Chapter 90
The Cangyun Realm, no matter how you look at it, resembles a game world.
Thus, Chen Huai'an was certain that the electronic girlfriend game on his phone was what the bearded man referred to as a "companion spirit" (伴生灵物, bàn shēng líng wù).
As for whether the cultivation world within the electronic girlfriend was real, he remained skeptical.
Seeing is believing, after all.
He certainly hoped that Li Qingran was a real person.
But sometimes, holding onto too much hope isn’t a good thing.
It means that when reality contradicts expectations, one must pay a heavy mental price.
Noticing Chen Huai'an's silence, the bearded man thought he was lost in confusion about his path, and he understood that well. Many revivers felt bewildered when faced with this issue, so he patted Chen Huai'an on the shoulder:
"This world is becoming increasingly chaotic; everything we protect could shatter at any moment."
On the sidewalk, elementary school students, just out of class, held hands and sang nursery rhymes.
On a park bench, a couple embraced and kissed passionately.
The sun followed an elderly man carrying a vegetable basket, while a delivery guy helplessly watched the slow-moving old man and stopped his bike.
As Chen Huai'an observed all this, the bearded man's voice echoed in his ears:
"Why not join the Demon Slayer Division, Brother Huai'an? I can help you connect with some revivers who have healing abilities to see if they can address your cancer issue. The Demon Slayer Division is not what it used to be. Have you heard of the Tona Method? It’s like the cultivation techniques in novels, capable of absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for personal use. Right now, only our Demon Slayer Division has it."
"Of course, from my perspective, I don’t want you to join the Demon Slayer Division for these benefits. I hope you join for the mission!"
"To protect our homeland, to safeguard humanity, to uphold a peaceful life!"
After finishing his speech, the bearded man glanced at Chen Huai'an out of the corner of his eye.
This was the training rhetoric of the Demon Slayer Division.
Usually, at this point, if a reviver was listening, they would show some emotional response.
Especially for young people like Chen Huai'an, who loved to hear such passionate words.
However...
The bearded man noticed that Chen Huai'an was completely expressionless!!!
"Thank you for sharing those words with me, and for your invitation."
Chen Huai'an scratched his head, still smiling, but his words lacked humor.
"How should I put it? You know, my parents died in a forest fire. I was supposed to receive 200,000 yuan in compensation, but due to various strange reasons, only 20,000 made it to me.
These years have been tough. Just when I thought I could finally make it after getting into college and waiting to graduate, I found out I had late-stage cancer. The hospital only asked if I had insurance or money; if not, I had to find the money first, or they wouldn’t treat me.
My girlfriend cheated on me and dumped me when she found out I had cancer..."
The bearded man looked at the young man bathed in sunlight, struggling to find the right words: "You think the world is unfair? So..."
"No, I think the world is quite fair," Chen Huai'an shook his head. "It's reasonable to wait for death if you can't afford treatment; it's normal for compensation to be delayed for various reasons, and it's understandable for a girlfriend to leave when her boyfriend has cancer, right?"
"And you?"
"I just feel that in my most desperate moments, this world didn’t embrace me.
If I were to turn around and embrace this world right now, I would feel disgusted."
Chen Huai'an looked at the bearded man, the light in his eyes flickering.
Yet the bearded man felt that the young man sitting in the sunlight seemed to radiate a sense of lifelessness.
"Uncle, what you’re protecting is your world. But my world isn’t worth protecting yet."
...
At the end of the street, Chen Huai'an's figure, dragging a suitcase, gradually faded into the distance.
He turned back, smiled, and waved goodbye, then turned again, blending into the crowd like countless others.
The bearded man sat silently on the steps, smoking one cigarette after another, the words Chen Huai'an left behind still echoing in his ears.
"I won’t be joining the Demon Slayer Division; at least for now, I can’t find a reason to join, nor do I see the mission you mentioned. But if you need help, you can find me, even though I don’t know if I can be of any assistance."
The red light turned green.
The bearded man extinguished his cigarette and merged into the crowd.
He didn’t return to the Demon Slayer Division; he just wanted to wander around.
To see the people living under the same sky, yet existing in different worlds.
...
...
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Chapter 96: It's All Real (She Taijun from Xuehe Tower +1)
"Oh no, I forgot something!"
After arriving at his new place—a duplex apartment near Wetland Park with a monthly rent of 2,000 yuan—Chen Huai'an suddenly remembered.
"Didn’t that uncle say there’s a bounty for killing monsters? Since I haven’t joined the Demon Slayer Division, I can still be considered a freelance demon slayer, right?"
He had no idea how much that black-haired rat was worth.
Such a weak monster probably wouldn’t fetch much.
It was likely only a few thousand yuan at most.
"But that’s not a big deal. There are plenty of monsters around. Even if it’s just a thousand bucks each, as long as I kill enough, the money will naturally accumulate."
Thinking of this made Chen Huai'an feel a rush of excitement—finally, he could earn money in a way he preferred.
Not joining the Demon Slayer Division but still being able to claim bounties at Longteng Internet Cafe, living freely while reaping benefits—how delightful!
Just as he was lost in thought, his phone rang.
He opened it to find an unfamiliar number.
"Hello? Who is this?"
【Brother Huai'an~】 A familiar voice came from the other end.
"Uncle? How did you get my number?"
【I saved it when I checked your phone at the security bureau... but that’s not important. I’m calling to let you know that I’ve contacted a reviver who can treat your cancer. Come by in three days.】
"Uh, but I haven’t joined the Demon Slayer Division."
【No worries, I can’t just watch you die. I’ve already called you 'brother.'】
"Isn’t it a bit troublesome for others...?"
【It’s free.】
"Okay, I’ll go!"
Chen Huai'an agreed without hesitation.
As long as it’s free, nothing else matters!
【Then it’s set for the day after tomorrow at 9 AM, third floor of Longteng Internet Cafe.】
The bearded man seemed to know exactly how to handle Chen Huai'an, his words laced with a barely perceptible smile.
"Okay, no problem."
The two chatted a bit more about the bounty for the black-haired rat.
Chen Huai'an realized he had gotten it wrong; the bounty for the black-haired rat was as high as 20,000 yuan, but that was because the rat had already been smashed to bits and was unrecoverable. If the complete body had been preserved, the bounty could have doubled.
This money would be transferred to the bearded man after the application was submitted and approved.
The bearded man would then pass it on to Chen Huai'an without any deductions.
...
【Alright, I’ll hang up now.】
The bearded man pressed the hang-up button, not saying anything more.
He was still on the bustling street.
But he gradually came to understand something.
While it was disappointing that Chen Huai'an wouldn’t join the Demon Slayer Division, as long as he felt that there was genuine warmth in the world, one day he would be moved, and he would join the Demon Slayer Division.
"Tsk tsk, the old ginger is still the spiciest; I’m truly a genius!"
The bearded man praised his own cleverness.
His earlier frustration dissipated, and he couldn’t help but think of the sword-wielding youth he was supposed to connect with at Li Lao’s place.
"Chen Huai'an may have missed his chance for now, but that sword-wielding kid must not be overlooked. He’s the hope for our Tianfu District!"
The bearded man thought to himself, clenching his fists.
Chen Huai'an's resistance stemmed from his dark past, but that sword-wielding kid surely didn’t have an unfortunate family, a terminal illness, or a cheating girlfriend, right?
"If the world really had such coincidences, I’d eat shit upside down!"
...
...
"Sigh, there are still many good people in this world." Chen Huai'an put down his phone, feeling a wave of emotion. It was a pity that good people appeared only after he became a reviver; otherwise, he would have been deeply touched.
He plugged his phone into the charger.
Chen Huai'an tidied up the room a bit.
First, he took the talisman off the storage box and stuck it on the door. Previously, it was just for decoration, but now he understood its purpose and treated it as a defense against monster invasions.
Then he opened the storage box.
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