Chapter 343: Take Care of Yourself

Fate is an enigmatic and elusive thing. To capture its trajectory through certain means is already a remarkable feat.

And to disturb fate, even just to cause a tiny change in its path, is an extremely difficult task.

According to the methods Black Peony knows, without exception, they all require a huge price to be paid, and some of them, strictly speaking, do not change the outcome but merely accelerate or delay its occurrence.

So when she discovered Lu Yibei entangled in hundreds of False Fate Red Threads, she couldn’t help but marvel at the genius who came up with this method.

A single False Fate Red Thread is equivalent to grasping Lu Yibei’s fate trajectory and giving it a tug.

Although the disturbance caused by just one or two tugs can be negligible, when pulled forcefully hundreds of times, even the most solid fate trajectory will change.

However, this kind of change without a clear target can result in unpredictable outcomes, drawing the target into unimaginable events.

Unless the original fate’s outcome is already terrible beyond repair, this lottery-like change is not worth it.

It seems the genius who devised this method believed that the original outcome for Calamity was a terrible one.

If there had been someone back then who could help change my fate trajectory, where would I be now, and how would I be living?

Black Peony suddenly felt a bit envious of Lu Yibei.

But in that case…

She might not become the factor that could destroy the world, and she wouldn’t be able to bring about change here.

Nor would she be able to help break the world’s malice, regain freedom, and leave this haunting place. Black Peony thought, furrowing her brows.

In her contemplation, she mobilized her psychic energy, activating countless False Fate Red Threads to wrap around Lu Yibei’s body, attempting to probe further and gather more information.

Then…

At the moment the fate connection was established and she glimpsed Lu Yibei’s information, Black Peony suddenly felt less envious of Lu Yibei.

Her various fates, more or less, had some issues.

Although the presence of a Fate Red Thread does not necessarily mean they will meet and know each other, once they do, Lu Yibei is bound to encounter some troublesome matters.

After a brief silent contemplation, Black Peony reconsidered and felt that this approach seemed more reasonable.

Originally, she thought that changing fate’s trajectory in this way, from a certain perspective, was equivalent to spreading Lu Yibei’s potential misfortune across hundreds of targets, which seemed selfish and excessive.

But if those targets themselves also have many troubles, then it’s like dividing Lu Yibei’s misfortune into hundreds of parts and swapping them with the misfortunes of those targets.

In this way, everyone’s fate would experience varying degrees of disturbance, reducing the likelihood of misfortune occurring, which could be considered fair.

Moreover, if each fate is a cursed fate, the disturbance to fate would be greater than that of a blissful fate.

However, this approach is not without its drawbacks.

Having roughly understood the genius’s method, Black Peony looked at the still-sleeping Lu Yibei on the bed, her eyes filled with sympathy.

The only drawback of this method is that those who establish a fate connection with Lu Yibei still have a choice; without meeting Lu Yibei, they might encounter another true destined one.

But Lu Yibei, already wrapped up like a ball of yarn in Fate Red Threads, would find it difficult to have a fate with anyone or any haunting outside of these hundreds of cursed fates.

“Tsk! Arranged marriages are deadly!” Black Peony spat, watching the pink threads once again burn to ashes, and activated new threads to wrap around Lu Yibei.

Lu Yibei seemed to be hiding many secrets, stirring her strong curiosity, making her unable to stop.

However…

Just then, Lu Yibei’s eyelids fluttered slightly, and she slowly awoke.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a tuft of black hair flying towards her, transforming into strands of pink threads wrapping around her.

She froze for a moment, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at the enchanting woman beside her.

“Sister, who are you? Where is this place? What do you want?”

“Uh…” Black Peony smiled, concealing her embarrassment, and responded truthfully, “I’m Black Peony, the owner of Lanruo Inn Customs Shop…”

Before Black Peony could finish her sentence, Lu Yibei’s pupils shrank slightly, and she let out a scream, wriggling like a worm and jumping off the bed.

“You, you stay away, I’m not that kind of person!”

Black Peony’s mouth twitched slightly, “Things aren’t as you think, I mean you no harm…”

Her words were interrupted again by Lu Yibei’s exclamation.

Seeing the pink threads wrapped around her suddenly ignite, Lu Yibei exclaimed in surprise, “What the heck! What kind of play is this!?”

“Big sister, I’m begging you, let me go? It’s my first time, I can’t handle such intense play, if you must, be gentle!”

“…”

Black Peony remained silent for a while, calming her emotions, and looked at Lu Yibei, who seemed as lively as a monkey.

“Rest assured, our Customs Shop never forces guests to do anything. I originally intended to heal you, but now it seems unnecessary.”

Black Peony was telling the truth.

At the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop, no guest has ever been forced. Every passenger who disembarks on the Dream Come True Journey does so of their own free will.

Once they disembark, none of their choices are influenced by anyone in the Customs Shop or any haunting.

However, the expansion of desire knows no bounds. No matter how thrilling the game, it becomes dull over time, prompting guests to seek even more excitement.

And no matter how thrilling, as long as the chips are sufficient, the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop can satisfy.

As for whether the guests’ bodies and minds can withstand it, or where the chips come from, that’s not within their concern.

“Healing? You should have said so earlier! Waking up to find myself in a bondage play with flames around, how could I not think something was wrong?” Lu Yibei complained.

In a ghostly place like this, a single misstep and you might end up losing contact while indulging at Lanruo!

Black Peony, “…”

I was going to say, who keeps interrupting others with their constant surprises?

How is someone like this supposed to become a factor in world destruction?

Or is this the result of a changed destiny?

Black Peony rested her chin on one hand, squinting slightly as she scrutinized Lu Yibei up and down, as if examining a piece of art. Lu Yibei felt a bit uneasy under her gaze.

Having calmed down from her initial panic, Lu Yibei recalled the PL girl’s warning and felt a wave of fear.

Although she didn’t have a concrete concept of how strong an Eldritch Destroyer was, she knew enough to understand that a haunting capable of triggering an apocalypse would be difficult to deal with, even if it failed.

In fact, upon learning of the existence of such terrifying hauntings, Lu Yibei had already decided to avoid contact with them if possible.

If contact was unavoidable, and the other party showed no obvious malice, it was best to establish a good relationship.

The current situation clearly belonged to the latter.

Thus, under Black Peony’s gaze, a now composed Lu Yibei stood up and bowed deeply to her.

“I’m really sorry for misunderstanding you earlier, please don’t take it to heart!”

Though unsure if it would work, she decided to apologize first and discuss other matters later.

If a confrontation was inevitable, she thought, it was best to lower her stance first and then strike unexpectedly.

“Uh, this…”

Lu Yibei’s sudden change in demeanor caught Black Peony off guard. Just as she was about to speak, Lu Yibei said, “Hey, when apologizing, there’s no need to expose your chest, right? I’m not sure about the customs here…”

“Huh? Why would you think that?” Black Peony was puzzled.

Although we’re a Customs Shop, we’re a legitimate one!

“That’s good, that’s good,” Lu Yibei said repeatedly, pulling out half a pack of spicy strips and offering them to Black Peony. “Big sister, have a spicy strip, calm down, let’s be friends?”

“Uh, okay, thank you…”

Such a cute girl, approaching warmly and trying to please, was hard for anyone to refuse.

Besides, Black Peony never intended to harm Lu Yibei.

She accepted the spicy strip, just as Lu Yibei seemed to be reaching for something else in her coat. Black Peony quickly stopped her, “Alright, alright, you don’t need to do that.”

Having seen most of what Bie Suzhen had, Black Peony naturally knew what Lu Yibei might have-besides spicy strips, there was only disaster water, Alchemical Bombs, and some worthless talismans.

And she wasn’t particularly interested in either disaster water or Alchemical Bombs…

“Actually, I wasn’t angry with you. After all, in a situation like earlier, it’s not surprising to be scared,” Black Peony said. “I was just a bit too curious.”

In Black Peony’s view, even if Lu Yibei, due to a change in destiny, might not become a factor in world destruction, it wouldn’t hurt to help her escape the world’s malice. In the future, she would certainly become a powerful haunting, and befriending her wouldn’t be a loss.

Moreover, she was somewhat wary of the genius who helped Lu Yibei change her destiny. Someone capable of devising such a method must be quite formidable.

Once she deepened her relationship with Calamity, if she could meet that genius, perhaps she could ask him to come up with other ways to resolve the world’s malice, Black Peony thought.

Seeing that Black Peony’s words and actions seemed genuine, Lu Yibei’s eyes darted around.

It seemed not every Eldritch Destroyer was inherently evil?

As she mused, she pushed her luck and asked, “So, since we’re friends now, if it’s convenient, could you tell me what you were doing earlier?”

As she spoke, she gestured with her hands, mimicking a binding motion on herself.

Black Peony pondered briefly and said, “While checking your injuries, I also… calculated your marriage prospects.”

Now that you mention it, I’m intrigued… Lu Yibei’s eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, “Really? So how’s my marriage prospect? Will my future wife be stunning and curvaceous?”

“That I can’t tell you, or it might affect your marriage prospects,” Black Peony said, a meaningful smile on her face. “I can only tell you to take care of your health.”

“By the way, I heard you’re heading to the Entertainment City? I’ll have someone get you a ticket later. The next train arrives in about five hours.”

“I have a lot to do, so I’ll take my leave. You can rest here for now.”

With that, Black Peony turned and walked out of the room.

Lu Yibei, “???”

What does ‘take care of your health’ even mean?

Is she implying my future wife will be a fair-skinned, beautiful, slender-waisted enchantress?

Or does my wife have some peculiar habits that I might find hard to handle?

Lu Yibei was secretly speculating about her future marital status when Black Peony suddenly stopped and added, “Oh, right, there was one more thing I forgot to mention earlier.”

“Besides taking care of your health, I also want to remind you to look after yourself. Yes, that’s it.”

As she spoke, a hint of sympathy and pity flickered in Black Peony’s eyes.

Lu Yibei thought, “…”

Why is it always about taking care of my health and looking after myself?

Why do I feel like she’s not talking about a marriage but rather a doomed relationship?

Damn, if I end up with a fear of marriage in the future, it’s probably because you scared me. Lu Yibei mused.

After Black Peony left the side chamber and closed the door, she headed straight towards the office area.

Arriving at the large rosewood desk, she snapped her fingers lightly, and the antique, exquisitely crafted inkstone, pen holder, and paperweight on the desk began to move on their own, quickly preparing the ink and cleaning the brush.

As Black Peony sat down at the desk, a clean and tidy piece of rice paper, exuding a faint fragrance, silently spread out on the table.

She picked up a rabbit-hair brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote on the paper: [To Mr. XXX…]

As soon as Black Peony wrote down the name of a certain existence, the ink of those characters quickly blurred, turning into a series of twisted ink spots.

However, she was unfazed by this, as if it was not the first time she had seen such a phenomenon, and continued to write:

Today, I encountered a Calamity, and through the False Fate Red Thread, I glimpsed something extraordinary.

However, the fate trajectory of the Calamity has been altered by an unknown person, making it impossible for me to escape my predicament.

I know of your great talents, and if you discover anything new upon encountering the Calamity, I hope you will inform me.

…

Yours sincerely.]

After finishing the letter, Black Peony waited for the ink to dry, folded it, and placed it into a black envelope with gold embossing. She then stood up and walked to the terrace, softly calling out, “Hydrangea!” A snow-white cockatoo flew over from a distance, landing on the railing.

Black Peony gently stroked Hydrangea’s crest and asked softly, “Did listening to Miss Miaoyin’s music put you in a good mood to write?”

Hydrangea nuzzled against Black Peony’s palm and nodded.

“Much better, Madame. The young lady who came with the Calamity has also recovered. I’ve arranged a place for her to stay temporarily.”

“That’s good.” Black Peony nodded with a smile.

“However, she seems quite afraid of us. Since entering the room, she hasn’t come out, suggesting our reputation outside might not be very good lately,” Hydrangea added.

“That’s understandable, given that the guests who leave us…” Black Peony trailed off with a knowing smile.

“I understand. Although they brought it upon themselves, others won’t see it that way once they’re outside, right, Master?”

“You’re sharp!” Black Peony nudged Hydrangea’s beak with her nose. “Alright, since you’re feeling better, could you deliver this letter to the one at the Entertainment City?”

“…”

Hydrangea tilted its head, not asking further questions, moved forward, took the envelope in its beak, and flew away, heading towards the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop, into the darkness that enveloped the world.

Watching Hydrangea fly away, Black Peony silently let out a long breath, slowly unclenching her tightly held pink fist.

The three Eldritch Destroyers along the Dream Come True Journey were not actually factors that destroyed the world in the same era; they just happened to gather together and form a loose alliance, each with different ideas about residing here.

Like the Celestian, who never intended to escape the world’s malice, instead feeling satisfied with becoming a local “warlord” through its bizarre poison-making methods.

That’s why the Celestian harbored intense hostility towards Lu Yibei, who might bring change, even going so far as to exploit the gray areas of the rules to eliminate her.

Black Peony herself had always regretted her past actions, maintaining her existence through the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop while constantly seeking ways to escape the world’s malice and regain her freedom.

As for the Dream Come True Entertainment City’s Big Boss—the eldest among the three Eldritch Destroyers—Black Peony couldn’t quite fathom His thoughts.

She only knew he was always seeking a way to escape the world’s malice but had never seen him take any concrete action, as if waiting for an opportunity to present itself.

“I wonder if the Calamity is the opportunity he’s been waiting for?” Black Peony murmured. “If so, with the Calamity’s fate trajectory now altered, what will he do?”

She wrote the letter not to harm Lu Yibei; even if she didn’t notify the Big Boss of the Entertainment City, he would sense Lu Yibei’s presence the moment she stepped into the Entertainment City.

She wrote the letter to preserve a glimmer of hope, hoping that the Big Boss might have a way to escape the world’s malice through Lu Yibei and share it with her afterward.

She had been here for too long.

So long that she had gradually become like a madam of a Customs Shop, almost forgetting how she became a haunting that once struck fear into people’s hearts.

She only remembered that in the past, the guests would arrive wearing long robes and riding horses…