Chapter 255 - 254: Reputation Ruined

Chapter 255: Chapter 254: Reputation Ruined

For a moment, neither human nor ghost spoke. The two sides just stared at each other in a standoff.

Until the paper doll, unable to contain its curiosity, hopped over to the Ghost King. It paused for a subtle moment, then looked up.

The Ghost King looked down at the paper doll as the surrounding Yin Qi surged, eager for action.

The paper doll, completely oblivious to the atmosphere, even reached out a hand to compare its height with the Ghost King’s. It seemed confused. ’We’re both not human, so how is the Ghost King so much taller than me?’

Just as the Ghost King was about to lose his patience and tear the paper doll to shreds, Gu Qingyin quickly summoned it back. ’Honestly, it’s too mischievous!’

The Yin Qi surged even more violently. Gu Qingyin cleared her throat. "Honestly, we’re just passing through. We’ve experienced the game. Why don’t you let us pass, you continue guarding your territory, and we all go our separate ways peacefully? Wouldn’t that be better?"

"If it comes to a fight, you can probably tell we’re not afraid of you." Gu Qingyin blinked. "You’re probably not ready to reincarnate just yet, are you?"

Her words were a mix of soft and hard tactics, a courtesy before the potential conflict.

The Ghost King’s expression didn’t change, though his face seemed to darken a shade. He knew she was telling the truth.

He was aware of everything that had happened in the game space. The power displayed by Huo Yunjing and Dongfang Lingjun alone was enough to make him wary, not to mention the unfathomable Gu Ziqian.

If they really fought, his chances of winning were indeed very slim. But he was still unwilling to just let them leave. As he thought this, the Ghost King couldn’t help but glance at Huo Xingchen.

Gu Qingyin’s gaze darkened, and her fingers twitched. She was tempted to just force her way through. ’What’s the big idea, constantly staring at my son?’

Just then, Huo Xingchen suddenly spoke up. "Actually, I’m already twenty-three this year. I just got turned into a kid for... certain reasons."

At these words, not only the Ghost King but all the adults beside him were stunned.

"Turned into a kid?" the Ghost King murmured to himself. Recalling Huo Xingchen’s performance in the game space, and the words he’d exchanged with Gu Qingyin, his resolve began to waver.

’If he’s not a real child, then maybe there’s no need to drag this out any longer.’

"Did you have a good childhood?" the Ghost King asked, rather abruptly.

Hearing this, Huo Xingchen sighed. "Shortly after I was born, my mom ran away. She didn’t come back until I was in my twenties. After she left, my dad spent all his time trying to find her and paid no attention to me. I went to school, ate my meals, and went to sleep all by myself."

He sniffled pitifully. "I was so lonely. I just wanted my mom and dad to be with me." He looked at the Ghost King. "You should understand, right? Our experiences might be different, but the feeling should be about the same. We were both kids abandoned by our parents."

He spoke with such genuine emotion that if Gu Qingyin didn’t know the real story, she would have been completely fooled by the kid’s acting. ’With talent like this, why did he go into esports? What a waste!’

Gu Qingyin felt she should say something. She took a deep breath, and a smile touched her lips. "Mommy knows she was wrong. I’ll be sure to make it up to you from now on."

Huo Xingchen leaned against Gu Qingyin dependently.

The Ghost King frowned. "She abandoned you."

Huo Xingchen said stubbornly, "But she knows she was wrong! She came back to find me, and she’s treating me really well now! I forgive her!"

The Ghost King watched him with a complicated expression. After some unknown internal struggle, he suddenly flicked a finger, drawing out the ghost energy that had been embedded in Huo Xingchen’s body.

Gu Qingyin’s eyes lit up. She immediately crouched down to check on Huo Xingchen.

Seeing this, the Ghost King’s lingering unwillingness faded somewhat. He took a step back and vanished, his voice, tinged with a hint of melancholy, drifting back. "Treat him well."

The words were clearly meant for Gu Qingyin.

Gu Qingyin sighed under her breath. "You don’t need to remind me."

The woods before them, which had been shrouded in Yin Qi, suddenly cleared, revealing a straight, clean path.

Huo Yunjing, very conscious of his role as the point man, took the lead and started walking forward.

Gu Qingyin picked up Huo Xingchen and followed. Dongfang Lingjun and Zhang Qiuyan came next, with Gu Ziqian still bringing up the rear.

In the same formation as before, they walked out of the Ghost King’s territory. No one spoke, and the atmosphere was decidedly subtle.

Gu Qingyin thought for a moment before deciding to explain. "I really was gone for a while when they were very young, but I didn’t run away. I entered a space where time flowed very slowly. When I got out, twenty years had passed. You get it, right?"

As she finished speaking, the atmosphere grew even stranger.

"So..." Zhang Qiuyan said, her tone complex, "Huo Xingchen is really in his twenties?"

Gu Qingyin blinked. "But he really has turned into a kid now."

Zhang Qiuyan: "...An adult’s soul in a child’s body. Is that the right way to understand this?"

Gu Qingyin could only nod. "Yes."

Huo Xingchen turned his head and saw the awkward look on Zhang Qiuyan’s face. He immediately put on a wronged expression. "Don’t be weirded out by me. I didn’t want to become like this either." He also took the opportunity to explain for his mom, "Most of what I just told the Ghost King was a lie. Even though my mom wasn’t around, I still had a pretty good childhood."

Fearing they wouldn’t believe him, Huo Xingchen explained further, "Even though my dad didn’t pay much attention to us, our family is very rich. The nannies who took care of us were very attentive and responsible. We had the best of everything, from food to clothes."

"My big brother is smart and matured early, so he pretty much acted as a father figure. He was strict with us but didn’t excessively interfere with our freedom. My second brother and I were able to fully develop our interests and hobbies."

"Before coming here, I had already become a world champion and successfully retired. Now, I’m fully dedicating myself to the Heavenly Master profession!"

"Why didn’t your dad take care of you?" Huo Yunjing asked with a frown.

"Huh?"

’Isn’t that missing the point?’ Huo Xingchen thought, but he still replied politely, "At the time, my dad was constantly trying to find any trace of my mom, and he also had to manage the family business. He really didn’t have the energy for us. We all understood."

Huo Yunjing pressed his lips together. Although his expression still held a hint of indignant dissatisfaction, when he put himself in that position, he realized he might not have been able to do any better.

Gu Ziqian rubbed his chin. "What about me? Did I not go looking for you?"

"Er..." Gu Qingyin looked a bit embarrassed. "My master... he couldn’t even take care of himself at the time. But later on, he did help me get justice."

Gu Ziqian raised an eyebrow. "I died? Tsk. From the sound of it, there’s no real need to go back to your world. Why not just stay here? Everyone you know is here."

"My big brother and second brother aren’t here!" Huo Xingchen hugged Gu Qingyin’s neck, slightly panicked. "And Gugu and Mao Mao! They’re all waiting for Mom to come back!"

Seeing the kid’s eyes turn red with anxiety, Gu Ziqian tutted. "You’re a twenty-something-year-old man. How are you still such a crybaby, just like a child?"

Huo Xingchen: ...’It’s not that I want to. It’s a physiological instinct I really can’t control.’