Chapter 575: Good Luck, Bad Luck, and the Truth (Two-in-One)

"You don't know?"

Rabbit stared intently into Yan Jing's eyes.

"I... should know, right?"

Yan Jing felt a bit uncertain.

"If you know, you know. If you don't, you don't. What do you mean you 'should know'?" Rabbit frowned.

Yan Jing nodded. "I do indeed have another confirmed Deity's legacy."

"That makes sense!—Wait, huh?"

Rabbit realized something was wrong and looked at Yan Jing. "What did you say?"

"I said I do indeed have another confirmed Deity's legacy. The Deity's name is [Physique]."

Yan Jing spoke slowly. "He allows my physique to grow naturally, and he gave me a Divine Throne."

"..." Rabbit's eyes turned red again.

"Hold on—wait a minute, just wait a minute!"

It refused to let Yan Jing speak, unwilling to hear another word, and paced over to the corner of the room, standing there alone for several minutes.

During that time, it glanced back at Yan Jing every so often, its eyes so bewildered it seemed to suspect it was dreaming.

It wasn't until it had fully digested the news that it finally walked back over to Yan Jing. "Do you have any idea what this means?"

Yan Jing shook his head honestly.

Rabbit sighed, as if lamenting the unfairness of the heavens.

Then, it spoke slowly. "As long as you want to, from the moment you reach the Tenth Tier, you can step into the Demigod Realm, or even a higher position."

Rabbit dropped a massive bombshell, then softly explained to clear Yan Jing's confusion, "Like I said just now, acknowledgment is one thing, but a legacy is another. With acknowledgment, you can become a Divine Envoy. But with a legacy, you have the hope of becoming a Deity."

"But not every inheritor can become a Deity."

"If what you're saying is true, then the Deity named [Physique] either chose to step down, reached the end of his life and sought you out as his inheritor, or died without finding a suitable inheritor first."

"No matter the case, that position now belongs solely to you. Those bullshit candidates, those Divine Envoys—they aren't on the same path as you anymore."

"All you have to do is survive until Advent Day arrives, and you've already won this game. Do you understand what that means?"

Did he understand what that meant?

Yan Jing blinked.

Of course he didn't.

He thought the game was just about to begin. He had spent so much time preparing, all just to secure a winner's spot in this cruel game—or at the very least, to avoid getting killed off halfway through.

He had poured his heart and soul into this, expended so much energy, and now he was being told that the game was already over and he had already won.

How was he supposed to understand that?

It was a little hard to accept. More importantly, he could clearly feel that his mental state had shifted slightly upon hearing those words.

Because he was a man without ambition.

Everything he had done up until now actually had very little to do with power, status, or strength.

He just wanted to survive.

Thinking back now, what had he been risking his life for from the very beginning?

For a foolish girl suffering from a severe illness who couldn't survive; for a fox-eyed woman who wanted to avenge her parents; for a foolish old man driven to a dead end, hunted down by his own sect; for a stubborn phoenix bird trapped without its freedom; for a sewer Rat who wanted to change the world but didn't even know his own child had died; for an ordinary woman willing to suffer torment in the River of Time just to find her lost younger brother.

And beyond that, he just wanted to survive.

As for why he wanted to keep living, or why he had to find those fools and idiots?

He had never really thought about it.

But now, Rabbit was telling him that everything he wanted was already within reach—already placed right by his hand. He felt the taut string in his mind seemingly relax for the very first time.

Even if [Physique] wasn't some Deity at the end of his rope, or even if [Physique] was only a lower-to-middle-tier Deity, Yan Jing didn't mind.

Becoming stronger, becoming number one.

It had seemingly never been that important.

Rest. That's it. This road has finally reached its end.

He heard a voice saying that.

Yet, deep down, he felt this wasn't right.

Who could say for sure what the future held?

What if a stronger Deity decided to make a move against those around him? What if [Physique] had a blood feud?

If his friends and loved ones ended up dying because of his momentary slackness, could he ever find peace with it?

No, he still couldn't relax.

In just a brief moment, Yan Jing thought everything through. He looked at Rabbit across from him. "You say I've already won, but winning actually isn't what I want."

"Then what is it?"

Rabbit froze for a moment, then fixed its gaze on Yan Jing.

"It's that I won't lose, no matter what."

When Yan Jing's words came out, Rabbit froze again.

"That's too hard," it sighed.

"I can't lose."

Yan Jing spoke with iron certainty. "At the very least, I can't lose just because I didn't try my best."

"You're going to push yourself to death like this." Rabbit saw right through Yan Jing's problem and sighed deeply. "Many things cannot be protected. That's just how Fate is. Since ancient times, out of so many Heavenly Prodigies who dominated their eras, all of them had moments where they won it all. But who among them could guarantee they'd never lose? It's just too, too difficult."

"You look exhausted. You might as well take a good rest for a while. Being able to become a Deity is already something millions of people wouldn't even dare to dream of. When the time comes, I might even have to rely on you to take a step forward. I don't want you dying halfway there."

Rabbit joked with Yan Jing.

Yan Jing smiled. "You don't understand me," he said. "Compared to others, I think the only reason I've made it this far comes down to just one thing."

"What's that?"

"I have great luck," Yan Jing laughed. "There are millions of hardworking people in this world, and millions of talented ones too. There is certainly no shortage of people who are both hardworking and talented. The only reason I've been able to walk fairly near the front of the pack is just because my luck is good."

Rabbit fell silent for a few seconds, expressing its agreement with Yan Jing's words. "Very few people can realize that. Many times, talent outweighs effort, and Fate is far, far greater than both."

"Yes, which is why I must do justice to this luck, whether for my friends, my family, or, of course, for you." Yan Jing's expression was calm. "I can lose, but I don't want to lose and then regret that I didn't do enough."

Rabbit stared at Yan Jing. After watching him for a few seconds, it sighed again. "Since that's the case, you'd better hold on tight to that human woman surnamed Shen."

"What do you mean by that?" Yan Jing frowned.

"She possesses a very rare physique," Rabbit said. "In an era like yours, it might not be noticeable, but in ancient times long past, this physique had a name. It was called the [Calamity] Physique."

"Such a physique carries bad luck from birth, and can even bring disaster to a giant sect or clan with thousands of years of legacy. A child like that is born with fox-charm eyes, a nasal bridge lower than others, and thin lips. But most importantly, behind the base of each ear—at the points of misfortune—there is a mole."

"My luck has been great ever since I met Teacher Shen," Yan Jing recalled.

Rabbit nodded. "The [Calamity] Physique, aside from spreading bad luck to others, can also bear the bad luck of others."

"She must have found some method to suppress her own bad luck and transfer yours onto herself."

"Is this the treasure you mentioned earlier?" Yan Jing lowered his gaze.

Rabbit nodded. "This kind of physique contains a drop of essence blood. As long as she lets someone else ingest it, from then on, she will take on all of that person's bad luck. Of course, there are side effects. It's said that the person who drinks the essence blood will unknowingly memorize its taste, and from then on, it will be incredibly hard to forget."

Yan Jing turned around and walked toward the door. "Thank you for clearing up my doubts today, Senior. I'll take my leave now."

Rabbit watched Yan Jing's hurried footsteps and sighed. "Will you really be able to harden your heart enough to strike?"

After saying that, it walked to the window and looked up at the bright moon in the sky. "A person like you... you hit hard, but your heart isn't ruthless. Winning is simple for you. But trying not to lose—that's just too, too difficult."

Knock, knock, knock!!!

The urgent knocking made Shen Youran, who was lying in bed binge-watching a show, freeze for a moment. Then, sensing the aura outside the door, she happily bounded out of bed, ran all the way to the door, and pulled it open. "Xiao Yanzi, you're back—"

Bang!!!

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Youran was slammed straight against the nearby wall by Yan Jing.

Yan Jing's left hand rested on Shen Youran's waist while his right hand pinned her arm—a textbook wall pin—yet his eyes held no lingering affection.

Instead, his gaze was intensely complicated.

"Xiao Yanzi... don't be so rough..."

Shen Youran's words carried a hint of half-hearted resistance, enough to stir up anyone's desires. She lowered her head, her face flushed red. "Even though I'm not that young anymore, it's still my first time... I mean it..."

"Teacher Shen."

Yan Jing's freezing words were like a basin of cold water poured over Shen Youran's head.

She finally realized something was wrong. Looking up at Yan Jing, she swallowed hard. "Wh-what's wrong? Xiao Yanzi."

"Did you give me something I shouldn't have been drinking?"

Yan Jing's gaze was profound.

The moment those words came out, Shen Youran's face went violently pale.

"I... I..."

She was clearly panicking, not daring to meet Yan Jing's eyes.

"It was in the milk, wasn't it?" Yan Jing said. Seeing Shen Youran's face turn even paler clearly confirmed his suspicions.

It made sense now why his luck had suddenly improved so much, and why he had unconsciously grown so fond of drinking milk.

He had drunk it from Minhu to the Heavenly Kingdom, and from the Heavenly Kingdom all the way to the Great Prison.

Yan Jing laughed, a laugh born out of sheer disbelief.

"Teacher Shen, I always thought there were no secrets between us."

"No, it's not like that! I haven't hidden anything else from you, Xiao Yanzi. It's... it's because..."

Watching the increasingly frantic Shen Youran, Yan Jing circulated his Weird Energy, gently enveloping her in it.

This was his first time probing Shen Youran with a Weird Energy scan, because from her reaction, he had guessed a certain possibility.

As the Weird Energy flowed over every inch of Shen Youran's body, Yan Jing's gaze suddenly trembled.

He lightly grabbed the hem of Shen Youran's shirt, but his hand was immediately pressed down by hers.

Yan Jing looked down to see tears brimming in Shen Youran's eyes.

Yan Jing's heart clenched, and he let go.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Shen."

During the Weird Energy scan, he discovered that Shen Youran was missing a small section of her right rib.

Below the ribs, there was a visible scar.

A few Peach Wood Charms that Shen Youran had given him materialized in his palm. He sent his Weird Energy through the outer cloth bags to carefully inspect them, and then his eyes widened in shock.

Every wisp of aura matched perfectly.

"Why?"

He looked at Shen Youran.

Shen Youran's fox-like eyes brimmed with tears. "I'm a jinx. This is the only way I can keep from dragging you down, Xiao Yanzi. Please, Xiao Yanzi, don't drive me away, okay?"

Back then, after the Old Man from the Central Region had declared she possessed a physique of misfortune, she had been abandoned by almost all of her companions.

To prove that wasn't the case, she had scoured countless ancient texts.

Yet the truth left her in despair.

Because what the Old Man had said was true.

Later on, to ensure Yan Jing would have smooth sailing, she used a method she found in an ancient text: sprinkling the bone dust of her own rib over the Peach Wood Charms she had prayed for, nourishing them with her own blood to grant Yan Jing good luck.

She had even made Yan Jing drink that drop of her essence blood, taking on his bad luck for him.

She knew that if Yan Jing ever found out, he would definitely stop her.

So she had never told him.

"How could Teacher Shen be a jinx?" Yan Jing looked at the tears in Shen Youran's eyes and her slightly trembling hands. Grasping her hands in his, he said softly, "My luck has been great ever since I first met you, Teacher Shen. Did you forget? Even before you gave me the Peach Wood Charms, I made it out of the Dungeon alive. Time and time again in the Dungeon, I managed to turn danger into safety. Before I met you, I was terribly unlucky. I never won a single prize draw... And what about your mom and dad? When did they ever think their precious daughter was some kind of jinx? Think about it—if it weren't for you, how could [Advent] have grown so well back then?"

Hearing Yan Jing's words, Shen Youran's tears completely broke the dam.

Her bad luck had always been a sore spot in her heart.

The more she wanted to prove she wasn't a jinx who brought misfortune to others, the more impossible it seemed.

She had hoped for someone to say the words Yan Jing was saying right now. She had been waiting all this time.

No, rather, she only ever wanted Yan Jing to say those words.

It didn't matter what anyone else thought, as long as Yan Jing believed in her.

And just like that, Shen Youran bawled to her heart's content in Yan Jing's arms, as if she were crying out every last tear she had.

In the end, she cried until she exhausted all her strength, falling into a deep sleep right there in Yan Jing's embrace.

Looking at the slumbering Shen Youran, Yan Jing chose not to leave. Instead, he picked her up in his arms, carried her to the bed, and lay down beside her.

He looked up, staring at the ceiling.

Mantou, who had dragged him all the way home even at the risk of her life; Fei Yu, who had sacrificed everything she had to take out the enemy; Shen Youran, who had taken away all of his bad luck; Wen Qiao, who had spent ten thousand years in the River of Time...

What kind of dumb luck did he have to make these girls go to such lengths for him?

He called out for Xiao Xin.

"Big Sister Shen cried~~~" Xiao Xin fluttered its wings and spoke in a tiny voice.

"Yeah, Big Sister Shen is tired." Yan Jing said softly, "Go find Domain Lord Wang and Domain Lord Long. Make sure they can lure the enemy out. If the situation goes south, bring them back immediately."

"Memorize what their enemies look like, and find where they live."

"Take these with you."

Yan Jing grabbed five seeds and placed them in Xiao Xin's palm.

"Did you memorize it?"

"Mm-hm, Xiao Xin memorized it~~ Zhu Leng bye-bye~~"