CH 140

Translated by Dust Bunny

Edited by Crooked 

“Du du!”

The sound of a car horn suddenly split the air.

As his vision gradually cleared, Gu Xizhou suddenly opened his eyes. The cement road in front of the low bungalow was full of potholes.

“Du du—” 

When he heard the car horn coming from behind him Gu Xizhou subconsciously turned around. The middle-aged man driving an Alto swore while talking, “Are you looking for death standing in the middle of the road, ah?”

“Crazy!”

He was standing in the middle of the road. After looking around, he stepped to the side and the man sped past him.

“Ji Ji?” Gu Xizhou shouted.

He looked around. He was sure that the hand that had pulled him just now was Ji Ji’s. Gu Xizhou shouted again, “Are you finally gonna tell me what’s going on?”

“Are we in the task world? Is this your task world?”

Gu Xizhou looked into space at his time. This had to be the supernatural world because his time had stopped!

“Hey! Say something, ah!” Gu Xizhou shouted into the void. “You’re not gonna tell me what happened? Why did your chains break?” 

Passersby avoided him like the plague, throwing him puzzled looks as if they were looking at a madman. Even if this madman was pretty good looking, he was still insane and it was best to stay away.

No one answered Gu Xizhou.

Gu Xizhou cursed internally, “Fuck!”

Gu Xizhou glanced around at the willows budding on the roadside; it should be early spring. 

He walked with his eyebrows twisted into a 川 character. No NPCs appeared. This task world must be formidable. The black fog was a long way away from him. It seemed as though this wasn’t a supernatural world but a city, a rather realistic one.

Coming around a corner, Gu Xizhou came to the main road. There was a TV that wasn’t very big playing an advertisement. His eyes closed slightly, and his heart couldn’t help pounding.

The advertisement was for a well known appliance company, which wasn’t important. What was important was the information in the ad.

2004, Ningqing. 

This was the first time he’d ever seen a clear time and location in the supernatural world!

Gu Xizhou’s heart went cold. If this world was Gu Ji Ji’s world, 2004, Ningqing—surely he could find Ji Ji.

Gu Xizhou asked for directions and set off. 2004 Ningqing hadn’t been expanded yet. The city was surrounded by farmland and uncultivated land. The scope of the city only extended to the second ring road. Gu Xizhou found the place he was looking for not too far away.

“Ding ding ding—” 

The bell rang and students poured from the school in an endless stream.

Gu Xizhou looked up at the outdated LED display that could only display rudimentary red characters on a black background. The date that rolled across the screen was Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

The students passed by Gu Xizhou on either side of him, and Gu Xizhou took two steps forward, leaning against the gates of the school and watching carefully as each student came out.

“Wang Shu, why are you so slow, ah!” 

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There were lots of photos of Ji Ji and Wang Shu in Gu Ji Ji’s house. That child’s face was an exact replica. Moreover, because girls grew faster than boys, Wang Shu was always a head taller than Gu Ji Ji in the photos. 

“Go ahead and laugh, she’s gonna beat you up! I heard she let her Jiejie find several school boys!

Wang Shu heard her and said disdainfully, “My dad is a cop! They wouldn’t dare hit me, or I’ll have my dad arrest them!”

Her classmate started to get anxious, “Your dad is too busy to pick you up. Even if your dad arrests them, you’ll still take a beating, ah!”

Wang Shu said, “It seems like you will, too… You’re not afraid of going home with me and getting beaten up?” 

“I’m scared…” her classmate said, scratching her head, “but I can’t abandon you! We’re best friends!”

“If they hit you, I can still help you!”

Wang Shu looked at her, clearly moved. “Xiao Yue, you’re really nice!”

Just then, a weak child’s voice yelled in the distance, “Hey, surname Wang, wait for me!” 

Wang Zhu turned around to see the schoolboy who was a head shorter than her and rolled her eyes. “Gu Xizhou, I have a name, don’t just call me by my surname. My name is Wang Shu!”

The boy’s demeanor was entirely inconsistent with his height. He ran all the way there and kicked a plastic bottle lying on the ground, making a face at Wang Shu. “You aren’t Uncle Wang. You have such a bad name, it makes me want to call you Uncle Wang. Dream on!”

“Childish!”

“Lue lue lue, you’re childish! Childish! Wang Shu is childish!” 

Gu Xizhou looked at the little brat in front of him carefully. It really was Ji Ji. Gu Xizhou saw Wang Shu roll her eyes looking at Ji Ji with clear disdain.

“Wang Shu, damn it, I see Xiaoxiao’s Jie! She has two seniors with her! What should we do, ah!? Let’s go quickly, ba. If we wait around they will definitely beat you!” Wang Shu’s classmate pointed to the three people whispering to each other in the distance.

Gu Ji Ji clearly didn’t know what was going on, but he knew who they were talking about. “What about Xiaoxiao? The bully of your class?”

Wang Shu’s classmate nodded and said, “Yes, ah. Wang Shu got into an argument with her today.” 

Gu Ji Ji turned his head to look at Wang Shu and said, “Surname Wang, what did you argue about?”

“Heng, she likes to discipline a member of our class, but that person likes the class monitor.”

Gu Ji Ji: “Aren’t you the class monitor?”

Wang Shu glared at him and told Gu Ji Ji to shut up. Then she said angrily, “That’s why she wants to hit me! It’s not my fault, there’s something wrong with her!” 

“Ha ha ha, Surname Wang, you’re gonna make me die of laughter!” Gu Ji Ji said, pointing at Wang Shu.

Wang Shu threw him a look of disdain and said menacingly, “Gu Xizhou, if you laugh at me one more time, I’ll tell Uncle Gu that you made the girls in your class cry yesterday! Heng!”

When Gu Ji Ji heard this, Gu Xizhou found that he looked like a little monkey scratching its cheek, and his eyes revealed a little bit of contempt. His mischievous energy was immediately visible.

“Surname Wang, why don’t you let Uncle Wang change your name to Wang Zhuangjing, ah?!” 

Gu Ji Ji’s voice fell. Wang Shu stepped forward jabbing Gu Ji Ji in the stomach with one finger and his monkey skin deflated instantly.

Wang Shu: “Were you wrong? En?”

Gu Ji Ji: “I was wrong… you can let go!”

Wang Shu: “He he.” 

Gu Ji Ji: “Ha ha ha, it tickles, let go! Wang Zhuangjing! Let go…ha…”

Wang Shu was very skilled. It clearly wasn’t the first time she’d done this. Gu Xizhou was stunned; Ji Ji’s weakness was his stomach. Gu Xizhou subconsciously felt his stomach.

Yi! So ticklish!

He hadn’t noticed it before, but Ji Ji’s stomach was really sensitive. 

“Xiao Yue! Xiao Yue!” A man on a Fenghuang Pei Bike stopped at the curb, shouting at the girl who was with Wang Shu.

“Yi, it’s my dad!” Xiao Yi called out in surprise before hurrying over.

After a moment, Xiao Yue, Wang Shu’s classmate ran over and said apologetically, “My dad picked me up today to have dinner with my grandma.”

“Go ahead, ba!” Wang Shu replied, before politely calling ‘Hello uncle,’ to her classmate’s dad. 

After Wang Shu’s classmate had gone, Gu Ji Ji curled his lip, looking at the people Xiao Yue had pointed out just now. He picked up his bag from where he’d thrown it on the ground and said to Wang Shu, “Come on, let’s go home.”

Wang Shu hesitated before saying, “But if they want to beat me up, you’ll get beaten up with me…”

“Tch, if they want to hit you, I’ll help you beat them,” Gu Ji Ji said, making a disdainful face.

“But…” 

Wang Shu hesitated for a moment, and Gu Ji Ji said impatiently, “But what? Hurry up, I wanna go back and watch cartoons. Can we go?”

“Alright, ba.”

The two kids started walking side by side. When Gu Xizhou looked back he saw a girl and two boys tailing them. Gu Xizhou followed them quickly.

“They’re following us,” Wang Shu said a little anxiously. 

Gu Ji Ji grabbed Wang Shu’s wrist and whispered hoarsely, “Ready! Run!”

The two of them shot out like arrows from a bowstring. Seeing this, the three third years following them rushed to catch up with them!

Two little kids ran hand in hand, and soon they reached their neighborhood—

Because their exertion gradually increased, Wang Shu finally couldn’t endure it any longer and leaned against a wall. She opened her mouth wide and gasped, breathing hard, “I- I can’t run anymore! They’re after me! Go get my mom!” 

Gu Ji Ji stared at her. She used his backpack to throw him away, panting, “Go home and get Aunt Kong! I’ll hold them back!”

“You’re shorter than me, go back,” Wang Shu said.

Gu Ji Ji: “Surname Wang, do you want to fight?”

“No! Fine, then we won’t leave, we’ll beat them!” Wang Shu said, raising her voice as she took the bag off his back and set it carefully to the side. 

“You sure can run, ah!” The middle schoolers ran over, all panting heavily.

The schoolgirl raised her hand to slap Wang Shu, but as she prepared to strike her, Wang Shu, who wasn’t a submissive person, grabbed the girl’s hand with her left and pulled her hair with her right. Too bad this girl had long hair!

The two girls got right down to business!

The two boys got closer and closer. Gu Xizhou watched as Gu Ji Ji started out raising his fist before throwing a stone to create a diversion to frighten the two boys. Then Gu Ji Ji rushed up and punched one of the boys in the face. 

Although Gu Ji Ji wasn’t tall, when he beat people up, he was ruthless. The two middle schoolers didn’t expect that this little boy who was just a first year would put up such a fierce fight, and the kid who was hit wasn’t prepared.

Gu Ji Ji was as vicious as a little wolf. The other side was obviously stronger than him, but when he was pressed into the ground by him, he couldn’t get up.

The other third year male god saw his friend being beaten and it was a long time before he came back to his senses. He hurriedly picked up the stone Gu Ji Ji had just thrown, holding it in both hands before trying to smash Gu Ji Ji’s skull!

“Behind you!” Wang Shu and the other girl were pulling each other’s hair when they saw someone trying to pull a sneak attack on Gu Ji Ji and shouted urgently. 

Gu Ji Ji turned around subconsciously, just as the stone was about to fall on his head, a big hand suddenly reached out of nowhere, grabbing the stone and throwing it away.

He didn’t know who the owner of that hand was. Gu Ji Ji only realized the other boy wanted to launch a sneak attack when the kid was lifted up like a chick, feet dangling in the air as they struggled incessantly.

“Who, ah, who’s sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong!”

Gu Xizhou couldn’t help but put the boy who was trying to pull a sneak attack on Gu Ji Ji in his place. The kid’s mouth was full of curses, but when he saw Gu Xizhou who was like a 1.8 meter wall, his mouth fell open and he was forced to swallow his curses. 

Gu Xizhou’s appearance caused the five children to stop fighting.

“Everyone against the wall,” Gu Xizhou said mildly.

The girl who had started it all wanted to say something, but under the pressure of Gu Xizhou’s aura, she decided to shut up and lined up with the other five junior high schoolers.

Gu Xizhou reprimanded the three juniors. 

“Apologize,” Gu Xizhou said.

“I’m sorry,” all three of them shouted in unison at Gu Ji Ji and Wang Shu.

Then the three of them ran off as quick as rabbits. Gu Ji Ji stuck out his tongue and made a face at the retreating backs of the three kids!

Wang Shu turned around and said sweetly, ‘thank you, uncle,’ before immediately turning around to check Gu Ji Ji for injuries. 

Gu Ji Ji was clearly impatient and pushed Wang Shu away, “I’m not hurt!”

Seeing that Wang Shu was there, Gu Xizhou didn’t know how to talk to Gu Ji Ji.

Wang Shu skipped over to Gu Xizhou, clearly in a good mood. She smiled sweetly at Gu Xizhou and said, “Uncle, I feel like this has happened before. You seem very familia. Uncle, do you know me, ah!?”

When Gu Xizhou heard what Wang Shu said, his heart skipped a beat. He remembered what Wang Shu had said at the hospital that day— 

“When we were in junior high, a girl in my class found someone to beat me up. You walked home with me that day… I was so scared, when I saw the blood on your head, I thought you were going to die! I was really scared.

“When I took you to the hospital later it turned out to be just a cut, and I knew you wouldn’t die…”

“In fact when I came home that day, I had a dream that someone saved us. You didn’t get beaten up, and your head didn’t get split open.”

Gu Xizhou was a little dazed. He laughed, glossing over what had just happened. 

The thirteen year old Gu Ji Ji next to him didn’t speak but was focused on something strange. He stepped forward and picked something up off the ground. He raised his hand and said to Gu Xizhou, “Hey, uncle, is this yours?”

“A police badge? Uncle, are you a cop?”

Gu Ji Ji glanced at the front of it and was about to read what was on the badge when Gu Xizhou subconsciously rushed over and snatched the badge from his hand.

Gu Ji Ji stuck his tongue out at Gu Xizhou and said, “Tch, if you don’t want me to look, I won’t look! My Ba and Ma also have one. I’ve already seen one!” 

Gu Xizhou coughed lightly into his fist, changing the subject, “Let me send you back, ba.”

He sent the two kids to the gate of their neighborhood. Wang Shu saw her mom and was gone in an instant.

Seeing that Wang Shu was far away, Gu Xizhou grabbed Gu Ji Ji and pulled him into a secluded corner, asking in a low voice, “Ji Ji, are you gonna tell me what’s going on? How did your chains break?”

“?” Gu Ji Ji only stared at Gu Xizhou blankly. “Uncle, what are you talking about? My name is Gu Xizhou, not Ji Ji!”