So Sad, I Could Cry

Shen Bing held Little Doudou as he hailed a taxi and asked 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 odd.

Shen Bing understood the look, but he had thick skin. Holding Little Doudou in one hand, he used the other to browse the task list in Gate to the Immortal Realm game, looking for something he could complete.

Although less than half a day had passed, Shen Bing found that the tasks on the list had changed considerably. Aside from the depressed Plague God's task, which still occupied the top spot, every other task had been replaced.

"The Jade Emperor's troubles: Since the Ascension Gate closed, no cultivator has ascended to the Immortal Realm. The Immortal Realm's population is now declining, much to the Jade Emperor's distress. Help him reopen the Ascension Gate to receive a reward from the Jade Emperor."

"Uh... Isn't that the ultimate quest? If even the Jade Emperor can't do it, I might as well go to bed."

"Lord Lao's task? His Azure Ox has run off? Pass! That ox has a nasty temper. Even if I found him, it wouldn't end well."

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

"Huh? This one's not bad. Find an Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystal: Gao Jue needs one to make the Heaven-Peering Mirror, an Immortal Artifact. The crystal grows atop Dark Ice Mountain at the center of Iceflame Island, which is covered in iceflame. This fire is wondrous and immensely powerful. It parts for those entering the island, but on their way out, Blue Flame clings to them, burning their hearts and souls. Even Golden Immortals cannot withstand it. Help Gao Jue obtain an Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystal to receive a reward from him."

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

Shen Bing accepted the task and tapped teleport.

The scene on the Screen changed instantly. Shen Bing found himself in a world covered in ice and snow.

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

Using the zoom feature to get his bearings, Shen Bing sent his character straight toward the tallest icy mountain at the island's center.

Iceflame Island wasn't large; Shen Bing estimated it was only two or three square kilometers. After all, this was the Immortal Realm. Though his character was a weakling here, he was far stronger than an ordinary person in the mortal world.

As Shen Bing guided his character across the Screen, he could almost feel the chill seeping from the image.

In just two or three minutes, Shen Bing was standing at the summit of Dark Ice Mountain.

Shen Bing froze. All he could see were the strange stones on the Screen, each as large as a millstone.

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

"If I used one of those to propose, I bet no campus beauty could resist."

An image suddenly popped into Shen Bing's mind: Wang Xiyan with her arm linked through his...

All right, he was getting ahead of himself.

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

Shen Bing tapped one of the strange 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, a millstone-sized Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystal vanished from where it lay.

"That's pretty convenient," Shen Bing thought.

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

"Quest item obtained. Teleport to Gao Jue now? (Note: This teleport is included with the quest and does not consume Teleportation Talisman energy.)"

Shen Bing stared at the Cancel and Confirm buttons on the Screen, torn. If he chose Cancel, there was no telling whether he would get another chance to teleport directly to Gao Jue. At the very least, doing so later would use up a charge on his Teleportation Talisman.

His novice Teleportation Talisman had only one use left. He couldn't afford to waste it.

More importantly, if he tried to walk back, who knew whether the Blue Flame would burn him to ashes?

If he respawned on Illusory Void Island, getting back would cost him another teleport. That would be a terrible deal.

"Teleport."

The scene changed again. Shen Bing's character went from a frozen wasteland to a magnificent palace.

Shen Bing had visited the Forbidden City in the Capital City and Chang'an City. Both had impressed him, but their Palaces fell far short of this one in both splendor and grandeur.

“Which High Immortal has arrived? I am Thousand-Mile Eye, Gao Jue. Forgive me for failing to welcome you!” 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. Apart from the fear on his face, which looked out of place, he was the sort of man who could scare a crying child into silence.

"I am the Mist-Ethereal Adept. I heard fellow immortal Gao sought an Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystal. As it happens, I have one and have come to offer it to you." Shen Bing typed out the message.

After being killed by a single blow from the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Shen Bing no longer dared make up connections to well-known immortals. Who knew if they might sense it and come charging over like Monkey Sun? But posing as some minor immortal wouldn't impress Gao Jue. Better to invent a mysterious title instead.

Gao Jue was stunned. Since when had there been such a generous immortal?

The Immortal Realm had treasures beyond counting, but every God hid theirs away for fear someone else might find out. Who would simply give one away?

Besides, Illusory Rainbow Immortal Crystals were exceedingly rare. Few in the entire Immortal Realm could reach Iceflame Island, and every one of them was an exalted figure far beyond Gao Jue's reach.

And who was this Mist-Ethereal Adept? Gao Jue had never heard of him.

Gao Jue's mind raced. He couldn't refuse a treasure delivered to his door, especially when he desperately needed the crystal.

“Thank you for your generosity, High Immortal. I would not dare accept your treasure for nothing. Please take this in exchange.” As he spoke, an object resembling a kaleidoscope appeared in Gao Jue's hand.

A window immediately popped up on the Screen.

"Gao Jue wishes to trade with you. Accept?"

"Accept."

Shen Bing had already tested the crystal. He could neither teleport it out nor analyze it, so it was useless to him. Besides, he had come to complete the task. Of course he accepted the trade at once.

The trade went smoothly. Shen Bing grew excited when he saw the new item in his inventory. After all, it was something a God used.

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

Like hell I will! He had wanted to get to know Gao Jue. The man was, after all, one of the Immortal Realm's recognized gods.

But to save his remaining Teleportation Talisman uses, Shen Bing reluctantly tapped Confirm.

As he left, he noticed the wounded look Gao Jue gave him...

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

"Young man, we're at Fengze Residential Community," the driver said as he pulled over.

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

He called the landlord, a man in his sixties surnamed Wang, and Shen Bing politely addressed him as Uncle 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 smog had plagued Rongcheng over the past two years. Worried about his father's health, his son had built a villa back in their rural hometown 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 the happiness in Uncle Wang's voice. Having such a devoted son really was something to be glad about.

This made Shen Bing think of his own parents. Were they worrying about his job prospects right now?

Shen Bing shook his head to himself. He was definitely their biological son, but looking back over his childhood, he could hardly recall a single sensible thing they had done.

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

While the other kids eagerly studied the insects on their desks, he and the big yellow dog, Big Yellow, had sat off to one side, staring at each other. What a sight that had been.

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

What could Shen Bing do? His dad raised dogs for a living.

As for his mom... Forget it. Thinking about her only brought tears.

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

So sad, I could cry...

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