[I had considered why Viscount Priest did this.]
On the screen, the young "Lin Qing" sat on a bed in the academy dormitory, staring at the letter with a deeply furrowed brow.
[I really couldn't make sense of it. There had to be something wrong with this. But in the end, I still decided to accept this enormous sum of money.]
[Because I needed Whale Rubber.]
"Whale Rubber?"
Lin Qing's eyes lit up in the real world.
Good stuff!
On the Douluo Continent of this era, Soul Scholars had yet to discover Whale Rubber's true value.
Everyone thought the stuff was just an aphrodisiac, something noble lords bought to spice things up during their revelries.
It was not cheap, but it was nowhere near exorbitantly priced either.
But Lin Qing knew.
It was not until the era of the Peerless Tang Sect, ten thousand years later, that Whale Rubber's true effects were discovered.
When properly processed and consumed, it could greatly improve a Soul Scholar's physical condition.
More importantly, improved physical condition could raise the limit on the age of Soul Rings a Soul Scholar could absorb!
This was especially true for the first few Soul Rings.
With high-quality Whale Rubber, one could completely exceed the theoretical optimal configuration and maximize one's potential in the early stages.
"If it were me..."
Lin Qing put himself in the shoes of his Parallel World counterpart and thought it over.
Then he shook his head with a bitter smile.
"I really couldn't have refused..."
The temptation of one thousand Gold Soul Coins was simply too great.
In this era, Whale Rubber was not that expensive.
One thousand Gold Soul Coins were enough to buy several pieces of thousand-year-quality Whale Rubber.
He had bought something precious in the future at cabbage prices.
Only an idiot would turn that down.
The "Lin Qing" in the last words had clearly thought the same way.
This was called knowing there was a tiger on the mountain, yet walking straight toward it anyway.
[I used the Gold Soul Coins I received to buy several pieces of thousand-year Whale Rubber.]
The youth walked out of an herbal shop.
He held several tightly wrapped blocks of oil paper in his arms.
[Since Whale Rubber needed to be completely melted with high-temperature flames for its effects to take hold, I arranged to hire a fire-element Soul Scholar teacher at the academy to help.]
A middle-aged man in a teacher's robe raised his palm, and blazing flames sprang to life.
The oil-paper wrapping was opened, revealing dark red, translucent gelatinous material inside.
Under the scorching flames, the Whale Rubber gradually softened, turning into a thick liquid that gave off a strange fragrance.
[After the Whale Rubber melted, before I even had the chance to consume it... Viscount Priest sent someone to invite me to the Priest Family for a talk.]
That lavishly dressed butler appeared again.
He wore a formulaic smile, but his attitude allowed no refusal.
[Who would have thought...]
The narration paused.
His voice carried intense bitterness.
[Once I went, I never returned.]
"???"
Lin Qing froze in the real world.
Did that mean the Parallel World Lin Qing had died at the Priest Family?
He suddenly remembered that the portrait on the Ash Urn had depicted a child of only six.
"So... the Parallel World me didn't even live past six?"
A chill ran down Lin Qing's back.
He had been so excited about the Whale Rubber that he had nearly forgotten this part.
Last words, last words—only dead people had those!
His expression turned grave.
"How exactly did the Parallel World me die?"
His curiosity was thoroughly piqued.
[With those doubts in mind, I arrived at the Priest Family.]
The scene shifted to an imposing estate.
Tall wrought-iron gates, neatly trimmed lawns, and an angel statue standing in the center of a fountain.
A typical noble residence.
[I met Viscount Priest.]
In the drawing room, a man rose from the sofa.
He appeared to be in his forties. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, his hair combed meticulously, and a black robe with a silver cross embroidered at the collar.
He was dressed... exactly like a priest from a church.
[He was a man who looked kind and approachable.]
Viscount Priest smiled and extended a hand toward the young Lin Qing.
His smile was gentle, and his gaze was kindly.
Anyone who saw him would have thought he was a friendly elder.
[He warmly invited me to dinner.]
In the dining room, an array of exquisite dishes filled the long table.
Candlelight flickered, and the silverware reflected a warm sheen.
The viscount sat at the head of the table, elegantly cutting his steak.
"..."
For some reason, Lin Qing's brow twitched sharply when he saw this.
A powerful sense of foreboding rose within him.
This scene... looked far too much like the beginning of some horror film!
[However, during dinner—]
The image began to shake.
It was as if the person filming could no longer stand steadily.
[I began to feel dizzy, and my entire body burned.]
The young Lin Qing held his forehead as the fork in his hand fell onto the plate with a clang.
He tried to stand, but his legs had gone limp as cotton.
[I was drugged!]
The narrator's voice finally carried anger.
[Viscount Priest shed his gentle disguise.]
Across the dining table, that "kind and approachable" viscount slowly set down his knife and fork.
He removed his gold-rimmed glasses and leisurely wiped them with a handkerchief.
Then he raised his head.
He still wore a smile, but it had become twisted, greedy, and revolting.
[He finally revealed his true face—a disgusting old pervert!]
His gaze was blazing and terrifying, as if he were admiring a precious collectible.
[That damned bastard actually said I was too cute, too perfect...]
[To hell with his fucking censored bullshit!]
The narrator suddenly erupted with a furious roar, followed by a string of censored curses.
Clearly, the Parallel World Lin Qing had completely exploded with rage.
"???"
Lin Qing in the real world was sweating profusely too.
He stared fixedly at the scene of light and shadow, his teeth grinding together.
Priest... Priest?
Wasn't that English transliteration literally "priest"?!
"Fuck!"
Lin Qing could not help swearing.
"What kind of bullshit script is this?!"
He felt fury surge from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
His fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deeply into his palms.
His Parallel World self had actually been targeted for such an absurd reason?
Just because he was cute?!
"What kind of deranged Evil God is this?"
Veins bulged on Lin Qing's forehead.
"The Parallel World me wasn't going to be... by that perverted priest..."
He simply could not say the rest.
Just imagining that scene made him physically sick.
That was a body identical to his own!
Fortunately—
The worst-case scenario did not seem to have happened.
[After realizing that old pervert's sinister intentions, I pretended to be weak.]
In the image, the limp youth suddenly opened his eyes, and a flash of determination crossed them.
[When he came close, I suddenly grabbed the fork from the table—]
"Splat!"
The silver dinner fork viciously plunged into Viscount Priest's left eye!
Blood splattered!
"Aaaahhh!!!"
The viscount let out a shrill scream, clutching his eye as he staggered backward.
[But even so, I realized that as a Soul Scholar without even a Soul Ring, I had no way to escape.]
The youth struggled up from his chair and staggered toward the dining room's floor-to-ceiling window.
Noisy footsteps echoed through the estate.
The guards were coming.
[So, unwilling to be defiled by that old pervert... I chose to crash through the window.]
The youth stood before the window and looked back one final time, his eyes filled with disgust and resolve.
"Crash!"
The sound of shattering glass was shrill and piercing.
A figure fell.
The image abruptly stopped there.
It sank into darkness.
[And so.]
The narrator's voice was terrifyingly calm.
[I died.]
Before you continue