Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 102 - Ye Zhou Awakens

The “Dugu Zhuo” on the bed was looking at his reflection in the mirror, while the real Dugu Zhuo in the room left with the squad members, not in the mood to look at this younger version of himself.

According to his memory, Ye Zhou would kneel in the main hall for three days and three nights after this.

Dugu Zhuo led the team to the main hall, and sure enough, he saw Ye Zhou kneeling before the ancestral tablets. His back was straight, and the overly large robe made him look rather thin.

Why was Ye Zhou’s inner demon reflecting this past scene? Dugu Zhuo didn’t understand. He moved to Ye Zhou’s side, kneeling on the meditation mat beside him.

At this moment, Ye Zhou could not perceive Dugu Zhuo’s presence, and Dugu Zhuo did not know how to convey his thoughts to Ye Zhou.

Suddenly, he thought of a skill that had always existed but was often overlooked—Heart-Link.

Heart-Link could make them feel each other’s pain, including heartache.

In that case, could it possibly allow him to understand what was in Ye Zhou’s mind?

Dugu Zhuo closed his eyes, calming his mind and spirit, and almost poured all his energy into asking a single question: “Ye Zhou, what troubles you?”

This time, Ye Zhou vaguely heard Dugu Zhuo’s voice. He looked to his side, and Dugu Zhuo’s figure appeared in his eyes, along with the squad members who were peeking from behind him.

Ye Zhou didn’t know who these people were, but he felt that he could speak his heart to them.

“I was just soft-hearted for a moment and brought him to Xingchui Peak,” Ye Zhou said slowly.

Everyone immediately perked up their ears, not daring to breathe.

Ye Zhou’s expression was calm, as if recalling something: “He is not my disciple, nor can I take him as one. The Sword Masters of the Su Sword lineage can only take one disciple, who must be the next Sword Master. It is fate.”

Dugu Zhuo looked at Ye Zhou. He now understood why Ye Zhou never allowed him to call him “Master.”

“He was treated coldly on Tanyue Peak, saw everyone as an enemy, and even regarded me as Du Guyue’s partner. I wanted to explain, but it seemed he was right. Without finding the Stolen Scales, even if I disagreed, the Dao-Merging Ceremony had to proceed. Faced with a child full of hatred, I didn’t know how to explain, so I let him grow up on Xingchui Peak.”

“He already knew you were not Du Guyue’s partner,” Dugu Zhuo said. “It was probably when he was around fourteen or fifteen.”

It was as if Ye Zhou heard Dugu Zhuo’s words and responded, “I know. But because he guessed, the situation spiraled out of control. His emotional tribulation was tied to me—it was my fault.”

Dugu Zhuo said, “How is that your fault?”

Ye Zhou replied, “He has a solitary nature, and he’s missing a soul, which made him lose reverence for worldly ethics and morality. His emotions are extreme and intense. I was afraid he’d go down the wrong path, so I supplemented his missing soul. Perhaps my energy was mingled in the supplementary power, causing his misunderstanding.”

Qing Yue was in tears, saying emotionally, “Xiao Bao didn’t fall for you because of that missing soul; it’s because of you! Even if his soul was complete, he would still love you!”

Qing Yue voiced Dugu Zhuo’s thoughts, but unfortunately, Ye Zhou didn’t hear it, or perhaps he heard it but wouldn’t believe it.

“I only noticed the depth of his obsession during this competition. Once his injuries heal, I’ll have him leave the mountain. By the time he reaches the Nascent Soul stage, this momentary entanglement should fade.” Ye Zhou said calmly.

“Is this what you’ve always thought?” Dugu Zhuo asked.

He liked Ye Zhou, drawn by his beauty, but why did Ye Zhou think it was his own fault? Beauty was never wrong.

Dugu Zhuo never felt he was wrong, either. He had never done anything to be ashamed of, and his affection for Ye Zhou had always been respectful and measured. Where was the fault in that?

“We were never wrong,” Dugu Zhuo said to Ye Zhou.

But Ye Zhou remained silently kneeling, saying nothing more.

Time passed quickly. For the players, it seemed like only three minutes had gone by, but the timeline in Ye Zhou’s inner demon world jumped directly to the moment “Dugu Zhuo” left the mountain.

At around the 30-second mark, “Dugu Zhuo” supported himself against the wall, standing at the entrance of the main hall. He silently looked at Ye Zhou for a moment, then turned and left, his expression gloomy.

Qing Yue wiped her tears and said, “They’re so tragic! Luckily, we’ve altered the timeline. This time around, Xiao Bao and Ye Zhou definitely won’t miss each other again!”

The proud black cat Ao Tian and the doll Ling Zhi nodded repeatedly.

Only Shenbi Xiaoma, who joined midway and hadn’t personally experienced the previous two main plotlines, looked back and forth between Dugu Zhuo and Ye Zhou, thinking that something seemed off. Were they really just pretending to be NPCs in the game? They were way too immersed in their roles.

Ye Zhou gifted “Dugu Zhuo” a treasured sword and, as usual, nodded to him before turning away.

“Dugu Zhuo” deeply gazed at Ye Zhou’s retreating figure, walking backward down the mountain. Only when he saw that Ye Zhou had no intention of turning around did he finally leave on his sword.

Just after he left Xingchui Peak, Ye Zhou turned back, raising his hand slightly towards “Dugu Zhuo’s” silhouette before slowly lowering it again.

A hint of surprise appeared on Ye Zhou’s always-calm face: “Am I… reluctant?”

During the entire time he decided to let “Dugu Zhuo” leave Xingchui Peak, his attitude had been indifferent. Xingchui Peak was his alone, and “Dugu Zhuo” was merely a passerby. After a few lively years, it would return to its usual tranquility.

Only when he saw “Dugu Zhuo’s” departing figure did a bit of reluctance rise in his heart.

The moments spent together day by day, watching that child grow from a young boy into a handsome youth—how could he bear it?

He was not good at expressing emotions, only knowing that he now wanted to call out to “Dugu Zhuo” and say something, yet he couldn’t open his mouth.

Dugu Zhuo, watching from the side, never imagined that after he turned away that day, Ye Zhou would show such an expression. He stepped forward, grasped Ye Zhou’s hand, and said, “If you can’t bear it, don’t let him go. He… he’s also timid. You know that a single response from you could make him happy for days.”

Ye Zhou shook his head: “Forget it. In the end, it’s a delusion. It’s better not to meet. I just… hope the child I raised since young doesn’t run into trouble during his journey down the mountain this time.”

At this moment, he seemed to see the squad again and muttered to himself, “If only someone could go check on him for me.”

The group immediately received a system prompt: “Guard Dugu Zhuo, who is leaving the mountain alone, on behalf of Ye Zhou.”

“The system task has arrived,” Qingyue said without much interest. “But our task is to find Ye Zhou’s inner demon, right? I don’t think something as small as sending a disciple down the mountain counts as an inner demon. Could it be that Xiaobao encountered trouble this time when he went down the mountain?”

Aotian said, “That’s unlikely. Xiaobao is the future Sword Master of the Xuanjian Sect. If something happens to him, the main storyline can’t continue.”

Black Cat, however, was looking at Ye Zhou. “And if we leave, won’t Ye Zhou be alone on the mountain again? He looks so lonely. A person who has never tasted the joy of company won’t feel lonely being alone. But if someone who was once with them suddenly leaves, leaving them alone, that’s when loneliness strikes.”

“Why do I feel like you sound very emotional?” Qingyue scratched Black Cat’s head, “What? Used to be a lone wolf, and now you have a sect and teammates, feeling like playing alone isn’t fun anymore?”

Black Cat flew into a rage out of embarrassment, “Don’t touch my head!”

From Black Cat’s insight, Dugu Zhuo understood Ye Zhou’s feelings—reluctance, loneliness, and the yearning after becoming alone once more.

He held Ye Zhou’s hand and said, “Since you don’t want to let go, come down the mountain with us.”

Ye Zhou looked at Dugu Zhuo in a daze, as if trapped in something and unable to wake up.

Dugu Zhuo said, “This is only a memory, an illusion. That ‘Dugu Zhuo’ is also fake. You have teammates, you have me. When something happens, don’t overthink it on your own. We can help you work it out.”

Rather than figuring out what Ye Zhou’s inner demon was back then, Dugu Zhuo was more concerned with awakening the current Ye Zhou. The past was gone; if it couldn’t be changed, why not wake up now, face the path he had walked, and untie the knot in his heart to find the courage to move forward?

Ye Zhou looked at Dugu Zhuo, a glimmer of light appearing in his eyes, his expression showing some wavering.

“Wake up,” Dugu Zhuo embraced Ye Zhou, gently saying, “We are together right now, and we haven’t missed each other.”

He didn’t know what Ye Zhou’s true inner demon was, so he could only speak the words he wanted to say.

With others around, Dugu Zhuo did not kiss Ye Zhou but simply got close to him, gently closing his eyes, and touched Ye Zhou’s forehead with his own.

Divine Brush Pony: “…”

Doesn’t anyone feel something’s off? They’re about to kiss!

Dugu Zhuo’s forehead wasn’t warm; instead, it had a hint of coolness. When Ye Zhou touched him, he suddenly felt as if some chains binding him shattered, and he became completely alert.

“Ah!” Ye Zhou exclaimed softly, “Where am I? What happened to me? I was just pulled into a mirror by a hand. What happened?”

“What? Weren’t you playing the role of Elder Ye Zhou?” Aotian asked, realizing belatedly.

In his eyes, Ye Zhou was a player, so all his reactions earlier had to be system prompts, and the lines had to be system-driven. He had even secretly praised Ye Zhou’s good acting.

Ye Zhou said, “No, I…”

Dugu Zhuo pressed his index finger against Ye Zhou’s lips, speaking earnestly, “You were playing the role. Maybe you got too immersed in it. Think carefully.”

Ye Zhou stopped talking and stood quietly in place, sorting through his thoughts. When he calmed his mind, he recalled the emotions he had as ‘Ye Zhou’—the heartache of seeing Xiaobao hurt, the hidden trace of delight beyond the shock when he realized Xiaobao’s feelings for him, and the reluctance when Xiaobao left the Star-Fall Peak.

These emotions, which he hadn’t noticed at the time, were now crystal clear upon reflection.

“Yes, I was playing the role of Elder Ye Zhou. I guess I got a bit too involved and felt sad along with it,” Ye Zhou said after calming down. “Maybe it was the mirror being too scary; I was a bit out of it for a while.”

Qingyue wiped her tears, “I understand, I was also sad for a long time.”

“We’re at Main Plotline Three. Did the system require you to play the role of Elder Ye Zhou this time?” Dugu Zhuo asked.

Ye Zhou checked the system prompt and shook his head, “It only asks me to help dispel the inner demon, and I can use the Duality Seal, but it didn’t force me to act.”

“Maybe because this is an inner demon illusion, everything here is fake, so there’s no need to play the role,” Dugu Zhuo guessed.

Ye Zhou’s mind was still a bit muddled. He asked, “What should we do next?”

Dugu Zhuo said, “According to the plot task prompt, let’s follow Xiaobao down the mountain to protect him first.”

“Okay.” As he said this, Ye Zhou felt a slight relief in his heart, as if he had mended a small regret.

Aotian, the one most concerned about the task progress, asked, “When you were empathizing with Elder Ye Zhou earlier, did you notice what his inner demon was? Is it because of his unspoken love for Xiaobao?”

Ye Zhou tried hard to recall his state when he was ‘Ye Zhou’ and shook his head, “This is a minor regret. There’s something deeper in his heart… Ah!”

As he spoke, Ye Zhou suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if he had forcibly torn open a wound that had already scabbed, revealing the festering flesh that hadn’t healed underneath.

In Ye Zhou’s heart, there was a wound that must not be touched, a scar even more frightening than Xiaobao falling in love with him and his own inevitable response to this child’s feelings.

Seeing Ye Zhou’s pained expression, Dugu Zhuo couldn’t help but hold his hand tightly, trying to transfer his strength to him.

Feeling the warmth from his palm, Ye Zhou felt a bit better and said to Dugu Zhuo, “This isn’t ‘Ye Zhou’s’ inner demon, there’s something else.”

“I understand,” Dugu Zhuo soothed, gently smoothing his long hair. “This task will let us help Ye Zhou step by step.”

This time, Dugu Zhuo’s actions didn’t comfort Ye Zhou. Instead, he shook his head in panic, “Don’t do this task anymore.”

Ye Zhou didn’t even know why he said that, as if the ‘Ye Zhou’ inside him was speaking, telling Dugu Zhuo not to delve deeper into this matter.

Author’s Note: Divine Brush Pony: This team is so strange. The master and elder are totally gay, and everyone else is just blind.