Chapter 117: The Ancestor’s Belated Rebellion (Conclusion)
Ling Qiong looked up, and from where she stood, countless points of light blossomed like scattered lamps, spreading into the distance. The visual impact was indescribable. The lights swayed in the wind, as if a sea of stars had descended—they stood amidst a celestial ocean. Any girl would find this utterly romantic.
Ling Qiong noticed that these lights were clusters of small flowers, identical to those on the cards. “What kind of flower is this?” she asked.
“Snow Spirit Flowers,” Lou Xingluo replied. “They bloom only at night and wither the moment dawn breaks.”
They withered at daybreak. Snow Spirit Flowers bloomed once every ten years, and each bloom lasted only an hour or two—a rare sight indeed.
“Do you like them?” Lou Xingluo asked.
“Yes.” The young girl’s eyes reflected the sea of blossoms, joy shining between her brows. Which girl wouldn’t love this? It was breathtakingly beautiful! If this were an ordinary game, it would be a popular spot for couples to visit.
“Lou Xingluo.”
“Hm?”
“I want to kiss you.”
“...” Lou Xingluo nearly choked holding his breath. Could she not be so blunt?
He leaned in proactively. The glow of the Snow Spirit Flowers flickered like the breathing of fireflies, weaving light and shadow. When the wind blew, the light was swept into the sky, scattering like silver sand falling from the Milky Way.
...
The white of dawn gradually stained the deep blue night sky, returning light to the earth. The shimmering Snow Spirit Flowers dimmed. Ling Qiong rested her head on Lou Xingluo’s arm, the codex page open before her. She glanced at it and quickly closed it, her heart pounding wildly.
The card’s imagery was too explicit to describe. This broken game was definitely not a proper one!
She glanced at the person beside her, involuntarily imagining the card’s content. Well... she really wanted to try it.
Ling Qiong stole a couple more glances—though she couldn’t have the card’s benefits, surely other perks would be available?
...
When Ling Qiong and Lou Xingluo returned to the city lord’s mansion, Jiang He hurried over.
“Little Ancestor, where did you go? I didn’t see you all morning; you scared me! Can’t you at least tell me when you go out?”
“I went out of the city.”
Jiang He glanced at Lou Xingluo, noticing the subtle marks on the collar that weren’t fully covered. His expression shifted slightly.
Pretending not to notice, Jiang He went to prepare hot water and clean clothes for Ling Qiong.
“Filthy couple,” Mo She spat from the corridor pillar, unable to hold back.
...
He was promptly dragged away by Lou Xingluo—dragged by the tail, so to speak.
Ling Qiong hadn’t seen Mo She for days and didn’t know if he had run off or was being punished by Lou Xingluo.
After several days, she saw Mo She again, drooping and hanging from a tree as decoration, ignored by all.
Mo She often caused trouble, was punished every time, yet never learned his lesson. Even after becoming a divine beast, his brain was still that of a mischievous demon.
Ling Qiong drew her last card, having spent over a year on it. Considering the money she had poured in, she could probably have bought several Fan Kong cities.
After drawing the final card, her subjective will wavered—she didn’t want to draw any more.
But thinking of the puzzle on the homepage...
She had no choice but to continue, tears welling up.
As the city lord, Lou Xingluo managed Fan Kong City impeccably.
Ling Qiong, as the demon lord, bore no resemblance to one—she was addicted to shopping all day.
She might have been the least qualified demon lord ever.
But considering she had led her underlings to reform... maybe not so unqualified after all.
Ling Qiong stayed in this world for three more years after completing her mission.
During those years, Yan Weishan came to see her once, asking about resurrection.
Yan Weishan’s demeanor was fierce and imposing, making Ling Qiong almost think he had gathered all the pieces, discovered something amiss, and was coming to confront her.
Fortunately, he wasn’t.
He came with other inquiries; they were still far from completion.
Ling Qiong breathed a sigh of relief—by the time Yan Weishan gathered everything, she would have slipped away.
...
Choosing her departure time, Ling Qiong felt Shan Shan’s puzzlement.
“Darling, will you be reluctant to leave?”
Ling Qiong gazed at Lou Xingluo’s back. “After raising him for so long, of course.”
“But I don’t see much reluct from you.”
Shan Shan noticed that she truly liked him when with him, but when it came to leaving... there was barely a trace of hesitation.
Ling Qiong snorted softly, “I’m not addicted to the game!”
You might love the flat characters in a game, spend money on them, do everything possible for them.
But would you avoid falling in love because of them?
This game was different from ordinary flat-character games, but it was still just a game.
She wouldn’t lose herself in it.
Her father was still clear-headed!
[...]
“Well, then.”
“Has your game been fixed yet?”
[...]
Shan Shan’s minute-long silence meant: No!
Ling Qiong: “...”
This broken game!!
What kind of people are you?
How can it take so long just to fix the exit problem?
Are you professionals at scamming players?
“Darling, please calm down. Even if you’re angry, you can’t leave yet. We’ll notify you immediately once the repair is done.”
[...]
That made perfect sense.
But it wasn’t an excuse for your inability to fix the game!
[...]
The dispute ended with Shan Shan compensating her with 5,000 extra card draws.
Ling Qiong angrily opened the homepage, scanning the largest puzzle piece. The “Thousand Gold Fur” below was just over 500, still half short of a thousand.
Sigh...
Wonder when she’d ever complete it.
Shan Shan sent her a cheering emoji.
Ling Qiong asked, “Why is that backpack always gray?”
“Because you haven’t unlocked it.”
“How do I unlock it?”
“You tap it?”
[...]
Ling Qiong had tapped it before—no response.
She thought, like other games, perhaps leveling up or completing another dungeon would unlock it.
She’d forgotten about it and had never bothered since.
Now, after three dungeons, it was still gray.
She tapped the backpack icon, and a pop-up appeared:
“Consume 100 Thousand Gold Fur to unlock the backpack.”
“Yes / No”
Ling Qiong: “...”
The backpack was quite useful in-game, so after pondering, she opened it.
The backpack icon lit up, revealing a grid similar to those in regular games: ten slots wide and ten slots high.
But only ten slots were available; the rest were locked.
She tapped a locked slot, and another prompt appeared:
“Consume 100 Thousand Gold Fur to expand the backpack.”
“Yes / No”
Scammers!!
Ling Qiong slammed the homepage shut in fury, cursing the game’s developers to the depths of hell.
“Are you ready to leave?” Shan Shan sweetly asked, pretending not to hear.
Ling Qiong looked at Lou Xingluo, who was bent over writing something.
She took a deep breath, slowly exhaled until she was empty, and finally said, “Let’s go.”
Darkness gradually enveloped her.
Lou Xingluo seemed to sense something, suddenly looking up, then stood and ran toward her.
The darkness swallowed her completely, and Lou Xingluo’s figure vanished.
—End of the “All Spending Is in Vain” Arc—
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