Chapter Ninety-Seven: Reincarnation Is Suffering

Although Sun Tong had Wei Yan’s combat experience, he lacked Wei Yan’s nerve and his formidable physique. The moment he faced Lu Bu, his momentum was crushed completely.

Yet at the brink of life and death, Sun Tong’s hidden potential erupted. While retreating desperately, he loaded another bolt into his crossbow.

Lu Bu was valiant and battle-hardened, his steps light and swift. Before Sun Tong had even fallen back a few paces, Lu Bu was already on him, halberd slashing down.

With no other choice, Sun Tong raised the crossbow with one hand and fired in haste, while lifting the demon-faced gold-wrapped saber with the other.

Clang!

Lu Bu’s halberd, carrying crushing force, struck the demon-faced gold-wrapped saber in Sun Tong’s hand.

Sun Tong cried out miserably and nearly blacked out on the spot. The saber was knocked flying, and so was the arm that had held it, blood spraying everywhere in a sight too ghastly to bear.

Sun Tong’s body was far weaker than Lu Bu’s, the difference like that between an infant and a grown man. His arm had been severed by that monstrous force.

After cutting off one of Sun Tong’s arms, Lu Bu stopped as well and lowered his head to look at his abdomen.

A steel bolt had pierced his armor and sunk into the flesh.

A muffled groan escaped him. He pulled the bolt out, barbs hooked with strips of bloodied meat.

The pain of losing an arm was unbearable. Sun Tong staggered and collapsed to the ground.

He could not lose. He could not die.

His face pale as paper and twisted with agony, he struggled upright, reached the crossbow that had fallen nearby, picked it up, then took a steel bolt from the quiver on his back and loaded it one-handed.

Lu Bu strode toward him. Even as Sun Tong stubbornly tried to reload, the halberd rose again and came crashing down upon the bowed head of the man who was still struggling with the mechanism.

Pfft!

The crossbow dropped to the ground. Sun Tong’s body slowly toppled, and a head rolled away.

He was dead.

At the instant of death, Sun Tong’s consciousness rose into the air, and he saw himself and Lu Bu upon the arena.

That version of himself looked like nothing more than an ordinary drifter from the streets, plain and insignificant, while Lu Bu stood like a mountain, towering and immovable.

The gulf between them was vast.

Crack. As though a machine were being reassembled, Sun Tong’s head and body were suddenly joined together again.

A second life.

“People all know the joys of the immortals, but only the beloved wife is hard to forget. While you lived, you spoke of love every day; when you died, she went off with another. Heh...” Revived, Sun Tong leaned against the wall and gave Lu Bu a miserable smile through his tears.

Lu Bu froze, then roared like a tiger and dragon, his fury shaking the air. “What year is it now?”

“People all know the joys of the immortals, but only fame and rank are hard to forget. Where are the generals and ministers of ancient and modern times? A heap of desolate graves overgrown with grass... cough, cough...” Sun Tong clutched his chest and coughed. This second life did not mean he had returned with full health and strength.

A man who has died once sees through things in a single instant and awakens in a single night.

Lu Bu, like Wei Yan, had harbored an obsession in life, and because of that obsession, he had slept for thousands of autumns in a single dream.

“You need not blame Diao Chan either. If you truly loved her, would you have wanted her to be left alone and lonely, growing old by herself?” Sun Tong said with a smile, and as he smiled, tears streamed down his face.

Such is life. When you die, she leaves with someone else.

“Waa...” Lu Bu had courage but no real cunning, and he had lived recklessly his whole life. In death, he suddenly saw everything clearly. At a single touch, his understanding opened; he was like a mountain collapsing in a thunderous crash. With a dull thud, he slumped to his knees and wept bitterly.

Sun Tong had once dreamed himself back into the age of the Three Kingdoms. Throughout his life, Lu Bu had been the bravest of armies, invincible under heaven, shedding blood but never tears. Yet at this moment, he was only an ordinary man, flesh and blood, and tears as well.

“Reincarnation is suffering.” Sun Tong suddenly stood and cursed at the sky. “I died saving someone. Fine, let me stay dead. Why bring me back to life? Why resurrect me, only to set up this ridiculous trial after I already have people I care about? You have the right to play games, and I have the right to refuse being your chess piece.”

“Reincarnation is suffering.” Hearing Sun Tong’s words, Lu Bu suddenly laughed. The laughter was desolate. “To die is to die... so even gods are nothing more than that.”

When he finished speaking, his eyes became brighter than ever before. He gazed into the distance, and in that lingering reluctance, his figure gradually faded away.

“Glory and wealth, power and beauty, kingdoms and conquests, are all nothing but passing smoke. From this day forth, I, Bu, leap beyond the three realms and stand outside the five elements.”

Only that one line remained on the arena before Lu Bu vanished into thin air.

“The host has not only defended the arena successfully, but also enlightened the challenger, and through comprehending life and death himself, has earned double rewards. The Divine Body has advanced to the fourth heaven.” The system’s cold electronic voice rang out.

The Divine Body had nine heavens, each harder to reach than the last. From the third to the fourth required twice the time and effort.

Sun Tong felt his soul swelling rapidly, while his physical body outside automatically and frantically absorbed the energy of heaven and earth.

For a full half hour, the transformation in his body continued before finally stopping, though he could still feel his flesh and blood breathing on their own, endlessly remaking themselves.

Sweating profusely, Sun Tong hurriedly got up and took a shower in the bathroom.

After washing up, he stepped into the courtyard and gathered his focus. He could hear the steady breathing of Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao in the room; the two little girls were sleeping soundly.

He raised his palm, and to his delight, it seemed to be undergoing a genetic reconstruction, becoming like a cold blade, sharp beyond compare and indestructible.

With a thought, his hand returned to normal, no different from anyone else’s.

No power, no influence, no one to rely on. At last, his skills had given him the capital to stand firm in the chaos of the entertainment world.

A person’s success is tied to three things. The first, and most important, is birth. Then comes luck. Only after that does effort matter.

But Sun Tong knew he had to work hard, because aside from effort, he had nothing at all.

“Haha.”

At that moment, the little devil appeared. Though its face was ferocious, it looked terribly cute in Sun Tong’s eyes. It flapped its black wings.

“Host, the system advises you that from this point on there are no more death missions. You have cleared the trial successfully and received full recognition from the system.”

Sun Tong smiled faintly. His heart had been washed clean, and he no longer feared this system.

“From now on, I won’t keep silent anymore. There’s no need to wait deliberately until senior year. If I should go in, I’ll go in. Hanging around the edges of the entertainment industry all the time is pointless.” Clenching both fists, Sun Tong stood in the courtyard and looked up at the night sky.

This system was thoroughly unfair. In a real fight, ten Sun Tongs would still be no match for Lu Bu. But the key to victory in this mission had been hidden very deeply. Fortunately, he had Wei Yan to guide him, and he had also found Lu Bu’s weakness in the histories of the Three Kingdoms.

He did feel a little sorry for Lu Bu, but the truth was what it was.

He had merely spoken it aloud and told Lu Bu the bloody reality.

After his hair had dried, Sun Tong returned to his room, lay down, and went to sleep. Tomorrow he would take the two sisters to the children’s amusement park and buy them a few new outfits along the way.

However, the next day, before the three of them had even finished breakfast, a white Maserati pulled up outside Sun Tong’s home.

“Sun Tong.” Li Wen’s coquettish voice came from beyond the door.

The dining table was in the main hall, facing the courtyard gate, and the gate was open. Sun Tong glanced outside, then lowered his head and continued drinking porridge and eating breakfast with Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao.

“Sun Tong, how can you be so rude? You saw me standing outside your house and still didn’t call me in.” Li Wen stormed in angrily, while Gao Litong followed behind her with some caution.

Though a little uneasy, Gao Litong was pleased to see Sun Tong.

“I already said I’m only taking Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao out to play today. What are you two doing here?” Sun Tong said with clear displeasure.

Before returning yesterday, Li Wen had even volunteered to go pick Sun Tong up at the train station.

Of course, Sun Tong had refused. He had come back by plane with Yang Feifei and the others, but he couldn’t be bothered to tell this girl.

Today Li Wen was not in her school uniform. She wore a pink lace dress, with flesh-colored stockings covering her legs.

Gao Litong looked much fresher by comparison, in a white dress, her beautiful legs naturally fair without need of adornment.

“Don’t forget the well after you’ve dug it. Your livestreams and ours all brought in over ten thousand in gifts, and after you ate and wiped your mouth clean, you just came back and wouldn’t even let us see you. Are you even human?” Li Wen spoke without the slightest thought, and her mouth was as sharp as ever.

Sun Tong looked at Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao. Li Wen was too fierce; the two sisters were so frightened they no longer dared to eat.

“Eat slowly.” He patted the two little girls on the heads, set down his chopsticks, and rose to walk out into the yard. “Li Wen, come out with me for a moment.”

Li Wen pressed her lips together. She knew she had acted on impulse and her mouth had gone too far again. Uneasy, she pulled Gao Litong along and went outside with him.

Outside the gate, Sun Tong picked up a broken brick from the corner of the wall. Just as Li Wen and Gao Litong came out, they saw the scene.

“Sun Tong, y-you don’t need to be angry...” Gao Litong panicked. Li Wen was even more frightened, nearly screaming. She was not afraid of fighting, but she was afraid Sun Tong might actually hit her.

Bang!

Sun Tong tossed the brick up, then punched it. Under the stunned gazes of Gao Litong and Li Wen, the brick seemed to explode, shattering to pieces.

“You can scare me if you want. But if you frighten Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao again, then get as far away from me as possible.” Sun Tong said coldly.