At dawn, as the sun rose, Lu Xun pushed open his door with a haggard look on his face.
He felt like he was about to run dry.
This time, the exhaustion was even stronger than before. He had just gone through a trial, and his depleted mental energy had yet to fully recover when he was hit by another wave of Second Senior Sister's storm-like affection.
Nineteen times in one night—anyone would be drained.
Mao Nanbei had slept in again today, so Lu Xun casually plopped down in her exclusive rattan chair and sprawled out like a retired old man.
After lying there for quite a while, Lu Xun slowly took two dates from his Storage Ring and ate them. Looking at the dates, four words popped into his mind: Eating dates means you're doomed.
After eating the dates, a cool sensation swept through his body. His discomfort eased slightly, and his emptied body regained a trace of energy, reassuring him that he probably would not suddenly drop dead.
After letting out a long breath, Lu Xun stared at the blue sky and white clouds, spacing out before breaking into a smile.
"No matter what, I really have improved," Lu Xun thought.
Perhaps it was because he had gained Sword Dao Aptitude +1, or perhaps because he had leveled up twice in a row. In any case, he had gone from being "killed" thirty-six times a night to nineteen times now. He was clearly becoming more durable.
"A good thing, a good thing," Lu Xun comforted himself. Maybe if he died enough times, he would soon get used to dying.
After he had sprawled in the rattan chair for about half an hour, Mao Nanbei darted out through the window.
The little loli did not like using the front door. Little cats loved darting around everywhere.
Lu Xun had once watched videos where cats particularly enjoyed squeezing into narrow spaces, and they could always get through, as if their bodies were made of water.
Mao Nanbei did not seem to have that habit. She simply liked jumping up and down.
Normally, Lu Xun would have stood up and yielded Mao Nanbei's exclusive Large Rattan Chair to her. After all, it was her chair to begin with.
But he was too exhausted today, too exhausted to move. He merely shifted his butt aside and freed up half the seat.
Mao Nanbei had wanted to chase him away, but upon seeing how haggard he looked, she clicked her tongue and actually sat down beside Lu Xun.
She swung her little feet in the air and asked, "Little Martial Brother, did you comprehend Sword Heart?"
The commotion yesterday had been so huge that there was no way Mao Nanbei would not know about it.
"Mm." Lu Xun nodded while remaining sprawled out, looking exactly like a pile of moving sludge.
"What did it feel like to comprehend Sword Heart?" Mao Nanbei asked curiously.
She practiced the saber, so she was somewhat curious.
How am I supposed to describe that? Lu Xun thought.
After all, his Sword Heart had not truly been comprehended by him. He had gotten it for free.
So he spoke vaguely, "It was very profound. It can only be understood, not put into words. I really cannot think of how to describe it."
"Mm, that makes sense." Mao Nanbei nodded, feeling that Lu Xun was not wrong.
As she sat beside Lu Xun, her cat ears suddenly twitched as if she had remembered something. "If I remember correctly, you still do not even have a sword, do you?"
Lu Xun nodded. Aside from a Storage Ring, he truly did not have any equipment at all.
So without another word, he said, "Thank you, Fourth Senior Sister."
Mao Nanbei slowly put a question mark on her face. "Why are you thanking me?"
"Uh, Fourth Senior Sister, were you not going to give me a sword?" Lu Xun shamelessly began fishing for one.
Mao Nanbei: "..."
She looked at Lu Xun with utter disdain, then stuck out her little butt and shoved him straight off the rattan chair.
"This chair really is more comfortable with just one person sitting in it!" the little loli exclaimed.
Lu Xun was not angry. He had rested enough anyway, so he dusted off his butt and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.
Mao Nanbei's ears twitched, and she immediately followed him. With a grin, she said, "Little Martial Brother, I did not mean to do that just now! Slurp!"
"What are we eating today? Slurp!"
"How about pumpkin porridge today, Little Martial Brother? Slurp, slurp!"
In the end, breakfast really was pumpkin porridge.
Pumpkin porridge was a relatively healthy food. Pumpkins contained cobalt, a trace element necessary for pancreatic cells to synthesize insulin, and it helped prevent and treat diabetes.
Cooking porridge seemed simple, but it actually tested one's control of the heat. Lu Xun was quite skilled at it, and after Mao Nanbei had eaten it once, she had never forgotten it.
Once it was done, the two headed to the Bamboo Forest.
Second Senior Sister, seated atop a large rock, was still very thin. Lu Xun had never intended to fatten her up into Murong Yan; he only wanted her to be less gaunt. It seemed that would not happen anytime soon.
The feeding plan had a long way to go. Comrade Lu Xun still needed to work twice as hard!
It was not just Mao Nanbei who liked porridge. Second Senior Sister liked it too.
Though they were all cultivators, sounds of "huff, huff, huff" drifted through the Bamboo Forest as everyone tried to blow their porridge cool.
In truth, none of them feared getting burned. It was simply that porridge tasted better at the right temperature.
They could have cooled it with spiritual power, but that would have robbed eating of its pleasure. One had to enjoy the process!
"Huff, huff, huff!"
"Huff, huff, huff!"
The quiet Bamboo Forest began to fill with the bustle of morning.
After eating and drinking their fill, Lu Xun and Mao Nanbei leaned against a large bamboo stalk as usual, rubbing their bloated bellies clockwise with their right hands and wearing satisfied expressions as they digested their food.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized, maintaining the same belly-rubbing rhythm. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought it was a father playing a parent-child game with his daughter.
Lu Xun appeared to be spacing out, but he was actually browsing the Heavenly Dust game forum.
Ever since the forum had opened, Lu Xun had always taken a moment to check it after meals.
Although Heavenly Dust had not officially launched yet and there was not much useful information inside, there was no harm in taking a look.
In the twenty-second century, Heavenly Dust had generated tremendous anticipation during its promotional period. So even before the game officially launched, plenty of players were already chatting enthusiastically on the forum.
Time flowed differently in Heavenly Dust and reality. The official ratio was 10:1.
By studying the timestamps of forum posts, Lu Xun discovered that this was still the case now.
When he had checked the forum three days ago, the silly netizens' posts had been dated the eleventh. When he checked today, it was still fucking the eleventh.
One year on Earth meant ten years in Heavenly Dust. Lu Xun suddenly felt ancient.
The open beta for Heavenly Dust would begin in July of Tian Chen Calendar 4000. It was now September of Tian Chen Calendar 3997. It looked like there were less than three years left, but in reality, it was not far off at all—just over three months.
Today, he found an official forum post. It was actually selecting lucky players to participate in the closed beta!
Lu Xun could not help but grow serious.
The players... are about to arrive?
Before you continue