[Ding. Congratulations, host—by fighting with everything you've got, and with the system's assistance, you've barely managed to complete the task. Side-quest reward is now being delivered.]
[As a future villainous big bad, you naturally need a powerful Stand ability. Congratulations, host: you have obtained the Stand ability "The World"!]
["The World" Ability Description:]
[Time Stop: Halts the flow of time, but can only last 5 seconds. There is also a cooldown restriction between activations. During the stop, only the host may move freely.]
Back in his own room, Wei Qing ignored the idiot system's taunting, and at last got the side-quest reward he'd been aiming for.
And honestly—credit where it was due: even if the system was a walking brain bug, it was ridiculously generous when it paid out.
The newbie gift Undying Slash went without saying. He still hadn't tested it for real, but the "sever immortality" trait practically screamed key buff.
Given the current point in the timeline, Shuhu should be showing its face soon. Wei Qing wasn't afraid of it in raw combat strength, but actually killing an Emanator of Abundance would probably be difficult.
That meant the Undying Slash might end up being his trump card.
And now—this was only a side quest, yet the reward was a Stand ability like [The World].
To be honest, Wei Qing was starting to feel genuinely curious—excited, even. If he ever actually became an Emanator of Abundance and cleared that so-called main quest, what kind of absurd power would the system hand him then?
But that was a problem for later.
After lying down, Wei Qing began replaying everything that had happened tonight.
First: the "golden finger" that arrived three hundred years late—the Super Double-Agent Cultivation System.
Based on tonight's observation, Wei Qing was fairly certain it wasn't the handiwork of Elation.
Those Masked Fools didn't have the chops to toy with him like this—much less discover his true identity.
As for Aha… Wei Qing had suspected Aha at first. The system really did feel like it existed just to mess with him in the most "you thought you were the protagonist?" way.
But judging from the two rewards he'd received so far, Aha could likely be ruled out as well.
Then there was the Jingliu problem.
Wei Qing wasn't an idiot. With her acting like that, if he kept pretending to be clueless, it would be beyond shameless.
Jingliu might… probably… maybe…
actually like him a little.
But why?
Wei Qing couldn't wrap his head around it.
With Jingliu's personality, she didn't seem like someone who chased looks—she didn't feel like the type to covet his "pretty face."
And the "admiration of strength" angle didn't quite fit either.
Wei Qing, as an Annihilation Gang Lord, was certainly far beyond ordinary Pathstriders.
But Jingliu—Sword Champion of the Luofu—had seen countless powerhouses. More importantly, Wei Qing had been hiding his real strength the whole time. On the surface, what he showed was at best a fifty-fifty with Jingliu.
So what, exactly, had made this icy Sword Champion treat him differently?
He couldn't figure it out.
Just then, the jade communicator in his pocket chimed—a message from Dan Feng.
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: 111]
[Lone King, PhD-to-Doctorate: 1]
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: Did you get Jingliu home? What happened between you two afterward?]
Staring at Dan Feng's completely unmasked gossip thirst, Wei Qing thought for a moment… then decided to tell the truth.
[Lone King, PhD-to-Doctorate: No. I brought Jingliu to my place.]
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: ?]
Elsewhere, Dan Feng—having casually dumped Yingxing into a nearby inn—stared at Wei Qing's reply and fell into deep contemplation.
He had intended to give the two of them a little assist after picking up on the weird atmosphere tonight.
He just hadn't expected Wei Qing to be this… aggressive.
[Lone King, PhD-to-Doctorate: Don't misunderstand. I'm a gentleman. I just didn't know where Jingliu lives. She's sleeping in my guest room right now.]
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: ...]
Dan Feng stared at the message, unsure where to even start roasting him.
Come to think of it… Dan Feng realized he didn't actually know where Jingliu lived either.
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: So what's going on with you two, exactly?]
Dan Feng didn't waste time on trivialities and pressed on.
[Lone King, PhD-to-Doctorate: It's a long story. Bottom line… Jingliu might have gotten the wrong idea about me.]
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: Wrong idea?]
[Lone King, PhD-to-Doctorate: Yeah. She might think I like her.]
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: ...]
Dan Feng went quiet again.
Thinking back to how abnormal Jingliu had been tonight, he suddenly felt this was more complicated than he'd assumed.
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: And you?]
[Lone King, PhD-to-Doctorate: Me?]
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: What do you think of Jingliu?]
Wei Qing stared at the question, fingers hovering above the screen, not knowing what to type.
What did he think of Jingliu?
Honestly… he didn't know himself.
Jingliu was beautiful, strong, and—while cold—surprisingly pure once you spent enough time with her.
But the problem was—
He was an undercover traitor. A double agent.
If they got together, then one day his identity would be exposed, or he'd be forced to leave the Luofu to carry out Destruction's mission… what would happen to Jingliu then?
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: Wei Qing, Jingliu isn't the type to fall for someone easily.]
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: If she really does like you, she's serious.]
[Cold-Faced Water Dragon King: You'd better think it through. Don't hurt her.]
Dan Feng's words pulled Wei Qing into thought.
Actually… if Jingliu truly had feelings for him, then going along with it wasn't impossible, was it?
Jingliu really was gorgeous. And Wei Qing, being shallow as hell, absolutely did like pretty girls—if he went along with it, he wasn't exactly losing out.
And after so many years together, there was real rapport between them. They knew each other well.
People weren't made of wood—how could they be without feelings?
He'd been on the Xianzhou for three hundred years already. Before long, he might truly become the Luofu's top dog.
And what about Destruction's side?
The boss up there only ever assigned employees impossible tasks.
Telling an Emanator to "overturn an entire Path"—that was just absurd.
No wonder Wei Qing had been slacking for so many years. You wanted him to "destroy Abundance"? He couldn't do that even if he tried.
The Hunt Aeon had existed for ages too, and Lan still hadn't shattered Abundance. Nanook was really asking a bit much of one little Emanator.
Oh—no, wait. He hadn't been slacking.
Wasn't he about to become the Luofu general?
If he really became general, he'd definitely remember his mission, keep his original intent…
and go to war with the Plagues Author head-on.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter35)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter35)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter35)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter35)
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