It was as if a mysterious ghost had emerged from the vast darkness, clinging to him like a bone-deep parasite. It pressed close to his ear, stirred the hairs on his neck, and whispered softly.
"Ah!"
The gaunt man let out a piercing shriek, trembling all over as his soul nearly fled his body. He sprang away from where he stood, leaping several meters in a single bound.
Shaking like a sieve, he turned around and stared fearfully behind him.
A tall, slender figure stood where he had just been, watching him calmly.
His childhood friend was in even worse shape.
His legs kicked out, and he fainted on the spot from fright.
What a waste of all that height!
"Brother Mu, what is it you'd like to ask me this time?"
Though the gaunt man was drenched in sweat, his voice trembling and his face deathly pale, as if he'd just suffered a serious illness, anyone could see something was wrong.
Still, he did his best to stay calm, gritting his teeth and holding on.
"There's just something I don't understand."
"Go ahead, Brother Rong will surely tell you everything he knows. Everything!"
"You and I met by chance. We've never had any conflict."
"I've always treated you with proper courtesy and never acted frivolously. But I don't know why, Brother Rong seems to have held a grudge against me all along."
"Could you explain it to me?"
Mu Chen walked toward the gaunt man, one steady step at a time.
"Run!"
The gaunt man's face changed drastically at his words. How could he not know that the truth had come out?
Now, there was not a shred of hope left in his heart.
Without hesitation, he turned and ran, fleeing into the depths of the forest.
--
Thwack! A whip-like strike came down, knocking the fleeing figure back.
"Brother Mu Chen, Brother Mu Chen, I was wrong! I was wrong!"
"I only lost my head for a moment! Please, spare my life!"
"Brother Rong lost his father when he was young, and his family is poor. My mother and little sister are waiting for me to return from the Spirit Road with honor. I can't die here!"
The gaunt man scrambled nimbly to his feet. Knowing he was no match, he dropped to his knees with a crash, as though a golden mountain had toppled or a jade pillar had fallen.
He wept bitterly as he slapped himself again and again, each blow fierce.
In no time, both cheeks swelled as high as steamed buns.
"I gave you a chance."
Mu Chen shook his head, his expression as calm as ever. It wasn't as though he hadn't given him a chance.
"Go to hell, ahhh!!"
The moment Mu Chen came close, the gaunt man, who had been kneeling and bowing his head, suddenly looked up. His face twisted horribly, his expression crazed.
He pulled a Spirit Soldier from his robe and lunged straight for Mu Chen's chest.
I apologized! What more do you want?
Why can't you forgive me?
So you really are a hypocrite who holds others to a stricter standard than yourself.
Hypocrites deserve to die!
The gaunt man gripped his blade, surging up with an unstoppable momentum—until, until the low-grade Spirit Artifact in his hand was snatched away by Mu Chen with his bare hands.
Mu Chen casually twisted it into a tangled knot and tossed it aside.
Though he'd been ambushed, Mu Chen showed no particular embarrassment or anger. He simply looked at the gaunt man, who lay there like a dead dog, with neither sorrow nor joy in his gaze. "Anything else?"
Under that utterly emotionless gaze, the gaunt man burst into tears again, snot and tears running down his face. "I lied just now. My birth mother died a long time ago, too."
"But I really do have a little sister waiting for me!!"
With a scream, a bloody chunk of flesh fell into the dust.
His tongue had been torn out. He could no longer speak.
"This is for making you wish you were dead."
Mu Chen whipped out a leg and tapped him four times, breaking all four of his limbs.
"This is for making sure you never have children."
He kicked the man in the groin, crushing his *****.
"As for a funeral carriage drifting through the air, the Spirit Road's too primitive. We don't have the conditions for that yet."
"And being struck by lightning—covered in Black God Lightning? That's a divine lightning bolt only summoned when a Super Heavenly Beast evolves into a divine beast. I can't condense it either. Sorry."
Mu Chen paused for a moment, seeming hesitant, and wore an apologetic expression. "But being bitten to death by a ferocious beast while walking around? That one I can arrange."
As he spoke, Mu Chen picked up the limp gaunt man, like a torn sack, and vanished in a flash.
He found a pack of ravenous beasts and tossed the man straight into their midst.
Only after confirming that the gaunt man had calmed down and passed away peacefully did Mu Chen leave, satisfied.
Brother Rong, I've granted all four of your lovely wishes!
--
By the campfire, beside the tent.
The tall man whom the youth surnamed Rong had called "Old Shi" was still lying unconscious on the ground.
Long after Mu Chen had left, he cracked open his tightly shut eyes and cautiously surveyed the surroundings. There was no one in sight; only the crackling of the firewood broke the silence.
Even so, the tall man didn't get up. He kept pretending to be asleep.
After a while, once he was sure all was clear, he sprang to his feet.
He hadn't actually fainted from fright, of course. He'd just played dead.
"That was close..."
The tall man stood and worked the stiffness out of his aching muscles, muttering to himself.
"Finished your little performance?"
Suddenly, a voice he knew all too well rang out.
"Eek!"
The tall man jumped three feet in the air, nearly scared out of his wits.
His heart pounded, his hands and feet turned icy, and cold sweat poured from him.
He followed the voice and saw the handsome youth in fine clothes, still sitting on the large blue-gray rock, exactly as he had been several hours earlier.
"If you're done, come sit down. I have some questions for you."
Mu Chen gestured toward the tree root by his feet, inviting him over.
The tall man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and obediently sat down, meek as a kitten.
"Good. I like people who know how to read the room. You know what I'm going to ask, right?"
"Brother Rong was as dumb as a donkey. Don't follow his example."
"I know, I know!"
The tall man nodded frantically. Wisely, he didn't ask where his companion had gone. Without Mu Chen needing to prompt him, he honestly revealed everything he knew about Luo Li.
Luo Li had indeed not yet been captured, but her injuries were severe, and her fighting strength was steadily declining. Her defeat was only a matter of time, and the situation was dire.
The Black Demon Forest wasn't to the north, either, but to the west. It was five days away.
The Black Demon Forest, however, covered an enormous area, stretching for a thousand miles.
Even if tens of thousands of people were scattered throughout it, they would vanish from sight in an instant.
On top of that, it was filled with dangers and extremely hazardous.
There were countless high-level spirit beasts like the Golden Armored Dragon Tiger Beast.
"Thanks. Here, this is your payment."
After learning the truth, Mu Chen grew worried, his brows tightly knit.
He paid the man little further attention, tossed him an item, and hurried away.
The tall man caught it and saw that it was a low-grade storage pouch.
Inside was the reward Mu Chen had previously given the youth surnamed Rong.
He suddenly felt that the thing was too hot to hold.
"Brother Rong, rest in peace. I'll take good care of your little sister for you."
Perhaps recalling something, the tall man decided to keep it after all.
Suddenly, he whipped around and looked at the large blue-gray rock. It was empty.
Whew, he really was gone this time.
Seeing that, the tall man let out a long breath of relief.
Then, he abandoned even the tent and ran straight into the darkness.
This place was much too eerie. He really shouldn't stay here!
P.S. I heard the light novel channel gets a lot of traffic and has many authors, so competition is fierce. Its derivative fanfiction category is even more competitive. That's why the requirements for getting a trial promotion are higher than in other channels: you need at least 100 readers following the story.
I wonder if I'll even get a chance at a trial promotion. The editor is about to go on holiday on the 9th, so it won't happen before the New Year.
It'll probably be pushed back until after the holiday. By then, I'll have at least 100,000 words. What a pain.
Besides, the editor won't let me ask about recommendations, and doesn't reply when I do. I'd better just keep my head down and update.
I want to visit relatives over the New Year, but I also don't want to stop updating during my new-book period. I picked the time to publish this new book myself. What's wrong with me? (ー`ー)
Before you continue