Love, Gun, Cupid

So, you, who were always finding fault with others, started to be found fault with yourself. The internet went from your private toilet to everyone's public toilet, and you finally experienced the impact of being spread malice by others. You could no longer find the joy of surfing the internet.

That's life. You have to suppress your feelings day after day, but you need to vent occasionally, right?

It's like you're fighting in another identity, like right now, with a defenseless woman right in front of you. Life is dull, so why not, when conditions allow, indulge in primal, savage, but effective ways of pleasure?

The man in the Barbary witch's arms trembled. He was a poor, lonely overtime worker, an adult whose heart was as fragile as a child's. He needed understanding, he needed to confide in someone, he needed to vent.

After battling the kapok tree, after exhausting overtime work, amidst accumulated loneliness, and under the influence of drugs, the overtime worker's rationality snaps, leading them to desperately seek the Holy Grail filled with poison.

People who work overtime are mostly strong, or rather, numb, but with so many special circumstances piling up, an adult's breakdown can happen in an instant.

The Barbary Witch's gaze abruptly shifted upwards, the faceless moon casting a pale light. A second passed, and along with the pain in her back came a thought—

At this moment, she becomes a vessel for the desires of those working overtime. A spell with demanding activation conditions, and once activated, it cannot be reversed, is also silently launched at this time.

"You're dead meat, you overtime worker," she thought to herself.

Lin Jiade stretched and woke up in the afternoon. He was about to move his body when he felt a numbness in his right arm.

He saw a strand of crimson hair draped over his shoulder, and following the veins of the hair, he saw Jasmine's forehead resting on his shoulder, maintaining her sleeping position in a strange and amusing way.

But seeing Jasmine's even paler face, Lin Jiade couldn't manage a smile.

Cupid passed by, and she sat on the other side of Lin Jiade, her skirt spreading out on the sofa, the edge just touching the outside of his thigh, like a blooming flower.

Through these days of living together, Lin Jiade felt that Miss Cupid was very good at managing the distance between the two of them, or more precisely, she knew how to make him unable to resist.

Lin Jiade pointed at Jasmine and gestured for her to be quiet. Du Juan nodded and sent a message to the young man via a chat app.

The young man clicked on the message, and the first thing that popped up was a message from senior student Hehuan. She had already helped him get a week off under the guise of club activities. Lin Jiade thanked her first, and then clicked on Dujuan's profile picture.

"The enemy may be a rabble, but they are not fools. They have discovered another weakness of Jasmine, which is her frailty."

Their identity as red dragons made them wary of Jasmine, and the subsequent invasion revealed her vulnerability. They might not know that the Dragon Gate Ritual had severely injured Jasmine, but there was no doubt they would exploit her weakness.

"A war of attrition?" Lin Jiade replied.

"Yes, it was a leisurely war of attrition. Jasmine became even weaker while making your potion. After being caught off guard by the opponent's sudden attack, her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she must go to the hospital as soon as possible."

A bitter taste spread across Lin Jiade's lips. With trembling fingers, he replied, "So, they'll be lying in wait here, ready to ambush us while we take Jasmine to the hospital?"

“If she hadn’t been taken to the hospital, Jasmine could have held on for about a week, after which she would have faced the risk of losing both her legs.”

"It's okay, no matter what she becomes, she'll always be my girlfriend."

Du Juan sent a smiley face, then typed: "Really? Do you know why Jasmine won't tell you the truth about her situation? Firstly, so you won't worry, and secondly, because she knows the saying, 'There are no filial sons at the bedside of a chronically ill patient.'"

Jasmine is terrified of being abandoned by you, perhaps more so than of death. Unbeknownst to her, love has already influenced her values, even though she doesn't truly understand love.

Lin Jiade wiped his eyes. He was a man, so he couldn't cry at a time like this. He looked at Du Juan and said, "So, we can only resolve Jasmine's troubles within a week, and then take her to the hospital without any worries, right?"

Du Juan asked, "The risks of defense and offense are different. If you actively seek trouble with the other party, even I cannot guarantee your 100% safety."

Lin Jiade, is it worth it? Lovers are precious, but is it worth risking your life for someone you've only known for a few days? What will your parents think?

Lin Jiade closed his eyes in anguish: "I will not die, nor will I let Jasmine die. That is my answer. If... if something really happens, can you promise me one thing?"

"?"

"Using memory manipulation magic to make my parents and the people they come into contact with forget my existence was unfilial of me. This time, I chose to betray them, and I cannot make them suffer any more."

"I can't do it." Du Juan sent a head-shaking emoji. "I don't know all kinds of magic, and it would violate the laws of the heavens."

And you don't need to be pessimistic. The enemy is paid to do things; they won't really risk their lives for their employer. If you adopt a desperate stance, they might be the ones who are afraid.

Lin Jiade nodded. Suddenly, he felt a soft sensation enveloping the left side of his body, like Cupid's outstretched wings.

"You can seek comfort under my wing until your girlfriend wakes up." Du Juan put her index finger to her lips. "Be quiet... don't let Jasmine know."

Chapter Seventy Cupid's Advice

Lin Jiade felt that throwing himself into the arms of another woman while his girlfriend leaned on him made him seem like a scumbag, but suddenly, the cuckoo's feathers filled him with an uncontrollable longing—

He supports Jasmine, but who supports him?

The answer is at hand.

So his head fell toward the cuckoo's wings. Morality made him slow down, but ultimately he couldn't resist the gentle acceleration. He was immersed in a white, gentle world and temporarily lost his perception of the outside world.

“Now you can rest assured,” Du Juan said. “He won’t abandon you, and he’s already prepared for the worst.”

Jasmine, who should have been asleep, suddenly opened her eyes. She looked at Lin Jiade sadly and said, "Yes, I'm relieved... That's why I want him to live, even if it means lowering my own chances of survival."

"Among the magic you currently use, there is a spell that can do this, but your physical condition is precarious..."

Jasmine shook her head firmly: "It's okay, you've already lowered the difficulty for us, turning 'I'm very likely to die' into 'There's a small chance I'll die'."

Even in the worst-case scenario, you're Cupid; you have countless replacements for me. You'll find him someone new to ease the pain of losing me, won't you?

She reached out and stroked Lin Jiade's hair, grasped his shoulders, leaned forward, and planted a light kiss on his lips. Then, she rested her head against Lin Jiade's chest, as if to remember his warmth.

A few minutes later, she stood up and said in a resolute tone, "Give me six hours. I'll prepare the spell. You keep Lin Jiade calm."

"Also, I just remembered, according to the covenant between the dragons and Cupid, may I request your assistance once?"

Du Juan was somewhat taken aback, but she quickly recovered and looked at Jasmine: "I once asked Lin Jiade whether he was worth it. Now, I'm asking you the same question—"

Jasmine, a precious pure-blooded dragon, the hope of revenge and the revival of your race rests on your shoulders, while he is merely a human male. You've only known each other for twenty days. Is his life worth you stepping into death and pushing him towards the path of the living?

"When he answered 'worth it,' then my answer was also 'worth it.' I don't know if this is love, but that's what I felt in my heart."

"It's just like 'The Gift of the Magi,' the story of a couple who sacrifice for each other," Du Juan exclaimed.

The young red dragon girl gave Cupid a cold look: "Stop pretending. You have no feelings of 'compassion' at all. You're just playing the role of the middleman between me and him for your own benefit."

If something happens to Lin Jiade, you might feel sorry for him as you lament your own studies.

But if something happens to me, you'll probably need onions and mustard to squeeze out a tear or two, and this is also to win Lin Jiade's favor so you can continue to control him.

Du Juan smiled and said, "You stop pretending to be pitiful as soon as Lin Jiade falls asleep? But that makes sense. How could the offspring of a red dragon be a coward?"

You've got two things wrong: First, I'm like some washed-up child star, capable of crying in ten seconds without needing onions or mustard;

Secondly, whether you admit it or not, I have Lin Jiade under my control. He is my key, my spear, my .44 caliber Colt M1847 revolver. Why should I do anything unnecessary for a fait accompli?

“I hate you, Dujuan, that’s the truth, but if anything happens, please take good care of Lin Jiade,” Jasmine said.

Du Juan replied, "Whether you live or die is irrelevant, but with you here, my graduation project can have an extra decent footnote, so I still hope you can return as a victor."

“I will,” Jasmine said.

"I originally planned the decisive battle for you to take place this Friday night, but if you insist on using magic for Lin Jiade, then we may have to move it to the early hours of this morning."

Let's take a gamble. Have Lin Jiade's helper drive you to the hospital. If the enemy doesn't chase you, then set up your base in the hospital so you can rest and recover. The time advantage is on your side.

If the enemy chooses to pursue, then lure them into the best feng shui battlefield that Hehuan has already identified. Then you'll have to fight tooth and nail to win a happy future with Lin Jiade.

Jasmine had no objection, but she added, "Don't let Lin Jiade know about this conversation."

"Don't worry, I'll make him think he's daydreaming."

Jasmine nodded, then dispelled her disguise and used Lin Jiade's bedroom to prepare her magic. Six hours later, Lin Jiade woke up first, rubbing his forehead and asking, "What time is it?"

“At eight o’clock in the evening, you slept all day. But don’t worry, your senior helped you get a week off under the guise of club activities,” Du Juan said.

Lin Jiade was somewhat dazed. He covered his forehead and said, "Did I wake up in the middle?"

No.

"That was a pretty real dream. In the dream, I was talking to you, and after I fell asleep, I heard you two having a faint conversation."

Lin Jiade opened his phone; the chat history between his senior and Du Juan was empty. Then he noticed the square pieces of paper stuck all over his left arm and asked, "What are these?"

“The things Jasmine made for you contain her power; in other words, you can use the magic that Jasmine knows.”

"There's such a setting?"

"Think about it, you were originally considered the weakest link by the enemy, but suddenly you unleash a spell that Jasmine has mastered. It might have an unexpected effect on an unsuspecting enemy."

Lin Jiade looked around: "Where's Jasmine?"

"She's still in your room. Contact your helpers. We must get her to the hospital; the enemy's attrition tactics are putting a lot of strain on her body."

Lin Jiade tiptoed into the room. Jasmine was sleeping soundly, but her face was paler than he had seen in his "dream".

The young man clenched his fist and muttered to himself after he came out: "If they ambush us halfway... then we'll have to fight them. I have no choice."

"really?"

“I had a dream that felt very déjà vu. In the dream, I answered you. Cuckoo, don’t ask, and don’t stop me. I’ve made up my mind.”

“Okay, but I have a small suggestion,” Du Juan said.

"what?"

"Do you remember the three feathers I gave you?"

"Yes, I carefully put them in a box and kept them safe." Lin Jiade said with a wry smile. "What, am I Sun Wukong, and those three feathers are three life-saving hairs?"

"No, you can tell three of your three greatest grievances to three feathers."

Lin Jiade pointed to himself and said, "So I'm Li Keyong? Seriously though, what's the use of feathers anyway?"

The voting ended, and considering both sides, readers chose Arsenal.

Chapter 71 Engagement (1)

“After all, it came from me, and wearing it will bring you good luck. Luck is important in any industry, right?” Du Juan said.

Lin Jiade wholeheartedly agreed; when he played shooting games and opened loot boxes, he was often bombarded with screenshots and boasted about by those lucky Europeans—

Of course, if he gets something good, he'll immediately take a screenshot and post it in the player group. Within seconds, he'll be muted and verbally abused by the furious African players.

But at that time, his happiness also reached its peak.

He took a cuckoo feather, which she took, plucked a strand of hair, and wove the feather into the shape of a clover, attaching it to Lin Jiade's heart. Her fingers traced his chest, and pleasure rippled across the young man's skin.

This slightly eased Lin Jiade's sorrow. He took out the .45 caliber toy gun that Du Juan had given him and said, "I borrowed some working bullets from Senior Kapok. Can I borrow this revolver for a bit?"

"It's alright. Humanoid weapons don't count as weapons under the laws of the Celestial Realm, and the laws of the Celestial Realm allow them to be lent out. On the other hand, if you want to borrow some .44 caliber guns from me to kill people, I can only say I refuse."

The young man nodded, then examined the potion in the eye drop bottle, the square piece of paper on his left arm that supposedly allowed him to use the magic Jasmine possessed, his tempered body, and his determination to fight for his and Jasmine's future—this was all the fighting power Lin Jiade could muster.

When he entered the room, Jasmine sat up and, with the young man's help, got dressed. Silence enveloped the space between him and Jasmine; he had so much to say, but didn't know which words to utter.

Finally, he knelt on the bed, embraced Jasmine, buried his face in her neck, smelled her skin, and kissed her hair. Jasmine stiffened for two seconds, then slowly relaxed in his arms, her slender arms gently wrapping around him.

“It’s alright, Lin Jiade, a bright future awaits you,” Jasmine said.