Chapter 58
The wooden house that Qian Xing prepared for Li Jue is filled with the scent of chocolate and pumpkin cream during the Christmas season. It smells sweet everywhere you go, making you want to take a bite.
The little cub, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly smelled a pungent smell of dust.
Li Jue was awakened by the strange smell. When he opened his eyes, what he saw was not the giant clam sparkling with pearly luster, nor the crystal ore that could serve as a night light, but the pitch-black, high ceiling.
Huh? Where am I?
The child rubbed his eyes and sat up, turned his head to look, but there was no sign of Ling Xi who was always by his side.
“Xixi…?”
He called the boy's name in a low voice with uncertainty.
However, no answer was received.
This made Li Jue a little flustered.
It was a deserted and strange place, so dark, and even Xixi was not there. What would happen to the little kid who was not even four years old?
Children always need something to hold onto when they feel unsafe, but there was nothing here. The cub could only roll up the hem of his clothes and hold them in his little hands, calling out quietly, quietly: "Xixi, where are you?"
There was still silence all around.
Li Jue looked around in panic, but still didn't see Ling Xi, nor did he see anyone else.
He lowered his head and looked at his own little hands and feet. Even they had each other to accompany them, but he did not.
The more Zizi thought about it, the sadder he became, with tears welling up in his golden eyes.
After nearly a year of spending time together day and night, Li Jue has developed a habit. Ling Xi has become a part of his life, and it feels like something is missing when he can't see her.
Only with Ayaki around, he is the complete Rikyu.
Just when the little cub mustered up the courage to go find his brother, a loud bang suddenly came from behind him.
He was startled and was about to find a place to hide when he saw a group of people walking in. Behind them was a wall that had been broken through by some unknown means. Bricks and tiles fell down, creating more dust and smoke.
The little cub who wanted to escape stood there in a daze.
——The person standing at the end of the group of about ten people was none other than Chen Yan, who had been missing for many days.
"……dad……?"
Li Jue opened his mouth and let out a thin, chirping sound like a baby bird.
He was too far away, and Chen Yan did not hear the call, but was distracted by the conversation of the person next to him.
The man was shorter than Chen Yan, so the young man had to lower his head. His hair, which was longer than Li Jue had remembered, hung down, covering half of his face.
He looks a little different from his usual dad, Li Jue thought.
He was a few years younger than the father that Zizi knew, and unlike the frail and sickly father he always seemed later, the Chen Yan in front of him was agile and strong, with a waistline that was twisted from his sideways posture, like a black panther ready to pounce.
Not only the appearance, but also the personality is different.
The father in my memory was always very gentle, whether to him, other people known or unknown, or even to the stray cats downstairs.
The little cub also remembered a word that he couldn't understand, but was used by others to describe his father: gentle and elegant.
But now the father's expression was cold and his eyes were indifferent as he listened, as if he was a person without emotions.
It seems even farther away than Brother Yaoyao - this "far away" is not just in a geographical sense.
No matter what, that was definitely his father, and Zizi would never make a mistake about that.
Li Jue thought that his voice was probably not loud enough and his father didn't hear it.
He stretched out his short legs, raised his arms high, and ran to his father as he did when he saw him in the past; usually his father would squat down, open his arms, and wait with a smile for him to pounce.
However, before he could run a few steps, Chen Yan seemed to have noticed something. His eyes suddenly became stern, and he reacted extremely quickly. He took out an arrow from his back and put it on the bowstring. It was at this moment that Li Jue realized that his father had been holding the bow all the time. He shot an arrow accurately in the direction of Li Jue!
Li Jue had never seen such an oppressive side of his father. The sudden rise of murderous intent and the cold expression mixed into an unprecedented fear, nailing the little child to the spot. It seemed as if his feet had taken root and he couldn't move even a step.
Tears welled up in the little cub's eyes, and he couldn't understand why his father did this.
Did I do something wrong?
Or does dad no longer recognize me?
If that thing hits me, it must be very painful...
The cub didn't dare to run away, and had nowhere to escape. He squatted down and curled up into a small ball, raised his little hands to cover his face, and sobbed helplessly.
What was strange was that the arrow that was heading straight for his face became invisible in the middle of the journey, and reappeared beside Li Jue a moment later, but its direction was twisted, and it brushed past Li Jue's clothes without even touching a hair.
Seeing that the invisible "monster" didn't appear due to the magic-breaking arrow, the teammates asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
That is the sharpshooter Chen Yan who never misses a shot!
Chen Yan frowned and looked down at her hands.
He couldn't explain why, but at the moment he shot the arrow, he suddenly felt a strange force that made him slightly deviate from his strength, as if something in the dark was preventing him from hurting the monster whose breath he had already sensed.
Very small, he thought. His detection of demonic aura has always been accurate, including not only the direction, but also the size and strength.
This time, only a tiny creature was detected, with no obvious malicious intent. It should be a young, low-level monster, perhaps even newly hatched, with weak demonic energy. It is in its most ignorant stage, and it would not be able to cause any harm even if it is not destroyed in time.
Actually, calling it demonic aura is not accurate enough. That small ball of breath is quite...pure.
Yes, in such a strange and bizarre world, there are still things that can be described as "pure".
This was one of the reasons why he failed.
He shouldn't and couldn't kill that little monster—from a certain perspective, he wasn't even sure it was a monster—otherwise he would definitely regret it.
Although there was no definite evidence, Chen Yan believed in and relied on his intuition very much. It was always accurate, otherwise he would not have been able to survive round after round of such cruel escapes.
"Never mind," he sighed. "Let's move on. This room looks so..."
Li Jue couldn't hear what was said next.
The child stood up, tears on his face, and looked sadly in the direction where Chen Yan left.
That arrow that pierced the air, that strangely cold gaze...
Dad didn't even see him.
This is not the first time Li Jue has seen his father in a strange place.
He roughly understood that this moment was a dream, and dreams were out of control.
Sometimes the father in the dream would hug him and kiss his little face, just like usual; sometimes he would just ignore him like he does now.
Okay, the little cub pouted and said, "It's better not to blame your father because he didn't notice you were there."
Zizi wanted to continue crying, but he sniffed and held back.
When adults and Xixi are not around, crying is useless. Only thinking of a solution can help.
Let’s see where Dad is going first.
Maybe if I keep following him as we walk, my dad will suddenly notice me?
With such expectations, Li Jue let go of the ruffled corners of his clothes and followed at the end of the team, like an invisible, unnoticed little tail.
He was too small. The adults walked very fast and took big steps. One step from others was enough for his short legs to take three or four steps. He was exhausted and out of breath before he had run very far.
Li Jue supported himself on his knees and panted hard, subconsciously acting like a spoiled child: "Daddy, hold me..."
When I looked up, my father had already walked far away.
The little cub puffed up his face and stood there angrily.
Angry at myself and at my dad.
After a moment he shook his head and patted his face.
The little pufferfish let out its anger and started chasing after it again with a hissing sound.
As Li Jue ran, he found that his body was getting lighter and lighter. He looked down and found that the part below his knees had melted into the misty clouds.
He reached out his hand and fiddled with it tentatively, and surprisingly, he managed to float - or perhaps even drift - as if paddling in the water.
The cub's mouth opened into an "o" shape in surprise.
He is no longer a baby, he is a little ghost!
Li Jue tried to paddle again, and the clouds and mist carried him to adjust the direction, approaching Chen Yan faster than Zizi could run by himself.
He stretched out his hand and grabbed the edge of the adult's clothes, but the latter didn't notice the extra weight at all.
Little Ghost Li Jue is very happy, because this way he won't be left behind by his dad, and it also saves a lot of energy~
Chen Yan, who was walking quickly, suddenly stopped. Zizi was caught off guard and bumped into his back. He covered his forehead with his hands and whispered "It hurts, it hurts" to comfort himself.
The adult didn't show any abnormality at all. He stopped not because he noticed a small tail, but because he sensed the devil's aura - the devil's aura surging from all directions.
"careful!"
He looked at the front of the team, and while issuing a warning, he nocked his arrow and gathered his strength. His eyes, breath, and hands were steady. He was only focused, and not afraid.
Whoosh——
The arrow twisted the invisible air, and the teammates in front jumped away as if trained, each drawing their weapons and ready for battle.
A few seconds later, a monster that looked like a pool of mud appeared out of nowhere. No one knew what it originally looked like, but after being hit by the magic-breaking arrow, it looked like this.
All the teammates realized that the battle had begun. They divided into different formations and used their respective strengths to fight off the enemy.
Since Chen Yan is one of the few people in the team who can sense the breath of demons, he not only has to fight himself, but also has to point the way for those teammates who have no perception; fortunately, he has become accustomed to this mode, and it is orderly and he does not find it difficult.
Li Jue held the corner of his father's clothes tightly, swaying with the rise and fall of Chen Yan.
Fortunately, he is now an almost weightless little ghost, otherwise he would become a nuisance to his father.
Chen Yan jumped lightly and jumped onto the boxes several people high piled up in the corner.
The view here is wide enough and high enough, and there is a safe blind spot behind it. It is the most powerful terrain that an archer can occupy.
He was concentrating on aiming at the monster to the left of a teammate and didn't even notice that the air above his head was distorted for a moment.
Chen Yan couldn't see it, but the little ghost cub could see it clearly.
He anxiously tugged at the adult: "Dad! Be careful!"
All Shen Yan heard was a "pop" as light as a bubble bursting.
But it was this sound that was so weak that it was difficult to distinguish that activated his fighting instinct. His body acted before his brain, and he raised his hand and shot an arrow upwards.
The monster exploded, and bright red blood splattered.
Even if humans have already hidden quickly enough, if they are too close, they will still be inevitably contaminated by some.
Chen Yan wiped her face in disgust, but couldn't get it completely clean, so she just ignored it.
The blood color made the already handsome face even more gorgeous, as gorgeous as a killing flower in the night.
"Who is it?" he murmured in a low voice.
He heard the warning "bang" clearly, which could not have been made by a monster trying to attack him; instead, it reminded him of the ignorant and harmless little ball before.
...That little thing, has it been following me all the time?
Why didn't he notice it when he was very sensitive to demonic aura?
At this time, Chen Yan, who was a few years younger, did not know that the pure little guy was his own blood.
The father and son were too similar. When Li Jue was far away, he could still distinguish the difference between the cub and the air and other invisible monsters. But when Li Jue got closer, the cub's aura had completely merged with his own.
Li Jue was surprised and happy. It seemed that his efforts were not in vain. His father really discovered him!
He spoke in a babble, but to Shen Yan, it was just a "ba" sound that was so small that it was difficult to distinguish.
But it doesn't matter.
He raised the corner of his mouth and whispered, "Little guy, do you want to lend me a hand?"
If the teammates who were busy fighting saw this usually cold and silent man showing such a gentle smile, they would definitely be stunned.
The little ghost was startled, then answered cheerfully: "Ba!"
When father and son join forces, their cooperation is naturally seamless.
Every time a monster attacks, the invisible little thing will make a "bang" sound, which is much more accurate than Chen Yan's own intuition and perception.
Yes, the little guy is in the same dimension as those monsters, so he or she or it can see them, which is indeed much more convenient than being separated by a dimension like this.
They joined forces and killed monsters from all directions.
When he had almost finished cleaning up, Chen Yan looked at his panel which was rising and felt very happy.
"Thank you." Chen Yan smiled again, "Although I don't know who you are, and I don't know why you are helping me, but... thank you."
"Bang!"
Because cub loves daddy the most~
Li Jue buried his face in his father's clothes, wanting a hug very much.
However, the human, unaware of the little ghost's concerns, glanced at his teammates who had already taken care of the mess and said softly, "Take care of yourself."
Li Jue's brows drooped when he heard these words, and the joy that filled his heart was washed away and turned into sadness.
It was clearly a warm reminder, but why did it sound like a farewell?
Is Dad going to leave before he really sees him or hugs him?
Are you going to leave your baby alone again?
“Beep…”
Li Jue was just about to try to persuade him to stay when his little ears suddenly pricked up in alertness.
Something is wrong.
There is some huge, overwhelming and transcendent force brewing.
In just a few seconds before he could react, it had already rushed to his feet.
The child panicked: "Dad, run, run!"
Chen Yan couldn't hear the specific content of what he said, but he could feel the distorted "beep" from the invisible little thing, which was a warning a hundred times more panicked than the previous one to remind him of the direction.
If there is a being more terrifying than a monster...
Is the big boss of this copy about to appear?
Chen Yan held her breath and concentrated, feeling more anticipation than fear.
No matter what kind of boss it is, he is sure of it——
After the monsters were eliminated, the peaceful atmosphere suddenly turned to earthquake. Several streams of magma as high as a thousand degrees gushed out from the ground. Many people were wiped out before they could even react.
Most people thought this part was over and were completely unprepared. Only Chen Yan, who was reminded by Li Jue, was careful and jumped away the moment the floor tiles under his feet cracked. Fortunately, he was not affected.
"Oh!"
The room with fire everywhere looked like hell, and the little cub was so scared that he covered his eyes with his hands.
However, the surging heat wave did not engulf him, and he did not even feel the high temperature that was beyond the human body's tolerance.
Li Jue opened his little fingers a little, maintained the posture of covering his eyes and looked out quietly.
Except for him and Shen Yan, everyone else suffered a real fire that was comparable to a massacre.
The person who was swept into the lava disappeared completely before he could even let out a second scream. Soon, only the father and son were left.
One minute ago, the team members were celebrating a resounding victory with almost no casualties;
One minute later, they suffered such a tragic annihilation.
...No, it can't be said that the whole team was wiped out. After all, Chen Yan is still fine.
The place where the young man was seemed to be covered by an invisible protective shield, and no matter how raging the flames were, they could not hurt him at all.
He stood there watching quietly, his dark pupils reflecting the dancing flames.
There was an abnormal calmness in Chen Yan's eyes.
There was neither shock at the sudden change nor grief over the death of teammates, but it became a kind of... speculation.
The little ghost was hiding behind him and had already lowered his hands from covering his eyes, as if he had sensed something.
Even though he couldn't figure out what was approaching, it didn't make him afraid anymore.
The same peace and security I felt when my dad was around.
Soon, the volcanic eruption disappeared as quietly as it had appeared.
After this level of destruction, the room was not completely razed to the ground, but was slightly brighter than before.
A dilapidated throne covered with cobwebs appeared directly in front of the father and son.
*
At this moment, in the underwater palace.
"I can send you into his mental picture now, but I can't control what happens next."
Qian Xing's hand lightly stroked the forehead of the sleeping Li Jue, and more and more continuous blue halos gently enveloped the cub.
"This little fellow is different from ordinary people. I've never tried to control him like this before. It's very likely that his consciousness will overwhelm mine. Then even I won't be able to bring you back—do you understand the consequences?"
Ling Xi also looked down at Li Jue.
The consequence is that one's consciousness will remain in Li Jue's spiritual world, while the physical body will fall into eternal sleep.
He knows it very well.
The boy nodded: "Your Majesty, I understand. Please send me there."
The meaning of his existence is to protect the little son of God. If Li Jue cannot wake up, what is the point of him staying in the waking world?
Even though he is such a young child, he has a very determined look in his eyes.
Seeing that he had made up his mind, Qian Xing did not dissuade him and sighed: "If I could be with you..."
He didn't finish, but Ling Xi knew it was impossible.
For a big boss like Qian Xing, it is no problem for his physical body to temporarily leave the sub-world, because the "core" that is deeply bound to the sub-world is more derived from mental power; during his previous trip to the Dragon World, the ocean was also operating well.
On the contrary, the Siren King's spiritual power cannot be withdrawn for a moment, otherwise the sub-world will be in the most vulnerable state, and both internal chaos and external attacks may destroy it in an instant.
The sub-world collapsed, and everyone trapped inside would have no chance of escape and would be completely destroyed along with it. Even if the Lord God came, he would not be able to resurrect them.
As the leader of the ocean world, Qian Xing has to deal with players in all kinds of difficulties or even kill them, as it is part of his job, but he also has an unshirkable responsibility to other residents.
No matter how high your position is, you are always forced to do things against your will.
The boy knelt upright beside the cub, took a deep breath, and his brown eyes were calm beyond his years. "I'm ready, please start."
Qian Xing grabbed Li Jue's soft little hand, spread out her five fingers, and placed them tightly against Ling Xi's palm.
Icicles dripped deep blue light and melted between the children's fingers.
"Good luck to you."
He channeled his mental power into the machine, then supported the unconscious Ayaka and placed her next to Li Jue.
*
In the spiritual world.
Li Jue was very sure that it didn't exist before... let's just call it furniture.
What's extra is not only the throne, but also the person sitting on it.
This was also someone Li Jue had never seen before.
He was tall, holding up his head and looking into the distance at Chen Yan, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
A crow is perched on His left shoulder, and a bat is hanging upside down on His right forearm.
Although they are all ominous things, they make Him look even more majestic and inviolable.
Crows and bats suddenly took flight together, and a slight draft blew open his hood.
Beneath the black robe that almost merged with the darkness, there was a head of dazzling golden hair.
Xiaoli feels that she has blonde hair and feels close to people with the same hair color.
He held up his own long hair for comparison. The color was much lighter than the man's, but the curly ends were very similar.
The cub hid behind his father and peeked curiously.
Who is this person?
Chen Yan had already raised his bow and arrow again when the unusual movement in the room disappeared, and now the arrow was pointing at the stranger's eyebrows.
At such a close distance, without any external interference, with the young man's accuracy known as a "sharpshooter", his hit rate is absolutely 100%.
However, the person being targeted was not at all panicked, and did not even intend to move away from the center of the target. He closed his eyes leisurely.
Rather than being slaughtered, it's more like a gamble that the other person won't take action.
The two of them stood there in silence several meters apart, and time almost stood still.
After a while, it was Chen Yan, who had been invincible until now, who lowered his hands and sneered: "...it is you."
His attitude was neither hot nor cold, but he had clearly let down his guard along with his weapon.
The man on the throne lazily opened his eyes, his lips curved into a casual, expected arc: "Did you miss me?"
Chen Yan wiped his bow and replied indifferently: "You think too much."
"Yeah."
In the blink of an eye, the man was in front of him, very close, and put his arm around his waist in a familiar and ambiguous manner. With a little strength, he brought the young man into his arms.
"I think we feel the same way about each other..."
His words are not finished, and the words no longer matter.
Chen Yan lowered her eyes and said nothing, but her obedient look as she leaned in His arms was completely different from his cold words.
"It's been so long, are you still unwilling to face your heart honestly?" He raised his hand and tucked the black hair of the human in his arms behind her snow-white ears. His sigh was like some ancient hymn, "My little Yan..."
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