Chapter 44 – The Desire To Survive

Translated by: Sephilia

Edited by: Krithika and Rango

TLCed by: Zaza

Yue Yang looked down and discovered that he was standing on someone’s face.

Sweating, he got off quickly.

The lanky man whose face Yue Yang had stepped on was dressed in rags like a beggar. His limbs were sprawled on the ground and even when Yue Yang got off of him, he did not stand up. Seeing that he did not seem to be injured, but was just lying on the ground as if he were an immobile pool of muck , Yue Yang’s curiosity got the better of him and he asked, “What happened to you?”

“Don’t even ask… I’m the disgrace of Tong Tian Tower.” The lanky young lad shook his head sighing.

“Did you gamble away all your life’s savings?” Yue Yang knitted his eyebrows slightly.

“No. I had prepared for 5 years and gathered as much strength as I could. I passed through Yu Long Valley Road and went to Star’s Domain to gain experience. At first, it was all smooth-sailing and I was full of confidence that I would be able to get a Wisdom Fruit. I didn’t expect that I couldn’t even pass the Twelve Zodiac Temples’ easiest challenge. Both my Level 3 Poison Wolf and Level 4 Longarm Golden Ape King died… Even with 5 years’ worth of preparation, I lost everything in a single day, can you believe it? Did you think I wanted to lie here and wait for my death? I just don’t have any dignity left to return home… You may not believe it, but I was my clan’s most remarkable talent. My parent’s expectations of me were huge. I can’t face their expressions filled with despair haha. Do you want to know how I wrote to my clan? I lied to my parents saying that I was doing well here and that my trials were progressing well. That both my beasts rose in rank and my teammates regarded me well… In reality, I-I’ve already been kicked out of the team by those people.” The lanky man’s tone was tinged with the kind of despair that made it seem as if his heart was dead as ashes. Although he had a smile on his face as he talked , it was one of self-mockery.

Hearing the lanky man talk, Yue Yang’s heart shook.

Yue Bing, that unyielding girl, had also been kicked out of her team. Could she be like this lanky guy now, with all her beasts dead?

Could she be like this man who had lost everything, without even the dignity to return home? Starving until he was lying on the ground waiting to die and still writing to his home saying that everything was well?

Thinking of it like this, Yue Yang’s heart quickened. He had to find Yue Bing quickly, he could not let anything happen to her. He would not let her lie down and await death like this man. He would have to bring her back and give the beautiful woman the best explanation.

Yue Yang had heard Yue Bing talk about Yu Long Valley Road and Star’s Domain in her letters and estimated that her trials were progressing like this man had mentioned.

“Are you familiar with Yu Long Valley Road and Star’s Domain?”, asked Yue Yang, deciding to understand the situation from this man first.

“Ha, how would I not be familiar with it? I’ve already spent two years guiding people in here. I can bring you to Xing Yu from Tong Tian Tower’s floors with my eyes closed. Do you need help getting there? I know the easiest shortcut. I don’t need money, but only food to fill my stomach. If you manage to complete the trial missions, tipping me will do just fine.” When the man spoke about tipping, the self-mockery in his face grew.

“Do you know where the trial team of Shang Jing Academy is?” Yue Yang asked again.

“Shang Jing Academy has ten small trial teams. What’s the team you’re looking for called?” The man struggled to crawl back up. It seemed like he had not eaten for many days. He was famished to the point of having no strength, and was even a little wobbly just from standing up.

“I think it was called ‘Academy’s Rose Team’. I’m not actually looking for this team, but rather someone in the team. As a guide here, have you heard of a girl named Yue Bing? She was kicked out of her group just like you. Have you seen her?” Yue Yang was really worried that Yue Bing had fallen to the pitiful extent of trading her guidance for food.

“Yue Bing? I haven’t heard of her before and I’ve also never met the trial team called ‘Academy’s Rose’ before.” The man shook his head.

“…” Yue Yang was even more worried after hearing this.

That stubborn girl Yue Bing had better not have had anything bad happen to her.

If not, how would he explain it to the beautiful woman? Although he had not spent a long time with Yue Bing, he felt that she was like a younger sister to him.

There was no need to rush to cultivate. It was more imperative to find Yue Bing first.

In his mind, an image of Yue Bing in black clothes appeared. It felt like this unfortunate, stubborn younger sister urgently needed this older brother’s protection…

“However, you don’t need to worry. Shang Jing Academy’s students are all top students. Unlike me, even if they fail the trial, the academy would have made arrangements for them. I know that there is no girl called Yue Bing among all the guides over here.” The man was very intelligent and saw through the anxiousness in Yue Yang’s heart.

“How about this? If you help me to find her quickly, I’ll give you a high payment as remuneration. If you’re able to find her for me in one day, I’ll give you 10 gold. Each additional day you take, I will deduct 1 gold from it. I don’t care how you go about doing it or what methods you use, but I just want to see her quickly.” Yue Yang was silent for a while, before deciding to use a great amount of gold to open the path. Besides, he would only think about these things after Yue Bing was found.

“I will try my best… However, could you give me some money in advance? I’m not scared of seeing you mock me, but I haven’t eaten anything for days. Even a few coppers will do. I’m too hungry to even move.” The man looked at Yue Yang expectantly. Yue Yang had seen the same look in Hui Tai Lang’s face when Yue Yang was about to stone him to death.

This was a desire to survive.

It was such a great desire to survive that even in such a desperate situation and even if he had no strength left to struggle, in his heart, he still hoped for a miracle to appear.

Yue Yang’s heart was slightly moved and he nodded. He did not give the man just one copper, but rather took out a purse with 100 coppers and gave it to him. “This is your remuneration for today. Go take care of your matters first. I’ll wait here for half an hour.”

After the man received the heavy purse, his eyes started to redden. He did not utter a single word, but nodded forcefully after grabbing the purse tightly in his hands.

He did not even speak a single word before leaving quickly.

If one looked closely, an uneven line of tears dotted the path that this man’s feet trod.

Seeing the back of this man, Yue Yang sighed lightly. This was one who was called a genius… Perhaps this fallen genius had once been a wildly spirited genius carrying the hopes of his clan. However, after losing his beasts, he became trash who had absolutely nothing, not even a place for him to call home. This skinny guy and the tragic guy who had plunged himself into the river also had some commonalities between them… The tragic guy, although born in one of the four Major Clans – the Yue clan, was unable to contract a grimoire. He did not possess a beast and became the clan’s greatest trash. Eventually succumbing to the clan’s pressure and the blow from his broken engagement, he chose to end his life by drowning in the river. Wasn’t it similar to the skinny guy waiting here to die, a kind of helplessness that weaklings faced?

Before the tragic guy jumped into the river, could his eyes have been shining with a strong, burning hope to live?

Had he also been expecting a miracle to occur to him?

However, nobody could save him in the end… Before he died, Yue Yang himself took over his identity to some degree and this trash of the Yue clan could be said to have been reborn. But, the one who was reborn in his place, was Yue Yang himself, a dimension traveller who just happened to be luckier than that tragic guy. He inherited everything that had belonged to the tragic guy, like the beautiful woman and her clan’s affection and warmth. At the same time, he had also obtained what the tragic guy was never able to. He contracted a grimoire and received a Guardian Beast, the Twin Star Innate Skill, the little loli snake and much more.

“Alright! I may not be able to help you with what happened in the past, but I will definitely take care of Yue Bing and the others in your place. I will let them be proud of you, and honour your name, even if you were trash. I will help you to make the truth known. You were not useless, just not lucky enough.”

As Yue Yang looked towards the sky, he seemed to see a man that looked like him, smiling like the sun and waving goodbye.

Perhaps, he came due to the wishes of the tragic guy.

The tragic guy must have hoped that someone as lucky as him would substitute with him to complete his unfulfilled wishes…

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