Chapter 45

With so many people watching, Xia Xifeng finally cared at least a little about his dignity. He didn’t resort to outright refusing to move unless Qin Lang carried him on his back.

Of course, he wasn’t about to use crutches, either.

Staggering slightly with every other step, Xia Xifeng stubbornly made his way out of the underground passage, feeling completely drained by the end.

Although the time Taylor and the others could remain was very short, suddenly having so many people emerge from underground meant the Blackstone Town Mayor would still need some time to explain things.

At the very least, there would be no banquet tonight.

Taylor and his group would temporarily stay at the Mayor’s estate. They would reveal their identities publicly tomorrow.

The Silver Moon had instructed them to openly proclaim their identities as “Heroic Spirits of the Silver Moon Divine Domain” and announce that Blackstone Town would henceforth be renamed Silver Moon Holy City.

This was the first time the Silver Moon had ever bestowed a name upon a Holy City.

After this naming, the Silver Moon’s “fate” would become permanently intertwined with this city. If Silver Moon Holy City ever changed its faith or was conquered, the Silver Moon deity Itself would suffer a grievous blow.

This was precisely why gods rarely, if ever, bestowed names upon Holy Cities.

Even the Sun did not yet have a Holy City. Yet now the Sun’s alternate identity, the Silver Moon, had one.

This was the Twin Suns’ praise—Their acknowledgment—of these heroes who had endured countless cycles of rebirth and yet refused to yield to the Blood Moon.

Even as the Apocalypse descended, these heroes had still been tormented in an eternal, hidden dreamscape, persisting in their resistance.

Xia Xifeng marveled, “This dungeon… players never actually cleared it!”

Qin Lang replied, “Perhaps it was meant to be content for Fantasy Realms’s sequel.”

Having gotten to experience a dungeon he’d never cleared before, Qin Lang felt deeply satisfied.

The rewards the System granted also left both of them immensely pleased.

Aside from a massive chunk of experience boosting them straight to Level 80, along with copious materials and gold, the System also awarded them a “Silver Moon Fragment.”

When combined with the Sun Fragment, the two fused into a badge named “Sun and Moon Shining Together.”

When Xia Xifeng and Qin Lang activated the badge, it would teleport them to a randomly selected “Blood Moon Dreamscape within a doomed world.”

This Blood Moon Dreamscape would contain nothing but Shadow Fiends. Though they would be entering a parallel world, their stat panels would remain those of the real world. The dungeon would conclude once they’d slaughtered every monster inside.

In other words, it was an experience dungeon—the very experience dungeon Qin Lang had been desperately hoping for.

Granted, endlessly grinding nothing but reskinned Shadow Fiends would be mind-numbingly boring. But having something was infinitely better than nothing. Qin Lang, who had nearly abandoned all hope of ever grinding dungeons to level up, let out a breath of relief.

His sole complaint was that after each activation, the badge would enter a cooldown period, only refreshing at dawn of the third day.

Only being able to run the experience dungeon once every three days meant leveling wouldn’t exactly be fast. Sigh.

Qin Lang really wished he could binge-grind for a solid month, hit the level cap instantly, and swagger through the real world with impunity. Too bad the System refused to let him feed his grinding addiction.

Qin Lang sat outside the bathroom door, obsessively re-reading the “Sun and Moon Shining Together” badge’s description while waiting for Xia Xifeng to finish his bath.

The inn suite only had one bathroom.

The bathroom door swung open, and Xia Xifeng looked at Qin Lang with pleading eyes. “Can we bathe together? Please?”

Stowing the badge away, Qin Lang said, “You already know the ghosts were just Taylor. You’re still scared?”

Xia Xifeng hadn’t expected he’d still be this frightened. “I just… am.”

Under the threat of “If you don’t bathe with me, I’m not bathing at all and I’ll stink you to death,” Qin Lang reluctantly agreed to bathe together.

Since starting high school, he hadn’t bathed with Xia Xifeng even once.

Unable to close his eyes to wash his own hair, Xia Xifeng made Qin Lang help scrub his scalp.

While Qin Lang was washing himself, Xia Xifeng reached out and poked Qin Lang’s abs.

Qin Lang’s entire body twitched violently, and he shot Xia Xifeng a death glare.

Xia Xifeng gave an exaggerated wolf-whistle. “Whoa, that sensitive? Got a reaction, huh?”

Teeth grinding audibly, Qin Lang growled, “Want me to kick you out of here?!”

Immediately raising both hands in surrender, Xia Xifeng said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

He hadn’t expected Qin Lang to be that sensitive—a mere poke to the abs was enough to trigger a reaction.

Qin Lang hurriedly finished his bath, wrapped himself in a towel, and fled the bathroom.

Xia Xifeng padded after him like a persistent little tail. “Don’t rush off! I still haven’t brushed my teeth.”

Qin Lang demanded, “You need someone to accompany you while brushing your teeth too?!”

Pitifully, Xia Xifeng replied, “Facing the mirror alone is terrifying.”

Qin Lang: “…” Unbelievable.

He seriously suspected that if Xia Xifeng had crossed into this fantasy world all alone, he’d have absolutely no hope of surviving.

Undead and wraiths were disgustingly common in fantasy worlds—they were just trash mobs players casually ground for experience. What was there to be afraid of?!

Xia Xifeng was simply afraid.

Not only did he need Qin Lang to wait beside him while he brushed his teeth—ensuring Qin Lang’s reflection was clearly visible in the mirror—when it was time to sleep, he latched onto Qin Lang like an octopus.

Qin Lang ordered, “Let go!”

Xia Xifeng whined, “Just for tonight! I promise I won’t kick you!”

“Stop rubbing! You’re still rubbing!”

“I’m not doing it on purpose! Want me to help you with that?”

“…Get lost!”

“If it bothers you, I could wear a dress!”

Qin Lang was utterly floored by the sheer unbridled shamelessness of his childhood friend.

Even though Xia Xifeng was his oldest friend, he somehow still managed to find new, breathtaking depths to that thick skin that left Qin Lang freshly staggered.

In sheer disbelief, Qin Lang asked, “You’d go that far?!”

Shivering pathetically, Xia Xifeng declared, “If it means I can hold you while I sleep, then forget a dress and a handjob—I’d even wear lingerie and do it!”

“…Please, for the love of everything, shut up. I’m about to vomit.” Qin Lang felt genuine nausea.

Sniffling pathetically, Xia Xifeng pleaded, “Bro, best buddy, just bear with it a little so I don’t get scared to death, okay? You wouldn’t want to end up all alone trying to survive in this alien world, would you?”

Qin Lang snapped, “I refuse to believe being scared can actually kill you.”

With that, Qin Lang turned onto his side, his back facing Xia Xifeng.

Xia Xifeng immediately buried his face against Qin Lang’s back. His warm, humid breath sent waves of unbearable heat crawling across Qin Lang’s entire body.

Qin Lang sat bolt upright, deciding to go take a cold shower.

Xia Xifeng, of course, followed like a loyal shadow.

Even while Qin Lang stood under the icy spray, Xia Xifeng insisted on waiting nearby.

Qin Lang: “…”

In the end, he refused to indulge Xia Xifeng any further and forced him to drink a Sleeping Potion.

Staring down at the now-peacefully-snoring Xia Xifeng, Qin Lang propped his forehead against one hand, his expression twisted into a rarely-seen mask of pure ferocity.

He never should have indulged him in the first place. Should’ve just drugged him unconscious with the potion from the start!

The next morning, Xia Xifeng woke feeling completely refreshed, utterly devoid of any lingering psychological trauma, and fully convinced that tonight he wouldn’t even need a Sleeping Potion to fall asleep.

Qin Lang, however, looked haggard, having clearly not slept well.

Patting Qin Lang on the shoulder with the solemn air of a wise elder, Xia Xifeng said, “If you were scared too, don’t force yourself to stay up. Just drink the Sleeping Potion yourself. Simple, right?”

Qin Lang smacked his hand away, voice icy. “Shut up.”

Xia Xifeng sheepishly withdrew his hand.

Today, Qin Lang seemed genuinely pissed. Maybe he should actually back off for once.

What truly surprised Xia Xifeng was seeing Leo and Perila bright and early that very morning.

Waving casually, Leo called out, “Yo.”

Perila was holding a fruit basket. “Local specialties.”

Beaming, Xia Xifeng walked over and accepted the basket. “What are you two doing here? How did you get here so fast?”

Leo said, “The moment you mentioned Blackstone Town might be connected to the Silver Moon, we started heading this way. Just burned through a few extra Magic Crystal Stones, that’s all.” He sighed heavily. “Ah… still didn’t make it in time.”

He was clearly regretful that, once again, he hadn’t been able to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with his friends.

Puzzled, Xia Xifeng asked, “Wasn’t Perila still burning incense to commune with Hope’s Sun?”

Leo shrugged. “You can burn incense on the road, too. The smell, ugh.” He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Xia Xifeng was speechless.

He’d assumed Perila was some kind of rigid stickler for proper prayer etiquette. Turns out he was only marginally better than Leo.

Perila spoke up. “The god said… when the Heroic Spirits enter the Divine Domain, He invites you to come visit the Divine Domain as well. He wishes to thank you personally.”

Xia Xifeng immediately crossed his arms in front of his chest in a large X. “Denied. He’s definitely up to no good. Bet He’s just waiting for me to get there so He can burn all my hair off!”

Perila was caught between laughter and exasperation. “How could the god possibly do something so…”

He suddenly froze.

A wave of very distinct emotion surged through him—guilt mixed with outright embarrassment and indignation.

And it wasn’t his.

Since selecting Blackstone Town as the Holy City, the god’s attention had remained fixed here, and the connection with His God’s Favored’s mind had remained wide open.

So… whose emotions were these, if not Perila’s own? The answer was painfully obvious.

Perila’s face cycled through a quick palette of green, white, and finally settled on an awkward, mortified red.

Lowering his arms, Xia Xifeng snorted coldly. “See? Told you. Heh. Once Qin Lang hits the level cap, we’ll visit whether He invites us or not. Right, Old Qin…? Qin Lang, why are you still sulking? I already apologized!”

Faced with Xia Xifeng’s “I apologized, what more do you want?” attitude, Qin Lang only got angrier.

If it weren’t for the fact that they were bound together by this System and couldn’t survive in this world without each other, Qin Lang truly would’ve just gone solo.

The fewer words they exchanged, the more distant he became—all thanks to this exact attitude from Xia Xifeng.

With everyone else, Xia Xifeng was polite and perceptive, strictly mindful of boundaries. But the moment they were alone together, it was as though Xia Xifeng transformed into a completely brainless, emotionally-stunted, self-centered disaster.

Curious, Leo asked, “What did you do to piss him off this time?”

Xia Xifeng’s forehead creased. “What do you mean ‘this time’? Do I piss him off that often?”

Standing firmly on the side of justice, Leo declared, “Of course you frequently piss him off.”

Xia Xifeng: “…” Do I?

Climbing out of his own embarrassment, Perila gently advised, “You should try apologizing a little more sincerely.”

Xia Xifeng protested, “How am I not being sincere?!”

Perila said, “Your apologies to Lang are rarely sincere. The more you apologize, the angrier he gets.”

Xia Xifeng: “…” Do I?

He looked toward Qin Lang.

Qin Lang gave a cold, humorless laugh.

Xia Xifeng’s habitual, unfiltered mouth blurted out before his brain could intervene. “Old Qin, that laugh was seriously greasy.”

Qin Lang: “…”

He turned and started walking away.

Xia Xifeng immediately scrambled after him. “AHHH! Sorry, sorry! That was just reflex! I’m sorry, I really mean it! Don’t be mad anymore!”

Folding his arms, Leo mused aloud, “How long do you think it’ll take Feng to coax Lang back?”

Perila answered, “Lang is extremely tolerant. His emotions are exceedingly stable. He’ll regulate himself quickly.”

With a mocking grin, Leo said, “Well, that explains why Feng is always pissing him off. Qin Lang always just self-regulates anyway.”

Perila sighed. “Don’t say it like that.” Though he privately agreed: Xia Xifeng’s loose tongue was entirely Qin Lang’s own creation.

If Qin Lang ever got seriously, genuinely, and thoroughly furious just once, Xia Xifeng would definitely change his behavior.

But if Qin Lang himself never truly cared enough to enforce that line, why would Xia Xifeng ever change? He’d just keep at it with renewed vigor.

After Leo and Perila met and got acquainted with Taylor and Eigg, Taylor wholeheartedly agreed with their assessment.

Eigg disagreed—but only because he considered it beneath him to gossip behind others’ backs.

Through their shared roasting of Xia Xifeng and Qin Lang’s dynamic, Taylor and Leo rapidly forged a deep friendship.

Meanwhile, Perila and Eigg calmly exchanged alchemical knowledge, pointedly refusing to associate with those two miscreants.

Eigg introduced Susan to Perila.

Gazing at this human girl who so closely resembled his younger sister, his eyes were warm with grandfatherly affection. “Susan has genuine talent in pharmaceutics. I hope you can guide her.”

Though Eigg had left behind his personal notes, he’d lived many, many years ago. Some of his knowledge might be outdated now.

Besides, he would soon depart for the battlefield and would have no time left to teach Susan.

Since Xia Xifeng and Qin Lang trusted Perila, and Perila was himself a God’s Favored of the Sun, he ought to be capable of sheltering Susan.

“Although my own skill is still unrefined,” Perila said, not refusing, “I should at least be competent enough to serve as a foundational instructor. I’ll take her as my student.”

By accepting her as his apprentice, he was subtly pledging to provide protection to Susan, the descendant of heroes.

“But,” Perila added, after agreeing, “why didn’t you ask Feng? His mastery of pharmaceutics far surpasses my own.”

A faint, almost imperceptible flicker of disdain crossed Eigg’s eyes. “I feared Susan might pick up bad habits.”

Perila: “…” Well, it’s not like she’d turn evil. Xia Xifeng only ever directs his mischief toward Qin Lang alone.