Endless Throne - Chapter 19

“Ne ne….what an interesting world indeed…” Coach Wang also uttered anime-style murmurs.

Zhou Yuan’s eyes went straight, his worldview reconstructing once again.

Lin Yebai tapped Zhou Yuan’s shoulder with the back of his blade, urging him:

“Quick, escape. The world’s number one Your Highness Cucumber is coming.”

[I Am a Little Green Dragon]: Am I hearing things? What did the baby say?

[Braised Spare Ribs]: The world’s number one Your Highness Cucumber!!! (Super loud)

[Crispy Shark]: Oh no, the baby won’t turn into a weeb, will he?

[The Ordinary Me]: Corner of mouth curving into a charming smile, eyes lighting up slightly, parting thin lips lightly: “Wouldn’t that be even better?”

[Abyss Monarch]: A trace of bewilderment flashed through deep eyes, raising an eyebrow: “Now that’s got the right flavor.”

[One Needle From Me]: Despite all precautions, human-to-human transmission still occurred.

Lin Yebai still didn’t understand the meaning of “weeb” – was it some kind of ape?

Although he was spacing out, he wore sunglasses, so others couldn’t tell.

Lin Yebai led Zhou Yuan and Coach Wang charging sideways, randomly choosing a direction, as long as they could rush out of this giant vegetable garden.

Your Highness Cucumber was still some distance away from them. The three ran frantically and successfully avoided it.

Not far away, where Your Highness Cucumber had rolled through, the ground was pressed flat and solid, with more cucumbers rolling behind in an endless stream, quite imposing.

“How much further?” asked Coach Wang, whose eyes were blurred with tears.

“Just past one more cornfield and we’ll be out.”

Zhou Yuan’s eyes had stronger endurance than Coach Wang’s. After being hit by the spice, he was completely fine.

“Corn is still the best – honest and well-behaved, it can’t possibly explode, and it won’t…”

A sneaky black shadow suddenly attacked from behind while Zhou Yuan was speaking, precisely striking Zhou Yuan’s head.

Bang——

After hitting its target, the black shadow quickly fled.

“What hit me…”

With a heavy blow, Zhou Yuan suddenly collapsed, dizzy and disoriented, covered in corn silk, and the little snakes on his head were also dizzy.

Coach Wang, with his stable foundation, groped around on the ground and immediately helped Zhou Yuan up, at a loss.

“What happened?”

“The corn attacked by stealth.” Lin Yebai only saw the corn fleeing.

Since they had entered, a group of tall corn cobs had been sneakily following behind them. When they looked back, the corn cobs would immediately stop moving, pretending to be innocent.

“This is f*cking evil.” Zhou Yuan cursed as he got up, feeling somewhat concussed. He tightened his grip on the chicken’s neck and urged the old hen:

“Quickly spit fire for me!”

“Roasted corn smells so good!”

The old hen spewed out fire, flames blazing fiercely, two to three meters long, like a skilled fire-breathing circus performer, instantly igniting a nearby corn stalk.

That corn stalk suddenly trembled, directly pulled its roots from the soil, and ran away, leaving only the enticing aroma of roasted corn.

“Oh my…” Zhou Yuan was shocked, murmuring:

“Girl has some skills.”

The old hen seemed to understand and proudly puffed out its bare chest.

With this mouthful of fire, the nearby corn cobs didn’t dare approach directly to deliver sneak attacks, and the three were able to safely withdraw.

Lin Yebai breathed a sigh of relief and took off his sunglasses.

They stood on a small hill with an open view, clearly seeing the distant vegetable garden where large numbers of aberrants were crushed by cucumbers and startled by exploding peppers. After the tomatoes exploded, they were particularly bloody, their color indistinguishable from fresh blood – from afar, it looked like a sea of blood.

Plants versus aberrants – fierce and intense, locked in stalemate.

Clearly a bizarre and terrifying scene, yet it had an indescribable comedic quality.

Where the truck had overturned, flames flickered intermittently.

Tonight, it had endured too much.

With a thunderous “boom,” flames reached the sky. The truck exploded, finally ending its rough and uneven life.

The massive shockwave caused the entire surrounding area to shake, with parts scattered everywhere. Something flew out from the truck bed, crashing heavily to the ground near the small hill. Zhou Yuan immediately went to investigate.

The little spiders in the cat carrier were startled awake by the sound, waking up one after another:

“Mommy, mommy…”

“Mommy, what was that sound?”

“Did the big monster catch up?”

“We’re safe.” Lin Yebai opened the cat carrier and let the little spiders out.

“Uncle Lin, you drove the big monster away again!”

“Uncle Lin, you’re awesome!”

“When I grow up, I want to be a great hero like Uncle Lin too!”

…

The little spiders chattered sweetly, one after another, praising endlessly.

Seven little spiders spoke with innocent tones, extreme reverence, sweet and crisp flattery. Lin Yebai couldn’t handle it anymore and gestured for the little spiders to look at Coach Wang, who was rubbing his eyes:

“Old Wang is over there.”

“Mommy! I missed you so much!”

“Mommy~ what happened to your eyes?”

“Mommy, I had a scary dream, I need mommy’s hug…”

The little spiders immediately surrounded him, acting coquettish.

“Hey! Children! Look what good stuff I found!”

Zhou Yuan dragged over something black. Lin Yebai looked at it several times and could barely recognize from its outline that this was the fish leg of the big koi from Central Park.

“Didn’t expect it was still here.” Lin Yebai was somewhat surprised.

Perhaps because the scales on the outside of the fish leg were too hard, it survived the explosion and became precious cooking material.

“We’ll have grilled fish tonight. I’ll go get some other stuff from the vegetable garden.” Zhou Yuan was enthusiastic.

“Don’t get trapped in there. Just grab whatever you can.” Coach Wang was afraid Zhou Yuan would be too reckless and gave him a few reminders.

“I know.” Zhou Yuan waved his hand.

By this time, the old hen had long been cast aside by him, gaining freedom of movement.

Seeing him about to leave, the old hen hurriedly followed, staying close behind.

Whether it was Lin Yebai or Coach Wang, both were terrifying to the old hen. In this cold and heartless world, only Zhou Yuan still had some warmth.

****

There was a small river near the hill with decent water quality.

After Lin Yebai washed his face, his eyes felt much better. He found several medicinal herbs he recognized by the riverside, crushed them, and helped Coach Wang apply them to his eyes.

“Brother Lin, look what good stuff I brought?”

Lin Yebai looked toward the sound and saw Zhou Yuan walking toward them with a large cucumber on his shoulder.

[Watermelon Patch Sinner]: Here he comes, here he comes! He’s walking over with a cucumber on his shoulder!

[Literary Mentor]: Watermelon Patch Sinner, as agreed~ forget before dawn~

[The Ordinary Me]: If I look at you one more time, would there still be feelings?

[Man Upon Man]: Why can you guys send voice messages?

[Crispy Shark]: I want to send voice messages too, bros help me out.

The old hen used its wings to hold a smaller tomato, taking short steps, trying hard to keep up with Zhou Yuan’s pace.

The little spiders helped collect some dead branches and fallen leaves, piling them up, just waiting to light the fire.

“I tasted it, and it’s not bad. Should be a fruit cucumber. Even if we’ve all become aberrants, we still need balanced nutrition, right? Come on, eat some vegetables…” Zhou Yuan put down the cucumber and gestured for the old hen to light the pile of firewood.

The fish leg was already half-cooked. Lin Yebai had scraped off the scales with his bone knife, revealing the tender fish meat inside. With a flash of the blade, the fish meat was neatly sliced.

Zhou Yuan washed a flat bluestone slab and decided to have stone-grilled fish tonight. Without seasonings like cumin, pepper salt, or chili powder, Zhou Yuan went to the vegetable garden to pick green peppers, garlic, and other things for seasoning.

After the vegetable garden was bombed, its mobility was greatly reduced. Fresh fruits and vegetables could be taken at will – convenient to eat, healthy, and safe.

The grilled fish slices were fragrant, with lots of meat and no bones. Seasoned only with chili, it was very delicious and satisfying.

When the firewood ran out, the old hen spat fire from the side, working very hard.

[Crispy Shark]: Sister Chicken’s survival instinct is quite strong.

[Super Rich Tangerine seat]: What does the fish leg taste like? Is it good?

[Lord of the Gods]: Curious.

[Great Emperor Huaji]: Curious +1.

[Charcoal Grilled Great Demon Dragon]: Delicious.

“The fish is so good! Mommy, I want to eat it again next time…”

“There’s a river here. Let’s try fishing tomorrow.” Coach Wang no longer cared about the title issue. As long as he didn’t feel embarrassed, there would be no real embarrassment.

“Mommy is the best, I’ll love mommy forever!”

Everyone had large appetites, and the fish leg was quickly finished.

After eating his fill, Lin Yebai took his knife back to the vegetable garden to harvest points.

The aberrant brigade suffered heavy losses in the vegetable garden. After experiencing an explosion, the surviving aberrants had almost all lost their mobility and became nutrients under the entanglement of vines.

“Brother Lin, where are you going?” After eating, Zhou Yuan lazily sprawled on large leaves, even curling up his tail.

“Eliminating future troubles.”

“That’s so you.” Zhou Yuan gave a thumbs up.

Coach Wang was equally exhausted, sprawled on the other side.

The two watched from afar as Lin Yebai entered the vegetable garden with his knife.

Sometimes one strike per target, sometimes one strike for several.

Swift and decisive, clean and efficient.

He chopped vegetables and sliced melons the same way, with an indifferent expression, as if doing the most ordinary little task.

The vegetable garden had not only tomato juice – the aberrants’ blood was also red. Countless severed limbs and remains created a scene resembling Western gore films that made people reluctant to approach.

Even while doing such things, Lin Yebai stood there with a straight spine, naturally possessing an awe-inspiring nobility. His profile was cold and beautiful, making hearts surrender.

“Damn, scary.” Zhou Yuan touched his neck, glad his head was still there.

“I should be the one who’s scared.” Coach Wang also touched his neck.

If Lin Yebai had been faster back then, he would be completely gone now.

“There’s a question I’ve wanted to ask for a long time. Why do you always say ‘damn’? Is that gender discrimination?” Coach Wang wondered.

(TL: “妈的” (mā de) is a common Chinese curse word. Literally, it means “damn it” or “mother of…”, but in actual usage it’s an expletive like:

Common English equivalents: “Damn it!” “Shit!” “Damn!” “F***k!”** (more intense, vulgar) “Son of a…” (if cut off mid-sentence)

“Then what should I say, daddy?”

“Good boy.” Coach Wang showed a loving smile.

“…” Zhou Yuan clenched his fists, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

Old Wang always suddenly became playful when everything was calm.

At this time, Lin Yebai was already flooded with notifications from the Main God Space.

[Slayed low-level Aberrant x6]

[Points +300]

[Slayed low-level Aberrant x3]

[Points +150]

…

Like a farmer at harvest time, he repeated this reaping process tirelessly, his previous sickly weakness completely dissipated.

Beheading could kill with one swift strike. The aberrants’ blood beads were hidden in their skulls – after cutting off heads, it was more convenient to extract them.

Seemingly sensing his inner joy, the mark on Lin Yebai’s brow glowed faintly under the moon. The nearby moonlight became richer, and the entire vegetable garden was shrouded in a layer of bloody mist.

In such an environment, Lin Yebai was like a fish in water, extraordinarily comfortable. The chest tightness, breathing difficulties, and weakness that used to plague him occasionally were instead completely relieved in the blood mist, making him feel light and refreshed.

[Literary Mentor]: Rising at dawn to clear the wasteland, returning with hoe under moonlight.

[Magician’s Big Zen Staff]: Physical salvation, Amitabha Buddha.

[Super Rich Tangerine Seat]: Feel like baby is about to get rich.

[Left and Right are Both Men]: Remove the words “feel like.”

[Truth Supreme]: If I had picked up this many points on my first mission, would I still be in this sorry state now?

[Crispy Shark]: Shedding tears that also belong to poor dogs.

[Lemon Wholesale Sale]: Lemon tree with lemon fruit, under the lemon tree, you and I.

Lin Yebai was in a pleasant mood, so much so that his eyes and brows softened, like an immortal under the moon, transcendent and refined.

After the harvest ended, he walked toward the river carrying half a sack of blood beads.

All the vines in the vegetable garden made way for him, their branches and leaves trembling.

Lin Yebai rinsed the blood beads downstream, turning even the river water bloody, causing all fish and shrimp underwater to instantly disappear.

The sky was already showing the pale light of dawn – it would be bright soon.

Lin Yebai sat nearby in meditation, recovering his strength.

Always having a discerning craving for blood beads, he finally picked up a low-level aberrant’s blood core, held it in his hand, and tried to draw the rich blood energy from within the bead into his body while operating his cultivation technique.

Operating the technique consumed his own life force. His combat power always came at the cost of lifespan, so Lin Yebai had always been frugal, unwilling to make an extra strike.

The internal energy originally circulating in his body suddenly discovered a stream of evil blood energy entering, and like discovering delicious food, immediately pounced on it, changing from a lazy state to excitement.

The blood bead quickly faded, turning into gray dust that flowed from Lin Yebai’s fingertips and scattered in the wind.

Having not slept all night, he still didn’t feel tired.

Dawn broke with clouds piled up in dark layers.

While the others were still sleeping, Lin Yebai went into the river to clean off the blood stains he’d picked up from the vegetable garden.

[I Knocked Them Out On The Spot]: Going into the water? I’m instantly not sleepy anymore.

[Watermelon Patch Sinner]: Any veteran viewer wouldn’t say such things.

[Soft Cat Ears]: add Wechat to watch Pleasant Goat bathing.

[Uchiha Boba Milk Tea]: Because the livestream will get censored.

Soon, the livestream closed, entering censorship time.

After Lin Yebai emerged from the river, he used internal energy to dry his clothes and hair. Having consumed too much, he refined a blood bead and instantly recovered.

Zhou Yuan yawned and woke from his dream, discovering Lin Yebai meditating on a nearby large stone, spotless, with soft long hair draped behind him, clear and bright eyes, surrounded by moist water vapor like a banished immortal who feeds on flowers and drinks dew.

They had slept so soundly, yet Brother Lin had stayed up all night meditating. This kind of hardworking fighting spirit really gave people a sense of security.

“Brother Lin, morning.” Zhou Yuan greeted him.

Lin Yebai slightly raised his eyes, revealing a pair of crimson pupils.