Forge a path to success.

Chapter 162 A Hundred Tales of Fog and Moonlight (3)

The full moon trembled as if breathing, its dark light spilling across the entire cave. By the light of the moon, the group finally saw the appearance of the newcomers. Their bodies were composed of black blood like petroleum, and their organs and tissues, such as eyes, mouths, and hands, proliferated haphazardly within the blood, arranging themselves into a hideous form.

Those monsters were all Fallen Ones, and more than 40 Fallen Ones were laughing and clapping. They were the most enthusiastic listeners of the Hundred Tales!
The old man's laughter echoed in the cave, and Chu Hengkong felt a headache coming on. This bizarre ritual was called "Tales of the Moonlit Night," and it involved telling stories under the moonlight, all on the night of a full moon…

He should have realized long ago that the Hundred Tales were the activities of the Fallen. The Despair Wilderness was directly illuminated by the First Abyss, and the old man could come here without even needing a summoning ritual.

Ji Huaisu immediately donned the ice armor and turned to look at the man who had led them here: "What's going on, Chongming!"

"Didn't I already tell you? It's just a newbie gift pack." Chongming leaned against the cave wall, impatiently picking his ear. "The Dark Moon faction is the most friendly force in the Dark Realm. Tell me a few stories here, and the old man will grant each of you one wish. Isn't that a good deal?"

Quickly think about what you want. Such a great opportunity won't come again if you miss it...

"Is this a question of whether it's worth it or not?!" Vande exclaimed, his anger rising. "The Dark Moon is a heretic!!"

"What's wrong with heretics?" Chongming said coldly.

He took off his sunglasses, his cold gaze sweeping over the three newcomers: "Do you think you're here for a picnic? Don't you understand your situation when you see the guys next to you?"

This is a desolate wasteland! To survive, we must even resort to unorthodox methods!

The researchers stood up in unison, silently tearing open their shirts to reveal arms covered with tiny eyes, torsos melting like mud, chests reduced to bare bones, and legs replaced by metal structures…

Everyone carried varying degrees of external pollution within them. They had been walking alongside these polluters!
"It's a last resort, otherwise we would have become Nightmare Amalgamations long ago," the frog-faced man said with a grin. "Besides..."

They all pointed at Chu Hengkong in unison: "You guys are covered in real weapons and demons, what right do you have to complain!"

—Damn it, I can't think of a reason to refute it for a moment!

Ji Huaisu and Fan De were visibly shaken, as if they'd swallowed a fly, while Chu Hengkong himself remained relatively calm. The Benevolent Elder here was no low-level spirit fragment; even a blind man could sense the immense presence emanating from him. With such a powerful being sitting beside them, the idea of ​​a few insignificant figures "resisting" was utterly laughable.

The old man paid no attention to the newlyweds' noise. He chuckled and pulled out a large cloth bag, calling out to the debauched, "Who wants tea and snacks?"

"I'll have one." "Please give me one." "Thank you, sir!"

The fallen echoed noisily, like a chorus of merrily decaying babies. The old man took out an exquisite white porcelain tea set, poured in tea that reeked of mud, and handed out pretty candies wrapped in colorful paper. He watched with a smile as his younger generation took the tea and snacks, then clapped his hands.

"Now that all one hundred stories have been told, let's announce the best performers of the night. Fifth place goes to Van der, fourth place to Lar 76, third place to Wofka, second place to Ji Huaisu, and the best storyteller is Chu Hengkong!"

The fallen ones pulled out party poppers, spraying out ribbons of skin and colorful bone fragments. Vande, upon hearing this, became furious: "Wait! No disrespect intended, but I've told dozens of stories, why am I only fifth!"

"Damn, it's even getting hung up on this," Ji Huaisu muttered.

Chu Hengkong replied quietly, "It specifically stated that it had no intention of offending and that it wasn't considered talking back."

"The value of a story lies in emotion. You've told so many strange tales, yet you haven't mentioned a word about your own past. Stories without emotion are unlikely to move an audience." The old man looked at Ral 76, the tree-man who told stories of the cannibalistic forest. "Ral, you've shared your past with everyone, pouring your true feelings into it. Tell me, what kind of gift do you want?"

The tree-man crawled forward with its root-like feet. It hesitated, even feared, but still bent down its trunk as much as possible and prostrated itself in front of the old man.

“Kind old man, compassionate old man,” it said, its voice sounding like weeping, “Last month, I was the one who was ‘taxed.’ I couldn’t bear it any longer; I simply couldn’t endure this suffering. I beg you, let me forget all the pain, preserve the beautiful memories, and let me live happily in my cradle!”

“That is only right, child.” The old man nodded. “I promise you.”

He tore a piece of flesh from his arm and placed it in the treant's woody palm. The treant put the flesh into its mouth, ate it, chewed it, swallowed it, and shed tears.

It laughed happily.

The woody torso melted away, leaving less than half of its tattered form. This fragment was filled with oil-like blood, assimilated, and transformed back into a refined, scholarly man. Then, the human form dissolved into the blood, the black blood transforming into a slug-like body, with only two bright, gleaming eyes hanging from its antennae. It blinked, laughed merrily, and emitted a trumpet-like cry. The old man clapped his hands at its cry.

No longer a trace of gloom, no longer a trace of fear, it leaped forth, like a newborn child, and walked among the fallen. From that moment on, it joined the ever-warm cradle.

This bizarre and malevolent process of reincarnation evoked unspeakable disgust in the onlookers, yet it also carried a subtle and tangible sense of goodwill. The old man's arm wound was still bleeding; he wiped it with his handkerchief and looked at the dog-bodied man, Volka: "Vovka, what gift do you desire this time?" Volka answered fluently, clearly having already thought of it: "Kind and generous old man, I haven't had a good night's sleep in a long time. I wish to ask you for a night of dreamless sleep. I dare not ask for too much; a good night's rest will be enough."

“Child, is this all you need?” The old man gazed intently at it. “You are the oldest person in this valley, and I cannot treat you with the same care I would give a newcomer. Next time you want a gift, you will need to tell another story that everyone will agree on. But this time, you have already told your story of the past.”

What story could be more moving than one's own past?

Chu Hengkong thought of the withered, tragic stories told by the other monsters. They were probably just remnants made up after the past had been told, meaningless and without purpose.

Wolfka clearly understood better than him; it remained silent for a long time before bowing its head to the old man.

"Old man, I'm not afraid of your ridicule. In my heart, I still harbor a laughable hope. I hope that someone will one day surpass you all. I hope that the future will bring unrealistic expectations."

I prayed for your mercy while harboring such thoughts... How ridiculous I am, aren't I?

“People your age might laugh at you for not being strong enough. But in my eyes, you are all children.” The old man smiled. “Older people don’t make fun of children.”

He gently stroked Volfka's head, and the vicious dog that had been gnawing at him vanished instantly. Volfka lay on the ground, weeping silently, knowing he would finally get a good night's sleep. He returned to the monster tormented by nightmares, the Fallen casting mocking glances, but no one uttered a sound.

With that, the gifts from the older members were all given. The benevolent elder clasped his hands together again, and three cups appeared before the three newlyweds. He bowed his head and said with concern, "You must be tired from your journey. Would you like something to drink?"

Ji Huaisu grabbed the teacup, and Chongming behind him suddenly spoke up: "Don't forget the rules here!"

—There are three rules in the Hundred Tales.

1. Do not interrupt when others are sharing their stories.

2. You may not refuse a gift.

3. Show respect to everyone.

Chu Hengkong stopped his partner with one hand and stood up, holding his teacup. After the battle with the club, he clearly understood the nature of the Fallen Ones. They were indeed ruthless towards their own kind, but regarded life outside their kind as livestock. Under normal circumstances, those Fallen Ones would have already begun to mock Volka, but their silence now showed that every rule had its meaning.

These three rules are probably not only the rules of the Hundred Tales, but also the rules of the Old Man of Good Fortune... Even the "descendants" who are favored by the moonlight would never dare to disobey the old man's rules.

"We're not thirsty yet, thank you," Chu Hengkong said.

"Hahaha, there's no need to be so reserved." The old man laughed, his face full of wrinkles. "Relax! Ask me anything you want to know, and if you're unsure, it's okay to think about it some more... On this land, the one thing we have in abundance is time."

“I do have a question,” Chu Hengkong asked. “There are many people here who are eager for your help, so why do you only give gifts to a few of them?”

I imagine that, given your personality, you would be laughing as you give gifts to everyone. Because you truly love everyone.

The benevolent old man patted his round belly and laughed heartily.

“Child, you are very good at observing others! You’re absolutely right, I always do that. But this is Vansalar’s ​​territory. He agreed to let me lend a helping hand, so I should make corresponding concessions. That’s mutual respect.”

"I think even in his prime, Vansalar might not have been your match."

“If you try to suppress someone’s ideas just because they are weaker than you, then you don’t respect them.” The benevolent old man popped a pastry into his mouth. “Such opportunistic respect is merely admiration for the strong!”

Chu Hengkong nodded: "I have no problem."

"If you have any other questions, feel free to ask later. Now, it's time to give gifts to the newcomers according to their ranking. Let's start from fifth place..."

He lowered his large head, looked at the trembling Eye Demon, and laughed until his beard shook.

“Your name is now ‘Fant’, right?” said the kind old man. “It’s been a long time!”

(End of this chapter)