Chapter 167
Tang Yu’an looked at the mysterious door, unsure where it led, then turned back to Zhou Qi.
“Brother Qi, do you want to go in and take a look?”
Since their daily tasks were already completed, they had free time now.
Zhou Qi stared at the dark door, feeling an inexplicable urge rising within him. He couldn’t resist walking forward, pressing his hand against the stone door.
He pushed hard, and the stone door slowly rotated, revealing a pitch-black passageway to an unknown destination.
Seeing Zhou Qi walk in without hesitation, Tang Yu’an quickly grabbed him, pulling out a shadow umbrella and a small flashlight. He also smeared mutated fungus mucus under both their noses before following Zhou Qi into the passage.
Since they had never been here before, the map was shrouded in fog, offering no guidance.
The path beneath their feet was relatively smooth, though occasionally a stray stone could be kicked.
Tang Yu’an treaded cautiously, while Zhou Qi, usually careful, strode ahead with an uncharacteristic boldness.
“Brother Qi, wait!”
With the shadow umbrella muting their voices, Tang Yu’an didn’t hold back his volume. He grabbed Zhou Qi, finally noticing something unusual.
“What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you speaking?”
Tang Yu’an shook Zhou Qi’s shoulders hard and shone the flashlight on him, revealing the red glow in his eyes.
It was that parasite again!
It had been so long since the last incident that Tang Yu’an had nearly forgotten about it. Perhaps Zhou Qi had let his guard down and been taken over again.
“Brother Qi, snap out of it!”
Under Tang Yu’an’s urgent calls, Zhou Qi furrowed his brow, visibly struggling to resist. He crouched down, clutching his head, his face contorted in pain as sweat quickly beaded and rolled down his temples.
Watching Zhou Qi suffer, Tang Yu’an paced anxiously, unsure how to help. He could only wrap his arms tightly around Zhou Qi, providing him the support he desperately needed.
Although Tang Yu’an’s arms weren’t strong, they gave Zhou Qi the strength to endure.
Zhou Qi’s trembling slowly subsided. The invasive consciousness attempting to control him was suppressed once again.
He raised his head slowly, the faint light from the flashlight illuminating Tang Yu’an’s worried eyes fixed on him.
“Brother Qi, what’s wrong?” Tang Yu’an asked cautiously. “Does your head still hurt? Is it that parasite again?”
“Yeah, it’s fine now.” Zhou Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood up as if nothing had happened. “Let’s go back.”
Although he didn’t know why the parasite was so desperate to enter this place or what was attracting it, the stronger its desire, the more Zhou Qi refused to let it succeed.
Suppressing the yearning within him, he resolved to leave immediately. He hated the feeling of being controlled.
“Okay, let’s go,” Tang Yu’an agreed, still worried about Zhou Qi’s condition. The pitch-dark passage made him more eager to leave.
He reached out to hold Zhou Qi’s hand, feeling the clammy sweat in his palm, which only deepened his guilt and concern.
If he hadn’t fallen sick back then, forcing Zhou Qi to go out alone for medicine, Zhou Qi might not have been injured—or parasitized.
As they turned back, Zhou Qi picked up the flashlight and held onto Tang Yu’an. But just as they took a step—
Crash!
Tang Yu’an felt himself suddenly yanked, tumbling down a slope with Zhou Qi.
There hadn’t been any slope when they came in!
After sliding endlessly, Tang Yu’an let out a yelp, landing on top of Zhou Qi. The two ended up in a heap.
And the surrounding darkness retreated.
Tang Yu’an winced and opened his eyes to find themselves in a cavern, surrounded by glowing stones. Though dim, the sheer number of the stones provided just enough light to make out their surroundings.
Soon after they landed, the shadow umbrella hurriedly floated down the slope. Spotting Tang Yu’an, it hovered above him and Zhou Qi, cloaking them again.
“Are you hurt?” Zhou Qi’s voice broke the silence, prompting Tang Yu’an to realize he was still on top of Zhou Qi. He scrambled to his feet.
After checking himself, Tang Yu’an shook his head. “I’m okay.”
Apart from a few scrapes and bruises, he hadn’t broken any bones. Looking at Zhou Qi, he asked, “And you?”
Zhou Qi also shook his head and helped Tang Yu’an up before glancing at the slope. “With lightening magic, we could probably—”
Before he could finish, his expression changed abruptly. He grabbed Tang Yu’an and leapt backward. Two machetes flew forward under his control.
A mutated spider charged down the slope, spitting webbing. Zhou Qi’s machetes struck it mid-attack, pinning it to the rock wall.
Thick, sticky fluid oozed out, releasing a foul stench.
It was a dark green orb-weaving spider. Judging by its appearance, it might have fled from the ruins and taken refuge in the mountains.
Seeing the spider’s long legs twitching as it struggled to survive, Tang Yu’an cast a wind blade spell. Three sharp blades flew out. One slashed the spider’s wound, forcing more fluid to spill out. Another severed a leg, while the third struck the rock wall.
The spider’s leg was completely unharmed, though the rock shattered into fragments.
It seemed that the wind blade was still too weak to deal with mutated creatures. Hopefully, it would become stronger after upgrading.
Tang Yu’an pursed his lips, watching as the green spider’s vitality gradually waned until it finally stopped moving altogether.
Zhou Qi retrieved his two machetes and stored them in his portable inventory, while Tang Yu’an used his remote retrieval ability to transfer the spider’s corpse back to their main storehouse.
The main storehouse now had a temperature-controlled system, which would help delay the decomposition of the spider’s body.
Tang Yu’an glanced at the slope and then turned to Zhou Qi. “Are we climbing back up? It seems kind of dangerous.”
The slope likely had other passageways, and who knew if more mutated creatures would suddenly emerge.
Zhou Qi looked around the cavern and sighed. “Let’s see if there’s another exit.”
“Okay!”
Tang Yu’an opened the map. Previously, Hong Li had explored parts of this cavern, clearing away some of the fog. They could possibly head toward the direction she had already mapped out.
But soon, Tang Yu’an let out a surprised sound.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Qi asked.
“Sister Hong Li is also in the cavern,” Tang Yu’an replied, scratching his head. “Should we avoid her, or go find her?”
It probably wouldn’t matter even if they ran into her. They could explain that they stumbled into the cavern while hunting in the mountains. Judging by her situation, she was likely clearing out mutated creatures in the mountain’s interior.
Zhou Qi frowned, thinking for a moment before saying, “Let’s wait and see.”
Unfortunately, after searching the cavern, they found only one exit—and it clearly led toward Hong Li’s location.
Zhou Qi sighed. “Let’s go meet her.”
Tang Yu’an, holding the shadow-shielding umbrella tightly, whispered, “Brother Qi, if you’re worried, we can just stay hidden under the umbrella.”
As long as they found an exit, they didn’t necessarily have to face Hong Li.
Zhou Qi nodded slightly. The strange yearning in his chest had vanished, so there probably wouldn’t be an issue.
The glowing stones lining the passage and the map’s warnings about dangerous creatures kept them alert, but not overly tense.
Feeling a bit bored as they walked, Tang Yu’an suddenly said, “Brother Qi, isn’t our birthday coming up soon?”
Their birthdays were both on December 26, though one followed the lunar calendar and the other the solar calendar.
Because Zhou Qi’s parents had registered his birthday using the lunar calendar, both of their official IDs listed December 26 as their birthdays.
When they were younger, Tang Yu’an would often act spoiled, insisting on celebrating again when Zhou Qi’s birthday came around, even though his had already passed. He would claim not to understand the difference, and his parents would often indulge him with a second cake and gift.
Recalling those times, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but smile faintly.
Back then, his family couldn’t afford much. On his birthday, his grandmother would only make him a longevity bun. It was only after Tang Yu’an learned about this that he insisted on celebrating together.
Uncle Tang and Auntie Tang couldn’t say no to Tang Yu’an and would end up buying a cake for the two to share. While it was possible the little glutton just wanted more cake, Zhou Qi would never forget the warmth he felt during those moments.
“Yes, it’s coming up soon.”
Even though time and seasons in this world were confusing, Zhou Qi’s electronic watch kept track of the date. There were only a little over ten days until Tang Yu’an’s birthday.
“I’ll be turning 13 soon!” Tang Yu’an grinned. By traditional counting, he would be considered 15 after the new year.
He suddenly stopped, glancing at Zhou Qi beside him, and pouted.
In less than two months, Zhou Qi would be 16. No matter how hard Tang Yu’an tried, he could never catch up in age.
He glanced at their heights. Fortunately, he had been growing quickly recently and wasn’t falling behind Zhou Qi.
Unaware of Tang Yu’an’s silent competition, Zhou Qi was contemplating whether he could make a cake for Tang Yu’an this year. Though he didn’t have an oven, a rice cooker might work. Without cream, however, it wouldn’t feel quite right.
Just then, they both stopped in their tracks.
“Ahhh—!”
They heard a woman’s scream echoing faintly, the voice unmistakably Hong Li’s.
The two exchanged glances and quickly focused their minds before running toward the sound.
The winding tunnel soon opened up into a broader area, and their field of view expanded.
Under the faint glow of the luminous rocks, they saw Hong Li surrounded by the corpses of several mutated creatures. It was evident she had just been through a fierce battle, as the area was in complete disarray. The mutated creatures hadn’t gained any advantage against her.
However, Hong Li didn’t seem to be in good shape either.
She was throwing flames wildly around her, lighting up the cavern in fiery red hues. Despite the absence of any living mutated creatures, she continued to hurl fire, screaming in pain.
Just as Tang Yu’an was pondering how to help her, his eyes widened as he noticed something.
The firelight cast Hong Li’s shadow onto the cave wall, and her thin figure began to stretch and grow, finally bursting through her clothes and transforming into the shadow of a giant snake.
A fire serpent!
Tang Yu’an gasped and covered his mouth in shock. Even under the shadow umbrella, he feared making any sound that might be heard. However…
“Brother Qi, what are you doing?!”
Standing beside him, Zhou Qi suddenly stepped forward, moving out of the umbrella’s range and heading straight toward the fire serpent.
The fire serpent quickly noticed him, its cold, blood-red eyes fixing on him before it spat out flames.
Zhou Qi, seemingly oblivious to the flames, walked steadily toward it.
“Brother Qi!” Tang Yu’an tried to stop him, but as the flames surged toward him, he had no choice but to leap back.
The shadow umbrella could conceal him, but it couldn’t block attacks—especially not the fire serpent’s poisonous flames.
Tang Yu’an vividly recalled the horrifying fate of others who had been afflicted by fire poison, including A’Lian and Jade Pavilion Inn owner’s husband. The memory sent a chill down his spine.
Watching the flames create an impassable barrier between him and Zhou Qi, Tang Yu’an’s anxiety grew.
Although he didn’t understand why Hong Li had transformed into a serpent, he couldn’t let her harm Zhou Qi!
After a brief hesitation, Tang Yu’an pulled out his slingshot from his portable inventory.
The fire serpent was too far away, beyond the range of his remote placement skill. He would have to rely on the slingshot to shoot his projectile.
Hitting such a giant serpent from this distance would be a challenge, so…
He enchanted the Bad-luck marble with a lightening spell!
Whiz!
The marble flew through the air. Tang Yu’an didn’t relax—he used wind magic to control its trajectory, making it faster and more accurate.
Finally, the Bad-luck marble struck the fire serpent’s head.
The serpent froze momentarily, then turned its gaze toward Tang Yu’an’s location, spitting flames once more in his direction.
Zhou Qi walked through the fire.
His flesh was charred and unrecognizable, yet it healed rapidly, regenerating before Tang Yu’an’s eyes.
Zhou Qi seemed impervious to the pain, his gaze fixed on the fire serpent with a bloodthirsty glint.
The fire serpent, enraged by his advance, whipped its tail toward him. But…
Mid-swing, its tail knotted up in the air.
Before it could strike Zhou Qi, he grabbed hold of it and sank his teeth into its body.
The serpent began to writhe frantically, an expression of fear filling its eyes despite its massive size compared to Zhou Qi.
No matter how it struggled, it couldn’t break free from Zhou Qi’s seemingly insignificant hands.
Soon, a bright, worm-like glow appeared near the serpent’s head. The creature, fiery red and writhing, seemed to be drawn downward by some unseen force.
As it neared the tail, it suddenly burst out of the serpent’s body.
Zhou Qi released the serpent, caught the glowing red parasite in his hand, and swallowed it whole.
The moment the parasite left the fire serpent, its massive form rapidly shrank, reverting to Hong Li. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Tang Yu’an had witnessed the entire scene unfold.
What just happened? When did Brother Qi become so strong? And…did he just eat Hong Li’s parasite?
As the flames dissipated and Hong Li returned to normal, Tang Yu’an quickly cast a flight spell on himself and flew to Zhou Qi.
Zhou Qi had fainted after consuming the parasite.
His burns had already scabbed over and healed, and apart from his tattered, burned clothes, he looked unscathed.
Tang Yu’an hurriedly draped clothes over him. His chest tightened with the urge to cry, but he forced himself to stay composed.
The sight of Zhou Qi walking through flames, his body burning, would haunt Tang Yu’an as a nightmare for a long time.
At that moment, Hong Li stirred.
Startled, Tang Yu’an quickly hoisted Zhou Qi onto his back, grabbed the shadow umbrella, and flew back the way they came.
He didn’t care about anything else now—he just wanted to get Zhou Qi to safety.
Flying as fast as he could, the umbrella became a burden, so he stored it in his portable inventory.
Carrying Zhou Qi, Tang Yu’an ascended the slope they had fallen down earlier.
As expected, there were a few tunnels midway up the slope, but any mutated creatures within fled at the mere approach of Tang Yu’an.
Without further danger, Tang Yu’an finally found the tunnel they had originally fallen through.
Once back at the dark door, he didn’t bother closing it. The store was in lockdown mode, protected by barriers, so no one could enter the passageway even if they discovered it.
With a flash of light, Tang Yu’an arrived at the teleportation room of their primary store.
He placed Zhou Qi on the sofa in the living room. The moment he let go, Zhou Qi opened his eyes.
“Brother Qi, how do you feel? Are you okay?” Tang Yu’an asked urgently, relieved to see Zhou Qi’s black eyes—proof he was back to normal.
Zhou Qi didn’t respond. Instead, he took out a few cooling cloths and wrapped them around himself, though they seemed to provide little relief.
Tang Yu’an noticed Zhou Qi’s face growing redder, and sweat poured down his forehead.
He was drenched in sweat, his hair soaked, but the sweat evaporated almost instantly.
Tang Yu’an was frantic. He quickly thought of something and glanced at Zhou Qi’s status panel, noticing a sudden change.
Status: Early Parasite Stage (Spirit Worm Invasion)
Spirit Worm Invasion? Could this worm be the parasite? Is Brother Qi experiencing a backlash?
“Ah!”
Zhou Qi suddenly let out a painful scream. The cooling cloth on his body burst into flames, disintegrating into ashes.
His skin burned away but rapidly regenerated, healing itself until it was no longer vulnerable to the fire.
Unlike before, when he seemed impervious to pain, Zhou Qi now writhed on the ground in agony, screaming and calling out for his grandmother. Tang Yu’an burst into tears as he watched, overwhelmed by helplessness and fear.
In the midst of the flames, Zhou Qi grabbed at something, summoning a freezer from the tenth floor. The moment his hands touched it, its special effect—“Hotter It Gets, Colder It Becomes”—activated.
The gray-blue freezer roared to life, absorbing heat and releasing freezing air.
Tang Yu’an had to pull his hood up as the cold seeped through every gap in his clothes, making him shiver uncontrollably.
Zhou Qi’s eyes turned blood red, his once dark irises replaced with a crimson glow, clearly showing he had lost control again.
“Arrrghhhh—!”
He howled in pain, the searing heat in his body refusing to subside despite the relentless cold emitted by the freezer.
Finally, with a loud pop, the freezer emitted a few wisps of smoke and broke down, completely destroyed.
Zhou Qi didn’t summon another freezer. Instead, he suddenly turned and bolted straight out the window.
From the ninth floor!
Tang Yu’an’s heart nearly stopped. Panicked, he chased after him and leapt out the window.
Splash!
Zhou Qi didn’t land in the courtyard but plunged into the floodwaters below. The water began to bubble furiously, steaming and boiling.
Before long, creatures in the water, cooked alive, floated to the surface belly-up.
“Brother Qi!”
Tang Yu’an hovered above, surrounded by rising steam, unable to spot Zhou Qi.
However, the trail of bubbles across the water’s surface pointed him in the right direction, as did the glowing marker on the map.
Tang Yu’an raced to follow.
They were heading quickly toward the heart of the Desolate city.
At last, Tang Yu’an saw the boiling bubbles disappear. Yet, the marker representing Zhou Qi on the map continued moving rapidly, showing he was still alive but submerged.
Tang Yu’an’s face turned pale. He called out for Zhou Qi, but there was no response.
Has Brother Qi lost consciousness? If I don’t save him soon, he’ll drown!
Recalling something, Tang Yu’an quickly opened the dimensional store and spent 10,000 points on an underwater breathing potion he had seen before.
The potion came in a soft bottle, and a gentle bite on the nozzle was enough to break it open.
Tang Yu’an quickly sucked out the potion and swallowed it, then dived straight into the water.
The icy currents engulfed him, but despite holding his breath and clenching his mouth shut, he felt no suffocation. On either side of his neck, gill-like openings appeared, allowing him to breathe underwater.
Underwater, he discovered a powerful undertow pulling him forward.
He couldn’t see much in the murky depths, but the map guided him closer and closer to Zhou Qi’s position.
Red dots representing enemies appeared around him, but Tang Yu’an ignored them. His only thought was to reach Zhou Qi, grab him, and save him.
Unbeknownst to Tang Yu’an, two figures had followed him.
As soon as he left the store, Yuan Bao and Black Pearl noticed something was wrong and pursued him without hesitation. Any red dots that tried to approach Tang Yu’an were quickly intercepted by the two.
Tang Yu’an swam desperately, dodging obstacles as best as he could. The faint light made it difficult to navigate, so he relied entirely on the map to close the distance between himself and Zhou Qi.
“Just hold on!” he whispered to himself. The only solace he had was that Zhou Qi’s marker hadn’t disappeared. He was still alive.
“Faster… just a bit faster…”
As exhaustion set in, tears welled up in Tang Yu’an’s eyes, mixing with the water and disappearing into the currents.
When despair was about to take hold, a shadowy figure came into view.
It’s Zhou Qi! It’s him!
Tang Yu’an pushed himself harder, but his limbs felt heavier and his movements slower. He was so tired, his body ready to give out.
Someone… anyone… please, help me.
Who can save Brother Qi…?
At that moment, the green vine entwined in Tang Yu’an’s hair began to emit a faint glow, then rapidly grew!
Zhou Qi felt his consciousness fading. His body alternated between the unbearable heat of a furnace and the scalding sensation of boiling water.
He was sinking, unable to control himself, as suffocating pain crept in. It felt like he was falling into a dark abyss, with scenes from his past flashing before his eyes.
A life of over ten years—neither long nor short.
One by one, the people who had entered his life appeared, then shattered and disappeared.
His parents, forever frozen in a family photo. His grandmother, who used to hold his hand through the alleys, had stopped at the crossroads…
He was alone, walking forward, always moving toward the darkness.
Zhou Qi’s consciousness grew weaker and weaker.
He felt as though he was on the verge of death.
How did it happen so suddenly? Just moments ago, he was thinking about their birthday coming up… how An’an loved cake, but they had no cream.
That’s right… An’an.
As his consciousness slipped away, Zhou Qi thought he heard someone calling him. Who is it…? Who…?
With great effort, he opened his eyes. Through the murky water, he saw a boy swimming toward him with all his might.
It was An’an.
The world around him was blurry, but the boy’s figure, illuminated as if to tear through the darkness, remained sharp and vivid.
He saw a vibrant green vine growing rapidly. It wrapped around the boy’s waist before piercing through the layers of water and reaching out to him.
Zhou Qi felt the vine tighten around him.
The vine connected the two boys, wrapping them both together as it pulled them closer.
The boy reached out, his beautiful eyes filled with urgency and desperation.
Zhou Qi mustered all his strength and extended his hand.
Finally, their fingertips touched, and then their hands clasped tightly.
Tang Yu’an pulled Zhou Qi into an embrace.
Seeing Zhou Qi close his eyes again, Tang Yu’an wasted no time. He quickly opened the dimensional store and spent another 10,000 points to purchase an underwater breathing potion.
Biting the sealed bottle to break it open, he sucked out the potion, held it in his mouth, and pressed his lips to Zhou Qi’s to transfer it to him.
Tang Yu’an’s lips were icy from the freezing water, but Zhou Qi’s were burning hot. The spirit worm’s invasion hadn’t stopped.
Come on… open your mouth…
Drink the potion…
Don’t die. Please don’t die.
Tears streamed from Tang Yu’an’s eyes as he desperately tried to pry Zhou Qi’s lips apart.
Finally, he felt Zhou Qi’s lips move. The clenched jaw relaxed and opened slightly.
Overjoyed, Tang Yu’an quickly transferred the potion into Zhou Qi’s mouth.
Driven by survival instinct, Zhou Qi began to swallow unconsciously, then sucked in the potion with effort.
Thank goodness… He drank it!
When they parted, Tang Yu’an saw Zhou Qi open his eyes again. Though his pupils were still tinged with red, his gaze was clear, his mind seemingly restored.
But Zhou Qi just stared at him blankly, his expression dazed.
Tang Yu’an’s heart sank with worry. Could Brother Qi have been deprived of oxygen for too long? Did he lose his wits?
