503: This gloomy world

The two players, Luo Daonan and Jiang Vengeance, had both temporarily abandoned their player identities to integrate into native society with new roles.

However, there was a major difference between the two of them.

After Jiang Vengeance thought he had fully mastered the customs and habits of the natives, he revealed his talent and subsequently became a direct disciple of a Nine Swords Dao Elder, ascending from a Mortal to a Cultivator at an extremely fast pace.

Therefore, he had never truly come into contact with the bottom of the Xuanhuan World, nor was he a native who had truly experienced over a decade of immersion in Mortal society.

Because of this, his outward performance would show deviations, which were subsequently discovered by the Elder.

His internal thoughts could not synchronize with the natives either; he still maintained the superior mindset of a player.

Luo Daonan was different.

He had truly discarded his player identity, including all privileges, and was completely immersed in native society.

He had previously lived and eaten with other Household retainers, and now he could witness the joys and sorrows of the Live Targets with his own eyes.

He could see the arrogance of the Luo Family Disciples, feel the short-sightedness of the Live Targets, and even more so, see the unyielding nature of a character like Luo Zheng in the face of adversity.

Complex emotions intertwined in his mind, preventing him from falling asleep for a long time.

At this time, the Looking Up at the Stars Faction sent a message, asking about his current situation.

Luo Daonan told them everything, seeking a solution from this Golden Core Player.

"I want to restore my player identity immediately and lead an army of players to flatten the Stone City Luo Family. I really can't stand it anymore."

"No, you must continue to lie low... As for the Luo Zheng you mentioned, suspected to be a child of destiny? Good, continue to contact him and find a way to become a brother he trusts. Work hard; as long as we succeed this time, the gains will be beyond anyone's reach!"

Thus, Luo Daonan could only continue to bide his time.

Every day, he saw the Live Targets being beaten by the Luo Family Disciples, crying and begging for mercy, while the Luo Family Disciples only laughed arrogantly.

He could see the Household retainers each having their own schemes; when the Manager wasn't around, they would even secretly embezzle some Trauma Powder or even steal the Live Targets' food.

One day, a Live Target couldn't take it and died on the spot in the Martial Arts Hall. Luo Daonan had to take his place and get beaten, feeling as if every bone in his body was about to fall apart.

His fellow Household retainers didn't care for him at all; instead, they were quietly calculating how to swallow Luo Daonan's previous savings after he was beaten to death.

Luo Daonan only felt that this world was gray.

This was a grayness different from the darkness of the Cultivator world; it was a grayness where the level wasn't as high and life and death weren't as clear-cut, but where pressure from all sides truly weighed down until you couldn't breathe.

Luo Daonan even felt that he might be assimilated.

Since he went up to get beaten, his body had been getting worse; his hands and feet lacked the strength for heavy labor, so he couldn't get extra reward money.

His coughing wouldn't stop, and he occasionally coughed up blood; he knew he had internal injuries and needed extra expenses to buy Medicinal Pills to survive.

The two problems compounded, immediately making Luo Daonan's living expenses tight; gradually, his savings were drained, while his body continued to weaken day by day.

His weakness naturally caught the attention of other Household retainers, who often tripped him up at mealtime, forcing him to eat leftovers or even go without food.

By this day, he had actually been hungry for two days and was dizzy.

The other Household retainers clearly wanted him dead so they could feast on his final inheritance or take his vacated position.

Luo Daonan saw one of the Household retainers get called away to work after eating half a steamed bun, forced to leave the bun on the table.

Luo Daonan pathetically wanted to steal it.

At this moment, he finally understood why these Household retainers and Live Targets were so selfish.

In such a gray world, if you don't look out for yourself, you won't survive.

But just as he was hesitating whether to steal the bun, an accident happened.

On this day, the Manager came to the Martial Arts Hall to take Luo Zheng away, seemingly to pull him out of the sea of suffering of being a Live Target.

Then he put him into another sea of suffering, intending for him to become a servant for a certain servant with a different surname, tasks like emptying chamber pots.

Making the former Young Master of the Luo Family a servant to a servant with a different surname was undoubtedly a great insult, which immediately triggered Luo Zheng's fighting spirit.

So, under the shocked gazes of everyone in the Martial Arts Hall, Luo Zheng erupted.

Luo Zheng raised his hand, and the sound of popping beans came from between his bones; clearly, his power was being exerted to the limit, producing the sound of bone-popping.

This was clearly the hallmark of the Bone Hammer Realm, causing the Manager's eyes to widen in disbelief.

Then, Luo Zheng suddenly slapped down, hitting the Manager's face hard, leaving five finger marks on the spot as clear as if they were stamped on, making half of the Manager's face swell like a pig's head.

Luo Zheng didn't let him go and continued to hit him, shouting out the Luo Family rules while pointing out exactly what mistakes the Manager had made over these days.

At this moment, he seemed to have become the dazzling Young Master of the Luo Family once again.

The surrounding Live Targets, Household retainers, and even many Luo Family Disciples all watched this scene in shock and surprise, almost at a loss.

Luo Daonan noticed that some Household retainers and even Luo Family Disciples had looks of schadenfreude in their eyes.

He suddenly thought of the key point: for the Household retainers, the Manager was no saint but a great villain who exploited them, swallowing nearly seventy percent of their Monthly silver.

And for the Luo Family Disciples, Luo Zheng was indeed a Live Target now, but he was still a member of the Luo Family after all; it was one thing for them to use him for practice, but what was the point of making him a servant to a servant with a different surname?

Therefore, as the Manager was being beaten, not a single person stepped forward to help him; they all just watched from the side.

Only then did Luo Daonan realize that Luo Zheng wasn't just venting recklessly; he clearly knew that causing such a scene wouldn't have too many consequences.

'No, that's not right. No matter what, he's still a Live Target; his status is different, it shouldn't be like this... Unless he really has that so-called child of destiny halo affecting others' thoughts?'

Luo Daonan had been hungry for two days, and his brain was thinking very slowly; for a moment, he couldn't think of much, only feeling that this matter was a bit strange.

After Luo Zheng finished beating the Manager, no one went up to cause him trouble, not even Luo Haoran, who had come to show off before.

Luo Daonan felt even more surprised; the traces of a script were too heavy, as if the child of destiny were being looked after.

As for him, this incident also had a benefit.

The Manager was beaten, and no one helped him, losing him face. Many Household retainers immediately became insubordinate toward him, making him no longer dare to embezzle so blatantly.

Luo Daonan's finances became more comfortable as a result; he could eat his fill again and slowly nurse his body.

Then he heard about another matter, saying that the Luo Family originally had a special day called the Family Refining Day.

During the Family Refining Day, Luo Family Disciples would fight to the death with Live Targets; as long as a Live Target survived, they could gain their freedom.

The next Family Refining Day was in a month; Luo Zheng would obviously participate, and Luo Haoran would likely participate as well.

Luo Daonan suddenly felt that this seemed somewhat similar to Yan Xiao's Three-Year Promise, like some kind of deadline forcing the child of destiny to cultivate hard.