Chapter 136

136 CAN’T COME OUT, CAN’T COME IN

The hilt of the sword hit Wu Jinhai’s head quite hard, but it wasn’t the sword itself that dared to do that to its old master.

“Get milk from your ancestors, not me!” The culprit behind the merciless attack scolded the victim, and of course, it was Bai Chen because Wu Jiang had indeed snuggled against his chest before the taller man suddenly uttered a random statement that irritated him.

It was indeed not the sword that wanted to injure its old master, and the innocent sword even trembled slightly as it witnessed how its ‘parents’ fought in front of it. The sword did look like an innocent child because it looked scared when its ‘parents’ argued because of it.

However, Wu Jinhai only chuckled even if he had just received a hit from the shorter man. “In the eyes of a lover, Xi Shi appears[1]. Wu Jiang only wants you to be its mother, so I can’t go find another mother for it,” he replied calmly.

Bai Chen really couldn’t understand Wu Jinhai at all. Even when he had reprimanded the man violently, the man still dared to tease him.

‘Thankfully, the system didn’t deduct my points because of my violent actions earlier,’ Bai Chen secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

One thing he could deduce about the system after knowing it for a while was its inconsistency. It sometimes could be very strict with the rules, it and would also mercilessly deduct his points no matter what. However, there were also times when the system was quite merciful, and Bai Chen felt somewhat fortunate when he received mercy.

Bai Chen was furious because of the taller man, but then the sword in his hand started to move again, and it once again shifted to his chest before curling up against his chest like before.

Even when Bai Chen tried to pull the sword from his chest, it still insisted on going towards his chest and started to curl up like a child.

.....

“Why is this sword suddenly acting like this?” Bai Chen questioned Wu Jinhai, but his blue eyes remained fixed on the sword. “Before you fought those three men, it didn’t even move when I held it, but now it seems to have a soul of his own. It’s strange.”

Bai Chen continued to frown as he saw how the sword named Wu Jiang continued to act spoiled at him, and he didn’t even notice that Wu Jinhai was giving him a gentle gaze through the holes of the golden mask.

No one could describe the man’s gaze, but there seemed to be too much meaning in that gaze as Wu Jinhai continued to stare at Bai Chen’s interaction with the silver sword.

“You’re right. Wu Jiang has its own soul, and that’s why it can also act like a living person,” Wu Jinhai replied, and Bai Chen finally looked up from the sword. “Probably it did not move before when I just gave it to you as it was still trying to adapt in your hand, and now that it feels comfortable with you, it starts moving when it’s with you.”

“What?” The white-robed man asked. “This sword can act like a living person? Was it originally a person who was cursed to become a sword?”

Bai Chen ignored Wu Jinhai’s full explanation and only focused his attention on the fact that Wu Jiang had its own soul, and that was why the sword acted as if it was a living person.

As an otaku in his previous life, Bai Chen had often read fantasy manga about some humans being cursed into objects, and he assumed that such a thing made sense in this world.

This world was not normal at all. Apart from humans, there were also werewolves, beasts, as well as demons, and some of them were extremely powerful with their strength that looked like magic in Bai Chen’s eyes.

That was why Bai Chen suspected that Wu Jiang was actually a person who was cursed to become a sword. However, to his dismay, he suddenly heard a series of laughter from the other man as if telling him that his imagination was too high.

“You think Wu Jiang was cursed?” Wu Jinhai asked in amusement as he tried to suppress his laughter. “Why are you suddenly thinking that? Would you be afraid if Wu Jiang was indeed cursed?”

It seemed like Wu Jinhai was teasing him, and Bai Chen just pursed his lips without responding to the ridicule. After all, Bai Chen was new to this fantasy-like world, and he assumed that it was normal for him to have wild ideas about what was going on in this strange world.

Unfortunately, Wu Jinhai probably thought that he was ridiculous, and that was why the man asked him while trying to hold back his laughter.

“Wu Jiang was not cursed, and it has never been a living person before,” Wu Jinhai explained as he returned to his serious mode. “It’s a long story, and maybe I can tell you everything another time. You just need to remember that Wu Jiang is harmless.”

The words ‘next time’ seemed unusual in Bai Chen’s ears, and he immediately asked, “Next time? What will happen to us after this? I faintly overheard your conversation with the bald man earlier, and it seems that he and the two men intentionally destroyed the barrier at the core? Dangerous beasts are in the outer areas of the forest right now, right? Does that mean, we can’t continue the Beast Hunting Event anymore?”

Bai Chen had indeed been inside the golden shield before, but the shield was semi-transparent, and it also didn’t block out the sound coming from outside the shield. Thus, Bai Chen could still hear some of the conversations between Wu Jinhai and the bald man with a scar on his face.

This time, Wu Jinhai sighed before replying, “You are right. All dangerous beasts managed to escape from the core, and it is too dangerous to continue the event. We just need to wait for the people outside the Forbidden Forest to save us now.”

Waiting for rescue sounded desperate, and Bai Chen did not expect he would hear such a statement from a person as confident as Wu Jinhai.

“There’s also a barrier separating this forest from the outside world, right? If the people outside the forest want to save us, then they just need to open that barrier, right?” Bai Chen asked again.

He still remembered that the barrier set up during the event was not the same as the barrier used to trap all the beasts many years ago. The original barrier only had the purpose of trapping the beasts, but the barrier created for the event would also trap humans and werewolves within the barrier.

For the purpose of the event, the barrier that had existed for many years was purposely strengthened, and it would not let people from outside the forest enter during the event. The barrier prevented people from outside the forest from entering, and it also prevented all creatures within the forest from escaping. That was why all the creatures within the forest were trapped by the barrier now.

“It’s not that simple,” Wu Jinhai replied. “If the people outside this forest carelessly open the barrier that protects this forest from the outside world, it will disrupt the stability of the barrier, and high-level beasts in the outer area of the forest might use the opportunity to get out of the forest. So, people outside the forest need to use special techniques before they can enter to solve problems in this forest, and that may take a long time.”

Bai Chen looked nervous after hearing Wu Jinhai’s explanation. He initially felt lucky because the Beast Hunting Event had to end soon even though he was only in the forest for a day, but apparently, he couldn’t even get out of the forest when the event was no longer taking place.

Moreover, dangerous beasts could roam freely in the outer areas of the forest, and he might run into them if he was unlucky.

‘This is all because of the bald man and the other two men who have broken the barrier at the core,’ Bai Chen grumbled inwardly, but then he remembered something as he widened his eyes.

“You have to tell the truth this time, Wu Jinhai,” Bai Chen suddenly spoke in a serious tone as he continued to stare at the pair of brown eyes through the holes in the golden mask. “The three men you fought earlier were Shao Meihui’s guards, right? They were assigned by Emperor Bai Guowei to protect Shao Meihui during the event, but they ended up breaking the barrier. Do you think that was the Emperor’s order? Do you think the Emperor wants to kill us in this forest?”

—

Footnote:

[1] In the eyes of a lover, Xi Shi appears: Xi Shi was one of the four women who were renowned for their beauty in ancient China. This is one of the most famous Chinese sayings about love. In English, we know it as “love is blind.”