Chapter 53 Fungal Remains Frenzy 14 A Romantic Debt.
While Hong Chenxi was speaking, Wei Chongru and Mo Gui exchanged a knowing glance.
Although it's unclear how Nanmen Jue got into so many romantic entanglements so quickly, it's unlikely that Nanmen Jue will be able to fulfill this wish.
They are reincarnators who have come to undergo tribulations. They have their own things to do, and bringing an NPC along is like bringing themselves a lot of trouble. They even have to be careful about what they say. Therefore, reincarnators don't befriend NPCs. They will leave soon anyway, so it's a waste of their feelings.
However, it's not uncommon for someone to create a temporary harem in the cycle of reincarnation when faced with such a beautiful woman throwing herself at him, so any choice Nanmen Jue makes is possible.
All three pairs of eyes were fixed on Nanmen Jue, waiting for her to make a choice.
Nanmen Jue said, "I can't take you."
The two looked as if they had known, and Hong Chenxi's eyes dimmed.
She tried her best to breathe, but her voice still had a slight nasal tone, "If, if you think I've committed a heinous crime, or that I'm a withered flower..."
“It has nothing to do with any of that,” Nanmen Jue interrupted her. “I can’t bring anyone with me to do what I’m doing. Anyone who comes with me will die even faster.”
Hong Chenxi blinked and looked at the other two people.
Forced to stop her on the verge of tears, Wei Chongru coughed twice. "Brother Nanmen wasn't wrong. He's surrounded by... danger. There must be quite a few people who want to kill him."
"Why?" Hong Chenxi asked impatiently. She had wanted to ask this question as soon as she heard Nanmen Jue and Yu Wanyan's conversation, but she didn't dare to ask Nanmen Jue directly.
“Uh…” This couldn’t be said outright. Wei Chongru glanced at Nanmen Jue and said vaguely, “This is Brother Nanmen’s own business. You’ll have to ask him.”
Hong Chenxi looked at Nanmen Jue again. Even though he knew that the sorrowful, pitiful and miserable look in her eyes was an act, Nanmen Jue still felt very uncomfortable.
She looked away and silently took a sip of water from her glass. Only then did she realize that Hong Chenxi had poured her apple juice. She then thought back to the first time she entered the main hall of the God, when Guan Junren also gave her apple juice. Her feelings became complicated.
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "I'm sorry."
A strong wind blew across the rooftop, and the light in Hong Chenxi's eyes went out like a small light bulb.
She could tell that this was Nanmen Jue's formal rejection.
She forced a smile, told them where the three "men" would be sleeping that night, and then stood up and went back to her room.
Only after her figure disappeared did Nanmen Jue's gaze fall on the closed door.
Mo Gui's eyes darted around, and he leaned closer to Nanmen Jue, a knowing look on his face. "Brother Jue, you can't bear to part with her?"
Nanmen Jue glanced at him noncommittally, "Aren't you afraid of me at all?"
“What am I afraid of? You’re the only person who saved me in the three worlds I’ve been through.” Mo Gui’s expression was vivid, his features jumping as if he were having a spasm. “There are four people here. I’m afraid of two of them, but I’m not afraid of you at all.”
Nanmen Jue lowered his head, and the corner of his mouth seemed to curl slightly.
Even knowing that my current identity is not suitable for being kind to others, just talking to such an interesting person can make me feel much better.
She glanced at Wei Chongru indifferently, causing him to immediately sit up straight and adopt a serious expression: "Brother Nanmen, don't worry, I won't mention a word about Mo Gui when I get back. No one will know that you saved him."
Seeing how cooperative he was, Nanmen Jue was pleased. However, she had already prepared a way out for Mo Gui, but the silly boy was still clueless.
"What? Why won't anyone know that Brother Jue saved me? He's the one who saved me!" Mo Gui glared at Wei Chongru. "Trying to sow discord between Brother Jue and me?"
Wei Chongru: "..."
Where did this silly boy come from?
"Please forgive him, he's a minor." Nanmen Jue chuckled.
With Nanmen Jue protecting Mo Gui, Wei Chongru naturally dared not act rashly and said in a huff, "I don't know how long it's been since you returned to the Main God Hall. Our three guilds are currently hunting down Brother Nanmen..."
“Then it must be those three guild idiots,” Mo Gui said without hesitation.
"...It's because Brother Nanmen slaughtered all the reincarnators from the same world and destroyed a reincarnation world!" Wei Chongru's eyes blazed with fury. "Are you a caveman? You don't even know about the wanted poster issued by the main god?"
"So what if I know?" Mo Gui's expression didn't change at all, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "These damn worlds created by the Main God almost killed me. Jue Ge saved my life. The Main God is bad, and Jue Ge is good. Do you think I believe in bad instead of good? Do you think I'm an idiot like you guys?"
Wei Chongru: "..."
This guy has become a die-hard fan of Nanmen Jue, we can't have a conversation with him anymore!
Nanmen Jue lowered her head and smiled. The more Mo Gui acted this way, the less she felt he was really that simple.
A truly simple person cannot survive three worlds on their own.
She skipped over the question and turned to Wei Chongru, "How much do you know about Hong Chenxi?"
Wei Chongru was taken aback. This guy still had something to say about her? While thinking this to himself, he respectfully replied, "I heard that this woman had a pretty tragic experience. She used to live in this city with her parents, and her boyfriend of seven years also worked here. But on the day the apocalypse broke out, her boyfriend led a group of people into her house because he knew that her parents had a habit of hoarding food. Then something happened that led to the deaths of her parents."
"NPC character introductions? So detailed?" Mo Gui said.
“These things about her aren’t a secret. Someone tried to get her before and deliberately spread these things. It seems that Li Yushu was indeed affected and didn’t dote on her as much as before, but because of her strong abilities, he still let her manage such an important place as the bar.” Wei Chongru shrugged. “I know these things because I found printed tabloids in the bar, and they all said it.”
Mo Gui murmured, "This sister is really pitiful..."
Nanmen Jue twirled the cup in her hand without speaking. She recalled Hong Chenxi saying, "My judgment was indeed flawed," and realized that such a story was hidden behind it.
One wrong judgment led to the downfall of his parents and forced him to sell his body and soul to survive.
Seeing her deep in thought, Wei Chongru cautiously said, "Brother Nanmen, if you really like her, take her away for a while. Anyway, you'll naturally go back when the time comes, and she won't be able to bother you..."
He suddenly choked, and Nanmen Jue stared straight at him, his gaze sending shivers down his spine.
He trembled just like when she had grabbed his neck. Even though she wasn't touching him now, if he were clear-headed, he would realize that this was a power imbalance, that Nanmen Jue's power level was much higher than his, almost equivalent to pheromone suppression in nature.
Wei Chongru didn't know what he had said wrong, and could only look at Nanmen Jue in fear, unable to even look away.
Nanmen Jue pursed her lips. She knew these people wouldn't believe her, so she didn't intend to bring up the issue of the world's reality again. But hearing Wei Chongru speak like that, treating a living person like an object to be evaluated and manipulated, she couldn't control the surging anger in her heart.
Damn it, whether they believe it or not, she's going to say it.
“Listen, these worlds are real, and these people are real.” Nanmen Jue’s voice turned cold, his magnetism turning into a chilling coldness. “Hong Chenxi is a real person, those people killed by Yu Wanyan are real people, everyone is real. If you want to kill someone in the Reincarnation Space in the future, think more about this.”
Wei Chongru and Mo Gui both stared blankly at her, and from their eyes, it was clear that they thought she had gone mad.
“I didn’t kill anyone in that cycle of reincarnation world that I destroyed; I saved them,” Nanmen Jue said self-deprecatingly. “They are living well now, and I can sense their situation, but I can’t let them come out to prove my words.”
Wei Chongru and Mo Gui exchanged a glance, hesitating to speak.
“I’m telling the truth,” Nanmenjue said. “I’m not lying, and I’m not crazy.”
Wei Chongru nodded quickly, "I understand, brother."
Nanmen Jue could tell that they didn't believe him at all.
No matter how many times she says it, these reincarnated beings will not believe it. They will continue to use the mentality of playing a game as an excuse to treat all living beings in the world cruelly or with contempt.
Why is it like this?
Why does it have to be this way?
Nanmen Jue was filled with anger and sorrow. She wanted to jump up and shove those two disobedient heads into the table, to pry open their brains and force these ideas into them. But she also realized that even if they believed her, what difference would it make? To survive, even reincarnated beings who knew they were alive would kill each other. She would kill too. What right did she have to be so compassionate?
She saved one world because she had the right timing, location, and people in that world, and humans were already very scarce. Could she save all worlds?
She only wanted to save Nanmen Yu, and that was all she could do.
Once she rescues Nanmen Yu, she will break off her contract with Xiao Nuo, take her sister away, and never return.
Nanmen Jue's eyes were shockingly red. She silently closed her eyes and uttered a single word: "Get out."
Wei Chongru and Mo Gui dared not ask any more questions. Wei Chongru even had a strange sense of relief: such unpredictable mood swings and crazy thoughts were just like the legendary Nanmen Jue.
Sitting with Nanmen Jue, drinking and chatting, was definitely too much for his heart.
Nanmen Jue didn't go inside. She sat on the rooftop all night. Just as dawn was breaking, she climbed down the rope ladder.
She walked alone on the desolate and dilapidated city streets, with crows flying around her in the sky, a scene that exuded loneliness.
Nanmen Jue walked for a while, then suddenly noticed something, stopped, took a few more steps, and then stopped again.
“Stalking someone can get you killed if you’re not careful.” She turned her head and stared at the rearview mirror of a beat-up car.
The other side didn't move, and neither did she. After a moment, Hong Chenxi walked out with her head down.
"I'm sorry," she said.
Nanmen Jue stared at her and suddenly noticed that she had a stubborn cowlick of hair, which was very similar to Nanmen Jue's own. That's why she could create such a wild hairstyle when she casually cut her hair at first, until Wu Qing tidied her up and she became a decent-looking person.
Hong Chenxi must be just as good at styling her hair as Wu Qing. Her hair was long and smooth, and she had changed into a tracksuit, making her look like a beautiful and refreshing senior in college.
Hong Chenxi looked helpless, her right hand gripping her left elbow, crumpling the fabric.
“I don’t know what to do. I’ve only learned to act vicious and pitiful, but I don’t think you’ll fall for that.” Her long eyelashes trembled, like restless butterflies.
Nanmen Jue's tone didn't soften. "You've been through the apocalypse, so stop playing the suspension bridge effect, okay? I only saved you once, and you expect me to give up my ego? Hong Chenxi, is your ego so cheap, so devoid of good and evil, so indiscriminate in right and wrong, that you can give it to anyone who wants it?"
Hong Chenxi was stunned when she heard her say such harsh words. She looked up and saw that Nanmen Jue's phoenix eyes were deep and showed no contempt or disgust. Instead, she relaxed.
"Since you really don't like me, then just leave me alone. Thank you for saving my life," Hong Chenxi said. "I want to go to the Forge Base. Surely you can go this way on your own?"
Nanmen Jue frowned. "Why are you still going to the Forge Base?"
"Such a big blunder happened at the bar, I have to go and explain," Hong Chenxi said with a smile.
"Are you crazy?" Nanmen Jue's gaze sharpened. "Do you think Li Yushu is someone who's so easy to talk to? Are you sure you're not just looking for death?"
“There’s no escaping it. Li Yushu is nominally the second-in-command, but the top leader is unreliable. He’s the actual power behind the Furnace Base. The three major bases cooperate with each other, and other smaller bases or settlements rely on them. If you offend them, unless you’re strong enough to live alone away from the crowd, being caught will be even worse.” Hong Chenxi spoke as if she were talking about someone else’s situation. Looking at Nanmen Jue’s gloomy face, she smiled gently, “It’s alright. I knew this day would come when I first boarded this pirate ship.”
Nanmen Jue was surprised to find that his idea of freeing Hong Chenxi from Li Yushu's control was just wishful thinking. Hong Chenxi herself was simply incapable of achieving it. He also realized that Hong Chenxi did not believe his words that she would kill Li Yushu, and his face turned cold.
"You seem to have always longed for death. Yesterday you forced me to kill you, and today you're actively seeking death," Nanmen Jue said coldly.
“How could that be? I want to live so badly.” Hong Chenxi’s tone turned somber. “Even if I wanted to die, I wouldn’t want to die at Li Yushu’s hands.”
"He won't kill you?"
"Given how useful I am, he shouldn't have to kill me," Hong Chenxi said self-deprecatingly. "No matter how useful I am... he probably can't find a woman prettier than me around him."
“Don’t talk about yourself like that,” Nanmen Jue suddenly said.
Hong Chenxi looked up at her, but she had already turned around and continued walking forward. "Since you don't believe I would kill Li Yushu, then come and see for yourself."
Hong Chenxi froze, something flickering in her eyes, when a cheerful shout came from behind.
"Brother Jue! Brother Jue! Brother Jue! You forgot to bring me!"
Nanmen Jue was forced to stop again, and her head was buzzing when she heard the sound.
Seeing the two people charging towards her like pigs, she held back her words, "What are you two doing now?"
"Going to the Forge Base, isn't that where you're going?" Mo Gui blinked his innocent eyes.
"So you wasted your breath last night, didn't you? Knowing there was something underground, you still went there eagerly." Nanmen Jue looked at Wei Chongru. "Weren't you very afraid of losing your life?"
"I'm scared," Wei Chongru said honestly. "I don't know where Yu Wanyan is yet. I'm afraid that if I'm alone, she'll take advantage of me."
Nanmen Jue almost laughed in anger, "You're afraid she'll kill you, but aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Hong Chenxi said, "You said that rescuing people is not about watching them die again."
Nanmen Jue: "..."
The three people stood in a row in front of her, bowing their heads in unison, looking like they were obediently admitting their mistakes, but they didn't know what they had done wrong.
Nanmen Jue pointed at this person and then at that person, and the person pointed at made an even more obedient expression. Wei Chongru looked like he was attending a funeral.
Nanmen Jue: "..."
never mind.
The situation is indeed bad. There is a mother tree underground, and we don't know if Yu Wanyan is dead or not. We might also encounter people sent by Li Yushu. It would be better to take them directly to the Furnace Base.
Deng Erhuai and his group should be there. Once they take down Li Yushu, the Furnace Base will be relatively safe.
Nanmen Jue turned and left.
The three looked down at each other, then burst into laughter and quickly followed Nanmen Jue.
None of the three were fools; they were instinctively adept at seizing opportunities. Since Nanmen Jue didn't refuse, it meant he allowed it.
“I’ll lead the way. I know a shortcut that will only take half a day to get to the Furnace Base.” Hong Chenxi smiled somewhat ingratiatingly, but without the previous obsequious humility. She seemed to have found some kind of confidence, and her spirit was different.
Nanmen Jue looked her up and down. Although he didn't admit it, he was still a little better because Hong Chenxi believed him.
The four set off for the furnace base, and the atmosphere gradually became more lively. Even Wei Chongru was no longer so timid and even dared to shout loudly.
Of course, it's also possible that he was angered by Mo Gui.
"So there shouldn't be any ketchup in sweet and sour pork at all! And what's with the orange juice?! Mo Gui, stop spreading this cult nonsense, or I'll kill myself!"
"But isn't the essence of good food innovation? If people like it, that's all that matters. If you don't, who do you think you are!"
"Don't try to twist my words! Which people like this? Find them for me, or I'll kill you all!"
"Why are you shouting and killing all of this... Brother Jue, help! Murder!"
Nanmen Jue rolled his eyes, not wanting to pay attention to the two idiots behind him.
Hong Chenxi covered her mouth and laughed beside her, then Mo Gui rushed over and almost knocked her away, but Nanmen Jue grabbed her arm.
"Do not return."
Nanmen Jue's tone was inexplicable, and the two who were playfully fighting immediately froze. They poked each other as they approached Hong Chenxi and bowed together, saying, "I'm sorry!"
"Ah...it's nothing." Hong Chenxi was startled by the commotion.
"Stay away from them," Nanmen Jue said with disdain. "Idiots are contagious."
Behind her, the two started again.
"Did you hear that? Jue-ge said you're mentally challenged."
"I'm talking about you, you heretic who insists on adding orange juice to sweet and sour pork!"
"I don't care, I'm talking about you!"
I'm talking to you!
I'm talking to you!
Nanmen Jue: "..."
She regretted bringing them along.
Hong Chenxi laughed happily, "Isn't it great? I haven't heard such a childlike conversation since the apocalypse."
Nanmen Jue remained silent. The mentality of the reincarnators and the natives was different. For the reincarnators, no matter how dangerous the world was, it was just a game for a short stay. But the natives had to endure in this world forever, without seeing any hope.
It's hard to say who is more desperate.
Seeing her calm expression, Hong Chenxi also suppressed her smile, glanced at her with some concern, and couldn't help but become somewhat captivated.
Besides the boy's looks and skills, what attracts a woman like her is her contradictory temperament—a blend of violence and tenderness, coldness and melancholy—that makes one want to explore, submit, and pity her.
"If one day in the future I really have the chance to start over, I will still grow a yard full of flowers." Hong Chenxi gently tucked her hair behind her ear, her eyes revealing a deep and gentle tenderness.
“I noticed you kept some on the rooftop before,” Nanmenjue said.
"I love flowers. They are alive, vibrant life, though short, they are beautiful."
Nanmen Jue glanced back at her and said, "Don't make wild predictions. This world is strange, and it's dangerous to talk like that."
Hong Chenxi chuckled, "You actually believe in karma?"
“I don’t believe in anything,” Nanmen Jue said. “I only believe that human will can overcome nature.”
Hong Chenxi smiled, but her eyes held a hint of melancholy. She swallowed her words so that Nanmen Jue wouldn't hear: "If only I had met you sooner..."
If she had met Nanmen Jue earlier, she wouldn't have committed so many sins. Perhaps she could have escaped all of this and lived openly and justifiably with her.
The towering cooling towers of the furnace base were already visible, and Nanmenjue frowned upon seeing them.
Hong Chenxi asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"I have some psychological trauma," Nanmen Jue said.
The images of Tyrant Bird and Zhang Chuxi flashed through Nanmen Jue's mind, but he deliberately avoided them.
Suddenly, Nanmen Jue stopped. As soon as she stopped, everyone else quickly followed suit. Her ears twitched, and she looked up at the sky.
The crow landed on a high branch and nodded to her.
Soon, without Nanmen Jue needing to remind him, Wei Chongru of Ziming also heard the commotion, and his expression immediately became tense, "A convoy!"
In a flash of inspiration, Nanmen Jue grabbed Hong Chenxi and Mo Gui's arms and pulled them away from their previous positions. The next second, several bullets hit their feet.
Hong Chenxi suddenly looked up. "Are they from the Forge Base?"
Nanmen Jue narrowed his eyes. Several military pickup trucks drove in from a distance. The truck bodies had been modified, with sharp metal spikes wrapped around them, and blackened intestines and blood hanging from them.
Unlike those in the quarantine facility, the people at the Furnace Base weren't dressed in uniform. A group of them rushed over, shouting and yelling. When they saw Nanmen Jue and his group, their eyes gleamed strangely. The lead car let out a long whistle, and five cars surrounded the four of them.
Despite being watched intently by a group of armed men, none of the four showed any fear. Wei Chongru looked around and a hint of disdain appeared on his face.
Hong Chenxi stepped forward and blocked the three people. "Which team are you from at the Furnace Base? I am Hong Chenxi, and I report directly to Deputy Factory Director Li Yushu."
The leader had his head shaved into a mohawk and dyed orange. He gave Red Dawn an unsettling look and whistled flippantly at the others.
"See? I told you I'd have good luck today! Isn't this the Red Dawn?"
Hong Chenxi's face stiffened. "Looking for me?"
“Yes, Sister Hong, Director Li specifically instructed us that we can’t let you get away.” Mohican said with a grin. “Let me tell you in advance, when Director Li gave the order, he said ‘life or death is no object,’ which means that as long as we bring you back, it doesn’t matter if you die.”
Hong Chenxi's face turned pale; she vaguely sensed the implication in the other person's words.
A person nearby chimed in, "Whether you live or die is up to us right now. We've been wanting to taste Sister Hong for ages!"
"Yes, we specifically took this job."
"Sister Hong is indeed a rare beauty!"
Laughter, tinged with malice, filled the air, and Hong Chenxi clenched her fist.
She wouldn't be saddened by these things; she was only annoyed that she had miscalculated. Was Li Yushu really that ruthless? Just because she made one mistake, he wanted to humiliate and kill her.
Fortunately, it was only directed at her personally.
Hong Chenxi took a deep breath and was about to speak when she heard an arrogant voice from the side.
"Old Wei, I think I didn't sleep well last night, otherwise why would I see a few bald-tailed roosters lying around here doing nothing?"
Wei Chongru smoothly replied, "Perhaps he was too excited after just cultivating into human form, which is why he dared to block people's way."
Hong Chenxi was stunned.
"What did you say?" Mohican's expression changed drastically.
Mo Gui poked her ear with her little finger and snorted at him contemptuously, "Whoever answers is whoever they want. What kind of trash dares to call me Sister Hong like that?"
"you!"
Mohican was furious. He cocked his gun with a few clicks, and everyone stood on the car, pointing their guns down at the four men.
"Let's take care of these guys first," the mohawk man said sinisterly. "Sister Hong, does Director Li know how horny you are? Can't you live without a man for a day? Don't worry, brothers, take care of the ones in the way, and we'll satisfy you."
"don't want!"
Hong Chenxi's expression changed as well. She rushed forward and opened her arms, "This has nothing to do with them! I'll go with you! Take me back to see Li Yushu, I have something to say to him!"
"Begging for mercy now? Too late!" the Mohican said. "Kill them!"
Just then, a cold, slender hand, as nimble as a snake, silently gripped his neck.
When? Why didn't anyone remind him?
The question had barely surfaced when several people in the same car as him silently collapsed.
Mohican stared wide-eyed in disbelief, cold sweat pouring down his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but a knife of intangible material pressed down gently, cutting a bloody gash across his throat.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly just now." A soft, magnetic voice sounded close to his ear, "Who do you want to mess with?"
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Author's note: Wishing everyone a happy and healthy Dragon Boat Festival! [kissing emoji]
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