Chapter 36: Fairy-Tale Kingdom (3)
Their analysis was correct. The key to the conflict between the woman and the rose baby was the scumbag.
Originally, the mother had joyfully anticipated the arrival of a child who shared her blood.
The child had also depended deeply on his mother and wanted to use all his strength to protect her.
But an irresponsible “father” had come between them, causing the mother to betray her child. In the end, the child accumulated so much resentment that he became a monster.
As long as they solved the problem at its source, the conflict between mother and child would disappear.
That created a new problem.
“Where are we supposed to find the scumbag?”
Although worlds controlled by NPCs were smaller than real worlds, they were still inhabited by countless characters.
Finding the man who had betrayed this mother and child among them would be like searching for a needle in the ocean.
“The system wouldn’t arrange a character without leaving any clues,” Su Qiong said. “There should be something in this room that leads us to the man.”
Compared with the musician’s room, the mother and child’s room appeared far more crowded.
But strictly speaking, that was only because it contained too many roses.
If the clue leading to the scumbag was truly hidden inside the room, it had to be among the roses.
And at the center of the roses were only the mother and child.
“Do you know where your ex-boyfriend went afterward?” Lu Shufan expertly began chatting up the woman.
“I don’t.” The woman shook her head painfully. “After I released him, he immediately ran away without looking back at me once. I think he probably returned to his own social circle, married his fiancée, and continued seducing other women because he couldn’t bear being lonely.”
“Sounds like you understand him pretty well,” Shi Yuntian mocked.
“You knew he was unreliable, yet you were willing to live and die for him. You even harmed your own child.”
“I didn’t know! I didn’t know!” The woman suddenly broke down and wailed. “I didn’t know that was my child! I didn’t know he was avenging me!”
“What if you had known?” A asked coldly.
The woman’s crying stopped abruptly, as though someone had pressed pause.
ERROR followed up, “If you had known the roses were your child, what would you have chosen?”
The woman remained silent for another moment before suddenly covering her face with both hands. Her long nails scratched several marks across her skin.
The torn wounds curled outward and looked horrifying. The little blood remaining in her body seeped out, yet she seemed unable to feel the pain. She merely repeated in a low voice, “I don’t know. I don’t know…”
At the same time, the roses absorbed her collapsing emotions and bloomed even more vigorously, as though determined to drain her completely dry.
The players shook their heads regretfully upon witnessing the scene.
You could not persuade a person determined to die, and the pitiful often had something hateful about them.
Even after everything that had happened, she still had lingering feelings for the scumbag. Even if the rose baby had not taken revenge, the woman would never have met a good end.
“Ah!” The woman screamed in agony, as though crying blood.
Then she seemed to understand something. Her gaze fixed on a distant point, and her voice became ethereal.
“If everything could begin again…”
“If everything could begin again, what would you choose?” Su Qiong asked.
“I wouldn’t choose him, and I wouldn’t choose the child.” The woman finally untangled her thoughts as a bloody tear slid from her eye. “I did hurt my child, but that wasn’t my true original sin. My greatest mistake was failing to love myself enough.”
“I believed pursuing love and giving everything away was right. But what I thought was right only brought me this much pain.”
The woman struggled upright and seized the roses by the roots, trying to tear them from her body.
The rose baby once again spoke in a pitiful voice.
“Mommy, Mommy, don’t you want me anymore?”
A tender infant’s face appeared within the flower.
“My whole world contains only Mommy. I don’t want to leave you.”
“Kill Daddy, and Mommy can live with me forever.”
“I’ll never betray Mommy. I’ll stay inside your body forever. All right?”
The infant’s innocent, childish voice inexplicably filled the players with terror.
As though bewitched, the woman stopped moving and prepared to agree to the baby’s request.
“Now! Do it!”
“Got it!”
The players simultaneously drew their items and cut through the rose vines while the infant’s attention remained locked on the woman.
A flash of blades swept through the room.
Only the bare flower heads remained, collapsing stubbornly against the woman’s body.
“Mommy! Mommy!” The child cried out desperately, trying to awaken her maternal instincts.
In her daze, the woman seemed to see a fragile baby covered in wounds, using every last ounce of strength to call for her.
She extended her hand, preparing to stroke the roses as she had before.
Only a fraction of a centimeter remained when urgent voices sounded beside her.
“Stop! There’s nothing but hell ahead!”
“Didn’t you decide to live for yourself? You are a complete and independent person, and you’re still so young. Even if you seek love, even if you become a mother, you should still possess a brilliant life of your own.”
“That’s right! There’s no need to sacrifice yourself to death for someone else.”
“Don’t you regret it? If you die like this, you’ll never even have been truly loved.”
“Let go of this obsession. The future is long. Someone will certainly love you purely—for example, you can love yourself.”
“Love… myself.” The woman repeated the words and awakened once more.
The hand she had extended slowly withdrew.
Then she renewed her determination, seized the rose roots, and ripped them from her body.
“Ah!” The rose released an agonized scream as it separated from its host.
Plop.
Something fell to the floor.
They were two blood-covered, foul-smelling humanoid roots.
One resembled a curled-up infant.
The other had the shape of an adult man.
So the infant had not been the only one feeding on the woman.
The scumbag who had once betrayed her had also been draining her all along!
A tightened his grip on his sword and severed both roots with one sweep, watching them dissolve into smoke.
Even after coming to her senses, the woman instinctively lunged forward.
Her body was too weak, and she fell awkwardly to the floor.
A hand appeared before her.
Following it upward, she saw a beautiful face.
“You’re injured. Let me heal you.” Su Qiong pulled her up and spent some of his already meager KPI on a high-grade healing potion.
After helping the NPC activate it, Su Qiong solemnly told her, “NPCs must learn to be independent and strong. You need to live properly from now on.”
“…All right.”
After hearing his words, the woman felt as though the fog obscuring the road ahead had dispersed and sunlight was shining through the clouds.
Her unknown future was filled with hope.
Her eyes curved as she smiled.
The second key appeared in Su Qiong’s hand.
“Thirty-eight remain.” Yu Qimiao once again displayed the nature of a blackhearted capitalist. “At our current speed, we won’t finish in time.”
The NPCs in the two rooms they had entered had not been excessively vicious, yet both had still required considerable effort.
With so many rooms remaining, even if they searched day and night, it would take at least three or four days to gather every key.
“What should we do?”
“The NPCs here are powerful. If we split up to search, there’s no guarantee we’ll win.”
After listening to their concerns, Su Qiong slowly reminded them, “But you aren’t the only players who need to find the keys.”
Inside the World of Order, Su Qiong had destroyed the Order Staircase with the transparent card, causing the instance NPCs to leave one after another.
As a result, players entering the World of Order now cleared it automatically.
They received no rewards, but at least they survived.
The Fairy-Tale Kingdom differed from the World of Order. It used individual mode, so every player had to challenge the Fairy-Tale Princess independently.
Judging from the current situation, forget simply meeting the Fairy-Tale Princess—even obtaining the item required to enter her castle was extremely difficult.
A single player, even someone like A or ERROR, would struggle to collect every key within a short period.
Since everyone needed the keys, their group had no reason to insist on gathering all of them personally.
Even though relatively few players could enter the Circle and many had died within the World of Order, tens of thousands still remained.
As long as they were willing to cooperate, the problem would become much simpler.
“Done.”
The moment everyone considered cooperating, Yu Qimiao had already finished negotiating.
Back in the beginner zone, he had reached an agreement with the two largest guilds in IF, Extremity and Everyone Survives, requiring them to provide information about Circle One.
At the time, Yu Qimiao had misjudged the situation and did not know that Circle One assigned instances based on the core player.
Their group had been sent to the “relaxing and enjoyable” amusement park, making the information provided by guild leaders in other instances completely useless.
Later, the Order Staircase collapsed, so there was no longer any need for them to provide information.
Therefore, after a round of “friendly” communication, Yu Qimiao demanded that they fulfill their agreement within the Fairy-Tale Kingdom. In addition to sharing information, they also had to share the keys they discovered.
The leader of Everyone Survives refused a hundred times over and angrily accused Yu Qimiao of forcing an unfair transaction.
Why should they contribute keys in addition to information?
[Yu Qimiao: Without our Su Qiong, would you have cleared Circle One?]
Everyone Survives collectively fell silent.
Xi Huaiji considered the matter for a moment before replying:
[Xi Huaiji: Is the sharing of keys one-sided?]
[Yu Qimiao: Of course not. We’ll also contribute the keys in our possession. After all, if that door remains locked, no one can clear the instance.]
[Xi Huaiji: Fine. I accept your deal.]
“The key problem is temporarily resolved. Besides that, I also obtained information about the mountain and forest regions.” Yu Qimiao displayed the messages he had received. “With intelligence from the leaders of other guilds, clearing those regions should become much easier.”
After finishing, he noticed every teammate staring at his face.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No.”
Lu Shufan rubbed his arms. “I’m only feeling fortunate that I chose you as a teammate.”
If Yu Qimiao had not been their companion, who knew how badly these reckless players would have been schemed against by the capitalist?
“Let’s find a few more keys,” Su Qiong said. “The game is full of deception. More keys mean more bargaining chips.”
“Oh? Little Pastry knows an advanced phrase like ‘full of deception’?”
“He even knows ‘bargaining chips.’ Yu Qimiao has corrupted him. What do you normally teach the child?”
Yu Qimiao: “…”
“Su Qiong, stop learning from me.”
“Oh.” Su Qiong obediently agreed.
While they searched for more keys, Moi and Qiyi finally escaped their NPC and rejoined the main group.
Aside from their shared-life bond—which allowed one sister to act as bait without concern—the twins did not possess much combat enhancement, so no one had expected much from them.
Unexpectedly, during the search for keys, the twins seemed to activate a cheat and independently found three.
“You’re amazing. How did you do it?”
“I encountered a white-name NPC,” Moi answered. “After completing his task, I received part of a damaged guide to the Unsmiling Attic.”
“Me too,” Qiyi added. “I received another fragment.”
There were probably several fragments of the Unsmiling Attic guide hidden among different NPCs.
The two fragments Moi and Qiyi received happened to fit together, corresponding to three of the Unsmiling rooms.
“Are you two gods of luck?”
Holding hands, Moi and Qiyi shyly said, “We’re weak, but we’re very good at triggering system items and abilities.”
“We’ll work hard not to hold everyone back!”
“You haven’t held anyone back,” Su Qiong earnestly told them. “Qiyi and Moi have very high potential ratings. You possess both system items and system abilities.”
“Wait. The system gives players potential ratings?”
“What about me? How high is my potential?”
Su Qiong explained them one by one.
“Shi Yuntian has the lowest potential rating. The system believes your strength is already nearly fully developed. Yu Qimiao and A possess astonishing potential in different areas. As for Lu Shufan, the system says your talent points were invested elsewhere.”
After answering their questions, Su Qiong urged them to continue searching for keys.
They had taken only a few steps when a pleasant voice sounded behind them.
“Su Qiong, did you forget someone?”
Su Qiong turned around and saw ERROR staring directly at him with a faintly aggrieved expression.
Su Qiong had reported everyone’s potential rating except his.
Was it because their intimacy was only two percent?
“I didn’t forget.” Su Qiong turned back and explained sincerely, “Yours was the first one I checked.”
“And?”
“Insufficient authorization. I couldn’t access it.” Confusion appeared in Su Qiong’s eyes. “Your level is clearly low right now. Why can’t I view it?”
Hearing that Su Qiong had checked him first, ERROR’s mood immediately improved. He ruffled Su Qiong’s lamb-soft hair.
“The system targets me.” ERROR effortlessly shifted the blame onto it.
Su Qiong believed him without doubt and firmly agreed, “Right. It’s all the system’s fault!”
The main system: “…”
Shameless dog couple!
The members of the Orphan Alliance struggled inside the Unsmiling Attic for an entire day and obtained only nine keys in total.
Their low efficiency was not their fault. Some rooms were absurdly difficult and nearly impossible to clear without guide fragments.
Furthermore, there were so many people in the castle and so few guild members that they lacked the ability to collect every guide.
In the blink of an eye, twenty-four hours passed, and they had to make another choice.
Yu Qimiao had already obtained detailed guides for the forest and mountain regions. Choosing either would allow them to clear the area while practically lying down.
After discussing it, they decided that while everyone still had energy, they should challenge one of the more difficult regions—places where players either returned empty-handed or suffered total annihilation.
The city or the ocean.
If they truly encountered danger, they could retreat to a region with an available guide and recuperate.
“Should we choose the city or ocean first?”
“Su Qiong, what do you think?”
“I want to visit the city!” Su Qiong answered without hesitation. “I heard the city in the Fairy-Tale Kingdom completely recreates the places where humans live. I’ve met many human players, but I’ve never seen the world you live in.”
After hearing his reason, the players’ hearts collectively melted into a mess.
They unanimously agreed with Su Qiong despite knowing nothing about the city region and possessing no information about it.
“Let’s go.”
“All right.”
A flash of white light passed before their eyes.
When their surroundings became visible again, they found themselves inside an ordinary little inn.
It was already deep into the night. The innkeeper closed the doors for the day with a bitter expression.
After returning inside, he served their table several plates of late-night food.
The inn’s layout was simple. Guests stayed on the second floor, while the first floor served as a restaurant.
Aside from their group, only the innkeeper and his wife, who worked as the cook, remained in the dining room. They sat facing each other and sighed.
“We stayed open this late, but no customers came today.”
“At this rate, we’ll soon be living on air.”
“I wish lots and lots of guests would come.”
After hearing their conversation, Su Qiong quietly summarized, “It seems the inn’s main task is helping them attract customers.”
The players showed no interest in discussing the task.
Instead, they picked up chopsticks and handed them to Su Qiong.
“Eat.”
“This should be your first time eating a proper meal, right?”
“That’s true!” Su Qiong finally realized it.
Back in Gangan Village, they had been inside an impoverished instance without any decent food.
Furthermore, Su Qiong had been a marshmallow made of bandages and could not eat.
Later, in the hospital instance, there had been a cafeteria, but it served only nuclear wastewater. As a human, A had refused to drink a single mouthful. Naturally, Su Qiong had not touched it either.
Later still, Su Qiong finally obtained a body and the ability to taste food, only to be immediately thrown into the World of Order.
The Circle Lord of the World of Order was not human and had never considered that humans needed to eat and rest. The amusement park it created did not even contain a popcorn stand.
The Fairy-Tale Kingdom perfectly replicated human habits. There had been a lavish banquet in the castle yesterday, but the group had not been in any state to care about it.
Only now, after the inn had closed and no dangerous NPCs remained nearby, could they finally sit down and eat a proper meal.
The innkeeper’s wife was an excellent cook. Every dish looked, smelled, and tasted delicious.
Furthermore, the boss controlling the fairy-tale world thoughtfully prepared dishes from each player’s homeland.
The innkeeper had bread and butter before him, while their table contained mapo tofu, poached fish in chili oil, braised prawns, and fragrant steamed rice.
They had been inside the game for far too long.
The mere aroma made everyone ravenous.
“We can handle everything else after eating.”
“That makes sense.”
Su Qiong picked up the chopsticks and imitated the others, holding them awkwardly.
He had never used utensils before. When he reached toward a dish, the two chopsticks crossed over each other, catching nothing.
“Mm.” Su Qiong released a frustrated sound.
Eating was so difficult.
Was this another system trial?
Before Su Qiong could devise a strategy for the “trial,” several sets of chopsticks clicked around him as his companions simultaneously placed food in his bowl.
The best meat from the fish’s belly, the plumpest prawn, and the softest piece of pork rib were all deposited into Su Qiong’s bowl.
They raised their heads and exchanged awkward glances, apparently not expecting everyone else to serve Su Qiong too.
Yu Qimiao sat beside him. He carefully removed every small bone from the fish and handed Su Qiong a spoon.
“Chopsticks are a little difficult to use. Try this.” Yu Qimiao said, “In our world, babies eat with spoons before they learn how to use chopsticks.”
“But I’m not a baby.”
“…Aren’t you?” Yu Qimiao always viewed Su Qiong through a benevolent filter, treating him like a newborn marshmallow.
Su Qiong considered it.
If he had been born when the game began, then by age, he did indeed meet the definition of a baby.
Fine.
Too lazy to struggle further, Su Qiong accepted the spoon, scooped up some rice soaked in sauce, and nearly reverently placed it into his mouth.
“Delicious!” Su Qiong’s eyes lit up.
The bastard system constantly brainwashed its NPCs, telling them that if they earned enough KPI, they could exchange it for anything and do whatever they wanted in the game world.
What was so interesting about doing whatever you wanted in the game world?
Humans could eat such delicious food every day and enjoy comfortable lives. They were happier than even the most powerful NPCs.
“It’s passable.” Yu Qimiao occupied a high social position and had tasted all kinds of delicacies, so his palate was naturally demanding. “When we have the opportunity, I’ll take you to the restaurants I usually visit.”
After he finished speaking, everyone began thinking simultaneously.
Would they truly have an “afterward”?
Even if they safely cleared every instance and returned to human society, Su Qiong was still an NPC from the game.
Could he leave IN OFF with them?
At that thought, everyone became sad.
For a brief moment, they even formed the terrifying idea that perhaps they should simply remain inside the game forever.
“He can,” ERROR said, breaking the silence.
Everyone turned toward him.
“On the first day we entered the game, that NPC said every NPC in IF is a life that currently exists or once existed.”
“Am I too?” Su Qiong placed a hand over his chest, confusion filling his voice. “But I don’t remember anything.”
“You definitely are!”
“Don’t worry. Once I leave the game, I’ll ask all my fans to help search for Little Pastry.”
“All right!” Su Qiong nodded happily. “If I really existed before, I want to know what kind of person I was.”
His words did not make the players feel relieved.
Even if the Fairy-Tale Princess had spoken the truth and the NPCs really existed in human society, she had also included the possibility that they had once existed.
What if, by the time they found Su Qiong, he was already…
“I’m full.” Su Qiong put down his bowl and said emotionally, “That was really delicious. I want to eat food like this every day.”
“Then I’ll think of a method. Maybe we can make a deal with the innkeeper’s wife and have her cook for you every day.”
“Yes, yes!” Su Qiong became extremely happy.
After eating and drinking their fill, they naturally needed to return to their rooms and get a proper night’s sleep.
Only after arriving on the second floor did they discover that the inn had prepared just four rooms.
That meant two people had to share each room.
There was no need to discuss Moi and Qiyi. They were the only two girls and inseparable sisters, so they would naturally share.
The issue was how to divide everyone else.
“Su Qiong and I.” ERROR showed off again. “We’re bound as lovers.”
“Two-percent intimacy?” Lu Shufan mocked.
“It’s still a Lovers relationship.” ERROR’s lips curved as he cruelly countered, “Do you have one?”
“…”
He truly did not.
Unable to respond, Lu Shufan could only accept that the two would share a room.
As for the remaining four grown men, none of them cared who slept with whom.
Yu Qimiao took out a piece of paper and drew lots.
He ended up paired with Shi Yuntian, while Lu Shufan was paired with A.
Standing beside the window and surveying the situation outside, A said coldly, “I don’t need sleep.”
Within the world of IF, the body’s senses reset every time a player left an instance.
Only two days had passed since they left the World of Order, so A did not feel tired.
Lu Shufan yawned and forcibly pushed him toward the room.
“Even if you aren’t sleepy, lie down for a while. Several days remain in this instance. Who knows whether we’ll have another chance to sleep?”
A avoided his hand, using his actions to express his refusal.
Even if he stayed awake for seven days, nothing would happen to him, especially inside a game.
Each region had a twenty-four-hour time limit. He intended to use that time to collect clues for clearing the area.
“A, you’ve never played a team game before, have you?” Fearlessly, Lu Shufan reached out again and dragged him toward the room while spouting nonsense. “The essence of team battles isn’t how strong one person is. It lies in everyone advancing and retreating together and every member contributing.”
A still said nothing.
“Rest for a while. There will be opportunities for you to perform tomorrow.”
This time, A did not shake him off.
He silently entered the room.
“Never would’ve guessed that brat Lu Shufan could say something decent,” Shi Yuntian remarked.
“If you can’t see it, stop looking.” Yu Qimiao entered their room first and asked before closing the door, “Do you snore at night?”
“Yeah. Loud enough to shake the building!”
“Then can you sleep in the corridor?”
Shi Yuntian: “?”
Could you behave like a human being for once?
Only after everyone entered their rooms did Su Qiong gently close his own door.
The room was simply furnished, containing only a bathroom and two single beds. Pajamas prepared by the system lay on top of them.
Excited to see more free clothes, Su Qiong ran into the bathroom, changed into the pajamas, and spun twice before the mirror.
The pajamas were a simple blue set patterned with stars and moons, accompanied by a matching sleeping cap.
They looked exceptionally adorable on Su Qiong.
“When we leave this instance, I’m taking this outfit with me!” After speaking, Su Qiong remembered the Fairy-Tale Princess’s little cloak and felt sincerely envious.
How wonderful would it be if he could take her cloak too?
“Go to sleep.” ERROR casually prepared his bed for him. “Sweet dreams.”
“I don’t dream.” Su Qiong lay down and wrapped himself tightly in the little blanket, correcting ERROR.
He soon realized he had spoken too early.
Not long after closing his eyes, an unfamiliar scene appeared before him.
This was probably what humans called dreaming.
In the dream, he was an ordinary human boy at an age where he was nearly grown but not quite an adult, still living beneath his guardians’ protection.
Every few days, Yu Qimiao gave him a large amount of spending money and bought him everything he wanted.
Shi Yuntian took him to exercise, allowing Su Qiong to gain enough strength to protect himself from bullies.
But no one bullied Su Qiong in the first place.
As long as Brother A appeared beside him once, every thug within ten miles would start worshiping Su Qiong like their ancestor.
Whenever he had free time, Lu Shufan dragged him into livestreams.
The viewers became especially excited whenever they saw this younger brother and showered Su Qiong with gifts.
They treated him with far more enthusiasm and tolerance than they showed the actual streamer, making Lu Shufan intensely jealous.
Even when Su Qiong played a simple tile-matching game, the audience watched with delight.
There were also two twin younger sisters in the family who had just started middle school.
Su Qiong often picked them up after class. The moment he stood outside the school gate, Moi and Qiyi would rush over from either side, hook their arms through his, and chatter excitedly to their brother about everything that had happened at school.
ERROR also appeared in the dream.
Holding a bouquet of roses, he approached Su Qiong and moved his beautiful lips.
Su Qiong could not hear what he said and became extremely anxious.
The more anxious he became, the less he could hear.
In his panic, Su Qiong opened his eyes and discovered that the sky outside was already bright.
“Strange.” Su Qiong rubbed his forehead and slowly sat up. “Why did I have such a strange dream?”
Everyone who appeared in it was a player he had guided inside the game.
Without IF, their worlds would never have intersected, much less allowed them to live together like family.
And—
What exactly had ERROR said in the dream?
“Su Qiong?” ERROR called to him and carefully studied his expression. “Did you have a nightmare?”
“It wasn’t a nightmare. I think it was a very good dream.” Su Qiong described it to ERROR, then asked in confusion, “Isn’t it strange?”
“It isn’t. It means that deep inside, you desire a closer connection with them.” ERROR calmly said, “And I can probably guess what I said in your dream.”
“What did you say?”
“I introduced myself.” ERROR smiled at him. “Right now, I’m unable to tell you my name. So after we leave the game, I’ll definitely meet you again properly.”
And then tell you—
Welcome to this world.
“I see.” After receiving an answer, Su Qiong did not think much more about it.
Every name was merely a label. Everyone possessed one.
However, ERROR’s explanation made sense. Perhaps Su Qiong had already unconsciously begun treating Yu Qimiao and the others as people close to him.
In that case…
“Let’s finish the task quickly.”
Only by clearing the Circles within IF could they leave the game and return to their normal lives.
As their guide NPC, Su Qiong had to contribute more.
He changed back into his own clothes and placed the pajamas inside his inventory space.
When he left the room, the second floor was completely silent.
He went downstairs and found only the innkeeper and his wife bringing out the breakfast they had prepared.
“Your companions have already left. They said they were going to help attract customers.” The innkeeper still looked deeply troubled. “If ten customers come today, I’ll be satisfied.”
“Only ten customers, right?” Su Qiong memorized the innkeeper’s wish and prepared to rush outside.
“Wait.” The innkeeper’s wife stopped him. “Your companions said you absolutely must finish breakfast first.”
Su Qiong looked at the delicious breakfast and swallowed despite himself.
Having tasted something good once, he craved more.
Su Qiong obediently finished breakfast and left the inn.
The city was gradually becoming lively, but every person’s face remained shrouded in gloom.
ERROR walked ahead.
They had not gone far when a ragged little beggar collapsed in front of them in a textbook scammer’s pose.
“Have you seen my nightingale?” The beggar wrapped his arms around ERROR’s leg and accused him without explanation. “You smell like my nightingale. You must have stolen it! Give it back!”
“Does he?” Su Qiong moved closer to ERROR and sniffed carefully before confidently telling the beggar, “You must be mistaken. He only smells like century egg and lean pork congee. It smells delicious.”
At the word “delicious,” the little beggar’s stomach growled twice.
However, he stubbornly continued, “You’re accomplices! You killed my nightingale!”
