Lu Mingfei: What? They're all real!

After a long process, Lu Mingfei finally landed. He followed Xia Mi through the dark passage. The water gradually disappeared, and then light appeared.

Before him stood a simple house, so simple it resembled the dwelling of an ancient farmer, only slightly better than Du Caotang's dilapidated thatched hut. But suddenly the house ceased to be his focus. Xia Mi, who was walking ahead, suddenly quickened her pace, like a shark that had smelled blood. She became ruthless, almost like a robber breaking down the door and bursting inside.

By the dim light, Lu Mingfei could see a brass jar standing upright in the house, and a box quietly placed next to it.

Chapter 105 Because We Are the Deepest Lovers

Lu Mingfei was the first to enter the room before Ling.

"I say, why don't we just do it?" Xia Mi toyed with the diving knife in her hand, her gaze casually glancing towards the door; Zero hadn't come in yet.

"Why are you doing this?" Lu Mingfei asked, puzzled.

“Of course, it’s to say goodbye to your childhood sweetheart.” The girl’s tone was now terribly cold, as if she were talking about something other than a life, but a trivial toy. She said, “Although I thought something good would happen before I came in, I didn’t expect such a generous prize. Let’s get rid of the irrelevant people quickly and then divide the spoils.”

"Huh?" Lu Mingfei opened his eyes wide and looked back at Zero outside the door. He shook his head vigorously and quickly blocked the doorway, blocking Zero's body.

This is just too terrifying! You were chatting and laughing with Miss Zero just now... and now you suddenly want to get rid of her? What's going on?

Silently sorting out his questions, Lu Mingfei raised one hand in a defensive stance, not believing that Xia Mi was joking.

From the moment he entered this space, the loud, cheerful, and optimistic girl seemed to vanish, and the one standing here resembled the "Jormungandr" that Lu Mingfei was familiar with.

"Just kidding." Xia Mi smiled, then suddenly changed her expression. Perhaps she sensed Lu Mingfei's resolute attitude, or perhaps she really was just joking. But what was certain was that she put the sharp diving knife back in her hand and temporarily stopped holding the weapon.

Although the chances of a diving knife causing injury are almost zero, it at least demonstrates an attitude.

“We were really lucky. We always thought it was just a rumor, but it turns out it’s true. Norton created a weapon that can be used against everyone…” Xia Mi walked to the black box, clicked her tongue and shook her head. “What a ruthless compatriot, to do something like this.”

"You're not friendly at all when you mention compatriots..." Lu Mingfei silently complained, slowly approaching.

The black box lay quietly beside the brass jar. He touched the dark box and felt a metallic ringing sound, as if it were responding to his touch.

"The blood of kings must end with the sword..." He read the inscription engraved on the outer wall, his lips twitching slightly.

Norton, or rather Old Tang, is actually quite a cultured guy... or maybe he's just a bit of a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur)...

"Hmph, all royal blood must end with the sword... What a grand vision." Xia Mi sneered, repeating the words with a sneer, looking quite disdainful.

She tapped the brass jar next to the black box and said sarcastically, "But you'll never see that day, Constantine. Your brother isn't here, and no one can protect you."

The girl gave a sinister laugh that sounded like she was drooling; Lu Mingfei even heard her lick her lips. But… Constantine, the jar contained Constantine? Lu Mingfei was astonished.

He remembered the name Constantine, a little guy who would never grow up, just like his own dear younger brother, Lu Mingze. He remembered this lovable yet pitiful child… that child was in the jar now…

The term "cocoon" had been stuck in Lu Mingfei's head for the past two days. He knew that the first generation of beings could achieve a "reincarnation"-like effect through this method, but he himself had absolutely no recollection of this technology, not even a concept of it. Even standing in front of the "cocoon," he still felt completely unfamiliar with it.

He approached the brass pot and gently tapped its outer wall. The crisp, metallic sound echoed and resonated, but it carried no sign of life. No one responded to him; the boy sleeping inside remained peacefully asleep, seemingly unlikely to wake up anytime soon.

"Come on, let's divide the spoils," Xia Mi announced loudly, placing her hand on the empty space between the brass jar and the black box.

"distribute?"

"One each or an equal share?" The girl raised an eyebrow, pointing to both sides like a casino dealer dividing chips. She smiled wickedly, "Whatever you choose, I'll agree to either way. We're close allies, after all. I'm granting you this privilege. But I hope you can choose this box of weapons because I really want Constantine."

Her tone grew increasingly arrogant; the impetuous and lively girl of the past had vanished without a trace. The only thing that remained unchanged was that she still regarded the boy in front of her as her "ally," and this relationship and affection did not change because of her transformation.

"Just to ask politely, what are your plans after you get Constantine?" Lu Mingfei asked, raising his hand.

"Of course, we'll eat him." She answered instantly, without hesitation, as if she had been pondering for a long time.

An emotion that didn't belong to Xia Mi leaped out of the girl's eyes. She was now ecstatic to the point of madness, with a crimson-gold light flashing in her eyes. She wasn't just moving her mouth; Lu Mingfei had no doubt that she would open her blood-red maw the very first moment the two of them reached an agreement.

The one standing here now is not Xia Mi, but Jormungandr, who is cheering for escaping a tragic fate.

“Thank you for being so open with me…” Lu Mingfei frowned, “But what if I said… I want Constantine?”

The girl suddenly froze, the crimson gold in her eyes fading instantly. "You... also need to eat him?"

Lu Mingfei shook his head honestly.

He didn't need to eat... the child, nor did he want to. He just felt that the girl in front of him shouldn't have done such a thing; it was a pathetic and pitiful act, and she was going crazy because of it...

Lu Mingfei could easily read her eyes. She felt no joy, only pain. She was just hiding her near-collapse. She clearly hated this kind of thing.

But something even more unacceptable was driving her, like a whip being lashed out, forcing her to choose this frenzied and twisted behavior.

"I think you'd better not become a cannibal... there's a chance you'll contract a prion..."

The more serious the moment, the less serious Lu Mingfei could say. He clearly wanted to say no, no, no, you can't do that. I can't let you go on a killing spree. If you take even one of my lives, you can never turn back... But he wasn't Shinji Kido, and he didn't have that kind of righteous and awe-inspiring aura.

At such a moment, he didn't even have time to consider what his good brother Lao Tang, who was far away in the United States, would think.

The girl, who had been stunned, slowly became completely bewildered. She stared blankly at the boy in front of her for a long time before finally speaking, "Are you serious?"

“That’s right, you can’t do that.” Lu Mingfei nodded.

Although he couldn't utter eloquent words, he was able to adopt a serious demeanor. He looked into the girl's eyes and repeated his words.

"That's really...unexpected..."

The girl suddenly felt a little lost, but also somewhat relieved. Her gaze wandered back and forth between the brass jar and Lu Mingfei, and something gradually appeared on her body.

It was an undisguised murderous intent, like a pirate who had finally succumbed to greed in the face of treasure and intended to bury all his companions. Her fingers clenched so tightly they cracked, and she lowered her head further and further.

But then she would occasionally raise her gaze, frowning as she looked at Lu Mingfei's face. It was as if she hoped he could be more forceful, hoped he could maintain this attitude and stop her... But then she would bury her head again, breathing heavily, and once again overturn her own thoughts. She wanted what was in the jar; she didn't want to face something that would cause her even more pain.

She was struggling.

“No, you can’t do that. I won’t let you do it,” Lu Mingfei said again.

"Phew..." The girl exhaled deeply.

Lu Mingfei felt a heaviness in his heart; something bad was about to happen—

"Never mind~" she suddenly said, her tone light. "If you want it, you can have it. After all, you're the one who asked for it."

The girl looked up, all her negative expressions vanished, leaving only a soft, whimpering smile. In that instant, something decisive touched her heartstrings, making her easily make a choice amidst her struggle.

"I told you, we're the closest of family, we can't fall out over dividing the spoils," she grumbled.

Chapter 106 You're Too Immersed in the Role

These words left Lu Mingfei somewhat at a loss. He looked at the girl's pretty face and couldn't say anything for a moment.

But the girl standing opposite him didn't find anything strange at all.

"Hmph, you owe me a favor, I'll remember that!" she said. "Remember to treat me to roast goose when you get back, and don't say it's expensive! Also, I want to try that bottle of champagne I told you about!"

The maniacal character suddenly vanished completely, leaving behind only a cute little girl who took the opportunity to blackmail and demand payment.

Of course, eating roast goose is always better than eating Constantine!

Lu Mingfei nodded quickly.

"But I'll still accept this."

Xia Mi then shifted her focus to the other black box. She struck it, and a clear, resonant sound echoed through the room. She then reached in and pressed a not-so-concealed clasp. An even clearer ringing sound emanated from within the box. The mechanism turned, revealing its internal structure and the treasure hidden within—

Seven swords of different shapes and sizes.

"Pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and...lust." Lu Mingfei examined the inscriptions on the swords; without exception, they were all dragon script. He frowned. "The Seven Deadly Sins?"

This is a very well-known religious concept, and its overuse in literary and artistic works has reached the point of being considered vulgar.

"I told you, Norton is an arrogant bastard." Xia Mi was very dissatisfied with the names of these weapons, these weapons used against her. She gritted her teeth and clicked her tongue. "If it's fratricide, just say it's fratricide. To actually think of using the name of trial to do it, how shameless!"

"Trial?" Lu Mingfei had no recollection of these events; they were probably things that happened in an era he had never experienced.

"Otherwise what? Aren't these names obvious enough? He named each weapon to represent the original sin that happened to each person. The naming of the weapons represents his intentions. He wants to judge others!" Xia Mi sneered. "I just wonder which one he plans to use to judge his dear brother?"

There are seven swords here... If Xia Mi's guess is correct, these are weapons used to deal with her "brothers and sisters," then that's one for each person...

“I think you should focus more on which weapon is designed to target you…” Lu Mingfei glanced at Zero, who was still obediently standing guard at the door at a considerable distance, and said in a low voice, “If there’s any special attack method, you might as well destroy it now, or I can help you.”

Xia Mi was taken aback, but clearly not because of the suggestion. She lowered her gaze, scanned the black box, thought for a moment, and finally exhaled a hot breath from her nose, a hint of anger creeping onto her face.

"No need! This thing will be mine from now on! I will never let it fall into the hands of anyone else. I will only use it to kill others, and there will be no possibility of the other way around!" the girl said defiantly.

"Let's play it safe..." Lu Mingfei advised kindly.

She blinked, stunned by the boy's words, then released her anger and said softly:

"There's no special attack like you're thinking of; it's just a symbolic meaning. For example, the crime that happened to Norton himself is obviously 'rage'—you'll know that if you do a little research, and no one fits this original sin better than him—but would he really build a weapon specifically to deal with himself?"

“It’s hard to say. What if this thing was for his brother to use… to let his brother judge others, including himself?” Lu Mingfei felt that Norton was a dragon who doted on his brother quite a bit, and he could tell that from his impression of him.

Xia Mi chuckled, then shook her head emphatically. "That would never happen, not even if he loved his brother dearly. That's a different matter—I'm telling you! Are you—"

She glanced at Zero outside the door, abruptly cutting herself off, and scolded him in a low voice, "Are you even thinking the same way as me? Don't get so caught up in the pleasures of being human that you forget your true nature."

Although she no longer felt that Zero could "leak" anything, she still liked to maintain a "secret" atmosphere that belonged only to the two of them; she liked it that way.

“Nature…” Lu Mingfei murmured.

He really didn't know what his true nature was... If he had to say, he felt that there was only destruction in his heart. No matter when, this thought would surge up from the bottom of his heart. At most, it would only weaken, but it would never disappear.

“Moreover, I have a general feeling that these things are not just simple weapons. Norton’s alchemy is excellent, and there must be something even more advanced hidden in these things.” The girl looked at the weapons lying quietly. “They may not be used in isolation… I need to study them.”

“I see…” Lu Mingfei nodded slowly, then covered his mouth slightly and quietly asked the question he was more concerned about, “If I may ask, what does that mean your crime is?”

"Don't talk nonsense! Don't ask!" the girl snapped, clearly avoiding the topic.

"Oh……"

Lu Mingfei felt that it must be a very unpleasant charge... He would find time to ask Lao Tang about it...

"Enough said, let's pack up and go." Xia Mi clapped her hands, closed the black box, and neatly slung it over her back, her image suddenly becoming somewhat like that of a female knight-errant with a high ponytail traveling the world.

She waved her hand in front of Lu Mingfei, "What are you looking at? Is there anything else? There's nothing else here."

Lu Mingfei snapped out of his daze, shook his head to clear his mind of those unwanted thoughts, and raised his hand to block Xia Mi. "Wait!"

"Ok?"

"Have you considered this?" Lu Mingfei asked, "Are we just going to carry this thing out like this? There might be people from the academy outside, and they won't let you accept this thing, let alone this."

Lu Mingfei pointed to the brass jar, inside which lay sleeping "Old Tang's" beloved younger brother.

If the Seven Deadly Sins can be considered a dangerous item, then Constantine is definitely a nuclear bomb. He doesn't think anyone outside the city would let this Dragon King go.

"Uh—" Xia Mi blinked, feeling troubled. She rolled her eyes, turning them over several times, but couldn't think of a suitable solution. Then, she suddenly became a little annoyed and suggested in a coquettish tone, "How about we just kill them!"

"My God..." Lu Mingfei now has a better understanding of the word "nature".

He shook his head, rejecting the proposal. "No, if only we survive, only those who went to the front lines live, while everyone in the safe zone dies, wouldn't that make us suspects?"

"What's the big deal?" The girl shrugged, making a crisp sound as she carried the sword case on her back. "If it's really that difficult, we can just flip the table and set sail under the cover of night to catch them off guard. As long as we can destroy most of their forces, even if the Camarilla targets us, it won't be too much of a problem."

“No.” Lu Mingfei shook his head firmly. “I’m still waiting for them to help me find someone, at least not now.”

"You're really into the role!" Xia Mi suddenly became excited, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her face turned much redder than before, as if the important matter of competing for Constantine was not as important as what she cared about now.

She exclaimed, "Are you going to mention that redhead girl again?"

“That’s right.” Lu Mingfei nodded, relieved that the girl had remembered his wish. He was really afraid that one day she would go crazy and destroy the only means he could rely on!

Killing is easy; all it takes is giving the order to take a life. But finding someone is incredibly difficult—there are eight billion people in the world! Besides, he couldn't even be sure if the girl he knew existed…

He was certain of this, then shook his head emphatically: "We can't do that."

Chapter 107 The Bait Has Been Delivered to Our Doorstep

"You're so unfair! I've trusted you so much, and you still keep lying!" Xia Mi was very unhappy.

But even though her lips were almost up to her nose, her actions were completely in accordance with someone's last wish. She turned around with the sword box on her back, crossed her arms and hummed.

"Then tell me, what are you planning to do?" she asked.

This means to yield.

"It's hard to say, I don't have any ideas either. I'm not the type to be smart or cunning..." Lu Mingfei felt troubled.

Before going into the water, he had discussed with Xia Mi how to properly sever the connection with the surface of the water. At that time, his idea was to "take advantage of the dangers involved." In fact, that's exactly what they did—the moment the mechanism in the Bronze City was activated, he took the opportunity to sever all connections, including the "snake" that Ye Sheng had left inside.

But he can't use that trick anymore. The place is eerily peaceful. He even thinks that he or the girl in front of him scared the natives here. Not to mention danger, apart from the "spirit" that he triggered, he hasn't seen a single living thing... let alone any "danger".

He felt that everyone was avoiding their group.

Thinking this through, Lu Mingfei decided to pick up the jar first. They had already been down there for quite a while, and it was time to return. If they delayed any longer, the people on the water might try to come down—in fact, they had already started trying after the communication was cut off.

Lu Mingfei could not give "Constantine" to Xia Mi, nor could he give it to Kassel. He needed to think carefully and made sure that the people on the water knew about its existence.