Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

"Damn it... this can't go on like this..." Ao Lian frowned as he looked at the chaotic situation before him. He knew he couldn't stand idly by any longer. He had only wanted to stay with Cheng Yu and enjoy this moment of peace, but now he had to take action and resolve the crisis.

Suddenly, a long sword appeared out of thin air in Aolian's hand. The sword was slender and emitted a dazzling, holy light. As soon as the sword appeared, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and a powerful pressure spread out.

“That is…” Cheng Yu’s eyes flashed with surprise when he saw the long sword in Ao Lian’s hand.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ao Lian swung her longsword, and a sharp sword aura shot out, like a bolt of lightning slicing through the sky, carrying an overwhelming force as it slashed towards the circular platform beneath the man's feet.

"Rumble--"

A deafening roar rang out, causing the entire hall to tremble violently. The sturdy circular platform, under Ao Lian's sword energy, was easily cleaved in two like tofu!

As the platform shattered, the once-shining runes quickly dimmed and eventually disappeared. The magic circle, which was about to take shape, collapsed as if it had lost its support.

"This..." Cheng Yu stared in shock at the scene before him. He knew Ao Lian was strong, after all, she was a god, but he never expected that Ao Lian would be so powerful! With just one sword strike, she completely destroyed that mysterious magic array!

Bai Yu glanced at the white dragon behind him, a look of expectation on his face. From the moment he learned that Ao Lian was a deity, he knew that this journey would be completely safe. Therefore, he remained calm, quietly waiting for Ao Lian to make her move.

"What...what did you do?!" The man stared at the destroyed platform, his face filled with disbelief. He roared, his voice brimming with anger and resentment.

"Huh...huh..."

Just then, a series of rapid, panting breaths came from behind.

Cheng Yu quickly turned his head to look and saw Ao Lian bent over, her hands supporting her knees, panting heavily, looking completely exhausted.

"Aolian! Are you alright?" Cheng Yu rushed over, helped Aolian up, and asked with concern.

"I...I'm fine..." Aolian shook her head and said weakly, "I'm just...a little tired...I need...a rest..."

Cheng Yu looked at Ao Lian's pale face, his heart filled with worry. He knew that the reason Ao Lian was like this must be because that sword strike had drained too much of his strength.

"This guy... his acting is terrible..." Bai Yu couldn't help but think to himself as he watched Ao Lian's clumsy performance. "Anyone can tell he's acting..."

However, Cheng Yu didn't notice any of this. He hugged Ao Lian tightly with a look of heartache, gently patted his back, and comforted him, "It's okay, it's okay. You rest for a bit, leave the rest to me..."

"Mmm..." Ao Lian responded softly, rested her head on Cheng Yu's shoulder, and closed her eyes.

"You...you all..." The man trembled with rage at the sight of this seemingly loving couple. "You...how dare you...ruin my plans! I...I will never let you get away with this!"

Just then, the entire space suddenly began to shake violently, like an earthquake.

"What's going on?!" Bai Yu exclaimed in surprise.

“The space… is starting to collapse…” Cheng Yu said, his expression turning serious.

“It seems… we don’t have time…” Bai Yu said.

As soon as he finished speaking, the man who was standing there, the circular platform that had been cut in half, and Bowen all shattered and disappeared instantly, like a mirror!

Immediately afterwards, a familiar figure appeared in front of the three of them.

That's... extensive knowledge!

"Are you... alright?" Bowen asked the three of them with concern.

"We're fine..." Cheng Yu shook his head. "What about you? How are you?"

“I’m fine…” Bowen said. “Just now… that was just an illusion…”

"An illusion?" Bai Yu asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"All of this... was an illusion I created..." Bowen said, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "Including that 'senior brother,' that magic circle, and myself... In fact, from the very beginning, it was just me..."

"What?!" The three of them were shocked when they heard Bowen's words.

"Surprised?" Bowen chuckled, looking at the shocked expressions on the three faces. "You guys... are really easy to fool... you couldn't even see through such a simple illusion..."

"Why...why did you do this?" Cheng Yu asked.

"Why?" A hint of melancholy flashed in Bowen's eyes. "Because... I'm bored..."

"Bored?" Bai Yu frowned. "Just because we're bored... you've trapped us here... playing with us?"

"Otherwise what?" Bowen retorted. "In this boring world... we have to find some fun, right?"

"You...!" Bai Yu was so angry at Bo Wen's words that he couldn't speak.

"Alright, don't be angry..." Bowen waved his hand and said, "The game is over... I should go too..."

"Where are you going?" Cheng Yu asked.

"Where to?" Bowen smiled. "Of course...to the next place...to continue my 'game'..."

After he finished speaking, Bowen's figure gradually became blurred.

"Wait!" Cheng Yu shouted hurriedly, "You haven't told us... about the fragments yet!"

“Fragments?” Bowen paused for a moment. “Oh, right, and those three damn fragments…”

"What exactly do you know?" Bai Yu asked.

“I know… a lot…” Bowen said, “but… why should I tell you?”

"You...!" Bai Yu gritted his teeth in anger.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you guys..." Bowen said, "Since you've played with me for so long... I'll give you a hint..."

"What hint?" Cheng Yu asked.

“To find the fragments… you need… ‘An Actor Prepares’…” Bowen said, his gaze falling on the book in Cheng Yu’s hand.

"This book?" Cheng Yu was taken aback. "What...what is the purpose of this book?"

"Its uses... are very significant..." Bowen said, "As for how to use it specifically... you'll have to figure that out yourselves..."

"You...!" Bai Yu wanted to say something, but Cheng Yu stopped him.

“Never mind, Bai Yu…” Cheng Yu shook his head, “It seems… he really doesn’t want to tell us…”

"Hmph!" Bai Yu snorted coldly and turned his head away.

"Alright, everyone, goodbye..." Bowen said, "I hope... we'll have a chance to meet again..."

After saying that, Bowen's figure completely disappeared into the air.

"Damn it!" Bai Yu cursed as he looked at the spot where Bo Wen had disappeared.

"What do we do now?" Aolian lifted her head from Cheng Yu's embrace and asked.

"Let's get out of here first..." Cheng Yu said, "This space... is about to collapse..."

"Hmm..." Bai Yu and Ao Lian nodded.

The three turned around and walked back the way they came.

However, when they returned to the library, they found that the exit that led to the outside had disappeared!

"How could this be?!" Bai Yu exclaimed in surprise.

“It seems…we’re trapped here…” Cheng Yu said, his expression turning serious.

"Then... what should we do?" Aolian asked.

“Don’t worry…” Cheng Yu said, “Since Bo Wen said that ‘An Actor Prepares’ is the key to finding the fragments… then let’s… study this book first…”

After saying that, Cheng Yu opened the book "An Actor Prepares" in his hand.

However, when he turned the pages, he found that there wasn't a single word inside!

"What...what's going on?" Cheng Yu said in surprise, "This book...why is it blank?"

"Let me see..." Bai Yu leaned closer, took the book from Cheng Yu's hand, examined it carefully, and then said, "Strange... This book... in my hand... is indeed blank..."

"Could it be...like before..." Aolian said, "that only those with magic...can see the contents of the book?"

“It’s possible…” Cheng Yu said, “I’ll try again…”

As he spoke, Cheng Yu took the book back, then closed his eyes, attempting to infuse his magic into it.

Just then, he suddenly felt a strange energy coming from the book and entering his body.

"Huh?" Cheng Yu was taken aback and quickly opened his eyes.

On the pages of the book in my hand, lines of text began to slowly appear.

The words appearing on the pages were not the theoretical knowledge Cheng Yu had expected, but a diary entry. A diary entry written in a childlike style, yet brimming with genuine feelings.

The first page of the diary prominently displays the title: "How to Become a Dragon Like the Teacher?"

Upon seeing the title, Cheng Yu felt a strange sensation. From these few words, he could deduce that the author of this diary was likely a student, and that the teacher he admired was probably a powerful dragon.

Driven by curiosity, Cheng Yu continued reading.

The diary entries are not complicated; they mainly praise and extol his teacher. Between the lines, one can feel the author's deep respect and admiration for his teacher.

"The teacher is the most powerful dragon in the world; he possesses unparalleled strength and wisdom..."

"The teacher's scales shine brighter than the hardest gemstones, and the teacher's breath can burn away all evil..."

"I must study hard and become a great dragon like my teacher!"

……

From the information revealed in the diary, Cheng Yu also learned that this teacher had a total of eleven students, and the owner of this diary seemed to be the one most favored by the teacher.

"My teacher praised me again today. He said I'm his smartest student and that I'll definitely become a magnificent dragon someday..."

"My teacher taught me a new spell today. Although I haven't fully mastered it yet, I believe that as long as I practice hard, one day I will be able to use all kinds of powerful magic as skillfully as my teacher..."

……

Looking at these contents, Cheng Yu quickly deduced that the owner of this diary was Bo Wen.

But why couldn't I see the contents of the book before? Could it be... that Bowen was deceiving them from the very beginning?

That's right, the owner of this diary is none other than Bowen. Combining the previous information, Cheng Yu could roughly guess the identities of the other ten classmates and that teacher.

If we categorize them according to Bowen's description of the "Baize School," "Dream God School," "Kuroze School," and himself, then eleven students plus one teacher would fit this number perfectly.

However, what puzzled Cheng Yu the most was that the diary used "teacher" and "student" to refer to each other, instead of the more commonly used "master" and "disciple" in this worldview.

This seemingly insignificant detail sent a chill down Cheng Yu's spine, and a bad premonition began to rise within him.

Ao Lian also noticed Cheng Yu's unusual behavior. Although he couldn't see the contents of the book, he could sense the tension emanating from Cheng Yu. He knew that this book must contain some important secret, and that this secret was likely to be detrimental to Cheng Yu.

Bai Yu stood to the side, equally curious about what was written in the book that made Cheng Yu so nervous.

Cheng Yu turned to the next page of the diary, but what he saw was a blank page.

Just as he was wondering, he noticed a signature at the end of the diary, with a line of small print:

"Please tell me your identity. Are you an actor, an audience member, or... _______?"

Upon seeing this question, Cheng Yu immediately understood that only by answering it would the content of the second diary entry appear. Moreover, it was very likely that this answer would also affect the content of the second diary entry.

Is this a trap?

Cheng Yu hesitated.

He didn't know how to answer that question.

He didn't know what would happen if he answered the question.

He had no idea where this mysterious diary would lead him.

In the end, Cheng Yu closed the book.

“I…I need to rest…” he said, his voice tinged with weariness. “I need to…think carefully…about what to do next…”

Ao Lian looked at Cheng Yu's exhausted appearance, his eyes filled with worry. He knew that Cheng Yu must have encountered some difficulties.

"Does this book...contain Cheng Yu's secret?" Bai Yu looked at Cheng Yu, unable to help but wonder, "He doesn't want us to know...could it be...that this secret...is related to him?"

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore..." Bai Yu shook his head, putting these chaotic thoughts to the back of his mind. "Since he doesn't want to talk about it, then I won't ask... Everyone has their own secrets... I'd better not pry..."

"Cheng Yu, are you alright?" Ao Lian walked to Cheng Yu's side and asked with concern.

"I'm fine..." Cheng Yu forced a smile, "I'm just... a little tired..."

"Then you should get some rest..." Aolian said, "This place... should be safe for now..."

"Hmm..." Cheng Yu nodded, found a corner, and sat down.

He closed his eyes and began to organize the information in his mind.

What secrets does this mysterious diary hold?

Why did Bowen bring them here?

Where exactly are those fragments?

What is the connection between him and Bowen? Why is he so determined to get closer to him?

Who exactly is that mysterious "senior brother"? Does he even exist?

Why did he open the door to another world?

All of this was like a tangled mess, swirling around Cheng Yu's mind.

He needs time to sort out these thoughts.

He needs time to find the answer.

He needs time... to face everything that is about to happen...