Chapter 24: I Still Won’t Go Back
After leaving Dragonbone Town, Dong Li didn’t know anyone anymore.
He still had the two little beasts with him, but neither of them could talk.
If Lufiel was willing to stay with him…
Dong Li said nothing, only looked at him with hopeful violet eyes.
“Okay,” Lufiel replied.
Dong Li immediately brightened.
He nearly threw himself into Lufiel’s arms out of habit and rubbed against him, but caught himself just in time.
They hadn’t even found the Mind-Bewitching Herb yet…
Calm down.
Back when they were dating, Dong Li had always been the one to initiate most of their affection too.
Later, during that miserable period after he thought they had broken up, he had even wondered if perhaps he’d been too clingy sometimes…
Dong Li briefly drifted into thought.
Then Lufiel took out an oil-paper packet from somewhere.
When he opened it, Dong Li saw the date-paste pastries he used to love most.
His eyes lit up.
He happily accepted one and took a bite.
Lufiel led him back to the sofa in the sitting room, then took out a bowl of fish fillet soup to go with it for breakfast.
Dong Li had taken off his hat.
Lufiel sat beside him and gently smoothed down a stray lock of hair near his ear.
“You can go wherever you want,” he said. “I’ll come with you. But you need to stay close to me at all times. Don’t leave my sight. And when there are a lot of people around, Rongrong needs to stay hidden as much as possible.”
By “Rongrong,” he meant the little fox.
Yesterday, Dong Li had known to hide it inside his clothes and put on the black outer robe before entering the city.
Lufiel figured he would understand.
Unless it was necessary, Dong Li shouldn’t reveal that he was an NPC.
It would attract too much attention.
Other than that, Lufiel would keep him safe.
Dong Li held his bowl of fish soup and nodded obediently.
“Mm.”
He had noticed it too.
If he hid his spirit form, he could pass as a player, and moving around became much easier.
Still…
After changing into his new clothes, Dong Li had kept the metal plate tucked inside his pocket.
He still hadn’t shown it to Lufiel.
He wasn’t even sure whether Lufiel could see it.
When Dong Li had taken it out in front of Shu Bai, Shu Bai hadn’t reacted at all.
And strictly speaking, the metal plate seemed to belong to Yuanbao.
Dong Li had found it inside Yuanbao’s cave, after all.
The whole thing about the world being a game, and NPCs and players…
Dong Li still didn’t fully understand any of it.
Sometimes he felt as though he finally understood, only to become confused again a moment later.
But there was one thing he hadn’t forgotten.
Lufiel was a player.
Players specialized in fighting demonic beasts.
And Yuanbao and Heidan were both demonic beasts.
Dong Li had known Yuanbao for a long time. Heidan was obedient now too, and it had protected him before.
To Dong Li, the two little beasts weren’t just pets.
They were his companions.
He didn’t want anything bad to happen to them.
Dong Li finished his date-paste pastry and nibbled on a piece of fish while secretly watching Lufiel.
Lufiel already knew Yuanbao and Heidan existed.
Yet he didn’t seem to care at all.
He hadn’t asked about them either.
Maybe…
Lufiel could become friends with demonic beasts too, just like Dong Li had.
After thinking it over, Dong Li decided to test him.
Once breakfast was finished, he picked up both little beasts and held them out in front of Lufiel, intending to formally introduce them.
“This is Yuanbao, and this is Heidan,” Dong Li said cautiously. “They’re staying with me now. They’re really well-behaved and won’t run around causing trouble.”
Held up in Dong Li’s hands, Yuanbao flicked the tip of its tail in greeting.
Heidan maintained an aloof expression in its crimson eyes and slowly licked one paw.
Lufiel glanced at them.
“Okay.”
He didn’t seem to have much of a reaction.
But at least that meant they could probably get along.
Dong Li relaxed slightly, then began introducing Lufiel to the two little beasts.
“This is Lufiel. He’s…”
Dong Li stopped halfway through.
His boyfriend?
But they still hadn’t found the Mind-Bewitching Herb.
And after being apart for so long, going straight back to being a couple felt way too fast.
Then…his ex-boyfriend?
What kind of person wore brand-new clothes their ex had just bought them?
Dong Li struggled with the question.
Lufiel watched him for a moment, then quietly changed the subject.
“Should we go look for the Mind-Bewitching Herb now?”
Dong Li immediately nodded.
The two little beasts expertly crawled back into his pockets.
Before leaving, Dong Li handed Lufiel the old black hat too.
He didn’t want to wear it anymore.
Once he had put on the outer robe and picked up Rongrong, the two of them headed downstairs together.
Because of the incident the previous night, the streets were still bustling.
Some players who had just finished at the arena had come over to watch the commotion.
Overnight, Maidong City had dramatically increased security.
Large numbers of patrol guards were stationed outside the city, and quests had been issued asking players to help capture the three escaped half-demons.
The damaged beast arena had temporarily closed.
Players were also being asked to deliver repair materials.
Several other half-demons were still being kept there, though Dong Li overheard that they had all been transferred somewhere more hidden.
“Those half-demons were way too bold. They must’ve deliberately chosen a day when the arena was open. They knew Maidong City would be short-handed…”
“Was the Titmouse that broke in the same one they lent to Dragonbone Town? Seriously?!”
Dong Li kept his head lowered as he walked beside Lufiel, occasionally sneaking glances at the crowd.
Only after they left the city center did the number of players finally thin out.
Lufiel found a small shop on one of the outer streets.
It sold all sorts of miscellaneous items.
Unfortunately, after searching the place, they still couldn’t find any Mind-Bewitching Herb.
Lufiel hesitated.
“I’ll go outside the city for a bit. Why don’t you wait for me at the inn? I’ll be back soon—”
Mind-Bewitching Herb grew inside a nearby dungeon.
He could retrieve some quickly.
“No.”
Dong Li refused to go back to the inn.
“Can’t I come with you…?”
Looking into those violet eyes, so openly dependent and hopeful, Lufiel hesitated for all of half a second.
“Okay.”
And so the two of them prepared to leave Maidong City and head into the outskirts.
At the gate, the patrol guards performed their routine inspection.
Lufiel handed over his entry pass.
The guard immediately became respectful.
“Have a safe journey.”
Lufiel had already been recognized by the runestones of the various regions.
Combined with his high level, NPCs considered him an “honored guest.”
Anyone traveling with him was naturally exempt from further inspection.
Dong Li hadn’t noticed this when they first entered the city.
Now he found it interesting.
After they passed through the gate, he took Lufiel’s pass and examined it from every angle.
“Can I use this?”
“It’s customized,” Lufiel said. “It won’t work for anyone else.”
“Oh…”
Dong Li handed it back and looked around while holding Rongrong.
This was Maidong City’s exit side.
A broad plain stretched beyond it, with dense forest farther in the distance.
It looked completely different from the barren outskirts on the entrance side.
There were plenty of giant rocks scattered across the plain here too.
But these were covered in lush vegetation.
Some were even draped in flowering vines.
They were beautiful.
Dong Li was immediately distracted by the scenery.
He hurried forward a few steps and curiously touched the thick moss covering one of the rocks.
After walking farther to one side, they reached the forest bordering the plain.
Several trees had twisted trunks and branches that formed something resembling a gate.
This was the entrance to the Illusion Forest dungeon.
Before they entered, Lufiel handed Dong Li a small badge.
“It’s easy to run into the Illusion Snakes’ smoke inside. Wear this and you won’t be dragged into an illusion.”
Dong Li accepted it and obediently pinned it to his collar.
Then he followed Lufiel into the forest.
They passed along a narrow path near the entrance.
Even though it was broad daylight, their surroundings gradually grew darker.
The entire forest seemed shrouded beneath black gauze.
Strange, colorful lights occasionally shimmered among the grass and bushes.
Dong Li leaned closer to examine them and discovered that the lights were actually clusters of colored mist.
Now and then, rustling came from beneath the trees.
Dong Li looked down just in time to see a colorful ladybug the size of his palm being driven away by Lufiel’s sword aura.
A ladybug that big was honestly a little frightening.
Dong Li, however, wasn’t scared at all.
He picked up a stone and threw it after the bug, then casually plucked a tiny flower beside his foot.
The flower gave off the faint scent of a medicinal plant.
Dong Li had no idea what species it was.
He examined it for a moment, then happily tossed it into his little medicine furnace.
Before going to bed last night, he had checked the map.
There didn’t seem to be any herb fields around here like the one in Dragonbone Town.
This was the perfect opportunity to replenish his furnace.
Lufiel watched from beside him and deliberately slowed his pace.
The medicinal plants here were common and usually ignored.
There also happened to be no other players passing through right now.
Golden sword aura spread outward in fine threads, steadily expanding to ensure that their surroundings remained safe while also providing light.
Rongrong couldn’t resist crawling out of Dong Li’s arms either.
It sniffed eagerly through the grass, occasionally breathing out a small ball of golden fire to dispel the forest’s damp chill.
Dong Li happily gathered herbs as they walked.
He looked as though he wanted to search every inch of the forest.
As a result, the two of them spent a very long time lingering near the dungeon entrance.
Once they passed the outer area, the trees grew denser.
The soil beneath their feet became thick and wet, heavy with moisture.
“There are snake swarms and swamps ahead,” Lufiel warned. “Stay close.”
The snakes themselves were nothing to worry about.
The patches of swamp scattered everywhere were more troublesome.
Rongrong returned to Dong Li’s arms.
Lufiel held Dong Li’s hand as they walked for a while, but Dong Li soon found his outer robe too long and inconvenient.
He had already changed into new clothes anyway.
So Dong Li simply took off the robe and handed it to Lufiel.
Then, while he was at it, he passed Rongrong over too.
“Hold him for me…”
Lufiel accepted the little fox.
He could easily hold it with one arm, and once he draped the black robe around it, no one would be able to see what he was carrying.
He lowered his eyes to the obedient little golden ball of fluff in his arm.
Then he continued forward while holding Dong Li’s hand with the other.
The deeper they went, the less colored smoke they saw.
The forest also became steadily darker.
Dong Li was like a complete beginner.
He was curious about absolutely everything.
Even a tangled mass of twisted branches made him stop and stare.
Then—
the “branches” suddenly shifted.
An eye opened.
Dong Li blinked in amazement.
“Huh?”
Sword aura immediately expanded, scattering the cluster of snakes.
Lufiel stepped in front of Dong Li protectively.
“Scared?”
Dong Li shook his head.
“No.”
But the forest was so dark that he still tightened his grip on Lufiel’s hand without realizing it and carefully watched every step.
In truth, most of the small demons they encountered along the way had been driven off by sword aura before Dong Li even noticed them.
If Lufiel had come alone, he probably would have already found the Mind-Bewitching Herb and been on his way back by now.
With Dong Li beside him, everything took much longer.
Yet Lufiel showed no impatience at all.
He even supported Dong Li as he stepped over a fallen tree trunk.
Yuanbao had already fallen asleep.
Heidan yawned inside Dong Li’s pocket, wondering why Dong Li wouldn’t just let it transform and charge straight through.
One stomp from it could flatten half this forest.
Just as they were nearing the edge of the snake territory, a tremendous crash suddenly sounded in the distance.
A furious roar followed.
The forest had been almost completely silent until then.
Dong Li jumped in fright and grabbed Lufiel’s arm tightly.
“What was that?”
They stopped.
“A Half-Demon Illusion Snake,” Lufiel explained.
The boss of this dungeon was an Illusion Snake.
And one had escaped from the beast arena yesterday.
It was very possible that it had returned here.
Lufiel carefully identified the direction of the sound and planned to take a wider route around it.
The Mind-Bewitching Herb grew around the middle section of the dungeon.
There was no need to disturb the boss.
And judging from the sounds, there were clearly other players inside the dungeon too.
Hearing that it was a half-demon actually made Dong Li relax a little.
When they left the beast arena yesterday, the Illusion Snake hadn’t attacked them.
It had even moved aside to let them pass.
Dong Li continued following Lufiel.
At last, they emerged from the dark, damp forest.
Outside was a small meadow.
Sunlight spilled down over them again.
Ahead stood a tall stone wall carved with countless runes.
Dong Li went over to inspect them.
He couldn’t understand any of it.
So he quickly ran off to one side and picked two more medicinal plants instead.
The Mind-Bewitching Herb grew nearby.
Lufiel searched for it while following behind Dong Li with Rongrong still in his arms.
For once, the little fox wasn’t trying to run off.
It pushed aside the robe to peek outside, then tilted its head to look up at Lufiel.
Being watched by those familiar violet eyes, Lufiel couldn’t resist.
He stroked beneath Rongrong’s chin.
Then touched one fluffy fox ear.
Halfway through gathering herbs, Dong Li rubbed his own suddenly itchy ear and turned around, intending to take Rongrong back.
Just then, several NPCs emerged from a path on the other side of the stone wall.
They were dressed strangely and didn’t look like ordinary NPCs.
A giant squirrel spirit followed each of them.
Their expressions were fierce.
“This road is closed!” one shouted. “If you want to pass, hand over your treasures!”
Dong Li immediately hurried back to Lufiel’s side and stared at them warily.
“They’re drifters who live nearby,” Lufiel explained quietly. “You have to give them something before they’ll let you through.”
These NPCs were unique to the Illusion Forest.
They stopped every player who came through and demanded supplies.
Afterward, they would lead players deeper into the dungeon.
If they weren’t satisfied with the gifts, they might even deliberately guide the players into dangerous areas.
And because players weren’t allowed to casually kill NPCs—even ones like these—everyone treated them as part of the dungeon mechanics and prepared suitable offerings beforehand.
Lufiel had done the same.
He took out two packages of lightweight ore and handed them over.
Dong Li watched silently.
Wasn’t this just robbery…?
There were six NPCs altogether.
They were all the same race and not particularly high level.
The text above their heads showed Level 10.
The leader looked reasonably pleased with the ore.
But another NPC suddenly stared at Dong Li.
“Hand over your hat too!”
This counted as triggering a hidden route.
If players gave the NPCs the specific item they requested, there was a chance they would be taken directly to the final stage of the dungeon, skipping the middle sections.
But Lufiel and Dong Li had only come here for the Mind-Bewitching Herb.
Lufiel frowned slightly.
Dong Li’s violet eyes widened.
He immediately hid behind Lufiel.
“No.”
Lufiel had only just bought him this hat!
He hadn’t even worn it for very long!
“What?!” The NPC flew into a rage. “You dare refuse? I’ll give you one more chance! Hand over the treasure!”
Dong Li got angry too.
He pulled off the hat and hugged it protectively to his chest.
“I won’t!”
Lufiel moved in front of him.
He was considering whether to force his way through or simply take another route.
Players couldn’t directly kill NPCs.
But they could beat them until they were unable to move.
The problem was that Lufiel hadn’t visited this place in a long time and couldn’t remember whether these NPCs had damage protection.
Dong Li’s refusal thoroughly enraged them.
The giant squirrel spirits lunged forward viciously.
The Crimson-Gold Sword materialized instantly, blocking them.
The squirrel spirits were knocked down—but immediately flipped back onto their feet, completely unharmed.
The six NPCs began drawing their weapons too.
Lufiel switched tactics, releasing a barrier of sword aura that trapped them in place.
Their leader grew even angrier.
He pulled out a small whistle.
“One last chance!” the NPC shouted. “Otherwise, I’ll summon every giant snake in the caves and have them eat you outsiders alive!”
Eat?
Heidan’s eyes snapped open.
It poked its head out of Dong Li’s pocket and looked around.
Seeing six neatly “packaged” NPCs trapped together, it swallowed eagerly.
Then it looked up at Dong Li.
“Mm?”
The leader raised the whistle toward his mouth.
Sword aura knocked it out of his hand.
To Lufiel’s surprise, the NPC immediately pulled out a second one.
And not only him—the other five NPCs all produced identical whistles too.
The Crimson-Gold Sword trembled in midair.
Killing a handful of NPCs wouldn’t make Lufiel red-named immediately.
He could always go to Asura City afterward and clear the kill value.
But Dong Li was here.
If Dong Li saw him killing people, maybe he would—“Heidan!”
Dong Li shouted with his eyes squeezed shut.
A gigantic black head appeared instantly.
Its mouth opened wide.
Gulp.
All six NPCs disappeared inside.
Then the enormous head vanished just as quickly.
The Crimson-Gold Sword hovering in midair abruptly fell still.
Lufiel was silent for a moment.
Then he looked sideways.
Heidan was still cradled in Dong Li’s arms, licking its lips as though it hadn’t quite had enough.
Dong Li cautiously opened his eyes.
Seeing that all six NPCs had successfully vanished, he sighed in relief.
Then he hurried to explain to Lufiel,
“Heidan really is very obedient. He doesn’t just go around eating people…”
Lufiel and Heidan stared at each other.
Lufiel said nothing.
Players weren’t allowed to casually kill NPCs.
Demonic beasts, however, had no such restriction.
He had nearly forgotten about the two little beasts Dong Li carried around with him.
And Dong Li didn’t seem frightened in the slightest.
Lufiel dismissed the Crimson-Gold Sword and prepared to find the Mind-Bewitching Herb as quickly as possible.
Then—a piercing whistle shrieked through the air.
Both of them turned.
Where the six NPCs had been standing, one dropped whistle lay on the ground.
It was somehow blowing by itself.
The situation was strange enough that Dong Li, who hadn’t been scared at all a moment earlier, immediately edged closer to Lufiel.
“What’s happening…?”
Lufiel wasn’t sure either.
He stepped in front of Dong Li.
“Let’s leave first.”
The moment he finished speaking, the ground beneath their feet shook violently.
In the blink of an eye, it cracked apart and collapsed.
Dong Li’s vision went black.
He clung tightly to Rongrong and buried himself against Lufiel’s chest.
He felt his body falling continuously.
Wind roared past his ears, carrying the damp smell of soil.
Somewhere far away, beasts were roaring.
Not long afterward, everything gradually became still.
Dong Li heard Lufiel speak beside his ear.
“Don’t be afraid. It’s over.”
Dong Li slowly opened his eyes and cautiously looked around.
They appeared to have been transported somewhere else.
They were now inside a narrow cave.
The exit was directly ahead.
Beyond it lay another lush forest.
Dong Li looked around curiously.
“Where are we?”
Lufiel didn’t answer immediately.
He frowned at the game map.
They were still inside the Illusion Forest dungeon, but their coordinates were blurred.
And as far as Lufiel remembered, this route didn’t exist.
Fortunately, the forest ahead appeared safe.
He couldn’t sense any demonic creatures nearby.
And plenty of medicinal plants grew around the cave.
Among them—Mind-Bewitching Herb.
Dong Li immediately began gathering herbs.
Lufiel stood guard beside him and reminded him not to wander too far.
Dong Li simply sat down on the grass and decided to make the potion right there.
He temporarily removed the pills already stored in his little medicine furnace.
Then he placed two stalks of Mind-Bewitching Herb inside.
Rongrong promptly breathed out a burst of golden fire.
Meanwhile, Lufiel searched the forum for a way to leave this hidden area.
Just then, Liufeng sent a voice-call request.
Lufiel answered.
“Where are you two?” Liufeng asked.
“Illusion Forest,” Lufiel replied. “We may have fallen into a hidden area.”
Dong Li overheard their conversation and curiously looked up.
Lufiel had the forum open, and the call was playing out loud.
Normally, an NPC shouldn’t have been able to hear it at all.
Voice chat was a player-only function.
“A hidden area?” Liufeng sounded confused. “Since when does Illusion Forest have one? Wait—you actually went to find Mind-Bewitching Herb?”
“Mm.”
Sunlight fell across Lufiel’s profile.
“Rongrong wants to make a truth potion,” he said, his voice softening slightly. “He says he can only believe me after I drink it.”
Liufeng was speechless for a moment.
“Well… I guess that’s one way to do it. But he’s an NPC. Even if you explain the game and the system data to him, he won’t understand.”
Dong Li had been secretly listening the entire time.
He immediately protested,
“I can understand!”
Both men fell silent.
Lufiel turned toward him at once.
“Rongrong?”
Liufeng took a deep breath.
“Who just said that?”
Dong Li sat on the ground hugging his little medicine furnace, looking utterly innocent.
Tentatively, he greeted him.
“Um… I’m Rongrong.”
—
Not long afterward, Lufiel and Dong Li were sitting together on the grass.
The call was still playing aloud.
Liufeng’s voice had become serious.
“So Dong Li most likely escaped on his own. It had nothing to do with the game’s storyline.”
At this point, Dong Li stopped hiding things.
He took the metal plate from his pocket.
But he only let Lufiel look at it for a few moments before hurriedly putting it away again.
“What does ‘game storyline’ mean?” Dong Li asked, confused. “But I guess I did escape. I knocked out Supervisor Ba, and then a rabbit spirit at the entrance to the Fuling Region…”
He continued remembering things one by one.
“Then I wanted to find Shu Bai. I knew he was in Dragonbone Town, but I didn’t have an entry pass, so I climbed over the wall…”
On the way, he had given Heidan some pills.
That was why Heidan had sought him out afterward and accidentally eaten a Dog Spirit.
Then Dong Li had snuck into the herb field to gather medicinal plants…
Later, Dragonbone Town had suddenly increased its patrols and even borrowed a half-demon.
Dong Li had wanted to leave with the two demonic beasts.
That was what led to the incident in Northern Dark Forest.
Liufeng listened in silence.
A long time passed before he finally managed,
“Holy shit…”
Dong Li hugged Rongrong and asked quietly,
“Was I not supposed to do that? I think it’s really fun outside…”
Lufiel hadn’t said a word the entire time.
His dark eyes remained fixed on Dong Li, his thoughts unreadable.
After a while, he suddenly said,
“I’m taking you back to the Fuling Region.”
Dong Li froze.
Then his face immediately fell.
“No! I don’t want to go back!”
“Come back with me first,” Lufiel coaxed gently. “Liufeng can help check what’s going on. If—”
“No!”
Dong Li raised his voice.
“I’m not going with you!”
As he spoke, he backed away.
His back suddenly bumped into a barrier of sword aura.
Lufiel’s expression darkened slightly.
His voice gradually became firmer too.
“What if you disappear again?”
Dong Li froze.
He fell quiet.
The truth potion wasn’t finished yet.
He still couldn’t make sense of Lufiel’s explanation from inside the illusion.
But suddenly, another thought occurred to him.
Lufiel had said that he had been waiting too.
During the time they were apart, Dong Li had been unable to see Lufiel—
but Lufiel had been there in the Fuling Region.
Had Lufiel been sad then too?
Dong Li still couldn’t really understand it.
He couldn’t put himself in Lufiel’s place.
But he had never seen Lufiel look like this before.
He didn’t seem angry.
It was more like…
he desperately didn’t want Dong Li to leave.
Dong Li clenched his fingers.
After hesitating nervously for a while, he slowly shuffled closer.
His voice softened.
“Lulu…”
Lufiel’s expression immediately eased.
He held out a hand.
Dong Li threw himself straight into his arms and buried his face against him, rubbing affectionately.
Lufiel thought he had changed his mind.
“I’ll take you back,” he murmured. “I’ll stay with you the whole time.”
Dong Li lifted his fair face.
His violet eyes were perfectly innocent.
“No.”
Author’s Note:
Dong Li: Comfort the boyfriend, but still don’t listen to him. [cat head]
