In an instant, Yu Sheng thought that Wen Jiu's previously good temperament had all been an act. He feared that Wen Jiu might suddenly turn dark, and the next development could be something terrifying, like “If you don’t let me have my way, I’ll kill you or imprison you.”
He instinctively recalled the idea of faking his death. However, the protagonist in front of him was Wen Jiu, the most extraordinary spiritual entity in the world, probably the best at bringing people back to life. If things went wrong, it could easily turn into a real disaster.
Yet Wen Jiu simply gazed at him calmly and asked softly, “Why do I have to leave?”
Yu Sheng didn’t dare answer lightly. Then Wen Jiu continued, “Is there something you cannot tell me? Is that why I must leave?”
“Senior, you’re getting anxious,” Wen Jiu said as he stood up and moved closer to Yu Sheng, maintaining a distance that was close yet respectful. “You didn’t deny it because if you lied, I would see through it.”
His "Heavenly Eye," besides distinguishing between life and death, could also reveal many other things once familiarized.
“It’s…” Yu Sheng realized that Wen Jiu had cleverly crafted an excuse for him, so he quickly took the opportunity and adopted a tone of sorrowful hardship. “There are heavenly secrets that cannot be spoken of. If I say them, I fear we might suffer heavenly retribution.”
No problem there—revealing too much could lead to punishment.
“Wen Jiu has encountered many people and spirits in this life, but you, Senior, are the first to think of me in return, without greed for what I could offer.”
Wen Jiu fell silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.
Yu Sheng’s breath caught, and his heart felt pricked as if by needles, nearly softening him.
Wen Jiu’s constitution was too unique. Even if he did nothing, just remaining in one place for an extended time could enrich the soil and improve the spiritual energy of that area. If he did something, he could rival countless riches; he was like a money tree in the cultivation world.
To others, Wen Jiu was an unparalleled tonic, a treasure from head to toe. Consuming him would surpass even the most potent elixirs, and capturing him could provide advantages that rivaled countless magical artifacts. In their previous discussions, Yu Sheng had learned that before his fall from the cliff, Wen Jiu had been a target of many covetous eyes, which was why he had ended up in such a predicament.
“This is the first time someone has let me go rather than trying every possible means to keep me,” Wen Jiu said with a self-deprecating smile. “But how can I be happy about it?”
As he spoke, his white, butterfly-like spiritual wings behind him began to differentiate and gradually detached from his body, scattering in all directions to become countless fluffy “spiritual pets” throughout the cave. The original three fluffballs quickly approached, clustering around Wen Jiu's feet to willingly supplement his spiritual energy.
“I will leave soon, very soon,” Wen Jiu said, his complexion having paled significantly. Before Yu Sheng could respond, he made a decision. “Before I go, may I take you as my master?”
“Take me as your master?”
Yu Sheng was a bit taken aback. Was it a trend for protagonists nowadays to seek out masters?
“This is my selfish wish,” Wen Jiu explained. “There are many who want to take me as their disciple for their own benefit. If you, Senior, are willing to accept me, I will have the best reason to refuse others. It would also serve as a memento, so that in the future, when I think of being your disciple, I won’t be consumed by the pain of parting.”
At this point, it would truly be inhumane to refuse him.
Yu Sheng nodded in agreement but advised Wen Jiu not to mention his name or identity to outsiders to avoid attracting trouble.
The white fluffballs that Wen Jiu left behind became mindless laborers, repeating the tasks he used to do—fetching water, cleaning, harvesting vegetables, and so on. The only difference was that, since they were merely differentiated spiritual bodies from Wen Jiu, they couldn’t make the delicious snacks and treats he used to prepare.
Three days later, Wen Jiu left the bottom of the cliff. Life seemed unchanged, but Yu Sheng couldn’t help but sigh repeatedly.
System 451: What’s wrong, host? Wasn’t the outcome pretty good this time?
Yu Sheng: Last time, I spent so many points on the death-faking item, yet it wasn’t even used. I feel like I’ve wasted my resources.
With the third task completed and the initial points not yet tallied, Yu Sheng felt he might have become addicted to faking death. He spent every day staring at the new item, finally deciding during the second three-day period to use it since it was already bought.
Having purchased it, he figured he might as well play with it, especially since it had a relatively short shelf life.
He didn’t really want to fake his death in front of Wen Jiu. In the presence of this exceptionally good-tempered protagonist, Yu Sheng couldn’t bring himself to utter a single harsh word. While wasting the item was painful, he also felt relieved.
Coincidentally, the anniversary of his “death day” had arrived, marking the time for the annual paper money and wine rain. Faking his death on such a memorable day felt appropriate and romantic.
Thus, when a person has eaten their fill, they can become quite terrifying.
Yu Sheng sat comfortably in the cave, ready to fake his death.
However, unexpectedly, the next moment, the white fluffballs that had been busily bustling about like little wind-up machines suddenly froze in place.
After a few breaths, the fluffballs began to put down what they were doing and hopped over toward Yu Sheng, gathering around him before merging into one large fluffball that stood taller than a person.
The large fluffball remained white and semi-transparent, then, like modeling clay, it began to morph into a vague human shape—remarkably resembling Wen Jiu. It walked step by step toward Yu Sheng, climbed onto the jade bed, opened its arms, and embraced Yu Sheng.
Like evaporating water, the “human figure” maintained the hugging posture, gradually dissipating and shrinking until it transformed into a round, solid fluffball, about the size of an adult fox.
The parts that evaporated into nothingness became star-like flecks of snow, drifting out of the cave and toward the cliff above.
When Yu Sheng woke up, he found his fluffballs had vanished, leaving only the last remaining silly fluffball, which couldn’t do anything but hop after him. When there was nothing else to do, it served as a hand warmer, pillow, or cushion… but had no other use.
With the laborers gone, the fields would become fallow, and the rabbits would invade the vegetable garden, leaving only the bamboo grove behind the cave growing well on its own.
The item he used this time had truly “died” thoroughly; he had no idea what had happened in the interim. He could only regretfully lament that the fluffballs left by Wen Jiu were not solar-powered.
It’s easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but hard to return to frugality… This is true for normal people, but for Yu Sheng, as long as he had become a lazy fish, nothing was difficult.
The points from the third task had already been credited, and as usual, Yu Sheng indulged in a spending spree at the points store. However, having learned from the previous experience, he only spent half his points this time, saving the other half as savings.
In the following year’s “memorial day,” he continued to offer wine and paper money. However, it became a bit different this time, as whenever he cast these items down, the sky above the cliff would thunder with lightning. Even at night, the thunder rolled one after another, bright as day. Several times, Yu Sheng thought he was going to face a tribulation.
"..."
—
By the third year, on the day of the memorial, the sky continued to thunder and lightning flashed, and the cold wind howled. Yu Sheng was curious about the reason for the strange phenomena, so he decided to take out a magical artifact he had purchased before the cliff.
The artifact was called "Cloud Window," a type commonly used in the current cultivation world. It resembled a compass, topped with a hemispherical dome, allowing one to easily check recent events and major occurrences within the Three Realms.
In terms of function, it was quite similar to a radio.
The hemispherical dome displayed points of light that mimicked the rise and fall of stars. Each star represented a rumor, with its brightness indicating the level of attention it garnered, and the color representing the nature of the rumor. White was the most common, indicating gossip; red was related to incidents involving casualties; and blue pertained to matters involving major forces, such as marriages, alliances, rivalries, banquets, and so on.
Yu Sheng took out the artifact and scanned it, soon identifying the largest and brightest stars glowing with black light. This color typically represented significant events closely related to the fate of the Three Realms, likely causing turmoil in the larger picture, and such occurrences were rare.
At present, three black stars had appeared simultaneously.
Having lived at the bottom of the cliff for decades, this was his first time using the Cloud Window. When he activated the first black star, a light screen projected colorful images onto the diagonal wall of the cave.
The first major event revealed was that the leader of the Human Realm's Immortal Alliance had voluntarily stepped down and handed the position to an unknown young man. This caused quite a stir, and many were dissatisfied. The young man then set up a tournament, allowing anyone who disagreed with him to challenge him. Whoever won could take his place as leader.
The outcome, of course, was that after seven days and nights, the new leader faced multiple opponents and remained undefeated. After this, no one dared to question his abilities. Subsequently, he demonstrated his talents in other areas as well.
Upon closer inspection, the new leader of the Immortal Alliance was none other than Protagonist Number One, Zhan Xiaotian. His golden-red alliance robe truly suited him.
The second major event was a change in leadership in the Ghost Realm. The former Ghost King was defeated and had all his powers consumed by a young man with little experience, causing a tremendous shift in the Ghost Realm's power dynamics.
Compared to the Human Realm, the rules in the Ghost Realm were even harsher, emphasizing the survival of the fittest. Once the new Ghost King assumed power, he completely devoured the former king’s followers, doubling his strength. Anyone who dared to defy him was swiftly eliminated without a word.
The shadow of the Ghost King on the screen, dark as ink, was indeed Protagonist Number Two, Yin Wangzhi.
Yu Sheng felt a sense of relief.
When the third major event was activated, Yu Sheng was ready to see Protagonist Number Three, Wen Jiu, showcase his abilities.
However, as he watched, this rumor had nothing to do with Wen Jiu. Instead, it spoke of an impending war between the Human Realm and the Ghost Realm, led by the two largest forces, and the reason for the conflict… was supposedly over a legendary person?
The screen displayed a rapid succession of fighting scenes that appeared stunningly realistic, making one feel as if they were experiencing it firsthand.
Yu Sheng watched as Zhan Xiaotian and Yin Wangzhi clashed like mortal enemies, feeling confused and bewildered.
What kind of BS “Sword of Destiny vs. Dragon-Slaying Blade” story were these two playing out? They were clearly two protagonists with no connection whatsoever.
At that moment, System 451 suddenly emitted a harsh "beep."
Yu Sheng: What’s wrong?
System: It detected a curse word and automatically censored it.
Yu Sheng: …
Next to the black stars were numerous white stars densely clustered together. Out of curiosity, Yu Sheng randomly clicked on a few, only to find that they all contained various speculations about why the leader of the Human Realm and the Ghost King were at war. The brightest white star suggested that the two were fighting over a “blue-eyed beauty” in a fit of anger.
According to the gossip, that “blue-eyed beauty” referred to the “Semi-Spiritual Immortal, Yu Yangzi,” who had suddenly withdrawn from the public eye decades ago.
Yu Sheng burst into laughter, doubling over and slapping his thighs, before he put away the Cloud Window and stopped looking. "What a load of nonsense! People really have rich imaginations these days, hahahaha!"
After that, life seemed to slowly return to normal. Ten years passed, then twenty, and even fifty years went by without a new protagonist appearing.
Yu Sheng: "I suspect there are other cliffs competing with me for business."
The system ignored him.
At the bottom of the cliff, a thick layer of wine and paper money had accumulated. With the right timing, location, and conditions, a field of blossoming Xuanling wine vines had grown, filling the air with their fragrance.
During the fifth decade, on an autumn day while lying barefoot in the sun, Yu Sheng finally caught sight of a falling figure once again after a long absence.
System: Run!
Yu Sheng sprang up at the command, transforming into an old man, and joyfully rushed toward the figure without even looking.
The white lump, which had always been low-key and would only bounce behind him, suddenly shot up from the ground like a cannonball, crashing into Yu Sheng’s face and splattering him with goo.
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