Chapter 274: Would You Like to Dance with Me?

Qing Ji wasn’t some kind of pervert or a sadist who would stab himself for fun. He had a reason for discovering that in this seemingly ruined city, true death didn’t exist.

In a way, someone had told him.

…

Earlier.

After losing contact with Lu Yibei, Qing Ji sat alone on the edge of the dilapidated rooftop, gazing at the entire city and lamenting the passage of time. His eyes were as deep as ancient glass unearthed from a tomb, carrying the weight of ages.

He had been wandering around the ruins of the city, scouting the surrounding environment, when he saw a street sign that confirmed this place might be a city many years after his time.

Even if it wasn’t the actual city, it was an illusion based on it.

The rusty, twisted street sign read “← Mudan Street – Youth Road →”.

Although Qing Ji didn’t know what Youth Road was, he was very familiar with Mudan Street. Back in the day, he and his beloved wife, Yanzhi, had built their home brick by brick on Mudan Street.

Despite the passage of time, even though his current existence was just a remnant of psychic energy with incomplete memories, he still remembered that pure, lovely girl who cooked so well.

She had two shallow dimples on her cheeks when she smiled, which were very beautiful.

Sitting on the edge of the rooftop.

Qing Ji reminisced about Lu Yanzhi while rubbing the rough, rusty street sign, talking to himself.

“Sigh-! If I had known, I would have had more children with Yanzhi. With a second, third, and fourth child, our family line wouldn’t have ended.”

After saying that, he fell silent.

In the quietness where only the breeze moved, the sky gradually darkened.

It felt like an illusion, getting darker and darker.

In this city ruin that stood outside the real world, there was no clear distinction between day and night, but at this moment, Qing Ji could clearly feel that night was falling.

As the night approached, an ominous aura slowly emerged from the sky filled with dark clouds.

It was as if something had awakened from slumber.

The evil and spirits hidden above the clouds suddenly opened their scarlet eyes, peering through the gaps in the clouds at Qing Ji, the intruder who didn’t belong here.

Countless indistinct, blurry shadows emerged from the shadows of collapsed buildings in the streets and alleys, wandering aimlessly like projections from another world.

Something is coming… Qing Ji thought, looking up at the darkest cloud cluster in the sky.

Then.

The cloud cluster suddenly plummeted towards the ground, as if torn apart by some force, pouring down torrential rain in an instant.

“Boom-!”

A thunderous roar tore through the sky, and Qing Ji, staring at the source of the rain, narrowed his eyes.

Under the pitch-black cloud cluster, despite being shrouded in rain, a flash of firelight appeared.

The brilliant scarlet color made it hard to distinguish whether it was blood or flames, or perhaps both.

Qing Ji watched the firelight, like a falling meteor, streak across the sky, getting closer and closer. His expression grew more serious as he tightly gripped the sword in his hand.

“Buzz-!”

With a low hum, a radiant light rose from the sword blade, flowing like liquid. Even the air around the sword seemed to be affected, diffusing into a mist of pale gold.

A sharp whistle of air being torn apart came from the distance, and the blazing flames roared.

The intense firelight filled Qing Ji’s eyes. Just as the massive fireball was about to crash onto the dilapidated rooftop, he saw a figure within the fireball.

So, the long-prepared sword strike slashed towards the sky.

At the same time, the girl within the firelight also gripped her blade with both hands, slashing down vertically.

In an instant, the blade and sword collided, and the entire city seemed to fall into a dead silence.

At the point of contact between the blades, a chaotic flow of light swirled, green like the wind, red like fire.

The two different streams of light quickly shattered, spun, and collided, creating a dense mist of light and shadow.

The expanding mist, like an ever-expanding ring, swept through the concrete jungle, cutting down the towering buildings like they were made of paper.

For a moment, Qing Ji felt he had the upper hand, slightly suppressing the incoming figure.

But then, the girl’s blurry figure vanished without a trace, as if it had evaporated.

The next moment, a dull sound of flesh being torn came from behind Qing Ji. He looked down to see a blade wreathed in flames piercing through his back and emerging from his chest, blood slowly dripping from the blade.

“This is… the Pure Lotus Sword?! How could it be?”

Seeing the long blade up close, Qing Ji was shocked beyond words, struggling to turn his neck to see the face of the person behind him.

At that moment, a hand suddenly pressed down on his head.

“Don’t look… there’s nothing to see.”

Someone spoke in his ear, their voice seemingly masked by some power, making it unrecognizable.

The next moment, his vision plunged into darkness.

“Boom-!”

Watching Qing Ji’s body fall to the ground and gradually turn to ashes, the girl with fiery long hair crouched down, wiping the blood off her blade with her sleeve, muttering to herself.

“Does this count as betraying my master? Just a little reminder for the old man, so he can give that guy some extra lessons…”

“Boom-!”

Before the girl could finish her words, a thunderbolt as thick as a bucket struck down from the sky, sweeping past her side.

“……”

The girl glanced at her hair, which was floating due to the stray electric currents, and fell silent.

“This definitely isn’t because of betraying my master, uh, probably not.”

She had done so many things worthy of being struck by lightning that sometimes, even she couldn’t tell which one had caused it.

Finally, the girl looked at the last bit of ashes being blown away and couldn’t help but sigh.

“The old man is really strong… If this weren’t my turf, it wouldn’t have been so easy to win.”

“Sigh, if only we were born in the same era, he could help me take the heat.”

And so, the mysterious girl gave Lu Yibei a “special training membership” without his knowledge.

When Qing Ji woke up again, the girl who had attacked him was gone.

He sat up, one hand gently touching the spot on his chest where he had been stabbed, lost in thought.

As someone who had been dead for many years, he knew very well what death felt like, and just now, he had clearly experienced it again.

But…

“Not dead?” Qing Ji muttered, and then the scene of looking down at the blade piercing his chest flashed through his mind.

He was certain that the blade was another form of the Pure Lotus Sword.

“If she wields the Pure Lotus Sword, she shouldn’t be a villain…”

It is said that the Pure Lotus Sword is a symbol of the heart, used to cultivate the essence of life and encourage good deeds.

So, a true villain couldn’t use the Pure Lotus Sword, and those with weaker abilities might even suffer backlash just by holding it.

“If she didn’t want to kill me, then she wanted to tell me something…”

Qing Ji muttered to himself, and a bold idea suddenly flashed through his mind. Glancing at the ancient sword beside him, his eyes flashed with determination.

So, he picked up the sword and stabbed it into his chest.

Then.

He died again.

When he woke up again, touching his unharmed chest, Qing Ji couldn’t help but let out a cheer of joy.

“Wow! This is exciting!”

Then, a cruel and fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

Now I understand what that girl wanted to tell me…

When Lu Yibei was “killed” by Qing Ji for the 146th time, she could barely last three moves against him.

Then.

After three moves, she met her 147th “death.”

On average, once per minute.

At first, she picked up a steel rod, trying to imitate Qing Ji’s swordsmanship and clash with him. But she quickly realized that the old man was like a monster, giving her no chance at all in swordsmanship.

But after dying over a hundred times, Lu Yibei gradually grasped some tricks, discarded the steel rod, and returned to her original “survival mode.”

Of course, even so, mastering it completely wasn’t easy.

She could only keep trying in the simplest and most brutal way.

By dying.

By constantly dying to observe and learn the purpose and meaning of each of Qing Ji’s moves and details.

And now, after his records, she had identified 81 basic variations in Qing Ji’s movements.

As for freely combining these variations, it would take more time to practice.

Then, when Lu Yibei woke up from her 207th death…

“Hu-hu-!”

On the rooftop, two figures flashed by, their footsteps creating a misty cloud, one chasing and one fleeing.

“Stop!” Qing Ji roared at Lu Yibei’s back. “I’m helping you practice. What’s the point of just running?”

“No way!” Lu Yibei refused. “Stand still and wait for you to stab me? I’m not stupid!”

Although she couldn’t die, the pain was real.

If a game company ever developed a fully immersive game with this level of pain, it would never sell.

“Hmph, you brat!” Qing Ji snorted. “What’s the use of just running? You’ll only truly learn when you can counterattack.”

“You said it!” Lu Yibei replied, her steps faltering slightly. She muttered an incantation, then turned sharply, raising her hand to release a burst of white light.

“Four Beasts Bright Sky Cannon!”

Seeing Qing Ji unable to catch up for a moment, Lu Yibei felt confident.

Then…

“Thud-!”

Qing Ji stabbed her from behind. As she turned in shock, she heard him say, “Not bad, but this move reminds me of the spell formation I taught my son, Yuebo. So, unfortunately…”

It turns out your ancestors are still your ancestors.

Lu Yibei, “……” She had a curse in her heart but didn’t dare to speak.

…

A moment later.

Qing Ji watched Lu Yibei revive once again, feeling a bit soft-hearted. “How about we take a break?”

“Break? Why? I can’t really die!” Lu Yibei stubbornly replied. “Come on, old man! Help me up, I can still die!”

Qing Ji’s eye twitched, but he walked over and helped her up. Once she was steady, he swung his sword again.

But in that instant, he saw Lu Yibei retreat swiftly, dodging his strike. Her movements weren’t part of the Taihe Gentleman Sword techniques.

In other words, she had made her own variations and innovations based on her understanding.

Although these changes were crude and immature, they were already commendable.

After a brief moment of surprise, Qing Ji, excited by the challenge, pursued her, adding more intricate variations to his swordsmanship, increasing his level from fifty percent to eighty percent. The rooftop was soon shrouded in mist.

“Thud-!”

Lu Yibei couldn’t dodge the second strike and was sent flying, exploding like a punctured water balloon.

At 6:30 a.m.

Lu Yibei woke up to the sound of her alarm, struggling and writhing on the bed as if she had been frightened, her hands frantically feeling her body.

After confirming that her body was intact, she breathed a sigh of relief. Before she could fully recover, she heard Qing Ji’s muffled voice coming from the guitar case by the bed.

“Why hasn’t she revived? Could it be that she really…”

“Oh dear! What should I do?”

Lu Yibei stared at the guitar case, hesitated for a moment, then got up and unzipped it, saying, “Don’t worry, old man. It’s just that it’s morning, and I woke up. I have to go out and take care of some things.”

“……”

After a few seconds of silence, Qing Ji responded.

“That’s good, that’s good. Getting up early to work is a good thing.”

With Qing Ji’s response, Lu Yibei left the apartment, heading into the utility room next to the stairwell. She didn’t leave until the sun was fully up.

At 10:30 a.m. sharp.

Lu Yibei met Jiang Li, who had returned as Meow Meow-chan, at the door of the apartment. After opening the door and seeing Jiang Li’s outfit, Lu Yibei was stunned.

Jiang Li was wearing a Tiffany blue strapless gown adorned with a large white tulle bow, a delicate pearl necklace around her slender neck, and black-to-silver gradient crystal high heels, making her look even taller and more elegant.

Lu Yibei looked at Jiang Li, then at her own loose-fitting onesie, her mind filled with questions.

What the heck? Why is she wearing a gown?

As if reading the confusion in Lu Yibei’s eyes, Jiang Li calmly explained, “Didn’t you know? The welcome party is a dance attended by all the residents, so you need to dress a bit more formally.”

“You’re not planning to wear that onesie, are you?”

Lu Yibei, “……”

Although Jiang Li said this, Lu Yibei could clearly read a different meaning in her eyes.

Jiang Li’s eyes seemed to say, “I thought you wouldn’t mind wearing a pretty little dress.”

Bullshit! How could I not mind? I mind a lot! Lu Yibei cursed in her heart.

“And…” As Lu Yibei remained silent, Jiang Li continued, “Why do you look so pale? Like a dead person.”

“Isn’t that obvious? I’ve died hundreds of times!” Lu Yibei retorted.

Jiang Li fell silent for a moment, then earnestly reminded her, “Moderate your gaming.”

“That’s…” Lu Yibei waved her hand. “Forget it, you wouldn’t understand.”

After all, that kind of game had no joy, only endless torment.

Lu Yibei thought to herself and said to Jiang Li, “Wait here for a moment. I’ll go inside and figure out what to do about the clothes.”

With that, she turned and went back to the bedroom, locking the door behind her.

Inside, Lu Yibei quickly approached the full-length mirror, patting the sleeves of her jacket. “Jacket, think of a way to give me an outfit that’s not too embarrassing and suitable for the dance, uh, preferably not a dress!”

“Yes, no dress, that’s important to me!”

“……”

The jacket remained silent for a few seconds, processing Lu Yibei’s request, then began to squirm and transform.

Jiang Li sat on the sofa in the apartment, staring out the window, lost in thought.

After a while, the bedroom door opened, and she turned to see Lu Yibei emerging. She was slightly taken aback.

Lu Yibei was wearing a deep purple fitted tailcoat with a brown jacket, the tight-fitting cut accentuating her figure, adding a touch of androgynous elegance.

Her white hair was pinned up, revealing her slender neck, and she had two small mustaches above her lips, which she had somehow acquired.

“What kind of outfit is that?” Jiang Li asked coldly.

Lu Yibei touched the mustache, bowing slightly, and said seriously, “An outfit to ask you to dance!”

“So, beautiful miss, would you like to dance with me?”

Having Lu Yibei dress in a gender-neutral outfit to act as Jiang Li’s dance partner was the jacket’s solution.

“……”

After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Li, with a helpless look in her eyes, extended her hand and gently placed it in Lu Yibei’s palm.