Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

Bai Yu sighed; it seemed he wouldn't get any useful information from Tarn. Cheng Yu, in his spirit form, patted him on the shoulder in comfort. Although Cheng Yu's arm went right through his shoulder, Bai Yu could still feel the weight of that concern. Bai Yu nodded, indicating he was alright, and then the two bid farewell to Tarn and left the Minotaur tribe.

On his way back to the Spear Tavern, Bai Yu's mind was still replaying the disappearance of Tarn. However, he quickly put the matter aside for the time being, deciding that instead of wasting time on Tarn, he should look for new clues from Cheng Yu. After all, Cheng Yu seemed to know something he didn't.

Back at the tavern, Bai Yu invited Cheng Yu to the barn for a private chat. Cheng Yu readily agreed, feeling that revealing some information about himself wouldn't hurt, since Bai Yu already knew quite a few of his secrets.

Soon, Cheng Yu arrived at the barn. Bai Yu was sitting on a bed in the now completely transformed barn. The barn used to be filled with hay bales, but now, the hay had been removed and replaced with various pieces of furniture, including a bed, table, and chairs. It was impossible to tell that this was originally a barn for storing hay.

As soon as Cheng Yu arrived, he couldn't help but exclaim, "The changes here are truly remarkable!"

Bai Yu nodded in agreement. He hadn't expected Chet to be so capable, managing to renovate the place so well. He really should owe Chet a favor.

Afterward, the two stopped chatting about other topics and sat together on the special bed made by Bai Yu's two dragon-shaped masters.

Instead of starting with casual conversation to ease the tension, Bai Yu went straight to the point. His first question was about Cheng Yu's claim of seeing gods in Hell. He wanted to know how Cheng Yu had met those gods and what his relationship with them was.

Cheng Yu nodded and told Bai Yu about the two gods he had met. These two gods were his master and friend, respectively, and both were very important to him. He met his master after a great flood, who took him as his disciple and taught him various knowledge and skills. The other god was someone he met in a special space due to an accident. They went through many things together, which taught Cheng Yu a great deal.

"Your master? What kind of god is he?" Bai Yu asked curiously.

“He…He is a very powerful god. I still don’t know how powerful He is, but unfortunately He can’t leave that place.” Cheng Yu recalled, “He taught me a lot of things, including how to control the direction of the story, how to depict a wonderful story, and how to use pen and ink to draw a grand story.”

"And what about the other god? How did you two meet?" Bai Yu continued to ask.

“He…he is a white dragon, and to this day I still don’t know what kind of god He is. He just told me some stories,” Cheng Yu said. “We met in a place called the ‘Forgotten Land.’ It’s a very special place where space is extremely fragmented, and even time is disordered. There is no probability of time or space. We lived there together for a while, and He couldn’t leave either.”

"The Forgotten Lands? What's that? It sounds interesting. I'd love to go there!" Bai Yu asked.

“It’s a place that is… hard to describe in words,” Cheng Yu said. “You can think of it as a huge remnant of a divine war. That’s why it’s so chaotic. But you have the ability to travel through time and space. I don’t know if you will be affected there, or if you have any way to influence it.”

"That sounds amazing," Bai Yu said. "So what did you experience there?"

“We went through… a lot,” Cheng Yu said. “But I don’t want to recall those experiences; it will only make my heart ache more.”

"That sounds dangerous. And is that white dragon important to you?" Bai Yu asked.

“Yes, it’s very dangerous. The White Dragon is very important to me, and I don’t know why,” Cheng Yu said somewhat dejectedly. “I’ve been trying to find a way to get back there.”

"Do you miss that time?" Bai Yu asked.

“Yes, I miss it very much,” Cheng Yu said. “It was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life.”

"Do you know the coordinates there? Just give me a general description, and maybe I can help you get back?" Bai Yu asked.

“I…I don’t know,” Cheng Yu said. “I haven’t been back since I left there. As I just said, the space there is very chaotic, so…”

"Ah, what a pity! Such a magical place, I really want to go and see it. Maybe I can ask my master about it in a while."

Cheng Yu shook his head, indicating that the "Forgotten Land" was no interesting place, and he would never return there if it weren't for rescuing Ao Lian. Only Bai Yu would think it was interesting.

Bai Yu smiled and said nothing more. He had obtained the information he wanted, and Cheng Yu saw no need to stay any longer. Cheng Yu then left the barn.

After leaving the barn, Cheng Yu happened to see Hakan. Hakan was leading another Cheng Yu in slime form. Upon seeing Cheng Yu in his soul form, Hakan quickly walked over, wanting to hug Cheng Yu as well, but his body passed right through Cheng Yu's soul.

Hakan looked at Cheng Yu with some disappointment, then asked him if there was any way to stop himself from being a spirit. He didn't want to always be unable to touch his partner.

Cheng Yu, somewhat speechless, punched Hakan in the chest, but the transparent fist passed right through. In his soul form, Cheng Yu couldn't do anything, and he genuinely wanted to return to physical form. So, he started thinking of a way. Perhaps he could try the demon's method again, soul parasitism, but Cheng Yu didn't seem to know that magic.

Cheng Yu paced back and forth, while Hakan watched his partner from the side. After a long while, Cheng Yu finally came up with a plan. Although he didn't know the magic of soul parasitism, the "story's" version of him might not be.

So, Cheng Yu used his "storytelling" ability, and then he took out his last monster photograph—a picture of a gargoyle. He threw the photograph into the air, where it spun and danced, emitting a faint magical glow.

The moment the photograph landed, a gargoyle nearly three meters tall appeared before them. The gargoyle was entirely composed of gray rock, its wings spread, exuding a majestic, guardian-like aura. Surprisingly, this gargoyle began to merge with Cheng Yu's spirit form. The gray rock, like flowing water, enveloped Cheng Yu's transparent body, gradually solidifying and ultimately forming a lifelike gargoyle.

The gargoyle opened its eyes, and the sound it emitted was no longer the intermittent whispers of a soul, but a very coherent sound—it was Cheng Yu's voice.

"I did it!" Cheng Yu moved the gargoyle's body, feeling the wonderful sensation of regaining its physical form.

Looking at Cheng Yu, the gargoyle in front of him, Hakan became even more excited. He grabbed Cheng Yu in his slime form and shouted excitedly, "Haha! Now I have two wives!"

Having materialized, Cheng Yu angrily punched Hakan with his gargoyle fist. Hakan clutched his head, feeling a sharp pain. Before he could react, he received another punch from the slime Cheng Yu in the stomach. It seemed he had forgotten that he wasn't in charge in this house. With two Cheng Yus around, his status would likely be even lower.

Hakan looked at the gargoyle Cheng Yu with a pitiful expression, his eyes seeming to say, "Wife, why did you hit me?" Cheng Yu turned his head away, tossing out, "Don't say such crazy things in public anymore. People will think my partner is insane." Then he added, "This punch won't be for nothing. I'll make it up to you later." Hearing this, Hakan finally cheered up a little and scurried over to Cheng Yu's side.

However, the punch that Hakan received was interpreted differently by others. At the same time Hakan was being punched by Cheng Yu, the small and adorable Chet was just about to head out to find ingredients for making incense. He happened to witness Hakan being punched by a giant gargoyle. Chet screamed in terror; in his mind, it looked like a monster was about to attack their tavern. He scrambled back to the tavern, breathless, and told everyone the news.

"The...the monsters are attacking the tavern!" Chet shouted in terror.

The tavern erupted into chaos as the orcs, led by Snow, grabbed their weapons and rushed out warily. Little Chet hid behind them, only his tiny head peeking out, staring fearfully at the giant gargoyles outside.

Seeing this commotion and sensing their apparent hostility towards him, Cheng Yu immediately realized it was a misunderstanding! He raised his hand, intending to tell everyone to stop and listen to his explanation. But to Snow, his gesture looked like he was preparing to attack.

"Charge! Protect the tavern!" Snow gave the order, and several of the tavern's drunkards, who usually looked tipsy, were now unusually excited, howling as they charged forward. For their favorite drinks, they had to drive this monster out!

Hakan, who was standing at the back, finally realized that he had misunderstood something. He rushed in front of Cheng Yu and shouted, "Stop! It's all a misunderstanding!" Unfortunately, his voice was drowned out by the noise.

Seeing that the drunkards were about to rush towards Cheng Yu, Hakan had no choice but to take action. He was agile and swift, knocking the drunkards to the ground with a clean and decisive punch.

In this situation, only his explanation could clear up the misunderstanding. Hakan quickly recounted the whole story to Snow. After listening, Snow looked at the gargoyle Cheng Yu behind Hakan in astonishment. He hadn't expected that Cheng Yu had turned into a demon again.

Snow recalled the benefits that Cheng Yu the slime had brought him, and then he began to wonder if this gargoyle Cheng Yu would also bring him some benefits. However, as the boss, he ultimately gave up on this idea.

"Since it's a misunderstanding, let's call it a day," Snow announced with a wave of his hand. Hearing this, everyone realized there was no more excitement to be had, and dispersed, returning to their respective posts.

The crowd dispersed, but Chet didn't leave. He approached Cheng Yu with a mixture of fear and curiosity. The slime Cheng Yu had already surprised him, and now this gargoyle Cheng Yu made him even more curious about Cheng Yu's identity. He cautiously extended his little paw, slowly bringing it closer to the gargoyle Cheng Yu's skin. The rough texture, like rock, strangely dispelled his fear, instead arousing his even greater interest. "Wow, how amazing!" Chet exclaimed excitedly, "Cheng Yu, you're so incredible! You always surprise me!" He now had a new thought: Cheng Yu was indeed an interesting fellow.

Seeing Chet's expression, Hakan immediately became jealous and shoved Chet away. "What kind of look is that? What do you want?" he asked in a harsh tone. Although he knew that Chet wasn't actually in love with Cheng Yu—after all, the kid already had his own goals and couldn't possibly have feelings for anyone else—Hakan still couldn't help feeling jealous. He wouldn't allow anyone to touch his crush, even if it was just out of curiosity.

Chet was pushed so hard he almost fell. He steadied himself, showing no anger, but instead looked at Cheng Yu with even more excitement. "Cheng Yu, could I use this body to study you sometime?" he asked eagerly. "I can definitely give you a satisfactory deal, like half price on everything you buy from me!"

Bai Yu, who was inside the barn, was also drawn out by the commotion. Seeing the gargoyle monster that had suddenly appeared before him, he felt a mixture of surprise and wariness. However, upon recognizing Cheng Yu, his wariness immediately turned into delight and confusion. "Cheng Yu, what happened to you?" he asked curiously. "Can you change back?"

Cheng Yu looked at Bai Yu, then at Hakan and Chet, and sighed helplessly. "It's a long story..." He briefly explained what had happened, and then said, "I'm actually quite good in my current state, at least I don't have to worry about turning back into a soul."

“But…” Hakan said somewhat discontentedly, “It’s uncomfortable to hold him like this!”

"Shut up!" Cheng Yu glared at him. "Don't I hug it when it's in slime form too?"

Hakan shut his mouth, feeling wronged, and dared not say anything more. He secretly glanced at the slime Cheng Yu, who was looking at him with disgust, making him even more hesitant to act rashly.