The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?!-Chapter 1174 - 733: Liu Zheng: Stop Fighting Over Me! (Part 2)

Chapter 1174: Chapter 733: Liu Zheng: Stop Fighting Over Me! (Part 2)

"The water in this river is infused with Dragon Energy, just one sip can heal even the gravely ill, you’re lucky, kid."

The Earth Spirit said.

"Earth Spirit, is it really okay for you to hint that the True Dragon’s body is right underground?"

He squinted as he spoke.

"Even if I didn’t say it, you’d guess it. Besides, if you’ve got the guts, go down and take it."

The Earth Spirit said disdainfully.

Even dealing with Dragon Worms requires underhanded techniques, let alone the True Dragon’s body, which is much harder to handle.

"Please don’t test me; I’m really not interested in that. Hurry and tell me what the final trial is."

Liu Zheng urged.

"The content of this final trial is for you to decide yourself."

After saying this, the Earth Spirit took out a round disc from his pocket.

The disc was carved from a solid piece of White Jade, with a copper needle pinwheel aligning the twelve lines to divide the disc into twelve areas.

"Do you know what this is?"

The Earth Spirit asked.

"I do, it’s a Sundial."

Liu Zheng replied.

It’s an ancient timepiece used to measure time by the changing positions of the sun’s shadow, with the twelve sectors representing the twelve traditional Chinese hours.

"Not bad. I didn’t expect someone who doesn’t look human and dresses so comically to understand traditional culture so well."

The Earth Spirit praised.

"I’ll take that as a compliment. So, you want me to choose a time on the sundial, each corresponding to a different trial?"

He asked.

"Not quite, it’s just a Magic Artifact old man here needs; it has nothing to do with your trial content."

The Earth Spirit shook his head.

"...Oh."

Liu Zheng vowed that when he got strong enough, he’d see to it that this riddler type would get what was coming to him.

The Earth Spirit adjusted the shadow on the sundial, and gradually the sky darkened, the blazing sun turning into a greenish-white disk of the moon.

In the distance, the village huts started lighting up with eerie green flames, and people in ancient attire stepped out, staring eerily at them both.

"Eight paths, eight villages, pick one and walk it."

The Earth Spirit said.

"Any hints? Earth Spirit?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"None. I can’t help you with this trial."

The Earth Spirit shook his head.

"Alright."

He nodded and took out the "Peeping Eye" once more.

No official guide, so he had to cheat himself.

Through the Peeping Eye, the greenish glow turned gray and white.

And in this grayscale world, the villagers shone with varying intensities of red light.

"Hmm..."

Liu Zheng grunted, removing the "Peeping Eye."

It seemed his spiritual power hadn’t fully recovered, just wearing it briefly made him dizzy and lightheaded.

However, the information he had garnered was sufficient to make a decision.

"I choose that village."

Liu Zheng pointed to a village in the southeast.

The red glow on those villagers was the dimmest, and reasoning that such red light likely didn’t symbolize great fortune, it probably indicated the level of danger.

"Since you’ve decided, go ahead."

The Earth Spirit said expressionlessly.

"The Earth Spirit won’t come with me?"

He asked.

"Once you clear this trial, you should head to the city, which isn’t within my jurisdiction."

The Earth Spirit replied. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Alright, then I’ll be off. Oh, by the way, here’s something for you."

Liu Zheng took out a handful of Dried Fish and offered it to the Earth Spirit.

"These are small things, jointly produced by the sewer and Bloody Restaurant. They’re rare and make great snacks with drinks, think of it as a token of respect."

He chuckled.

"I’ve said it, I can’t help you with this trial."

The Earth Spirit didn’t accept them.

"Sometimes, doing nothing is also a form of help. And since I’ve offered you drinks, how can there be no snacks?"

Liu Zheng said while forcibly stuffing the Dried Fish into the Earth Spirit’s arms.

"Fine, then I won’t stand on ceremony."

The Earth Spirit didn’t refuse again.

"I’m off then."

He waved and headed toward the chosen village.

"Hope you can leave alive, young man. But, staying to accompany an old man like me wouldn’t be bad either."

The Earth Spirit squinted slightly, watching him walk away, then sank into the earth.

Speaking of him walking away, it was only two or three kilometers.

With Liu Zheng’s pace, he quickly reached the village front.

He looked at the stone at the village entrance, which bore a "☶" symbol.

Liu Zheng remembered this was the "Geng" trigram from the Eight Diagrams, also representing the mountain.

He also recalled a line from the "Eight Diagrams Song": Heaven is three unbroken, earth is six broken; Thunder is overturned bowl, Mountain is covered bowl; Fire is middle void, Water is middle full; Marsh top lacks, Wind bottom is broken.

But these were just superficial things he remembered, good for bragging in conversations, but to expect he’d analyze anything from this "Geng" trigram was far from possible.

"Hello, fellow villagers."

Liu Zheng withdrew his gaze from the stone and greeted the villagers gathered at the village entrance.

The villagers didn’t respond, only stared blankly, as if he was both there and not there, like a group collectively sleepwalking, very eerie.

"Um..."

Liu Zheng was hesitating whether to fully arm himself to enter.

Fully arming himself might provoke the villagers, but not doing so was too risky for him.

After some thought, he put away Anger, and only took out his cosplay outfit.

The power of the cosplay outfit was more subtle; it probably wouldn’t trigger the villagers.

"Alright, I’m coming in then."

Liu Zheng said while observing the villagers’ faces, finding nothing revealing.

"Okay."

He gave up pulling his punches and stepped into the village.

In an instant, as if electrified, the villagers frantically pounced on Liu Zheng.

"Get him for me!"

"Move aside, don’t compete with me!"

"I couldn’t play last time, it’s my turn now!"

"Hehe, I want to play, I want to play!"

"I’m bored to death, I’ll go crazy if I don’t play, come on, play with me!"

The villagers were clawing at him and shouting at the top of their lungs.

Their strength wasn’t great, but Liu Zheng felt as if his body was being torn apart by their pulling.

"Shut up!"

He roared, "Angry Fire Burning Body" activated, golden Sun Flame erupted from his pores.

The villagers retreated in fright, their eyes filled with fear looking at the Sun Flame.

Yet, despite this, their desire for Liu Zheng could not be hidden.

However, what Liu Zheng said next took them all by surprise.

"We’re all from the same village, can’t we talk this over, why are you fighting over it?"

"Besides, why play one-on-one? One-to-many, many-to-many can all be fun. Surely there are ways everyone can enjoy together, why be so selfish? You’re all loving villagers, aren’t you?"

He said with a face full of grief.

"No, I just want to play alone, it’s more thrilling that way!"

After a while, one villager shouted again.

"Oh, alright then, since you’re so insistent, I’ll humor you. Well then, elect someone who most needs to play with me, and I’ll fully cooperate."

Liu Zheng sighed.

"Me, I need it most!"

"Obviously it’s me who needs it most!"

"Me, it’s obviously me!"

The villagers started bickering again, but now they were glaring angrily at each other.

"No, don’t do this, I don’t want you to quarrel over an outsider like me, you are dear friends and kin!"

Seeing this, Liu Zheng was deeply saddened.

In an instant, he thought of countless histories of fratricide, of turning on cherished kin, of those tear-jerking iconic scenes in films, of "An Actor Prepares," of him winning the Oscar for Best Actor...

Ahem, getting carried away.

In short, he fully immersed himself into the role of a saint.

At this moment, Liu Zheng wasn’t sorrowful over being torn apart, but in agony over humanity’s inability to abandon their possessive nature to play him together.

"Don’t do this, really, don’t. Don’t quarrel over me, don’t hurt each other over me."

"Madam over there, biting his ear is one thing, but kicking him in the groin is a bit much, you know."

"Sigh, I had no intent for beauty, yet fate made me enchanting."

Liu Zheng sighed deeply.