Chapter 95: The Multitudes of Life

Chapter 95: The Multitudes of Life

"Lifespan? That’s… such a heavy price?"

Luo’s mouth hung open, and the half-smoked cigarette slipped from his fingers onto the ground.

A sudden wave of guilt hit him.

The talisman he had used—one that Chen Huai’an had traded his life for—had only cost him 100,000 yuan.

At the time, Chen Huai’an probably hadn’t even realized its true value.

Looking back now, it felt like he had deliberately tricked him.

"Wait… how do you know the cost is lifespan?" Luo frowned. "I remember you didn’t even know these talismans could be used before."

Chen Huai’an had already prepared his answer. With a flawless, unwavering expression, he said, "That’s true. I didn’t know at first. As for how I confirmed that the cost is lifespan…"

He casually lifted his pant leg.

Underneath, his skin was covered with dense, tumor-like bone growths.

Luo’s breath hitched.

"To be honest, I’m a terminal cancer patient," Chen Huai’an said matter-of-factly. "But a week ago, I was still in the mid-stage of cancer."

Luo’s mind blanked for a second. Then, as realization dawned, his face twisted in shock.

"So… you’re saying that using those talismans accelerated your cancer?"

"Exactly." Chen Huai’an nodded. "The doctors said they’ve never seen cancer spread this aggressively. And conveniently enough, the rapid deterioration started right after I began exchanging for talismans."

"Then… how long do you have left?"

"Who knows?" Chen Huai’an chuckled lightly. "If I’m lucky, maybe six months. If not, one month."

Luo’s entire brain crashed.

It was impossible to reconcile—this brightly smiling, outrageously handsome young man was actually a dying man.

But those horrific tumors… they proved it was real.

This wasn’t a joke.

"Sh*t, I’m such a bastard!"

Luo mentally slapped himself.

He was the head of the Tianfu Demon Slayers, and yet he had cheated a terminally ill patient out of a priceless talisman—for a mere 100,000 yuan!

Forget his own conscience, if the other regional Demon Slayer divisions found out, wouldn’t they roast him alive behind his back?!

"Huai’an, brother, I owe you an apology," Luo blurted out, trying to ease his guilt.

"I shouldn’t have tricked you into giving me a talisman."

"Eh, it’s fine~" Chen Huai’an waved him off casually. "I still have more, anyway. I was already terminally ill, destined to die. What’s a little more lifespan loss?" ŔΑNÖВĚṧ

Luo said nothing, staring at Chen Huai’an in silence.

And yet, his guilt only deepened.

"I’ll transfer you another 100,000!"

"Great!"

Before Luo could even process what had happened, Chen Huai’an had already whipped out his phone, QR code ready for payment.

Luo: "…"

After the transfer, the air between them felt… noticeably more sincere.

"Huai’an, what’s your plan from here?"

"My plan…"

Chen Huai’an and Luo both stared at the bustling traffic ahead.

Truthfully, his plan hadn’t changed at all—keep making money to top up the game.

Before, he had been willing to spend money on

Virtual Girlfriend

just because he wanted to.

Now that he knew it was an Innate Spirit Artifact, he was even more willing to spend.

After all…

What if the game someday offered an item that could cure his cancer?

And beyond that—was the world inside the game actually real?

If it wasn’t, then why did his

Virtual Girlfriend

seem so vividly alive?

But if the game’s world was real…

Then why hadn’t that civilization already surpassed Earth’s by an unimaginable degree?

A basic-grade Thunderfire Talisman was already this terrifyingly destructive.

What about an immortal-grade talisman?

Or even higher-level ones?

Wouldn’t just one of them have the power of a missile or even a nuclear bomb?!

It didn’t make sense.

If a three-dimensional world could dominate a two-dimensional one, then why hadn’t Cangyun Realm already obliterated Earth?

And another thing—

The game had main quests, storylines, and dialogue choices.

What kind of “real world” operates like a scripted RPG?

If it were truly real, then shouldn’t he be an actual god, capable of controlling its fate?

If he really had that kind of power, he’d already be immortal by now.

Everything about Cangyun Realm felt more like a game.

So, Chen Huai’an was now certain that

Virtual Girlfriend

was, in fact, his Innate Spirit Artifact—just as Luo had called it.

As for whether the cultivation world inside the game was real…

He still wasn’t convinced.

Seeing is believing.

Of course, Chen Huai’an

hoped

Li Qingran was real.

But sometimes, hoping too much was a dangerous thing.

It meant that if reality turned out to be different, the mental cost of disappointment would be unbearable.

Luo assumed Chen Huai’an was simply lost, unsure of what path to take. He understood that feeling well—many Awakeners had felt the same way. So, he patted Chen Huai’an’s shoulder.

"This world is only going to get more chaotic. Everything we’ve sworn to protect could shatter at any moment."

On the sidewalk, a group of schoolchildren held hands, singing a nursery rhyme.

On a park bench, a young couple embraced, lost in a passionate kiss.

Sunlight stretched across an elderly man carrying a basket of groceries. A delivery driver, waiting behind him, let out a resigned sigh, forced to slow down.

Chen Huai’an watched these scenes play out.

And Luo’s voice murmured beside him—

"Brother Huai’an, why not join the Demon Slayers? I can introduce you to Awakeners with healing abilities. Maybe they could help with your cancer."

"The Demon Slayers aren’t like before—we have techniques now, like Breath Cultivation. Think of it like the cultivation methods in novels. It allows us to absorb Spiritual Qi and strengthen our bodies. Right now, only the Demon Slayers have access to it."

"But…" Luo took a deep breath, "I don’t want you to join just for the benefits. I want you to join for a greater mission."

"To protect our homeland."

"To protect humanity."

"To defend our peaceful way of life."

Luo stole a glance at Chen Huai’an.

This was a standard recruitment speech—one the Demon Slayers had been trained to deliver.

Usually, at this point, most Awakeners would show some reaction.

Especially young men like Chen Huai’an.

This was the kind of hot-blooded rhetoric they loved to hear.

But—

Chen Huai’an’s face remained completely blank.

"Thank you for saying that," he said, smiling as he scratched his head. "And thank you for the invitation."

Then, still smiling, he said something that wasn’t funny at all—

"You know, Uncle Luo… my parents died in a forest fire when I was a kid. The government was supposed to give me 200,000 yuan in compensation, but by the time I actually got it—due to all sorts of ‘complications’—it had shrunk to 20,000 yuan."

"I struggled to survive. I thought that if I just got into college and graduated, I’d finally make it."

"Then I was diagnosed with terminal cancer."

"The hospital didn’t care. They just asked, ‘Do you have insurance? Do you have money?’ If not, they told me to go find some first. No money, no treatment."

"My girlfriend cheated on me. When she found out I had cancer, she dumped me without hesitation."

Luo hesitated, his voice strained. "So… you think this world is unfair?"

"No," Chen Huai’an shook his head.

"I think this world is very fair."

"If you can’t afford treatment, you wait for death—that makes sense."

"If compensation money never reaches the victims, that’s just normal bureaucracy."

"If a girlfriend leaves her boyfriend because he’s terminally ill, well… who could blame her?"

"Then why—"

Chen Huai’an exhaled softly.

"It’s just that…"

"When I was at my lowest, this world never embraced me."

"So if you’re asking me to turn around and embrace the world now—"

"I’d find that absolutely disgusting."

Luo met his gaze.

The light in Chen Huai’an’s eyes flickered—on and off, like a candle in the wind.

And yet, despite standing under the warm glow of the sun, Luo couldn’t shake the feeling that this young man…

Was already completely dead inside.

"Uncle Luo, what you’re protecting—is your world."

"But my world—"

"Isn’t worth protecting."

—

At the end of the street, Chen Huai’an’s figure grew smaller as he walked away, dragging his suitcase behind him.

Just before disappearing into the crowd, he turned back, flashed a smile, and waved goodbye.

Then, without hesitation, he vanished—blending into the faceless sea of humanity.

Luo sat in silence on the steps, lighting cigarette after cigarette.

Even now, Chen Huai’an’s final words still echoed in his ears—

"I won’t be joining the Demon Slayers. At least not now. I don’t see a reason to, and I don’t believe in your so-called ‘mission.’"

"But if you ever need my help, feel free to ask. I don’t know if I’ll be useful, but… I’ll consider it."

The traffic light changed from red to green.

Luo stubbed out his cigarette and disappeared into the moving crowd.

He didn’t return to the Demon Slayers headquarters.

He just wandered.

To see the people who lived under the same sky—

Yet existed in entirely different worlds.