Squelch. The blade slashed across the burly man’s body, leaving a deep, bloody wound. The intense pain made him suck in a sharp breath. “You bastard, how dare you hurt your grandpa!”
“Brother Niu, kill this animal, then sell this girl to the brothel as a prostitute!” the injured man shouted as he charged toward Jiang Qingyu.
Seeing this, Lu Chen gripped the handle tightly and swung the blade again. “Touch her, and you all die!”
Just as the blade was about to strike the man’s back, a loud clang sounded. Another burly man drew his long blade, blocking Lu Chen’s attack. “Brat, first time using a blade?” he sneered. “You’ve got strength, but your technique is garbage. Come, grandpa will teach you a few real moves!”
He twisted his wrist, spinning the blade in a dazzling arc. Lu Chen’s vision blurred for an instant, and a searing pain shot through his arm. Blood spilled down from a long gash. The agony almost made him faint.
“Brother Chen!” Jiang Qingyu saw him wounded and bit the man’s hand fiercely, breaking free.
“Run! Xiaoyu, run!” Lu Chen shouted through clenched teeth.
But Jiang Qingyu didn’t flee; she ran to stand in front of him. “Brother Chen, I’m not going anywhere! Even if I die, I’ll die with you!”
She had run once before, only to end up as an unloved orphan, begging on the streets when hungry, hiding in ruined temples from the cold, and even stealing from the rich to survive. Now that she finally had someone to rely on, she refused to lose it again. Even if death awaited her, she would face it with Lu Chen.
“Are you stupid?” Lu Chen pushed her away forcefully. “Run! As far as you can!”
This time, he swore he’d save Jiang Qingyu, no matter the cost. He couldn’t bear to watch her die in front of him again.
“Hah, half of Luo City belongs to our Wild Wolf Gang. Where can she run?” the injured man sneered. “In a bit, I’ll let you watch as I take her first, then sell her to the brothel!”
Lu Chen’s fury boiled over. He lunged forward, thrusting the blade toward the man’s heart.
Clang! The other burly man blocked again and kicked Lu Chen several meters back. Without giving him a chance to recover, the man raised his long blade and swung for Lu Chen’s neck.
At that moment, a figure rushed in front of him—it was Jiang Qingyu, who had come back again. Just like in the last simulation, she hadn’t run.
Squelch!
The sharp blade pierced straight through her chest. Jiang Qingyu gripped the blade tightly with both hands, blood dripping as she smiled sadly. “Brother Chen, in the next life… I still want to be with you…”
Lu Chen’s mind went blank. A wave of madness consumed him as he lunged at the man, biting ferociously—his nose, ears, then throat… until he tore his neck apart like a starving wolf.
The other burly man trembled in fear. “He’s gone insane!” he yelled. Seeing his companion about to die, he swung his blade and ended Lu Chen’s life.
…
Reality.
Inside a room of Wutong Courtyard, Lu Chen’s eyes snapped open. “Die! I’ll kill you all!”
Though his surroundings were dark, he thrashed wildly as if still in the fight. The door creaked open, and a faint oil lamp lit the room.
“Young Master, what’s wrong?” Jin’er rushed forward, pressing Lu Chen down. She tapped a point on his body, and a sharp pain jolted him awake.
He looked around, realizing he was back in the real world. But the image of Jiang Qingyu dying before his eyes still haunted him, filling his chest with sorrow.
“I’m fine. I must’ve fallen asleep and had a nightmare,” he said softly.
“I see. You must have been frightened,” Jin’er replied gently, moving behind him to massage his temples. The violent rage and madness from the simulation quickly faded away.
Seeing him calm, Jin’er walked to the bed and carefully laid out the blankets. “Young Master, your body is still weak. Please rest early.”
After tidying up, she left the room and closed the door quietly.
Lu Chen glanced out the window—outside, the sky was pitch-black. During his last simulation, it had been dusk; now it was already night, about two hours later.
“So… one year in the simulated world equals one hour in reality.”
After understanding the time ratio between the two worlds, Lu Chen sighed in relief. That meant he could precisely control how long he stayed in the simulation.
“From now on, I’ll run simulations only at night. Four hours at night would be four years in that world. That’s enough to do a lot.”
With that decision made, he didn’t rush to re-enter the simulation. Instead, he opened the meal box on the table, ate some food and tonics, and lay down.
He had gone through several consecutive simulations, and his body couldn’t take it anymore—he needed to recover. More importantly, he had to carefully think about how to break the cycle of death inside the simulation.
Each entry consumed his lifespan, and he had less than a year left. He couldn’t afford to waste it. The two men from the Wild Wolf Gang were skilled fighters—not opponents he could easily handle. He needed a flawless plan before going back.
“The two Wild Wolf Gang thugs… the foreman Zhao at the northern docks… I need to deal with them first. Only then can Xiaoyu and I escape this nightmare. But how do I change fate?”
Lu Chen sank into deep thought.
At that moment, system text appeared before his eyes:
[You have died in the simulated world. This simulation ends!]
[Evaluation: You risked your life to protect the one you loved, yet still failed to change her fate—how tragic!]
[You have gained the following talent: Exceptional Constitution (Purple)]
[Your body has been reforged. Whether in the real world or the simulated one, you can now grasp martial arts faster and improve your cultivation more easily!]
“It’s… a purple-grade talent!?” Lu Chen’s heart trembled with excitement as he read the glowing words before him.