I'm quitting!

Chapter 16 Wake up, you're not allowed to sleep here.

Lin Xiaofan blinked hard, but the dark outline not only did not disappear, but became even more intense.

It was like a pool of ink that had come to life, meandering and writhing in the scarlet blood plasma, its edges spreading out in all directions like a spider web, each fine thread seemingly bearing a heavy burden.

swoosh-

"Well…!"

As he stared, a sharp pain pierced his very brain, countless fragmented images flashed through his mind, and a complex mix of emotions surged within him: confusion…despair…loneliness…fear…death…

The fragmented memories were chaotic yet incredibly vivid, constantly fueling a sense of unease deep within my heart—

It seems like I've been here many times before?

"squeak?"

The hemp ball in his arms suddenly twisted twice.

The little guy, half-asleep, tugged at Lin Xiaofan's clothes, poked his head out, and popped an air bubble out of his head: "Mahjong's hungry! I want to eat sweet potatoes!"

"Mama...Mama ball?" Lin Xiaofan looked down at her chest in surprise. "I thought you were going to sleep for a long time."

"Maqiu really slept for a long time... maybe... um... eight hundred years?"

"Huh?" Lin Xiaofan's mouth gaped open slightly. "Eight hundred years?!"

"I was still half asleep..."

He was about to make a joke, but the crimson world had no sun or moon, so there was no way to judge time. Besides... he subconsciously thought that Maqiu was right.

"This place is too eerie; we need to get out of here right away."

Lin Xiaofan patted Maqiu's little head, signaling it not to expose too much of its body, and then walked into the depths of the thin mist.

"squeak--"

A mournful screech pierced through the mist.

Lin Xiaofan's muscles tensed instantly, and the ice spear solidified in his palm, yet he couldn't muster a trace of killing intent.

The gray-furred giant rat staggered out of the fog, its single eye cloudy and yellowish, pus and blood dripping down its mutilated left ear.

Lin Xiaofan frowned, but his gaze involuntarily fell between its paws—there was no charred cloth strip there, but a half-burnt... roasted sweet potato being tightly held?

No… why would I care about this?

"squeak…"

The giant rat slightly raised its head, and the starlight deep within its single pupil flickered intensely.

It clumsily pushed the roasted sweet potato to Lin Xiaofan's feet, letting out a whimper like a cub, as rotting flesh peeled off between its jagged ribs.

Suddenly, Maqiu jumped off Lin Xiaofan's arms and placed its little paws on the sweet potato.

"Sweet potato balls!"

As the bubbles shimmered, the little creature actually rubbed against the giant rat's festering front paws.

"numb……"

Lin Xiaofan opened his mouth as if to stop him, but swallowed the words back. A deep-seated sense of trust spread through his heart, as if telling him: nothing will happen.

The gray-furred giant rat trembled violently, two drops of bloody tears rolled down its single eye, and its massive body curled up into a ball, like a frightened cub.

Maqiu turned around, a hint of heartache in her voice: "It said... it really wants to eat sweet potatoes... and it really wants to go home."

"go home…"

Lin Xiaofan murmured repeatedly, his eyes suddenly welling up with tears. He dismissed the spear and gently placed his hand on the giant rat's head. The touch was cold and rough, but the subtle tremor from his palm reached deep into his heart.

"Yeah, I'm home... 'Mahjong'."

As soon as he finished speaking, the black shadow beneath his feet rapidly wriggled and expanded, instantly enveloping the giant rat's entire body.

cluck-cluck—

With a sticky, muffled thud, the dark shadow shrank back to Lin Xiaofan's feet, and the giant rat, along with the half-burnt sweet potato, vanished without a trace.

"Did the big rat go home?"

"Okay." Lin Xiaofan tucked the little guy back into his arms. "We should go home now."

When he stood up again, the last trace of confusion in his eyes had faded away.

Splash... splash...

A familiar, eerie sound pierced through the fog. He stepped into the bloody mud without hesitation and followed the sound step by step.

Parting the mist of blood.

The humanoid monster shook off the chains in its hands and slowly turned around.

Rotting flesh, holes, a single arm, ghostly fire... everything remains the same.

Lin Xiaofan stopped, and the little rascal in his arms tilted its head: "Bad...person?"

"No." Lin Xiaofan's gaze was calm. "That was 'me'."

"This time..." He took a deep breath, his voice echoing in the crimson space, "I am still not a warrior, but precisely because of this, I am willing to suppress my fear in exchange for a sliver of hope to survive!"

The eerie blue flames in the monster's hollow eye sockets suddenly intensified, and its decaying claws tore through the mist as it charged straight at the monster!

Clang—!

The pages of "Star Shadow Military Manual" flipped dramatically in his mind, the blood-red characters burning and transforming into stars:

"Starlight illuminates your path, shadows bear witness to your origin."

The deep shadow beneath Lin Xiaofan's feet rose into the air as if alive, twisting, splitting, and reforming within the blood mist, transforming into a human form—

A thousand soldiers, their shadows like stars, stood solemnly like a forest.

Each one was draped in tattered robes, their faces blurred yet bearing the same unwavering resolve. Those were the silhouettes that Lin Xiaofan had accumulated through countless reincarnations, the traces he had left on his journey here.

"Soldiers!" Lin Xiaofan roared, his spear tip raised high, shining like starlight, "We will seize the dawn!"

"kill!"

The Star Shadow Army roared in unison, their sonic waves churning up waves of blood.

boom!

With a sweep of its rotting claws, the three star-like shadows instantly disintegrated, turning into black smoke and vanishing.

Frosty air spewed from the hole in the monster's abdomen, freezing dozens of star shadows into ice sculptures wherever it passed, shattering inch by inch.

"Form the formation!" Lin Xiaofan roared through gritted teeth, his shadow wriggling beneath his feet as he summoned another hundred star shadows.

The front-row Star Shadows used their bodies to withstand the Corrosive Claws, while the rear-row Star Shadows channeled their chilling energy into themselves, allowing it to cover their bodies and transform into ice armor to launch a counterattack.

This tactic was learned through thousands of deaths.

During the fierce battle, the monster let out a confused wail, and its rotting head turned towards Lin Xiaofan.

The Star Shadow Army charged forward wave after wave, forcefully pinning the monster to the ground.

Blood churned, and a stench howled. Lin Xiaofan seized the opportunity, and his spear, like a falling star in the wilderness, plunged down fiercely!

puff--!

The blade pierced through the skull, and the monster's struggle came to an abrupt halt.

The ghostly blue flames flickered slightly, and the decaying jawbone loosened a bit, as if it were laughing.

The starlight merged into thick ink, enveloping the monster's remains and disappearing beneath Lin Xiaofan's feet.

At this moment, all was silent.

"finally…"

He was panting heavily, using the gun barrel to support himself. Sweat mixed with blood dripped from his forehead, but a smile played on his lips.

"Thank you so much... for the newbie village perks..."

He looked up at the blood-red sky that blocked out the sun, freed one hand, and slowly raised his middle finger.

[Rebelliousness Value +10]

Maqiu peeked out from his arms, curiously observing Lin Xiaofan's gestures: "Maqiu wants to learn too!"

……

"Elder... Elder Lin? Wake up, we're not allowed to sleep here..."

In a hazy state, I heard a soft call in my ear, and my body was being gently swayed by someone.

Lin Xiaofan's eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing you see is the welcoming library—sandalwood bookshelves tower to the top, the blue brick floor gleams with a warm luster, and the air is filled with the faint scent of ink and paper.

Of course, the warm morning light filtering through the carved windows, golden and dazzling, is the most enchanting.

"Elder Lin? You're finally awake."

He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a disciple who seemed to be in charge of the library. He was about seventeen or eighteen years old and had delicate features.

Looking at that vivid face, Lin Xiaofan felt a lump in her throat and burst into tears of joy: "You look so real!"

"Ah...ah?" The disciple's mouth gaped open, frozen in place, his cheeks instantly flushing red. "I...I am ugly, please forgive me, Elder..."

Lin Xiaofan then realized he had misspoke, rubbed his eyes, and tried to calm himself down: "Sorry, I just had a strange dream and I'm not quite back to my senses yet... Also, that word was a compliment."

"A strange dream?" the disciple asked tremblingly.

"I dreamt of... a flock of talking sparrows who insisted on performing a 'chest-breaking' act for me," Lin Xiaofan casually made up.

The disciple's eyes lit up: "Elder, I've been compiling the 'Complete Book of Talismans' lately, but I always feel like I can't draw talismans well. Every time I get to the crucial part, my brush tip trembles... I originally thought it was because I lacked talent and was not destined for the path of talismans, but after hearing about your dream, Elder, I suddenly understand!"

Huh? No... what's going on?

Lin Xiaofan was about to get up and leave when he was stopped by his big, bright eyes.

"Though sparrows are small, they dare to show themselves; they don't give up performing just because they are weak... The elder is reminding his disciples that one must have courage in doing things, and even if failure is possible, one must try first!"

"Uh..." Lin Xiaofan looked at his excited expression, which was almost about to cry, and took a half step back. "You...you are a promising young man."

The man pulled a thin book from his sleeve and presented it to the elder with both hands: "Disciple Wu Dao humbly requests the elder's guidance!"

A collection of hand-drawn talismans?

Lin Xiaofan took the booklet, thinking to himself: I'm still making stick figures with simple sketches, how could I show you talismans?

He looked down to examine them, and saw that the talismans had smooth lines and vigorous strokes, clearly the result of hard work. Looking up, he glanced at the top of Wu Dao's head—

"Wu Dao; thirty years later, due to his proficiency in various talismans, he was recommended and became the imperial talisman official of the Tian Zhou royal family."

hiss……

Lin Xiaofan was startled: Our Qingyun Sect really has hidden talents; we can't let them go astray... Let's just say a few innocuous words to get by.

He cleared his throat and pointed to one of the fire runes: "Your rune... is drawn quite well."

"Huh?" Wu Dao's eyes widened, clearly not expecting this evaluation.

"I mean... uh..." Lin Xiaofan tried to rummage through the scattered memories of the children's painting class, "The symbol is like the heart, too tight and it stagnates, too loose and it scatters... Here you..." He pointed his fingertips lightly at the center of the paper, "The timing is right, but the heart isn't."

Wu Dao was struck dumb, his whole body trembling slightly: "The skill is there, but the mind isn't... Elder's words are like a wake-up call!" He suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, "Disciple understands! Drawing talismans is not about depicting shapes, but about expressing the meaning! Disciple will practice again!"

Lin Xiaofan's heart tightened, fearing the other person had gone astray: "Wait, you... really understand?"

"Disciple understands!" Wu Dao jumped up, his face beaming with the light of sudden enlightenment. "Elder is teaching disciple that the way of talismans lies in a clear mind, not in the skill of the brush! Thank you for your enlightenment, Elder!"

Watching Wu Dao grab the talisman book and run back to the long table, Lin Xiaofan murmured to himself, "There shouldn't be any problems, right?"

"Alright, with my old arms and legs, I'd better hurry back to the woodshed to meditate and consolidate my strength."

He stepped out of the library, and the long-awaited morning sun shone directly on his face, making him squint, and the shadows at his feet rippled slightly.