Chapter 38

Luo Binghe’s expression was dark, hands clasped behind his back as he paced several slow circles in front of him.

Shen Qingqiu was just thinking that he must be pondering how to deal with him when Luo Binghe suddenly spun around.

His voice was sharp. “Dare I ask, Shizun, must the sins of every demon in the world—every murder, every sacked city—be laid upon my head?”

Shen Qingqiu raised an eyebrow.

Receiving no answer, Luo Binghe slowly clenched his fists. “Before, you trusted me so completely. Now, you suspect my motives at every turn. Does the divide between our races truly matter so much that it can make Shizun’s attitude toward a person change from head to toe?”

No, you’re missing the point. The key isn’t the divide between races—it’s the divide between the male lead and the scum villain!

The original Luo Binghe had never bothered to hide his true face from a scum villain on the verge of death. Judging by this situation, it didn’t seem like he was about to kill him immediately.

Feeling more assured, Shen Qingqiu’s courage inflated again.

“Since that’s the case,” Shen Qingqiu said, “I also have a question for you.”

Luo Binghe tilted his head. “This disciple is listening.”

“You infiltrated Huan Hua Palace. If not with ill intent, then what exactly were your motives?”

This was a question he genuinely wanted answered.

Why?! Why would the male lead deviate from his original mindset and the plot like this?

Hearing this, Luo Binghe seemed to freeze. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

If you can’t say it, don’t blame people for suspecting you… but male lead, this isn’t like you!

In the original work, your silver tongue could single-handedly take on all of Cang Qiong Mountain!

“Can’t answer?” Shen Qingqiu pressed.

I told you—this is the price of rushing through the Endless Abyss dungeon without properly grinding and leveling up. See? You didn’t allocate enough skill points!

Luo Binghe lowered his head. In the dim dungeon, the flickering firelight danced upon the water’s surface, making his expression unreadable.

After a long silence, Luo Binghe suddenly spoke. “I wish for Shizun to answer one question truthfully.”

Pressing his lips together, he added stiffly, “Just one.”

“Go on.”

Luo Binghe paused, drawing a soft breath.

“Do you regret it?” he whispered.

Shen Qingqiu thought he’d misheard.

He stayed silent, eyes moving as he scrutinized Luo Binghe from head to toe.

This “Do you regret it?” could only refer to one thing. The full, unshortened question was: Do you regret kicking Luo Binghe into the Endless Abyss?

Why was Luo Binghe asking him this?

Of course he regretted it. He regretted it so much his guts were twisted with it. But what was the point of asking?!

Just as a throbbing pulse began at his temples, a massive pop-up window burst before his eyes.

[SYSTEM: Please make a selection:

Option A: I regret it. This master has long regretted it, haunted by remorse every moment of these past years.

Option B: (Cold laugh) Seeing what you’ve become now, I know there’s no need for regret!

Option C: Remain silent.]

…

Can you just die already—

Is this what your so-called upgrade and update was for?!

What the hell is with the parentheses?! Even setting the tone and expression for me—do you think this is a dating sim?!

This is worse than the low-tier original version! Someone, give me a System 1.0 installation package—I’ll thank their entire family!

Shen Qingqiu’s face darkened. “A is way too fake! Even I wouldn’t believe it if I were Luo Binghe, and it’d be nauseating! What’s with B?! Do you resent that he didn’t strangle me to death last time? Only an idiot would say that!”

[SYSTEM: Please choose.]

“C! C! C!”

[SYSTEM: +10 points to Philosophical Depth of Character Image.]

“Can anyone tell me,” Shen Qingqiu muttered internally, “how exactly this ‘Philosophical Depth of Character Image’ is calculated?”

He kept his gaze fixed ahead, maintaining his silence.

Luo Binghe, receiving no answer, slowly unclenched his fist. A self-mocking smile touched his lips. “Knowing the answer already, yet still asking Shizun this question… I am truly foolish.”

Shen Qingqiu resolved then and there not to exchange another word with him from this moment on.

This was far too strange.

If he didn’t know that Luo Binghe was the primary power source for all systems in this world, Shen Qingqiu would absolutely suspect he’d been body-snatched.

If he didn’t have the god’s-eye view of the original plot, Shen Qingqiu would also suspect… that Luo Binghe might actually be feeling a little hurt.

Silence was golden; more words meant more mistakes. Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes and settled into a cross-legged meditative pose.

A heavy silence hung between them. Then Luo Binghe’s voice came again, cool and light.

“Shizun, you’ve always been a man of few words. Before, you would at least speak a little more to me. Now, you won’t even grant me that.”

He paused, and his tone shifted abruptly into something vicious. “But it doesn’t matter. I have plenty of ways to make you speak.”

Talk and you’re unhappy, don’t talk and you’re unhappy too—why make things so difficult!

The moment those final words left Luo Binghe’s mouth, Shen Qingqiu’s eyes snapped open.

A faint, sharp pain bloomed deep within his lower abdomen.

A moment later, the pain faded, replaced by a bizarre sensation—as if something were crawling through his blood vessels.

The Demonic Blood, dormant for days, had now fully adapted to its host’s body. Responding to its original master’s call, it condensed into tiny worms, beginning to probe and explore the organs within.

Luo Binghe’s voice was unhurried. “Spleen. Kidneys. Heart and liver. Lungs.”

With each word, a strange, itching agony bloomed in the named organ. It truly was both itch and pain—like rows of tiny, sharp teeth gnawing densely, accompanied by a scorching heat.

It wasn’t enough to shatter his heart with pain, but it was certainly unbearable.

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t hold his posture. He involuntarily curled forward, the urge to fold in on himself overwhelming. Cold sweat dripped from his chin, mingling with the still-damp water.

So the male lead’s style was finally back on track, but now it was his turn to suffer. Damn it, his stomach hurt so much—was this what girls felt during their period?!

Luo Binghe’s voice was gentle. “Shizun, where would you like it to take its first bite?”

Nowhere!!! Wait, it hasn’t even bitten yet?! What would it feel like when it does?!

Shen Qingqiu mentally slapped the system. “Think of something, will you? I’m still your customer, right?!”

[SYSTEM: Activate key item: False Jade Guanyin Pendant? Friendly reminder: This item can be used only once.]

“What’s Luo Binghe’s current rage value?”

[SYSTEM: 30 points.]

“Why is it so low? Are you sure your calculations aren’t off?! That’s completely unscientific!”

Using a divine artifact that could erase 5,000 points on a mere 30 was absolutely out of the question.

“Are there any other options? What’s the industry’s second highest-rated solution?”

[SYSTEM: Activate Scene Assistant?]

…The name didn’t sound very high-end. But if it was the industry’s second-ranked solution, then so be it!

Shen Qingqiu decisively poked the option.

Luo Binghe gave a cold laugh. “You won’t look at me, nor speak to me. Do you find me filthy?”

In one swift motion, he stepped forward. “Well, I won’t let you have your way!” His hand shot out to grab Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder.

Seeing the movement, Shen Qingqiu instinctively shifted to dodge. Luo Binghe’s grasp closed on empty air, catching only a handful of robe fabric. The outer garment had already been shredded by the Little Palace Mistress’s whip winds. With this pull, there was a sharp rip as most of it tore clean off his shoulder.

Neither of them had expected this development. Both froze on the spot, petrified.

Shen Qingqiu had just been drenched head to toe in ice water. Now, his robes and hair clung to his pale skin, and the fine, red-thread-like Immortal-Binding Ropes crisscrossed his body. Even though the expression on his face was one of utterly righteous shock, his overall appearance was… decidedly indecent.

Luo Binghe’s eyes widened.

After a stunned moment, he seemed to jolt back to awareness, as if scalded by hot iron. He immediately flung his hand away and spun around!

With his abrupt retreat, the blood worms that had been stirring restlessly in Shen Qingqiu’s organs seemed to panic as well, scattering like startled birds and beasts. The distinct feeling of blockage in his blood vessels vanished instantly.

Shen Qingqiu gasped for breath, howling internally: The period cramps are gone!

So how exactly does this “Scene Assistant” work?! Shouldn’t it be called “Clothes-Ripping Expert”? It just made me lose my robe! What’s the principle here? Exploiting Luo Binghe’s physical disgust at seeing a half-naked man?!

Luo Binghe stood stiffly with his back to him for a while, as if unsure how to position his own limbs. Then, abruptly, he shucked off his own outer robe and tossed it backward without looking.

The garment landed, covering Shen Qingqiu’s head and face.

“…”

What was this supposed to mean?

This scene… why did it feel vaguely familiar, and vaguely unsettling?

Why did it make him think of those classic, tacky tropes like “the traumatized maiden, rescued, is draped with her boyfriend’s warm coat”?!

Shen Qingqiu felt a creepy-crawly horror. He couldn’t accept this. Lifting an arm, he shrugged, letting the dark outer robe slide from his shoulders.

The soft, finely-textured robe pooled on the ground, silver light glimmering along its nearly invisible streamlined patterns. Hearing the rustle, Luo Binghe glanced back and saw the discarded garment. Shen Qingqiu cautiously nudged it a couple of times farther away with his foot—he’d even briefly considered whether he should fold it for Luo Binghe. But before he could act on the thought, he looked up to find Luo Binghe had already turned around.

His eyes reflected the glaring firelight, seeming to blaze with renewed fury. The veins on the back of his hands stood out. His knuckles flexed several times before he unleashed a series of furious, explosive strikes—more an outburst than a targeted attack.

The blows were a rapid chain, barely aimed. Several hit the lake’s surface far away, erupting in massive plumes of spray. One struck the cavern wall, blasting out a huge crater. Rocks tumbled down. A torch, shaken loose, fell into the lake but didn’t extinguish; instead, it floated on the water, continuing to burn fiercely. The dancing flames cast Luo Binghe’s face in shifting light and shadow, a ghostly aura soaring skyward.

He slowly lowered his hand. "I nearly forgot," he said, voice low. "Anything touched by a demon must be detestable to Shizun."

Here was the protagonist of this world, its ultimate antagonist, throwing a tantrum without a shred of dignity. What was the difference between this and a spoiled child kicking over a block tower in a fit of pique?

How utterly beneath him!

What was the point of blasting the cave wall? If he had the nerve, he should strike here! Right at—oh, wait. Never mind. He’d forgotten that now, here meant himself.