Extra #5
The unparalleled cucumber, reigning supreme over all. Sweeping away the competition in a whirlwind, a resounding success!
But he soon discovered that his joy had turned to sorrow.
Since arriving in this world, there is finally something that can pique Luo Binghe's interest even slightly.
Luo Binghe started reading "The Arrogant Immortal Demon Path".
a bolt from the blue.
The moment he realized what he was looking at, Shen Yuan felt helpless.
Unexpectedly, Luo Binghe is still frantically absorbing knowledge.
He's even started scanning articles!
Shen Yuan was sweating profusely when he suddenly heard Luo Binghe laugh and say, "Shizun, come quickly and see what I've discovered!"
As Shen Yuan walked over to take a look, his mind raced. Without hesitation, he looked at the text with surprise and asked, "What's this?"
Luo Binghe said, "This book has some interesting aspects. Shizun, haven't you read it?"
Shen Yuan said, "I've never seen this before. How could this be? This is truly strange."
Just kidding. He's always very clear-headed and wouldn't admit it so easily. Because usually, once he admits it, the following process will most likely follow.
1. Luo Binghe was shocked and incredulous, uttering despairing lines such as, "So I was just a character in a book, and all of this was fake!"
2. Luo Binghe, her eyes bloodshot, met his gaze and asked in a trembling voice, "So, in Shizun's eyes, I'm just a character in a book, not a real person, right?"
—This is really terrible.
Shen Yuan's head was throbbing with pain. Regarding point 1: he couldn't think of any way to comfort Luo Binghe with those words. This was a complete collapse of his worldview. He had no experience or confidence in dealing with this kind of psychological problem.
Regarding point 2: He refused to cause such an unnecessary misunderstanding by acknowledging an unimportant fact.
But none of the troublesome scenarios he had imagined materialized. Luo Binghe remained calm, showing no surprise whatsoever, let alone the slightest hint of despair or collapse.
It was he who was driven to despair and collapse. Because Shen Yuan discovered that Luo Binghe had not only finished reading the novel, but had also opened the book review section.
The walls were so heavy they seemed to shatter the liver and gallbladder.
Holy crap. What's he doing? — He's reading the post by "Peerless Cucumber"!!!
Luo Binghe commented, "This person is quite interesting."
No. It's boring. You think it's completely boring!
Luo Binghe said, "Shizun, I feel that some important information is hidden in this book. Why don't we meet with Mo Bei and the others today and discuss it with them?"
There was really no way to stop them. Shen Yuan said, "Alright...so be it."
Shen Yuan quickly contacted Shang Qinghua for a chat. The two agreed on their story and resolved to keep their identities secret. There was no particular reason. Shang Qinghua was afraid his son (yes, he called himself Luo Binghe's father!) would find out he'd portrayed him as a womanizing scumbag of the Three Realms level and had written an overwhelming amount of trashy plot for the readers' benefit, and would dislike him; Shen Yuan? Needless to say, Shen Yuan was even more worried.
He felt that if Luo Binghe saw his impressive debates in the book review section, where he single-handedly clashed with numerous others, he would lose all face as a teacher…
With his consent, Luo Binghe smiled and said, "Then, Shizun, shall we set off immediately for the Northern Desert and the residence of the Peak Lord of Anding Peak?"
Shen Yuan said tactfully, "Is this appropriate? They should be staying temporarily at your martial uncle's house right now. I'm afraid your martial uncle's residence can't accommodate so many people, can it?"
Shang Qinghua's rented apartment is described as a "mansion"? Those two words might come to life and protest.
Luo Binghe asked in surprise, "Really? There's been no indication from Mobei in that regard."
What? The Demon Prince, who wakes up every day in a luxurious crystal bed spanning 12,000 square meters, doesn't find Shang Qinghua's small rented room cramped at all?
Shen Yuan was curious, so he decided to go and see how the two of them were doing. However, when the two set off, he was greatly shocked.
Shen Yuan originally wanted to ask his driver to bring the car over, but Luo Binghe said it wasn't necessary. The two took the elevator downstairs, where an SUV was parked in front of the building's crystal curtain fountain.
The car body is as smooth as a mirror, and the reflected light and shadow are like an ever-changing painting. The chrome grille is like a silver mask carefully crafted by a beautiful woman. The streamlined body is elegant yet sharp.
Luo Binghe stood in front of the car and tossed the car keys to it.
The keychain is a small dog in a bib that looks rather silly.
Wait, Luo Binghe, where did you get this SUV? And where did your driver come from? What have you done to this world...?
Seeing Shen Yuan's questioning gaze, Luo Binghe smiled and said, "Shizun, there's no need to be so surprised. I assure you, I haven't done anything I shouldn't have done in this world. I just felt that no matter where I am, I must be able to protect you, so I made a little effort."
Hearing his assurance, Shen Yuan was slightly relieved. Actually, Luo Binghe was quite well-behaved now and wouldn't do anything outrageous. But then he wondered again—
No, Luo Binghe sleeps at his house every day, where would he find the time to make any effort?
Does this child divide their time into eight parts?
He even taught himself how to race cars!
With Luo Binghe's warning, Shen Yuan remained calm when the SUV stopped in front of a three-story villa.
The villa's owner seemed to be absent. But a short while later, Mo Bei Jun arrived. Shen Yuan never expected him to make such an entrance.
A black sedan pulled up in front of the house, and a bodyguard respectfully opened the car door. Mo Beijun, with a cold and aloof expression, wearing sunglasses and a sharp suit, stepped out. Behind him stood Shang Qinghua, looking pitiful, terrified, and helpless.
—————What a classic entrance! It feels like the plane showed Mobei-jun a lot of weird entertainment! Shen Yuan really wants to ask, where did you get this car? Your bodyguard… sigh, never mind, let's ask about this house first.
In short, what's with you acting like a gangster's son?!
This scene is simply too much to bear. Shang Qinghua, who used to be a tall, imposing man over 1.8 meters, now looks like a domineering CEO and an innocent high school student. Xiang Fei's small frame is particularly pitiful, inevitably bringing to mind some truly heinous things!
Shen Yuan looked at Shang Qinghua.
With a look of utter despair, Shang Qinghua silently cried out, "Brother Gua, don't look at me. The whole thing started because he thought my house was too small, and my bed was too small. Anyway, he said he didn't do anything like murder or arson, but he didn't dare ask how he got it, and I didn't dare ask either!"
Inside the villa.
Luo Binghe released his grip, and a physical book fell onto the table between the four of them.
The four began studying the text of "The Arrogant Path of Immortals and Demons".
Shang Qinghua interjected, "Such a thing actually exists! This is truly an extraordinary book! — However, theoretically speaking, is the author of this book the same as the creator god? Is he the same as Mobei Jun's father?"
Shen Yuan was completely convinced as soon as he heard him speak.
He had never seen anyone as obsessed with their father as Shang Qinghua. Never!
He desperately wanted to reclaim his dignity as a father. Yet, he was utterly devoid of dignity.
He didn't even dare to call Luo Binghe's son. He only dared to act so recklessly because the Northern Lord was becoming more and more lenient towards him.
As expected, Mo Beijun merely glanced at Shang Qinghua, completely indifferent to the conclusion. Shang Qinghua was immediately disappointed.
Indeed! If Mobei Jun has no fatherly affection for his own father, how could he possibly have any respect for the author?
I fear I'll never hear him call me "Dad" in this lifetime... It seems being a master is a more promising profession! Don't you know, a master is definitely your master, but a father isn't necessarily your father. The bond between father and son is not as strong as the bond between master and disciple—how tragic!
Luo Binghe scoffed, "The God of Creation? Impossible. It must be because the author of this book has exceptional inspiration and captured a mirage from another world."
Shen Yuan's heart stirred, and he understood what he meant.
He pondered for a moment and said, "That's one way to put it."
A person with high spirituality, like someone with keen senses, can indeed occasionally capture lingering echoes from another world.
Perhaps because Xiang Fei was highly inspired, he subconsciously captured fragments of a certain world, and based on these fragments, plus his own embellishment, he wrote "The Arrogant Path of Immortals and Demons".
This explanation is indeed quite reasonable. Otherwise, how could the characters in the book come to the real world? Only when two worlds exist in the same dimension can they travel between each other. No wonder Luo Binghe didn't react as he expected.
But this completely overturned their previous understanding of "Crazy Immortal Path".
It is more than just a book.
It's also another real world!
However, even so, there are still many details that are worth examining.
There are currently three known worlds:
——————The Modern World;
—The world of the light novel version of "The Arrogant Immortal Demon Path" (previously considered the "original" world);
————The censored version of the world of "The Arrogant Immortal Demon Path" (previously thought to be a "transmigration" world).
Clearly, these three worlds are on the same level.
So, what is the relationship between the world of the "original novel" and the world of the "transmigration"?
How did the world of "transmigration into a book" come about?
Where do systems come from? And what is the purpose of a system?
It is no longer possible to explain this as "the author's resentment at being forced to cut the outline in a sorry state by the market".
An airplane is just an ordinary human; it's impossible for it to have such incredible abilities.
Demon King Luo Binghe is already at the pinnacle of existence in the fantasy cultivation world. What is it that even Luo Binghe cannot explain?
Shen Yuan was conflicted. He wanted to discuss it further, but he didn't want to reveal his identity. So he tentatively asked, "Then, are you going to investigate the author of this book?"
Fortunately, Luo Binghe thought for a moment and said, "No need. Because even his high level of intuition is limited, he's probably just confused and there's no point in investigating him."
"Oh? How to say it."
"In fact, the novel 'The Arrogant Path of Immortals and Demons' deviates greatly from the facts. The characters are contrived, the style is low, there are contradictions, and the plot is illogical. In addition, the writing is verbose and extremely long, making it an extremely unpleasant read."
Got it. You think it's out of character (OOC), right?
Luo Binghe frowned slightly and said, "I have always treated Senior Sister Ning and Junior Sister Liu with courtesy. How could I have ever had any romantic feelings for them? The chapters on Hundred Flowers Formation and Thousand Beauties Pavilion are like tumors. In short, this book is extremely lewd."
Well, I think its explicit content isn't as good as what Liu Su Mianhua and San Shengmu wrote... but you're right. Feiji-sensei really does seem to have a seizure when he writes about girls. It's not even as good as Liu Su Mianhua's!
Shang Qinghua's lips twitched: "I'm just respecting the market and serving the readers. Everyone's just trying to make a living..."
Shen Yuan's eyes twitched: Shut up, you spineless author!
Mo Bei Jun remained leaning back on the sofa, too lazy to speak. He hadn't even taken off his sunglasses, yet he was intently engrossed in reading "The Arrogant Path of the Immortal Demon." At this moment, he casually asked, "Why is the section about bravely venturing into the Hundred Flowers Formation so long?"
Shen Yuan: Hehe, I know that. I'm answering for Teacher Feiji because it's filler content. The male protagonist seduced over a hundred pure flower fairy maidens, and each girl's story is described in three or four thousand words. See how…
After a moment of silence, Luo Binghe said expressionlessly, "Flower spirits spend their entire lives in the forms of caterpillars, crickets, wasps, etc. They despise humans the most, so how could they transform into humans? And how could they fall in love with humans?"
Shen Yuan: "..."
That's really obscure knowledge. Airplane, you... I'm speechless. Worldviews generally don't change, right? That must be your improvisation! Insect anthropomorphism? That's way too extreme! What kind of mind-blowing stuff did you show Luo Binghe?!
Mobei Jun said expressionlessly, "Perhaps it's just his quirk. Perhaps he likes being surrounded by insects."
Shang Qinghua: "..."
He was so terrified that he trembled like a hamster caught in a cat's jaws. He hurriedly scrambled up to Mobei Jun and pleaded pitifully, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this book isn't actually that bad, is it? At least, the parts about you aren't that bad, right?"
When Shang Qinghua asked him, he looked down at Shang Qinghua and asked, "Are you a book fan?"
Shang Qinghua glanced at Luo Binghe with trepidation.
Luo Binghe remained silent. Shen Yuan retorted righteously, "So what if you're a fan of the book? Just admit it, what's wrong with that!"
Shang Qinghua forced a smile and said, "Yes! I'm a book fan! A die-hard fan, a long-time fan, a loyal fan for ten years!"
Mobei Jun thought for a moment and said, "It's alright."
Shang Qinghua felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and smiled with joy.
To be honest, if you only look at Mobei Jun's part, it's actually not bad.
Because of Mo Bei Jun's storyline, the artist handled it very cleanly, without too many messy details. Leaving aside the question of who faithfully recreated whom, Mo Bei Jun is definitely the least out-of-character (OOC) of all the characters. Although there are still many aspects that are hard to describe…
Thinking of this, Shen Yuan could no longer hold back.
He picked up his phone and angrily slammed it on the airplane screen: You outrageous supporting character fanatic, author, don't you know that the villain usurping the main character's place is a major taboo? How could you add so many vulgar elements to the protagonist while showing such leniency to the supporting characters?!
Shang Qinghua, sitting opposite, frantically tapped on his phone: "Luo Binghe is the protagonist, and protagonists always bear a heavier fate! Who can blame me when everyone loves this kind of thing? So many people in the comments section are supporting me, I couldn't handle it, I was wrong, I..."
Luo Binghe offered his assessment: "What I was most curious about during the reading process was not what kind of person would write such an article, but what kind of person would be so obsessed with it. Because I could see that this person was following the crowd and guessing what others liked in many parts of the story."
Shen Yuan: I... I'm not obsessed with those things at all... I think they're all trash... I... Sigh, never mind. I'm no longer pure!
Shen Yuan and Qinghua exchanged a silent glance, then looked away and covered their masks again.
As the discussion drew to a close, Shen Yuan noticed that the airplane teacher seemed to have suddenly fallen into deep thought, and had even stopped making any "oohs".
This is quite unusual. He asked, "What's wrong? Is something on your mind?"
The airplane instructor said seriously, "I suddenly had a thought... Could our world also be a story?"
Shen Yuan said, "Rules of nesting are prohibited."
"Why is this so..."
Shen Yuan said, "So what if it's a story, or not? Whether it is or isn't, does that mean you're done with it? Whether it's meaningful or not is only for us to decide. We are the meaning itself. Okay, next!" Shang Qinghua blinked and exclaimed, "Wow... Brother Shen, I didn't expect you to be an existentialist!" Shen Yuan said, "No, I didn't expect you to even know about existentialism." Although it wasn't anything profound, given the poor writing style of Teacher Feiji, Shen Yuan couldn't expect him to have any basic philosophical knowledge. Shang Qinghua said awkwardly, "Don't look down on me like that! I graduated from a prestigious university, and I'm your classmate..."
"Really?" Shen Yuan was greatly shocked. "You're an alumnus of my school? Then why do you speak so much Chinglish?" Their school has very high admission scores!
"I went off to do creative work after graduation, didn't I? English is like advanced mathematics; 80% of people who learn it never use it again, and if they don't use it, they forget it all. My peak English level was during the college entrance exam… There's another thing Shen Yuan didn't say: he thought Shang Qinghua's idea was too outrageous. It terrified him. In other words, if he were told that someone could see him and Luo Binghe constantly arguing, and in the end, all sorts of things… Shen Yuan couldn't bear to think about it; it was such a terrifying thought!"
Fortunately, he figured no one would be interested in a novel written in this style. Well, probably.
When they got home in the evening, the two of them had dinner with their parents and sister, went for a walk for a while, and then went back to their room.
As soon as the door closed, Luo Binghe asked a question that caught him off guard.
He tilted his head and asked, "Shizun, do you know what a 'system' is?"
Not bad, you've started reading system novels now. How many kilograms of "Endpoint Literature" have you devoured?
"I know," Shen Yuan said. "Why are you suddenly asking this?"
You don't want me to send you a tweet, do you?
Luo Binghe said, "I'm thinking that the system of this world is actually a host spirit of our world. What do you think, Shizun?"
A spirit that resides within you, like a residing grandfather figure. For example, the venerable dream demon who has already retired in glory.
Now that you mention it, the system and the ever-present old man do seem quite similar. Both require their hosts to do certain things and offer rewards in return. However, the nightmare demon is a living person, while the system is more like artificial intelligence.
Shen Yuan was quite interested and said, "That makes some sense."
But his interest quickly faded.
Luo Binghe smiled and asked, "Shizun, do you have a system?"
As expected of the male protagonist from another world, his intelligence is also maxed out.
That's right. Although "Arrogance" is no longer "Arrogance," the male protagonist is still the male protagonist!
Not only because he was used to calling him that, but also because when a person becomes the supreme ruler, he can almost be considered the protagonist of that world.
After a quick deliberation, Shen Yuan chose to tell the truth this time.
He answered decisively, "Yes."
"really."
Luo Binghe nodded and said, "Shizun's body in this world has no magical power. Therefore, only a host spirit can carry Shizun's soul between the two worlds."
Immediately, Luo Binghe took a deep breath and knelt down in front of him.
Although Shen Yuan often had to kneel before him, the sight of him now facing a male Dao Luo Binghe was particularly shocking. He had been sitting on the bed, but now he abruptly stood up, exclaiming in astonishment, "What are you doing?"
Luo Binghe's gaze was heavy as he said, "So, back then, Shizun had no choice but to push me into the Abyss of No Return because of the existence of this system, is that right?"
Shen Yuan sighed softly and said, "Yes."
Luo Binghe's eyes flickered, seemingly filled with joy, yet also with hidden pain.
He said, "I see."
After saying that, he slapped himself hard.
The palm strike came suddenly and fiercely, startling Shen Yuan, who quickly tried to stop it: "What are you doing now?!"
Luo Binghe knelt on the ground, looked up at him, and said, "Shizun was forced to do it, but I was in the Abyss of No Return... I really did resent Shizun a little. Later, I even frightened Shizun."
—That's undeniable; it's truly terrifying.
But! But Shen Yuan couldn't stand to see Luo Binghe like this. He angrily said, "Then you didn't need to hit him! How can you just hit someone I raised?!"
Luo Binghe said, "It was my fault, please punish me, Shizun."
Shen Yuan was quite helpless. How could he punish him? He couldn't hit him either.
Seeing that he had no other choice, Luo Binghe lowered his head and buried his face in his knees, making his expression unreadable.
Shen Yuan said, "A little resentment is very little. Your shizun doesn't mind."
Luo Binghe said in a low voice, "But Shizun had no intention of treating me badly, so why should he bear this bit of my resentment?"
However, Shen Yuan recalled the first time Luo Binghe and he met again after Luo Binghe climbed out of the Abyss. He was terrified at the time, but now, looking back, he could clearly see the sorrow in Luo Binghe's eyes when he looked at him.
He knew his disciple best. However, the "one point" that Luo Binghe mentioned probably meant that when he was beaten so badly that he would take a small piece of cloth, write a small picture of Shen Qingqiu in blood, hold it and look at it for a long time, and then eat it.
Shen Yuan said, "Get up."
Luo Binghe then silently got up, and Shen Yuan asked him to sit with him on the edge of the bed.
After sitting quietly for a while, Shen Yuan picked up the small medicine box from the bedside and asked Luo Binghe to turn his face to the side.
Luo Binghe obediently listened, and Shen Yuan carefully applied the medicine to his face, feeling a pang of pity: This is really harsh; half of his face is swollen!
But this is so illogical! How can someone's face be so swollen and still not affect their appearance?
After a long silence, Luo Binghe said, "Shizun's host spirit is too powerful; it can not only take Shizun to and from two worlds, but..."
Even I can't sense its presence. Shizun, we must find a way to get rid of it.
Actually, Shen Yuan felt it wasn't that threatening. After all, the system rarely popped up after the mission was completed. When it did appear, it was usually to deliver gift packs.
Shen Yuan felt as if it had become a pet. Even now, when Luo Binghe said he wanted to get rid of it, it was very...
So honest that he didn't dare utter a sound.
However, since its origin is unknown, there's no guarantee it will never harm Shen Qingqiu. Luo Binghe's desire to remove it is understandable.
Shen Yuan said, "I'll explain it to you in detail later and see if we can find out its origin."
Luo Binghe seemed to breathe a slight sigh of relief. He could tell that if Shen Yuan said he didn't want to remove it, he would never force him, but he would worry about it himself.
He seemed to be deep in thought, and said, "However, although I don't know where it came from, I am grateful for its existence. If it weren't for it, my Shizun wouldn't have come to my world. If it weren't for it, my Shizun wouldn't have pushed me into the Abyss of No Return."
Shen Yuan was stunned.
He was slightly speechless for a moment, then said, "Why are you thanking it for letting me push you down...?"
Luo Binghe chuckled softly.
He sat half-submerged in darkness, his face turned to look at Shen Yuan, his gaze dark and unfathomable, and said, word by word: "Because only..."
Only in this way can someone like my Shizun never forget me throughout his life.