Chapter 81: The Journey of Life

Chapter 81: The Journey of Life

The last thing Chen Shi Jin said was incredibly audacious, and to Yue Feng, it seemed as if his entire being was radiating with an enticing glow that made him want to devour him.

However, these words deeply provoked Chen Shi Jin's parents, who had always believed their son to be very obedient.

After being shocked into stillness for several seconds, they looked at Chen Shi Jin with eyes that turned exceedingly fierce and dark.

It was as if they were about to open their mouths wide and bite to death this disobedient child in the next second.

At this moment, Chen Shi Jin saw the small green dot representing his path in life, which had already moved back three spaces, retreat another two steps downward.

The green dot, originally in third place, had fallen to the lower-middle part of the entire journey of life after these five steps, with over twenty red dots above it looking so orderly and glaring.

Chen Shi Jin, observing this scene, tugged at the corner of his mouth. According to his current position on the journey of life, he was not only unable to initiate the world mission, but he also couldn't complete the survival mission—

After all, the survival mission required him to stay within the top fifty percent of all surviving exiles.

And now he had fallen behind.

"You unfilial son! I see you really don't want to do well anymore! Has going to university turned you into this? Do you think you can do whatever you want after graduating from university?!"

The mother, with a ferocious face, was about to poke her finger into Chen Shi Jin's nose, but Yue Feng, who had been watching, suddenly frowned in displeasure and slapped her hand away.

The ferocious mother turned to roar but stopped all sound at the moment of eye contact with Yue Feng, even struggling to muster the previous anger and ferocity.

"You, you... you irresponsible fellow."

Although she managed to speak out in the end, her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Yue Feng, unbothered by the comment, lazily said, "You can say what you want about me, but don't point your ugly finger at my Sweet Jin."

"Otherwise..."

Yue Feng didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present knew what he left unsaid—

Otherwise, I'll break your arm.

The NPC mother quickly withdrew her hand.

But she still had to do what she came for, taking a deep breath as if receiving a mission, she glared at Chen Shi Jin again: "Let me tell you! Don't think you can ignore our words just because you've graduated from university!"

"Without the support of the family, what do you think you can make of your life on your own?!"

"You will face the worst life possible!!"

After saying this, the anger on the NPC mother's face turned into a look of malicious glee and smugness, waiting eagerly to watch the drama unfold.

She repeated loudly: "You will face the worst life possible!"

Then she turned to leave with Chen Shi Jin's father, the old and mean-spirited man who also turned back momentarily to add: "After experiencing such a terrible life, you'll come begging to us."

Their demeanor and posture were even uglier than Kong Ju's.

"Tsk."

That was Chen Shi Jin's final response to them.

"Yue Feng, let's go have a good meal first, then find some fun, together?"

Yue Feng's eyes, fixed on Chen Shi Jin, lit up with sheer delight.

"Of course~"

Isn't it ironic? His best skill is finding fun wherever he goes, isn't it?

Chen Shi Jin, seeing Yue Feng instantly perk up, found his own sour mood significantly improved.

Even the pressure value, which he constantly felt was about to surge to 100, dropped by 20 points at this moment.

However, the relief was short-lived as the pressure value began to climb again soon after.

Chen Shi Jin, observing his rapidly rising pressure, for the "second time in his life," spoke to his pressure value: [Pressure exceeding 50 automatically decreases by 30.]

Previously, Chen Shi Jin's attempts to verbally modify his pressure value had failed.

But this time, he successfully managed to reduce his pressure by 30 whenever it exceeded 50, just as he had stated.

As a result, his pressure value kept fluctuating below 50 thereafter.

If nothing unexpected happens, [Pressure] won't cause any issues for Chen Shi Jin.

But, how could this world possibly be so kind?

After modifying his own pressure, Chen Shi Jin suddenly felt the presence of several elusive malevolent gazes around him.

Squinting, his ears twitched as if catching the sound of something slicing through the air.

He swiftly grabbed his backpack and swung it behind him while muttering softly, "Rebound."

Whoosh!

Three arrows aiming for his neck, eyes, and chest seemed to be blocked by the backpack as if by collision, falling to the ground before mysteriously rebounding away.

Seconds later, a pained scream came from the roadside.

"Ah! I've been hit by my own arrows! I knew there was something wrong with this crossbow! Damn that merchant, I'm going to have a word with him!"

The person hit, clutching their bleeding neck and holding a fine iron crossbow, yelped away.

Showing no intention of reflecting on the recklessness of shooting crossbow bolts in the street.

Chen Shi Jin slowly raised his eyebrows.

Oh, so is this the start of the worst life those parents warned of?

"So, what's next?"

Now, he and Yue Feng were standing on the street at the campus entrance. What's it going to be, a chain-reaction car explosion involving a dozen vehicles?

Or perhaps a cleaver suddenly falling from the sky as we walk?

Moments later, Chen Shi Jin spotted a wobbly big truck, its approach looking very much like it intended to run him over.

Yue Feng chuckled beside him.

Chen Shi Jin slowly said, "That truck is wobbling all over; wouldn't be surprised if it's about to blow a tire."

The moment he finished speaking, the speeding truck experienced a tire blowout, very skillfully and sequentially, from the left to right, front to back, all four tires bursting in turn.

As the truck was about to reach Chen Shi Jin, it completely broke down and couldn't advance any further.

Chen Shi Jin looked at the driver inside the truck, drunk and flushed, and disdainfully rolled his eyes.

"Let's not have any more of these accidents, really, they don't break my defense at all."

Yue Feng, also unconcerned, laughed lightly: "Let's go, let's go eat. I'll take you to a high-end live seafood buffet! Super expensive, but your sugar daddy husband is rich!"

Chen Shi Jin, in a good mood but raising an eyebrow at the last comment, responded: "You say sugar daddy, and I'll let it slide, since I'm not the one paying."

"But what gives you the right to claim the title of 'husband'? We're in a 'romantic relationship,' who gets to be the husband isn't for certain yet."

Moreover, Chen Shi Jin swallowed the retort he had in mind—

Yue Feng, who spends his days seeking amusement and viewing all people and even life itself as if observing trash, would he understand the meaning of husband and wife?

Yet, Yue Feng's understanding of this matter far exceeded Chen Shi Jin's expectations.

He stopped and stood tall, using his height of 1.9 meters to look down on Chen Shi Jin, who ended up only growing to 1.8 meters.

"Hilarious."

"Sweet Jin, don't tell me you want to compete for the title of husband?"

This now fully grown, tall, and handsome youth said this with an amused tilt of his head while casually lifting his shirt to reveal impeccably perfect muscles underneath.

"Why don't you reach out and feel? See if you can even make a dent."

Chen Shi Jin: …

Yue Feng continued his relentless teasing: "With your soft and pale self, you wouldn't stand a chance under even one of my fingers."

Chen Shi Jin: …………

"Just be a good wife, and let your husband take care of your needs for food, fun, and everything else. Trust me, your chances of becoming the husband in this relationship are even slimmer than overthrowing the lord of Jinri City and taking his place as king yourself."

Chen Shi Jin: @*!?&%$

What kind of ridiculous trash metaphor is that!

And the worst part is, he actually got the difficulty of it, darn it!

Chen Shi Jin, feeling in control of his life, couldn't suppress the urge to curse someone at this moment.

And of course, that damn Yue Feng had to add the final straw:

"Haha! I'm dying of laughter. Sweet Jin actually wants to be my husband."

"Hahahaha! Someone actually wants to top me, in bed."

"Hahahahaha. This is the funniest joke I've heard in my life hahahaha."

Watching Yue Feng in front laughing like he's gone mad, Chen Shi Jin felt he truly couldn't hold back anymore.

He let out a furious curse on the spot and then kicked at Yue Feng's waist.

What followed was the most unbelievable reversal in his life—

Not only did his kick not land, but Yue Feng also caught it with a backhand grab, pulled forward, scooped him up, and before Chen Shi Jin could react, he was being held princess-style in Yue Feng's arms, who was still trying not to laugh.

Chen Shi Jin: !!!

"Put me down now!!"

However, his words had no effect in front of someone still laughing.

Far from putting him down, Yue Feng even joyfully jiggled him up and down.

"Sweet Jin. Hahahaha, stop daydreaming. Better think about how you're going to counter this world-devouring scenario."

Seeing the look in the eyes of the person in his arms, who seemed ready to stab him, Yue Feng felt so pleased he even ventured to say:

"If you hug me and give me a kiss, I'll help you kill Kong Ju."

It would only require lifting a part of the restrictions on his power, nothing too serious.

As long as they're both happy.

Unfortunately, Sweet Jin refused the shortcut, not only did he not hug and kiss, but he also turned his head away with a forced laugh.

"No need for you to act. I can handle it myself!"

As he said this, he saw passersby looking at him and Yue Feng with disgust, pointing fingers, and an old lady scolded loudly:

"Corrupting morals! Corrupting morals! Look at you, hugging and cuddling in broad daylight! Have you no shame?!"

"And you two are both men! Men being together is sick! Do you hear me? Sick! Separate now, or we'll call the mental hospital to take you away!"

Following the old lady's scolding, Chen Shi Jin saw his pressure spike by 40 to 90 in an instant. But it quickly returned to below 50, thanks to a spell he'd spoken earlier.

His position on the path of life took another step backward.

At that moment, another elderly man with a stern face raised his walking stick, ready to strike at the heads of Yue Feng and Chen Shi Jin.

"Shameful! Shameful! You two good-for-nothings! Split up right now! Go see a doctor immediately! Leave this street at once! Don't show your faces around here!"

The old man's cane never hit them, as Yue Feng's glance alone was enough to knock him down.

But as the old man fell, Chen Shi Jin's position on the path of life took another step back.

At this point, he had moved from being third from the top to third from the bottom.

And as Yue Feng first enjoyed the moment but then gradually lost his smile due to the continuous accidents and the gossip of those around them by the time they reached the high-end restaurant, the waitstaff's expression instantly turned from welcoming to disdainful upon seeing them:

"I'm sorry, gentlemen. This is a high-class, civilized restaurant, and we do not serve customers of your kind here."

Yue Feng stopped smiling entirely.

Without empathy, Chen Shi Jin knew he must be deeply experiencing one of the emotions from the seven emotions and six desires.

It was also at this time that Chen Shi Jin took a significant step backward from the third-from-last position.

Now, he and Yue Feng, holding him, were jointly at the very bottom of the path of life.

A scarlet warning appeared on the right side of the great map of the path of life at this moment:

[You have fallen to the lowest point of the path of life!! Your life is in utter ruin!!

You must quickly acknowledge your mistakes and correct them, or you will be scorned by all, surrounded by suffering and malice, and despised by the whole world!]

Chen Shi Jin looked at the scarlet letters and tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The various accidents along the way and the scornful looks from everyone had already made this clear; what was the point in emphasizing it?

But hadn't he said so?

His life is for him to control, not others, not monsters, not other worlds!

So, stop, nagging, me!

Chen Shi Jin, as the scarlet letters flickered before him, suddenly reached out and grabbed fiercely towards the front!

"Rubbish core! Come out—"

The power of his words, like chains, instantly wrapped around the "Life Map" that had been presented to them since their "Exile Birth," dictating their paths in life.

After a fierce collision of energies, the "Life Map" could no longer maintain its map appearance and slowly revealed itself as a gigantic cage-like devouring monster in front of Chen Shi Jin and Yue Feng.

[Imprisonment—]

[How did you... discover... me?]

The core of the path of life hoarsely roared out these words.

Chen Shi Jin, finally kicking Yue Feng to jump out of his embrace, revealed a polite smile.

"There wasn't any special method, aside from finding you particularly displeasing and suspecting you might be the core, it was also because..."

"This path of life belonging to Chen Shi Jin, I've said, has to be determined by Chen Shi Jin himself."

The youth said this while slowly clenching his fist, his body slightly leaning back, gathering strength.

"If anyone dares to stand in my way, or control the life I walk that I don't wish to walk."

He charged forward like an arrow released from its bow, his punch filled with intense energy smashing fiercely onto the black cage-like devouring core!

"Then it's 'gods block, kill the gods; demons block, kill the demons.'"

Crack crack—

The seemingly indestructible black cage core, with just one punch from the youth with an exceedingly cold expression, was shattered, leaving cracks all over.

And then, it exploded with a boom!