It hurt.
His head hurt.
His head hurt, his ass hurt, his waist hurt, his arms hurt, his legs hurt too…
Ning Gu knew that this brand of pain belonged to the No.1 Hottie of the Ghost City. Although the previous pain felt just as real, after experiencing it three times, he could already differentiate it quite clearly—it was the one laden with despair and struggle that belonged to Lian Chuan.
However, he was still unsure of why he would hurt like this. Based on his cumulative experience of getting hurt in the past, he learned that after regaining consciousness the first thing to do should never be to open eyes, regardless of the reason for having them closed in the first place, whether he passed out, fell asleep, or otherwise.
If there is someone waiting to beat, interrogate, or torture you, it would begin the moment you opened your eyes.
It’s crucial to get a hold of the current situation first, particularly in a place as full of inexplicable phenomena as Lost Valley and after a confrontation that he didn’t even know whether it escalated to a fight or not.
“Stop pretending,” A voice said by into ear.
This voice genuinely took Ning Gu by surprise—it was too close, and he could feel the speaker’s breath on his face as he spoke.
“I know that…”
Ning Gu flung his hand toward the direction of the voice, and only then sprung to his feet and opened his eyes.
Pa!
He felt it by the feeling in his hand that he smacked a face, square and loud.
When he turned his head and looked at the direction the voice had come from, he saw a person in a dog head mask standing two metres away from him, holding his face.
Without much time to care for anything else, Ning Gu quickly examined the surroundings only to realise that he was no longer in the pit from before, but on the bottom of the cone-shaped one he saw during his first visit in the Lost Valley. As he looked up, its concentric levels of caves extending up were basked in red light, making for quite a majestic sight.
What about Lian Chuan?
What about the place from before?
And this guy… these two guys… three…
At some point, seven or eight people appeared beside the dog-head Bat—it was apparent that they were all Bats as well.
Where did they all come from?
Ning Gu suddenly remembered the old blind prick’s words.
This was Jiu Yi’s nest. Jiu Yi—that is the Bats boss—was precisely the one he had just smacked in the mouth.
He really was worthy of being called the Ghost City’s bully, he actually slapped Jiu Yi in his own nest.
“I told you that we should’ve tied him up,” said scrawny Bat by Jiu Yi’s side, “Let’s do it now?”
“Go bring a rope.” Jiu Yi gave an order, and a couple of Bats rushed to fulfil it.
Jiy Yi slowly walked up to Ning Gu, looking him up and down. Ning Gu didn’t stand on courtesy and reciprocated the assessment.
However, Jiu Yi wasn’t at all similar to what Ning Gu had imagined. Apart from the mask covering half his face, there were no modifications to his body.
“Where’s Lian Chuan?” Jiu Yi stuck out his finger and pointed it to Ning Gu’s face. When it was still half an arm away from it, a fingernail glinted with sharp light and a metal finger claw extended from it, jabbing at Ning Gu’s face.
Oh, so he actually had modified it. It seemed like the Bat boss was much more exquisite with his alterations though.
“Who’s Lian Chuan?” Ning Gu reached with his hand and slapped Jiu Yi’s claw away from his face with a resonant ding.
“Stop playing stupid,” Jiu Yi scoffed, “How would any Traveller not know who Lian Chuan is?”
“I was born six months ago, it’s my first time in the Main City. Is Lian Chuan really so important that I need to know who he is?”
Jiu Yi stopped and stared at him for quite a while before he turned to a Bat beside him and ordered, “Check whether his brain got damaged.”
“You actually didn’t know that Travellers are fast growers?” Ning Gu tutted, “Just look at you, how did you become a boss without knowing even this?”
Jiu Yi turned his head back to glare at him. Ning Gu didn’t mind him, taking this moment to quickly look around and examine the terrain, looking for an escape route.
“Fast growers!” Jiu Yi hollered suddenly.
The echoing yell spooked Ning Gu so much, he even forgot about his back pain.
“Fast growers are the ones that can regrow their severed limbs! The only fast grower out there died ten years ago!” Jiu Yi yelled again, “I’ve never heard of someone fast-growing from a six month-old baby to an adult man!”
“That’s right if you didn’t,” The corners of Ning Gu’s lips curled up, “I’m messing with you.”
“Let’s beat him.” One of the Bats goaded.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“When he’s tied up.” Jiu Yi replied.
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He hesitated between running and staying for a second, then turned and jumped onto a huge metal block on the side after getting hit a few more times. He kicked back another two Bats, but he was left with almost no space to even attempt any more kicks, surrounded tightly by his assailants. Another Bat jumped directly above him. He swiftly jumped off the block, however he felt something stabbing his back.
And this time, it actually wounded him.
He was furious.
He, the Ghost City’s majestic… Or to hell with that, after leaving Ghost City, he was continuously beaten up, time and time again, to the point where he didn’t even have time to blow off steam!
And now those damned Bats now wanted to tie him up for a beating!
He didn’t even know whether he would be able to go back to the Ghost City, and Lian Chuan, his last chance for survival, was suddenly gone. And now he was stuck taking a beating from those Bat bastards in their nest, while their boss watched it like some play from the side, pleased as punch.
This situation, so similar to the scene he previously caught sight of when watching the metal frameworks fighting on the stage before, caused him to feel so… aggrieved.
Such! A majestic! Traveller!
In his entire life, even getting hanged on the clocktower for everyone to see didn’t make him feel so wronged.
He was burning with fury! Burning!
“You bastards,” Ning Gu turned his head abruptly, glaring at the Bats chasing after him, feeling so feverish with rage that his eyes were almost burning, “Go play in the crap.”
As he spoke the last word, everyone could feel the tremor. It was as if it was coming from within their bodies. There was no sound to it, but the air seemed to congeal with it.
And then a wave rippled through it. It was only for a moment.
The red lights in Jiu Yi’s nest disappeared altogether.
By the time the cave walls once again glowed with it, every single Bat aside from Jiu Yi was on the ground, holding their heads and whimpering from pain. Ning Gu didn’t know what happened. The only thing he was aware of was that the place his back got stabbed still hurt.
“Impressive,” Jiu Yi raised his hands to clap them for him, “Really impressive. No wonder the Main City wants Lian Chuan to catch you.”
“Where is he?” Ning Gu didn’t beat around the bush with him anymore. Jiu Yi seemed mysterious, but he wasn’t the kind of person who could be softened by going around in circles to negotiate terms.
“Dunno,” Jiu Yi watched his lackeys, who were now slowly getting back on their feet, “But I can help you.”
Ning Gu didn’t say anything, only stared at him.
“I can help you find Lian Chuan. Here, whether it’s a person or a thing, if a Bat says it can’t be found, then no one can find it.” Jiu Yi walked to the iron platform and sat down, extending his finger claw to tap on it, “I can still help you out safely.”
“Your conditions.” Ning Gu asked.
“Lian Chuan’s mine,” Jiu Yi said, “and when you raze the Main City, you’ll leave half of it for the Bats.”
This time Ning Gu’s silence wasn’t caused by the oppressive atmosphere of the situation, but by his confusion of what he could possibly say to somehow keep himself from asking this Bat whether some part of his brain was malfunctioning.
“Do you think I’m crazy?” Jiu Yi asked.
“You’re still fine, I guess.”
“There’s so many failed subjects in the Main City, some in the light, some in the dark, wrecked, discarded. You wouldn’t be able to count them all,” Jiu Yi propped his chin, rhythmically rapping the claws on his mask, “And what for? What about the ones thrown into Lost Mist Ridge?”
“What’s Lost Mist Ridge?” Ning Gu asked.
“Lost Tunnel,” Jiu Yi looked at him, “Are you really only half a year old? You don’t even know this?”
“I just didn’t know the name.” Ning Gu retorted.
“Did you also not understand what I said a moment ago?”
He didn’t, in fact, but right now, he wasn’t really interested in any subjects aside from Lian Chuan.
“How can you still be fine?” Ning Gu stared at Jiu Yi’s mask. No matter what it was that had just taken place, it was certain that he didn’t get influenced by it.
“Me?” Jiu Yi finally stopped rapping on his mask and swayed lightly a couple of times, “I’ve got no brain.”
My line actually got stolen, was Ning Gu’s first thought.
“I’ve got no brain—!” Jiu Yi spread his arms, lifting his face to howl with joy, “The Main City can’t do anything with me! And Poet can’t do anything! Even Qi Hang can’t!”
Ning Gu watched him with shock. It was the first time he saw someone being so ecstatic over having no brains.
“But,” Jiu Yi withdrew his arms and threw him a smile, going back to propping his cheek, “I also have no way of leaving Lost Valley, I can only get outside to breathe some fresh air once a year.
“Is it empty?” Ning Gu pointed to his head.
“Packed to the brim!” Jiu Yi exclaimed, “Just completely dead.”
Ning Gu fell silent.
“What do you think about it? My conditions.” Jiu Yi went back to the main topic at hand.
Talking with Jiu Yi really wasn’t as efficient as talking with Lian Chuan. Lian Chuan at least wouldn’t digress.
“Lian Chuan’s mine,” Ning Gu said, “As for razing the Main City…”
He really couldn’t muster much confidence when saying this, “After I raze it, half of the territory will be yours.”
“He’s going to kill you,” Jiu Yi stared at him, “He will hand you over to the Main City when he catches you, you should know that? They need their special samples, ones like you, otherwise those subjects of theirs will always remain just walking corpses. You should give me Lian Chuan, I’ll help you with killing him.”
“Samples,” Ning Gu thought a bit, “What would they use them for?”
“Ones like you?” Jiu Yi stood up and walked up to him, jabbing at him continuously, “They would bind you, jam wires into your brain, and then, like a never, ever ending source, pour it into those hollow husks…”
“Don’t touch me.” Ning Gu had goosebumps on his back from listening to it. He didn’t know whether it was true, but he slapped Jiu Yi’s hand away.
“How about you ask Lian Chuan?” Jiu Yi stepped back, “Although there’s no way he’ll remember.”
“He’s a prototype subject.” Ning Gu said.
“Ah, right, you two have met Poet,” Jiu Yi nodded his head, “Poet wants Lian Chuan…”
Ning Gu was about to speak up when suddenly, Jiu Yi slapped his thigh, “Then we’ve gotta hurry, Poet might snatch him first if we’re late!”
“Take me to him.” Ning Gu said.
“Conditions.” Jiu Yi insisted, “We didn’t settle on a deal.”
“Lian Chuan’s mine,” Ning Gu repeated, “Half of the Main City’s yours.”
“Lian Chuan’s mine.” Jiu Yi refuted.
“I’m going after him myself,” Ning Gu said, “And there won’t be a share of the Main City for you.”
Jiu Yi stared at him for a long while before he finally asked, “Why? Why do you have to save him?”
“He saved me.”
“I did!” Jiu Yi hollered furiously, “It was me who fucking saved you!”
“Where did you save me?” Ning Gu asked.
“I found you in one of the Intoning Pit’s abandoned caves.”
“Why would I be there? My last memory is from when Lian Chuan grabbed me and jumped into the pit.”
“How would I know!” Jiu Yi howled.
“So it was him who saved me,” Ning Gu said, “not you. He went missing because he helped me.”
Ning Gu barked with laughter, and laughed for a good while before suddenly, he lifted his hand and the finger claws buzzed as he snapped his fingers.
A couple of dark shadows appeared on the walls around.
“Go look for Lian Chuan,” He ordered, “On the bottom of the Intoning Pit. Be fast, find him before Poet awakens.”
.o0o.
It would be way more efficient for the Black Rings squad to go look for Lian Chuan if Ning Gu did it. They were more familiar with the terrain, and nobody would hinder them. Nevertheless, Ning Gu still insisted on joining the search.
He didn’t want to idle around with Jiu Yi, afraid that he would get infected by this brainless monster.
And he was anxious. He had to be on the scene when they found Lian Chuan. He couldn’t trust Jiu Yi with his volatile temperament, he was too entangled with the Main City, as the Lost Valley used to be a part of its territory.
Also because of what Jiu Yi had told him.
Among those subjects from the Main City, those ten thousand or more failures, perhaps even others, some of them were thrown into the Lost Valley. He suspected that maybe Jiu Yi, still alive despite having no brain, could be a subject himself.
This caused him to think about that secret basement under the Ghost City. Nobody could enter it, and a lot of people didn’t even know what was inside.
Those ‘ex-travellers’ stored there…
He felt like ever since he learned that Lian Chuan was a subject, he wouldn’t get surprised no matter who would turn out to also be one. A living, breathing human; even though he seemed as if he had no emotions most of the time, Ning Gu knew that he felt them before, even though they were all painful.
It’s the pain that’s the most real.
Captain had once told him, “You’ll only remember when it hurts.”
Lian Chuan was a subject. Why did he save him? Ning Gu wasn’t entirely sure. He only knew that he had a trump cart of being able to restrict Lian Chuan, but the only reason why Lian Chuan would take such a huge bet… was because he knew Ning Gu could save him as well.
Since that was the case, he had to save Lian Chuan. Only this way he would be able to untangle more secrets.
And the Travellers, those who always opposed the Main City, were its enemy, those who plundered and were killed… Just what kind of existence were they?
And Captain, who was like a father to him, brought him up with love and hard hand, who praised and punished him, instilling both fear and sense of security…
His parents…
“You better not think you’re the actual Saviour.” One of the small Bats said, walking behind him.
This Bat called Prosperity was assigned to keep an eye on him by Jiu Yi. Ning Gu looked back at him. With a scrawny physique like this, he could pierce the guy with a single punch.
“Then you must be one.” Ning Gu said.
“Of course I’m not,” Prosperity retorted, “I’m just reminding you that there are hundreds of those secret keys.”
“What?” Ning Gu was caught by surprise.
“The one you stole from Flower Eye? Even though everyone wants it, there’s like few hundreds of those in the Lost Valley. They say that you can only use them when you collect them all, and among those few hundreds, few hundreds are in the Lost Ridge, so nobody can get their hands on them.”
“Can you do maths?” Ning Gu couldn’t help but ask.
“I’m just telling you, there’s no use to it even if you took it. Don’t think that you can challenge Jiu Yi just because you’ve got one.”
Ning Gu felt deeply moved. Prosperity was just walking around in circles to protect his boss.
Without its Travellers visitors, the Lost Valley seemed a bit desolate. A lot of places were quiet, and even as they passed a few trading halls, the merchants were nowhere to be seen, and only piles of commodities were left behind.
The Black Rings had already split and went to the Intoning Pit, and only one of them stayed behind to lead the way for him. Ning Gu didn’t have any badass modifications, couldn’t scuttle up and jump from the cave walls, so he had to get a ride in a minecart.
The path was complicated, and without Lian Chuan there, Ning Gu already lost a sense of direction after the third turn. He could only tell that they were heading downwards.
At last, they stopped in front of a narrow cavern bathed in red light. The Black Ring leading the way turned his head towards him and warned, “Don’t speak until the cart stops. If Poet awakens, none of us can dream of escaping with our lives.”
“Let’s go.” Ning Gu said.
The minecart was like an iron bowl, already completely crowded with three people standing inside. Ning Gu leaned against its edge, and when they began moving, he saw the tracks stretching below. They rode down the breath-takingly large cliff wall walls of the giant chasm, circling around it as if to plunge into its abyss below.
The minecart moved pretty fast; Ning Gu never experienced a drop from such a high place, so he momentarily tensed up and tightened his grip on the cart’s side.
The bottom of the Intoning Pit was already devoid of red light, enshrouded by darkness.
As the minecart came to halt, Ning Gu felt a bone-chilling cold; although there was no wind here, this kind of chill was more biting than the one in the Ghost City, sending a shiver up his spine.
The bottom of the pit wasn’t even. Ridden with a forest of sharp stalagmites reaching higher than twice a human height, this place resembled a torture chamber. A couple of Black Rings climbed and jumped nimbly between those pillars, reaching them in no time.
One of them made a hand signal. It was very crude, completely lacking in secrecy—Ning Gu understood it at the first glance. A hand slashing on the neck and a head tilt. They found Lian Chuan.
And they found him dead.
Ning Gu couldn’t tell how he felt at that moment. He wasn’t all that sad about it—Lian Chuan was just a Hyena who always tried to kill him, capture him, and beat him countless times, and he wasn’t all that friendly towards him. If he was dead then so be it.
It’s not like it would be completely impossible to uncover those secrets without him. And even without him, he could still discuss conditions with Jiu Yi and protect himself.
Still…
He felt cold seeping into his heart, and his mood plummeted along with its temperature.
After all, to his understanding, Lian Chuan died to let him live.
Only the quiet footsteps could be heard around, as if there was nothing else inside the stalagmite forest. He couldn’t find any trace of Poet or Qi Hang.
As they passed through the stone forest, a small expanse of flat ground appeared in front of them. Behind it, there was a huge cave entrance. Inside it Ning Gu saw the familiar black fog, as well as the red light it almost completely obscured.
As he looked towards the cave entrance, his whole body tensed.
Lian Chuan was suspended in midair. A few wisps of golden glow seeped through the black fog, swirling around him continuously.
Without waiting for Ning Gu to figure out what it was, another wisp of black fog pierced through Lian Chuan’s chest.
T/N: Don’t mind me, I was just being very silly without realising it before (I changed the translation from ‘sinkhole’ to ‘pit’ cause those are two *very different things*)
On another note, Ning Gu and Jiu Yi’s squabbles are giving me aneurism, but those two are also amusing as hell together…
P.S.: I was looking for the Jiu Yi arts on lofter, and there is barely anything there, but someone posted this this in his tag and… yes. YES.
Jiu Yi is wonderful! There are very few illustrations from the novel at all😢
Thank you very much for the translation!❤
Thanks for the chap ❤️❤️❤️