Chapter 208 Chapter 208 (3000 words added) Buddha...

"Tongtong, Mr. Yifangzhou Tu, Mr. Sun Sirui, Mr. Sihao Wood00, how long do we have to wait before Zhuozhuo can go back?"

In the system space, Zhuozhuo sat on the ground hugging his knees, looking calm and sad, which made 9972 distressed and worried. It quickly checked the follow-up of the small world, and after confirming that there were no sad moments, it immediately showed a clip to Zhuozhuo.

In the vast universe, in the dark and silent area, several meteorites were scattered randomly. Suddenly, starting from the lower left corner, the meteorites silently cracked, faded and shattered into powder.

Zhuozhuo was stunned for a moment and looked at the energy diagram next to him. A ball of blood-red energy slowly drifted from the lower left corner, like a vacuum cleaner, "eating up" all the energy along the way - the energy floating in the vacuum and the energy stored in objects - without leaving a single bit behind.

Zhuozhuo quickly realized the identity of this energy entity. She exclaimed, "Huh?" and asked 9972, "Tongtong, what is it doing? Is it no longer a human being?"

If you want to quickly increase your strength, this pure energy form is the most convenient. Furthermore, there are numerous energy particles in the universe, so directly absorbing energy this way is two to three times faster than training day and night in a human form.

9972 felt that 000 did not want to passively wait for Zhuozhuo to come back like the left-behind elderly, but wanted to take the initiative and make himself strong enough to break through the world barriers as quickly as possible and go find Zhuozhuo in person.

If anyone else had done this, 9972 would have called it a pipe dream, but with 000 doing it, success was only a matter of time. Who knew what kind of trouble 000 would cause by then? However, 9972 didn't worry too much; that was the main system's responsibility.

[Baby, 000 and the others are carefree and focused on becoming stronger, and they're really on their way to becoming stronger. It can be said that every day their dreams come true. They're having a great time, so don't worry.]

Zhuozhuo thought it was pathetic, wandering the universe without a single person to talk to. But then he thought, with Yi Fangzhou and five others, they could have a lively time just by chatting. As for food and shelter, the energy body consumed energy, and the entire universe was his home. Thinking about it this way, it seemed quite comfortable.

Seeing the worry on the little guy's face dissipate a lot, 9972 said decisively: "Baby, let's choose the next small world?"

"Okay."

The big screen unfolded, and Zhuozhuo casually pointed at a star and said, "Choose this one."

"Okay, baby." 9972 was about to take Zhuozhuo into the small world when he suddenly remembered something very important. Feeling guilty and ashamed, he whispered, "Baby, before we enter the mission world, I'm going to seal a portion of your soul power. Too much power will alert and warn the world's rules and consciousness, and you'll be rejected. That's why you had to evacuate in the last world."

If this hadn't happened, Zhuozhuo could have stayed in that small world for hundreds or thousands of years, grown up happily, and experienced a normal life instead of being forced to separate again.

The more 9972 thought about it, the sadder he became. His entire head was almost paralyzed. He told Zhuozhuo that it was all his fault. He should have known all the data of the host and responded in time, but he didn't.

Zhuozhuo slowly understood what 9972 meant and shook his head like a rattle, "Don't say anything, you're fine." Seeing 9972 become even more ashamed, Zhuozhuo thought for a moment and said, "Don't you all know that you can't be too powerful with 000?"

The little guy thought that everyone worked very hard and did not make any mistakes. If there were any mistakes, they must have been made without his knowledge.

"Baby, you're so kind!" 9972 barked, moved, and then blamed himself: "You've grown up so fast, it's me who hasn't kept up with you. I'm useless..."

"Tongtong is so helpful. He takes Zhuozhuo on quests and gets everything done. Zhuozhuo just needs to eat and sleep." Zhuozhuo spoke softly about 9972's goodness, but the more he spoke, the louder he cried. The little guy got up and started spinning around anxiously, so he had to interrupt his spell by asking, "Tongtong, why didn't you follow Zhuozhuo? Zhuozhuo and Tongtong have never been apart."

9972 choked, stopped crying, and explained in detail to Zhuozhuo first.

[Headquarters categorizes hosts and systems into different levels, unlocking different features based on their level. After upgrading and unlocking new features, players must return to headquarters for training to master the new features. I, having never completed a mission on the system before encountering the baby, received no training and had never used such features. Although I heard about them from my uncle, I've long forgotten...]

After the explanation, 9972 was still in a low mood. In the final analysis, it was its fault. It did not realize at the first time that Zhuo Zhuo's soul power had reached the critical value.

Zhuozhuo felt a little dizzy, realizing that 9972 seemed to have lost his job. She picked up the cat head that was about to bury itself in the floor and said in a baby voice, "Don't be sad, Zhuozhuo doesn't blame you, Zhuozhuo forgives you!"

[Thank you, baby.] 9972's tone was filled with the sorrow of "I will never forgive myself."

Zhuozhuo became sad again, holding the cat and shaking his head, "Everyone, everyone! Listen to what Zhuozhuo says, don't let it go in one ear and out the other! Zhuozhuo forgives you, you should forgive yourself!"

After she finished speaking next to the cat's ear, she quickly covered its ears and pressed it against her belly, so that both of the cat's ears were blocked and the words it heard could no longer get out.

9972 was so adorable, yet so moved, that he finally realized he shouldn't have given up on himself and become so self-pitying that Zhuozhuo had to comfort him. Instead, he should turn his grief and anger into strength, learn from his mistakes, and never make the same mistake again!

The cat's head instantly perked up, and he was full of energy. "Baby, I'm going to go get some training. Wait for me."

"Okay." Zhuozhuo breathed a sigh of relief and agreed softly. He even took the initiative to sit on the ground to show that he would never destroy the house while it was away. However, Zhuozhuo had just found a spot and had no time to sit down when he heard the cheerful mechanical voice of 9972.

[Baby, I'm fine. I'll seal you!]

“So fast!”

"The system's time flow rate can be adjusted automatically. I was afraid you'd get bored waiting too long, so I just set it to the slowest I could." 9972 said, taking credit.

"Tongtong, you are so awesome!" Zhuozhuo was stunned when she heard this, but that didn't stop her from clapping and giving 9972 a thumbs up.

"It's just average. This is the system's basic function, but my proficiency is among the best in the system." 9972 feigned modesty, feeling flattered by her adoring tone and focused gaze for a moment before using the new function to seal two-thirds of her power.

.

The chubby little hand was placed on the milky white jade ball the size of a watermelon. The mist inside the jade ball gradually changed color, and soon the dark gray filled the entire jade ball, as if turning it into a gray stone.

"Pull her away! Quickly! Don't let her contaminate the Spirit-Jian Stone!" The middle-aged man in the main seat shouted loudly.

Immediately, the young man next to the jade ball pulled the little fleshy hand down and pushed the little girl backwards. Four other followers rushed up, each grabbing a hand or foot, and carried the still staggering little girl out of the house and placed her on the bluestone ground in front of the door.

The little girl sat up with her hands on the ground, not crying or making a fuss. She looked into the room with her bright eyes. At 9972's prompt, she said softly, "Daddy, Mommy, Zhuozhuo wants mommy and daddy."

The middle-aged man stared at Yuqiu closely and scolded her angrily, "Who are your parents? We in the Gu family don't have a useless child like you!"

"What the hell! The Gu family has a useless old man like you, no wonder they've fallen on hard times!" 9972 cursed furiously, only to realize Zhuozhuo had heard him. He quickly said, "Baby, you don't need to learn this."

Zhuozhuo opened her mouth and then closed it again. She glanced at the grumpy middle-aged man and the adults and children in the room, all with different but definitely hostile expressions. She then fixed her gaze on the gray jade ball and whispered in her mind, "Tongtong, the ball said she likes Zhuozhuo."

[Ah? You have good taste!]

"It wants to stick close to Zhuozhuo."

9972's voice changed, [But baby, you are a cute and good baby. Many people like you, but it does not mean that they are good people. So in the future, if someone says they like you, you should punch them first. If he doesn't get angry and doesn't fight back, you can kick him away again. ]

Zhuozhuo was shocked, "Why?"

9972 argued confidently, "Anyone who doesn't react after being beaten must have other intentions. We must strike first."

It wasn't that 9972 wanted to raise a little "tyrant flower," nor was it trying to dictate Zhuozhuo's behavior. It was simply that this little world was a little peculiar—there were no laws or moral constraints, only family lynchings and the law of the jungle where the strong prevailed. In other words, in this little world, if you were strong enough, you could do whatever you wanted. If you weren't, you'd be bullied.

According to previous experience, as long as Zhuozhuo finds the target of the mission and is protected by it, his life will basically be safe.

But the target of the mission in this small world, Gu Yan, is a handsome Buddhist man.

First, in order to dissuade the swarm of admirers, Gu Yan's cultivation method required him to maintain his virginity. If his virginity was broken, his meridians would be severed and his dantian would collapse. Now that Gu Yan's cultivation method was normal, it was obvious that he couldn't have a biological daughter who was left behind.

Secondly, Gu Yan was so devoted to Buddhism that he had given up his family inheritance, practiced only once or twice a month, and spent his days cultivating his mind through tea and flowers, completely oblivious to other matters. Even if Gu Yan was willing to support Zhuo Zhuo, Zhuo Zhuo couldn't rely on him and had to be strong and protect himself.

9972 was very worried. It had just sealed nine-tenths of its burning soul power! What a terrible luck!

Zhuozhuo didn't understand 9972's injury. She held on to the door sill, rested her chin on her arm, and stared at the jade ball gradually turning back into the beautiful and mysterious milky white color.

The middle-aged man finally breathed a sigh of relief and waved his sleeve to signal the next child to come for the test. Glancing at the little head on the threshold, he angrily pointed at her and said, "Take her away and don't let her come to our house anymore."

The people in the room expressed either pity, gloating, or indifference, but no one moved. After the middle-aged man muttered, "Hmm?", he pulled the blazing young man over and said, "Master, this is the child of the fourth son of the third branch. Three days ago, the fourth son and his wife, who had been separated from the family for many years, died in the beast tide. The family sent people to collect the bodies and discovered that they had a daughter, so they brought her back."

The middle-aged man then remembered that the housekeeper had reported to him three days earlier that his third brother's last son had also died. His frown relaxed, and a hint of joy appeared on his face. Many people saw this, but they all remained blind.

The young man sighed emotionlessly, "Now that the Third Branch has no elders left, only this little child is left. I didn't expect that this only bloodline didn't inherit the Third Branch's talents. She's just an ordinary person with blocked meridians and an inactive dantian. Patriarch, if you leave this child at the manor, you won't be able to see her from afar and will have to worry about whether she's doing well. It would be better to let Gu Yan raise her. Gu Yan has a calm temperament and won't have any more children. He will definitely treat her as his own child. With a child to keep him company, Gu Yan won't be too bored."

Zhuozhuo's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in his mind: "Tongtong, they want to give Zhuozhuo to Gu Yan!"

This was the plan 9972 had formulated after entering the small world: to be taken back to the Gu family as an orphan, and then find a way to give her to Gu Yan for upbringing. Unexpectedly, before they could come up with a plan, someone took the initiative to send her there. Woohoo, good people!

Under the blazing expectant gaze, the middle-aged man moved his fingers in disdain and said, "Let's do it."

"This person is also a good person!" Zhuozhuo exclaimed in his mind.

9972 Dun Dun taught: "Baby, even though the housekeeper and Gu Chengzong share our goals, that doesn't mean they're good people. In their eyes, Gu Yan's place isn't a good place. They're just using you as a tool to test Gu Yan and cause trouble for him."

"Hmm..." Zhuozhuo blinked, then understood and said in a baby voice, "They are bad guys!"

9972 wanted to say that this family was all bad, but worried that one or two innocent people might get hurt by mistake, so he didn't make such a categorical comment. Instead, he said: "Baby, try to find out if there are any good people in the Gu family."

"What kind of good person is this?" Zhuozhuo tilted his head in confusion and said childishly, "The good person Zhuozhuo thinks of is different from all good people."

9972 was delighted that Zhuozhuo had mastered the importance of "criteria" without any instruction. He was about to explain the definition of a good person in detail, from both secular and legal perspectives, when a bright idea suddenly occurred to him. "Baby, find the answer to this question yourself. Feel free to share any ideas you have."

"Okay," Zhuozhuo agreed, but her enthusiasm wasn't high, and she didn't feel any urgency. She looked at the jade ball, which kept changing, and wanted to punch it and kick it, just to see if it was a good ball. If it was, she could hold it and play with it.

Zhuozhu was ready to make a move, but before she could do anything, the housekeeper waved his hand, and two fat and strong men lifted her up from the threshold, one by one.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Zhuozhuo's feet were off the ground and she was carried by two people like a sack. She looked up at this and that.

The big man seemed to be mute, ignoring Zhuozhuo completely. He took her out of the yard at a brisk pace and walked quickly along a secluded path.

9972 angrily memorized the faces of these two people, planning to hang them up as revenge if he had the chance. [Baby, don't be afraid——]

The sound stopped abruptly.

Seeing that the two big men ignored her and just walked forward steadily, Zhuozhuo suddenly felt playful as she walked through the flowers and leaves. She used her arms and stomach to do pull-ups, then raised her legs, and with a "Hey" she twisted to the left, then to the right, and with another "Hey" she did a split in the air, kicking the two men's arms with her little feet.

The strong man: “…”

9972:[……]

Zhuozhuo shrank his neck and said softly, "...I'm sorry, Zhuozhuo didn't mean it."

Strong man 1 said in a gruff voice, "If you move again, I'll break your legs!"

Strong Man 2 said kindly, "Forget it, forget it. Don't bother with a fool."

Strong man 1 was surprised: "Is this a fool?!"

Strong Man 2 sympathized: "He was tested to have the lowest aptitude, and he's still happily playing around with Gu Yan. What else can he be but a fool?"

As they talked, the two of them resumed their pace of travel, weaving through the ancient trees and flowers.

Zhuozhuo also stopped moving, looking dejected. In his mind, he asked 9972: "Tongtong, is Zhuozhuo a fool?"

[No! Baby, you are the smartest and most wonderful baby! Anyone who doesn't like you is a fool with no vision!]

"Are you blind?" Zhuozhuo was exposed to a blind spot in his knowledge.

[It means there are no pupils in the eyes, and it’s an insult…]

Zhuozhuo only heard half of the sentence when her eyes widened in shock. She craned her neck and looked up at the burly men, eager to see if they had eyes. Just as Zhuozhuo was trying to adjust her posture, the burly men suddenly stopped. Inertia swung her forward, and before she could return to her natural position, both men let go.

Boom!

Zhuozhuo stumbled and fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

[Baby, are your legs hurt?]

The strong men's voices rang out simultaneously, "Twelfth Young Master, this is the daughter of the fourth young master of the third house. She is of low caliber, and the head of the family has sent her to you for your upbringing. She has been brought here, and we are taking our leave."

Zhuozhuo sat on the ground, hugging his feet. Hearing this, he didn't bother to answer 9972's question and quickly turned to look the strong man in the eye. But the strong man had already turned away, leaving only his broad backs. Zhuozhuo crawled on the ground anxiously, but was suddenly grabbed by the collar and lifted up.

"You are already abandoned. There is no point in chasing after you. It is better for you to live out your days here in peace. I will bury you and erect a monument for you a hundred years from now."

A gentle and peaceful voice echoed overhead like the gurgling of water. Zhuozhuo looked up and saw a handsome young man. She stared intently into his eyes and said without shyness, "You're wrong. You're older than Zhuozhuo. If you die first, Zhuozhuo will bury you and erect a tombstone for you."

The man smiled indifferently and said gently, "If you want to see something like this, go to sleep. You can dream about anything."

[……]

Hiss, why do I feel like there is a hint of aggression in those words?

Zhuozhuo didn't notice and said softly that he was not sleepy. He then curiously asked the man if his name was Gu Yan.

"yes."

Gu Yan carried Zhuo Zhuo to the pear tree, placed her on the stone table, and sat down on the stone bench. "Don't move, don't break my tea set."

Zhuozhuo's hand that was reaching for the teapot paused, then slowly retracted and looked at the ancient inkstone quietly.

Gu Yan picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, sniffed it, took a sip, and set it down. His movements were smooth and flowing, but Zhuo Zhuo felt he wasn't as calm and composed as he appeared. Just as she was about to organize her thoughts to share with 9972, she heard Gu Yan say, "Where are your parents?"

"No." Zhuozhuo answered very fluently. In the three days since she returned to the Gu family, many people approached her, the only descendant of the third branch, with various thoughts in their minds. What they said were basically the same, and Zhuozhuo almost memorized them.

A dark, cold light flashed in Gu Yan's eyes, "Did the master kill them and snatch you back?"

"No, he died in the beast tide." Zhuozhuo's tone was numb, without any emotion. He had been asked this question too many times.

Gu Yan didn't know what was going on in his mind, and his tone softened. "In a few days, I will find you a new home, where you will be raised by new parents."

Zhuozhuo understood immediately, "You want to throw Zhuozhuo away."

Being pointed out so bluntly, being looked at by eyes as clear as water, Gu Yan rarely felt a little guilty. "I'm not abandoning you, but this place is not suitable for raising children. I will find you a family without other children, with loving and kind parents, so that you can grow up in a loving environment."

Zhuozhuo nodded slowly, "Okay. But, Zhuozhuo has a request."

"……you say."

9972 was also startled for a moment, but it said nothing and watched Zhuozhuo and Gu Yan fighting quietly.

Zhuozhuo consolidated the information he had received from 9972 and the outside world over the past three days and began to make a big promise. "The new home needs money. Lots of money. The new parents need to be amazing, masters!"

This is a small, low-magic world, where the main threat to human survival comes from sporadic beast tidal waves. Humans gain power through practicing ancient martial arts. The martial arts realms, from lowest to highest, are: Acquired Martial Artist - Innate Martial Artist - Grandmaster - Martial King - Martial Emperor - Shattered Void.

Through hard work, everyone can reach the Acquired Warrior realm, achieving a strong and healthy body, capable of using martial arts techniques and battling monsters. However, to advance further, one needs aptitude. Based on various factors, such as training speed, difficulty, and achievement ceiling, aptitude is categorized as lowest, lower, middle, upper, and highest.

Among ten thousand acquired martial artists, perhaps one will become an innate martial artist. Among one hundred thousand innate martial artists, perhaps one will break through to the Grandmaster realm. Even the Gu family, one of the four great ancient martial arts families, currently has only a dozen Grandmasters, all of whom are over three hundred years old and spend their days in seclusion in the family's blessed land, cultivating in the hope of breaking through bottlenecks and reaching higher realms.

Zhuozhuo immediately asked his parents to be at the Grandmaster level, as if the Grandmaster level was cabbage that was everywhere.

Gu Yan knew that Zhuozhuo himself might not even understand what Grandmaster Realm meant. He asked with a smile, "Why do you need Grandmaster Realm? Is Xiantian Realm enough?"

"No." Zhuozhuo shook his head and said firmly: "Grandmaster, protect Zhuozhuo. Don't let him be bullied or die."

"What big things are you going to do that require the protection of a Grandmaster to survive?" Gu Yan teased, and said firmly: "I'm only at the Xiantian Realm. If you don't want it, you'll have to find someone to raise you yourself."

Zhuozhuo pouted, "Okay. I'll have to give you more money, child support."

"Okay, I'll definitely give you enough money to grow up in prosperity. No other problems, someone will pick you up tomorrow."

"No problem."

9972 watched as the big and small reached an agreement, still feeling a bit uneasy. "Baby, are you just leaving like that?"

"Yes." Zhuozhuo waved her little hand and said in a childish voice, "Gu Yan doesn't want to raise Zhuozhuo, so I won't force him!"