In a side room at Wutong Courtyard within the Grand General’s Manor, Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes.
The scene of the girl being killed by those beggars still rattled his nerves.
“Idiot… why didn’t you run?” Lu Chen muttered with regret.
At that time, both beggars had their attention fully on him. If the girl had taken the chance to escape, she might have survived. But she didn’t. She chose to fight them head-on.
Just as Lu Chen was blaming himself, a string of system text appeared in front of him:
[When the girl was being assaulted by beggars, you chose to step forward in her defense.]
[But your strength was too weak, and you still failed to save her.]
[Evaluation: Full of righteous passion, but unable to change fate. It seems “A gentleman does not act” suits you better.]
[Simulation complete. You have gained the talent: Righteous Valor (Blue).]
“A blue-tier talent?!” Lu Chen froze in surprise.
His first two simulations had only yielded some useless green-tier talents. But now he had obtained a blue one—[Righteous Valor]. Lu Chen immediately felt his body stronger and more energetic than before. He tried moving around and no longer felt short of breath like he did before.
However, when he recalled the girl’s tragic death, his heart sank again.
Then, more system text appeared:
[Kind reminder: You have used up all your free simulation points!]
[The host may either consume lifespan to begin a new simulation, or rewind to a point before death and continue the previous simulation.]
Lu Chen felt joy at first, then frowned.
He was glad that he could go back and try to save the girl. But starting a new simulation would cost him his lifespan.
[Name: Lu Chen]
[Lifespan: 25/26]
[Identity: Eldest legitimate son of the Grand General of the Great Xia Empire]
[Status: Severely depleted, terminally ill]
[Talents: Fated with Peach Blossoms (Blue), Undead Knight (Green), Grassroots Hero (Green), Insect Manipulator (Green), Righteous Valor (Blue)]
[Simulation Points: 0 (You can spend lifespan to simulate!)]
Looking at the status panel showing only one year of lifespan remaining, Lu Chen gritted his teeth and said, “System, continue the previous simulation!”
[Understood, host!]
[How much lifespan would you like to consume to continue the last simulation?]
[Note: Consuming one month of lifespan rewinds the simulation world by one hour; consuming one year rewinds it by one day… and so on.]
“I’ll use one month!” Lu Chen replied without hesitation.
He only had a year left. He had to manage it wisely. Judging by the last simulation, rewinding one hour was enough to save the girl.
[Generating simulation world…]
[Rewinding timeline…]
[Integrating host consciousness…]
[…]
[Simulation world initiated!]
Darkness engulfed Lu Chen’s vision. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the same ruined temple.
Curled in a corner, he glanced at the girl sleeping under the Buddha statue and began to plan how to save her from the beggars.
“What if I take her and leave this place right away?”
“No, we’re strangers. She’d never agree to leave and might think I’m a threat.”
“If I can’t get her out, then I’ll have to kill those two beggars.”
Lu Chen considered ambushing them at the temple entrance and smashing them with a brick as soon as they arrived.
But he quickly rejected that idea.
“If I kill them before they touch the girl and she sees it, she might mistake me for a murderer. Trying to explain afterward would just scare her more.”
…
After careful thought, Lu Chen picked up a sharp piece of broken tile from the ground and hid it in his hand.
Half an hour later, the familiar sound of the door being kicked open echoed outside.
Soon, chaotic footsteps approached.
“Those damned rebels! Burning the magistrate’s office wasn’t enough—they’re looting homes too. Now we can’t even beg!”
“Let them rob all they want. Once they’ve had their fill, they’ll leave Luo city eventually.”
…
Hearing the familiar voices, Lu Chen felt slightly relieved. No matter how vicious these two beggars were—they were just NPCs in a simulation.
He didn’t need to fear them.
With that, he gripped the tile shard tightly, his eyes resolute.
The two beggars, ragged and filthy, entered the temple and immediately noticed Lu Chen curled in the corner.
To lower their guard, Lu Chen hunched over and kept his head down, pretending to be afraid.
“Hah, coward.”
“Another beggar.”
They mocked him for a bit, clearly uninterested. After all, he looked like a scrawny boy no older than twelve or thirteen—not a threat. And his clothes were even more torn than theirs. There was no point robbing him.
“Bro, look!”
One of them suddenly pointed to the girl under the statue. The other beggar’s eyes lit up.
Hearing the noise, the girl opened her eyes and instinctively reached for the stick hidden under her.
“This little thing may look filthy, but her skin’s fair and delicate—definitely from a wealthy family.”
“Hehe, lucky us. After we’re done, we can use her sheepskin coat for warmth.”
“Wait! Bro, she’s holding something!”
“A stick? Who cares!”
They chuckled as they closed in, looking more and more demonic under the moonlight.
“D-Don’t come any closer!” the girl said, gripping her stick tightly, trembling as she backed away.
But her fear only made the two beggars more excited.
Just as they were about to strike—
A shadow crept toward them.
Shlick!
Lu Chen suddenly lunged, grabbing one beggar and slashing his neck with the sharp tile shard.
Thanks to his [Righteous Valor] talent, he was much stronger than before. That slash cut deep, severing the beggar’s throat.
“Guh… guh…” The beggar collapsed, throat wheezing like broken bellows.
The other beggar went pale with terror.
As he hesitated—uncertain whether to run or fight—a broken stick pierced through his back with a sharp crunch.
He turned his head.
The girl stood behind him, gripping the stick tightly. Her face was blank.
Thud!
The second beggar collapsed and quickly stopped moving.
Lu Chen’s heart pounded as he stared at the two corpses in the bloody pool.
Even though it was just a simulation, everything felt terrifyingly real. The warmth and slipperiness of the blood on his hands made him gag.
After a while, he finally managed to steady his breathing.
Just as he was about to speak and comfort the girl, she said coldly, “Dig a pit. Let’s bury them.”