My Core is the Boss

Chapter 310.1: Isn't That Your Wife?

Commotion swept through the local branch of the Martial Arts Alliance.

Qi Yuan’s combat power was extraordinary even among those at the martial peak. More remarkable still was his youth. Quite a few alliance martial artists came forward, hoping to get acquainted with him.

Qi Yuan, however, had zero interest in any of it. He casually said, "My hotel water just finished boiling. I've got instant noodles to get back to."

With that, he turned and walked out of the Martial Arts Alliance branch. The other martial artists exchanged baffled looks. Several of those who'd witnessed him outside wore equally strange expressions.

"This guy seems a bit odd."

"If I recall correctly, doesn't he have some kind of psychiatric certificate?"

"Huh? Well, something does seem off about the way he acts."

"Did training so hard turn his brain into mush?"

"God opened a window for him, but locked all the doors."

The way they looked at Qi Yuan shifted from admiration to pity. High Martial Dao aptitude was enviable for sure, but what good was it if one lost their mind? No matter how powerful he was, he’d be reduced into someone else’s puppet; a money-making tool. So in the end, being mentally sound was what truly mattered.

Han Xianyun followed Qi Yuan out. On the other hand, Yang Shan stayed behind to catch up with an old acquaintance at the branch. Han Xianyun fell into step beside Qi Yuan as they departed together.

The rooster-comb-haired man’s mind was still full of questions. "Your Martial Dao aptitude is even stronger than mine. Could you be the second Luo Bufan?"

In all these centuries, no one had broken through the martial peak. If Qi Yuan succeeded, he would shake the entire martial world to its core.

"My aptitude's actually pretty mid," Qi Yuan said matter-of-factly. "I'm only this strong because I grinded relentlessly at the game."

Han Xianyun shook his head. "You're being modest. Though hard work counts for a lot in ordinary circles, the martial world runs on talent. The differences between people here are greater than those between humans and dogs."

Despite being an old nobility himself, he had an elder brother, and the throne belonged to the eldest. Steering clear of his brother's sphere of influence, he drifted into the niche world of martial arts instead. It was a form of self-preservation. His brother was thirteen years older and in his prime. Any thoughts of competing would be suicidal.

The man called Qi Yuan gave him a peculiar feeling. There was something mysterious about him. The same went for the fortune teller from earlier.

At first, Han Xianyun had suspected it was all a setup against him. Yet the more he thought about it, the less it felt that way.

Thus, he offered, "There's still some time before the tournament. Are you staying in Longtai? Want me to be your guide and show you around? This city has quite a few martial relic sites for practitioners like us. It's a pretty special place.

"Don’t let your previous win go to your head. Winning the tournament is far from guaranteed. You should make good use of this time to study the relics left behind by ancient masters. It might even advance your Martial Dao.”

Though he was genuinely well-intentioned, he was also quietly trying to figure out Qi Yuan's background.

Qi Yuan replied, "Sure, that sounds good. Once I get married, I'll definitely need to take a honeymoon trip somewhere."

Han Xianyun paused. What did that have to do with anything he just said? Then, he recalled the psychiatric certificate Qi Yuan had pulled out, and the whispers back at the alliance branch.

Could he actually have a mental illness? Han Xianyun pondered.

Certainly, communicating with Qi Yuan was inexplicably difficult. Something finally clicked, and he asked quickly, "What kind of person goes to the hospital every single day?"

Qi Yuan stared at him as if he had said something genuinely dim-witted. "You've been watching too many videos. My mental illness is fake, not real."

Fair enough, a genuinely unstable person wouldn't say that, Han Xianyun thought.

He then exhaled. "I guess I misread the situation."

Qi Yuan said, "As for who goes to the hospital every single day... Nobody, probably. Not even Pangu."

Time is vast. Hospitals haven't always existed. How could anyone possibly go every single day? Who went to the hospital before heaven and earth were separated?

Han Xianyun was baffled again. Wasn't the mental illness fake? Then why does he keep saying absurd things? He's sick. Definitely sick.

Just then, Han Xianyun went still and glanced toward the alleyway ahead. "Did you hear that strange sound, just now?"

For some reason, even though the alleyway was deserted and silent, he was certain something had just drifted out of that narrow space.

"A sound?" Curious, Qi Yuan followed his gaze toward the alley. "I didn't hear anything. But let's go take a look." [1]

I didn't actually hear anything, but I sensed something strange in that area, Qi Yuan thought.

Han Xianyun thought for a moment. "Alright."

Without hesitation, he fell into step with Qi Yuan. Not far from the flowerpot lay a dried lump of dog shit. Judging by its color and texture, it had been there a while.

Sweeping his gaze around, the rooster-comb-haired man smirked. "Looks like I imagined it. I tend to get... auditory hallucinations. Sometimes, I hear all sorts of strange things and run toward them, only to find nothing there."

He'd had that problem since childhood. At first, he'd thought he was some kind of chosen one, capable of hearing things ordinary people couldn't. Then, he went to the hospital. It turned out his ears just had a small issue.

Qi Yuan remarked offhandedly, "Isn't there a chance it's not hallucination, but that your bloodline concentration is fairly dense?"

Han Xianyun didn't follow. "What does that mean?"

Qi Yuan grinned. "You've opened the Eye of Heaven!"

Han Xianyun waved it off. "Okay, if I really have such eyes, where are the ghosts? I am still single, missing a wife. Bring me a ghost, I'll marry her!"

Qi Yuan gazed ahead with a peculiar light in his eyes. "What if she has two big horns and stands three meters tall?"

Han Xianyun grew more enthusiastic by the second. "Give her two big horns, give her a full chest of fur, I'd still say yes! That's a ghost! A rare thing! What an honor, marrying a ghost!"

It sounded like he genuinely meant it. Yet as he spoke, a strange sensation crept over him. It felt as though he had brushed against something thick and viscous. He found himself struggling to move, his limbs sluggish.

Then, an ice-cold sensation trickled on his forehead.

"What?" He reached up to touch his brow and looked at his palm. His face went pale. "Blood!"

Dense, wet blood covered his palm.

Qi Yuan seemed curiously fascinated. "So this game really does have a hidden map. No, wait, this probably isn't the hidden map yet..."

Han Xianyun was frantic. "What are you talking about?!"

He was going stiff and numb, blood steadily dripping down his forehead.

Qi Yuan said, "Look up, take a look at the ghost wife you wanted. Though, I should warn you, I don't think it's actually a ghost."

Han Xianyun instinctively looked up. The next moment, his eyes went wide as he gulped hard. "W-what is this? If she were my wife, wouldn't I be fucked?"

Above them was a terrifying monster. Enormous and black-red, it bristled with flesh. Massive ox-horns jutted from its head. Bulging meat-lumps covered it, each one deep crimson in color. It wielded a colossal axe, blood dripping from its blade.

Qi Yuan glanced at Han Xianyun. "You've gone a bit off-key there. Saying something that crude under these circumstances, is there something wrong with your head?"

Han Xianyun's legs trembled as he stared at the horror. "Something wrong with my head?! This is a completely normal reaction! What is this monster? A-and where are we even?!"

1. ***E/N: The first character to die in a horror movie. ☜