Chapter 162: Strange Fog and Hazy Moon, Hundred Stories (3)

The full moon trembled as if breathing, its dark light flooding the entire cave. Through the hue of the moonlight, everyone finally saw the appearance of those who had come later. Their bodies were composed of oil-black blood, and organs such as eyes, mouths, and hands proliferated disorderly in the blood, forming an ugly shape.

Those monsters are all the Fallen. More than 40 of them are laughing and clapping their hands. They are the most active listeners of the Hundred Tales!

The old man's laughter echoed through the cave, and Chu Hengkong felt a headache. This strange ritual was called "Moon Meng Bai Wu Yu" (One Hundred Tales of the Moon), and it involved telling stories under the moonlight, and it was held on the night of the full moon...

He should have realized long ago that the Hundred Tales were the activities of the Fallen. The Despair Fields lay directly under the light of the First Abyss, and the old man didn't even need a summoning ritual to come here.

Ji Huaisu put on his ice armor and turned to look at the man who led them here: "What's going on, Chongming!"

"Didn't I tell you a long time ago that it's a newcomer gift package?" Chongming leaned against the cave wall, scratching his ears impatiently. "The Dark Moon faction is the most friendly force in the Shendong Realm. Tell a few stories here, and I'll grant each of you one wish. It's a good deal, right?

Think about what you want now. If you miss this great opportunity, there won’t be another one…”

"Is this a question of whether it's worth it?!" Fander was furious. "Dark Moon is a heretic!"

"What's wrong with heretics?" Chongming said coldly.

He took off his sunglasses and cast a cold gaze at the three newcomers: "Do you think you are here for an outing? Don't you see these guys around you still understand your situation?

This is the Desperate Wilderness! To survive, even the power of the outsider must be used! "

The researchers all stood up and wordlessly tore off their clothes, revealing arms covered in tiny eyes, torsos that had melted like mud, chests stripped of bare bones, and legs replaced by metal structures...

All of them carry varying degrees of heterodox contamination. They have been traveling with this group of polluters!

"This is a last resort. Otherwise, we would have turned into nightmare fusion monsters long ago." Frog Face said with a smile, "Besides..."

They all pointed at Chu Hengkong in unison: "You have both real weapons and demons on your body, what right do you have to complain!"

——Damn it, I can’t think of any reason to refute it!

Ji Huaisu and Fan De were stunned, as if they had swallowed a fly. Chu Hengkong himself wasn't particularly panicked. The Benevolent Elder here was definitely not a low-quality spirit. Even a blind man could see the immense presence he emanated. With such a powerful being sitting beside them, it would be a joke for a few small fry to talk of "resistance."

The old man himself didn't care about the noise of the newcomers. He took out a large cloth bag with a smile and greeted the fallen people: "Who wants tea and snacks?"

"I want it." "Please give me one~" "Thank you, old man!"

The fallen echoed noisily, like a group of cheerful, decaying babies. The old man pulled out a fine white porcelain tea set, poured a tea that reeked like mud, and distributed beautiful candies wrapped in colorful paper. He watched with a smile as the younger generation took their treats, then clapped his hands.

"We've finished telling a hundred stories. Now let's announce the children who performed the best tonight. Fifth place is Vander, fourth place is Lal 76, third place is Wolfka, second place is Ji Huaisu, and the best storyteller is Chu Hengkong!"

The Fallen pulled out party poppers, spraying streamers of skin and colored bone fragments. Finder got furious. "Wait a minute! No disrespect, but I've told dozens of stories, why am I only ranked fifth?"

"Damn, it's still worried about this." Ji Huaisu said in a low voice.

Chu Hengkong also replied quietly: "It specifically stated that it had no intention of offending anyone and that it didn't count as talking back."

"The value of a story lies in its emotion. You've told so many anecdotes, but you haven't mentioned your own past. Stories without emotion are unlikely to move the audience." The old man looked at Lal 76, the tree man who had told the story of the Man-Eating Forest. "Lal, you've shared your past with everyone, pouring real emotion into it. Tell me, what kind of gift would you like?"

The tree man crawled forward using its root-like feet. It was very hesitant, even afraid, but it still bent its trunk as much as possible and crawled in front of the old man.

"Good old man, kindhearted man," it said, its voice like crying, "last month, I was the one being 'taxed'. I can't stand it any longer. I really can't bear this pain. I beg you, let me forget all the pain, preserve the good memories, and let me live happily in the cradle!"

"That's right, child." The old man nodded. "I promise you."

He tore a piece of flesh from his arm and placed it in the tree man's petrified palm. The tree man put the piece of flesh into his mouth, ate it, chewed it, swallowed it, and shed tears.

It laughed happily.

The woody trunk melted, leaving only a fragmented, less than half-broken body detached from it. Filled with oil-like blood, it assimilated and transformed into a scholarly, elegant man. Then the human form dissolved in the blood, the black blood transforming into a slug-like trunk, leaving only two gleaming eyeballs, each hanging from a tentacles. It blinked, laughed cheerfully, and let out a trumpet-like cry. The old man applauded its cry.

No longer a trace of haze, no longer a trace of fear, it leaped, like a newborn child, and walked among the fallen. From then on, it joined the cradle of eternal warmth.

This bizarre and evil reincarnation process filled the onlookers with unspeakable disgust, yet it also carried a subtle and tangible kindness. The wound on the old man's arm was still bleeding. He wiped it with a handkerchief and looked at the dog-like Wolfka: "Wolfka, what gift do you want?"

Wufka's response was fluent, evidently having thought it through long beforehand. "Kind and generous old man, I haven't had a good night's sleep in ages. I beg you to grant me a dreamless night's rest. I dare not ask for too much; a good night's rest will be enough."

"Child, is this all you need?" The old man looked at it deeply. "You are the oldest person in this valley. I can't give you as much care as I would a newcomer. Next time you want a gift, you need to tell another story that everyone agrees with. But this time, you have already told your past.

What other story could be more emotional than one's own past?"

Chu Hengkong thought of the dry and sad stories told by other monsters. He was afraid that they were just the remnants made up after the past was told. They were meaningless and meaningless.

Wolfka obviously understood better than him. He was silent for a long time and bowed his head to the old man.

"Old man, I'm not afraid of your ridicule. In my heart, I still have a little ridiculous hope. I hope that someone will be able to surpass you. I hope that the future can wait for unrealistic hopes.

I am begging for your mercy, but I still have such thoughts... I am ridiculous, isn't I?"

"People your age might mock you for not being strong enough. But in my eyes, you are all children." The old man smiled. "Older people don't make fun of children."

He gently brushed Wulfka's head, and the vicious dog that had been biting him vanished. Wulfka lay on the ground, crying silently, knowing that he would finally get a good night's sleep. He returned to the monsters trapped in nightmares. The fallen cast mocking glances, but no one spoke.

With that, the gifts for the veteran members were all given out. Shanshi Weng clasped his hands together again, and three cups appeared before the three newcomers. He bowed his head and said with concern, "You've all been tired from the journey. Would you like something to drink?"

Ji Huaisu grabbed the teacup, and Chongming behind him suddenly said, "Don't forget the rules here!"

——There are three rules in Hyaku Monogatari.

1. Do not interrupt others when they are sharing their stories.

2. When given a gift, you must not refuse it.

3. Be respectful to everyone.

Chu Hengkong stopped his partner with one hand and stood up, teacup in hand. After the battle with the club, he clearly understood the true nature of the Fallen. They were truly unreserved towards their own kind, yet treated all others like livestock. Under normal circumstances, the Fallen would have already begun mocking Wolfka. Their silence at this moment showed that every rule had its meaning.

I'm afraid these three rules are not only the rules of Hyaku Monogatari, but also the rules of Zenshi-o... Even the "descendants" favored by Moonlight would never dare to violate the old man's rules.

"We're not thirsty yet, thank you very much." Chu Hengkong said.

"Hahaha, there's no need to be so reserved." The old man smiled, his face wrinkled. "Relax! If you want to know something, just ask. If you can't make up your mind, it's okay to think about it... In this land, the last thing we lack is time."

"I do have a question," Chu Hengkong asked, "There are many people here who crave your help, why do you only give gifts to some of them?

I think according to your personality, you should give gifts to everyone with a big smile. Because you really love everyone. "

Mr. Shanshi patted his round belly and laughed heartily.

"Child, you are very good at observing others! You are absolutely right. I always do this. But this is Vansalar's territory. He agreed to let me lend a helping hand, so I have to make corresponding concessions. This is mutual respect."

"I think even in his prime, Vansalar might not be your opponent."

"If you force someone's ideas on you just because they're weaker than you, then you don't respect them." Shanshi Weng tossed a piece of pastry into his mouth. "Such opportunistic respect is just admiration for the strong!"

Chu Hengkong nodded: "I have no problem anymore."

"If you have any other questions, feel free to ask later. Now, it's time to give gifts to the newcomers according to their rankings. Starting with fifth place..."

He lowered his big head, looked at the trembling Eye Demon, and laughed so hard that his beard trembled.

"Your name is 'Fander' now, right?" said the benefactor. "Long time no see!"

(End of this chapter)