CH 115

Having finally had enough of the cat, Xiao Lan struggled to take his attention off Xue Li and back to Cheng Wenyi, who was sitting opposite him.

Across the room, Cheng Wenyi seems to be in a good mood, not at all offended by the lack of attention she is receiving, which is a bit of a surprise to Xiao Lan.

According to Cheng Wenyi's flamboyant character, to be ignored is a sure step on his fury line, but now he is acting so calmly.

This is, of course, because Xiao Lan has no idea that Cheng Wenyi's source of happiness is actually himself, Xue Li, and the black-faced Luo, and naturally cannot understand Cheng Wenyi's inner workings at this moment.

Xiao Lan restarted the conversation, "Speaking of which, I met someone called He Rui earlier, who seemed to have received a commission from Reincarnation to come and test me."

" He Rui?" Cheng Wenyi recalled the name, but did not find it in his memory, "Who was that?"

With so many people under his command, it would be impossible to get him to name all his own men, let alone a passer-by who popped up from some nook or cranny.

Xiao Lan: "Supposedly a message peddler."

Cheng Wenyi seemed to remember a bit: "Well, there was a mission like that issued, what happened to him? Did he die?"

Xiao Lan nods.

Cheng Wenyi smiled a little indifferently, "If you want my favours, you have to prove his worth, don't you? A mere information peddler, it doesn't matter if he dies, there are too many substitutes."

Death is all too common in the Advent world, and Cheng Wenyi really doesn't care about this insignificant sacrifice.

Xiao Lan didn't expect Cheng Wenyi to feel guilty about it either. The game was inherently risky, and if you wanted to reap the benefits of it, you couldn't avoid the dangers.

He leaned back on the back of the sofa and looked at Cheng Wenyi: "You're a real tyrant."

When he heard the word "tyrant", Cheng Wenyi shook his head: "Tyrant? The real tyrant is Xiao Chengyan, I'm not even one or two tenths of him."

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"Even Reincarnation is a loose organization compared to Wu She. The guys at Wu She are all Xiao Chengyan's soldiers, and they'll do anything for Xiao Chengyan's orders."

The topic of conversation, at last, comes to Xiao Chengyan.

Xiao Lan's eyes were puzzled, "Tyrant? Xiao Chengyan ?"

Xiao Chengyan is remembered by Xiao Lan as a serious, indifferent but responsible father, who did not spend much time with him, but who in Xiao Lan's mind had nothing to do with the word tyrant.

Cheng Wenyi: "Entering the Advent World is going to liberate one's nature. The self that was originally repressed, the goals that one only dared to pursue in secret, the deepest longings of the heart, will all slowly emerge here. That's why there are so many weirdos in the Advent world, they just don't repress it anymore."

These words made Xiao Lan think of Qi Ning and Wu Ting, and the players he saw on the road.

Players do care less about what others think than people in the real world, whether it's in dress or speech, there are so many mavericks that survival and being strong is all that matters here.

Even Xiao Lan herself has been changing since she entered the Advent world.

If it was before, he would not have been so obsessed with power and getting stronger, and would have sought to be steady in his work and life, not as bold as he was in the game.

" Xiao Chengyan is the same, he just doesn't need to be pretending to be a normal person anymore." Cheng Wenyi added, "Do you think you really know him?"

Xiao Lan Silence.

Xiao Chengyan is always busy, and apart from the occasional holiday and birthday, he doesn't really get to spend much time with his father, about whom he knows almost nothing.

Xiao Lan asks her question, "What exactly is your relationship?"

The expression "half a disciple" did not sound like a normal relationship between master and disciple. When Cheng Wenyi mentioned Xiao Chengyan's attitude, Xiao Lan always felt that there was something more to it.

Cheng Wenyi showed a reminiscent look, "I was 17 when I first entered the Advent World, and back then it was very different from now. All the replicas had no level distinction, there was no novice field, and it was even unusual for players to kill each other."

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"Even if I had a background in reality, it wouldn't help at all in the game."

Xiao Lan did not expect the original Advent world to be like this, chaotic and dangerous, he even felt that the Advent world then was like a breeding ground for compulsions.

Cheng Wenyi continues, "It was Xiao Chengyan who later approached me with an offer in exchange that he could make me a senior player within a year, which is what inspired me to build the reincarnation later on."

"And he did, he helped me find the skills and set me up with -training-." Cheng Wenyi's bite gradually intensifies, with a hint of gnashing of teeth.

"Every combat training session is sure to beat me until I can't get up, whether it's in the game or in reality."

"To enable me to eliminate the ice, he kicked me into the freezer after giving me the relevant information; when it came time to eliminate the fire, he threw me into the oven again ......"

"Even to get me to learn to eliminate electricity faster, Xiao Chengyan threw me into electrotherapy for a month, saying he felt it first hand!"

"I can't tell you how many times I was in the ICU when I was trained by Xiao Chengyan!"

Even now, Cheng Wenyi finds it difficult to maintain his usual high-minded reserve. His hand scratches deep into the sofa, so hard that it almost breaks through the tough, fine leather, showing how unpleasant the memories of this Spartan upbringing are.

It is no wonder that immediately after Cheng Wenyi established his reincarnation, he went after Xiao Chengyan a few times, but unfortunately he could not do it.

Xiao Lan: "......"

Was his old man so scary?

Is ......'s own side still on the pro-son treatment?

Cheng Wenyi took a deep breath to recover his overly agitated emotions: "Anyway, within a year, I became a senior player."

"And that condition that Xiao Chengyan made was for me to transfer a debt to you by various means, and since you were underage at the time, it was transferred to your mother first." Cheng Wenyi said.

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Xiao Lan frowned, "Why did he do that?"

Cheng Wenyi shook his head, " Xiao Chengyan never explained any reason to me, but simply said 'Since he is my son, I will give him a chance as a gift of adulthood.' I think you should know that phrase better than I do."

Chance, is it a chance to activate a skill?

But how could Xiao Chengyan have known that his son would enter the Advent world in the future, or even what skills he would possess?

Unfortunately this tyrant did not give an explanation at all.

"By the way, Xiao Chengyan's conditions did not include taking care of you mother and son." Cheng Wenyi lifted his glass of wine and took a sip, "Thunder and rain are all favours, and the gifts of a tyrant are not easy to accept. At the time I thought it would be bad luck for anyone to be Xiao Chengyan's son."

Xiao Lan's fists clench and slowly release.

He really wanted to stand in front of Xiao Chengyan and ask him why he had done this, whether he had thought about how difficult life would be for his wife and son because of this "gift".

Luo, who had noticed his state, patted Xiao Lan's arm with a reassuring force.

Xiao Lan shakes his head at Luo to show that he is fine.

He continued to turn to Cheng Wenyi: " Xiao Chengyan, where the hell is it?"

Cheng Wenyi lifted his eyes and turned them straight at Xiao Lan: "Dead."

Xiao Lan: "What?!"

That Xiao Chengyan, the number one senior player who was so powerful in the rumours and even brought a lot of trouble to the Advent world, has actually died?

Without answering directly, Cheng Wenyi reached down and took off his jacket, then unbuttoned his shirt.

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Then, pointing to an odd grey stripe on his shoulder, he said to Xiao Lan, "This is the brand Xiao Chengyan left as a price for getting him into trouble. He said that unless he died, I could never get rid of it."

"Over the years, I've tried countless means to remove it. But just a few months ago, the day something suddenly went wrong with the Advent World, the brand turned grey and grew dimmer and dimmer, and I guess it won't be long before it disappears completely."

"You know very well what this means." Cheng Wenyi pulled up his collar.

The disappearance of a mark that cannot be shaken off except by death is, of course, because the person who left it - is dead.

Cheng Wenyi: "Of course, a guy as obnoxious as him might not be dead, after all, woe betide him. But so far, I haven't found any evidence that he or any Wu She member is still alive."

Learning about his dad's true nature and the other man's death at the same time today was a bit of a shock to Xiao Lan, who tried to suppress his confused thoughts and force himself to calm down.

"What the hell did he do?" Xiao Lan asked.

"I do know a little bit about that." Cheng Wenyi said. "Xiao Chengyan is leading Wu She to work with the rebellious, preparing to rebel against the Advent World and crush it once and for all."

"The Paradox?" Xiao Lan wondered, it was a completely unfamiliar name, he had never heard it anywhere.

Cheng Wenyi explains, "Only a very few people know about this being, he's strong and no one knows who he is except Xiao Chengyan. He could be one of the first players to enter, an NPC, or a boss, or a monster that has descended on the world to breed."

Cheng Wenyi looked out of the window, but his eyes were like those of someone who did not exist: "Their collaboration should have failed in the end, Xiao Chengyan died, Wu She was all but destroyed, and the rebel was nowhere to be found."

The subject was somewhat heavy and the room fell silent for a moment.

Neither Xiao Lan nor Cheng Wenyi spoke for the moment, each gathering their thoughts and emotions.

After a while, Cheng Wenyi continued, "We should have the opportunity to work together in the future."

Xiao Lan asks, "What are you referring to?"

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Cheng Wenyi gave him a look, " Xiao Chengyan once told me 'How can a human being live and be manipulated into life and death by a being that doesn't know what it is, and it deserves it?'"

"What about you? Would you be willing to have everything in the hands of such an unknown being?"

Xiao Lan thought that if he had the power that Xiao Chengyan was rumoured to have, he too would be resigned to being manipulated into life and death by the Advent world.

No, even without that kind of power, he would try to become strong, to become - enough to resist.

Suddenly he found his reason for wanting desperately to get stronger all this time.

"I'm not willing to do that." Xiao Lan says, not wanting to be in the hands of an unknown being who holds everything.

Cheng Wenyi smiled, "You and Xiao Chengyan are a lot alike, not just in appearance."

Xiao Lan's feelings are further complicated by the knowledge of what happened with Xiao Chengyan. Xiao Chengyan is a powerful player, a sleight-of-hand organiser, a determined rebeller, and a failed father and husband.

He didn't even leave Xiao Lan the opportunity to ask why before he died in the struggle against the Advent world.

Cheng Wenyi says softly, "Reincarnation, without a single indentured player."

The contract means being bound to the Advent world, enjoying the preferential treatment it gives, but never having the option to leave.

There is not a single indentured player in the entire rotation, the implications of which are self-evident.

The reincarnation is full of people who are more dependent on the real world, who would rather give up some of the benefits of the game and risk their lives working in exchange for the protection and care of their families.

These people are the seeds of resistance.

"I look forward to your growth, and in time perhaps we can have a surprisingly large plot." Cheng Wenyi raises his glass to Xiao Lan.

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--

After Xiao Lan and Luo left.

Cheng Wenyi stands alone in front of the window, with the most beautiful night view in the city in front of him, but it doesn't catch his eye at all.

Although Cheng Wenyi hated Xiao Chengyan, both verbally and in his heart. However, the teaching he received from Xiao Chengyan has left him with an indelible shadow of Xiao Chengyan, both in terms of his style of behaviour and his thinking habits.

Cheng Wenyi drains his glass of wine: "Oh, Xiao Chengyan, an arrogant and conceited tyrant, yet with the courage to cut through thorns."

He couldn't help but get caught up in the memories.

The taller man bears an eighth of a resemblance to Xiao Lan in appearance, but his body is stronger, his face more angular and his eyes have a bit more sharp aggression.

He stood on an unknown cliff and looked at the gloomy sky: "Even if I were to die one day, it would be on the way to fight the Advent world, not to be played to death by a cat like a mouse."

Cheng Wenyi, dressed in a white suit, stood by his side: "Then why didn't you let me join your plan?"

Xiao Chengyan turned his head and shot him a look.

Suddenly he reached out and punched Cheng Wenyi. The punch was as swift as lightning and carried an unrivalled force that was unmatched by any player known for his melee abilities.

Cheng Wenyi was unable to dodge and was knocked straight off the cliff by the punch.

Xiao Chengyan's voice came from afar as he descended at breakneck speed: "Go practice if you're a vegetable, weakling..."

Cheng Wenyi of End of Memories: "......"

Gee, sure enough he still hates this guy.