Chapter 120: Reality

Chapter 120: Reality

◎ The Ultimate Level's Hint ◎

After breakfast, Shi Youqing received news from Feng Bin — Zongtu Yuan was released.

Their method had worked.

This meant that Ye Jing, and the player portraying NPC Lu Yuze from the same camp, were also released.

After hanging up, Shi Youqing remembered something and asked Bo Huai, "How did you know that person was Ye Jing? I had forgotten."

Bo Huai, trimming his nails, pondered for a moment and said, "Remember the Seek Qing Guild Hao Tianshuo mentioned?"

"...I remember something like that, what about it?"

"The founder is Ye Jing," Bo Huai said with disdain, "I found out before entering the last instance. He was using the guild to find you, looking for trouble!"

Shi Youqing thought carefully and recalled that Hao Tianshuo had mentioned the founder was a dark horse player, previously scorned by teammates but now leading impressively.

This was very different from his impression of Ye Jing.

But people change, especially when bound by such a game and facing life and death. Some people even turn into something unrecognizable, let alone evolve to survive.

As for Ye Jing, aside from a brief contemplation, Shi Youqing had no further interest.

Seeing him drop the subject, Bo Huai’s tense lips relaxed.

Shi Youqing now had a total of 114 chess pieces, fully meeting the requirements for the ultimate level’s entry ticket.

Feng Bin and Hao Tianshuo were also aware of this, but given the current unique circumstances, if they found the next instance's hint before using the ultimate level ticket, the hint would be useless. After all, the ultimate level and the next instance entered under normal circumstances are completely different, thus their hints would not match.

Deciding to put the search for hints on hold, Shi Youqing planned to meet up with them and let them decide whether to go to the ultimate level.

Bo Huai chose a nearby restaurant that had been thriving for many years. In his second life outside the game, Shi Youqing had eaten there many times with his mother.

The owner recognized Shi Youqing and, upon seeing him again, specially brought a plate of nuts to the private room, "I remember you, but it's been a long time since you last came. You've changed so much. That hair is a wig, right? Looks great... By the way, the person who used to come with you..." He trailed off as if struck by amnesia.

"With my mother," Shi Youqing clarified.

The owner didn't acknowledge it; in fact, he couldn't recall this young man ever visiting with his mother. After racking his brains and finding each memory of this young man's companions blurred, he casually agreed and, scratching his head, left the room.

Sighing, the owner realized his memory was indeed declining.

His vivid impression of the young man was due not only to his striking appearance, which one would instinctively remember, but also a poignant moment: once during winter, while dining at the restaurant, the young man had gazed out at the falling snow and asked someone beside him, “Can I go out and play?”

The reply was, “No, you'll get sick.”

The young man then stared longingly at the snow outside before turning back to the meal and saying, “I can eat while watching the snow; I'm so happy.”

It wasn’t said to comfort others; he genuinely felt that way.

Recalling this, the owner found it odd that he couldn’t remember who had accompanied the young man.

So, he asked his wife, busy nearby, who responded, “Didn’t he always come alone?”

“Ah? Really?” With her saying this, the touching scene gradually morphed into a monologue by the young man...

His memory was truly fading!

……

In the private room, the dishes had already been served.

Feng Bin and Hao Tianshuo came in, took off their coats, and sat down.

Hao Tianshuo's eyes were practically glued to Shi Youqing, “Brother Qingqing, are you feeling better now?”

Shi Youqing smiled, “I’m fine now. I called you here to discuss something.”

As he spoke, the atmosphere subtly shifted.

Feng Bin asked directly, “Have you decided to enter the ultimate level?”

“Yes,” Shi Youqing didn’t beat around the bush, “I can now use that card. But the ultimate level isn’t like normal instances; it will definitely be much harder, and the risk of death is significantly higher. Even if I go alone, I’ll still enter. If you want to come with me, I won’t stop you, but I want you to think it through carefully before deciding. You can take your time…”

Feng Bin was momentarily stunned, then silently picked up his chopsticks to eat.

Hao Tianshuo, not treating it as a serious topic, still grinned, “What’s there to worry about? I used to dislike teaming up for fear of witnessing teammates die. Now, it's different. Even if I die, it’ll be in front of you, and I’m totally fine with that!”

“…” Feng Bin shot Hao Tianshuo a look, then turned to Shi Youqing, “Actually, I thought you’d advise us not to go, or that after this meal, you’d just leave again.”

Shi Youqing shook his head, “No, we're teammates.” Besides, the last time had proven that even if he entered an instance alone, Bo Huai would still find a way to reach him, albeit in a somewhat unusual manner…

Feng Bin was somewhat surprised by this response. On the way there, he had been pondering how to persuade Shi Youqing to trust them, as entering the ultimate instance did indeed carry a high risk of death. If he were in Shi Youqing's shoes, he might also try to dissuade his teammates.

So, when Shi Youqing spoke of considering their options, Feng Bin was momentarily at a loss for words.

"If we're willing, you'd really…"

"Feng Bin," Shi Youqing said calmly, "when I first met you in the Chenggu Town instance, I told you what I was looking for. Now that I have a lead on my mother and a chance to find her, I won’t wait any longer. I trust myself and your judgment. If you want to come with me, we’ll go together. If not, it’s better to gain experience in the upcoming instances… If I make it back, we’ll definitely meet again."

There was another aspect he couldn’t share yet — the secrets about Bo Huai's true form and his own personal secrets were also there.

"Let's form a team," Feng Bin sighed, "The sooner we do it, the more at ease I'll feel. Otherwise, I always worry you might go in at any moment."

"Right! Team up first, then eat!" Hao Tianshuo said eagerly, "After eating, I'll go look for hints. Ultimate or ordinary, it’s all the same if we get through it. If we don’t, well, closing our eyes will be just another way through!"

Shi Youqing: "..."

Thus, what each party initially thought would be a "don’t stop me, I must go" and "don’t stop us from following, how can you go alone? If Bo Huai can go, so can we!" turned into an amicable "let's settle on that."

After re-forming the team, the other three felt a sense of relief.

As it got colder, the four finished their meal and chatted briefly before heading home to search for hints.

Having just recovered, Shi Youqing, under the unanimous insistence of the others, went home to rest first.

With the chill of the changing season, Shi Youqing slept wrapped up tightly, leaving only his head exposed. For some reason, after watching him roll over and press his hair, Bo Huai, without a word, found a sleep cap and put it on him, tucking all the hair inside, leaving only a pair of snow-white ears exposed.

Shi Youqing, already drowsy, didn’t bother to see what he was wearing, just feeling even more comfortable, and his heavy eyelids drooped.

That night, he dreamt.

He dreamt of his childhood on a rainy day, sitting in the classroom with other children, waiting for their parents to pick them up.

Bo Huai burst into his class, bribing his deskmate with a toy, then solemnly sat next to him.

Shi Youqing looked up at the rain outside the window, and after a while, finally turned to Bo Huai, who was staring at him, “What are you looking at?”

Bo Huai's ears reddened, and he turned his head away, saying, “Just looking.”

Soon, parents started arriving in waves. The children excitedly ran off. Shi Youqing, wanting to see if his mother was among them, got up to go look but was jostled and lost his balance. As he was about to fall, Bo Huai rushed forward and caught him in time.

Shi Youqing, unsteady on his feet, stomped down hard, stepping squarely on Bo Huai’s foot.

His step was not light, and amidst the many children around, Bo Huai thought someone else had stepped on him and sternly asked, "Who stepped on me?"

Shi Youqing, hearing his serious tone, remained silent initially, then honestly admitted, "It was me."

The other party was taken aback, then quickly retorted, "It wasn't you!"

Shi Youqing blinked, slowly pondering whether it really was him.

Bo Huai then murmured, "It definitely wasn't you. Don't believe me? Step on me again, and I promise I won't react."

Caught in this peculiar logic, Shi Youqing, taking his words at face value, stepped on him again.

For accuracy's sake, he used the same force as before.

Surprisingly, Bo Huai didn't make a sound, just pursed his lips and looked at him. After a while, he said, "See, you stepped and I didn’t feel anything. That step just now couldn’t have been from you."

Shi Youqing pouted, now somewhat confused. Then who had he stepped on?

Seeing him like this, Bo Huai found it irresistibly cute and reached out to hug him, "I’ll carry you out, so no one bumps into you."

He had only taken two steps when a teacher intervened, "Bo Huai! That’s dangerous, both of you could fall!"

Bo Huai, frowning deeply, put him down and solemnly followed the teacher to hand Shi Youqing over to his mother, Shi Wen.

Once in the car, Shi Wen asked while driving, “What did you learn today, baby?”

Shi Youqing recounted everything, then furrowed his brows, "I think I stepped on someone, but I don’t know who."

Shi Wen playfully suggested, "Maybe that person likes you and didn’t want you to apologize."

Shi Youqing looked at his feet, momentarily stunned.

After a while, he heard his mother ask earnestly, “Did you have fun today?”

Shi Youqing tilted his head, thoughtfully, and then sincerely replied, “...I did.”

……

Waking up to the sun high in the sky, Shi Youqing smelled a faint fragrance. Upon opening his eyes, he noticed fresh flowers on the bedroom table and a sweet scent coming from the living room.

He got out of bed to investigate and found several pastries on the dining table. Bo Huai emerged from the kitchen with freshly baked mochi, seeing him awake and asked, “You’re up?”

Shi Youqing nodded, "Why the sudden interest in making desserts?"

Bo Huai stepped forward quickly, "Try them. I plan to make more to bring into the instance next time."

Shi Youqing: "..."

After a quick wash, Shi Youqing tasted the pastries, impressed by Bo Huai's baking talent: "Delicious."

Bo Huai's lips curved slightly, looking deeply at Shi Youqing. A shadow passed over his eyes, and after a moment, he said gravely, "This morning, when I left the house, I saw a hint in the hallway."

Shi Youqing immediately looked at him.

Without waiting for Shi Youqing to ask, Bo Huai handed over a black-and-white paper.

He looked down at it.

Unlike previous hints, this paper had different messages on each side.

The black side bore white letters [Steal Name], while the white side displayed black letters [Return to Place].

[?Author's Note]

Thanks to the little angels who threw hand grenades: Xiao Chun Ri He 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solution: Big Potato Xiao Mi Zha 20 bottles; zbht (Cute 0 Collector) 12 bottles; Xiao Chun Ri He, and those who disagree with non-CN author concepts 10 bottles; Enjoying the World's Scenery Together 9 bottles; Universe Invincible Explosion 4 bottles;

I'm very grateful for everyone's support and will continue to work hard!