Free Web NovelChapter 473: Chapter 90: When Bai Yuan Encounters the Ten of Spades
The mysterious newcomer to the island was none other than Bai Wu.
Bai Yuan had a premonition that the catastrophe associated with Bai Wu, that unavoidable revelation, was probably going to appear soon.
As a former Dragon Slayer and a first-generation player, Bai Yuan initially didn’t care about Bai Wu’s failures or successes.
At least that’s what he thought.
But as the prophesied failure drew near, he began to appear much more frequently of late.
The entity Bai Wu conversed with in the void was Bai Yuan.
"The judge’s power of life and death isn’t at the same level as Jing San’s, you’ll understand soon enough that the judge’s power has its limitations," Bai Wu said.
"Not being able to kill isn’t scary, after all, we don’t need to kill him. Sometimes living is worse than dying, isn’t it?"
Bai Wu had to admit—
Bai Yuan’s nature was that of a good-looking demon. He always maintained enthusiasm for torturing people.
Bai Wu started moving deeper into Huangquan Island; from the moment he set foot on the island, the judges had sensed a powerful aura.
This aura felt familiar to the judges.
While they were still pondering who it might be, Bai Wu had already breached the numerous defenses of Huangquan Island.
He had been to this place once before, and his strength now was incomparably greater than last time.
Now, Bai Wu entering Huangquan Island was like returning to his own backyard.
To Bai Wu, those undead spirits and the peculiar environment governed by the rules were incapable of harming him.
Soon, Bai Wu arrived at the second area—the Bridge of the Dead on Huangquan Island, where no one could speak.
Originally, it was here that he encountered Bai Yuan and the Ten of Spades.
The power of this area seemed to allow the undead to take on the appearance of whoever they most wished to glimpse.
Of course, the premise was that the person had to be dead.
Bai Yuan was dead, and so was the Ten of Spades, so the first time Bai Wu crossed the Bridge of the Dead, they all appeared there.
Bai Wu really wanted to speak, but in the end, he didn’t.
This time, he couldn’t speak either, but this time he had Bai Yuan’s help.
Especially when crossing the Bridge of the Dead, where Bai Yuan saw Bai Yuan.
"Tsk tsk, I do look rather handsome. It’s a pity you married a mediocre woman which resulted in you not taking after me much," Bai Yuan said.
Bai Wu couldn’t speak to the undead, but Bai Yuan could.
By probing Bai Wu’s heart, the undead naturally saw Bai Yuan as well.
When the undead Bai Yuan saw the determined Bai Yuan, that feigned composure shattered instantly.
The two Bai Yuans looked at each other, and the determined one was not very pleased:
"Ah, that expression doesn’t suit me. Don’t look so shocked, smile a bit."
"Both of us are spiritual entities, though you are a counterfeit shaped by the undead under the rules, you must have glimpsed some memories, right?"
"Right, do you have a needle?"
Bai Wu was surprised to see Bai Yuan attacking the undead, finding it incredible, for the undead here seemed to be condensed from spiritual power.
Whenever it involved spiritual power, Bai Yuan seemed to be able to find a way to break through.
Thus, what Bai Wu found to be the most difficult area in the whole of Huangquan Island became Bai Yuan’s playground:
"You should glimpse his most painful memories; I can grant you that access. Do you feel that pain?"
The persistent Bai Yuan kept talking, and the undead Bai Yuan was in agony, as if needles were piercing deep into his soul. frёewebnoѵēl.com
Watching "Bai Yuan" in pain, Bai Wu actually felt like laughing. After all, he couldn’t imagine such a scenario on his own.
The first time Bai Wu passed through here, he had to keep silent, and it was uncomfortable, but the second time... Bai Yuan seemed set to ruin these undead.
"Too boring, playing by myself? Such a pity, he only learned the surface, and didn’t even fully grasp that."
"Next."
The Undead was about to dissipate under Bai Yuan’s torture.
But, as if in retaliation against Bai Yuan, it said something that, just like the first time Bai Wu crossed the Bridge of the Dead, ignited a burning desire in Bai Wu to speak.
Bai Wu abruptly stopped in his tracks.
The first time he entered the Bridge of the Dead, The Undead said:
"Don’t you want to know about your mother? Or why I treat you this way?"
At that time, Bai Wu could be said to have forcefully suppressed his desire to ask.
And this time, The Undead provided a question he very much wanted the answer to:
"Don’t you want to know where Xiaoyugan’s true form is? I can tell you!"
The real Bai Yuan, or rather his obsession-formed self, furrowed his brow:
"It seems I’ve underestimated the rules of this area, the rules of this island are actually tied to cause and effect... Sorry, spoilers are shameful, I must refuse to spoil."
Without waiting for The Undead to give the answer, Bai Yuan dealt with it.
Bai Wu glared at Bai Yuan, their fragile father-son relationship nearly breaking, the little boat of paternal love almost capsizing.
"Hahahaha, this place is really interesting, do you still remember the division of areas here?"
Bai Wu helplessly nodded. Although he was very unwilling to have Bai Yuan change the subject, he couldn’t speak.
Of course, Bai Wu remembered the division of areas in this place.
He originally came here with Lin Wurou and Yin Shuang, and then they discovered the division into four areas—
Club, Heart, Spade, Diamond.
Once you enter this area, you’ll also find a card on you.
Although card motifs can be used in many places, now, Bai Wu couldn’t help but associate them with the farm.
"The judge is the Island Master of Huangquan Island, but in fact, before him, the true Island Master was Jing San. And Jing San seemed to be on good terms with Jing Yi."
"We’ve arrived at the right place."
The first time he came here, although Bai Wu had the Full Moon Fragment, he did not successfully summon Bai Yuan’s obsession-form.
It was only while dealing with Zhong Xu’s subordinate, the Nine-Tailed Fox, that Bai Wu correctly used the Full Moon Fragment.
As a result, Bai Yuan appeared, dealt with the Nine-Tailed Fox, and henceforth became a Guardian in Bai Wu’s Inner World.
This time, with Bai Yuan accompanying him, Bai Wu indeed felt that Huangquan Island was not simple.
The two continued to move forward.
On the Bridge of the Dead, one would encounter three Undead, all aiming to make Bai Wu speak.
Bai Yuan dealt with two of them, seeming like he hadn’t had enough.
The third Undead appeared quickly—
And it was exactly the same as last time.
Spade Ten.
Bai Wu stopped.
Things were getting interesting.
Usually, it was Bai Yuan who watched Bai Wu do various things for fun.
This time, the roles were reversed. Bai Wu became the one looking on for amusement, even imitating Bai Yuan by glancing at a watch as if he was missing a cup of tea in his hand.
"Eh... Why is this guy here?" Bai Yuan’s expression changed.
If one were to find the most interesting character in Bai Yuan’s "interesting people rankings," Bai Wu would certainly be the first.
The second would be Jing Yi, and the third would be Spade Ten.
As for Jing Liu, Old K, and Xiaoyugan in the flesh, none were particularly interesting.
But thinking about his past life, this person was as tough as bubblegum to deal with, and that made Bai Yuan feel somewhat troubled. Truly troubled.
Bai Yuan recalled all the experiences from another world; although they were intriguing, the more interesting they were, the more difficult the adversary proved to be.
If Bai Wu just didn’t speak, simply charging ahead would suffice.
But Bai Yuan was the kind of person not seeking a perfect run through, but rather a pursuit of an interesting one.
If the pass through was normal, then this reunion would be quite boring. However, this time the reunion...
The reins were not in Bai Yuan’s hands; this undead version of the "Club Ten" held an absolute advantage:
"Ha, how interesting. Last time we parted, I didn’t succeed in making you speak. Unexpectedly, this time, you brought along a ’helper’."
Compared to the fake Bai Yuan earlier, this fake Club Ten seemed much more composed.
Bai Yuan also knew the reason; this place was tied to some karma, allowing these undead to gain a portion of the memories of the persons they played.
The fake Bai Yuan naturally feared the real Bai Yuan.
But Club Ten didn’t fear Bai Yuan; a fake Club Ten would probably fear the real Club Ten, but not the real Bai Yuan.
Club Ten’s gaze on Bai Yuan carried a certain intriguing implication:
"What, are you here to get back at me? Because I made your plans go awry ahead of schedule?"
Bai Wu was taken aback: Plans? What plans?
Bai Yuan shrugged:
"Spare me. We’re both people who’ve died before. There’s no need to hold onto past grievances. Besides, you are not you; don’t get too caught up in playing your role."
"Indeed, I am not Club Ten. Here on this island, I am just an ordinary undead. My companion just now was tormented terribly by you. I should be afraid."
The tone of "Club Ten" was not afraid at all, but even excited.
"But when I started playing his role, I became unafraid, because he made me realize, it is you who should be afraid."
"Club Ten" was just an ordinary undead, who through karma had obtained a portion of memories about the true Club Ten.
But Bai Wu found this very interesting.
This undead realized that he was a fake Club Ten, yet even so, in the face of Bai Yuan, he still harbored a fighting spirit.
Tsk, tsk.
If he weren’t forbidden from speaking, Bai Wu would definitely have to mimic Bai Yuan’s "tsk tsk" to watch Bai Yuan make a fool of himself.
Several Ks were tormented terribly by Bai Yuan—The First Generation, Xiaoyugan, Club Ten.
But among these Ks, Club K was the only one who went to another world seeking revenge on Bai Yuan.
And it seemed—once certain restrictions were lifted, he managed to cause a few troubles for Old Bai.
"Is your needle faster, or is my speech faster? It looks like your son doesn’t really want to leave the Bridge of the Dead. Right?"
The fake Club Ten spoke, turning his gaze towards Bai Wu as if asking him.
Bai Wu had to admit, he really wanted to say: Yes, I’m relishing watching this show.
But Bai Wu wasn’t a team-killing pig; he knew the rules well here and couldn’t speak to the undead.
This was the first time Bai Wu saw someone who could make Bai Yuan flustered.
Although historically, Bai Yuan gave this person a hard time, it seemed the tables had turned on Bai Yuan as well.
The Dragon Slayers of that era, though not united in heart, each K was a presence of immense strength.
Fortunately, the people of this era, though not as powerful as these first-run players, were very much united.
Every era has its regrets.
Bai Yuan pursued what was interesting, but faced with Club Ten, faced with someone who might also weave lies for fun, or even spill some truths, he really had no way to cope.
"I concede." Bai Yuan even raised his hands.
These three words stunned the counterfeit Jack of Spades. They also stunned Bai Wu.
After a moment of silence, "Jack of Spades" shook their head:
"Forget it, it’s meaningless now. I’m not him, even if I fulfill his last wish here, it means nothing to me leaving this island."
It seemed like Bai Yuan admitted defeat, but in reality, Bai Yuan had won.
The obsession of the Jack of Spades was probably to compete with Bai Yuan. If Bai Yuan had a strong competitive spirit, the Jack of Spades would probably reveal something to disrupt Bai Yuan’s rhythm.
Bai Yuan saw through this and thus directly admitted defeat.
The Jack of Spades also knew the purpose behind Bai Yuan’s concession. He could accept Bai Yuan’s defeat and not disturb Bai Yuan’s plans, or he could choose not to.
But upon reflection, he realized there truly was no need for a fight to the death with his opponent.
Because, just like what Bai Yuan said—"We are all people who have died."
The Undead playing the role of Jack of Spades said:
"The outcome between us has lost its significance, Bai Yuan, you can’t escape enlightenment."
After these words, the Undead vanished.
The Bridge of the Dead was left unobstructed.
Although Bai Yuan was aware this person was not the Jack of Spades, it seemed to have reminded him of matters related to the Jack of Spades.
Only this time, he found it completely uninteresting.
The region of the Bridge of the Dead was short, and after Bai Wu took steps forward again, he quickly walked out of the area.
Then, he spoke up:
"I’ve interacted with several Ks, and I’ve always thought that it was you who had the other Ks dancing around in circles, but now it seems that’s not entirely the case."
Bai Yuan denied this statement, but not entirely:
"Every action we take has its consequences. I let down Dong Nianyu, leading her to hate me to the bone; hence we have our journey today."
"But Old K is different. You think he was used by me? Perhaps to some extent, but more so, he was willing to be used by me. As long as it came to saving the world, if my direction aligned with his, he would act without considering his feelings, willing to be steered by me."
"And Jack of Spades, or should I say the King of Spades, it might seem he was tragically deceived by me, yet in my life, he became a formidable rival. Actually, we are even."
The word "even" alone was enough to underscore the strength of the Jack of Spades.
"It seems Cain is really not up to par... With such an impressive teacher, he only managed to scratch the surface." Bai Wu recalled initially mistaking Jack of Spades for Cain.
Now, thinking about it, Cain might be able to rival him, but in the era of Bai Yuan, The First Generation didn’t even bother to target him specifically.
Recalling the diary of Dandelion, Cain’s demeanor was very calm, yet he would also avoid The First Generation whenever he saw him.
Bai Wu felt inexplicably relieved.
He then thought about the troublesome scenario Bai Yuan had just faced:
"So you do have weaknesses after all, but that’s good. This way, you seem more human to me, not a perfect demon."
Bai Yuan didn’t say anything. Jack of Spades was a strong opponent; whether Bai Yuan found it troubling or interesting, both were within reason.
As for perfection.
In Bai Wu’s eyes, Bai Yuan was a perfect devil.
In many people’s eyes, Bai Yuan represented perfection itself. But Bai Yuan was well aware that—everyone, including himself, was flawed.
There is no perfection in the human world. He pursued interesting choices, but interesting choices have their costs.
The difference is, he enjoyed these costs, but that didn’t mean he could achieve perfection.
Otherwise, how could he have possibly fled to another world?
After crossing the Bridge of the Dead, Bai Wu had already locked onto the judge’s aura. Bai Yuan said:
"Next, it’s your battlefield."
(Some contents of this Chapter correspond to the first entry into Huangquan Island. If you’ve forgotten, you might want to revisit the first few Chapters of Volume Two.)
