanling Yaohua’s feelings.
But the problem was that now, in every sense, Nanling Yaohua was inseparable from him…
Was he not supposed to continue investigating Jiang Li’s whereabouts?
What if Stinky Sister finished her work in Peach Source and came to Huacheng for a “vacation,” staying at his home without leaving? Could he really kick her out?
Just as Lu Yibei was lost in thought, struggling to find a proper solution, Nanling Yaohua finished writing the remaining words after a short pause.
【…So if that’s the case, are you really not going?】
Lu Yibei looked into Nanling Yaohua’s eyes, hesitated for a moment, and shook his head.
“Sasa, sasa.”
【So, you should go boldly! Anyway, even if I try to stop you, you’d definitely go, right?】
“…”
Blocking isn’t as good as guiding; a strong desire to control would only push the person you care about further away…
It should be like this, right?
Moreover, to give up the tracing of a loved one’s whereabouts over such trivial matters and to confirm her safety was not a responsible act… Nanling Yaohua thought.
In her eyes, if Lu Yibei today could give up chasing that crippled girl just because she cared, he would certainly give up bringing her back to this world for other reasons in the future.
That kind of Lu Yibei would only be repugnant!
“Thank you…” Lu Yibei said softly.
Nanling Yaohua crossed her arms in front of her chest, shook her head while looking at Lu Yibei, and then picked up the pencil again.
“Sasa, sasa.”
【I only said you could go, but I didn’t say you wouldn’t have to pay a price!】
“Price?” Lu Yibei tilted his head.
【A nice meal, a real meal! Just owe me this for now; when I come back, we will eat.】
After reading what Nanling Yaohua wrote, Lu Yibei, though his face remained expressionless, couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.
He suddenly realized that perhaps too many messy experiences between him and Nanling Yaohua had created a subtle feeling of estrangement, to the point where he forgot that he first met this lady because of food.
“Sure, it’s a deal!”
Upon hearing this, Nanling Yaohua broke into a smile.
————
【“d*ath of Calamity” Countdown: 118H11M23S】
Lu Yibei needed a special ability to see Nanling Yaohua, and this powerful ability also had a time limit for him.
Once the time limit was up, Nanling Yaohua would once again return to that strange space.
Ahead was the world she once lived in; she could see everything but could not touch it.
To retreat was to drift in an endless, deep darkness, filled with surreal and bizarre illusions.
Yet she remained stuck here, trapped in the gap between reality and illusion, unable to move forward or backward.
“Do you want to go back?”
In a daze, as if she had seen an illusion, Nanling Yaohua heard such words coming from the depths of the dark.
“Don’t you want to go back? Are you just going to watch your loved one struggle for another woman?”
“I can help you! Help you go back, grant you power, and k*ll anyone who obstructs your relationship!”
“Sorry!” Nanling Yaohua said, “I’m not interested!”
In fact, it wasn’t the first time she had heard that enticing whisper; almost every time she returned to “loneliness,” that voice would arrive on schedule.
And this time, just like usual, she chose to refuse without hesitation.
————
【“d*ath of Calamity” Countdown: 118H01M47S】
When Lu Yibei could no longer bear the pain in his eyes, he was forced to deactivate his special ability, and Nanling Yaohua’s figure disappeared from his sight.
“Ah—!”
Looking at the empty city walls, he sighed and stood up.
To catch another glimpse of Nanling Yaohua, he would have to wait until his eyes returned to normal, which would be about two hours later.
Just as Lu Yibei was about to leave, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from the stone stairs connecting the city wall and the ground. Looking in the direction of the sound, he soon saw Bai Kai’s figure appear in view.
“Xiao Bei, it’s done! The response from the guardians’ discussion has come!” Bai Kai waved the Gray Owl Badge in his hand as he quickly approached Lu Yibei. “They agree to pardon Fang Ji’s crimes and restore his status as a Siye Association operative…”
“As long as he is willing to sign the 【Moonlight Contract】, placing himself under the control of the Siye Association, he can replace you and stay at Yumen.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yibei let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Although he possessed control over God Realm Yumen, it was still impossible for the Siye Association to let him take it away, as it blocked the invasion of urban legends from outside Z Country.
Moreover, Lord Calamity was also a reasonable person; how could he disrupt a region’s peace for personal gain?
So the only options left for Lu Yibei were either to let the Siye Association handle the control of God Realm Yumen or find someone reliable that both he and the Siye Association could trust to stay at Yumen.
After searching around, he locked his gaze on Fang Ji.
That guy had recently built a notable reputation among the residents of God Realm Yumen, thanks to his profound understanding of Miracle Flower and his set of fortune-telling rhetoric, making him very suitable to stay at Yumen.
Moreover, from his observations, Fang Ji didn’t seem too eager to leave God Realm Yumen either.
If not, why would Fang Ji refuse his previous multiple invitations to travel together? He even acted like it was a matter of life and d*ath…
From this, it was clear that Fang Girl must have fallen in love with this place!
If Fang Girl was willing to stay in God Realm Yumen, then he should meet her demands! Lu Yibei thought, glancing at Bai Kai, as if he thought of something, narrowing his eyes and sizing him up.
“Wait a minute, Water Brother, with your speed, it shouldn’t take more than one hour for a round trip to the Siye Association in Dunhuang City. Why did it take you over half a day to come back?”
Bai Kai turned his face away, avoiding Lu Yibei’s scrutinizing gaze, stammering, “Uh, wasn’t it that the guardians took half a day to come to a conclusion? I got delayed on the way?”
He absolutely couldn’t tell Xiao Bei that he had gone to help Xiangbo arrange for her and her people to migrate… If this gets back to Yuan’er, I’m done for! Bai Kai thought nervously, hurriedly changing the subject, “Let’s not talk about this anymore. Since this issue has been resolved, what do you plan to do next?”
“Next?” Lu Yibei noticed Bai Kai’s unease but did not dig deeper, simply following his lead. “First, let God Realm Yumen disappear into the endless yellow sand again, then take a trip to Shancheng, and finally report to Zhang… Black Emperor, right?!”
Upon hearing Lu Yibei mention Black Emperor, Bai Kai’s heart tightened, and he asked with concern, “Xiao Bei, do you need me to accompany you?”
Although he knew that Black Emperor had some connections with Lu Yibei, he was still worried that Black Emperor might suddenly change his mind and take action against Lu Yibei due to his power.
At that point, there would be no time for regrets!
“No need, no need!” Lu Yibei waved his hand, “I’m familiar with the old man!”
“Besides, Water Brother, if you go with me and something really happens, what can you do? I know your speed is fast, but you still can’t outpace light!”
“……” Bai Kai was momentarily speechless.
Lu Yibei spoke the truth; with his speed, he might be faster than 99.9% of spiritual ability users and urban legends in this world, but he simply couldn’t outpace Black Emperor.
After all, Black Emperor could turn into thunder.
“Xiao Bei…” Bai Kai said gently, “At least let me see you off?”
“Alright!” Lu Yibei looked at Bai Kai expressionlessly, his tone playful, “Then I’ll trouble Water Brother to see me off to Shancheng later!”
