Chapter 12 – Zhulong City

There was blood splattered on Dugu Zhuo’s face, showing particularly vivid below the moonlight. Ye Zhou remembered his disciple’s particular capability and raised a hand with out pondering, wiping on the bloodstain with a fingertip.

“Did you get damage?” he mentioned with concern.

“It’s another person’s.” Dugu Zhuo casually wiped the blood off with a sleeve.

Blood was additionally splattered throughout his garments, however his complexion seemed wholesome and his HP bar was full. It appeared it was all different individuals’s blood.

Dugu Zhuo valued propriety. Although he gave the impression to be holding Ye Zhou, he solely had an arm thrown round his waist, with out truly touching him, as he used his personal physique to separate Ye Zhou from the black cat.

Even so, they have been presently too shut to one another. Ye Zhou may truly see every of Dugu Zhuo’s eyelashes. They trailed down from his eyelids, thick and lengthy like small combs.

They have been standing on a department, so Ye Zhou couldn’t even again away if he wished to, or he would fall off.

Happily, although, Dugu Zhuo observed his discomfort and distanced himself from Ye Zhou instantly. He hopped off the tree with the cat in his hand.

Ye Zhou adopted him down. He noticed that a number of stalks of bamboo had fallen over, mendacity scattered in a pile. Dugu Zhuo landed proper between two stalks, whereas the just lately spawned beasts wandered in circles exterior.

“Dashen, you ran off too quick!” Two extra individuals ran up, out of breath. Based mostly off their speech, they seemed to be gamers.

With out being affected by the bamboo, they leapt into the midst of them, and the feminine participant mentioned, “It’s an excellent factor dashen despatched us the Misdirection Array, or we wouldn’t have been capable of enter it.”

“Doesn’t this array have a time restrict, although?” the male participant mentioned doubtfully. “I can’t imagine it could possibly nonetheless lure individuals after so lengthy. Doesn’t an array with no time restrict look like a bug?”

“These guys are…” Ye Zhou seemed towards Dugu Zhuo. These two gamers appeared fairly accustomed to his disciple.

“I met them just lately,” Dugu Zhuo mentioned. “One is Lengthy Aotian, and the opposite is Qingyue…”

Dugu Zhuo pursed his lips. He didn’t know easy methods to learn the symbols after Qingyue.

The numbers have been nonetheless pronounced the identical as those he was accustomed to, and because the sport continually confirmed him his expertise worth, he had figured it out simply. However the phrases “love” and “bug” got here from a totally completely different language household from the phrases Dugu Zhuo was accustomed to, so he had no foundation to deduce from.

Qingyue additionally thought the username she had provide you with was overly infantile and rapidly mentioned, “Qingyue love.”

“Yi Ye Pian Zhou,” Ye Zhou mentioned to introduce himself.

It was far less complicated to make associates with somebody in a online game in comparison with actual life. You simply needed to alternate names and add one another as associates, and now you could possibly be thought of to know one another.

“Didn’t you say you’ll return at 9 am tomorrow? Why are you right here now?” Dugu Zhuo requested, concentrating on Ye Zhou with out paying any thoughts to the black cat.

“I wished to play a bit, so I snuck on-line,” Ye Zhou mentioned. “I can keep till 11.”

Dugu Zhuo was very completely satisfied to have the ability to spend two extra hours with Ye Zhou, however remembering his analysis from studying Ye Zhou’s pulse earlier right now, he put a hand calmly on Ye Zhou’s arm and mentioned, “In case your well being isn’t good, you must relaxation extra. Don’t let your self be distracted by video games.”

Ye Zhou smiled at him. “Usually individuals would encourage their associates to play extra, however you’re not like different individuals, are you? Don’t fear, I can restrict myself. I really feel significantly better right now, or I wouldn’t have gone on-line secretly.”

He felt higher? Remembering the piece of soul which had entered Ye Zhou’s brow, Dugu Zhuo wished to say one thing, however he sensed a gust by his hand, as if one thing sharp was aiming at him.

With out glancing over, Dugu Zhuo caught the black cat’s hand.

Ye Zhou additionally noticed the cat in Dugu Zhuo’s hand remodel again right into a cat-man. He is perhaps lured astray by furry animals, however he had no mercy in direction of a cat individual.

Whirling round, Ye Zhou pulled Dugu Zhuo behind him, drawing his sword from his waist. Its fierce sword mild slashed forth, inflicting injury to every little thing it touched. The sword aura scattered the bamboo stalks on the bottom, destroying the Misdirection Array.

“Oh, so it could possibly final a very long time as a result of it’s very simple to interrupt,” Aotian mentioned at one facet in realization. “It was shaped utilizing bamboo, which may simply be moved or lower aside. You simply must destroy just a few items of bamboo to interrupt the array.”

The rationale the black cat hadn’t been capable of escape for thus lengthy was as a result of his physique was small through the day, plus he didn’t have a lot energy and his stage was low, so he couldn’t break the array. After evening fell, when he may remodel into the cat-man, he had rapidly dashed out.

This didn’t imply the Misdirection Array was weak, although. It was simply damaged if arrange with bamboo stalks, however with different supplies, it won’t be.

The jade slip mentioned that the Misdirection Array might be shaped utilizing weapons, rocks, crops, or non secular stones. The higher the fabric, the stronger the array can be.

At Ye Zhou’s present stage, his sword might be thought of a legendary weapon, and in a single slash, he knocked off 60% of the extent 8 cat yao’s well being. In yet one more blow, the cat would definitely be lifeless.

“Wait!” The cat didn’t wish to lose extra ranges, begging, “Cease preventing, I give up! After you trapped me on this forest earlier, I’ve already been bitten to dying by the beasts 3 times. I don’t wish to die anymore right now. Be the larger man, alright?”

So as to present that he meant no hurt, the yao reworked again right into a cat, waving his tail at Ye Zhou.

Whereas he may go all-out in attacking the cat individual, Ye Zhou couldn’t deliver himself to assault a little bit cat, and the state of affairs the black cat had simply described was too pitiful. Feeling sympathy, Ye Zhou withdrew his sword.

“He had wished to steal your important essence to stage up,” Dugu Zhuo mentioned. “This yao bore depraved intentions. He should be eradicated.”

Listening to Dugu Zhuo communicate archaically, Ye Zhou thought his chuunibyou was performing up once more. He held again Dugu Zhuo. “We will’t get rid of him. Even when we drain all his ranges, what good will that be? He’s already misplaced sufficient.”

Dugu Zhuo’s pondering had been caught in his authentic world, and solely now when he heard Ye Zhou communicate did he do not forget that this was all however a sport.

When sensing Ye Zhou go online, he had remembered that Ye Zhou was inside the Karmic Forest and been anxious about his security. Disregarding all else, he had charged out of the inn, chopping down demons, ghosts, and yao as he met them. Solely upon reaching the forest did he do not forget that Ye Zhou had a non secular sword that he had strengthened. Even when the monsters have been powered up at evening, they seemingly nonetheless couldn’t stand as much as Ye Zhou.

He hadn’t been pondering, in his fear.

“Proper, proper,” the black cat mentioned, following Ye Zhou’s phrases. “I’m simply stage 8, so even when I lose all my ranges, it gained’t quantity to a lot. Plus, look how cute I’m! May you bear to? Mrow~”

The black cat crooked his head on the watchers, innocence and harmlessness filling his giant eyes. He seemed completely lovely, even drawing out his meow in a coquettish style.

“You actually do know the ability of this character of yours,” Qingyue muttered. Though she knew the cat’s persona was horrible, she couldn’t assist however be lured by him.

Ye Zhou’s fingers twitched on their very own. As he held again his hand from petting the cat, he seemed uncertainly at Dugu Zhuo. “It’s so good being a yao. I nearly wish to make a brand new character.”

Ye Zhou, enjoying a yao? Dugu Zhuo seemed on the black cat, then the youthful Ye Zhou. He rubbed his nostril a little bit, then mentioned, “Should you attempt to assault us once more, I’ll kill you on sight.”

“I wouldn’t dare!” the black cat mentioned frantically. “Come to think about it, you’re actually one thing, dashen. Every little thing you mentioned through the day got here true at evening.”

“What occurred at evening?” Ye Zhou requested, unaware of the modifications. “I had heard that yao and spirits may solely grow to be human at stage 20. This cat may flip right into a cat individual at stage 8.”

Aotian preferred to speak, so he described all of the modifications that had occurred at evening to Ye Zhou, in addition to emphasizing Dugu Zhuo’s knowledge, how he had discovered them a spot to remain earlier than 8 pm and stored them from being trapped within the village of demons.

“There are lots of people yelling on the boards concerning the sport firm not caring about their prospects,” mentioned the black cat. “After getting killed so many instances by the monsters, I obtained pissed and logged off, and solely got here again on after somebody mentioned on the boards that yao can be stronger at evening.”

“This really isn’t very logical,” Ye Zhou mentioned. “Through the day, I felt like this sport was too biased towards people and spirits, and now it’s too harsh on them. Whilst people stage up, their enemies will stage up with them. It’ll have an effect on the stability an excessive amount of, and we gained’t be capable to play this sport anymore.”

As he spoke, with the Misdirection Array damaged, the monsters started to encompass them.

Ye Zhou cleared them with a single swing of his sword. He was nonetheless in a celebration with Dugu Zhuo, so Dugu Zhuo rose to stage 10.

[Ding! Congratulations upon reaching level 10, the Qi Refining stage. At level 10, you can choose to join Tanye Temple, abandoning the secular world and becoming a monk. You can also find a way to leave Zhulong Town[1], and seek for a sect that fits you inside 9 Heavens.]

An concept got here to Dugu Zhuo upon listening to this immediate.

He requested the opposite gamers. Ye Zhou, Qingyue, and Aotian had all already reached stage 10 and obtained the immediate.

The cat was solely stage 8, so to see the immediate yao would obtain upon stage 10, Dugu Zhuo added him as a buddy and invited him to their social gathering. After letting him share expertise for half an hour, this participant often known as “Jet Black”[2] lastly reached stage 10.

The immediate he obtained was:

[Ding! Congratulations upon reaching level 10, the Wisdom Unlocking stage. At level 10, you can choose between cultivating by moonlight or by stealing human essence. You can also find a way to leave Zhulong Town, and search for a suitable place for yao to cultivate within Nine Heavens.]

“So we actually want to go away this city first,” Ye Zhou mentioned. “I walked round through the day and didn’t discover an exit wherever, although. It’s surrounded on all sides by fog, so I couldn’t see any paths.”

At that second, Dugu Zhuo spoke. “This city is known as Zhulong City.”

“What about it?” requested Aotian.

“Within the legends, the torch dragon introduced day by opening his eyes and evening by closing them. And this Zhulong City is liveable by people by day, and haunted by evening.”