CH 41

July 10th, 9:05.

Feng Qi jumped out of bed with anticipation. Today was his birthday and also a Saturday, so he didn’t have to go to school.

The small store his family owned was closed for business. His mom and dad had closed the store so they could celebrate his birthday with him. Feng Qi took out the cartridge for <The Legend of Resurrection> from the bottom of his bed and quickly arranged the console and controller.

Today was the third “Feng Family Game Grand Prix”!

July 10th, 11:47.

In <The Legend of Resurrection>, dad’s “shield warrior” and mom’s “priest” froze in place. Feng Qi manipulated his little swordsman to run around as he happily did the side quest of picking apples.

After completing the quest, no quest items would be given, but instead he could get a cute garland that could be hung on the outside door of a player’s home.

Mom liked that garland very much.

In the kitchen a few steps away, the sound of cooking was mixed with the faint conversation of his parents. Feng Qi smelled his favorite fried shrimp and braised pork ribs, causing him to jump excitedly on the sofa several times.

July 10th, 12:30.

“Oops, I filled in the delivery address to our store.” After answering the call from the delivery man, his father had an embarrassed smile on his face. “Fortunately, it’s not too far away. I’ll go get the cake.”

“I also want to drink orange juice.” Feng Qi drank all the Coke in his cup and took the opportunity to make a request.

“I’ll go too. I’ll have your dad carry the orange juice,” his mom replied with a smile. “That way I don’t have to worry about him breaking the cake.”

July 10th, 12:49.

It was only five or six minutes away from their small store that was close to home. His mom and dad were so slow. Since they were late, it shouldn’t matter if he ate a shrimp first, right?

He quietly ate a deep-fried shrimp. While staring at the door, he quickly rearranged the remaining shrimp.

Fortunately, he wasn’t caught by his parents.

July 10th, 12:58.

Mom and dad still hadn’t returned.

July 10th, 15:16.

Mom and Dad still didn’t come back, and they weren’t picking up their phone.

July 11th, 11:14.

Many strangers came into his home. They said that his parents were “gone”, and even a few distant relatives wanted to take him away.

Why did he have to leave? This was obviously his home. Maybe they were all mistaken, and his parents would suddenly return home and surprise him.

Feng Qi locked the door to his room. When those people walked away, shaking their heads, he quietly opened it again.

The cheerful background music of the game was looping continuously. The big meal on the table had gone completely cold. His mom’s and dad’s rice bowls had only been slightly touched. The rice grains in the bowl were dry and hard, and the chopsticks were still resting in their original position.

The sauce on the fried shrimp had completely dried out, giving off a vague sour smell. It no longer looked even remotely appetizing.

Tomorrow was Monday. Feng Qi didn’t want to go to school.

Who would wake him up?

July 11th, 20:31.

Feng Qi sneaked out and stood quietly at the “scene of the accident”. He didn’t understand and couldn’t figure it out.

He found nothing. A kind-hearted person had quietly slipped him a little “relic”. It was his mother’s favorite family photo keychain, and he hated the term “relic”.

It was already dark, but he didn’t want to go back to his original residence. The room had become emptier and bigger, and everything now felt unfamiliar.

Feng Qi knew that the game console was still on, and the food was still there, but he didn’t want to look at them.

He found a corner in the flower bed, curled up, and held the keychain tightly to his chest.

July 12th, 6:12.

Feng Qi was awakened by something cool.

He opened his eyes, and a peculiar creature came into view—it had clear, lovely eyes and beautiful white scales like falling snow. Seeing that he was awake, the thing lowered its head obediently and gently arched at him.

It looked like a small flying dragon.

Feng Qi opened his eyes wide and looked around.

Monsters that had never been seen before were flying over the sky. A magnificent castle was traced with red edges by the rising sun. Not far away, the dirty keychain turned into a sterling silver badge. The badge lay on the verdant grass, and the family photo was finely embedded behind it.

In the photo, the smiling faces of his parents were particularly vivid.

The white young dragon spread its wings and rested near the badge.

“Good morning, great adventurer. Welcome to the world of <The Legend of Resurrection>. I am Ibby, your guide.”

It lowered its head and pushed the badge closer with its nose.

“Please wear your badge. You can use it to summon me at any time.”

Feng Qi froze in place in a daze. After a long time, his eyes started to light up bit by bit.

……

July 23rd, 23:31.

Feng Qi’s ears were buzzing constantly, and his limbs were paralyzed to the point of losing consciousness. The surrounding sounds seemed to be separated by a thin water film, and all he could barely manage to control was a pair of eyes.

He knew he was about to die.

He had never been so tired, and his drowsiness was as if he had swallowed a shot put and it was slowly getting heavier as it descended. Oddly enough, his vision had become clearer than before.

At first, he didn’t perceive the Dragon of Destruction at all. After that, he could detect the smell of the dragon from that beautiful hero.

And now he could see the complete form of the Dragon of Destruction.

In the sapphire-like night sky, under the twinkling diamonds, the black dragon was as dark as night, exuding a breath-taking aura. It had blood-red eyes—clearly a sign of a dangerous color—but the redness was soft, without the slightest bit of a bloody aura.

It opened its black wings with beautiful patterns and held him in the air with a ray of magic as it stared at him calmly.

It was a thing of magnificence and shocking beauty, thousands of times better than the images in the game.

Feng Qi tremblingly stretched out his hand and touched the cool and slippery dragon scales.

“I have to clear the game. I have a wish that must be fulfilled. Please…”

He didn’t feel how sad he was, but he couldn’t stop his tears.

“Is it because of this?” The dragon asked.

The familiar silver badge floated in front of him, with the photo he was most familiar with on the back.

Feng Qi’s lips quivered. Before he could make a sound, Ibby broke free from his arms and flew towards the silver badge. The young dragon used all its strength to rub against the silver badge affectionately, then licked it carefully with its tongue.

“……Yes.”

Feng Qi’s lips trembled as he continued to struggle.

“I… I used it to summon Ibby…”

“This thing is yours?” The dragon’s voice became gentler. “You’ve been wearing it on your body, and it has never left you?”

“This is my mother’s item. Someone gave it to me after they…”

The dragon was silent for a while.

“What’s your name?” It asked.

“Feng Qi,” the boy replied as he raised his head with difficulty. His voice was so small that it was almost inaudible.

“My name is Feng Qi…”

……

Yin Ren hugged the boy tightly in his arms. He knew that the child had reached his limits.

Under the influence of the evil qi, Feng Qi’s perceptual ability had mutated. He had “observation beyond common sense” and could now influence others in this way.

For some reason, these observations were all distorted things in <The Legend of Resurrection>. He imagined his own power as magic, and the perceived environment as a different world…

In order to make this all easier for him to understand, he even imagined “his own subconscious” as a guide named “Ibby”.

It was a nihilistic imagination that only the boy himself could see, and the evil qi it emitted couldn’t be detected.

Feng Qi.

Yin Ren remembered this name.

When he was investigating the rogue corpse servant, he had seen such a name in the vast list of the dead.

Feng Qi, 10 years old.

He wasn’t a deceased on the list but the survivor of the deceased Feng Shuangzhi and Lu Xiaoqi.

Feng Shuangzhi and Lu Xiaoqi were husband and wife. They owned a small store in Shangguang District. At 12:38 on July 10th of this year, both of them died in a car accident on their way home.

The story wasn’t complicated. The driver, who was under the influence of drugs, was arrested on the spot.

In the column full of countless deaths, they weren’t the most special or the most tragic. They died too suddenly, and their corpses were disposed of quickly after their deaths, which wasn’t enough time to create a rogue corpse servant.

…But their deaths created something else.

Human potential often bursts out when people encounter extreme pain or despair. Feng Qi used this to survive the corruption of the evil qi, and it gave him an almost cursed gift.

But the brain of a living person couldn’t bear such a burden. As the corruption increased, his abilities became stronger, and he moved closer to death.

“You want to resurrect your parents, right?” Yin Ren sighed.

“This world is called <The Legend of Resurrection>.”

Feng Qi clenched Yin Ren’s hair tightly, like a drowning person grasping his last lifeline. His eyes were congested, his tone was rapid, and the corners of his mouth were dripping with pus and blood.

“There’s magic in this world that can bring back the dead…”

Yin Ren touched his head.

He could see death in Feng Qi’s eyes, although the boy may not have had time to understand what death was.

After the spell was brushed over, the rain on Feng Qi’s body instantly evaporated. The evil qi turned into warm air, and the temperature around the two of them seemed to be like a comfortable early summer.

“I’m not sure what you mean by <The Legend of Resurrection>.” Yin Ren maintained the boy’s fragile illusion. “But there’s no magic in this world that can bring back the dead.”

Feng Qi was speechless. He continued to grab Yin Ren’s hair without letting go; his eyes were in a trance, showing a look of pleading.

Yin Ren sighed. “I’m an acquaintance of ‘Death’, and this is a secret he told me.”

Yin Ren had looked up the ending of the game in advance.

As a second-rate game, it had a simple ending.

If they successfully cleared the game, the palace magician would fulfill the player’s wish. The final boss was the Dragon of Destruction. The player had no chance to encounter ‘Death’ and even the rescued prince only existed in the narratives.

How sloppy. It allowed people to accept all kinds of follow-ups at will.

“Death is just. He took away the wise prince not out of malice but because the prince… was unlucky. Even if the dead are forcibly resurrected, they won’t really be ‘human’.”

In a sense, this wasn’t a lie.

Feng Qi couldn’t help but sob. The hand holding Yin Ren’s hair started trembling.

“The prince may no longer be able to think normally and may have to watch as his body slowly rots. In any case, he will become a monster in the eyes of everyone.”

“Even if it’s a ‘resurrection’ like this, do you still want to bring your parents back?”

From beginning to end, no matter how weak Feng Qi was, there was always light in his eyes. At this moment, the light slowly went out. He looked at the keychain blankly, no longer trembling, no longer sobbing.

“I just…”

His voice was weak and hoarse, and his body was like a candle that could be extinguished at any moment, without the slightest bit of vitality.

“I haven’t said goodbye to them yet… I…”

His breathing was getting lighter.

Yin Ren stared at him for a while, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

“Then make a wish to me. Make a wish to see them again.”

He recalled the tone of the “Dragon of Destruction” in the game as he floated smoothly in the sea of stars.

“At the cost of your ability, I can fulfill your wish and then send you back to your hometown.”

“The dead cannot come back to life, but you still have time to say goodbye to them.”

Yin Ren’s chest was a little wet. The boy’s blood and tears had soaked through his clothes. After a long time, Feng Qi finally let go of Yin Ren’s hair and buried his face deep in his chest.

The young dragon Ibby gave a yell and then closed its eyes equally meekly.

“Great adventurer, this is an important choice… It’s related to the ending of the game. Please choose carefully.”

Its voice was weak and calm, with a hint of subtle relief.

“…I see.” Feng Qi murmured. He was still buried in Yin Ren’s chest, which muffled his voice. “Dragon of Destruction… Lord Oberskras… I want to go home.”

Go back home to where mom and dad were.

“Okay,” Yin Ren replied softly.

He stretched out his hand and covered the boy’s cloudy eyes with his palm.

July 23rd, 12:35.

The morning light passed through his eyelids, and Feng Qi suddenly woke up.

He was lying on his familiar bed. The electronic calendar at the head of the bed amazingly showed “July 10th, 9:05.”

The coldness and pain in his whole body disappeared, and he felt so light as if he could fly. Feng Qi’s nose turned instantly sour as he got out of bed and ran into his parents’ bedroom.

He pounced on his mother, who was still in her pajamas.

‘It really smells like mom,’ he thought.

“Oh you, what’s up with you so early this morning?” His mom pinched his face. “Lao Feng, take care of your son. I have to change.”

“Swordsman Feng, hurry up and prepare the game with dad!” His dad put on his slippers and took out the console with a smile.

Feng Qi shook his head desperately. He didn’t want to cry, but tears welled up from his eyes uncontrollably.

His mom stroked his back. “What’s wrong, Qiqi? Why are you crying like this?”

“I…” Feng Qi grabbed his mother’s pajamas tightly. “I had a nightmare.”

July 23rd, 23:46.

Feng Qi didn’t touch <The Legend of Resurrection>. He stuck to his parents and obediently stood in the kitchen to help.

“Okay, birthday boy, the oily smoke is going to choke you.” His mom pushed him out. “I have to discuss something with your dad.”

Feng Qi stood outside the kitchen and waited.

Has the sun ever been this bright in their house?

July 23rd, 23:51.

Time passed quickly. The morning was already over in the blink of an eye. The family sat down around the table again.

“Cheers!” His mom and dad raised their cups of Coke. The deep-fried shrimp and braised pork ribs exuded a strong aroma.

It was a perfect morning. They didn’t play games and had their meal a lot earlier than expected. Most of the deep-fried shrimp were eaten. His father had skillfully peeled the shrimp shell for him, and soon the shrimp piled up into a hill on Feng Qi’s bowl.

However, just halfway through eating, his dad’s cellphone rang.

“Don’t answer it!” Feng Qi screamed as if he was scalded. “Let’s continue… Continue to eat, yeah?”

Amidst the pleasant melody, his parents look back at him in silence.

After a long time, his dad still answered the phone. Just like “last time”, the call was cut off quickly, and he had an apologetic smile on his face.

“I filled in the delivery address to our store,” he said. “I’m sorry. It’s dad’s fault.”

His mom put down the chopsticks and sighed lightly.

“Lao Feng, I shouldn’t have rushed you,” she said.

“I don’t want cake or orange juice.” Feng Qi seemed to understand something, but he wished he hadn’t. “It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault! I don’t want cake or orange juice for the rest of my life. I’ll never steal fried shrimp again. Please, don’t go!”

The sun was shining brightly, casting its light seductively over the dishes on the table. His mom’s and dad’s hands were warm, and their voices were as gentle as ever.

It was strange. He had heard their voices for so many years, but now he needed to hear them again before he could remember them.

If they really didn’t come back… Would he forget?

“What are you talking about?” His dad’s eyes became a little red. “In the future, when my son is successful, he’ll buy himself the best cake. One made from real animal cream.”

“You’re just growing up. Eat well.” His mom gave a reluctant smile. “You’re a big kid and know right from wrong.”

They stood up, put down their chopsticks carefully, and put on their coats. His mother leaned down and gently kissed him on the forehead.

July 23rd, 23:57.

“Happy birthday, Qiqi.”

“Happy birthday, brat.”

“We got a present for you,” his dad said.

“It’s at the bottom in your closet,” his mom added. “Don’t be naughty, and make sure to listen to your teacher.”

His dad smiled. He had already started putting on his shoes. “Our son is smart. He will definitely get into A University in the future.”

For the first time in thirteen days, Feng Qi covered his eyes and started bawling. Tears dripped onto the dining table, causing the chopsticks to roll to the ground, creating a crisp sound.

“Why?”

His voice was hoarse. He didn’t know who or what he was asking.

He didn’t step forward to stop them, but just stood in despair.

“……Why!”

His father’s movement in putting on his shoes slowed slightly. His mom lifted up her purse, then put it down. The two exchanged glances, then walked back to the center of the house.

“Don’t cry. Come on, let’s play another game.” His dad walked in front of the game console and turned on <The Legend of Resurrection>.

The “shield warrior” and “priest” were surrounded by a little swordsman. They passed through the vicinity of the “Sleeping Mountains” in the game. The teleportation point to challenge the Dragon of Destruction hadn’t been opened yet. As of now, it wasn’t a battlefield but a particularly beautiful place under the starry sky.

“The hero will always go through a lot of suffering,” His mom controlled the priest and found a place with the best view, “but they will always continue their adventure, right Qiqi?’

“That’s right. You’re just like me, the strongest man in the world!”

“Oh, stop,” his mom glanced at his dad helplessly.

The three characters stopped at the Sea of Flowers in the Eternal Sleeping Mountains, where they could see the vast expanse of the sky in the game.

July 23rd, 23:59.

His mom and dad stood at the door again to their home.

July 24th, 00:00.

“Goodbye.” They smiled as they said goodbye to him.

……

Yin Ren slowly dropped to the ground.

In his arms, Feng Qi had fallen heavily asleep. His breathing was even and long.

Yin Ren removed most of the evil qi from the boy and most of the evil qi corruption on the keychain was also taken away by him. Shian should be able to handle the rest.

Although the effects of the corruption couldn’t be eradicated, at least Feng Qi could live a healthy life.

And it wasn’t like he came up empty-handed.

Yin Ren swallowed the strange evil qi. Not only did it not increase his burden, but it also made it a bit easier. How wonderful. It was like he was eating “meat”. It was like he had obtained a fragment of his “body’s memory”, and he found a way to manipulate the evil qi.

“A very good deal.”

He avoided Shian and the police and put the boy among the bushes behind Villa 18. Now that people were looking for Feng Qi everywhere, he believed the boy would be found soon.

Under the dry bushes, the boy curled up.

He seemed to be sleeping in someone’s arms, and his expression was calm. Sporadic tears would fill the corners of his eyes from time to time. Yin Ren bent down, took out the keychain that had lost its evil qi, and carefully placed it into the boy’s hand.

“Sweet dreams.”

After finishing this, Yin Ren tapped the boy’s brows and erased the boy’s memory of himself.

Next, the great “Dragon of Destruction” still had a mess to clean up.

Yin Ren snuck back to a corridor, took out his phone, and quickly opened the WeChat group.

In the Shian-Small Work Group, Liang Shan had sent more than a dozen voice messages in a row. After exiting WeChat, he found six missed calls; four from Liang Shan, one from Lu Xiaohe, and one from Zhong Chengshuo.

Yin Ren: “…” This kid sure knows how to act.

He cleared his throat, looked at Zhong Chengshuo’s missed call, and called back.

The call was quickly connected.

“Sorry, sorry, my phone was on silent,” Yin Ren lied solemnly. “Zhong Ge, how’s your side? Did you twist your ankle badly?”

“It’s fine.” He could hear the sound of rain coming from Zhong Chengshuo’s side. “It’s been taken care of. I’ll be home soon. How about you? Is your stomach better?”

“Much better. It’s just a bit empty. I went home just now to avoid the rain… Hey, did you bring an umbrella? I’ll come pick you up at the entrance of the community.”

“I don’t…”

“Why are you being so polite? You twisted your ankle, so it’s inconvenient,” Yin Ren interrupted him enthusiastically. “Can you get back on your own?”

“The gym isn’t far away. I can just walk…”

“Then I’ll go pick you up! It’s raining so much right now. What should I do if you catch a cold? Wait a minute. I’ll be right there—”

Before Zhong Chengshuo could decline, Yin Ren abruptly hung up the phone.

He steamed his body dry, picked up an umbrella from home, and rushed straight out to the entrance to the community.

Honestly, Yin Ren didn’t mind Zhong Chengshuo’s identity or motives. Now that they were both under Shian’s nose, and with Zhong Chengshuo having a secret that couldn’t be exposed, this made things more beneficial for him.

Yin Ren was concerned about another thing—it was both true that Zhong Chengshuo had “zero spirit” and was also “a master in the industry”. That kid took the initiative to take his broken hair, which meant he must’ve guessed his identity.

Lord Ghost King would not let go of this opportunity to test him.

At midnight, the sirens around Ping’an Manor were blaring. Criminals were sent into police cars one by one while Shian cultivators were running around cleaning up the aftermath. Yin Ren avoided the crowd. He propped up a big black umbrella and stood quietly at the entrance of the community. The rain made a dull tapping sound on the top of his umbrella.

He waited for Zhong Chengshuo, who had “just returned home”.

The man was carrying a gym bag and wearing a simple long-sleeve shirt. He was drenched to his skin as he stared blankly at Yin Ren. His long black hair was plastered on his face, making him look harmless and pitiful.

It was midnight. The thunder rumbled as the rain continued to pour.

Under the warm yellow streetlight, they seemed to have returned to the night when they first met.

The author has something to say:

This arc is about to end~

Always like some Mr. and Mrs. Smith* who have a subtle (?) position!

*Referring to the movie starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. The premise is that they are both assassins belonging to different competing agencies but are married to each other and try to keep their secrets from each other (which is similar to what’s going on here).

Kinky Thoughts:

I didn’t expect to already be sobbing in just arc 2. Poor Feng Qi. I hope he gets a happy ending.