Chapter Eighty-Eight: Enjoying the Betrayal of "The Netherworld Scroll"!

The bystander sees the truth, while the player is lost in the game.

Phoenix was not lost; she simply still held onto hope. Tang Fei was her savior, a partner who had fought by her side. They were friends, and their interactions were always relaxed and pleasant. Moreover, this guy always had unexpected things to say or do; he was unlike any other young person on Nova.

She admitted that she liked him a little, and there was a touch of ambiguity between them. Since Tang Fei and Little Fatty had arrived in a strange place, was it not natural for her, as their only friend on Nova, to show them some care and concern?

What had she done wrong?

Yet, in the eyes of some, how did this turn into a passionate romance where they were supposedly madly in love and about to get married and have children?

To break up a pair of lovebirds, one would first have to ensure they were a pair. The most critical thing was that these people didn't care about the relationship between Tang Fei and Phoenix; they only wanted something to happen between them.

"Who do you think did it?" Phoenix asked.

"How would I know?" Sheng Xinhuai’s glass was already empty. She poured herself another measure from the whiskey bottle and said, "This blow struck both the Royal Family and the Shen family. In this country, who else would dare to offend both at the same time?"

"Of course, it could also be a bitter-flesh ruse played by the Shen family themselves. They are capable of anything, after all. Who knows what is real and what is fake?"

"What should I do now?" Phoenix asked with a hint of worry.

"Do as you think best," Sheng Xinhuai replied.

"Really?"

"It’s Tang Fei’s head on the chopping block, anyway. You will still be the high and mighty little princess."

"..."

"Alright, I know you’re troubled, I won’t tease you anymore." Sheng Xinhuai became uncharacteristically serious. She curled into the sofa, her chest rising and falling slightly. "I don't care what you think in your heart, but you must maintain a distance on the surface. As I told you before, the more you care about someone, the more indifferent you should appear on the outside."

"This is better for both you and Tang Fei. When you lack the power to resist, just lie flat and accept the arrangements of fate. Once you become the Empress of our Phoenix Empire, you can sleep with whoever you want, and not even the Heavens can stop you."

"How could that be possible? I still have two older brothers..."

"So you really have thought about it?"

"I have not! I have always wanted to be a great general who conquers the star seas."

"Thinking about it is fine. I think you are much stronger than your two brothers. It would be a blessing for the Empire if you took the throne."

"Sheng Xinhuai, watch what you say."

"Fine, fine. We’re just speaking privately, no one else knows. I’m not afraid, what are you afraid of?" Sheng Xinhuai said flippantly. "However, this incident has sounded an alarm for us. Perhaps others don't care about Tang Fei at all, but they care about you being with him. A mongrel dog and a Phoenix—by forcibly pairing you two together, who is ultimately being humiliated?"

"..."

"That is why your father wanting to talk to you makes sense. A man who cares so much about his face, how could he accept something like this?"

"I understand," Phoenix said. "I will be careful in the future."

"Mm. Understanding is one thing, but being able to do it is another," Sheng Xinhuai remarked. "I know smoking and drinking are bad for my health, but I can't quit. My lust for men is the same."

"..."

***

Little Fatty was receiving treatment in the martial arts center’s infirmary, and Tang Fei paced around the spacious house, feeling an unprecedented sense of emptiness. He had many things he could do—drink tea or alcohol, watch television, play games, practice, or exercise—but his mind found no place to rest.

Tang Fei called Little Fatty to ask how he was doing. Little Fatty said he was fine and wanted to come home, so Tang Fei hung up. There were no recovery pods at home, and only a fool wouldn't take advantage of free treatment.

Tang Fei thought of the Old Man again. He wanted to wait until things here were settled, then borrow a star-disk from Phoenix to return to the Old Earth. The Old Man had left without a word, and he felt it wasn't that simple. He had to go back and find out what the man was up to.

Tang Fei took a shower, changed into clean pajamas, and lay on the bed. The pajamas had been chosen by Phoenix; he had to admit, this soft, silky fabric was truly comfortable to wear, feeling almost like wearing nothing at all.

Tang Fei turned on the night-luminescent pearl given to him by Shen Boyu. Under the light, it emitted a pale green glow.

He used a voice command to turn off the lights, and the room was immediately filled with green light, even casting a green tint over Tang Fei. Frightened, he quickly ran to pull the curtains shut; one should not flaunt wealth, and he couldn't let people know he was hiding treasures in his house.

Tang Fei held the pearl and studied it for a long time, considering its uses. Illumination wasn't needed—Nova was filled with lights. As for consuming it for beauty, his looks were already at a point where there was no room for improvement. The potential twenty percent increase in Yin-Yang Qi was tempting, but he wasn't sure if relying on drugs for such an increase was reliable. What if it was hollow and unstable, affecting his future cultivation breakthroughs?

The Old Man had always said to build a solid foundation and never look for shortcuts. That was why Little Fatty was still "beating stones" even now. Although he hadn't felt the Yin-Yang Qi, he possessed brute strength. In this entrance examination, he had even been taken as a disciple by Shang Xiulin, the head of the Imperial First Academy. That was no ordinary opportunity; even Tang Fei drooled with envy. He had originally thought that through his own outstanding performance, Shang Xiulin would take him in too, but the old man hadn't mentioned it, instead gifting him a "formidable enemy" in the Shen family.

Who did I offend?

Tang Fei still trusted the Old Man’s survival philosophy, even if the man was unreliable in many other ways. He had only met Shen Boyu once, but he knew clearly that this person was not to be trifled with; a single word from him could bury you.

Cultivation was a serious matter that required extreme caution. Besides, Tang Fei wanted to save the pearl for An Ning. The scar on the little girl's face was truly detrimental to her appearance, and she would soon be of age to consider marriage; he didn't want her to face discrimination because of it. After all, whether on Nova or Old Earth, it was a world that judged by appearance.

Tang Fei put the pearl back in its box and pulled out the leather suitcase he had brought from Old Earth. Inside were a few changes of clothes, some ointments prepared by the Old Man, and herbs he had dug up himself. There was a dagger, a cloak, and a piece of beast skin wrapped inside the cloak. The dagger was the "Show Snow" blade given by Phoenix, and the cloak and beast skin were treasures obtained from the Fierce God’s cave.

Tang Fei had tested the cloak—neither knife nor fire could damage it. He didn't know what material it was made of, but it was undoubtedly a treasure. Otherwise, after the Fierce God had been dead for so many years, the clothes on his body would have rotted away, but this cloak remained as good as new. Aside from being a bit old and stained by the passage of time, it had no damage.

As for the beast skin scroll, Tang Fei had studied it many times, but he couldn't understand a single character. He had let the Old Man and Little Fatty study it too, but they couldn't understand it either. This gave Tang Fei some comfort; this item didn't care about one's character, only one's intuition.

These characters, which looked like little figures...

"Huh?" Tang Fei exclaimed.

The characters were moving.

He closed the curtains, turned off the room lights, and under the glow of the pearl, the little figure-like characters were indeed moving. Tang Fei thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, so he held it closer to the pearl to watch carefully. It was definitely moving. When he turned the lights back on, the characters returned to their original state.

"What is the principle behind this?" Tang Fei wondered. He turned off the lights again and placed the scroll back under the pearl's green glow. It moved again!

"Does it like being green?"

Tang Fei squinted under the green light and finally managed to decipher the four large characters at the beginning: "Netherworld Diagrams!"

"Diagrams?" Tang Fei was stunned. These weren't words; they were pictures. In other words, every little character was a tiny picture, and the reason they seemed to be moving was that they were demonstrating a technique, like a slide show?

Tang Fei stared at the pictures for a while, then calmed his mind, drew the Show Snow blade, and slashed out according to the movements shown in the diagrams.

*Whoosh!*

The table in front of him was instantly sliced in two. There was no sound, no shockwave. It was silent and void. Invisible to the eye, silent to the ear—this was the Netherworld.

"These 'Netherworld Diagrams' are quite powerful," Tang Fei remarked. "No wonder the Fierce God cherished them until his passing..."

However, this strike made Tang Fei feel that something wasn't quite right. Or rather, it wasn't satisfying enough. He stared at the characters for a bit longer and noticed that the little figure in the demonstration was using a greatsword.

Could it be that a greatsword was required? Was this a sword manual?

"Right, I'll get a heavy sword tomorrow to test it," Tang Fei thought. Just now, he had felt a profound and vast power ready to burst forth, but the blade in his hand was too delicate and small to unleash the true power of that stance.

"What if I use a hammer?" Tang Fei wondered. Little Fatty’s hammer was at home. He was tempted to grab the Skull Hammer and test it in the yard, but he worried that if he slipped into a trance, he might do something uncontrollable. On Nova, he had to be cautious. It wouldn't be good if it caught the eye of someone with malicious intent. He would let Little Fatty test it when he returned.

Tang Fei had discovered these little characters like someone finding a new continent. He placed the night-luminescent pearl on top of the cabinet to illuminate the entire room. Then, guided by the little figure, he slashed out, blade after blade.

***

Phoenix parked her car at the gate of the small courtyard and called Tang Fei, but no one answered. She got out and pressed the villa’s doorbell. After a long while, Tang Fei's voice came through the communication system: "Wait a moment, I'm opening the door for you..."

With a crisp click, the courtyard gate slowly opened inward in a fan shape. Tang Fei rushed to the door in his pajamas, saying, "Why are you here so early?"

"Early? Didn't we agree to go to the Mechanical Department for the assessment today?" Phoenix looked at Tang Fei, who was still sleepy in his pajamas, and asked, "What's wrong? Didn't you sleep last night?"

"Didn't sleep much. Didn't I tell you? Little Fatty isn't home, and I get scared sleeping alone."

"..."

Tang Fei yawned and said, "Wait for me, I'll go change." He turned and ran upstairs. He had become addicted to practicing last night; he had spent the whole night slashing the desk until it was reduced to a pile of wood shavings.

Tang Fei washed his face, brushed his teeth, and ran downstairs to join Phoenix. Phoenix handed him a beautiful bento box and said, "Eat quickly, before it gets cold."

Tang Fei opened the box, grabbed a piece, and tossed it into his mouth. "How did you know I hadn't eaten?"

"I didn't," Phoenix replied.

"Then why did you bring me food?"

"When I was having breakfast, I found these pastries quite delicious," Phoenix said, setting the navigation route, her tone casual. "So I packed a portion of each for you."

When your heart is tied to someone, every movie you see, every restaurant you eat at, every landscape you walk through—you want to experience it all over again with them.

Those joys, I hope you can have them too.