112: Chapter 112 As long as I'm not embarrassed

The air in the backyard froze instantly.

Chen You's sentence, "Meng Xiao is actually your daughter," didn't just cause a stir; it created a bizarre silence that seemed to freeze time and space.

Meng Xiao stopped crying, tears hanging on her small face, as she looked at Chen You blankly and then at her "uncle."

The servant was even more pale with fright, wishing he could bury himself in the ground on the spot.

Only Meng De, a man who had just experienced great sorrow and a mental breakdown, slowly raised his head, inch by inch.

There was no shock, ecstasy, or deeper pain in his eyes as Chen You had expected.

It was... a mix of extreme exhaustion, absurdity, and a hint of pity, as if looking at a fool.

"Heh..."

A hoarse chuckle escaped Meng De's throat, carrying the scent of blood.

"My... daughter?"

He looked at Chen You with a gaze that seemed to say: I admit you are strong, but is there something wrong with your brain?

Chen You frowned slightly, a bad premonition rising in his heart.

The script was wrong.

According to the normal melodramatic tropes, Meng De should be rushing over to hug Meng Xiao at this moment, father and daughter recognizing each other with tears flowing.

And then issue him a hidden quest with generous rewards?

"immortal path pioneer," Meng De's voice was weak but exceptionally clear.

"My brother Meng Tu left Thousand Light City fifteen years ago."

Having said this, he paused, his gaze turning toward the thin little girl.

"And she," Meng De's gaze fell on Meng Xiao, his tone carrying a hint of inexplicable complexity.

"This year, she should only be seven years old."

"..."

The composed expression on Chen You's face gradually cracked.

Fifteen years.

Seven years old.

That was careless.

Chen You felt his cheeks heating up at a visible rate, a surge of heat rushing from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.

He wished he could use "Chaotic Stars" right then and there to shred himself to pieces, just to avoid this public-execution-style embarrassment.

Damn!

This melodramatic plot isn't following the rules!

What happened to the shocking secret?

What happened to the mystery of her birth?

Since when did it become so rigorous?

More importantly, why didn't you tell me sooner that Meng Tu had been gone for fifteen years?

Seeing Chen You's wonderful expression shift from "everything is under control" to "who am I, where am I," the hint of pity in Meng De's eyes grew stronger.

He seemed to understand something.

A long sigh escaped the Meng De's chest, as if taking away his last bit of strength.

"But... I understand what you mean."

Meng De struggled to stand up; his burly frame was still upright, but his back was filled with desolation.

He walked to Meng Xiao, knelt down, and used his rough, large hands to clumsily wipe away the tear stains on the little girl's face.

"You're afraid I'll... mistreat her, right?"

"Don't worry, she is my brother's only bloodline. From now on, she will be my, Meng De's, daughter."

"Whoever wants to hurt her must cross over my corpse first."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the determination and promise of a Meng De.

Meng Xiao was startled by the tall man, but feeling the warmth from his palm—different from her father's yet equally warm—her crying gradually subsided.

[Ding! Hidden quest "The Hero's Orphan" has been updated.]

[Quest Location: Tomb of Thousand Lights.]

The system prompt pulled Chen You back from the brink of social death.

He looked at this scene of "kind father and filial daughter" and then at his updated quest panel.

He felt like he couldn't stay in this backyard for another second.

"Ahem... In that case, I shall take my leave."

Chen You cupped his hands, his tone stiff, and he was already starting to slip away.

Meng De didn't look back, only giving a faint "Mhm."

Chen "Melodrama Director" You practically fled out of the Meng De's Mansion's backyard.

As long as I'm not embarrassed, the embarrassment belongs to others.

No, this time the embarrassment is all mine!

While frantically complaining in his heart, he rushed to the street outside the Meng De's Mansion at his fastest speed ever.

As the night wind blew, his burning cheeks finally cooled down a bit.

"Damn it, I'm never meddling in other people's business again."

Chen You cursed under his breath.

What hidden plot! To hell with it!

Whoosh!

A flash of white light appeared, and the familiar Big White Rabbit appeared again.

"Auto-pathing, Tomb of Thousand Lights."

The giant rabbit turned into a streak of white lightning, racing through the wide streets of Thousand Light City, leaving the players on the roadside with stunned expressions.

"Holy crap, what kind of mount is that? A rabbit?"

"So fast! That speed must be at least Rare grade!"

"The man riding the rabbit... why does he look a bit familiar?"

...

Outside the east gate of Thousand Light City was a continuous range of hills.

The area was filled with jagged rocks and withered vegetation, and the air was permeated with a stale, cold aura.

The Meng Family Ancestral Tomb was located deep within these hills.

At this moment, the huge natural stone platform in front of the tomb entrance was already crowded with people.

At a rough glance, the number of players gathered here was several times more than at the Wailing Valley, at least four or five hundred people.

They were in groups of three to five, clearly demarcated.

Some teams sat in a circle, heatedly discussing something.

Some guilds had directly set up a cordon, looking like "no strangers allowed."

"No way, those mobs at the entrance are too crazy! A Level 20 Tank goes down in 3 seconds; they just can't hold it!"

"The DPS isn't enough either; those things' health regeneration is too fast!"

"Our team has been stuck here for two days and hasn't even entered the main gate, damn it!"

Discussions and complaints rose one after another.

The Tomb of Thousand Lights, as a Level 20 dungeon, had a difficulty that clearly exceeded the general level of Level 20 players.

Generally speaking, to clear it, one would basically need to be Level 25.

Just then, a sudden sound of rushing wind approached from afar.

A white phantom made several leaps through the hills, closing the distance from the horizon to everyone's eyes.

"What's that?"

A sharp-eyed archer player was the first to notice the anomaly.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

They saw an incredibly massive white rabbit land with a crash, in a wild posture that completely contradicted its cute appearance.

Boom!

A loud bang echoed, the ground trembled, and dust rose everywhere.

The stone platform instantly fell silent, everyone's gaze drawn to this uninvited guest.

The dust slowly dissipated.

A man wearing black Taoist robes jumped down calmly from the giant rabbit's back.

He put away his mount and, without even glancing at his surroundings, walked straight toward the huge stone gate of the dungeon, which emitted an ominous aura.

The crowd was dead silent at first.

Then, like a drop of water falling into a boiling pot of oil, it instantly exploded!

"Holy crap! It's... it's him!" A player's voice turned sharp with excitement.

"Who?" The companion beside him was blank.

"That... that man!"

"Which man?"

"Chen You! The Chen You who split the Wailing Valley with a single sword strike and single-handedly triggered 'Destruction Mode'!"

"Hiss—"

The sound of people drawing in cold air rose one after another, joining into a single wave.

He was synonymous with mystery.

He was synonymous with power.

He was even more... synonymous with wealth.

"What... what is he doing here?"

"Nonsense! He's definitely here to run the dungeon!"

"Alone? Is he going to solo the Tomb of Thousand Lights? Is he crazy?"

"Crazy? Have you forgotten how he cleared the Wailing Valley?"

"Can it be the same? There aren't many wraiths in the Tomb of Thousand Lights; Exorcism Talismans won't be as effective!"

The players subconsciously backed away, automatically clearing a wide path.

Everyone's eyes converged on him.

There was awe, curiosity, jealousy, and greed.

But no one dared to step forward and talk to him.

Chen You was oblivious to the gazes and discussions around him; all his attention was focused on the dungeon entrance ahead.

It was an archway built of massive black stones, with the four large characters "Tomb of Thousand Lights" carved in ancient script.

Beside it stood a stone tablet.

Unlike the dilapidated wooden sign in the Wailing Valley, this stone tablet looked much sturdier.

Chen You walked to the archway and stopped.

Under the gaze of hundreds of eyes, he slowly raised his right hand.

Everyone held their breath.

"Here it comes, here it comes!"

"He's about to make his move!"

"Can he really destroy it?!"

Countless players' hearts pounded, preparing to witness history repeat itself.

They looked forward to that earth-shattering sword strike.

They looked forward to another roar of a world announcement.

However, the hand Chen You raised did not draw a sword.

He just... extended his index finger and paused in mid-air.

Then, with an extremely natural movement, he scratched his cheek.

He also unconsciously muttered a sentence under his breath.

"Damn it, thinking back on it is still so embarrassing..."

The entire place fell into a deathly silence.