Chapter 50: The Never-Sleeping Imperial City 12

Looking at the thick smoke enveloping the sky above their neighborhood, Sister Hong broke down on the spot.

"Xiao Yu... Xiao Yu..." Sister Hong called out Xiao Yu's name, feeling her heart torn apart.

Xia Qi gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go!"

Sister Hong nodded in agreement, and the two of them turned to run back.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Night Emperor's voice came from inside the carriage. He ordered the guards to untie the horses, then said to the two, "Ride the horses."

Xia Qi thanked Night Emperor and mounted a horse with Sister Hong.

"Giddyup!" Xia Qi rode the horse out of the street.

The horses in the underworld were different from what one might imagine; they were as gentle as rabbits and ran steadily, requiring no advanced horsemanship. Xia Qi quickly adapted to riding.

He patted the horse's back, urging it to run faster.

The wind howled in his ears, and soon he was back near his neighborhood.

In the distance, countless plumes of black smoke rose into the sky, mixed with intense flames.

This time, the Heaven Seers seemed to be going all out, determined to make a big impact.

Unlike the smoke over the Helplessness River, this time they had chosen a residential area for their array, and more paper scraps of human bodies drifted through the air than by the river.

Seeing the fragments of skin and clothing floating past him, Xia Qi felt a dull ache in his temples and a stabbing pain in his heart. Cold sweat poured from his palms gripping the reins.

Since waking up three years ago, his emotions had been stable, without much fluctuation. But for some reason, ever since being dragged into the Sin Game, his moods had become highly volatile, with various emotions constantly assaulting him.

Before, it was love; now, it was family...

Why?

There was no time to ponder the reasons. Xia Qi arrived first at Grandma Meng's courtyard, only to see that the small courtyard was shrouded in darkness, completely overtaken by black mist.

"Grandma!"

Xia Qi's throat tightened as he hastily dismounted and rushed toward the door, kicking it open.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Thick black smoke assailed him, causing him to cough violently, but he ignored it and charged inside with a flashlight.

Just like near the Helplessness River, his family's small courtyard was devastated by the pervasive black smoke, leaving everything in ruins.

Several sections of the white walls and black tiles had collapsed, and other decorations were broken and tattered. Xia Qi's little stool, Grandma Meng's usual basket, and Night Emperor's broom were all shattered into pieces of paper flying in the wind.

Xia Qi's eyes twitched uncontrollably as he searched frantically in the darkness. Every time a piece of paper flew past him, he grabbed it to examine closely.

Each time he caught a piece of paper, his heart raced, fearing he might find a fragment of Grandma Meng's skin.

"Grandma!"

Xia Qi pushed open the living room door and found that the furniture inside was also breaking apart, with only a chair in the corner still having three legs.

On the chair sat a nearly broken embroidery basket containing some embroidered items and a pair of gray cotton socks.

These gray socks looked very familiar. As soon as Xia Qi saw them, he felt a wave of dizziness.

Xia Qi slowly approached the embroidery basket and extended his trembling right hand.

As he picked up the neatly stitched socks, a layer of mist clouded his vision.

"Qi baby, do you like the socks Grandma made for you..."

"When are you coming home? Grandma will cook meat for you..."

"Qi baby, when will you bring someone you like to meet Grandma..."

Deep in his memory, Grandma's kind voice surged like a tide, continuously impacting his blank memories.

Although he could no longer remember Grandma's appearance or anything about her, these deep-seated emotions seemed to remain deeply rooted in his heart.

Unconsciously, Xia Qi's face was already cold and wet.

"...Grandma."

He sniffled, put the socks in his pocket, and continued searching frantically in the living room, smashing one paper-made piece of furniture after another, even kicking the mahjong table in the corner.

Finally, all the objects in the living room crumbled to dust, and Xia Qi rushed into the bedroom like a madman.

When he saw the empty bedroom, Xia Qi felt his entire world collapse.

Where was Grandma?

On the carved lacquer bed in the bedroom, Grandma's favorite jasmine-patterned quilt remained, its edges wrapped in white cloth and sewn with fine stitches.

Xia Qi's legs gave way, and he fell to his knees, crawling to the side of the lacquer bed.

"This bed is older than you; it was Grandma's wedding bed..."

With trembling hands, he caressed the familiar quilt.

"Grandma, why did you sew an extra layer of cloth around the edge of the quilt?"

"Because you used to sweat a lot as a child, sewing cotton cloth around the edges keeps it clean..." "Qi baby, when are you coming home? Grandma has sewn your quilt..."

At the moment his hand touched the quilt, due to the effect of the black smoke, the quilt instantly disintegrated in front of him, turning into pieces of colorful fragments under his palm, just like people who had long passed away, vanishing with the wind, irretrievable.

Xia Qi felt his heart shatter into countless pieces along with the quilt.

Watching helplessly as familiar bedroom furniture vanished before his eyes, Xia Qi burst into tears, each drop falling onto the ground.

"Grandma..."

A painful cry escaped his throat.

...

Xia Qi didn't know how he managed to leave the room.

He searched every house but still couldn't find any trace of Grandma Meng.

Xia Qi's steps were unsteady as he walked out, feeling like he had become one of the walking dead in Nightless City.

His mind was heavy, as if remembering something yet forgetting everything at the same time.

As he stepped over the threshold, he stumbled and the world spun around him, causing him to fall. At that moment, a tall figure appeared outside the door and swiftly caught him in its arms.

The man held Xia Qi by the waist and gently rubbed his chin against Xia Qi's forehead, whispering softly, "Your grandma, she's fine."

Xia Qi remained expressionless, allowing himself to be held like a wooden post.

He felt as if he had died, and everything happening before his eyes seemed like passing clouds, yet terrifyingly real.

Is this really a game world?

Xia Qi opened his mouth, his voice hoarse, "You don't need... to comfort me."

After speaking, he realized his voice was so hoarse it sounded as if he had been running a high fever for days.

"Really, I'm not lying to you." Although Xia Qi showed no emotion, Night Emperor could sense his inner pain.

Night Emperor gently lifted his right hand and wiped away the cold tears on Xia Qi's face.

Xia Qi remained stiff in his embrace, his gaze unfocused, not reacting for a long time.

"Believe me, I am the Sun Lamp of Nightless City... your grandma is fine..." Night Emperor nuzzled his ear, repeating these words, his heart breaking with concern.

After a long while, Xia Qi slowly came back to his senses.

He suddenly raised his head, looking at the man who had mysteriously appeared at his doorstep, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Is she really okay?" Xia Qi regained his composure, as if the vulnerability he had shown was just an illusion.

"Really, if I lie to the Moon God, may I be sent to the eighteenth level of hell." Night Emperor raised his hand, solemnly swearing to the "moon" above.

"... Huh."

Xia Qi couldn't help but laugh, a corner of his mouth twitching.

Nightless City was a ghost town; saying it was the eighteenth level of hell would make some believe it. Where else could Night Emperor go?

Just as they were embracing, a piercing scream came from afar.

"Xiao Yu! Where are you?"

Half of Sister Hong's courtyard was swept up in the storm, with countless debris swirling into the sky. Her yard looked even worse than Xia Qi's.

Sister Hong rode slower than Xia Qi, and when she arrived home, she couldn't bear it and accidentally fell off her horse.

Lying on the ground, Sister Hong limped towards the door, shouting Xiao Yu's name.

She ran frantically to the entrance, tripping over the threshold and bumping her head on the stone bricks.

"Go help her," Night Emperor pulled Xia Qi out of his embrace, speaking seriously.

This was a war between Xia Qi and the outsiders.

Xia Qi gave Night Emperor a grateful look before rushing to Sister Hong's side and helping her up.

"My child, my child!" After being helped up, Sister Hong let out a piercing scream.

Her forehead was bleeding profusely, mixing with her tears, making her look helpless and tragic.

Xia Qi lifted her up, shouting, "Let's go inside, maybe Xiao Yu is fine!"

"Xiao Yu!" Woken up by Xia Qi's shout, Sister Hong ran inside without wiping the blood from her face.

They shouted Xiao Yu's name, squinting their eyes in the darkness, searching carefully.

Suddenly, a weak voice called out from nearby, "Mom!"

Hearing Xiao Yu's voice, Sister Hong rushed forward without hesitation.

Xia Qi quickly took out a flashlight and hurried after her.

Xiao Yu was in the densest part of the storm, and the further they went, the thicker the black smoke became. Xia Qi stumbled forward until he reached the source of the sound.

In front of him, the small house had collapsed halfway, revealing a vortex identical to the Helplessness River, from which the black smoke was surging.

"... Mom." A pale hand slowly emerged from under a collapsed cabinet.

Perhaps Xiao Yu's fate wasn't to die, as she was in the upwind position, and the cabinet had protected her from most of the smoke. If they had come any later, both the cabinet and Xiao Yu would have turned into fragments.

Seeing Xiao Yu alive, Sister Hong almost knelt down.

The two of them hurriedly lifted the cabinet in front of them and pulled Xiao Yu out from underneath it.

Xiao Yu's costume was tattered, and her face, covered in greasepaint, had been smudged by the flying ashes, making her look like a little cat. Even though she had almost lost her life, she still clutched tightly onto the peach blossom fan in her hand.

"Xiao Yu, sniff sniff..."

Seeing that Xiao Yu was unharmed, Sister Hong hugged her and started crying.

"Mom, don't leave Xiao Yu behind." Xiao Yu sniffled, hugging Sister Hong's neck tightly with both hands.

"Mom promises, Mom will never leave you again." Sister Hong choked back tears as she spoke.

Watching the mother and daughter embrace, Xia Qi couldn't help but think of his own grandmother.

"Let's go outside first; the black smoke here is too thick." Worried about the black smoke affecting Xiao Yu, Xia Qi urged them from the side.

Sister Hong quickly picked Xiao Yu up from the ground.

Xia Qi took off his outer robe and draped it over Xiao Yu's head to prevent her from being polluted by the black smoke.

The two of them avoided the direction of the black smoke and ran out from another corner of the courtyard.

Once they were outside the courtyard and confirmed that Xiao Yu was safe, Sister Hong finally felt relieved.

Night Emperor stood with his hands behind his back and generously offered his carriage, saying, "Take your daughter to the palace; they wouldn't dare to intrude there."

Both Xia Qi and Sister Hong's homes had been destroyed by the Celestial Calculators, leaving them without a place to stay.

Sister Hong turned to look at Xia Qi, seeking his opinion.

Xia Qi knew they had no choice but to leave the outside world, so he nodded and said, "Let's go to the palace."

Sister Hong carefully placed Xiao Yu into the carriage.

After pulling the carriage curtain closed, Sister Hong turned around, hesitating as she asked, "Xia Qi, your grandmother..."

Not seeing Grandma Meng appear, Sister Hong worried that she might have met with an unfortunate fate, and her expression showed some caution as she asked.

With the entire courtyard filled with black smoke, Sister Hong deeply suspected that Grandma Meng was gone.

Xia Qi frowned and looked at Night Emperor, who was directing the guards to clean up, before answering, "We haven't found her yet."

"That means she's fine; don't worry too much," Sister Hong whispered, consoling him, hoping that Grandma Meng would be alright.

Xia Qi murmured a "thank you" and then straightened his expression, asking, "Sister Hong, do you remember anything about your child in the real world?"

Hearing this, Sister Hong furrowed her brows, and her expression slowly became strange.

Author's note: Someone: Your grandma wants to see you get married.

Xia Qi: If you have the guts, bring my grandma out!

Sister Hong: Xia Qi, look, your grandma came to attend the wedding ceremony!

"True Love's Magic Wand activates automatic music playback mode"

"Song 1: 'Today You're Getting Married'"

"Song 2: 'Proposal'"

"Song 3: 'I Do'"

Xia Qi: ...