Chapter 26
Meanwhile…
Let’s shift our focus to humanity's good friend, Xu Baijing.
Xu Baijing endured the most painful three months of his life.
He was scolded, ridiculed across the internet, lost all his endorsements, and unilaterally severed his father-son relationship with his CEO Dad Xu Bianzhou. To add to the chaos, his other wealthy father, Xu Yan, was facing a financial crisis… but those were secondary concerns.
After being ridiculed online, he could still make a comeback, and endorsements could be regained.
However, his once-charmed luck had completely vanished!
In the past, Xu Baijing had occasionally angered Xu Bianzhou, but he could always win him back by acting cute or playing the victim. This time, however, Xu Bianzhou seemed genuinely determined to sever ties with him.
Calls went unanswered, texts unreturned. Xu Baijing even tried his old tricks, standing in the rain outside Xu Bianzhou’s company with a servant-made pot of soup, hoping to catch his attention. Instead, he was “escorted” away by security guards and became the laughingstock of the entire company.
Furious, Xu Baijing exclaimed, “Damn you, Xu Bianzhou! If you don’t want to be my father, I still have four other dads who dote on me!”
But that wasn’t the end of it.
After leaving Xu Bianzhou behind and escaping from Windsor Castle, a relentless streak of misfortune and odd occurrences followed him.
He felt like he was haunted by a vampire — dreaming of stitched dolls, catching glimpses of a pale, ghostly aristocratic woman in the mirror, seeing two shadows under his feet, and even feeling someone pinch his neck…
Three months — exactly three months — and he had become incredibly neurotic.
“I can’t take this life anymore!!!” Xu Baijing broke down, sitting in front of a feng shui master. Dark circles hung under his eyes. “I get it now. If Wen Xingze is a dragon, I won’t mess with him. I’ll find someone else. I’ll stay far away from him!”
Xu Baijing was the type who lacked courage and willpower, a cunning and venomous person. Although he despised Wen Xingze, he realized he couldn’t afford to provoke him after these two incidents.
His previous attempts to siphon Wen Xingze’s luck were partly because he knew the plot and understood that Wen Xingze was destined to be cannon fodder and easily bullied. Additionally, Wen Xingze’s unique aura made him attractive to five wealthy dads.
Regardless of fate, this aura formed from personality and soul ensured that many people would adore Wen Xingze.
But that didn’t mean Xu Baijing could only siphon luck from Wen Xingze. Since Wen Xingze was off-limits, he’d find another soft target. After all, he couldn’t continue living like this!
The feng shui master sighed, “Mr. Xu, calm down. Don’t you find it suspicious that you, as a supporting character, reappeared after ten chapters? There must be something peculiar about this.”
The feng shui master was reluctant to help Xu Baijing again. This guy had no sense whatsoever. Unfortunately, one of Xu Baijing’s adoptive fathers was a respected senior in the feng shui world. Offending Xu Baijing would make it impossible for the feng shui master to continue in this business.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Xu Baijing retorted.
“May the Buddha not save idiots,” the feng shui master sighed. “Fine, I’ll find another scapegoat for you.”
“No, I’ve already made my choice.”
Xu Baijing produced a photograph — it was the latest snapshot from Milan Fashion Week.
The woman in the photo stood nearly six feet tall, exuding a cool vibe. The fashion show had a Chinese theme, and the supermodel wore her long hair pinned up with a jade hairpin. This particular jade hairpin had made appearances in many of her shows.
Xu Baijing remembered her name: Fang Ruxue. She was a supporting character in the book The Wealthy Koi and His Lavish Life, one of the few whose ending and career turned out well. Her destiny must be quite favorable…
________________________
On the Fantasy Cruise ship
As the cabinet closed, the seawater vanished, and everything felt like a dream.
Silence enveloped the scene.
Everyone’s expressions turned blank.
The director stood there, dumbfounded, trembling as he stammered, “You… I… he…”
“It’s a magic act,” Wen Xingze decisively interjected, even though he wasn’t entirely sure what he was saying. “The sea inside was a hyper-realistic projection. Do you know what hyper-realistic projections are? There’s a hidden passage behind this storage cabinet, allowing people to exit.”
“Have you seen the Spring Festival Gala? That’s way more magical.”
At this moment, everyone’s materialistic worldview was undergoing an intense shock, leaving them in a state where they’d believe anything.
Hearing Wen Xingze’s explanation, they all wore expressions of confusion and bewilderment. They wanted to believe him, but their remaining rationality fought against it.
A trembling props crew member hesitated, “But there are no projection devices or passages on the cruise ship…”
Wen Xingze remained resolute, nodding. “There are.”
“But…”
His unwavering gaze continued, “There are.”
“But…”
The props crew member stood there, dazed, until suddenly the team leader’s eyes lit up. “Exactly! There are! We have projection devices!”
Other crew members followed suit, willingly lowering their intellect and self-hypnotizing:
“Right, right! There’s a passage too — emergency escape route!”
“Indeed, there are projection devices. A worker came a few days ago to install them.”
“Magic is truly incredible!”
Wen Xingze thought, 'Can it really be this simple?'
As the crew members continued talking, their explanations started sounding plausible. Even the guests and the director shifted from terror to cautious belief: “So it’s magic, but can magic really achieve this?”
Wen Xingze replied, “Yes, I’ve turned off the projection now. If you don’t believe me, feel free to open the cabinet again.” The mustard seed space could only be opened by Wen Xingze himself.
The initially relaxed atmosphere suddenly tensed up.
Everyone’s expressions turned fearful once more.
After all, that was the deep sea. And the man with half his face veiled in gauze, although handsome, exuded an aura that warned against provoking him. Who knew if he’d react violently?
The director touched his receding hairline. “Haha, I don't date.”
The production team and guests chimed in, “Haha, we don't dare either.”
Wen Xingze thought, 'Is it really that easy?'
Watching the crew members increasingly convinced, Wen Xingze sang his own solo, but Zhu Bo got stuck halfway… stuck…
Just like playing a game with poor internet connection, where the graphics load slowly, Zhu Bo took three steps back.
Wen Xingze: “…”
And then it happened.
Snap.
The cabinet swung open, pushed by the high-heeled boots of supermodel Fang Ruxue.
Empty. No ocean, no marine creatures — only the original props like nunchucks, wave drums, and an hourglass.
“Phew,” both Zhu Bo and Fang Ruxue breathed sighs of relief, embracing each other and shedding tears. “Whew, it really was magic! Scared us to death. Tonight, I’ll sleep with a copy of Marx’s Basic Principles.”
Wen Xingze also relaxed. “Long live socialism.”
Everyone’s suspended hearts finally dropped. So, it truly was magic!
The production team and guests also hugged each other:
“Long live socialism!!! Long live the materialist worldview!!!”
Many guests and crew members, even the director, looked at Wen Xingze with newfound respect, sincerely saying:
“A'Ze, we knew you were good-looking, but we had no idea you were so talented. At such a young age, you not only play the suona, exorcise ghosts, and perform acrobatics but also master such advanced magic.”
Wen Xingze modestly replied, “Not really.”
The director discreetly removed his Rolex watch and whispered to Wen Xingze, “Can you duplicate this watch? I’ll split the money with you.”
Wen Xingze: “…”
Wen Xingze: “You might have a slight misconception about magic.”
________________________
Because of his masterful “magic” performance during the talent show, Wen Xingze undoubtedly received a unanimous nine votes, catapulting him to first place. He won the mysterious ocean-view suite…
Exhausted from the journey and still recovering from the shock, the guests and crew members dispersed after room assignments.
Filming temporarily paused, and they would reconvene for dinner.
Eager to handle personal matters, Wen Xingze entered the legendary ocean-view room. What he saw left him awestruck.
At the bottom of the Fantasy Cruise, there was an aquarium housing fish, shells, and other marine life. The crew members would catch fish and toss them in for feeding, and later, they’d retrieve them for dinner.
Of course, there were also ornamental fish, seaweed, and coral.
This ocean-view room, however, didn’t offer a view of the sea. Instead, it was situated right in the center of the aquarium. Three sides featured fully transparent glass, revealing the deep blue sea and the ornamental fish behind it.
Dragging his suitcase inside, Wen Xingze was shocked. First, the room’s design was incredibly unique, triggering his thalassophobia. Second—
Behind the glass, there was an immensely long black sea serpent.
Wen Xingze recognized it as Elder Cang’s mount, named Dahei. Besides Dahei, there were also dolphins, sperm whales, coral, lionfish, and clownfish.
Dahei, the sea serpent, pressed its round head against the glass, looking pitifully toward the door. As Wen Xingze entered, it excitedly wagged its head.
Wen Xingze: “Hello, Dahei.”
The black serpent playfully tied itself into a bow, rubbing its head against the glass: “Sss!”
Dahei, resembling a large dog’s tail, had a dog-like personality and habits. When Wen Xingze first encountered it in Desolation, it was as thin as a little finger. Even then, Dahei loved to pester him, wanting to play catch with him using nunchucks.
Elders You and Cang sat on the sofa near the glass, holding teacups. They had reverted to their humanoid forms, retaining only their ear fins as a distinct racial feature.
“I don’t drink instant coffee,” Elder Cang frowned, eyeing the plastic bag in Wen Xingze’s hand.
Wen Xingze poured the instant coffee into cups, stirred it with two spoons, and handed one to Elder You and one to Elder Cang: “How about freshly ground coffee?”
Elder Cang grumbled, “Huh, barely okay.”
Despite their words, both Elders You and Cang enjoyed their coffee. Not only that, they even took the empty cans and plastic bags from Wen Xingze’s hands, sealing them in a transparent gold-edged box.
Curious, Wen Xingze asked, “What’s this for?”
Elder Cang replied, “To show off to other merfolk. Any problem with that?”
Elder You added arrogantly, “Don’t misunderstand — it’s not because the coffee is precious just because you bought it. It’s not about that.”
Wen Xingze conceded, “Alright, alright, I get it.”
He remembered that Elders You and Cang were twins. Sitting together now, they truly looked like reflections in a mirror. However, there were subtle differences: Elder You exuded a scattered, veiled aura, while Elder Cang’s long hair was elegantly tied up, and his irises were a different deep gold from Elder You’s.
This scene was both fantastical and real, leaving Wen Xingze in a daze for several minutes as he sipped his coffee. Suddenly, he snapped out of the chaos:
“Elder You and Elder Cang, why are you here?”
“Because this is your Mustard Seed Space,” a door suddenly appeared on one of the glass panels. Elder Li, in his mermaid form, impatiently swung the door open. After stepping inside, his tail fins had transformed into legs, and he wore the same attire as Elder You and Elder Cang. “Hey, Emperor, where’s my coffee?!”
Wen Xingze hurriedly poured him a cup.
Through the elders’ explanations, Wen Xingze learned that the Mustard Seed Space was a remarkable existence.
It functioned as a sort of interdimensional transfer station — neither belonging to Wen Xingze’s universe nor to the Muse Empire’s universe. Since it was a transit station, creatures from various universes could exist within the mustard seed space — though only there.
The Merfolk’s ocean delivery was a clever workaround. Since the ocean’s area exceeded Earth’s carrying capacity, it was automatically matched and placed in the Mustard Seed Space.
With the ocean as a medium, Merfolk and marine creatures now possessed the “key” to open this mustard seed space, just like Wen Xingze. Of course, due to the elders’ premium purchases, they were the first to arrive in the mustard seed space.
“So, I can’t use the Mustard Seed Space to travel to Muse, and you can’t use it to come to Earth, but we can meet here in this space?”
Of course, inanimate objects could be freely carried, but only living beings were subject to this limitation. The Light Tower Logistics operated on the same principle when shipping items across parallel universes.
“Only three hours per day,” Yōu nodded, glancing at the wall clock. “If your body remains outside your original universe for more than three hours, you can’t return… Hmm, time’s almost up today.”
Wen Xingze: “?!?”
“Then you two better go back.” Wen Xingze grew anxious and stood up.
Unexpectedly, this triggered the elders’ rebellious streak. A strand of hair on Elder Li’s red head stood up, and he glared at Wen Xingze with annoyance. “Hmph, you want to chase us away? Happy that no one’s watching you learn to sing, huh?”
Wen Xingze’s expression turned both bewildered and soft as he said, “We can talk about it tomorrow too.”
…Critical hit.
For some reason, “See you tomorrow” sounded infinitely more pleasant than “goodbye.”
The three elders’ ruffled feathers immediately smoothed down. If they hadn’t transformed into humanoid forms, they might have even wagged their tails.
Moments later, Elder Li suddenly covered his slightly reddened ear fin and scolded angrily, “Didn’t I say no acting coquettishly!”
Wen Xingze: “???”
“Because all the Sea God Beads are in your possession, just in case, we’re giving you something.”
Elder Cang stood up first.
His ink-black hair unraveled from the bound mermaid pearls, moving without wind. Beyond the glass barrier, the deep sea churned, waves gathering into a dazzling, radiant light.
Hum—
Wen Xingze’s ears seemed to hear the resonant toll of an ancient bronze bell. The rich sound waves spread like ocean tides, both vast and inexplicably comforting. Finally…
After the light subsided, the massive black serpent outside the glass had vanished. In its place, Wen Xingze held a short dagger.
Obsidian in color, the blade bore dark, wave-like patterns. A silver mermaid pearl adorned the hilt, its edge concealed.
In the last second before the mustard seed space closed, Elder Cang stepped back, closing his golden eyes.
He bowed to Wen Xingze, his expression almost reverent, and said:
“My Emperor, I present to you one of the Merfolk’s ancient weapons — the name of which is—”
“Dahei.”
“…”
Wen Xingze was initially stunned by the cinematic scene before him.
As the Mustard Seed Space vanished, he gradually snapped back to reality. Then—
Wen Xingze looked at the dagger named “Dahei” in his hand. “?”
So, Dahei was both Cāng’s mount and a weapon? That was unexpected.
But then again.
Why give such a precious ancestral artifact such an odd name? “Dahei” of all things? (Note: 大黑 [Dà hēi] = big black ^^)
________________________
The system prompt from Cub Raising Program sounded:
Ding! Congratulations to the Cub for obtaining the [Dagger Dahei (Merfolk Sacred Artifact)]. With all four sacred artifacts collected, the Sacred Artifact Storage System is now officially open! The [Dragon Heart Scale], [Blood Clan White Flame], and [Sea God Beads] have been automatically stored.
Congratulations to the parents! The side mission has been successfully matched! The second side mission has been released~
The rewards for side missions differ from main missions and are extremely generous. Come and complete them!
Parents looked at the screen:
[Side Mission]
Mission Description: An outstanding idol must not only become famous in the entertainment industry but also actively engage in various social circles! Help the Cub gain fame in the Chinese supernatural community and become the top idol in the feng shui world.
Mission Progress: Rise to prominence in the feng shui world (0/1).
Mission Reward: The Cub’s 12-hour interdimensional exchange trip (specific rules will be announced upon activation).
…
The release of the secondary mission felt like dropping a heavy bomb into still waters.
[OrcishIsSoHard: Holy cow, an interdimensional exchange trip! Was my guess right??]
[UnnamedSong: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!]
[Elf Pointy Ears Are Super Difficult to Buy Hats For: It's over, Our clan leaders and priests have fainted]
[Strawberry Pudding: Although not explicitly stated, does this interdimensional exchange trip mean that the Cub… is the Emperor?]
[Marry His Majesty Squad: We’ll find out once the Cub arrives, ah!]
The release of a side quest revealed information that sent the entire StarNet into complete paralysis. The excitement surpassed even the initial beta launch of Cub Raising Program. Even the technical staff were shocked, resulting in over an hour passing before anyone began repairs.
Interdimensional travel = parallel universes are real = the Cub is real?
Moreover, for the past three months, the Emperor of the Muse Empire hasn’t awakened — not that anyone had ever definitively witnessed His Majesty sleeping. When the doors to the royal chamber closed, no one could verify whether he truly slept.
Now it seems he might not suffer from excessive sleepiness. Instead, he… actually lives in a parallel universe!
The Dragon clan, Blood Clan, and Merfolk are already aware, and other races have their suspicions. Especially the Universal Alliance, which remains vigilant against the Muse and Utopia, these two major forces.
During this time, the Dragon and Blood Clans have caused quite a stir. If it weren’t related to the Emperor, they wouldn’t be acting so drastically or losing their sense of proportion.
Yet the complete truth has yet to surface.
Regardless, for everyone in the universe, this is a sleepless night.
________________________
On the other side of the cosmos lies the Utopian Empire. A perpetually rainy country, it’s currently drizzling — sunshine is a rarity. After the rainy season, they’ll soon transition to snow, a stark contrast to Muse’s perpetual sunny climate.
Due to the immense impact of Cub Raising Program, even distant Utopia has its citizens discussing the matter.
In the capital palace, atop the lofty throne, the Monarch’s eyes, veiled by black silk, casually swipe across the holographic screen, completely freezing the malfunctioning system interface. His thin lips tighten, and an icy aura envelops him as if he contemplates something profound.
The Minister of Finance, who was mid-report, trembles, fearing he’s angered the dictatorial monarch. He hastily wipes away sweat and bows apologetically, “Your Majesty…”
The Monarch’s impatience is evident as he gestures for the minister to leave.
Clearly, he’s venting his frustration.
The attendants hurriedly escort the Minister of Finance out, and the final two servants gently close the grand palace doors.
The spacious, desolate hall falls into complete silence.
After a prolonged silence, the sovereign extinguishes the sole overhead light. Clasping a silver ring —one half of a pair — he contemplates. The other half of the matching set likely remains either in the lost and found on Muse’s capital star or in the storage cabinet of another confused Emperor.
His thumb slowly traces the ring’s band, and gradually, the Monarch finds calm, facing reality.
…The number of love rivals, it seems, is about to increase again.
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Thanks for the hard work~
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