Entering the Game

Huang Bao left, and the room returned to silence.

Li Tui sat down, took off his upper garment, and unwound the bandages from that morning. The cloth was soaked through with blood, stiff and blackened, sticking to his skin as he tore it away.

On his left arm, the flesh of the three claw marks had mostly closed, covered by a thin, dark red scab with only a faint redness remaining at the edges.

Li Tui stared at the wound, his brow furrowed.

Something was wrong.

When the Earth Lizard Demon's claw swept past last night, he had clearly felt the cold, poisonous aura embedded in the strike. Even if it were just a graze, the wound should have been turning blue-black, itching, and festering by now. Yet, as it stood...

He pressed against the surface of the scab. It was firm, and the skin beneath felt warm, though not feverish. But this healing speed was far too fast.

He unwound the bandages on his back. The blue-purple bruising on his shoulder blade had also largely faded; when he pressed his fingers against it, the bone felt intact, leaving only a dull ache.

Too fast.

Li Tui was silent for a moment before reaching into his robe to pull out a coarse cloth pouch. The outer layer of dried mud cracked as he peeled it away, revealing a dark red, fleshy tumor.

Last night, he had kept this thing pressed against his body, and the area around his wound had felt constantly warm. It seemed this tumor could not only neutralize the demon poison but also possessed such potent healing properties.

A good thing.

But also a deadly thing.

Li Tui re-bandaged his wounds with more efficient movements. He put on clean clothes, intentionally lengthening the cuff of his left sleeve to hide the marks. His back remained slightly stiff when he stood straight, but it was enough to pass.

Outside the window, the sky was neither light nor dark.

Li Tui sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing. As his internal energy circulated, the sense of obstruction near his injury was much lighter than expected; not only had the external wounds improved, but even the hidden damage to his meridians seemed to have been nourished.

Yet, he felt no sense of security; instead, a chill crept up his spine.

This tumor... it had appeared too conveniently.

The events in the West Suburbs last night were strange from beginning to end. The Earth Lizard Demon had appeared where it shouldn't have, wielding poisonous claws, and inside its body, there happened to be a rare object that could neutralize that very poison and heal the wounds it caused.

If one were to call this luck...

Li Tui slowly opened his eyes and looked at the brightening sky outside the window.

In his eighty years of his previous life, the thing he believed in least was luck.

But if it wasn't luck, then it was a trap...

But why?

Because of the cunning he had cultivated over two lifetimes? Because of his meager cultivation, having only opened two acupuncture points? Or because of his awkward status as a servant and study companion of a different surname?

None of it was enough.

If this truly was a trap, what could the person playing the game possibly want from him? What were they plotting?

Li Tui couldn't fathom it.

The only thing he knew was that he was currently standing on thin ice. There were undercurrents beneath the ice and no path of retreat above it. The tumor was a burning coal, yet also a source of warmth before his eyes. Throwing it away might not guarantee his escape, but keeping it, if discovered, would surely invite disaster.

The next morning, the sky was a dull gray. Li Tui was already waiting outside the main room, his back straight and his left sleeve carefully adjusted.

The door opened, and Zhao Yuanchong stepped out, draped in a robe, his gaze lingering on Li Tui for a moment.

"Can you walk?" he asked casually, not stopping his stride.

"Thanks to the young master's grace, I am no longer hindered," Li Tui said, taking a half-step to follow, his voice steady.

If you like this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

The two walked along the corridor, one behind the other. When they reached a corner, Zhao Yuanchong suddenly slowed his pace and glanced sideways at Li Tui's left arm: "The Earth Lizard Demon's claws are poisonous; you took that hit quite lightly."

Li Tui lowered his eyes: "Perhaps I was lucky, and the tip of the claw missed slightly."

Zhao Yuanchong gave a light hum and didn't continue the conversation.

Breakfast was laid out in the East Wing flower hall. Zhao Yuanchong sat at the head of the table but didn't rush to pick up his chopsticks. He looked up at Li Tui, who was standing to the side, and suddenly spoke:

"Roll up your sleeve, let me see."

Li Tui complied, stepping forward to slowly roll his left sleeve up to his elbow. The bandages beneath were white, with only a few yellowish-brown medicinal stains seeping through at the edges.

Zhao Yuanchong stared at the bandages for a moment, then reached out, hooked the edge, and gave a light tug.

The bandages fell away, revealing the dark red scab beneath. The three claw marks were clear, the flesh having mostly closed with only faint traces remaining.

"You recovered quickly." Zhao Yuanchong tapped his fingertips against the edge of the table, his tone unreadable. "When Rot-Bone Poison enters the body, an ordinary cultivator would fester for at least three to five days. Yet your wound is nearly healed..."

The flower hall fell silent for a moment.

Li Tui lowered his eyes: "I also find it strange. Perhaps the poison didn't reach the bone, or... my constitution is somewhat different from others."

"Different from others?" Zhao Yuanchong smiled, a short, cold sound. He suddenly leaned forward, his right hand striking out like lightning to press heavily onto the scab on Li Tui's left arm!

The force was immense; the scab immediately sank, and tiny beads of blood seeped from the edges.

Li Tui's muscles tensed instantly, the veins on his forehead slightly visible, but he forced a muffled groan back into his throat. He looked up at Zhao Yuanchong, his eyes remaining calm, though a cold light flashed deep within his pupils.

"Does it hurt?" Zhao Yuanchong asked, adding two more points of pressure.

"It hurts," Li Tui answered flatly.

Zhao Yuanchong stared at him for two breaths before slowly withdrawing his hand, pulling a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the blood from his fingertips in a leisurely manner.

"It's good that it hurts." He tossed the blood-stained handkerchief onto the table. "I was starting to think your sense of pain was different from everyone else's."

Li Tui did not respond, remaining silent as he re-wrapped the cloth strips. A sharp, stinging pain radiated from the wound on his left arm with every movement, yet he did not even twitch an eyebrow.

Zhao Yuanchong picked up the porridge bowl again and took a small sip. The porcelain spoon clinked against the rim with a faint, crisp sound. He drank very slowly, his gaze fixed on the swirling steam, remaining silent for a long while.

After a long time, Zhao Yuanchong finally set the bowl down, his fingertips tracing unconscious patterns on the smooth tabletop.

"That place in the West Suburbs..." he suddenly spoke, his voice low and thoughtful. "It's been there for quite some years. I heard there were some strange occurrences there in the early days, so later on, no one cared to go near it."

He raised his eyes to look at Li Tui, his expression devoid of emotion, as if he were merely discussing trivial gossip: "You spent the whole night struggling there last night—did you happen to see any other 'strange things'? Besides that crazed demon."

Li Tui lowered his eyes: "The sky was dark, and I was in a hurry to escape, so I didn't look closely."

"Is that so." Zhao Yuanchong gave a noncommittal response, his fingertips continuing to trace the table. "But this morning, I heard the night watchmen whispering that in the depths of the old forest to the west, there have been flickering green fires appearing and disappearing in the middle of the night these past few days. It looks quite sinister."

He paused, his gaze settling on Li Tui's face: "Do you think... that Earth Lizard Demon wasn't the only one? Could there be something else hiding in the forest?"

The question was asked lightly, yet every word carried a hook.

Li Tui felt a chill in his heart. Zhao Yuanchong's words sounded like a casual mention of rumors, but they were clearly a probe.

"I do not know." Li Tui answered cautiously. "If it is as the young master says, then that place is likely... not peaceful."

"Not peaceful is good." Zhao Yuanchong suddenly smiled, though the mirth did not reach his eyes. "Life in this manor is far too dull; it could use some unpeaceful events to wake people up."

He stood up, the hem of his brocade robe brushing against the chair.

"Since your wounds heal quickly, there is no need to keep yourself confined to the courtyard from now on." He walked to Li Tui's side, pausing for a moment, his voice dropping lower with a tone of almost intimate casualness. "If you are bored, or if you want to practice your skills... that wild area in the West Suburbs would be a fine place to go. It's certainly better than staying in the manor and facing a bunch of useless trash."

Having said that, he did not linger and strolled out of the flower hall.

The sound of his footsteps gradually faded away.

Li Tui stood where he was, slowly raising his eyes to look in the direction of the corridor where Zhao Yuanchong had disappeared.