Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Ning Shuo sat up with a start. “You’re still here?”
Ning Wang, who had been perfectly hidden in the shadows, sitting cross-legged on a chair and obediently waiting for Ning Shuo to return, replied, “Yeah. Someone said with gritted teeth and a very serious expression that I shouldn’t even think about leaving him.”
Ning Shuo: “…”
Something felt off, as if he were being mocked with heavy sarcasm.
Ugh.
Since there were no other NPCs around, Ning Shuo adjusted his glasses and said sincerely, “Thank you for helping me clean up the bloodstains.”
“Don’t mention it. After all, I couldn’t leave unless they were dealt with.”
Ning Shuo: “…”
Ning Wang stood up and sat down beside him, asking curiously, “After seeing so many outsiders, I have a rough idea of what you’re trying to do. But looking at what that Virtual Screen said… is it mistaking me for you?”
“You… couldn’t be a future version of me, could you?”
[What-what-what-what?! What kind of earth-shattering gossip is this?!!]
[Past and present lives? Future and past? What is going on!]
Before the Danmu could send more than a few messages, the screen suddenly went black.
[???]
[System bug?]
[The person above would rather believe it’s a System bug than believe Ning Shuo turned off the stream, huh?]
[When did he find the Live Stream Room switch?]
[He was messing with the Virtual Screen right after checking that corpse’s pulse. He probably saw it then.]
Seeing that Ning Shuo remained silent, Ning Wang’s guess-which he’d only been twenty percent sure of-turned into a certainty.
He said with a look of disdain, “How did the future me end up looking so sickly and weak?”
Ning Shuo sighed. “Maybe the past me committed too many sins.”
Ning Wang: “…”
When the other man stopped responding, Ning Shuo peeked at him and saw Ning Wang looking at him thoughtfully.
Knowing his own nature all too well, Ning Shuo could tell at a glance that Ning Wang was definitely plotting something. “…What are you thinking about?”
Ning Wang didn’t hide it. “I want to get out.”
He suddenly drew his sword, the blade grazing Ning Shuo’s hair as it stabbed into the wall behind him. “Since the System can mistake me for you, then… if I kill you, can I take your place and leave?”
Ning Wang’s gaze was serious; he didn’t look like he was faking it.
Ning Shuo: “Keep acting. Go on.”
Ning Wang: “I’m serious.”
Ning Shuo: “Every time I get caught playing innocent, I always say ‘I’m serious.'”
Ning Wang: “…”
Ning Wang withdrew his sword, looking frustrated at being seen through. “You know me that well?”
Ning Shuo shrugged. “Didn’t you say it yourself? I’m the future you.”
Ning Shuo understood Ning Wang, but Ning Wang did not understand this version of Ning Shuo, who had changed drastically-both physically and mentally.
Ning Wang said bluntly, “I want to leave.”
“Leave this world?”
“What else?”
“Aren’t you overestimating your future self a bit much?”
“I’ve always been amazing. If I’ve become weak in the future, then it’s because you’re a total loser.”
Ning Shuo agreed readily. “Yeah, I really am a loser.”
Ning Wang: “…”
The sword he had just pulled away was once again pressed against Ning Shuo’s neck. “If I can’t get out, then you might as well stay here too.”
“You say you know me, but you haven’t lived a life surrounded by ghosts and monsters. If you had, you wouldn’t have asked me how I knew about the Ghost/Monster.”
“Since our experiences are different, you can’t claim to know me one hundred percent.”
Ning Shuo looked at him seriously. “No, I do know you one hundred percent.”
Ning Wang: “…”
The sword edged a fraction closer. Ning Shuo continued, “That’s why, of course, I’m going to help you get out.”
Ning Wang: “…Are you messing with me?”
Ning Shuo said sheepishly, “I’m just being practical.”
Ning Wang: “Then how do you plan to get me out?”
Ning Shuo pointed at the Virtual Screen. “Walls have ears, and we don’t even have a wall here. Letting you know is the same as letting it know, isn’t it?”
He rubbed the blood on Ning Wang’s arm, acting like an unreliable Jianghu charlatan. “Since I’ve promised you, just wait.”
Ning Wang looked at him with eyes full of suspicion. Ning Shuo simply shrugged. “If you don’t believe me, do you have any other way?”
“You’ve been trapped here for so long, you must have tried everything you could think of by now.”
…
The next day at court, Ning Shuo said nothing in front of the other Players. After the session ended, he was the first in line to seek the Emperor.
Incense smoke curled from the burner. The Emperor’s face, long steeped in indulgence and desire, looked exceptionally aged. Yet, he was obsessed with seeking immortality, which was why the primary duties of the State Preceptor and the Priest had nothing to do with proper governance.
One refined pills, and the other prayed to the heavens.
Ning Shuo said respectfully, “Your Majesty, I have calculated today that an extraordinary person has appeared in the world. Praying to him can grant eternal life.”
Hearing this, the Emperor remained silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, “Priest, are you aware of the penalty for deceiving the sovereign?”
“I would not dare. I only ask Your Majesty to see for yourself. This person truly comes from beyond this world and is currently near the Dali Temple outside the palace.”
The Emperor turned his neck at an angle and length that didn’t seem humanly possible. “Priest, if I find that you have deceived me, you can part with that object on your shoulders.”
Ning Shuo composed himself. “Your Majesty, I am the Priest. I am never wrong.”
The Emperor snorted coldly and left the palace with his personal guards that afternoon.
Ning Shuo even thoughtfully reminded him to bring enough men, saying it would be bad if any accidents occurred.
Consequently, the Emperor encountered accidents all along the way.
Either his belt would suddenly loosen for no reason, or when stepping out of his sedan chair, his foot would land on something sharp, causing him to cry out for help on the spot.
As the imperial physician carefully pulled the object from the Emperor’s sole, Ning Shuo stood by and said, “Your Majesty, someone must be plotting against you. Let the extraordinary person calculate for Your Majesty and see who dares to scheme against you so.”
The Emperor’s face was dark; he looked as though he truly wanted to kill Ning Shuo.
Ning Shuo tactfully shut his mouth and handed over a piece of paper. “Your Majesty, I have prepared the prayer by leaving certain parts blank. Your Majesty only needs to read out the words in the blanks to complete the prayer and make any request of the master.”
The Emperor frowned and said coldly, “If this person is merely playing tricks, I shall hold you solely responsible.”
The Notary Office near the Dali Temple looked like a street stall. Ning Shuo reached out to lift the curtain. In the previously empty Notary Office, the Clown suddenly stood up. “Hello!”
He asked Ning Shuo, “Are you here for an Accusation?”
Ning Shuo shook his head and said to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, this is the extraordinary person.”
The Emperor looked at the Clown.
If nothing else, the Clown’s attire was certainly different from that of ordinary people.
Combined with his exaggerated movements, the Emperor temporarily believed Ning Shuo’s claim that he was “from beyond this world.”
To achieve immortality, the Emperor would do anything.
This was not just a setting of the Script; it was something Ning Shuo understood deeply.
Ning Shuo suppressed the coldness in his eyes and said, “Your Majesty, you may begin the prayer.”
With a mix of doubt and hope, the Emperor opened the paper.
(Accu)mulating wealth.
(Sation)al news.
(Ming) dynasty.
(Yue) Opera.
(As the killer).
…
The Emperor read word by word: “Accu… sation… Ming… Yue… as the killer…”
As soon as the Emperor finished reading, he suddenly felt something was wrong. The words he had just uttered formed a clear Accusation: “Accusation: Mingyue as the killer.”
He realized he had been used as a tool. Just as he was about to vent his fury on Ning Shuo, a dagger pierced the Emperor’s heart at a speed no one could react to.
The Clown covered his face and doubled over with laughter. The blood on his hands was smeared across his face, looking excited and crazed. “Wrong! Wrong! Success! Hahahahaha!!”