The Whole Family Are Villains, I’m the Group Pet 41

Chapter 41

Shen Wen didn’t give Xing Nuo a chance to follow, his robes swirling as he turned and walked back into the castle.

Xing Nuo watched as the castle gates slowly closed, wiped away his tears, and adjusted the small backpack filled with biscuits on his back.

He walked down the path lined with blooming wildflowers.

He thought Dad must be sending him back to their small home with the television.

He had returned to the castle using this path; if he followed it, he would definitely reach his other home.

Although he didn’t understand why Dad wasn’t coming with him, Xing Nuo obediently followed the path, patting his chest to comfort himself.

“It’s okay…Dad…waiting for Zaizai…”

He clenched his small fists, shouted “Hya, hya, hya!”, and ran forward.

The way back always seemed shorter than the way there.

After walking for a while, without stopping to rest, he looked up and saw the end of the path.

Several players were standing or crouching there. The moment they saw Xing Nuo, they rushed forward excitedly.

“Xing Nuo’s finally here!”

“Oh my god, I was so worried! I thought the little master was staying in the castle!”

“Quick, quick! The story said we have to leave before nightfall!”

The buzz-cut player, her face pale from blood loss, watched as her teammates surrounded Xing Nuo and couldn’t help but smile.

She had lost a rose, but she had won their lives.

The moment Shen Wen picked up the rose, a system notification had echoed in her mind:

[Congratulations, player, on successfully escaping using a prop! Double points awarded!]

She had felt a surge of relief, a brush with death averted.

The rose wasn’t important; what mattered was the change in Shen Wen’s attitude.

The players had escaped certain death, but, still disliked by the castle monsters, they had been hastily ushered out.

Standing at the end of the path, they prayed that the little master was the little knight in the story.

The little knight who would uncover the castle’s secret, bring the key, and escape.

They waited patiently, from dawn till dusk, worried that the little master might not appear.

Seeing Xing Nuo finally arrive, the new female player excitedly picked him up and spun him around.

“Ahhh! Finally, we can clear this instance!”

Xing Nuo, dizzy from being spun, stumbled and fell as soon as his feet touched the ground.

Clutching his head, he listened to the players chattering excitedly around him, waving his small hand, feeling overwhelmed by the noise for the first time.

The buzz-cut player, experienced in instance procedures, quickly helped the little master up, dusting off his pants.

“Xing Nuo, do you have the key?”

Xing Nuo nodded, clutching the key his dad had placed around his neck, and looked up at her in confusion.

“Yes…but…Dad’s key…for Zaizai…”

The buzz-cut player breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at her cheering teammates, tears almost welling up.

Looking at the thick, black fog at the end of the path, she slowly explained the secret they had uncovered that afternoon:

“This is a time-shifted instance!”

The castle they had visited during the day was the castle from many years ago!

The little master’s sunflower painting on the wall was the proof!

Years ago, the little master hadn’t painted that picture yet; the only paintings on the wall were Shen Wen’s.

The monsters’ and the butler’s attitude towards the little master, and the initial lack of any of his belongings in the castle, also confirmed this.

The players had suspected this last night, but they hadn’t been certain, planning to investigate further during the day.

But the unexpected turn of events had forced them out of the castle prematurely.

Fortunately, they had survived and now had a chance to escape.

A system notification echoed in their minds:

[Congratulations, players, on discovering the castle’s secret, obtaining the key from the knight, and clearing the instance!]

[Please enter the fog and return to the transit hub!]

[Due to the change in the core monster and increased difficulty, all players will receive ten times the normal points!]

The buzz-cut player and her teammates, overjoyed, exchanged glances and walked into the black fog.

She turned back and looked at Xing Nuo, who was clutching his key, a confused look on his face.

“Goodbye, Little Master!”

The players’ feelings towards the little master were complex.

This small yet powerful ally was, after all, just an instance NPC, a special little boss in their adventure.

The buzz-cut player waved at Xing Nuo and shouted:

“Xing Nuo, go find your dad!”

Leaving this fog, Xing Nuo would probably return to his own time in the instance.

He would find his loving future dad.

And they, the players, as long as they didn’t foolishly challenge high-level instances, would probably never see this little master again.

Xing Nuo watched as the players disappeared into the fog, and, remembering his dad’s words, also stepped into the fog.

The night had fallen, and the fog wouldn’t last long. Xing Nuo felt like he had only taken a few steps when he saw the warm, bright light of his bedroom.

Shen Wen, wearing casual clothes, was standing by the window.

Seeing Xing Nuo appear, he smiled and pulled the little one into his arms.

“Did Xing Nuo miss Dad?”

Xing Nuo hugged his dad’s neck tightly, his little arms like a clam’s, his voice clear and bright:

“Yes! Dad…didn’t lie!”

He had been waiting for Zaizai at the end of the path!

Shen Wen closed the castle gates and went to the highest tower, standing on the rooftop, watching as the little one’s small figure gradually disappeared in the distance.

Only after Xing Nuo vanished into the fog did Shen Wen turn and return to the living room.

The butler brought a plate of freshly baked biscuits, arranged delicately.

“Master, please enjoy.”

Shen Wen wasn’t particularly hungry, and he didn’t like sweet biscuits.

But he still took one and tasted it.

“Butler, how long do you think it will be before I see Xing Nuo again?”

How long would it take, following the predetermined path, before he saw that little one again?

Xing Nuo had only just left, but the castle already felt empty.

The childish voice calling “Dad” was gone, the clingy little one who always wanted to be held was nowhere to be seen, and the castle felt strangely silent.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but now that he was gone, traces of the little one seemed to be everywhere.

The butler couldn’t answer. He poured Shen Wen a cup of freshly ground coffee.

“I don’t know, Master. But the little master is your blood descendant. He will return to this world someday.”

Shen Wen chuckled. He didn’t touch the coffee, instead turning and heading towards the basement.

The basement was dark, damp, and filled with discarded items. Shen Wen rarely came here.

But it was also the most secluded place, suitable for creating new life.

Before this, Shen Wen had only cultivated various flowers, never experiencing the creation of life.

The first time, he had only created a group of small, weak, pitch-black monsters.

He hadn’t even mixed his own blood into them. After a single glance, he tossed them into other instances.

Most of the monsters perished; it seemed only one survived.

Shen Wen felt this wasn’t right. The second time, he carefully considered the little one’s smooth, fair skin and even went to the seabed to find a transparent material.

Like conducting a scientific experiment, he meticulously adjusted the proportions, even infusing his own essence into the creation process.

But perhaps he had used too much of the seabed material, because the resulting monster was a small, transparent octopus.

Flailing its tentacles, it immediately started wreaking havoc, destroying most of Shen Wen’s glassware.

He caught the little octopus and tossed it into the ocean.

He couldn’t be bothered with this dim-witted creature.

Wondering where he had gone wrong, Shen Wen became increasingly frustrated. Centuries passed, and he still hadn’t succeeded in creating a human cub.

During this long period, he began to doubt whether, as a monster, he was even capable of creating human life.

Then, more players started entering the horror world, and even his high-level instance began attracting challengers.

Shen Wen, impatiently dealing with these players, continued his experiments in the basement.

But they all ended in failure.

Until one time, after killing a player who had accidentally stumbled into his basement, he turned around and saw a heartbeat in the creature growing within the cultivation vessel.

Flesh and blood started to grow from the vessel, like a blood-red flower blooming in a barren desert, gradually forming a small infant.

But the infant was incredibly weak, its underdeveloped soul starting to fragment and dissipate the moment it took shape.

Shen Wen knew this was the life he had been waiting for for centuries.

He dripped his blood into the vessel, using all his power to protect and nurture the infant, watching as it slowly grew.

He watched as the small mass of flesh and blood transformed into a human, with golden, curly hair, a delicate, fair face, everything mirroring the little one he had met.

His love for Xing Nuo grew with each passing day, his eyes filled with increasing affection.

Every time he looked at Xing Nuo, he couldn’t resist ruffling his little head.

Shen Wen had finally reached the future where Xing Nuo existed.