"Hello, here's your delivery."
"Mhm."
Ruan Mei placed the paper bag on the table and took out the items one by one: "Let me see… egg tarts, original chicken nuggets and wings, burgers, cola. Hm? It feels like something is missing?"
Jingliu walked over to check and said strangely, "No? Everything's here."
Ruan Mei shook her head: "No, my intuition tells me something is definitely missing."
She stroked her chin and paced in front of the table. "What is it that's missing…"
Bang!
Suddenly, Ruan Mei kicked the now-stiffened Jing Yuan. A flash of inspiration struck her, and she had a sudden realization: "Ah! I remember now!"
"Spice packets! Without spice, there's no soul!"
Jingliu slapped her forehead in annoyance: "How did I forget about that?"
The two chatted while they ate.
—"Dan Heng! I am the hunter of [Destiny]! Your nightmare!"
On the other side, Blade and Dan Heng's brawl had reached its climax. The former shouted loudly as his shattered sword was dyed blood-red: "Prepare to die!"
"Haah!"
Blade stomped the ground fiercely. His figure turned into a blurry shadow and shot forward, aiming straight at Dan Heng!
This strike came with overwhelming momentum. Clearly, Blade was getting serious!
"Hmph. Since you refuse to listen to reason, I have no choice but to go all out."
Dan Heng flicked his sleeve, and a water dragon instantly condensed in the air, roaring as it charged toward Blade!
Bang!
Just as the two were about to collide, Blade suddenly tripped over something. His body lost balance on the spot and fell forward, while the water dragon flew over his head and headed straight for Ruan Mei and the others!
Jingliu had just reached out toward the chicken wing—only a tiny bit away from touching it—when the water dragon whistled past, carrying the entire family bucket away before smashing into the wall and turning into a splash of water.
The violent impact scattered the family bucket everywhere.
Plop—
A chicken wing traced a perfect arc through the air and, by sheer coincidence, landed right on Jingliu's head.
"······"
The temperature in the air slowly dropped.
Meanwhile, Blade and Dan Heng didn't notice the commotion on this side at all and continued bickering nonstop:
Blade crawled up from the ground in a sorry state and angrily said, "Damn it! What the hell tripped me… 666 Jing Yuan, you're not allowed to sleep here! You just blocked me!"
Dan Heng sneered: "Heh. Even without Jing Yuan tripping you, you wouldn't have been able to handle that last move. If you don't believe me, kick Jing Yuan aside and let's try again?"
Blade raised his shattered sword again: "Fine, let's go!"
Whoosh—
Just as the two were about to fight again, an ice sword flew across the air and stabbed deeply into the ground between them.
"Of five people, two must pay the price…" Jingliu muttered. "You two… are among them!"
Blade turned his head: "Crazy woman, what are you going mad about now? Don't forget I still have a score to settle with you… Aaaah!"
Before Blade could finish speaking, Jingliu sent him flying with a kick. He slammed heavily into the wall, leaving a human-shaped dent.
"You…"
Seeing this, Dan Heng's heart sank. "Miss Jingliu, no matter what grudge you have with Dan Feng, I am not him."
"Vidyadhara reincarnation clears all past karma."
Jingliu said with an unfriendly expression: "I know."
Dan Heng breathed a slight sigh of relief: "Then… Aaaah!"
Before he could finish, he was also kicked flying by Jingliu and smashed into the wall, leaving another human-shaped dent.
Jingliu clapped her hands and said irritably: "Can't you two fight somewhere else? If you disturb my meal again, the consequences… hmph."
She didn't finish the sentence, but the threat was obvious.
Bang!
At this moment, Jingliu suddenly kicked something as well. She looked down—oh, it was her disciple Jing Yuan…
"Oh no!"
Jingliu's cold, beautiful face changed drastically. "Ruan Mei, is Jing Yuan dead? Hurry and save him! I still want to keep playing with him in the future!"
Ruan Mei also had a sudden realization: "Oh oh oh! So that's what I felt like I forgot earlier!"
·····
A few minutes later.
Jing Yuan dazedly opened his eyes. This was already who knows how many times he had woken up like this. Although the interval this time seemed a bit long, he had already grown numb to it.
The Eternal Aeon hour hand had turned thirty-four times. Every time it was open eyes, catch sword, get debuffed by potions, then get stabbed…
This cold and painful loop seemed endless.
Ah… so long, so lonely. How much longer?
"Disciple, you're awake?"
A gentle voice that Jing Yuan never expected rang out. Beside him, Jingliu—who should have been drawing her sword against him—was quietly sitting there. Every movement was completely free of the madness she showed when Mara-Struck.
"You… Jingliu, you're cured?"
Jing Yuan hesitated before asking.
Jingliu nodded: "Yes, I've returned from hell. Are you happy?"
Jing Yuan forced a very strained smile. "Happy, happy. I'm so happy."
"It's just that, Master, you've finally regained your sanity for a moment. Disciple has something to say that might be a bit presumptuous, but I still have to say it."
"Master, since your time is running out, there's no need to waste it on this unworthy disciple. In your final days, eat whatever you want, drink whatever you want, and try to leave without regrets."
Jingliu raised an eyebrow: "Oh? You've thought this through quite thoroughly, haven't you? You've even arranged my funeral?"
Jing Yuan smiled bitterly: "Master, what are you saying? You know me—I'm used to planning ahead. Of course, this is all for your sake!"
Jingliu smiled without saying anything.
"Oh right, there's one more thing disciple wants to discuss with you."
Jing Yuan scratched his head. "Well… although your time is limited, to live your final regret-free days on the Luofu, you can't do it without credits."
"Disciple wants to send you off properly, but unfortunately my finances are tight. However, Master, don't worry—I've already thought of a solution for this."
"Look, since your time is short and you're over a thousand years old, your credit score in the Yu Zhao system is quite high. Why don't you borrow more money before you pass and spend it however you like? Whatever you can't spend, just leave it to me. How about it?"
Jingliu sneered: "After all these years, Jing Yuan, you still have that penny-pinching habit? I'm not even dead yet and you're already eyeing my inheritance?"
Jing Yuan smiled awkwardly: "Haha, it's bound to happen sooner or later… ah ptooey. I mean, people have to face reality. Isn't that what you taught me back then? Ahahaha."
(Note: In reality, Jingliu had never taught Jing Yuan this. After all, daytime Jingliu refused to face reality, and nighttime Jingliu didn't even treat Jing Yuan as a person.)
Jingliu punched Jing Yuan hard on the forehead and said coldly: "Don't worry. I won't die."