Chapter 20: You’re Fake Too
A tiny crimson eye peeked through a gap in Dong Li’s loose outer robe, staring intently at Lufiel.
The moment Heidan heard the word eat, its eyes flew open, ready to act at any second.
Yuanbao, meanwhile, was sound asleep beside it. Rongrong was quietly peeking out at the crowd and didn’t seem particularly concerned either.
There were far too many players around.
Unless absolutely necessary, Dong Li wouldn’t expose the Taotie here.
He knew that perfectly well.
He was threatening Lufiel on purpose.
If Lufiel refused, then maybe he would finally stop following him.
And if he actually agreed…
Dong Li had to admit, he mostly wanted to see how Lufiel would react.
That was partly why he had left the room at the inn too.
Lufiel no longer restricted his movements, yet he followed Dong Li around like an impossible-to-shake shadow.
And after everything else Lufiel had done since they met again…
even Dong Li, slow as he could be sometimes, had begun to notice.
Maybe his ex-boyfriend wanted to get back together with him…
Otherwise, when Dong Li left the inn, Lufiel wouldn’t have chased after him, right?
Since he couldn’t shake him anyway…
Lufiel might as well give him some money first.
Dong Li wanted to see the show.
He watched Lufiel cautiously, ready to turn around and leave the instant he refused.
“Okay,” Lufiel said quietly.
Then he took out a suede pouch.
It looked heavy in his hand.
Dong Li leaned closer and untied it.
The pouch was packed full of gold and silver coins.
He froze.
Then looked up at Lufiel again.
His ex-boyfriend seemed…really rich.
And this was way too much.
A bag that big wouldn’t even fit in Dong Li’s pockets.
Lufiel added, “This is all I have on me right now.”
He paused.
“Half.”
Dong Li looked at Lufiel.
Then down at the huge pouch of money.
All the fierceness from his threat vanished from his face.
He looked like a tiny kitten suddenly presented with an enormous fish and unsure where to start eating.
For some reason, Dong Li became nervous too.
He didn’t take the pouch.
Instead, he reached in, grabbed a random handful of coins, silently stuffed them into his pocket, then turned and hurried toward the theater.
Lufiel put the pouch away and followed him.
A ticket cost two silver coins—two thousand points altogether.
Not cheap.
Dong Li dug out two silver coins and handed them to the NPC at the entrance.
It wasn’t his money anyway.
After receiving his ticket and entering, Lufiel followed him inside.
Beyond the entrance was an enormous interior space.
Two more doors stood opposite them, with staircases leading to several tiers of seating above and below.
There were plenty of players entering too.
Dong Li looked around in confusion and nearly got bumped into.
Lufiel moved in time to shield him.
“Rongrong, stay close to me for now.”
Rongrong was still hidden inside Dong Li’s robe.
Dong Li pulled the fabric tighter and instinctively moved a little closer to Lufiel.
Lufiel led him up several floors and chose a relatively uncrowded section.
Dong Li kept his hat on.
His violet eyes peered curiously from beneath the brim as he studied all the players around him.
Some were wrapped from head to toe.
Others showed their faces openly and chatted with their companions without a care.
Aside from Dong Li, only the busy staff members were NPCs.
At the very bottom of the entire “theater” was an open arena enclosed by iron mesh, separated from the nearest seats by a considerable distance.
That was probably where the “performance” would happen.
A row of NPCs stood guard along the fence.
Dong Li looked more carefully.
[Level 30 NPC · Wolf Spirit]
This…
wasn’t quite what he had imagined.
Dong Li looked around again.
Still, he was already here.
He remained curious about what kind of “performance” they were going to see.
Lufiel sat quietly beside him.
Their seats were right next to each other.
Now that they were surrounded by strangers, Dong Li no longer resisted having him close.
But this wasn’t a good place to have a proper conversation.
Back at the inn, when Dong Li tried to leave, Lufiel could have stopped him.
That room was a player-designated area, so the system wouldn’t have restricted him.
But in this game world, everything about NPCs could be manipulated by the system.
If Lufiel interfered with an NPC’s assigned behavior, there was no telling what might happen.
He had waited so long for Dong Li to finally wake up.
Nothing could be allowed to go wrong again.
So wherever Dong Li wanted to go…
Lufiel would simply go with him.
Which meant—
His interface lit up with a message from Liufeng, asking where he was and whether he still needed help.
Lufiel didn’t answer.
His gaze remained fixed on the NPC affection panel tucked into one corner.
Dong Li had said they were broken up.
Dong Li’s affection toward him had dropped by twelve points.
The Crimson-Gold Sword floating in the air trembled faintly again and again, a reflection of the unstable mental-energy fluctuations caused by its owner’s emotions.
Lufiel lowered his eyes and looked away.
That was when he noticed Rongrong poking its head out from Dong Li’s arms.
The unfamiliar place had made the little fox curious too.
It had secretly pushed aside part of the robe, revealing half its head.
Lufiel reached over, intending to fix Dong Li’s robe so no one would notice his spirit form.
Rongrong took the opportunity to lean closer and sniff his fingers.
Lufiel’s hand accidentally brushed the fluffy tip of one ear.
Because Dong Li was so close to his spirit form, his own ear immediately tingled too.
He looked down, saw what Lufiel was doing, and quickly pulled the robe shut again.
“Don’t touch him without asking…” he muttered unhappily.
Lufiel withdrew his hand and silently watched him.
So far, Dong Li’s behavior didn’t seem to follow any obvious purpose or logic.
He had left Northern Dark Forest.
Entered Maidong City.
Slept for the entire afternoon.
Then wandered around the streets.
And now he had come to the beast arena.
But none of that mattered.
Lufiel only wanted to know one thing.
Why had Dong Li said they had broken up?
Dong Li finished fixing his robe and quietly coaxed Rongrong to behave.
He could feel Lufiel watching him.
Even without saying a word, the man sitting beside him had an overwhelmingly strong presence.
When Dong Li first realized he had been dumped, he had never imagined that someday he would be sitting beside his ex-boyfriend again, watching a show together.
He had asked Lufiel for money…
and Lufiel had actually given it to him.
Dong Li’s feelings were complicated.
There was an indescribable awkwardness mixed with unease.
If Lufiel really wanted to get back together…would Dong Li agree?
The heartbreak after their breakup had been real.
But so had the happiness while they were dating.
Still, if Lufiel was going to remain as cold and distant as before, Dong Li would probably need a long time to think about it.
Then again…what if he had misunderstood everything?
If Lufiel was still following him after the show ended…
A deep bell suddenly echoed throughout the entire arena.
Dong Li’s thoughts were interrupted.
Several NPCs waved flags from below.
It looked like the performance was about to begin.
The players began taking their seats, though the venue remained loud and chaotic.
Soon, the bell rang a second time.
At the edge of the lowest arena, two small gates slowly opened.
Figures emerged one after another.
The audience immediately erupted into noise.
Dong Li stared.
Two half-demons had come out.
[Regional Mini-Boss · Half-Demon Titmouse]
[Regional Mini-Boss · Half-Demon Illusion Snake]
The Titmouse had a pair of wings on its back, just like the half-demon Dong Li had encountered in Northern Dark Forest.
The other half-demon had a snake’s tail in place of legs and moved by slithering across the ground.
Both wore black collars around their necks.
Their cold gazes swept across the stands.
Compared with the Half-Demon Titmouse Dragonbone Town had borrowed, this one was much more strongly built.
But it was injured too.
The Illusion Snake opposite it was in similar condition, with part of its tail wrapped in bandages.
An NPC host stood beside a railing on the highest tier and called loudly,
“These are the half-demons participating in the first round! The winner will advance to the next round! And after tonight’s matches are complete, there will also be a special performance! Everyone, please—”
The tier below Dong Li was crowded.
He heard a player say excitedly, “They caught another Illusion Snake? But putting it against a Titmouse seems kind of predictable, doesn’t it?”
“You’re underestimating the Illusion Snake? Did you already forget how much you lost last time?”
Dong Li finally understood what this “performance” actually was.
He sat frozen for a long moment.
Then he hugged Rongrong tighter and shrank back against his seat, suddenly lost.
Lufiel noticed and quietly reassured him.
“Don’t be afraid. Their restrictions keep them from getting out.”
Dong Li said nothing.
After a moment, he looked at Lufiel.
Confusion filled his eyes.
“Why are they doing this?”
For once, Lufiel didn’t know how to explain.
The beast arena was simply one of the game’s activities.
Players helped capture half-demons and delivered them to Maidong City in exchange for resources.
Compared with ordinary NPCs, half-demons had greater freedom and higher combat ability.
Their battles were unpredictable.
Both the process and the outcome could change every time.
That randomness drew large crowds of players who came to watch and bet.
Some wanted to study half-demon bosses’ abilities.
Others simply enjoyed the excitement.
“If you don’t want to watch,” Lufiel said, “I’ll leave with you.”
Dong Li hesitated.
But the fight had already begun.
The Illusion Snake moved first, picking up a discarded shield from the ground to defend itself.
The Titmouse launched itself into the air, circled near the iron fencing, then suddenly dove.
Dong Li only looked once before turning away.
Listening to the sounds of fighting, he deeply regretted coming in.
He turned toward Lufiel and grabbed his sleeve tightly.
“I don’t want to watch…”
“Okay.”
Lufiel immediately stood to take him away.
But just as they rose—
Boom!
The ceiling above the arena exploded.
Chunks of stone rained down.
Lufiel immediately pulled Dong Li into his arms and shielded him.
The sudden attack caught both players and NPCs completely off guard.
The two half-demons stopped fighting.
Someone shouted,
“What’s happening?!”
“Is there something outside?”
“Holy shit, those are Titmouse—”
Before anyone could react, a dense flock of Titmouse poured through the shattered roof.
Every one of these birds was a demonic creature.
Their feathers were as sharp as iron, and with each beat of their wings they could launch needle-like projectiles.
They flooded into the arena and began attacking the players indiscriminately.
Lufiel raised a barrier of sword aura to block the flying spikes and frowned at the flock overhead.
The beast arena had always been considered a relatively safe zone.
Attacks like this weren’t supposed to happen here.
Besides, flocks of Titmouse usually gathered under the command of a half-demon.
Sure enough—
A Half-Demon Titmouse plunged from high above.
With a sweep of its wings, it cut through the arena’s iron fencing.
Amid the chaos, it then broke the collars around the Illusion Snake’s neck and the other Titmouse’s neck.
Lufiel watched without interfering.
His priority was getting Dong Li out as quickly as possible.
But Dong Li, still protected in his arms, stared wide-eyed at the half-demon who had broken in.
“I know him…”
Wasn’t that…
the same Half-Demon Titmouse he had met in Northern Dark Forest that morning?
Before leaving the forest, Dong Li had given him several pills.
The half-demon was still thin and frail-looking now, but his entire demeanor had changed.
His combat ability didn’t seem weak either.
He effortlessly knocked down a nearby player.
“You know him?” Lufiel paused thoughtfully. “We should still get out of here first.”
Dong Li hesitated, then started to nod.
But the two half-demons from the arena had already escaped their restraints.
Excitement and viciousness flashed through the Illusion Snake’s eyes.
It opened its mouth and released a huge cloud of multicolored smoke.
The smoke spread across the arena almost instantly, swallowing player after player.
Lufiel’s sword-aura barrier couldn’t block it.
Dong Li was within the smoke’s chosen range too.
Before he could react—his vision went black.
Lufiel immediately followed him into the smoke.
—
Not long afterward, Dong Li opened his eyes.
He sat up dazedly and looked around.
Then froze in confusion.
How…had he returned to the Fuling Region?
Everything around him was impossibly familiar.
This was the rear mountain of the Fuling Region.
Dong Li looked down.
Even his clothes had changed back to what he used to wear.
The black outer robe was gone.
Only his familiar little medicine furnace remained.
Heidan and Yuanbao were nowhere to be seen.
Rongrong was gone too.
Dong Li sat there blankly for a while, his mind hazy.
What was going on…?
Instinct told him something was wrong.
He tried to think.
But the harder he tried, the dizzier he became.
Eventually, Dong Li gave up.
Using the tree behind him for support, he slowly got to his feet.
Just then, a familiar figure appeared.
The moment Lufiel saw him, he strode over quickly.
“Rongrong!”
Dong Li stared at him blankly, as though unable to process what he was seeing.
“Rongrong?” Lufiel softened his voice. “Don’t be afraid. This is the Illusion Snake’s illusion. I’ll get you out.”
The illusion interfered with the mind.
Dong Li had never encountered anything like this before, so he was very likely being affected.
But Dong Li didn’t seem to hear a word.
He stared at Lufiel, lost in some thought of his own.
Then he suddenly murmured,
“Why did you take so long…?”
Lufiel stopped.
“What?”
Dong Li pressed his lips together.
Then, slowly, he repeated himself.
“Why did you take so long?”
His voice was low.
His expression was dazed and faintly sorrowful.
Lufiel instinctively reached out, wanting to comfort him.
But Dong Li turned away and started walking.
He walked on by himself for a while.
Then noticed Lufiel was following him.
Dong Li frowned.
“Why are you following me?”
The illusion had clearly disrupted him.
His memories were probably already beginning to blur together.
After speaking, he turned around and quickened his pace, intending to head down the mountain and return to the alchemy hut.
He had only taken a few steps when a golden barrier appeared around him.
Dong Li looked around in confusion.
Then turned toward Lufiel as he approached.
Weapons couldn’t be used inside the illusion.
But Lufiel could still release his sword aura.
“Rongrong, this is an illusion,” Lufiel said, trying to wake him. “None of this is real.”
Dong Li looked at him with blank violet eyes.
“Then you’re fake too.”
“I’m not.” Lufiel extended his hand again, wanting to take Dong Li’s. “I’m real. I’ll get you out of here.”
But Dong Li shook his head.
“I’m not going with you…”
Lufiel fell silent for a moment.
“Why?”
Dong Li lowered his lashes.
Then answered softly, “Because we already broke up.”
It was the second time he had said those words since the inn.
Lufiel’s breath caught.
Even he was affected for an instant.
A thin crack appeared in the barrier of sword aura.
