Chapter Ninety-Six: A Trial of Life and Death

Xigua immediately wanted to call Su Tong, but after checking the time, he saw that it was already late, so he held off.

The editor-in-chief of “The Scholar of the Enchantress” and several others had already been discussing it for the past two days: should they replace Su Tong’s contract with a master-tier one, or upgrade it to a platinum contract?

After all, the average subscriptions for Coiling Dragon had already reached twenty thousand, and its peak subscriptions had even broken through thirty thousand.

Su Tong’s sudden chapter post had indeed irritated some people, but they also knew that a rookie contract was far too unfair to The Scholar of the Enchantress.

Setting aside the subscription numbers, The Scholar of the Enchantress was no ordinary figure. He had come from the live-streaming side of the site.

As a diamond-level broadcaster, and with Coiling Dragon’s results behind him, he had every right to speak sharply. But those who knew him understood that he was as innocent as a child, saying whatever came to mind; there had been no real intent to provoke in that chapter post.

The site could hardly suppress him. At long last, someone had emerged to counter the dazzling sharpness of the Dragon God, and the site was eager to promote him, not cut him down.

Besides, he had plainly said that he did not lack money. If they offended him and he simply shook off his sleeves and left, the greatest loss would still be the site.

After thanking the readers in the various League of Legends groups, it was nearly one in the morning. Su Tong washed up and went back to his room to prepare for bed.

Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao had been lingering in Su Tong’s room ever since dinner, and were already asleep in his bed.

The two sisters were even more clingy now.

After adjusting their sleeping positions, Su Tong looked at the two girls asleep before him, and a warm smile appeared on his face.

No goddess, however beautiful or glorious, could compare in his eyes with Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao’s sweetness and loveliness.

After turning off the light, he lay down as well, intending for the three siblings to sleep together.

But just as he lay down, the figure of the little devil surfaced in his mind.

“Host,” the little devil said with a grave expression.

Su Tong was startled. “At last?”

The little devil nodded.

“The shop has opened some new items. Take a look first.”

The little devil pulled open the system interface.

Su Tong looked over and saw that the newly added items each had a small mark in the upper-right corner.

“System assistant evolution fruit, one side quest life...”

At the sight of the second new item, Su Tong’s expression changed.

This side quest seemed to be extremely difficult. The system had even given him a life reserve.

Of course, that life had to be purchased with points.

System assistant evolution fruit: eight hundred thousand points.
One side quest life: one million points.

Su Tong’s current faith power base value was just over 1.1 million, and his current total was also 1.1 million.

He had not dared to spend any of his recent faith points, precisely because he was afraid that a side quest might suddenly arrive and leave him without enough points to buy the lifesaving item.

“Buy one life,” the little devil said. The evolution fruit’s function was wondrous, but at a time like this, no matter how much it was wanted, it would be useless. If Su Tong failed the side quest and died, it would die along with him.

“Fine.” Su Tong did not hesitate, and chose to exchange for one life.

After the exchange, Su Tong asked cautiously, “Little devil, has the system revealed the content of the side quest? Is there a deadline?”

The little devil said solemnly, “The deadline is still today. You must carry it out before midnight on the first, or it counts as failure. If you fail, you will cease to exist. If you complete it, the reward will be to raise your divine body to the Third Heaven. The system also revealed that your Sister Ya Ya has cultivated her divine body for sixteen years, and she is only at the Fifth Heaven.”

After a pause, the little devil’s expression became even graver. “This side quest is still related to the Three Kingdoms. It is said that a major figure will make a move.”

A major figure?

Su Tong’s heart grew heavy. Who exactly was this major figure?

He switched on the small bedside lamp and sat up from the bed.

Better to carry Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao back to their own room to sleep, he thought with a soft sigh.

If the mission failed later and he died on the bed, then at least the two sisters would not wake up to find him dead beside them. That would make things a little easier for them.

After a month of nourishment, Xiao Yu was no longer so thin and frail. Her skin had become much fuller and more lustrous, her complexion was very good, and her little face was fair and flawless, with delicate, balanced features.

When she grew up, Xiao Yu would be the Great Qiao of the Three Kingdoms, and her beauty would certainly not be inferior to Diao Chan’s. Su Tong had once personally seen the young Great Qiao and the grown Great Qiao when he returned to the Three Kingdoms.

As he picked Xiao Yu up, she woke before he even stepped out of the room. She tried hard to open her sleepy eyes.

“Go back to your room and sleep. The bed in big brother’s room is too small, and big brother is heavy. I’m afraid if I fall asleep in the middle of the night, I’ll crush you,” Su Tong whispered with a smile.

“I... I’m not going back...” Xiao Yu immediately became unhappy at that, struggling in his arms as she acted spoiled.

“No.”

Su Tong refused. What if he failed the mission and died on the bed? It would be inauspicious to have the two sisters beside him.

Though the dead should be honored, the dead were also considered ominous, bringing ill fortune.

In the countryside, beds, clothes, and other things used by someone before death were to be burned, and part of the reason was precisely this idea of bad luck.

“No...” Just as Su Tong was about to place Xiao Yu on the bed in her own room, she clung tightly to his neck and refused to let go, her voice carrying a sob.

“Big brother is going to leave again in a few days. I don’t want big brother to go.”

Su Tong froze, unable to bear prying away Xiao Yu’s little hands any longer.

“All right, all right. Then we’ll go back and sleep together.”

He patted the little girl’s frail body.

Xiao Yu gave a soft “mm” and held him even tighter.

Su Tong had no choice but to carry Xiao Yu back once more and place her on the bed in his room.

“Go to sleep,” Su Tong said with a smile. He bent down and gently touched his lips to the girl’s pale forehead.

Xiao Yu smiled sweetly, edged inward a little, lay on her side facing Su Tong, and after he lay down, she hugged his arm to sleep.

Su Tong turned off the light. In the darkness, his eyes were brighter than ever.

For Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao, he could not fail.

“Little devil, begin the mission.”

After hearing Xiao Yu’s steady breathing as she slept, and adjusting his state, Su Tong began the mission.

It was still that stretch of bone-white road. Still in a soul state, drifting and floating, Su Tong arrived once more on that arena of light.

Was it possession again?

Which major figure had come this time?

“The challenger has succeeded and may be reincarnated. This is not possession.”

At that moment, the system’s cold electronic prompt sounded: “If the host survives for ten minutes, the defense of the arena is successful.”

It wasn’t even possession.

Su Tong’s expression changed. If he died this time, then the Su Tong in this world would truly die, and there would be no one left to care for Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao.

Suddenly, in the darkness, a figure stepped onto the arena.

The man was imposing and majestic, fierce and mighty, holding a Sky-Splitting Painted Halberd, glaring at Su Tong with murderous eyes.

“Lu... Lu Bu...”

Su Tong’s eyes went wide. At the same time, two weapons appeared in his hands as well: one was a crossbow, the other a ghost-headed gilded saber.

In history, Wei Yan’s ranged offense and close-range defense were both exceptionally strong; at range he relied on a crossbow or longbow, and in close combat on the ghost-headed gilded saber.

“Bu must hurry back to the city to seek my beloved concubine. You, hand over your life at once!”

Lu Bu stared fiercely at him and launched himself to kill Su Tong.

Lu Bu had one lawful wife, one secondary wife, and one concubine.

The concubine was Diao Chan.

The people of the Three Kingdoms already believed in gods and spirits. Su Tong did not know what the system had told Lu Bu, but he was desperate to kill Su Tong and showed not the slightest hesitation.

Su Tong’s heart shook violently. This was the unsurpassed Lu Bu, the acknowledged mightiest general of the Three Kingdoms in later generations.

A man among men, Lu Bu; a horse among horses, Red Hare. It was no empty boast.

As that halberd came slicing down, Su Tong felt himself engulfed in boundless killing intent, and fear rose deep in his heart. Lu Bu’s valor was simply unmatched.