Chapter 80 Fungal Remains Frenzy 41 Yama's Loan.
Even though he had already been certain of this, Nanmen Jue was still somewhat taken aback when he received confirmation from an old friend his sister knew.
She couldn't see the cloaked man's expression or gaze, but she could feel a weight pressing down on her. Whatever this person's relationship with Nanmen Yu, something profound must have happened between them. This connection touched Nanmen Jue deeply.
Her tone softened, "She got some powerful item, didn't she?"
The cloaked figure nodded slightly. "She was lucky. In the first world, she obtained an item that she could take out of the world. This item can protect her and also allows her to protect others."
Nanmen Jue received the answer and nodded in realization.
After learning what her sister had done, she kept thinking about what kind of item her sister had obtained and how she obtained it. She personally experienced how difficult it was to obtain high-level items in the reincarnation space, but forgot that some things in the reincarnation world could be taken out.
"What is that?" she asked intently.
“Orange item, Yama's Loan,” the cloaked man said.
Nanmen Jue's heart skipped a beat. "This doesn't sound like anything good."
The cloaked figure seemed to chuckle, a soft hissing sound emanating from the synthesizer, before his tone grew even more strange and cold: "In this space, is there anything that can be called good?"
“You’re right,” Nanmen Jue said quickly. “Then what is it?”
"As the name suggests, it's like borrowing money from the King of Hell to save your life, whether it's to save yourself or someone else," the cloaked man said. "Its effects are extremely powerful: internal and external injuries, limb regeneration, organ restoration. The more severe the injury, the greater the cost of the loan."
The more he spoke, the more serious Nanmen Jue's expression became, and his face, still recovering from injuries, grew even paler.
She seemed to have already seen how her older sister would use it.
"How does the loan process work?" she asked softly.
"Health points," the cloaked figure said. "Using it grants a buff, making the user's health exceptionally high. Everyone's maximum health is one hundred, but with Yama's Loan, health will reach one thousand. Each use deducts a portion of health, and when health drops back to the normal one hundred..."
Nanmen Jue stared at him without blinking.
"...the body will become a mechanical medical station, the arms a scalpel, the fingers a syringe, the chest an ECMO, and so on," the cloaked man said calmly. "Each time is a little different."
“Every single time.” Nanmen Jue’s eyes gradually reddened, his tone suppressing something, “It seems this isn’t the first or second time she’s turned into this kind of thing.”
“I followed her into five worlds,” the cloaked figure said in a low voice. “She changes in each world.”
Nanmen Jue gently closed his eyes.
The cloaked figure looked at her and said softly, "No reincarnator has ever been willing to sacrifice themselves to save the natives. In all my years in this space, you and her are the only ones I've met. You and her are so alike."
Nanmen Jue chuckled. She didn't cry, but her voice was hoarse: "She didn't even know if these people were real or fake, yet she resolutely chose to save them. Nanmen Yu is Nanmen Yu... I knew it."
The last few words were barely audible.
Her older sister.
“I don’t understand the point of what you’re doing,” the cloaked man said, “but I won’t hurt her.”
“That’s enough,” Nanmen Jue said softly.
She opened her eyes, having composed herself in such a short time. Without looking at the cloaked figure, she said, "I trust you, so tell me the truth: is my sister... still alive?"
The cloaked figure did not answer immediately. The two looked together at the pale dawn breaking on the horizon. A fiery red sun was slowly squeezing out the deep blue night, becoming the new ruler of this sky.
“I’m not sure,” he said, “but I tend to think she’s not dead yet. Nanmen Yu wouldn’t die so easily.”
“…Okay.” Nanmen Jue said, a smile returning to his lips. “With that in mind, I can continue my search.”
The cloaked figure was slightly moved and turned to look at her.
Nanmen Jue smiled, her face still covered in blood, giving her a dangerously roguish air. "I'll say it again: whatever favors you have between you and my sister, you should return them to her directly. Her good deeds have nothing to do with me, so don't worry about me."
The cloaked man's calm tone betrayed his stubborn determination: "I promised her that I would protect you as long as I saw you."
“You have already protected her,” Nanmen Jue said gently.
"but……"
“Senior, you are my sister’s friend and have helped me so much, so I’ll call you senior.” Nanmen Jue looked at him. “You’re an old man in this space, so you should know that no one can protect others. You met me and helped me, and that’s enough for you to explain to Nanmen Yu.”
The cloaked figure paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "You don't need to worry about implicating me."
Nanmen Jue remained unmoved. "You're overthinking it."
“I’ve lived here for a long time, perhaps longer than you are. It’s easy to see through a lie in front of me.” The cloaked man stared at her face. “Your strength has been reduced, and you have to take Zhang Zhi with you. I have to protect you.”
A look of helplessness appeared in Nanmen Jue's eyes. She never imagined that one day she would be arguing with someone about whether she needed protection.
At the same time, she was secretly alarmed by the length of time the other person had spent in this godforsaken place.
Is it possible that a normal reincarnator can't accumulate enough points to return to reality even after ten or twenty years?
This question flashed through her mind, but she didn't want to reopen old wounds.
Looking at this seemingly ordinary person, but exuding persistence, Nanmen Jue's eloquent reasons rolled around on his tongue, and suddenly he didn't want to talk nonsense like he did with others.
“Senior, you didn’t try to persuade me to let go of Zhang Zhi. I think you might understand my thoughts.” She said gently, “I will not let go of Zhang Zhi. I know what I will face. This is my own choice.”
“No,” said the cloaked man, “you don’t know what you’re facing.”
“I know,” Nanmen Jue said. “The game balance in this instance has been broken, hasn’t it?”
The cloaked figure fell silent.
“Originally, I thought that you, me, and Cheng Xiuye would be the leaders of three forces competing for the mission, since it’s already dangerous to deploy one gold name and two orange names in a world.” Nanmen Jue chuckled self-deprecatingly. “But I underestimated the madness of the main god. If Yu Wanyan is also an orange name, then the balance I envisioned no longer exists. If you are also an orange name, then there must be at least one more orange name hiding in the shadows.”
This scale impressed even Nanmenjue.
"Four orange names, not to mention countless purple names. Once the news of me becoming an orange name gets out, I'll be like a meat bun in a pile of wild dogs, ready to be torn to pieces at any moment."
The cloaked figure looked at her and said, "You do resemble your sister's description somewhat."
Nanmen Jue chuckled: "Why did you suddenly bring this up when you were being so serious?"
“She said you have a bad temper, and sometimes you’re very smart and sometimes you’re very stupid,” the cloaked man said. “You see things very clearly, but your choices are stupid.”
"That's what she said?" Nanmen Jue smiled brightly, as if he hadn't heard the cloaked man's own comment in the second half of the sentence.
The cloaked figure persisted: "If you don't trust me..."
"What are you talking about?" Nanmen Jue's smile froze, then turned into helplessness. "Now that things have come to this point, if I don't trust you, wouldn't I become a heartless scumbag?"
The cloaked figure paused, somewhat unconvinced by her metaphor.
Nanmen Jue spoke sincerely and gently: "It is precisely because I trust you that I cannot involve you. You are as stubborn as a mule, and I happen to be as stubborn as a mule as well, so don't try to persuade me, and don't secretly follow me. If I find out, I will speak ill of you in front of my sister."
The cloaked man fell into a subtle silence again, as if Nanmen Jue had gagged him.
“I will take Jin Jian with me. The others are not easy to deal with if they band together. Unless they are madmen who have lost their minds, they should not target them. Jin Jian will really be killed by Cheng Xiuye.” Nanmen Jue looked up at the sky, the morning light shining on her beautiful face. She smiled slightly, her beauty captivating. “It’s too bright.”
She turned around and saw Zhang Zhi had returned to where Deng Erhuai and the others were, talking about something. A thought struck her, and she called out loudly, "Zhang Zhi!"
Zhang Zhi didn't hear it, but everyone else did. Deng Erhuai patted Zhang Zhi, and Zhang Zhi jogged towards Nanmenjue.
Watching the little girl run and jump around, a crazy idea suddenly popped into Nanmen Jue's mind.
—What if we kill Zhang Zhi now?
Kill her, send her to that space where no virus or radiation hyphae can exist, let Qin Yehan and the others take care of her, and leave this place forever. Would that protect her?
Given the current situation, she really wasn't confident she could protect her until the time was up.
Neither the cloaked man nor Zhang Zhi knew what thought had flashed through her mind in that instant, but in that brief moment, Nanmen Jue's determination was unwavering. She had even taken out the White Bone Knife, which was hidden under her folded fingertips.
The cloaked figure glanced at her hand as if sensing something. At that moment, Zhang Zhi ran up to Nanmen Jue, who smiled and put the knife away again.
She knelt down on one knee and looked up into Zhang Zhi's eyes.
"Zhizhi, do you believe me?"
Zhang Zhi nodded with unwavering determination, her childish voice ringing out: "I trust my brother the most!"
Nanmen Jue's gaze was gentle. She gently stroked Zhang Zhi's crooked little braid. This must be Mo Gui's handiwork. She had seen Mo Gui awkwardly braid Zhang Zhi's hair before. The movements didn't look like he was tying hair, but rather like he was tying his own hair into a knot.
As she touched the realistic texture, a decision in her heart became clearer and clearer. The cloaked man was right. She was too weak now. If she forced Zhang Zhi to go with her, it would be the two of them going to their deaths together.
Nanmen Jue said softly, "Then believe me, whatever decision I make is for your survival, even if it seems... like I'm not keeping my promise."
Zhang Zhi blinked blankly, then suddenly sensed something and grabbed Nanmen Jue's arm in a panic, "Brother, what are you doing?"
Nanmen Jue patted her head, stood up, looked at the cloaked figure, and said seriously, "If you really want to help me increase the survival rate, then protect her for me for now, okay? Consider it a favor I owe you, and I will repay it in the future."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com