The air became stagnant for a few seconds.
Ling Xiao responded softly and drank the water.
Ning Changfeng was extremely happy, as if a great event had just occurred. Although he didn’t usually enjoy drinking, he drank sip after sip.
After drinking a bottle of beer, he felt a bit drunk.
Ning Su: “...”
Ning Changfeng poured a cup for Ning Su, then placed his hand on Ling Xiao’s shoulder and said, “Ling Xiao, isn’t my son adorable? Have you ever seen anyone cuter than my son?”
Ning Su: “...”
Ling Xiao lifted his gaze as dusk settled, looking over with a crimson hue at the corner of his eye surpassing the last glimmer of twilight, then glanced at Ning Changfeng, responding to his question, “No.”
Ning Su’s heart skipped a beat. He felt it was Ling Xiao’s heart beating. Perhaps even Ling Xiao, this non-human, could also get drunk with just a sip.
Ning Changfeng: “You must keep this a secret for us.”
Ning Changfeng: “Su Su, he can’t call me Dad, but he can call you Uncle in front of anyone else. Doesn’t that make you happy?”
“...”
Ning Su didn’t want to listen to him boast any longer. He pushed Ning Changfeng towards the door. “It’s getting dark. You should go back now.”
Ning Changfeng hesitated for a moment.
Ning Su: “Are you afraid to leave? Afraid that you're drunk and President Shi will take advantage of it to defeat you?”
Ning Changfeng immediately left.
After walking for a while, he turned back. “Isn’t Ling Xiao coming with me? He has nowhere to stay.”
Ning Su: “He has a place to stay. He can stay with me.”
Ning Changfeng: “That’s good.”
He left with peace of mind.
Ning Su turned around, and Ling Xiao was standing not far away.
“Stay at your place?” he asked.
Ning Su: “...It’s not a problem.”
Anyway, he had quite a few rooms here.
That night, Ling Xiao stayed in Ning Su’s place.
After finishing washing up, Ning Su lay on the bed for a while, then went to Ling Xiao’s room in the late hours of the night.
In the <Ghost Embodiment> dungeon instance, he had grown accustomed to climbing onto beds, so Ning Su climbed onto Ling Xiao’s bed without realizing anything was wrong.
He tugged at Ling Xiao’s clothes, “Uncle.”
“...”
On that small bed inside the instance, Ning Su could lie between Ling Xiao’s arm and waist, and on this large bed, he could do so even more comfortably.
He propped his arms there and softly called him again, “Uncle.”
Ling Xiao covered his mouth faintly in the darkness, his voice low and hoarse. “Don’t call me uncle.”
Ning Su blinked, his shallow breath landing on Ling Xiao’s dry palm, “On that bridge, didn’t you say I could be your child? Why can’t I call you uncle?”
He understood the meaning behind Ling Xiao’s words.
In the instance world, many ghost masters were born by feeding on Ling Xiao’ energy. Ling Xiao gave them power, allowing them to become ghost masters who controlled a dungeon after experiencing the most bitter and painful deaths.
It was like gaining a new life.
Therefore, Manman regarded Ling Xiao as a divine father-like figure.
Ling Xiao must have felt his energy within him, which was why he said if they had to put it that way, he could be considered his child.
But it was different.
Ning Su always remembered what the Holy Maiden of the Flower Temple said, that the Flower God was a three-petaled blood flower, and recognizing a four-petaled one meant recognizing a demon.
She only saw three petals of the blood flower.
Ning Su asked softly, “I’m different, right?”
After a long time, Ling Xiao said, “Yes.”
Ning Su was happy. “Do you want to feel your heart?”
After leaving the instance, neither of them mentioned going to the <Flower Servant> dungeon to extract the heart.
Ning Su thought for a moment and changed his wording. “Do you want to feel your heart beating in your chest?”
Ling Xiao was very curious. “How can I feel it?”
Ning Su said, “As long as our hearts are close together, the vibrations from my heart will transmit through my chest to yours.”
Ling Xiao reached out his hand to Ning Su.
With his support, Ning Su adjusted his position and gently leaned against him.
Their hearts were close together.
On the wide river surface of the base, the moonlight shimmered, and the night breeze was gentle.
The laughter and cries of the players at the center of the base didn’t reach the small courtyard by the river in the suburbs.
In the tranquil night, the sound of heartbeats could be clearly heard, resonating in the chest and bones, making it difficult to determine if they were steady or rapid.
They only felt the heaviness, realizing it wasn’t just the weight of one person’s heart.
“Thump, thump, thump...”
In the transition from clarity to haziness, Ning Su slowly fell asleep.
It’s like feeling as calm and content as he did in childhood, but with a joy that’s even greater than what he experienced back then.
Next door, a small grayish-white ear pressed tightly against the wall, and Gui Sheng lying on the bed said, “He’s not coming out!”
Manman educated him, “Daddies and mommies are supposed to sleep in the same bed.”
Gui Sheng exclaimed, “Wow~”
Manman continued, “Tomorrow we’ll wake up a bit later.”
Gui Sheng responded, “Okay!”
The two kids didn’t have breakfast. By the time Ning Su woke up, it was already past ten, and he received many messages.
Zhu Shuangshuang: [Su Su, come out for a meal.]
Su Wangsheng: [While everyone’s at the base, let’s gather together. Once the individual competition starts, we won’t have time.]
Ning Su: [You guys go ahead and order, I’ll be there soon.]
He didn’t know where Ling Xiao had gone. Ning Su got up, tidied up a bit, and took the two kids to the restaurant they were supposed to meet with everyone.
Upon entering the restaurant, Ning Su settled the bill first before entering the private room.
Zhu Shuangshuang, Su Wangsheng, Fang Qi, and Ji Mingrui were all there.
When they entered, the atmosphere in the private room was somewhat somber, and Ning Su quickly understood why.
Fang Qi explained his situation.
The few people who entered the game with him in the same bus all knew that he was looking for someone.
He told them this as his final explanation.
Zhu Shuangshuang: “So, you’ve joined the Yongming Guild, and from now on, you’ll be following the human pupa master?”
Fang Qi nodded.
Zhu Shuangshuang: “The Yongming Guild is a large organization, and many people want to join. Having the backing of this guild will reduce the troublemakers who would want to get in your way in the dungeon worlds, but there are also many dangerous individuals within that guild. You must be careful.”
Fang Qi nodded again.
Initially, he felt that once he joined the Yongming Guild, it would mean breaking ties with them.
Surprisingly, Ning Su still gave him gifts, and Zhu Shuangshuang continued to invite him to organized gatherings.
Fang Qi felt that it was enough.
If he were to be isolated and alienated by them at this point, he would really have a hard time coping alone.
Ning Su sat across from Fang Qi, giving him a glance.
After coming out of the instance with Xue Wei yesterday, he followed her.
A day had passed, but he still didn’t seem to have recovered much.
To ease the atmosphere and change the subject, Ji Mingrui said, “I haven’t formally told you yet, but I’ve also joined a guild, the Hongyu Guild.”
Su Wangsheng: “Congratulations.”
Ning Su: “This guild suits you well.”
“Yes,” Zhu Shuangshuang said. “We’ve been through an instance together with President Jia Chensheng. This guild really suits someone as smart as you.”
As the guild competition approached, amidst the hustle and bustle of many guild promotions, they also began recruiting new members.
Su Wangsheng said, “I’ve also joined a guild, the Jiuxing Guild.”
It’s also a very famous guild.
Zhu Shuangshuang sighed, “It seems like a lot of time has passed, but actually, we’ve only been on the base for less than a month, right? In less than a month, all of us except Su Su have joined different guilds.”
Su Wangsheng asked Ning Su, “Ning Su, haven’t you considered joining a guild?”
Zhu Shuangshuang chuckled and remarked, “If Su Su wanted to join a guild, I feel like he could pick any big guild he wanted. The leaders of the guilds all like him - Shi Tianzhu, Jia Chensheng, and even the Gu Witch.”
Thanks for the update!! 🤗🤗
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