「You have awakened the talent 'Key of the Gate'.」
「Key of the Gate: ?」
「A blessing from the Gatekeeper. They have bestowed upon you a key, establishing a mysterious and profound connection between your various selves. By the authority of the Gate, your existence can now be projected into multiple spacetimes simultaneously.」
「However, as it is said that all things are one, you must remember—all of you, are you.」
"Ugh—"
Su Shu braced himself with his hands on the ground and violently vomited a lump of muddy grass from his stomach. The wet, sticky, and nauseating substance splattered onto the ground.
"Hah... hah—"
"I suddenly have a new talent, 'Key of the Gate'? All of me, are me? What does that mean? What did I do in that hallucination? Ugh, my head hurts just thinking about it. Forget it, I can't think about it... What matters is I'm finally back. The food I ate in the hallucination... was it really just mud? Even my school cafeteria wasn't this bad..."
Su Shu vaguely remembered walking back to his hospital room in the hallucination. He had felt a chill, pulled the blanket over himself, and fallen asleep wrapped in its warmth...
His clothes were soaked, covered in damp patches and mottled with mud. The thin young man, his hair disheveled and his appearance a mess, shook his head forcefully. He looked up in a daze and then froze.
Surrounding Su Shu were dozens of densely packed, snow-white foxes. They seemed to have been startled by his sudden movement as he sat up to vomit and had scattered, forming a cautious, timid circle around him. Dozens of pairs of amber eyes blinked as they studied the boy.
Thunder rumbled, and rain poured down in torrents.
"Foxes? Where is this...?"
Su Shu panted slightly, pushing himself up from the ground as the foxes watched. He surveyed his surroundings. The air was thick with the smell of damp, rotting wood. He was in a dilapidated temple, open to the elements on all four sides. On a dust and cobweb-covered altar stood a decaying idol.
It didn't look like any Buddha, Guanyin, or Bodhisattva he knew. The idol was draped in a tattered, grimy yellow cloth that obscured its face. Its lower robe bulged outwards, carved with a dozen lifelike tentacles.
Glancing at the idol, Su Shu felt a sense of bewilderment.
"Not Buddhist or Daoist, but a foreign god? Is the faith in the Three Kingdoms era of this world so strange? This ruined temple is dedicated to Cthulhu?"
Seeing how dilapidated it was, with no signs of incense, he figured it was probably some forgotten, heretical cult. The wind howled, driving rain through the temple's lattice windows. Noticing the large clumps of white fox fur clinging to his clothes, Su Shu began to understand. He turned to look at the fluffy creatures.
"So, I ran all the way here in my episode, and you all happened to be taking shelter from the rain here. You surrounded me with your bodies to keep me warm."
A blanket in the hospital room, a pile of foxes in the ruined temple. No wonder it was so warm.
As if they could understand his words, the white foxes didn't seem afraid of him. They nodded their heads repeatedly, letting out a chorus of soft, whimpering yelps.
Foxes! .jpg
"Oh, quite clever... Is that how foxes sound? In that case, let me test you—do you know how to chant 'Great Chu shall rise, Chen Sheng shall be king'?"
The foxes tilted their heads in confusion.
"Guess not. Still cute, though."
Su Shu shook the moisture from his clothes and walked to the temple entrance to take a look. Outside, the torrential downpour had turned the world into a white-out. He had no idea where he was.
"So... 'Mind Essence' is useful, but these episodes are a real pain. Looks like I can't go to the cafeteria next time," the young man muttered to himself.
There had been heavy rains in Ji Province recently, so Su Shu could roughly confirm he was likely still within its borders. Feeling uncomfortable in his drenched clothes, Su Shu closed his eyes to sense his magical energy reserves, then glanced back at the wooden Cthulhu idol.
Crack.
He snapped off the tentacles and tossed them onto the ground. Rubbing his hands together, he generated a crackle of electricity, igniting the wood into a bright, roaring fire.
"Wow~"
Witnessing this display of Daoist magic, the white foxes let out a prolonged, amazed murmur. The firelight made their amber eyes sparkle.
"Here, let's warm up together. You all look soaked too," the young man said with a smile, tucking his hands into his sleeves and squatting by the fire. "Time to roast some squid."
"Yes, it's roasted squid shreds. This is a snack I brought for you, Zhang Jue. You should eat something."
Dr. Huang sat by the hospital bed, watching the black-haired young man take small bites of the squid, chewing slowly. His gaunt expression made Dr. Huang sigh. Why did he suddenly start refusing food again?
"I've already transferred you to the low-dependency unit. Why have you suddenly stopped going to the cafeteria these past few days? You won't even eat the meals they bring. Did you have a bad experience with the other patients?"
Hearing the question, Su Shu frowned, as if trying hard to remember something, but a flicker of bewilderment crossed his eyes. "They were bullying me..."
"They? Who bullied you?"
"A few women with colorful hair. They wanted me to play with them."
Dr. Huang was stunned. "Well, then you should play with them. Socializing is good for your recovery."
"You don't understand, Dr. Huang," Su Shu shook his head, his brow furrowed. "They want to eat me."
Is this... persecutory delusion surfacing again? Huang Xuan's brows locked. This was the municipal psychiatric hospital; patient management was very strict. How could they possibly allow patients to dye their hair? He had never seen any female patients with colorful hair.
I get it. It's persecutory delusion mixed with anime tropes. Anime has really done a number on him! It's common knowledge that tech geeks are all hardcore otaku, and this one is the king of them.
Well, since it's a hallucination, I can be a bit more blunt!
"If they want to eat you, you're a grown man. Are you really afraid of a few women? Can't you just push them away? Are you worried you can't beat them?!" Dr. Huang raised his voice. Although this approach was a bit aggressive, Huang Xuan believed that Zhang Jue needed to overcome his panic as quickly as possible. At the very least, he needed to start eating properly.
Hmm... that actually makes a lot of sense. Right! I'm a guy. Even if I can't beat four women, can't I at least run away? My identity now is a psychiatric patient, and psychiatric patients aren't held legally responsible! Damn it, next time they harass me, I'll just use Bending of the Will followed by Rending of the Skull! I'll grab that red-haired brat and the blue-haired one and toss them in the trash!
Su Shu thought it was worth a try.
"I bought you some books and brought some small toys, Zhang Jue. You can look through them when you have time. If you get bored in your room, just call for me, Dr. Huang. I'll come and play with you. We can play chess or something."
"Thank you."
Sitting before the fire, Su Shu reached out and gently scratched the soft chin of a small fox in front of him. "Thank you for keeping me warm." This pack of white foxes didn't seem to fear him at all. After seeing him create fire with lightning, their eyes only sparkled with greater intensity. The young man and dozens of foxes sat together in the leaky, drafty temple. Soon, the foxes crawled all over him, huddling together harmoniously. There was no musky smell; these clean animals gave off a pleasant, fresh scent.
"How should I thank you all... I only have a few silver ingots on me," Su Shu said, feeling his robes. "And I don't suppose you have any use for money?" After pondering for a moment, he recalled an interesting tale from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. It was said that a scholar had saved so many animals that when the spirits who took their forms wanted to repay his kindness, they found there was no turn for them. They had to engage in a battle royale to compete for the rare opportunity to repay him. Could something like that really happen?
"Well... I don't have much else to give, so let me offer you a 'seal of form'," Su Shu said with a smile.
'Seeking a seal of form' was a concept from folklore. It was said that for a spirit to take human form, it needed not only to accumulate power but also to ask a human for a "seal" to break through its bottleneck. Certain animals with sufficient cultivation would find an opportunity to speak to a person. The most famous story involved a yellow weasel. A scholar walking on a country path would encounter a weasel wearing a straw hat. Upon seeing the human, it would suddenly stand upright. If its spiritual cultivation was high, the scholar would hear it ask, "Do I look like a human?" If the answer was affirmative, the animal would gain the potential to cultivate into a human form. It could become a loli, a young maiden, a mature woman, a married lady... Whatever you said it looked like, it could become!
So, upon hearing Su Shu's words, the white foxes began to whimper excitedly. Soon, they arranged themselves in a circle around the boy, from smallest to largest. Su Shu had no idea how much power his 'Mind Essence' gave his words, but he was just having fun and wasn't taking it seriously, so it probably didn't matter, right?
Pointing at the smallest fox, the young man declared in a firm voice, "I say you look like a 148cm, white-haired, red-eyed, flat-chested tsundere loli!"
"I say you look like a beautiful girl from the literature department who wears black stockings!"
"I say you look like a blonde, twin-tailed, little devil JK!"
"I say you look like a kuudere disciplinarian, cold on the outside but with high attack and low defense!"
"I say you look like a gentle, loving, big-breasted older sister!"
"I say you look like a broad-minded, voluptuous beauty!"
"I say you look like..."
"Phew—"
Su Shu wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a long breath. It really wasn't easy. Bestowing seals upon dozens of foxes had nearly drained his entire internal library of beautiful girl archetypes. Towards the end, he could only lamely say to the expectant foxes, "I say you really look like a beast-eared beauty!" and let them design their own faces.
The foxes leaped about, looking thrilled to have received their human personas from their benefactor. Although their cultivation was not yet sufficient, they now had a hope of transforming in the future.
However, only after he had finished did Su Shu suddenly remember something very important. Aren't the foxes that make that whimpering sound usually male?
Ah, this...
"Hiss... Fox girls are much more in line with popular taste. What scholar would want a fox boy to come repay his kindness?" Breaking into a cold sweat, Su Shu watched as the largest white fox, seemingly the eldest, bowed to him. It then scurried under the tattered robes of the idol and emerged with a dusty scroll in its mouth, placing it before him.
"Oh? A quest reward? 'I have often heard that it is not that the ignorant diligently seek knowledge, but that knowledge diligently seeks the ignorant. Yet I know this to be false. For knowledge does not seek the ignorant, but rather goes forth and hunts them. It is as relentless and merciless as a hound hunting a rabbit...'"
The text was written in clerical script, so Su Shu could read it. However, after flipping through a couple of pages, he found the cryptic content to be as enigmatic as the fragmented Daoist scriptures passed down in his family.
"It's not that man pursues knowledge, but that knowledge pursues man? That's an interesting perspective, and..." Su Shu turned the scroll over to look at the cover. "Secret Sutra of the Seven Chapters of the Profound Lord? What a strange name."
"Is it strange? I thought that as a doctoral student, you would enjoy reading such deep philosophy." Dr. Huang watched as the black-haired young man took the copy of The World as Will and Representation, flipped through two pages, and stared blankly.
"I don't actually like philosophy much, and I'm a science Ph.D.... in computer science, Dr. Huang."
"Hehe, I get it. You're an otaku. I play open-world mobile games too, it's all the same. Reading a bit will be good for your condition, Zhang Jue." Huang Xuan had deliberately chosen philosophy, thinking the more incomprehensible, the better. If his mind was occupied, he wouldn't have as much time to dwell on nonsensical things.
Hearing the word "otaku," Su Shu, having been called out, twitched his mouth. "You're the otaku. Your whole family is an open-world mobile game. And I told you, I'm not sick."
"Not sick, not sick is good! You don't want it... then just give it back to me."
"Fine, I'll take a look..." A strange premonition washed over him, making Su Shu accept Dr. Huang's gift. He held the book a little closer. "I've got nothing better to do anyway."
Several days had passed, and the hallucination still hadn't faded. This left Su Shu wondering about the condition of his body back in the Three Kingdoms era. And... the system was gone, too. Damn it, just a few days ago it said it would appear whenever I called. Heh... typical of a Ciweimao system. Ever since he had returned to his room that last time, he had developed a strange fear of going outside. He didn't even want to eat. He was truly on the verge of becoming a shut-in, a real psychiatric patient. But Su Shu knew it was all just a hallucination, so he didn't let this torment get to him.
Dr. Huang often came to check on him. Even though Su Shu knew the doctor was likely an avatar of Chaos, he couldn't help but develop a certain fondness for him.
"Thanks, Dr. Huang."
"Hehe, that's more like it. Read more. I'll buy you more books when I have time." Dr. Huang smiled happily. He placed several large bags in the room, filled with toys like chessboards, board games, and modeling clay, along with a bag of snacks. It's not that I pity him... well, maybe a little. This patient has so much public attention. If I can cure him, my promotion will be a sure thing. It's only right that I put in the effort.
"Don't worry, I won't have another episode. I won't think I'm some character from the Three Kingdoms anymore." Playing along for Dr. Huang's sake, Su Shu offered some comforting words. They were just words, after all.
"Mm, keep it up, Zhang Jue." The doctor walked over and patted the young man's shoulder. Although this patient seemed to have developed new symptoms, he hadn't claimed to be Zhang Jiao for the past few days, which gave Huang Xuan a glimmer of hope.
"By the way, you've been transferred to the low-dependency unit. So, you're no longer restricted to the bi-weekly visitation day. Your parents are here. They want to see you." Placing both hands on Su Shu's shoulders, Dr. Huang spoke with earnest gravity. "So, please don't make your parents worry, okay? At least in front of them... can you stop saying you're 'Su Shu'? Do it for Zhang Jue's poor mother and father."
Su Shu stared at Huang Xuan for a moment, neither nodding nor shaking his head. "I'll see how it goes." I don't know them anyway, so I can just pretend. But I will not admit that I am Zhang Jue.
"That's good," Huang Xuan smiled. He hadn't agreed, but he was willing to consider it. That was a good sign.
In the ruined temple, surrounded by foxes, Su Shu's keen senses faintly heard a weak call carried on the rain.
"Young Master! Young Master Zhang!"
"They've come for me. It seems this place isn't far from the commandery seat." Su Shu rubbed the head of the small fox in his arms. The fire had mostly dried his clothes. He stood up, straightened his robes, and walked to the temple entrance.
"Jue is here."
His voice, though not loud, rolled through the rain like thunder, solemn and magnificent like a great bell.
"Young Master! It's the Young Master!"
The household guards ran through the mud and rain. The old steward, holding an umbrella, came running over, tears streaming down his face. "Young Master, how did you end up in such a desolate place? You had us searching everywhere!"
"I received guidance from a celestial being, so at times I cannot control myself," Su Shu said, using the convenient excuse he had prepared. "I also wanted to ask, didn't I request that you take me back to the residence and to my room? How did I end up in this ruined temple?"
"A celestial being? Oh, oh! This old... this old servant heard your request and did indeed take you back, escorting you to your room for your rest! But then, you suddenly leaped out of bed, went to the study, and started tearing up all the Daoist scriptures, calling them a pile of useless trash, and said the image quality couldn't compare to the legacy of the Clear Treasure Heavenly Lord! Then you ran to the kitchens, took the blood from the slaughtered animals, and started splashing it all over the garden, laughing wildly and shouting something about 'Blood for the Blood God!' and how you were going to wreck the 'Fatty's' garden! Finally, you ran to the brothel in the commandery seat, teased the top courtesan there, and apparently tore the women's undergarments and threw them everywhere, while also scattering piles of silver and hosting a 'no-holds-barred party'! Then you jumped right off the roof and vanished in the blink of an eye!"
Su Shu: "?"
Crap, my cringe-o-meter is about to explode. Is there a hole in the ground? Quick, let me crawl into it! As expected of a former teacher. With just a few words, the old steward painted a vivid picture of my rampage. I can't help but put myself in that scene! Ugh... just kill me! After something like that happened in public, Zhang Jue's life is pretty much over, isn't it? Damn it, were my episodes actually me being possessed by the four Chaos Gods? No, wait. Tzeentch, Khorne, and Slaanesh all had their turn. Where's Nurgle?
Su Shu lowered his gaze, looking at the muddy grass he had vomited up and his mud-caked clothes. He didn't need to be told... he understood. He had been rolling around in a mud pit.
"I... I was possessed by a celestial being." Su Shu emphasized it again, trying to cover his tracks. The Four Chaos Gods are celestials too, right? Just fallen ones.
"Yes! Yes, yes! This old servant understands, Young Master!" the old steward nodded vigorously. "After all, how could you possibly enjoy a 'no-holds-barred party' and call for twelve top courtesans at once? You've never even been to the brothel in the commandery seat!"
Su Shu: "..."
Hiss— He drew in a sharp breath, and the air seemed to cool by several degrees.
Su Shu paced back and forth in the ruined temple, feeling the strange gazes of the household guards on him—a complex mix of awe, admiration, respect, and wonder.
"May I ask, my father and mother..."
"The Madam and Master are not angry. They, of course, know your temperament, Young Master. They've been worried sick! Otherwise, we wouldn't have mobilized the entire city to search for you! The Master even called upon the city guard!"
"Right, right! How could I possibly enjoy visiting brothels? It's pure slander! I was possessed by a celestial being. It was the celestial who likes to visit brothels!" Su Shu swept a sharp gaze over the household guards until they all wore expressions of 'we understand'.
"Yes! Yes! The Young Master is right! You were possessed by a celestial being! We'll announce it just like that when we get back! This was... which great celestial was it?" the old steward asked, reading the room.
"Taigong Wang!" Su Shu said without hesitation. "He loves fishing! And he loves women and wine! I was just entertaining him!"
"Good, good! Taigong Wang! Young Master! Uh... the Duke Shang who assisted King Wen, he really possessed you?"
"Is there any doubt? Before my reincarnation, I was his closest friend in the White Jade Capital. I've even been on the receiving end of his God-Slaying Whip a few times! I wouldn't even go when he invited me fishing!" Every word is the truth. Since I'm asking for your help, using you as a scapegoat shouldn't be a problem, right, Taigong?
Su Shu began to boast extravagantly, listing Taigong Wang's techniques as if he knew them by heart. When he described battle scenes and the various pleasures of the White Jade Capital, his tale was so fantastical that the eyes of his audience shone with reverence and longing.
"So that's how it is... I was wondering why the Young Master suddenly went mad. It turns out he was entertaining a celestial."
"Our Zhang family is blessed by the celestials. When one person achieves the Dao, their whole household ascends..."
"The White Jade Capital is filled with jade palaces? And everyone can freely command automatons?"
The white foxes behind him also formed a neat circle, listening to Su Shu's storytelling. He boasted for a long time, until his mouth was dry, before he suddenly realized that everyone was listening, captivated.
"Tsk... aren't we supposed to be going home?"
"Right, right! Home! Young Master, allow this old servant to hold the umbrella and lead you back!" The old steward glanced at the expectant white foxes behind them. To be honest, he had been frightened when he first walked in, but since the Young Master hadn't said anything, he hadn't dared to speak. "Young Master, these are..."
"White foxes," Su Shu said after a thought. "They kept me warm in the temple. If any foxes are found wandering near the residence, do not drive them away. If they come to the city gates, let them pass."
"So they are auspicious beasts! This old servant understands..."
Su Shu picked up the Secret Sutra of the Seven Chapters of the Profound Lord from the ground and tucked it into his robes. He paused, tore off a piece of his hem, and with a flash of lightning from his fingertips, instantly burned the character 'Jue' (觉) onto it in a flamboyant script. Seeing this casual display of lightning magic, the guards' gazes grew even more respectful.
Su Shu walked over, rolled up the piece of cloth, and tucked it into the thick fur of the large white fox. "In the city, show this to people. They will tell you where to find me." What if a fox girl really does take human form? Tsk, who needs a brothel then? All twelve courtesans combined wouldn't be a match for a single white-haired, red-eyed fox girl!
"Remember," Su Shu smiled, "no fighting. If you want to repay my kindness by taking human form, come all together. My house is big enough, and I can handle it."
The white foxes looked at each other, nodded thoughtfully, and let out a chorus of soft whimpers.
Draping the clean robe handed to him by the old steward over his shoulders, Su Shu stepped out into the rain. A shimmer of electricity instantly spread across his body. The magnetic field surrounding him repelled the pouring rain, and by connecting with the earth's magnetic ley lines, his feet floated above the mud, making him look as divine as a celestial being treading on air.
It consumed a lot of magical energy. But... he had to put on this show.
Under the awestruck gazes of the crowd, Su Shu abruptly rose into the air, walking step by step towards his home. Only when the search party was out of sight behind the curtain of rain did Su Shu slowly descend, skimming just above the ground to conserve his magical energy. He had no choice. Although water could conduct electricity, the magnetic field weakened with distance.
Under the astonished eyes of the soldiers at the city gate, he floated silently over the wall, deliberately pausing for a few seconds to let them get a good look at him.
"Look! Young Master Zhang is flying!"
"Walking on air! At his age... has he really become a celestial?"
BOOM—
A bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky and struck Su Shu on the head, causing his hair to stand on end and his dark eyes to flash with brilliant electricity.
As countless people watched with their mouths agape in shock, the boy, looking like a descended deity, crossed the boundary between the rainy and clear skies, walking on air into the city. As if influenced by a strange power, the gloomy rain clouds could not encroach upon the main city of the commandery. Thus, walking across the bright, clear sky, he was seen by countless citizens on the streets.
In this era, it was nothing for a military general to cleave a mountain or divert a river, and it was commonplace for a Daoist priest to summon gods and exorcise ghosts. But this was actual flight! A divine power belonging to the realm of celestials!
Countless people were called out to see the celestial being. The streets were packed with an excited, upturned-faced crowd. Looking down at the commotion below, Su Shu slowly let out a long breath. This should be enough to salvage some of my social standing.Damn, constantly discharging electricity is exhausting. It's a good thing my magical energy reserves are ample.
Seeing his family's courtyard just ahead, Su Shu straightened his clothes, put on a solemn expression, and with a graceful, celestial-like demeanor, slowly descended.
The maids and stewards of the residence erupted in a frenzy.
"Master! Madam! The Young Master flew back from the sky!"
BANG—
A pair of well-maintained, motherly hands anxiously pushed open the hospital room door.
"Xiao Jue! Son! How are you feeling?! Are you any better?! In this hospital, have they been torturing you?! Have they been making you eat anything strange?!"
The woman grasped Su Shu's hand, her own hands trembling with emotion as she carefully stroked his wrist up and down, as if holding a precious treasure.
"Mrs. Ye... please, calm down a little..." Dr. Huang wiped sweat from his brow, nervously wringing his hands. He was terrified of agitating Zhang Jue and causing another aggressive outburst, which would mean transferring him back to the high-dependency unit.
"Calm down? How can I calm down?! Your son gets locked up in a mental hospital, can you calm down?!"
"I understand your feelings as a parent, but..."
"They wouldn't let me see you! Do you know that?! They said you had strong aggressive tendencies! Xiao Jue! My son has been well-behaved since he was a child. He never causes trouble for anyone. How could he have strong aggressive tendencies?! Come, let mama see, let mama see... Xiao Jue, son, you've gotten so thin... so much thinner..."
Gazing at her son, who looked despondent and gaunt, the woman's words became incoherent with emotion. She carefully stroked Su Shu's face, her own filled with heart-wrenching pain.
Su Shu, who had been sitting on the bed reading, suddenly froze. He stared blankly, almost motionlessly, at the woman who had rushed in and was now stroking his face. Compared to his memory, this incredibly familiar face had become much more haggard. There was more silver in her hair. The lines around her mouth were deeper.
His trembling vision... began to blur rapidly. An uncontrollable, surging sorrow slowly welled up from the bottom of his heart. Tears of shock slowly trickled from the gaunt, black-haired young man's eyes.
Su Shu's lips quivered. "...Mom?"
"Yes! Mom's here! Mom's here! Xiao Jue! Son! Look! Doctor, did you hear that? My son recognized me! Is his illness cured?!"
Seeing Su Shu's genuine reaction, Huang Xuan's expression also became emotional. Indeed, for any patient, the warmth of family was the most cherished and inseparable bond. His decision to transfer Zhang Jue to the low-dependency unit seemed to have been the right one. Letting him see his parents more often might lead to a quick recovery—
"Nurgle?! Or Tzeentch?!"
Su Shu nearly ground his teeth to dust. His dry lips split, oozing thick, red blood. The book in his hands crackled as his fingers, veins bulging, crushed it.
After the bitter sorrow of seeing his mother's face again came a surging, extreme, uncontrollable rage. The fury that had once belonged to a Spartan seemed to erupt from his nerves and blood vessels once more. This face alone... this one line... was something Su Shu could absolutely not tolerate being defiled by anything.
"Nurgle! Tzeentch! Khorne or Slaanesh! Human Order! Counter Force! Get the hell out here! I'm going to fuck your blood-soaked mother to death today!"
Su Shu violently threw the book in his hand, smashing it into Huang Xuan's face. His thin frame seemed to explode with terrifying strength. He leaped from the bed and grabbed Huang Xuan by the collar.
"You want a one-on-one fight? I'll come and wreck your asshole right now! If you want to target me, then target me! What kind of Chaos God are you, dragging my mom into this?! Where the hell did you spy on my memories?!"
The woman stared, almost catatonic, as her well-behaved, haggard son suddenly went berserk, spouting nonsense as he jumped up and savagely choked his attending doctor.
The burly orderlies immediately rushed in, forcefully grabbing Su Shu's arms, pressing him down into a restraint chair that had been wheeled in, and strapping down his limbs.
Huang Xuan clutched his throat, coughing with difficulty, a bitter smile on his face. "We had an agreement... Zhang Jue—"
"I'm not Zhang Jue, I'm Su Shu! To hell with your Zhang Jue! System! Come out! I'm ending this simulation right now! I'm going to go and stab the Counter Force through!"
There was no response.
A scholarly-looking, middle-aged man stood at the door, his expression complex as he watched his son, seated in the restraint chair, his face contorted in a hysterical frenzy, like a crazed lion.
"Xiao Jue..."
Hearing this voice, Su Shu froze, his expression faltering for an instant. He lifted his gaze, his lips trembling. "...Dad?"
"It's Dad, Xiao Jue," the middle-aged man said as he walked in, his face full of pity. He seemed to want to pat Su Shu's head.
CREAK—
The black-haired young man suddenly pushed back with all his might, moving the wheelchair backwards. The explosive force even knocked the orderlies away.
"Stay, stay away! You're not my dad! Hallucination... it's a hallucination! Chaos, Counter Force, you can't fool me... You're not my dad, and you're not my mom! You're wearing my parents' faces, but the son you're acknowledging is 'Zhang Jue', not me! Heh, hehehe— Hah... hahaha... HAHAHAHA—!"
Su Shu began to laugh softly, a sound that quickly escalated into a hoarse, crazed, and chilling roar of laughter.
Because he understood.
Su Shu finally, completely understood. This was the ultimate weapon they intended to use to break him. His most deeply buried memories of his parents. The softest part of his heart.
"Human Order, Chaos, Counter Force... you're all going to die. And there's only one reason why you're going to die—you've truly, thoroughly pissed me off. That you have to resort to this to break me proves you have no other means left. You can no longer erase me from existence, so you can only hope to crush my spirit, hoping I'll self-destruct."
Su Shu tilted his neck, producing a sharp crack. A savage grin slowly spread across his face as he looked at everyone in the room.
"I will twist off your head, Khorne, and use it as a wine cup. I will stuff you, Nurgle, into a thick soup and stir you into a paste. I will scoop out your brains, Tzeentch, and use them for decoration. And finally, I will step on your head, Slaanesh, and pour this cup of Chaos into your ●●."
"Sorry, but I will not waver, I will not admit defeat, I will not surrender, and I will not fail—because I am a villain guilty of every crime, the anti-Chaos being born from this world's malice towards you. Because I am... Su Shu."
[Author's Notes Section]
Shuzi is about to have his defenses brutally broken, tsk.
Hehe, tomorrow we get to see Lao Jie and the butt-pushing maid, Xu Fu.
Daily Jie! .jpg
There will be a lottery for 20 prizes of 328 for monthly ticket holders in June.
Uncle doesn't want to lose the number one spot on the rankings, so let's do a lottery. Still drawing 20 prizes of 328, paid for out of pocket, sent directly via Alipay. The drawing will happen whether I'm number one or not. As long as you vote within the month, you'll be counted in the backend, so it doesn't matter if you vote early or late. The drawing is on July 1st. (Didn't get the date wrong this time.)
Apparently, voting one ticket at a time can increase your chances of winning, because each vote generates a separate entry.
Last time, there were still 4 readers who didn't claim their prize, don't forget!
Thank you all for your continued support. Uncle takes a bow.
Uncle is actually having a lot of fun writing the 'insane' parts and doesn't feel the quality has dropped, but if you all aren't enjoying it, I'll stop touching on the 'insanity' after this volume and write something sweeter. The Tzeentch theme is honestly hard to get right, but the problem is that if I don't write something new and just keep circling back, I'll get aesthetic fatigue myself.
Seeking everyone's opinions, please leave a comment to let uncle know.
1. I love the insane parts, go hard, more!
2. ???! Don't be insane here, keep it short.
3. Write normally but reduce the amount of insanity. I want to see the Three Kingdoms perspective and the romantic development with the tsundere Lao Jie, not Shuzi's internal struggle in the warp.
4. Just activate King Crimson and skip this volume! I want to see daily life, I want to see Lily, I want to see a Grail War!
The next outline is roughly: Grail War, Fairy Britain, Aika, Princess, and a spiral annihilation Rome/Slaanesh volume, fighting the other seven Chaldea's Lostbelts with Gudako and Beast Nero.
Personally, I think creative novelty is very important, for both the reader and the author, which is why each of my books has a different theme. Just my personal opinion.
As for torturing the main character... damn, uncle only writes power fantasies, let me emphasize, only power fantasies! Only harem! Only grand-scale happy endings! However the Four Chaos Gods bully Shuzi now, I'll be tearing their pants off later. I know you all love to see hair-pulling fights.
Although the romantic plotline I've prepared with Lao Jie is the one I've put the most effort into so far, it seems the lewd stuff is still more popular. Don't worry, there's plenty of both!
Why is everyone talking about Kaguya's Xu Fu? Doesn't anyone like the humble servant girl Xu Fu-chan? Well, as long as it's not the demon-slaying specialist Xu Fu.
Normal update tonight.
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