Chapter 24: Fishing Part 1

“Hello?”

“…”

“Hello? Don’t pretend you can’t hear me just because you picked up, my good brother.”

“…”

“Jing Song, if you don’t say anything, I’ll auction off all your private phone numbers on your fan forum.”

“…”

The man was dressed in an ancient-style white costume, his long hair tied up and secured with a simple bamboo hairpin. His robes fluttered gracefully, a figure of striking elegance.

He glanced at the camera setup and the bustling crew on the other side, smiled and greeted the director, then walked alone into the depths of the bamboo forest set.

“Spit it out,” he said, maintaining his refined smile.

“No way, no way. Can it be that someone actually looks down on his brothers the moment he becomes a big star? Opening with such arrogance. Watch out, I might just record this and sell it to the tabloids—Shocking! Rising Star Jing Song’s Image Collapses! Maybe I could even make enough for gas money.”

Even Jing Song, whom everyone who met him consistently called a “Smiling Tiger,” found his perpetually upturned lips freezing slightly.

Logically, the person on the other end of the line only contacted him when there was business. When there wasn’t, he could turn up anywhere from Antarctica to the Pacific Ocean, or even another world, but never at the other end of a phone call.

So this call wasn’t made just to annoy him.

The white-robed man named Jing Song rubbed his brow.

But the more important the matter, the more nonsense the man spouted at the start. Only when one’s patience ran out, wanting to hit him but unable to, wanting to hang up to steady one’s blood pressure, would he finally drop the bombshell nonchalantly.

So there was only one way to deal with this person. The man in white chuckled softly: “Lin Yujing, one million.”

“Alright! Worthy of Big Star Jing. Your words are like a thunderclap, instantly baptizing my murky thoughts, as if an eternal fog was torn apart.” Lin Yujing had a Bluetooth earpiece in. If his hands weren’t on the steering wheel, racing wildly across the countryside, he probably wished he could free his paws to applaud.

Finally, he cut the crap: “I just came out of a Novice Instance.”

A withered yellow bamboo leaf landed on the white-robed man’s left shoulder. He gently brushed it away. “A Novice Instance? What were you doing in a Novice Instance?”

His tone was calm, like an icy lake formed after snow melted on a high plateau—clear and unruffled. Yet in his heart surfaced all the various underdog-rises-to-power scripts he’d seen recently.

Could it be that the pressure of [All Beings] finally triggered a power awakening? Or had he decided to burn it all down, co-ruling the game at any cost, starting with conquering the novice village? Or perhaps he decided to abandon his current identity, create an alt account, and start over from scratch to one day stand at the game’s peak?

“I have a feeling a repressed guy like you is roasting me in his head right now,” Lin Yujing said. “Stop guessing. It was because of an interesting transaction.”

“Hm. Some unlucky fool offered gold that moved your heart, so you made a deal.” Jing Song signaled for him to continue.

“What do you mean, unlucky fool? It was mutual benefit.” Lin Yujing clicked his tongue. “The deal was to protect Yan Honghu’s little sister and ensure she survived the Novice Instance, all without her knowledge.”

“Yan Honghu’s little sister got pulled into the game too?” Jing Song raised an eyebrow, his smile widening. “Under Yan Honghu’s protection, she still had a near-death accident and got pulled in?”

“Exactly.” The sound of an engine roaring and tires grinding over gravel came through the earpiece, along with the gray-haired man’s clean voice. “Under Yan Honghu’s protection, that Little Sparrow still ended up in the game.”

“Yan Honghu must be furious.”

“Hah, he’s already lost his mind. The gold mine deal was made by his underlings. The man himself is probably already out for blood, wielding his blade for revenge.” Lin Yujing shrugged.

“So it’s a gold mine. Yan Honghu is certainly rich and overbearing. No wonder you were willing to squeeze into a Novice Instance, even if it meant clashing with the game’s rules.”

Jing Song didn’t have much interaction with Yan Honghu. Or rather, aside from similarly cracked-brained individuals like Lin Yujing, few were willing to get too involved with a madman like Yan Honghu.

“But if that’s all you wanted to tell me, it’s not worth one million,” Jing Song said. “After all, Yan Honghu and I have no favors or grievances. I don’t particularly care.”

“Big Star Jing, you really don’t need to doubt the integrity of my business dealings. It’s an insult to money.” The gray-haired man snapped his fingers. His clean, handsome appearance was completely at odds with his words and actions. “What I wanted to say is, that Novice Instance was a bit strange.”

“A copy even you call strange must indeed be rather peculiar,” Jing Song said with a laugh. “Did a Forbidden-level ghost appear inside?”

“You think Forbidden-level ghosts are just roadside cabbages, or are you cursing me not to return? The game wouldn’t make such a systematic error. Purely in terms of power, the big boss of that Novice Instance was probably not even at the Nightmare Level.”

“Then did the game give you all an unreasonable mission?”

“Very reasonable, especially the comment. It had the special unreasonableness of the Sinless Abyss.”

“Then what was unique about it?”

Lin Yujing: “Tee-hee, I’m not telling you.”

Jing Song chuckled softly. His grip tightened, nearly crushing the phone on the spot.

“Oh, don’t be mad. Let me ask you a question first.”

“Don’t call me a big star. I’m just a minor celebrity who lives off my looks and public persona. Far from worthy.” The white-robed man smiled faintly, looking like a spring breeze. “Why should I answer you? Because you’re about to transfer me two million?”

“Talking money hurts feelings, my good brother.” The gray-haired man’s back suddenly straightened, his expression dead serious. “And this question involves you too.”

“Oh?”

“I also ran into an old acquaintance in this Novice Instance.”

An old acquaintance that Lin Yujing could call an acquaintance, and a living one at that—that was indeed unusual.

Jing Song’s interest was piqued. “What old acquaintance? The Butcher? Or one of your countless enemies?”

“Hmm, none of those. It’s a kid. And maybe you even know him, if I wasn’t mistaken.” Lin Yujing’s tone seemed somewhat casual. “Seems like it might be your aunt’s child.”

“My aunt’s child?” The white-robed man lowered his eyes. When he opened them again, they had turned into vertical scarlet pupils, like a monster’s.

The wind weaving through the bamboo forest stopped. The distant clamor vanished. The whole world seemed to hear only his voice alone. Even the falling bamboo leaves froze in mid-air, fearing his might.

But his tone hadn’t changed at all, still brimming with laughter. “You also know my family connections are complicated. More cousins from various branches than I have private phone numbers. Which one are you talking about?”

Lin Yujing said, “The one in the same profession as you. The most famous one.”

The combination of those two things almost instantly triggered an answer in Jing Song’s mind. “You mean Aunt Luo Xian? She’s an actress, a three-time Best Actress winner. I’m just a minor celebrity. We’re hardly in the same profession… wait.”

He frowned. “You’re saying the old acquaintance you met in the game is him? Aunt Luo Xian’s child? When did you get to know him?”

“When isn’t important. You’re not my sweetheart. I don’t need to report everything to you.” Lin Yujing’s voice was inexplicably excited. “If I remember correctly, that kid’s name… is it Yin Luo?”

“Hm.” Jing Song said softly, “It seems he really did get pulled into the game.”

“Sort of.” Lin Yujing himself wasn’t sure if that even counted as entering the game, nor was he even certain it was the right person. Anyway, his priority was fishing for information first. “Anyway, I met him in this Novice Instance.”

“Is he alright?”

“Of course he’s fine.” Lin Yujing said shamelessly, “With me there, how could anything happen to him?”

Jing Song let out a sigh of relief. “Then I’ll consider this a favor I owe you. I’ll send you that million.”

“Of course, of course.” Lin Yujing immediately sent over a new bank account number. “It’s just that your little cousin is a bit… strange.”

Strange?

Since becoming a player, many past memories, once placid, had been overwritten by the game’s experiences. Jing Song thought for a moment, then pulled a somewhat blurry impression from his mind. “I just remember he was quite taciturn, a bit shy, but overall a pretty innocent kid.”

“Hehe.” Lin Yujing laughed.

Taciturn was true, but innocent? Not a single word fit.

“By the way.”

As if just casually remembering, the gray-haired man on the phone asked, “Is your little cousin’s pet name Pearl?”

“Pearl?”

Jing Song’s hand paused, his tone sounding somewhat puzzled. “Are you sure that’s not a girl’s name? I’m not that close to him. How would I know?”

“Fine.” Lin Yujing didn’t press further. “Then I’ll see you in a few days. Bye-bye, Big Star Jing~”

“Wait, you’re back in the country?” The white-robed man was startled, but realized the call had already ended.

“Ha.” He narrowed his eyes and changed the contact’s new number nickname to “Frog Prince.”

This phone call had come somewhat out of the blue, but the central topic wasn’t Yan Honghu or his sister. It was the inescapable “kid” in Lin Yujing’s words.

Jing Song, still maintaining his blood-red vertical pupils, considered for a moment, then simply dialed another number. “Hey, Mom. I want to ask you something.”

Whatever was said on the other end nearly broke the composure he had maintained even against Lin Yujing. “No! Not a blind date, no girlfriend! Not coming out of the closet!”

The voice on the other end immediately cooled somewhat. “Oh. Then ask.”

“…”

“I want to ask about Aunt Luo Xian,” Jing Song said softly. “Her child—his pet name is Pearl, right?”

Knowing Lin Yujing’s profit-driven nature, Jing Song didn’t believe he brought this up merely because of a thin familial connection. If it were purely about an old acquaintance, the call wouldn’t have come to him.

That kid—or rather, his little cousin—absolutely had some unique quality worthy of Lin Yujing beating around the bush to inquire about.

As for whether Yin Luo’s pet name was Pearl?

Ridiculous. Such a unique name, called out for several years—how could he possibly forget?

As for Lin Yujing? No need to reveal anything to an outsider.

Sure enough, the other end of the phone gave confirmation. “Yes. When you were younger, didn’t you often play together? Pearl loved chasing after you as a child.

He was several grades below you, but you both studied at the same high school. Ah, it’s such a pity he fell seriously ill these past few years and couldn’t even finish university.”

Jing Song was stunned. “Sick?”

“Yes. Rumor has it, it’s quite severe. He can’t even leave the house. Didn’t you ask about this before?”

Jing Song remembered.

Kids always like playing with older kids. He had a decent temper and some patience, so during family gatherings, he often had a trail of little kids following him.

Pearl was one of them.

His mother had a special status. Beyond her superstar identity, by bloodline, she was from the direct line of the Luo Family. Even after falling out with the family, no one dared offend her. Even Jing Song’s mother was only considered a branch family member.

Logically, such a child should have grown up under the spotlight, cherished by all.

But his nature was simply too soft. A single glance from someone would make him blush, his mind overly sensitive. The few words he managed to force out were in a soft, thin voice. He had no friends among his peers.

It was only because Jing Song was somewhat looks-oriented, finding the kid simply too good-looking—delicate and beautifully crafted like a porcelain doll—that he’d occasionally dote on him. This led to the little kid often chasing after him, calling out “Brother Jing Song”.

Unfortunately, the age gap between them was six or seven years. Jing Song was also in his arrogant, youthful phase then and naturally wasn’t willing to act as a perpetual “child-minder”. They gradually drifted apart afterward.

And then he was pulled into the game. Under the pressure of life and death, he had even less mind to spare for other things.

The Sinless Abyss always pulled people in only when they were near death. So the only child of Aunt Luo Xian—his condition had actually worsened to the point of touching death?

If that were the case, entering the game might be a good thing for him.

The image of that little ball of a child surfaced in his mind.

Could it be him?

If it was him, with that kind of personality, thrown into the Sinless Abyss—a horror game that transcended reality—when all worldview morals and ethics were shattered, when enemies existed everywhere, from ghosts to teammates…

How could he survive? How could he fight for this second chance at life?

Jing Song suddenly felt a bit worried.

…

How to survive?

The ice shard in Yin Luo’s palm instantly transformed into gray mist. By the time he opened his hand, it was empty.

Looking at the person who had arrived, his tone carried a hint of intimacy. “Mom, why did you come?”