Feeling Blue, Want to Cry

Shen Bing held Little Doudou and hailed a taxi, asking the driver to take him straight to Fengze Residential Community.

The driver glanced at him. Plenty of university students kept Pets, but most were girls. A guy keeping a Pet—especially a tiny kitten—was rather unusual.

Shen Bing understood the look, but he was thick-skinned. Holding Little Doudou in one hand, he browsed the quest list in the Gate to the Immortal Realm game with the other, looking for something he could complete.

Less than half a day had passed, yet the quest list had changed considerably. Apart from the depressed Plague God's quest, which still hung at the top, every other quest had been replaced.

"Jade Emperor's Worries: Since the Ascension Gate closed, no cultivator has ascended to the Immortal Realm. Its population has entered negative growth, leaving the Jade Emperor deeply troubled. Help the Jade Emperor reopen the Ascension Gate to receive his reward."

"Uh... that's the final quest, right? If even the Jade Emperor can't do it, I might as well call it a night."

"A quest from Lord Lao? His Azure Ox has gone missing? Skip! That ox has a terrible temper. Finding him wouldn't end well."

"This one won't work either..."

"Huh? This quest looks promising. Find an Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystal: Clairvoyance needs one to make the Heaven-Peering Mirror, an immortal artifact. Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystals grow atop Dark Ice Mountain at the center of Iceflame Island. Iceflame Fire covers the island. This wondrous flame has boundless power. It parts for those entering the island, but on their way out, blue flames cling to them, burning their hearts and souls. Even Golden Immortals cannot withstand it. Help Clairvoyance obtain an Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystal to receive his reward."

"At worst, I'll die in there. I can respawn anyway, so there's nothing to lose."

Shen Bing accepted the quest and tapped Teleport.

The scene on the Screen changed instantly. Shen Bing found his character in a world of ice and snow.

Snow blanketed the plains, ice coated the mountains, and pale blue flames drifted across the ground as though the snow itself were burning.

Using the zoom function, Shen Bing guided his character straight toward the tallest icy mountain at the island's center.

Iceflame Island was not large—two or three square kilometers, by Shen Bing's estimate. This was the Immortal Realm, after all. His character might be a weakling here, but he was still far stronger than an ordinary person in the mortal world.

As Shen Bing controlled the character on the Screen, he could almost feel the chill seeping out of the image.

Within two or three minutes, Shen Bing stood atop Dark Ice Mountain.

He froze, his eyes fixed on the strange stones displayed on the Screen, each as large as a millstone.

The stones shimmered in seven colors, their light and shadows shifting unpredictably.

"If I used one of these to propose, what campus beauty could possibly resist?"

An image suddenly popped into Shen Bing's mind: Wang Xiyan holding his arm...

All right, he was getting ahead of himself.

Wang Xiyan, the campus beauty, had taken his arm last night to turn down that idiot Lin Zijian, but Shen Bing would bet anything she didn't even remember who he was.

Shen Bing tapped one of the stones. His character on the Screen crouched and reached out with both hands to lift it.

"Quest item discovered: Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystal. Pick it up?"

"Pick up."

When Shen Bing tapped Confirm, the millstone-sized Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystal vanished from the spot.

"That's convenient," Shen Bing thought.

Even Gods coveted Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystals, so Shen Bing naturally wanted to grab more while he could. Before he could stand, however, another system prompt appeared.

"Quest item acquired. Teleport to Clairvoyance now? (Note: This teleport is included with the quest and will not consume Teleportation Talisman energy.)"

Shen Bing hesitated over the Cancel and Confirm buttons on the Screen. If he tapped Cancel, there was no telling whether he would get another chance to teleport directly to Clairvoyance. At the very least, he would have to use a charge from his Teleportation Talisman.

Shen Bing's Novice Teleportation Talisman had only one use left. He couldn't afford to waste it.

More importantly, if he headed back the way he had come, who knew whether the Blue Flame would burn him to ash?

If he respawned on Illusory Void Island, he would have to spend his last teleport. That would be a terrible loss.

"Teleport."

The scene changed again, taking Shen Bing from the icy wilderness to a magnificent palace.

Shen Bing had visited the Forbidden City in Capital City and Chang'an City before. The palaces in both places had awed him, but compared with the one before him, they fell far short in both beauty and grandeur.

“Which High Immortal has graced us with his presence? I am the humble immortal Gao Jue, Clairvoyance. Forgive me for failing to welcome you sooner.” A frightened figure stumbled out of a side chamber in the Palace. He had a fierce face, eyes like bronze bells, teeth like short swords, and a towering build. If not for the fear written across his face, he looked capable of scaring children into silence.

"I am Mist-Ethereal Adept. I heard you were seeking an Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystal, fellow immortal Gao. As it happens, I have one to spare, so I came to give it to you," Shen Bing typed.

After Great Sage Equal to Heaven had killed him with one blow, Shen Bing no longer dared invent connections at random. At the very least, he would avoid claiming ties to any famous immortals. Who knew if they would sense it and charge over like that monkey? Pretending to be some minor immortal would not impress Clairvoyance, either. Better to use a vague, mysterious title.

Thousand-Mile Eye blinked. Since when did the Immortal Realm have anyone this generous?

Treasures might be as numerous as stars in the Immortal Realm, but every God kept theirs hidden for fear others would find out. Who would offer one as a gift?

Besides, Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystals were exceedingly rare. Few in the entire immortal realm could reach Iceflame Island, and every one of them was a lofty figure beyond Clairvoyance's reach.

And who was this Mist-Ethereal Adept? He had never even heard of him!

Thousand-Mile Eye's mind raced. He could hardly refuse a treasure delivered to his door, especially when he desperately needed an Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystal.

“Thank you for your generosity, High Immortal. I could not accept your treasure for nothing. Please take this in return.” With that, an object resembling a kaleidoscope appeared in Clairvoyance's hand.

A window immediately popped up on the Screen.

"Thousand-Mile Eye wishes to trade with you. Accept?"

"Accept."

Shen Bing had already tested the Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystal. He could neither transfer it out of the game nor analyze it, so it was useless to him. Besides, he had come to complete the quest. Of course he accepted the trade at once.

The trade went smoothly. Seeing a new item in his inventory, Shen Bing grew excited. This was something a God had used.

"Quest complete. Return to Illusory Void Island now? (Note: This teleport is included with the quest and will not consume Teleportation Talisman energy.)"

Return, my ass! Shen Bing had wanted to make friends with Clairvoyance. The man was one of the immortal realm's recognized gods, after all.

But to save his remaining Teleportation Talisman charges, Shen Bing reluctantly tapped Teleport.

As he left, Shen Bing noticed how Clairvoyance was looking at him. The man seemed almost hurt...

Now Shen Bing finally knew that the Floating Island where he had been staying was called Illusory Void Island.

"We're at Fengze Residential Community, young man," the driver said, pulling over.

Shen Bing paid the fare, thanked him, and got out.

He called the landlord, a man in his sixties surnamed Wang, and politely addressed him as Grandpa Wang.

Uncle Wang was warmhearted. As he showed Shen Bing the rental, he chatted about his family.

Uncle Wang had originally planned to live there himself, but the smog in Rongcheng had grown severe over the past two years. Worried about his father's health, his son had built a villa back in their hometown in the countryside and asked him to move there.

Uncle Wang thought it would be a waste to leave the city apartment empty, so he decided to rent it out.

Shen Bing could hear how happy Grandpa Wang was. Having such a devoted son was certainly something to be happy about.

That reminded Shen Bing of his own parents. Were they worrying about his job?

Shen Bing shook his head to himself. He was definitely their biological son, but as one childhood memory after another flashed through his mind, he struggled to find a single sensible thing they had done.

When his kindergarten teacher had asked the children to bring a small animal to school, his dad had told him to take the family's big yellow dog, Big Yellow. Every other child had brought a little insect caught outdoors.

The other children had eagerly studied the insects on their desks, while Shen Bing and Big Yellow had sat off to the side, staring at each other. What a picture that had been.

When he asked his dad afterward why he had made him bring Big Yellow to school, his dad had only said, "We've got more dogs than anything else."

What could he do? His dad raised dogs by the dozen.

As for his mom... no, never mind. Thinking about it brought tears to his eyes.

Anyone would have been dumbstruck if, on their first day of primary school, their mother had grabbed a sweet-looking little girl and declared that she would be her daughter-in-law.

Feeling blue. Want to cry...

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