Antique Shop Zero: Disfigured School Beauty Becomes a Succubus to Pay Off Debts

A voice rang in Xiao Chaosheng's mind:

"She's dead."

Xiao Chaosheng stared in astonishment at his sleeping mother in front of him:

"Dead...dead?"

The voice in my mind was full of seduction:

"But I can save her life, at the cost of... you living here forever, in this world with a mother."

Xiao Chaosheng didn't understand, but a huge fear welled up in his eyes, and he shook his head:

"No, she can't die!"

The voice in my mind continued:

"Then, let her live!"

What you want most is... Mom, isn't it?

Think about it, how much suffering you've endured in your life.

Hehehe, your Dao heart was shattered long ago, wasn't it?

In your human terms, this is called a mental illness.

Difficulty empathizing?

Hehehehe, if it were me, I'd go crazy too.

Do you not know what's going to happen to you next?

让我来告诉你。

After your mother passed away, you lost all your emotions.

In the orphanage, you became the target of everyone's ostracism; even the most loving teacher despised your cold-heartedness.

Later, you went to an even poorer mountain village. The family there favored sons over daughters and wanted you to take the surname Liu so that they could carry on their family line.

Tsk tsk tsk, how could they possibly know what kind of monster they adopted?

They were afraid, afraid of your heartlessness, and that you had been abandoned, like a stray puppy no one wanted.

Later on, you became the manager of Antique Shop Zero.

do you know?

Aside from possessing extraordinary power, those forbidden items were nothing but sources of unresolved resentment.

You sheltered these heartbroken children, sheltered these puppies who had also been abandoned by the world.

The voice shifted from mockery to sympathy, and said softly:

"Why should I?"

You've taken in those who feel resentment, but who will take in yours?

Xiao Chaosheng couldn't understand the meaning of those words; he just held Liu Niu's body and cried.

The voice coughed awkwardly twice:

"Okay, none of that matters."

The important question is, do you want your mother to come back to life?

Xiao Chaosheng burst into tears, nodding frantically:

"Yes, I want it! I don't want anything else, I just want my mom to be with me!"

The voice laughed:

"Okay, good boy."

From today onwards, you have a mother again, so enjoy it.

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Niu's eyelids twitched.

Disbelief was evident in Liu Niu's eyes.

Suddenly, the little one rushed into his arms, tears soaking his chest.

Liu Niu looked at Xiao Chaosheng in her arms with a face full of love, and gently patted Xiao Chaosheng's back:

"Little Chaosheng, why are you crying?"

Xiao Chaosheng raised his teary eyes:

"I thought I'd never see my mom again!"

Liu Niu wiped away Xiao Chaosheng's tears and said with a smile:

"Mom is just asleep."

Don't cry, a real man doesn't cry.

"How about Mom takes you to the riverbank tomorrow?"

Xiao Chaosheng nodded tearfully.

......

The next day, by the river.

Liu Niu rolled up her trouser legs and skillfully set up a fishing trap by the river.

The small fish were trapped in the trap, bumping around aimlessly like headless flies.

Xiao Chaosheng clapped his hands:

"Mom is amazing!"

Liu Niu looked at the small tide rising on the shore and said with a grin:

"Little Chaosheng, come down and catch fish with Mommy!"

"Alright!"

Xiao Chaosheng patted his pants, pretending to go into the water.

At that moment, a mournful sigh echoed in my mind:

"Are you really willing to be trapped in this illusion?"

Xiao Chaosheng was stunned for a moment.

This voice is completely different from the one from last night.

The voice last night was full of malice and deceit.

That voice... was full of authority.

Xiao Chaosheng asked:

"And who are you?"

The voice echoed in my mind:

"Want to know? Then come and meet me."

The next second, Xiao Chaosheng fainted.

He had a dream, a very real and bizarre dream.

......

Inside the ancient tower, candles flickered.

Xiao Chaosheng looked around at everything in surprise.

Aren't I catching fish with my mother?

How did I end up here?

"Sa...Sa...Sa..."

The sound of a broom sweeping across the ground rang out.

Xiao Chaosheng followed the sound and the steps, heading up the tower.

He saw a man dressed in a black robe sweeping the steps.

Xiao Chao asked with a question in his mind:

Who are you?

The man in black robes said in a muffled voice:

"I am Tang Sanzang, and I am sweeping the pagoda."

Xiao Chaosheng blinked his eyes:

"Are you stupid? Who sweeps from bottom to top?"

The man in black robes remained silent and continued sweeping the tower.

Dust settled at his feet and fell onto the next step.

Xiao Chaosheng was choked by the dust. He covered his mouth and nose, looked back down at the dusty steps:

"Didn't you just sweep for nothing?"

The man in black robes paused in his movements:

"It wasn't a complete waste of time; at least the steps where I'm standing are clean."

Xiao Chaosheng was puzzled:

"What's the point?"

The man in black robes turned around, revealing a face that Xiao Chaosheng recognized very well.

That face was exactly the same as my face when I grew up.

Hey?

How do I know what I'll look like when I grow up?

The man in black robes looked down at the clean steps and said:

"It's clean now."

The man in black robes looked down:

"The filth below belongs to the past."

The man in black robes crouched down, and affectionately tapped Xiao Chaosheng's forehead with his finger. (Chapter 201, "Tang Sanzang Sweeps the Pagoda," updated! Read now!)

I know that your life has been difficult.

But Xiao Chaosheng, you must live in the present.

Xiao Chaosheng frowned as the black-robed man's fingers touched him.

"No matter how dirty the past was, it's the past."

The man in black robes looked down at his feet:

"It's good that it's clean now."

The man in black robes turned his head to look at the uncleaned steps behind him:

"The future is uncertain, and even when I'm alone, I can't see it clearly."

The important thing is that every step you take is clean, and every step is in the present moment.

The man in black robes turned around again, looked at Xiao Chaosheng, and patted his head:

"You should do the same, learn from Tang Sanzang sweeping the pagoda, and live in the present moment."

The cunning and treacherous are masters of manipulating people's hearts; I was once tricked by him.

You mustn't follow in my footsteps.

A mysterious power slowly emerged from the black-robed man's hand.

The confusion in Xiao Chaosheng's eyes gradually faded, replaced by determination and maturity.

Jiang Chaosheng is back.

Xiao Chaosheng squinted at the man in black robes:

"The last emperor?"

The man in black robes laughed:

"Yes, that's what they used to call me."

Xiao Chaosheng asked:

"Who exactly are you? Which emperor in history are you?"

The man in black robes smiled and said:

"Yin Shou, my generation called me Di Xin, and later generations... called me King Zhou."

Xiao Chaosheng looked enlightened:

"It really was you!"

From the moment Daji addressed me as "husband," I wondered if I resembled Emperor Xin.

The man in black robes fell silent:

"Daji..."

I have wronged many people in my life.

Daji is the one I owe the most.

Chao Sheng, I hope you can treat her well.

I know your code of conduct.

Daji is very useful; you shouldn't let her down.

The man in black uttered the word "betrayed" with great force.

Xiao Chaosheng's eyes narrowed again:

"From what you're saying, the so-called betrayal doesn't mean betraying her feelings."

Let me guess, in the future, will Daji sacrifice her life to bring me to my doom?

"Does 'don't let me down' mean you want me to accept Daji's sacrifice of her life?"

The man in black robes paused, looking at Jiang Chaosheng in surprise:

"You are very clever. Daji is a gift I left for you."

A hint of mockery appeared in Xiao Chaosheng's eyes:

"Daji was truly devoted to you, and yet you wanted her dead?"

The man in black robes remained silent for a moment:

"I love her, but for the sake of this world, I must betray her love."

The man in black robes looked up at the sky and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

"The Emperor's primary duty is to serve all living beings; I can only be... a lonely ruler!"

A mocking smile slowly curved Xiao Chaosheng's lips:

"I will let her down."

The man in black robes frowned and looked at Xiao Chaosheng:

"Judging from your principles of conduct, Daji's magic is of immense benefit to you."

Why are you unwilling to devour the Nine-Tailed Demon Core and inherit Daji's "Human Peak" power?

Xiao Chaosheng said quietly:

"Human Peak? I can cultivate on my own; I don't need to exchange it for the life of a pitiful, lovelorn woman."

The man in black robes paused for a moment, then smiled with satisfaction:

"You really are like me."

Xiao Chaosheng frowned:

"I am not like you, nor am I you."

The man in black robes nodded:

You are better than me.

Xiao Chaosheng smiled confidently.

"Whether I am your reincarnation or someone else, I am not you."

Of course I'm better than you. You died before you could do what you wanted to do.

But what you couldn't do, I can do.

The man in black robes smiled and shook his head:

"Yes, you are not alone."

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Both the man in black robes and Jiang Chaosheng were processing the information from this conversation.

The man in black robes suddenly asked:

Have you ever been in love?

After your mother passed away, it seemed like you didn't love anyone.

Xiao Chaosheng was silent for a moment, then said honestly:

"I love no one but her."

He tried very hard to love the members of the Taboo Society, but...

It's more like liking, but it's far from love.

"Hahahaha..."

The man in black robes burst into laughter:

"We are very similar in this respect."

We may not love any one person, but we love everyone in the world!

Xiao Chaosheng frowned, his eyes narrowing sharply:

"I don't love anyone, not even the whole world."

The man in black robes looked at Xiao Chaosheng with a mocking expression:

"You won the debate with the evil Qilin."

Do you know why you won?

Because you are viewing Paradise Lost from the perspective of all humanity.

Xiao Chaosheng chuckled:

"It was just a fluke that I won."

The man in black robes became serious:

"You bear the burden of my karma, your fate is uncertain, but you will shoulder my responsibilities."

"The tide is rising; changes are coming. You need to be prepared."

Xiao Chaosheng frowned and asked:

"What exactly is this variable that you and Emperor 0-01 were talking about?"

The man in black shook his head:

"I cannot say it now, because if I did, you would despair."

All the answers are hidden in forbidden things.

The moment you find the answer, you will have enough conviction to face an almost certain defeat.

Xiao Chaosheng really hates the riddle of the last emperor and the forbidden sculpture!

The man in black robes pondered for a moment:

"I hope you will treat that statue well and not deprive it of the soul power it needs."

Although he was the one who took the opportunity to kill me when he deceived and bewitched me, he is still my only friend.