Chapter 317

Chapter 317: A New Refugee

You had to admit, Little Red Riding Hood still had real authority with the kids. After that one shout, the shrieking chaos on the platform died down fast. A group of older kids, led by Princess Rapunzel, herded the younger ones over obediently and lined up for a scolding right in front of Little Red Riding Hood.

Yu Sheng took it lightly and even tried to smooth things over. “Hey, it’s fine. I could already feel them coming to play while I was inside. This thing is tough. They can’t break it. And if there’s any real danger, I can catch them.”

Little Red Riding Hood sighed. “You can’t spoil them too much either. They’ve been getting looser and looser living here. And some of them are the type who’ll climb the moment you hand them a pole. Especially Rapunzel…”

Called out directly, Princess Rapunzel looked utterly unconvinced. “I brought the little brothers and sisters out for fresh air! And what do you mean ‘looser and looser’? We’re kids. We’ve been on edge for so many years…”

The arguing rolled on until Little Red Riding Hood’s patience snapped. She lifted a hand and cut Rapunzel off. “It’s late. What are you still doing with ‘outdoor activities’? At this hour, shouldn’t you be taking them to wash up and go to bed?”

Princess Rapunzel puffed up righteously. “It isn’t dark yet! We thought Brother meant we could play a few more hours today…”

Several pairs of eyes immediately swung toward Yu Sheng.

Yu Sheng had been watching like it was someone else’s problem. He didn’t expect to become the center of attention in the next blink. He checked the time and slapped his forehead. “Oh, damn. So much happened today… I forgot to turn off the sky.”

The next second, thick clouds rose from every direction around the valley like curtains being drawn. The heavy cloud layer covered the entire sky like a dark drape, leaving only a single crack stretching over the valley. A thin line of light spilled down from the Black Forest all the way to Fairy Tale Town, illuminating the path back.

The kids immediately started wailing in waves.

Little Red Riding Hood clapped her hands. “All right, all right. Now it’s dark. Everyone go back and sleep!”

As she spoke, she nodded to Yu Sheng. “I’m heading back too.”

Yu Sheng smiled and waved.

Little Red Riding Hood swung herself onto a shadow wolf. The Thunder Titan bent down and scooped up the smaller kids who couldn’t keep up, setting them on their arms. Rapunzel and Snow White argued loudly the entire time, demanding to know what the high tower that had suddenly appeared beside the Black Forest was. The crowd left in noisy chaos, following the path lit by the artificial dusk as they made their way back to town.

Squirrel and Hunter also returned to the Black Forest after saying goodbye.

Yu Sheng stood at the edge of the starship docking platform, watching the distant backs of the Thunder Titan, the wolf pack, and the kingdom knight as they disappeared. He kept smiling. Only after a long while did he notice a gaze beside him, fixed on his face.

He followed it and met Xuan Che’s curious look.

“What is it?” Yu Sheng asked.

“I just never expected you to have a foundation like this,” Xuan Che said, looking around the valley. “So many strange sights. A world unto itself. It truly is a blessed realm rich with spiritual energy. And seeing those kids just now reminded me of years ago, when I traveled the mountains with my junior brothers and junior sisters under my master. You can tell they truly admire you.”

“There’s a long story behind it,” Yu Sheng said with a laugh. “If you’re interested, I can tell you when we have time later.”

“That would be excellent.” Xuan Che chuckled, then cupped his hands in farewell. “I’ve been delayed far too long. I have many things to report to my master, so I will take my leave.”

“All right. I won’t keep you.” Yu Sheng nodded. “You’re in the Borderland lately, right? If anything comes up, just find me.”

They said goodbye. Xuan Che straightened his clothes, then turned into a streak of rosy light and shot toward the horizon.

The rosy light bounced back and forth in the sky like a ping-pong ball, ricocheting several times in the blink of an eye… and then flew back.

Xuan Che reappeared, his eyes taking a few seconds to focus. “Uh… Expert. How do I get out of here?”

Yu Sheng stared at him, stunned. Only when Xuan Che landed did Yu Sheng find his voice. “You don’t know how to get out, and you just flew off? I was about to use Door Opening and you were already gone. I didn’t even have time to stop you!”

Xuan Che looked awkward. Swaying unsteadily, he cupped his hands again. “I didn’t expect the spatial structure here to be so strange. I thought it would be like the blessed lands of the sects over at the Grand Void Spiritual Axis… cross a few mountains and you’re back in the mortal world. Ahem. Expert, the methods used to open this cave-heaven paradise are truly remarkable.”

Yu Sheng’s expression went odd. “My ‘cave-heaven paradise’ is actually an otherworld. It’s complicated. I’ll just open a door to Boundary City for you. When you go out, it’ll be the old quarter Route 26 bus stop. And I strongly suggest you act like an ordinary person around here. Turning into a streak of rosy light all the time isn’t just against traffic rules. It’s also an easy way to stumble into some weird otherworld. There are a lot of otherworlds in the Borderland.”

Xuan Che had cultivated for a hundred years and never imagined he’d one day be taught how to behave like a normal person by someone who could wrestle dark angels. Even with experience in the Borderland, after that awkward moment, he could only nod while wiping cold sweat. “Uh… okay. Expert’s guidance is absolutely right…”

After that little episode, Yu Sheng and the others returned to the home at No. 66 Wu Tong Road, then drove No. 66 Wu Tong Road back into the alley in the old quarter. Out in the real world, it was already deep into the night.

Yu Sheng didn’t want to do anything. The moment he entered the bedroom, he flopped onto the bed with a smack and sprawled out like a dead fish.

He was exhausted.

Not physically. This body was newly reborn, and its condition was honestly great.

But mental fatigue didn’t “refresh” so easily.

Irene climbed from the bedside cabinet onto the bed, then crawled onto Yu Sheng’s chest. Her clay body was light enough that she hardly weighed anything. She sat cross-legged and looked down at his face, smug delight shining in her crimson eyes. “Well? I told you you’d have a blood disaster~~”

She’d clearly been holding that line in for a long time.

“Don’t even start with your blood disaster,” Yu Sheng mumbled, not even bothering to pull her off. With half-lidded eyes, he said, “I’m sleepy. Turn off the lights, close the curtains, pull up the blanket, and shut the door while you’re at it.”

Irene widened her eyes. “Hey, you-”

But Yu Sheng was already snoring.

She bared her teeth in annoyance, but there was nothing she could do. She hopped off his chest, and then her bodies ran around the room doing chores. First they closed the curtains. Then three of them stacked up to turn off the light. Another ran into the hallway, yanked a tail from Foxy, hopped back to the bedside, and tossed it onto Yu Sheng’s belly. “You’re already pinning the blanket down. Just use this as a cover!”

Yu Sheng rolled over, pulled the fox tail into his arms, and let his consciousness sink into warm darkness.

He drifted through strange, surreal dreams. The day he’d just lived turned into abstract phantoms, rising and falling around him.

He felt like he was back inside that solemn, church-like spaceship again, strolling slowly between ornate reliefs and murals while the terrified shouts of Hermitage Order cultists echoed at his side.

The next moment, starlight poured over him. Engine power surged. A distant nebula hung like a curtain across the universe, whispering ancient stories into his ears.

In one of those stories, there was a girl with dreams in her heart, leaving her hometown with a friend.

Golden wheat fields rippled under a haze of nebula. Distant starlight spilled across the wilderness. A giant tower-like spaceship hung upside down at the edge of the dream. Yu Sheng fell from the tower’s tip, slipping through bizarre illusion arts-

He opened his eyes and saw an endless wilderness stretching to the edge of his vision under a gray sky. Wild grass rolled like waves, and that familiar little hill still stood far, far away, rimmed with a faint glow.

Oh. Back here again.

Yu Sheng was used to it. The moment he recognized the place, his shoulders loosened. A breeze swept over the prairie. The light was dim, yet the world still felt soothing.

He walked across the grassland and soon reached the spot where Little Red Riding Hood and the others had once lit a bonfire while sheltering here. The remains of the woodpile were still there.

Yu Sheng stopped and wondered if he should clear it away. The kids were safe now. They no longer needed to hide in their sleep. This outpost, once lively for a few days, was cold and quiet again. Leaving the woodpile behind somehow made it feel even lonelier.

He stepped forward-

And a figure slid into the corner of his vision.

Yu Sheng looked up in surprise and saw her standing on the other side of the woodpile. It was as if she’d been there from the start, only blocked from view by the stacked logs. She hadn’t moved at all, and her presence was so faint it was almost impossible to notice.

Yu Sheng remembered her. In those long, fragmented memories, he’d watched this girl set out on her journey away from home.

Now she stood straight in the wilderness. Under the gray sky, her armor seemed coated in a pale glow. In her hand, she gripped the steel sword her father had given her. The wind swept over the plains and lifted her Rapunzel-long braid-a streak of gold, like wheat fields under the sun in memory.

The Sanctuary Wasteland welcomed a new refugee.