Returning to Beijing
Translator: Greengrass
Editor: Allenwa
Each area had their own unique smell. Su Hang had the smell of Su Hang, Beijing had the smell of Beijing.
Ling Chen felt like he had left Beijing for a long time. He found Beijing very foreign and distant even though everything was the same since he left. He never wanted to remember that night in Beijing. He didn’t even want to step into Beijing at all.
The past 2 years in Beijing were the toughest years for Ling Chen and Ling Shui Ruo. They suffered from the Isrock virus every minute every second there. Their hard work and dedication didn’t bring them any mercy or pity from God; their hope the 13223 vaccine only lasted for a month before the nightmare began….
Since then, Ling Chen was full of hate towards Beijing. He hated the Long family in Beijing to his guts.
He didn’t book the ticket in time, and was surprised when Chao Ying and Chao Xi showed up in a private jet at the centre of the Bamboo Sea Wonderland. Chao Ying was in charge of flying the jet with Chao Xi, Ling Chen and Tian Tian on board as well.
Driving and flying were one of the compulsory courses in Hell. This obviously included operating different types of flying devices and vehicles. Thus, flying a mini plane like this was easy for Ling Chen, Chao Ying and Chao Xi. “Let’s go and find Gui Ya.”
They arrived at a very plain neighbourhood and Ling Chen cracked open the door on the rooftop. A middle aged and honest looking man was standing behind the door. He glanced over at Ling Chen and Chao Ying and then smiled with his eyes wide open, “You've finally arrived! Come in quickly, it is getting cold outside.”
They walked in and closed the door. After a short silence, the middle aged man suddenly knelt down in front of Ling Chen and spoke excitingly in a trembling voice, "Master, I am so glad to that I am able to see you are fine!”
7 people came out quickly from each door and knelt down in the same position and called out “Master” simultaneously. They didn’t speak much, but the passion in their looks revealed how excited they were deep down. Since Ling Chen experienced some near death incidents and left Beijing, no one had seen him again in real life or online. Every one of them was still deeply concerned even though they knew that he was fine now and had Chao Xi and Chao Ying looking after him 24 hours a day. But now, seeing him fine without any trace of scars had finally made them relieved.
Ling Chen became emotional as well when he sensed their emotions. He said quietly, “Get up please; it must have been hard on you all for the past few months. Are all of you recovered now?”
Everyone suffered a variety of scars after that fight at the Long family’s residence. Some were severely wounded. Even though they were stronger than most people, they were unable to recover in such a short period. After all, there were only a few freaks in the world like Ling Chen who were able to recover so quickly.
The middle aged man wiped his face with his hands. There were three scars across his firm face. He quickly replied, “Don’t worry, master. We are persistent like the cockroaches and have now recovered. The most we got were merely some scars.” To most people, changing one’s face was something that would only appear in movies, TV and novels. It no longer existed in real life. But for the Reapers, it was one of their compulsory courses. The ability to transform one’s looks completely was a very powerful tool for self-protection. It provided chances to help assassinate someone. Everyone who walked out from the Hell with Ling Chen were extraordinary at disguising themselves. As long as they had enough tools, they would be able to transform their faces into a completely different one within a few seconds. And there was no way to tell them apart. This was also why the Long family could not trace them down even when they blocked and searched the whole town. These days, people simply didn't expect such a thing
Ling Chen wiped his face, and smiled again like usual. The people in the room all yelled excitedly and launched forward, knocking Ling Chen down on the ground as they expressed their excitement and joy. They were so excited that they didn’t even care whether their noises would get through the soundproofing system installed within their plain neighbourhood. They only calmed down and became quiet around noon. They deeply thanked Tian Tian and cast her their full respect, as they knew that it was this little girl who rescued and carried Ling Chen on her thin and weak shoulders that day. It was also her who brightened up Ling Chen’s dead spirit and became his life support.
“Has the Long family stopped their national search for me?” Ling Chen frowned after hearing Gui Ya's latest report about Beijing.
“Yes, since last week. They have recalled all the members who went on search for you. All related commands and orders all stopped as well. It seems like they knew it was pointless to continue searching for you.” Gui Ya replied.
“How delusional it was for them to think that they could find where my master was hidden….hmph! They should be glad that they still haven’t found us. Otherwise, they would be dead before they even realised how they were killed,” said the one behind Gui Ya.
Ling Chen was in deep thought…there was no doubt that the shock and impact he brought upon the Long family was very heavy and enough to make them unsteady. They would surely want Ling Chen to disappear at any cost. They wouldn’t let him rest even if they couldn’t find him. However, Ling Chen found it hard to understand why they suddenly terminated all of their searches.
Could it be that Long Zheng Yang was pressured by the other ten nations and is ready to “talk to me now"?
Ling Chen curled his lip and sneered.
“Where did Bing Yao go?” Ling Chen asked.
“She is usually at the Xiao family's place. She said a few months ago that Xiao Qi will continue staying in the game for a while. She had to stay there to look after everything, including changing the nutrition extracts, bathing and ensuring her safety there. She rarely returned. Xiao Qiu Feng and Xiao Zhan were relieved at the fact that it was her who was there. About the reason why Xiao Qi chose to stay in the game world…..” Gui Ya looked at Ling Chen, and continued, “Master, you know better than all of us.”
“So you mean that Xiao Qi is fine still?” Ling Chen replied.
“Yes.” Gui Ya answered with a nod.
“That is good.” Ling Chen was pleased. Xiao Qi’s life had always been a burden to him as heavy as a rock on his heart. The fact that Qi Yue was able to appear in the real world confirmed that it was possible to revive someone. This made him also start to believe those seemingly impossible things the Vermillion Bird had once said to him. He looked down and whispered so quietly that only him himself could hear, “Qi Qi, you must return safely.”
“Master, the Long family has ruined your life. If it wasn’t because back then…. Master you would have been killed. Now they killed our mistress Ling Shui Ruo, we must punish them! Don’t worry, Master. When we are fully prepared, we will find the right time and gather all of our power to destroy the whole Long family for you, Master! And for the brothers who died on that day! We must take revenge for them!” The shortest person in front of Ling Chen yelled out. His fists were tightly gripped together, and his face was sharp and aggressive. Everyone’s gaze turned cold and nodded heavily. They gnashed their teeth and swore with vengeance, “We must take our own revenge on them.”
Ling Chen looked over them and sighed, “As Gui Ya has mentioned already, the Long family has increased their defences by at least 3 times since that last night. This might only be a guess, but there might be even more powerful guards hidden behind. We couldn’t hurt them even if we gathered all our power together. I was a bit too rushed that day and dragged all of you down…. I promise everyone that there won’t be a second time no matter how much I hate Long family. And everyone, please don’t be rash.”
They blamed Shui Ruo’s death all on the Long family. After all, it was the Long family’s Steel Dragon Corps who attacked them when Shui Ruo died. This was the only reason they could find at the moment. Ling Chen’s hate towards Long’s family was intensified as a result…. He hated them so much to an extent that he didn’t even know how to take revenge on them. Since he and Tian Tian settled down at the Bamboo Sea Wonderland, Ling Chen spent all his time trying to revive Shui Ruo. Neither had he ever mentioned about seeking revenge on the Long family or acted it out…. That was because he was afraid that he would lose control once he actually started.
Ling Chen stood up and smiled instead, “Let’s not talk about those sad things; we haven’t caught up for a while. As the host, I will cook for everyone today. Gui Ya, can I borrow your kitchen?”
“Wow! Master's cooking for us?! Oh my goodness, I must be dreaming!" A man said and slobbered everywhere.
“Since Master met Shui Ruo, he has given all his love to her. I have never tasted things Master cooked. That is something I've always dreamed of! Wooooo, I can’t control myself anymore!”
“Happiness came too suddenly!.. Wow! Why are we still standing here! Go buy groceries now! Buy as much as you can afford for a rare chance like this!”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Suddenly, they all were dismissed and went out together to buy groceries. Ling Chen was laughing loudly at their clumsy look and walked into the kitchen. Tian Tian ran in as well and said, "I also want to help!”
Gui Ya, Chao Ying and Chao Xi were the only ones left in the dining room. Gui Ya blankly stared at the kitchen for a while and then whispered, "I didn't dare to contact the Master directly during this time. I was so scared that he would continue feeling demotivated. Only today did I realise that I worried too much. It seems like Tian Tian… and you were able to replace Shui Ruo’s position in his heart.”
“Of course not!” Chao Xi and Chao Ying shook their heads at the same time. The girl on the left smiled and said, “In fact, it was Master who got over it. Although his mood can get heavy sometimes, he is relaxed most of the time. And you can’t fake that kind of joy. It has to be authentic and real. Master is so much stronger than what we imagined him to be.”
In fact, little did they know that the change in Ling Chen’s heart was because he had heard from Qi Yue about reviving Shui Ruo. As such, he firmly believed that Shui Ruo only went into a deep sleep, and hadn't left him forever. He would be able to wake her up one day and have her return to his side. A lot of pain in his heart receded because of this.
“Yes, Master is awesome!” Gui Ya said cheerfully. He turned around and lowered his voice as he suspiciously said to Chao Xi and Chao Ying, “Looking at how happy and cheerful you guys are, don’t tell me that you and Master have…..hahaha…”
Chao Ying and Chao Xi looked at each other and smiled. The rare beauty those two girls displayed brightened Gui Ya’s world a little. He spoke absent-mindedly, ” Could it be that… Master has finally moved on….for real…”
He quickly walked forwards and said excitedly, "If Master has really re-accepted both of you… Then…. There's no reason why he wouldn’t accept my little sister Yao Ying…. And, also her good sisters Qian Mo and Bing Yao…. I mean… if it was possible…. You two….you two please help Yao Ying…. They have been yearning him for years….”