Chapter 18: We Already Broke Up
There weren’t many people nearby, so Dong Li took off his mask, hoping it would make him look a little more pitiful.
He really was hungry.
Ever since leaving the Fuling Region, he hadn’t had a proper meal.
Most of the time, he survived on wild fruit picked along the road. Otherwise, he ate a few bites of whatever Shu Bai shared with him—and even that tasted no different from the food back in the Fuling Region…
The two little beasts hidden inside his coat still hadn’t recovered.
So for now, his ex-boyfriend was a perfectly reasonable person to ask for help.
Dong Li had even worked up the nerve to call Lufiel by the nickname he used when they were dating.
Lufiel had already heard him say it back in the forest anyway.
Besides, hadn’t Lufiel kept calling him Rongrong too?
If he refused, then fine.
Dong Li would just leave.
Still uneasy, Dong Li cautiously looked up at him.
Lufiel straightened.
“Okay,” he said quietly. “Come with me first.”
As he spoke, he instinctively reached out, intending to take Dong Li’s hand.
There weren’t many people wandering around this part of the city, and plenty of couples came into the game specifically to go on dates. Even if someone happened to see them, there was no reason to worry.
Dong Li’s face immediately brightened.
But instead of taking Lufiel’s hand, he hurried around to stand slightly behind him, as if to say, I’ll follow you.
Lufiel’s breath paused.
Then he lowered his hand.
He led Dong Li farther into the city.
Maidong City was more than four times the size of Dragonbone Town.
Besides the countless shops, there were also many buildings whose purpose Dong Li couldn’t guess.
He continued looking around as they walked.
When they passed one particular shop, several unusual figures caught his eye.
They were hauling heavy blocks of metal.
Their bodies were tall but hunched, and thick iron chains were wrapped around their ankles, clattering loudly with every step.
When one of them turned around, Dong Li saw misshapen curved horns growing from his forehead.
His limbs looked strange too.
Farther behind them, another figure was working at a forge, struggling to raise an enormous hammer.
Dong Li stared.
He instinctively hugged Rongrong tighter beneath his coat and edged a little closer to Lufiel.
Lufiel glanced sideways at him.
“Don’t be afraid. They’re half-demons. Their movements are restricted.”
Dong Li pressed his lips together without answering.
He knew they were half-demons.
The words [Regional Mini-Boss · Half-Demon Horned Ox] were clearly displayed above their heads.
He wasn’t frightened either.
It was just…seeing them reminded him of the Half-Demon Titmouse he had encountered in Northern Dark Forest that morning.
Half-demons all seemed to be regional mini-bosses.
They didn’t have separate spirit forms either. Instead, they possessed animal traits directly on their bodies, almost as though…
they had fused with their spirit forms.
They looked so pitiful too…
Dong Li tightened his coat around himself and quietly looked away.
Compared to this place, he still preferred Dragonbone Town.
It had been crowded and lively.
Maidong City felt much more oppressive.
About ten minutes later, Lufiel brought Dong Li to the center of the city.
Along the way, he somehow produced a small paper bag containing two freshly baked red-bean cakes and handed it to Dong Li.
Naturally, Liufeng had bought them and sent them over.
Lufiel wanted to take Dong Li somewhere quieter first, but he also didn’t want him going hungry.
The red-bean cakes were still warm and smelled wonderful.
Dong Li’s violet eyes lit up.
He took them and murmured, “Thank you.”
At those two words, Lufiel said nothing.
He simply slowed his pace so Dong Li could eat while they walked.
By the time they reached the city center, there were more players around again.
Dong Li finished the red-bean cakes, put his mask back on, and followed Lufiel into an inn.
The building also served as a restaurant.
The upper floors were quieter, and from the corridors and windows, most of Maidong City could be seen below, along with the distant mountains and forests beyond.
Lufiel rented a room.
Then he took out even more food and arranged it across the table.
Dong Li stared eagerly.
There was roast goose, slices of smoked meat, fried meatballs, and all kinds of desserts…
Several of the desserts looked familiar.
Lufiel had bought them for him before.
There was even a bowl of rice and a steaming bowl of pork-rib soup.
Dong Li looked at Lufiel expectantly.
His expression practically asked:
Is all of this for me?
Lufiel set the utensils in front of him.
“If there’s anything you don’t like, I can replace it.”
His ex-boyfriend seemed…really generous.
Dong Li stopped being polite.
He sat down and immediately began eating.
Rongrong wandered off by itself, padding around the room to inspect their surroundings.
The room was spacious, with a furnished sitting room, a bedroom, and even a small balcony.
The game was extremely detailed in every respect.
Places like this were designed specifically for players. If they wanted, they could even sleep inside the game.
Lufiel sat across from Dong Li and quietly watched him eat.
To make the experience more realistic for players, the game simulated taste as well.
Every food had its own flavor, and some dishes were things that didn’t even exist anywhere else in their star system.
But food inside the game couldn’t actually replenish a player’s physical energy, so it wasn’t a necessity.
It could only be purchased in specific regions.
Dong Li was starving.
He ate so much in one sitting that it felt like his first real meal since leaving the Fuling Region.
Inside his coat, Heidan grew curious and tried to poke its head out.
Yuanbao immediately stopped it.
Its gaze was full of warning.
Behave.
Don’t cause trouble for Dong Li.
Neither of them had recovered yet.
If they were discovered now, all they could do was get beaten up.
Heidan reluctantly gave up.
It curled back into the pocket and boredly licked its tail instead.
Finally, Dong Li finished half a bowl of soup and set it down.
Lufiel asked, “Full?”
Dong Li nodded obediently.
“Mm.”
The window beside them was open.
A few rays of sunlight fell across Lufiel’s profile, softening his usually cold features.
“Do you want to rest for a while?” Lufiel asked. “It’s safe here.”
Dong Li looked around.
He was admittedly tempted.
Now that his stomach was full, drowsiness was setting in.
He hadn’t slept well last night either.
If he stayed, he could recover somewhere safe.
Heidan and Yuanbao also needed time to regain their strength.
But…
Dong Li secretly glanced at Lufiel and hesitated.
He wasn’t worried that Lufiel would hurt him or the two little beasts.
Lufiel had given him clothes and a mask.
He had bought him food too.
But staying alone in the same room with his ex-boyfriend…
Wasn’t that a little strange?
It felt awkward somehow.
While Dong Li struggled with the decision, Lufiel waited patiently.
His interface was open.
Several messages from Liufeng were displayed on it.
[Liufeng: If he’s been assigned to a new storyline now, some differences in his behavior and speech are probably normal.]
[Liufeng: Just keep an eye on him for now. And be careful not to scare him.]
Dong Li had finally recovered his memories.
Nothing could go wrong again.
If Lufiel got his heart broken a second time, Liufeng genuinely feared he might tear the entire game apart.
The remaining food and dishes were cleared away.
After hesitating for a long time, Dong Li finally nodded.
He looked toward one of the bedrooms.
“Can I rest in there?”
“Yes.”
Dong Li happily got up, scooped Rongrong into his arms, and went inside.
Lufiel watched his retreating figure until the bedroom door closed.
The sitting room fell silent.
Several wisps of sword aura slipped out through the window, circled around the exterior, and stopped outside the bedroom window.
The bedroom window was closed, but the curtains hadn’t been drawn.
Dong Li noticed nothing.
He was busy looking around the room.
He opened the empty wardrobe.
Touched the little night-light beside the bed.
Then he flopped onto the mattress, buried his face in the soft bedding, and took a deep breath.
It probably wasn’t very nice to think this, but…this was so much more comfortable than the mattress Shu Bai slept on every night.
Thinking of Shu Bai made Dong Li stare blankly for a while.
He wondered if Shu Bai would miss him now that he had left Dragonbone Town.
Rongrong jumped onto the bed and kneaded at one of the pillows.
Heidan and Yuanbao crawled out as well and curiously looked around.
Dong Li opened his little medicine furnace and fed them too.
Through the sword aura outside the window, Lufiel saw everything.
His expression didn’t change.
He knew the black little beast was the Taotie in its weakened form.
The white one was naturally the Ice Qilin.
But aside from Dong Li, he had no interest in either the demonic beasts or the new storyline.
Inside the bedroom, Dong Li discovered there was even a small private bathroom.
There was hot water.
Unable to resist, Dong Li took a bath.
By the time he returned to bed and settled comfortably beneath the covers, he could barely keep his eyes open.
The hunger was gone.
Now the exhaustion weighing down his body felt even more obvious.
Perhaps it was because he had made so many pills over the past few days.
And every time Rongrong used golden fire, that power actually came from Dong Li himself.
Besides…his ex-boyfriend was right outside.
Somewhere deep down, Dong Li genuinely felt safe here.
It was already noon, and bright sunlight flooded the room.
Wrapped in the blanket, Dong Li soon fell fast asleep.
He slept extremely well.
By the time he woke up, the light outside had dimmed considerably.
It was probably around five in the afternoon.
Dong Li sat up with the blanket gathered around him, still a little dazed.
He had slept that long?
Still, after such a good sleep, he did feel much more refreshed.
Dong Li looked around.
Yuanbao and Heidan were curled up together beside the pillow.
Rongrong was nowhere to be seen.
The window had been pushed open slightly.
The little fox had probably squeezed through and run off from the balcony to play somewhere.
The rest of the suite was quiet too.
Dong Li didn’t know whether Lufiel was still there.
He lay back down, pulled out the metal plate, and browsed from beneath the covers.
The moment he opened the game forum, he saw that the homepage was still flooded with posts about what had happened that morning.
[Title: Did Anyone Record It or Get a Screenshot? What Does the Mysterious Fox Spirit Actually Look Like?]
[Title: The Ice Qilin Dropping Its Ultimate With Zero Warning Was Straight Out of a Horror Movie. Please Capture It First.]
[Title: NPCs Know Absolutely Nothing. Officials, Give Us a Hint Already!]
[Title: Lufiel Didn’t Show Up at the Arena.]
The mysterious fox spirit…
That meant him, right?
Dong Li nervously opened the thread.
Fortunately, everything had happened too suddenly that morning.
No one had managed to capture his appearance.
They could only describe him.
[Floor 13: Golden hair, violet eyes. Really pretty.]
[Floor 14: You’re all illiterate. Is “pretty” the only word you know?]
Dong Li touched his cheek and kept scrolling.
[Floor 18: Is he really an NPC? Could he be a player?]
[Floor 19: He has a spirit form. He’s an NPC.]
[Floor 20: I’m the one who posted the Taotie bug report a couple days ago. He was there then too. I thought it was a bug at first, but honestly, he really doesn’t act like an NPC.]
[Floor 21: Details.]
But the player from Floor 20 never replied again.
No one paid much attention to the brief tangent.
Dong Li opened a few other threads.
Almost all of them were tracking the movements of the two demonic-beast bosses.
Apparently, NPCs across multiple regions had begun taking action.
Security would soon be tightened, players would be recruited to assist, and some kind of new event might be coming.
But since that morning, no one had seen the mysterious fox spirit or either of the demonic-beast bosses again.
Even the half-demon Dragonbone Town had borrowed had gone missing.
After reading through everything else, Dong Li hesitated.
Then he opened the thread about Lufiel.
[OP: God Lu didn’t go to the arena. He’s probably tracking the demonic-beast bosses, right?]
[Floor 4: He’s really skipping it? Maybe he’s scared he’ll lose first place, so he’d rather not update his points.]
[Floor 5: People still doubt his strength? Don’t forget this game’s starting stats are based on mental-power talent.]
[Floor 10: Weren’t we talking about the demonic-beast bosses? How did this derail again?]
[Floor 11: Even the server’s number one lost a level. Ice Qilin, look what you’ve done.]
[Floor 20: You think God Lu’s going to let that slide? He’s probably going to hunt down the Ice Qilin and kill it ten times just to vent.]
[Floor 21: The Ice Qilin and Taotie obviously look like gatekeepers. The real boss is still coming.]
[Floor 31: Hope they catch the new boss too. I just want to know what level this ancient demon king is.]
[Floor 32: Doesn’t matter what level it is. Against Lufiel, it’s still getting beaten.]
The more Dong Li read, the more uneasy he became.
After all, right now the two demonic-beast bosses and Lufiel were separated by only a single door.
Maybe Lufiel hadn’t noticed Heidan and Yuanbao.
But this morning, he had seen Dong Li standing right beside the demonic beasts.
Yet after finding him…
Lufiel hadn’t asked about them once.
Dong Li put the metal plate away and rolled onto his side.
So what exactly was Lufiel doing?
Had they simply not seen each other in so long that he wanted to catch up?
Dong Li nibbled at his fingertip.
Could he possibly want to get back together?
Lufiel had given him clothes.
Bought him food.
Let him rest here.
Or maybe…
because of what Dong Li had done to the ice statue that morning, Lufiel thought Dong Li still liked him.
Pah!
He was not still hung up on his ex-boyfriend!
Dong Li threw off the blanket and sat up.
He should probably get rid of Lufiel as soon as possible.
Lufiel was a player.
Dong Li wasn’t.
And he had two demonic beasts with him.
Just as Dong Li reached that conclusion, he suddenly sensed something happening on Rongrong’s side.
He lifted his head toward the bedroom door.
—
At that moment, Rongrong was with Lufiel.
Dong Li had slept for a long time.
Rongrong eventually got bored and slipped out through the window.
It basked in the sun on the small balcony, played with the plants beside the railing, then wandered into the sitting room.
Lufiel was sitting on one end of the sofa.
He raised his eyes and met the little fox’s gaze.
Rongrong stiffened for a moment.
Then it casually looked away and started walking off as though it hadn’t seen him, intending to find somewhere else to play.
Lufiel called after it.
“Rongrong.”
Rongrong was both Dong Li’s nickname and the little fox’s name.
Lufiel called softly again.
“Rongrong. Come here.”
The little fox turned around.
It hesitated.
Then, unable to resist, slowly approached.
When it reached the sofa, Lufiel took out a string of small white pom-poms.
Rongrong’s eyes lit up immediately.
It jumped onto the sofa and excitedly pawed at the fluffy balls.
This had been one of Rongrong’s favorite toys in the past.
When the closed beta data was reset, the original toy had disappeared too.
So Lufiel had made another one.
Halfway through playing, Lufiel cautiously reached out and touched the tip of Rongrong’s ear.
Compared to an NPC’s actual body, a spirit form had fewer restrictions.
The problem was that NPC spirit forms were usually extremely wary of players, making them difficult to approach.
Rongrong didn’t resist.
So Lufiel stroked under its chin as well.
—
In the bedroom, Dong Li felt everything clearly.
When he was this close to his spirit form, he could sense every touch.
He could also feel Rongrong’s current relaxation and contentment.
This was his spirit form.
It reflected his subconscious.
Dong Li began to panic.
He had only just insisted to himself that he wasn’t still hung up on his ex-boyfriend.
Yet Rongrong clearly didn’t mind Lufiel touching it at all.
Dong Li hurriedly tried to call the fox back.
He was too embarrassed to shout aloud, so he closed his eyes and concentrated on summoning it instead.
On the sofa, Rongrong sat in front of Lufiel.
Its violet eyes suddenly flickered.
The next second—the little fox vanished.
Dong Li appeared in its place without warning and toppled directly toward Lufiel.
Lufiel instinctively caught him.
[You have entered an NPC’s private space. Please maintain an appropriate distance.]
…
The system warning appeared immediately.
But since Dong Li had more or less initiated the contact himself, no actual penalty followed.
Lufiel looked down at Dong Li in his arms.
His breathing softened.
His Adam’s apple moved.
Dong Li looked dazed and completely confused, apparently having no idea what had just happened.
His golden hair was slightly mussed, probably from having just woken up.
There was still a faint flush on his cheeks.
Dong Li quickly came back to himself.
He panicked and tried to get up, pushing at Lufiel—but couldn’t move him.
A moment later, however, Lufiel released him.
Dong Li hurried out of his arms and retreated to the far end of the small sofa.
Even the tips of his ears were red.
“I-I didn’t mean to…”
Lufiel said nothing.
He simply lifted his eyes and looked at him.
The sun outside was about to set.
Lufiel sat with his back to the window, half-shadowed by the fading light, making him look unusually brooding and heavy.
Dong Li lowered his head.
He scooped Rongrong into his arms and was about to return to the bedroom when Lufiel spoke.
“Rongrong.”
Dong Li stopped.
“Why don’t you want to go back to the Fuling Region?”
Liufeng understood the game’s data far better than Lufiel did.
If Lufiel wanted to figure out exactly what had changed about Dong Li, Liufeng thought the best place to start was the new storyline.
For example—why had Dong Li left the Fuling Region?
And where was he trying to go?
But Dong Li’s lashes trembled.
He said nothing.
The sitting room fell quiet.
The atmosphere stiffened.
That question immediately dragged Dong Li back to the time of their breakup.
Even back then, he hadn’t wanted to stay in the Fuling Region.
He had asked Lufiel to take him away.
But Lufiel had stood him up.
And now Lufiel was asking why he didn’t want to go back.
Dong Li hugged Rongrong and stood, intending to return to the bedroom.
Lufiel frowned slightly and reached out to stop him.
“Rongrong?”
Dong Li dodged his hand and glared unhappily at him.
“Stop calling me Rongrong!”
Lufiel was silent for a moment.
“Why?”
Why?
What else could the reason possibly be?!
“We broke up!” Dong Li blurted out.
He turned to leave.
“So stop calling me that!”
He had only taken one step when the room suddenly dimmed.
Hum—
The Crimson-Gold Sword materialized out of thin air, blocking Dong Li’s path.
Wisps of red mist curled around the hilt, carrying an unsettling aura.
At the same time, a barrier of sword aura flared around him, trapping him in place.
Dong Li froze.
Still clutching Rongrong, he slowly turned around.
Lufiel stood before him.
His dark eyes were lowered.
The pressure around him dropped abruptly.
Then, word by word, he said,
“Broke… up?”
Author’s Note:
Your wife just woke up and immediately wants to break up with you.
The sky has fallen.
