Jiang Li told Lu Yibei, who didn't understand women's hearts and was a straight-laced man, that she would meet him in half an hour, and he actually waited for half an hour.
In fact, even though he arrived about ten minutes early, he insisted on loitering around the shops opposite the water bar for a while, timing himself to eat a spicy stick.
It wasn't until exactly thirty minutes that he crossed the road and walked through the door of the agreed-upon water bar, not a minute more, not a minute less.
By the time he arrived leisurely, Jiang Li seemed to have been waiting for ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ a long time. She was sitting in a corner by the window of the water bar, drinking tea, her face expressionless.
Lu Yibei had long been accustomed to Jiang Li's expression. Although he had pathological facial paralysis and Jiang Li had psychological facial paralysis, in a way, they were old companions in illness.
After entering the door, Jiang Li glanced at Lu Yibei, who had a spicy stick in his mouth, motioned for him to sit opposite her, and then lowered her head to drink tea.
"Where is the item? Did you bring it?"
Just as Lu Yibei picked up his teacup, he heard Jiang Li speak in a low voice.
It's like an illegal underground transaction... he muttered to himself, took out the chip from his jacket pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Jiang Li.
Jiang Li stared at the chip on the table, narrowed her eyes slightly, reached out, picked up the chip with two fingers, and held it in front of her to examine it. Her eyes flickered several times, as if she was thinking about something.
When she picked up the chip, Lu Yibei clearly saw that her entire hand was trembling slightly.
Seeing that Jiang Li hadn't spoken for a long time, Lu Yibei couldn't suppress the doubt in his heart and asked, "Leader, what exactly is this thing? You seem to recognize it?"
"I do," Jiang Li said calmly.
She had always known of the existence of such a thing. She had once seen a golden chip with the number "100" on it, with the exact same pattern, at her father's place.
However, this was just a chip that had no special effect whatsoever and merely served as proof of entry.
With it, when that gamble appeared, one would be qualified to enter it. As for choosing to participate or not, it was not mandatory.
It completely followed the principle of voluntariness.
It seems quite humane, doesn't it? But the urban legend that run the gamble always manage to produce extremely tempting things that make people can't help but gamble with it.
And then, once the arrow is shot, there's no turning back. Once you gamble, almost no one can turn back.
Lu Yibei secretly observed Jiang Li playing with the chip. The moment their eyes met, he gave her a look, "Are you hiding something from me?"
Jiang Li noticed Lu Yibei's strange gaze, their eyes met briefly, and she responded with her eyes, "Nothing."
"..."
Still nothing? Not even a 【heart-shaped emoji】! This woman is acting strange!
Although she appeared nonchalant, as if that chip wasn't anything important.
But exchanging items with Spiritual Energy fluctuations and not meeting at the Night Watch was already a bit unusual, and not telling me what this chip is is even stranger, Lu Yibei thought.
While Lu Yibei was thinking, Jiang Li had already finished the last sip of tea in her cup, put down the teacup, and said indifferently, "If there's nothing else, you should go back first?"
"Leader..."
Lu Yibei didn't get up and said with a frown, "A small personal suggestion, some things are better said than kept bottled up. Two heads are always better than one."
"Even if you don't get help, at least you can get some comfort!"
After saying that, Lu Yibei suddenly felt something he himself didn't believe, after all, he was also searching for the truth behind his Old Dad's death alone.
Thinking of this, he reached into his jacket pocket and fumbled for a while, pulled out a spicy stick, wanting to ease the awkwardness in his heart in this way.
"Here, here, Big Brother, have a spicy stick, be happy."
Jiang Li glanced at the spicy stick in Lu Yibei's hand, didn't mean to take it, and then stared straight into his eyes.
"Lu Yibei, honestly, this chip is indeed a bit special and is related to a certain urban legend. But for you, the matter ends here."
"If you don't want to use the Night Watch's welfare cemetery in advance, don't meddle in everything."
Times have changed now, and many sweet and soft young ladies have unknowingly turned into terrifying creatures.
Girls like Jiang Li, instead of waiting for others to rescue them, prefer to wield a four-meter-long broadsword, hack through several streets, and then lie exhausted in a pool of blood, take out their phones, and play two rounds of mahjong.
"Uh..." Lu Yibei looked at the serious-faced Jiang Li, slightly taken aback, "Isn't there anything I can help with?"
"Help? How do you plan to help? Suddenly burst out and kill in all directions?" Jiang Li retorted. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"Don't tell me you're actually a powerful character, tired of the conflicts in the martial world, hiding and running to the Night Watch to be a small operative, while also retiring and incidentally picking up girls and building a harem?"
Regarding the urban legend gamble, no one can help. The Night Watch can't help either. They can't even find clues or patterns of when the gamble appears.
To completely destroy them, one must join the gamble and win every game.
So, Lu Yibei absolutely cannot participate in this matter. If he goes and loses, it's very likely he will never be able to leave that place in this lifetime, Jiang Li thought.
"..."
What invincible big shot hiding their identity to retire! I'm more like a double agent hiding my identity to get first-hand information to protect myself.
She's probably threatening me by saying this, threatening to reveal my Wang Bu Liu Xing identity if I meddle in things again?
Lu Yibei thought, shrugged, "Of course I'm not some big shot. If you know where there's such a big shot, please tell me, I've long since stopped wanting to work hard."
Jiang Li rolled her eyes at him and said, "Then wait until you become that kind of powerhouse, and then come and help me."
"So cold? I originally thought we were already friends who could share little secrets..."
"..."
Friends, perhaps I can be friends with you after I win that gamble and come back.
Jiang Li thought, and said coldly, "You're thinking too much, I really dislike you. I've disliked you ever since I first caught you and brought you back to the Night Watch. I've never seen anyone talk as much trash as you."
Lu Yibei, "..."
Seeing him fall silent, Jiang Li picked up her cane and stood up, limping towards the outside of the water bar.
Lu Yibei frowned, watched her slowly walk away, suddenly stood up, and chased after her.
"Wait a minute!"
"Leader, I have one more question."
Jiang Li turned around and looked at Lu Yibei calmly, waiting for his question without saying a word.
Although she didn't know what he wanted to ask, she was ready to answer in the coldest way possible.
"Where is the cemetery the Night Watch bought for me? I want to go see it and discuss with the cemetery administrator in advance about carving a QR code on my tombstone that records my life story or something."
Jiang Li's mouth twitched, the lines she had prepared were stuck in her throat. After a long time, she smiled and asked doubtfully, "How do you manage to always spout some trash talk?"
This feeling of being both cowardly and relaxed at all times is very enviable!
"Who knows?" Lu Yibei shrugged, "Perhaps it's some kind of special talent?"
"..." After a moment of thought, Jiang Li looked at Lu Yibei one last time and reminded him, "Let me give you one last piece of advice?"
"Recently, no, never gamble with people."
"Thanks for the reminder, but I'm not stupid. I won't touch anything with probability, except for the card pool in love and magical girls!" Lu Yibei shrugged.
"Okay," Jiang Li replied flatly, then turned and left the water bar.
He wouldn't be so stupid as to go gamble with those urban legend just for a rare paper character, would he?
For no reason, this thought flashed through Jiang Li's mind.
Amidst the noisy crowd, Lu Yibei remained silent, watching Jiang Li get into the car with the help of A Hua, who had arrived. The car door closed, and it gradually drove away, finally disappearing into the rush hour traffic.
----
As soon as it got dark, Lu Yibei, who had found a place to complete the urban legend transformation, hailed a taxi and hurried towards Happiness Community.
It was still early at that time, and she didn't get to meet Uncle Zhang Shan, which made her a little disappointed.
Walking through the peaceful small garden of Happiness Community and returning to her rented room, as she expected, Jiang Li hadn't returned.
Looking at the empty room, Lu Yibei frowned, walked to the sofa and sat down, took out her phone, and sent a message to Jiang Li.
Wang Bu Liu Xing: "Are you there? Didn't you tell me to come back early? Why aren't you here yourself?"
Waited for two minutes.
Genius Mahjong Girl: "Something came up temporarily, I can't go back. See you at the welcome party tomorrow."
Although Jiang Li now had clues about the gamble and even obtained the qualification to enter, the bounty in Happiness Community was something she had Lu Yibei participate in, so she decided to see it through.
After all, just as she had information she urgently wanted to know, Jiang Li felt that the reason Lu Yibei was willing to hang out with the Monster Story Chat Group must be because she also wanted to know something important.
Jiang Li could not bring herself to abandon Lu Yibei to complete the bounty alone just because she had obtained what she wanted.
Wang Bu Liu Xing: "You've changed, even the heart emoji is gone. Do you have a doggy on the outside?"
Genius Mahjong Girl: "【heart emoji】"
Friendly reminder: The Website is about to be revised, which may cause the loss of reading progress. Please save your "book shelf" and "reading record" in time (screenshots are recommended). We apologize for any inconvenience caused! frёewebηovel.cѳm
Looking at Jiang Li's reply, Lu Yibei was lost in thought for a moment, then lightly spat and threw her phone aside.
"Tch! How perfunctory."
----
Late night.
Lu Yibei lay in bed in her rented room, playing with her phone. Unconsciously, she fell asleep. Her vision plunged into darkness, and soon her ears fell into dead silence.
Then.
Slowly, her body began to sink, as if falling into water, light and airy, or as if floating in the clouds.
Finally, the sound of wind blowing past her ears, like fragmented whispers, startled her awake.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Qingji sitting not far in front of her, his face terrifyingly grim.
"Granddaughter-in-law, you finally appeared. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Lu Yibei, "..."
Oh no, my mind was full of Jiang Li's matters today, how could I forget him?
Seeing Qingji, Lu Yibei felt a little flustered. Although lying to and deceiving elders is something children more or less do, it's probably impossible for someone to be completely unfazed.
"Tell me, why didn't you respond when I called you before?"
"This..." Lu Yibei's eyes darted around, and in an instant, she came up with an excuse.
"Because after I left here, I tried to use the Taihe Gentleman Sword Illustration I learned yesterday, and I fainted immediately. I only woke up just now."
"As you know, as a mere woman, neither my talent nor my physical endurance can compare to a genius like you. Practicing the Taihe Gentleman Sword Illustration is also a heavy burden, so that's why I..."
"Enough, I'm too lazy to listen to your nonsense!" Qingji waved his hand and interrupted. "Don't think I can't tell you're lying. I've played these tricks before."
Lu Yibei, "..."
That's right, I almost forgot, he is the first generation of our Lu family's Torment King.
"However, it doesn't matter. I won't care about this little thing." Qingji said, "Enough small talk. While my remaining Spiritual Energy hasn't been depleted, let's quickly start today's practice."
"While you were away today, I had nothing to do, so I carefully observed and studied this place. This place seems a bit special."
"Although I don't know why you and I appear in such a strange place, I must say, this is a very suitable place for practice."
Lu Yibei frowned, confused. "How is it special?"
"For example..."
Qingji opened his mouth, his figure flashed, and he lunged towards Lu Yibei, reaching her in the blink of an eye.
The next moment, she felt a chill on her neck, and then she watched helplessly as her headless body swayed twice on the spot, before falling to the ground with a "bang!" and gradually turning into ashes.
Qingji used practical action to show Lu Yibei what cleaning the house meant.
Holy crap, my body and head are separated! Lu Yibei's pupils contracted violently. Only this thought had time to flash through her mind before her vision plunged into darkness.
----
In a dead silence, Lu Yibei was like being drawn into a dark vortex, not knowing how long she had been sinking and rising. Just when all signs of life were about to cease, her body began to slowly float upwards...
When she opened her eyes again, she was breathing heavily like someone who had been saved from drowning, and a vivid sharp pain lingered on her neck, as if she had really been decapitated with a sword just now.
Just as Lu Yibei was immersed in the strange experience of repeatedly hovering on the edge of death, unable to extricate herself, and staring blankly at the reddish-brown mist in the sky, Qingji leaned over.
"How is it, isn't it special? I've tried many times, you won't die here."
"..."
Lu Yibei shivered, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, and weakly said, "May I ask, how did you figure out this evil mechanism?"
"It's very simple!" Qingji shrugged and said, "Just like this..."
As he spoke, he picked up the ancient sword in his hand, and with a "Phew!" sound, he pierced his own chest, then turned into a handful of ashes under Lu Yibei's shocked gaze.
"..."
Damn, that's incredible!
What is a true Torment King? Someone who torments even himself when he gets ruthless, that's a true Torment King!
I just don't know what kind of mindset her elder self was in when he did such an extreme thing.
Lu Yibei muttered inwardly. Behind her, Qingji, who had reformed his body at some point, whispered to her, "Granddaughter-in-law, I'm coming!"
Lu Yibei, "..."
Why does that sound strange? Is there something wrong with me, or something wrong with him?
Wait, no!
"Wait a minute, I'm not ready... Uh—!"
Before Lu Yibei could finish speaking, accompanied by wind and clouds surging, a cold light like a bright moon flashed before her eyes, and her vision plunged into darkness once again.
A moment later.
Lu Yibei, who had reformed her body, clutched her chest with one hand and leaned against the wall at the edge of the rooftop with the other, covered in cold sweat, gasping for breath non-stop.
"Hoo—hoo—!"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, Ancestor, let's discuss this. Isn't this method of practice a bit too extreme, too brutal, too bloody?"
"You have to know, our readers are teenagers. They can't handle seeing scenes like this! We might even get reported..."
"Stop talking nonsense! Didn't you say you've memorized everything I taught you?" Qingji interrupted. "In this urgent situation, only life-and-death combat can help you master it quickly."
"But..."
"There are no 'buts'. Just use what I taught you to save your life!"
"Look at the sword!"
Qingji roared, and then Lu Yibei was sent flying.
A moment later.
"Stop hitting me, stop hitting me, the child is about to be beaten silly!"
"Pfft—!"
...
"You can't do this, how can you hit a woman? This damages your glorious and great..."
"Pfft—!"
...
"Damn! Are you deliberately retaliating, retaliating because I ignored you during the day?"
"Pfft pfft pfft, bang—!"
Lu Yibei, "???"
Qingji remained silent, his sword stance becoming more fierce, answering Lu Yibei with practical action.
Yes, that's right, I hold grudges.
----
A person who is extremely afraid of death faces death again and again. In her consciousness, countless overlapping black vortexes are created, like an ocean condensed from pain and despair, outlining a silent world.
Then, when Lu Yibei welcomed her eighty-ninth death.
She finally managed to barely keep up with Qingji's movements. Although she didn't completely dodge the cold light that was as swift as thunder, under the exquisite control of her Spiritual Energy, the muscles on her shoulder completed a "layering".
The fierce sword that was supposed to split her in half vertically landed on her shoulder, sinking into her collarbone, and stopped.
Seeing this, Qingji praised, "Not bad, you've improved, and very quickly!"
"Right? I think so too." Lu Yibei said, enduring the pain.
"But it's not enough." Qingji said, and with a shake of the hand holding the sword, ripples surged under his sleeve.
Lu Yibei heard a thunderous crack from the bones inside her body.
The next moment, she exploded.
Shattered internal organs were scattered like crimson petals, tossed into the sky.
Flying in the sky, sinking into the ground, turning into air, merging into dust...
Just as the ancient poem says, at this moment, Lu Yibei had indeed fallen into the mud and been ground into dust, turning into spring mud to better protect the flowers.