Chapter 607: Three Beams of Light

Three people sat in the corner, quietly eating their flatbreads.

Xiao Cheng’s base was smaller than Tian Tian had imagined. It was an old, rundown convenience store. All the goods were gone, leaving only empty shelves.

"Jie, if you don’t mind, you can rest here tonight. There’s a room inside with some wooden boards we used as beds before," Xiao Cheng said, then quickly added, "We’re not sleeping together, though—we made partitions, so it’s private space."

"I... I don’t mind," Tian Tian said with a bitter smile. "I don’t even know where I’m going anymore."

Xiao Cheng swallowed the bite of flatbread in his mouth and nodded. "I get that feeling. It’s all so uncertain ahead. Three thousand six hundred Dao seem out of reach, and your teammates aren’t always as reliable as you hoped."

"That’s not it," Tian Tian shook her head. "Maybe it’s just dumb luck, but the people around me are pretty good."

"Is that so?" Xiao Cheng raised his eyebrows helplessly. "It’s different for me... Anyway, I need to get moving soon. There’s not much time left, so I have to awaken my Hui Xiang as quickly as possible."

"Um..." Tian Tian wasn’t sure how to respond. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Is your Hui Xiang ability really powerful?"

"My Hui Xiang is useless," Xiao Cheng shook his head. "If I can get it to work by tonight, I could at least help you have a good dream."

"A good dream...?"

"Yeah." Xiao Cheng gave a bitter smile. "I don’t have a choice, though. I need my Hui Xiang to preserve memories, so no matter how dangerous it gets, I have to trigger my Ru Meng."

"Ru Meng..." Tian Tian repeated the name, as if she understood Xiao Cheng’s troubles.

"If only my ability was as strong as yours, Tian Tian Jie," Xiao Cheng said, shaking his head helplessly. "Being able to create things out of thin air would be so useful, no matter how you look at it... It’s way better than my Ru Meng."

Tian Tian didn’t know how to comfort Xiao Cheng, especially since her own Qiao Wu had its limitations.

In comparison, she envied Yun Yao’s Qiang Yun even more.

"So, how are you going to Hui Xiang?" Tian Tian asked. "You helped me once, so if there’s anything I can do to help, just say it."

"My Hui Xiang is tricky, but not impossible," Xiao Cheng said, finishing his flatbread and wiping his hands on his pants. "As long as I go through a Tou Nao Feng Bao, there’s a chance I’ll get it."

Tian Tian nodded, recalling the knowledge Yun Yao and the others had shared about how different Sheng Xiao corresponded to different game types.

"So, basically, it’s about using your brain?" Tian Tian asked. "I’m not very familiar with it—which Sheng Xiao mainly represents intelligence?"

"The one that mainly represents intelligence is Monkey," Xiao Cheng replied, shaking his head. "But the problem is, Ren Hou games might be too simple, while Di Hou games are way too hard... I don’t know which to choose."

"Then just do it," Tian Tian said without hesitation. "Sitting here thinking won’t get you anywhere."

"Ah...?"

"Start with Ren Hou. If you can Hui Xiang, you’re good. If not, Di Hou is your only option left."

"I guess that makes sense," Xiao Cheng said, laughing and scratching his head. "I overcomplicated something so simple."

"So, when are you planning to head out?" Tian Tian asked.

"There’s a Ren Hou near the base, so I’m thinking of checking it out soon."

Xiao Cheng stood up, walked behind the counter of the convenience store, bent down, and lifted several floorboards. From the hole, he pulled out a small cloth bag.

He opened it and peeked inside, a look of joy crossing his face. "Great, the Ben Qian is still here. I can use these Dao to take a shot with the monkeys."

"You have that many Dao?" Tian Tian stretched her neck for a look. "You’re just leaving them out in front of us—aren’t you worried we’ll take some?"

"It doesn’t matter," Xiao Cheng shook his head. "They’re all stolen or snatched anyway; none of them are really ours. If you take them, call it karma."

Xiao Cheng grabbed a handful of Dao from the bag, stuffed them into his pocket, and put the bag back under the floorboards.

"I’m going too!" Zheng Yingxiong said. "I’ll be useful if you bring me along."

"Ah...?" Xiao Cheng knew he was heading into a human-level game, and bringing such a young kid would be a hassle. "Little brother, why don’t you rest here?"

"No need—I can protect you," Zheng Yingxiong said. "Even if I can’t help much, I can still smell other people’s scents."

Seeing Zheng Yingxiong’s determination, Xiao Cheng hesitated.

"Do you need me to come along too?" Tian Tian asked. "If it’s a game where you have to risk your life, I can die for it."

"Ah...?" Xiao Cheng was stunned. "Jie, do you not care about living? It’s just a human-level game—I probably won’t die."

"It doesn’t matter to me," Tian Tian said with a laugh. "I feel like even if I don’t die now, I’ll end up dying in some corner someday. Better to die doing something meaningful."

"This..." Xiao Cheng thought for a moment, then said, "Tian Tian Jie, after thinking it over, you two can come with me. A lot of games have player requirements, but I won’t let you die."

"Is that so?" Tian Tian said with a helpless smile. "I don’t mind dying."

"You still have this little brother to look after," Xiao Cheng said, pointing at Zheng Yingxiong. "So don’t talk about dying so lightly. Besides, if I have to protect you, it’ll make me think harder, which could be good for me too."

Tian Tian turned to look at Zheng Yingxiong and saw the child wearing an expression that was both innocent and determined. Before she could say anything, he spoke first.

"Jiejie, you don’t need to take care of me—I’ll protect you."

"Ah..."

Seeing Zheng Yingxiong, Tian Tian felt a soft spot in her heart being touched. The kid was likable, but she wondered what he’d been through—how could a child come up with such strange ideas?

After thinking for a bit, she said to Xiao Cheng, "In that case, let’s all go together. I’ll keep an eye on Yingxiong, and we won’t cause you any trouble."