Forge a path to success

[Seeds are meant to wander, taking root and sprouting are not in a hurry. However, we are currently being coerced by evil forces, and we beg your help.]

"...?"

All three of them recalled the four-meter-tall giant egg. Ji Huaisu's lips twitched: "Are you talking about the Flying General Lü Bu...?"

"Please don't say that name, have mercy on me."

"Indeed." Shi Zhong's words were filled with sorrow. "You all don't know this, but we were captured by it on our very first day ashore. That Lü Bu is extremely cruel and ruthless, and he insisted on taking me to his headquarters. If I hadn't obeyed, I feared he would have devoured me!"

Ji Huaisu imagined for a long time what it would be like for the giant egg to gnaw on a tree: "What would the egg become if it ate the stone seed?"

"Stir-fried eggs with toon leaves?"

"Please show some respect to the Divine Tree!"

Chu Hengkong found the scene amusing, but he also realized that the egg's strength was unpredictable, and it was hard to say how it would fare in a fight. Thinking of this, an idea struck him.

We haven't seen it all day. The stone demon caused such a commotion, what was the egg doing?

Chapter 130 No Winter Without Hot Springs

"~~~"

The docks were deserted; not even a scavenger could be seen. The earthquake had brought the entire port to a standstill, and the wreckage of several ships had been washed ashore by the huge waves, resembling the carcasses of stranded whales.

The giant egg stood on the keel of a large ship, flipping through a small picture book wrinkled by water, humming an unknown lullaby, feeling like a captain.

It wields its shell claws like knives and forks, dissecting its prey, draining its energy, and even devouring its empty sac. Its food piles up in the stern of the ship, forming a high, black hill.

That's a demon.

The demon was tortured to the point of near death by being pierced.

More than 500 calamity-type creatures were pierced by pale white spikes, and the black mountain was composed of countless gruesome, crucifixion-like scenes. The giant egg would occasionally pluck a piece, humming a song as it ate it, happily enjoying its dinner.

Huaisu and his team's rescue operation actually went very smoothly, with very little interference from the lower-level natural disaster species, and this was the reason why. Nearly 90% of the demon ghouls had been hunted by the giant egg, which quietly began its hunt while the whole city was in chaos, starting and ending as silently as it did.

A pierced demon opened its severely deformed mouth and let out a mocking laugh: "How dazzling, you little helper! This matter clearly has nothing to do with you."

[This concerns me~] Giant Egg wrote leisurely, [Those people tried so hard, isn't it too much to fail? Good people should win, evil people should lose, the innocent should live, the perpetrators should be killed, and trash like you should be burned in hell. That's the ending a story should have, and I love happy endings the most.]

"Well said! I understand! I was a little worried when I saw you sneaking over here. It's so good that you haven't been polluted by the outside world!"

The demon let out a loud laugh, a monstrous sound completely oblivious to the offense of others, lost in its own self-absorption. It lowered its head to look at the giant egg, then changed the subject: "So, when are you going to come and kill me?"

[Will killing this messenger affect your main body?]

The demon smiled.

Would defeating it change your plans?

The demon responded with a wide smile.

【Then why should I waste my energy?】Ju Dan wrote casually, 【I care more about personal grudges than public grievances, and the most important thing is still fate! You can just keep rotting there, I'll definitely kill you one day.】

It drew out its bone claws and drained the demon, instantly severing the transmission of messages.

In a small café halfway out of the city, Vansalar put down his shadow phone, a smile on his face.

"This way and that way too, the young people these days are all so promising! They're much more impressive than the generation I was in, don't you think, Olek?"

The demon, who looked like a little boy, held a severed iron chain in his hand and pondered silently.

"They have no chance of breaking the chain of misfortune," it said.

Vansalar pointed to the other side of the table with both hands: "That impossible expression on their faces when their supposed absolute advantage is shattered—that's exactly what I want to see!"

“It has nothing to do with emotions, it’s a matter of status.” Olek remained unmoved. “Low-quality points cannot observe my chains.”

"Your split spirit's position is at most a point mass 3. It's not impossible that it could be burned out of its original form by the ambition fire that is also suppressed to level 3 output."

"Ambitious types are not worthy of hurting me."

The iron chains had a smooth, clean cut, revealing the swordsman's skill. Disciplined knights are inherently at odds with imaginary demons, and the symbolism of being the last knight further elevated her status. So, is it reasonable that she severed the chains by chance...?

impossible.

Vansalar touts the possibility of self-deception, but Olek never believes in miracles. Because he wields the power of misfortune, he knows that probability is a devil's game. There must be a reason behind the strangeness; someone is standing behind the little ones.

"You win the second round." Olek put down the chains. "It's a little different from what I originally expected. We'll see how things go..."

"I'm considering getting involved myself."

·

Spring breeze at the hot spring inn, inside the hot pot room.

“I understand the situation, so don’t worry. The city’s detective has connections everywhere; protecting you from an egg is no problem for him,” Vande rambled on. “But the detective used to be in the underworld, so you’ll have to pay protection money first if you want his help…”

"We really have no money left!" Gulibo pleaded, raising his paw.

[Could your employee handbook be used as protection money?] Shi Zhong thought seriously.

"Great idea! I'll just tell the editor I lost it on the way..." Gulibo was having a great idea when she froze. "Oh no! I was in such a rush when I ran out that I forgot my handbook!"

You're really lost.

Van der sneered: "Fine, we've come all this way to help but can't even earn enough for a meal. You might as well go feed the eggs!"

Chu Hengkong slammed Fan De flat onto the table with one hand, cleared his throat, and said, "Protection money isn't necessary. Actually, I need Shi Zhong's help..."

[Your fortuitous encounter allowed the true weapon to enter your body, and given your own courageous and diligent nature, you likely need me to vent your anger by creating a Dragon Tree Purifying Talisman. Your Lord of Huilong City is meticulous in his actions; I imagine you already had half a blueprint in mind before you arrived.]

Shi Zhong wrote with complete confidence, and Chu Hengkong, seeing this, held him in even higher regard: "Just as you said."

"The Ancient Dragon Tree has been an ally since ancient times, and helping you create the talisman is simply my duty. However, I haven't sprouted yet, and it will take at least several days to gather enough energy." The stone seed drew half a sketch on the ground. "If Detective Chu trusts me, you can leave the remaining half of the drawing with me. This might shorten the time to two days, perhaps allowing you to make it in time for your life-or-death duel."

Chu Heng thought for a moment and said, "Shi Zhong, do you think we've had good luck these past few days?"

【well. 】

“I think with my luck, it’s unlikely I’ll make it in time.” He smiled. “But the sooner the talisman is drawn, the better. Let’s do it this way.”

The stone seed extended two invisible vines and gently touched his back. Chu Hengkong immediately felt a surge of heat flow out, and his spine felt several degrees colder. However, the stone seed did not withdraw all its power; a portion of the leisurely dragon energy remained locked in his back, more than enough to restrict the Immortal Machine for two days.

Deep down, he once again raised his evaluation of the stone seed. There was indeed a reason why the Divine Tree could be cultivated into a path of cultivation. This technique of absorbing qi and extracting talismans was completely natural and without any trace of artifice. Even a high-quality expert could not achieve anything more than this. To sacrifice combat power in exchange for such a method is no less a powerful evolution.

Although it is indeed a vegetable... it doesn't seem like a big deal to call a vegetable a vegetable...

Gulibo thanked them profusely and dragged the stone seed to a house to rest. In the little animal's eyes, this was 100% sure; with the tentacle brother being so awesome, what was there to be afraid of?

As for the Tentacle Brother, there were still many problems to be solved. He looked at the last person in the house who was in trouble, Miss Qingye, who was still trembling with fear.

"Well,..." Chu Hengkong coughed twice, "Do either of you have a solution?"

"Hehehehehe," Qingye said.

"Hehehe," Ji Huaisu said.

The genius with a broken heart is still in her icy beauty state. The hotpot meal she just had warmed her spirits a little, but the physical effect was negligible. Right now, Miss Qingye's skin is a beautiful ice-blue, and she's shivering uncontrollably, covered in frost, looking like a tearful creature desperately needing warmth.

To warm herself, she had to turn to the nearest heat source, so she unconsciously clung to Huaisu's arm, struggling to stay warm. Huaisu, who had just begun to thaw, was chilled back down by this touch and started shivering uncontrollably. The sight of two beautiful young women, both with great figures and looks, huddled together shivering was certainly not very friendly to the opposite sex, and to avoid suspicion, Chu Hengkong had already started looking at the ceiling.

Vande, always eager for a good show, winked and egged them on: "Wasn't your hotpot tactic pretty good? The girls are freezing, can you lend them a light?"

"Shut up first."

Frozen Beauty No. 1 and Frozen Beauty No. 2 stared intently, their teeth chattering louder and louder. Chu Hengkong felt a chill run down his spine from their gaze and quickly used his Ambition Fire to coat his tentacles with a fiery cloak. Under precise control, the flames were contained within the tentacles and did not show on the outside, making them virtually warm.

The girls stared at the tentacles, their eyes filled with longing. The assassin, increasingly sensing something was wrong, extended the lit tentacle and moved far away: "Please keep your distance—"

Ji Huaisu's eyes lit up, and with the ferocity of a tiger pouncing on its prey, she snatched the tentacle. She hugged it tightly, breathing heavily from the warmth, "Ah... I'm alive... I feel warm all the way inside my body..."

"Shut up! Don't say another word! And don't rub against me anymore!"

"Damn, I've been freezing for half a day! They won't even lend me an arm, are they even brothers?!" Ji Huaisu clung to the fire, waving to Qingye in the corner, "Qingye, come here! It's okay, it's okay, it looks dirty but it's comfortable!"

Qingye huddled in the corner, shivering uncontrollably. She knew how warm the firelight was, and understood the other person's good intentions. But that slime… that strange sensation… and the odd feeling as it brushed against her skin… No matter what, for a single girl to actively seek out a man's tentacles was just too…!

However, the chill within her body was simply too intense, and reason constantly resisted speaking. Yet, Sister Huaisu, who had long since surrendered to the tentacles, seemed genuinely comfortable. Under the combined pressure of cold, temptation, perseverance, and liberation, the girl's face grew increasingly red, and she finally snapped.

She sat upright, maintaining the most basic courtesy, looking at the ground, and spoke in a barely audible voice.

"Could you please use your tentacles... to warm me...?"

The atmosphere in the room instantly became eerie.

By refusing the pleas of a vulnerable woman in dire straits, a man loses an important quality.

But if I agree to the request here... I'll lose something important about being human!

Conscience, instinct, and intellect were locked in a fierce struggle within his mind. The mysterious gaze cast by Vande further intensified the struggle. In a fraction of a second, Chu Hengkong made his decision!

·

"So...so comfortable..."

"See, if only we had done this earlier, we wouldn't have had to suffer like this~"

"I'm not as carefree as Sister Huaisu!"

"Hey~ Now you're worried about being naked, huh~?"

The knight lady kept fidgeting with her hands, her movements like an old man's. Not to be outdone, Qingye formed her hands into a claw shape: "My Flash Finger won't lose!"

"Strike first is the strongest!"

"There is a flaw!"

"Hey! You little girl, you really dare to do that!"

"It's your fault for being too big..."

A silvery laugh drifted through the steam, and the movement of her slender arms created glistening splashes of water. The air was thick with youthful energy, adding a touch of ambiguous warmth to the late autumn. Ji Huaisu, nestled in the pond, waved to the opposite side, "Don't peek!"

The backyard is separated from the interior by only a paper sliding door. A small hole is drilled at the bottom of the door, and silver tentacles dart out of the interior like snakes, heating the pool water at the extreme distance to create this small hot spring.

Chu Heng sat behind the door, intently studying the map. He could only look at the map now; the small lamp cast the girls' shadows onto the sliding door, and every time he looked up, he saw a face full of beautiful reflections.

Van Der, wearing an eye patch, huddled next to him, his tone desolate: "Sometimes I really don't know whether to say you're too normal or too crazy."

"You can be quiet."

“I can, but, buddy,” Vande secretly removed his blindfold and glanced at the map, “you’re holding it upside down.”

"..."

Chu Hengkong turned the map around and took a few deep breaths.

"Vander, do you even know what emotional intelligence is?"

"I do not know."

Sometimes, seeing through something but not saying it is a form of gentleness.

"I get it, buddy. I understand you now."

Vande was silent for half a minute: "So you had sex with your best friend and that high school girl—"

"I'll teach you what emotional intelligence is right now."

"Guwa-!"

Chapter 131 True Feelings Revealed in the Moment of Collapse

Late at night, in the hotel's backyard.

Under the persistent warmth of her burning ambition, Miss Qingye finally transformed from an ice-cold beauty into a fair-skinned and elegant young woman. Her face flushed, she repeatedly expressed her gratitude, claiming she still had some secret work to do, and hurriedly found a room to rest.

If Chu Hengkong were to judge for himself, he would say this was one of the three most unbearable nights since his transmigration. Even when he was stranded in Yingshi Town, he was never forced to recite the Diamond Sutra all night while his (tentacles) were rock hard. This night shift was really bad for both his body and mind, so much so that his first feeling after it was over was not relief but an incredibly sore arm.

He yawned as he walked into the backyard and found his good partner lying in an armchair wrapped in a bathrobe, drinking sweet wine. Water droplets still clung to her eyelashes, the bathrobe covering her upper body completely, her slender legs slid out like snakes, and her skin was flushed from the warmth.

"Be careful not to expose yourself, Miss Ji." Chu Hengkong tossed a towel to her.

Miss Ji stretched lazily, nonchalantly saying, "Consider this a little treat for you~"

"If you're handing out benefits, please lower your neckline a bit; I'm more interested in the upper body."

Upon hearing this, Ji Huaisu deliberately pulled his collar up tighter, even covering the meteor-shaped pendant: "Looking at a woman's chest but not her legs, do you have to be such a virgin?"

"Alright, alright, Captain Ji, you're so experienced. When will you show me around and broaden my horizons?" Chu Heng took off his coat.

"If you were so eager to broaden your horizons, why didn't you join Gray Cat in the first place? You'll regret it later!" Ji Huaisu covered her eyes. "I've avoided suspicion, so do as you please."