Chapter 157: Huang Daxiong, the Master of Squatting on the Toilet

"What a coincidence—we're going the same way." Zhou Yun's lips curled into a smile.

He decided to follow the judgment of the Fortune-Omen Machine.

Second Fardia Town—Zhou Yun had once lived in Nao Du Fardia in Asford, and this place clearly was a gathering point for Asford refugees.

There, he might run into some old acquaintances. Zhou Yun's gaze swept over the linen-colored clothes of these Asford people.

This color scheme was strikingly, even nine-tenths, familiar.

Was this the chance to find the map?

Upon hearing Zhou Yun say they were going the same way, the Asford people visibly relaxed their guard.

In their eyes, Zhou Yun had become an ordinary Asford man seeking a ride.

"You want a lift?" asked the leader of the Asford group.

The leader's face was weathered, his chin covered in fine stubble, and a grotesque scar ran from his temple down to his jaw.

Zhou Yun recognized it—the mark of a Tyran blade, likely from a single knife-worm.

The leader had good fortune—he'd survived a knife-worm strike without falling.

Zhou Yun nodded slowly: "I can pay for the ride."

The leader hesitated slightly: "We need to discuss it."

He turned his head and huddled with his companions, whispering.

Their voices were low, but they couldn't escape Zhou Yun's enhanced senses, strengthened by the Phantom DX suit.

"He really does sound like an Asford man—his accent matches the Thirteenth District and nearby major zones."

"It's not that we doubt his identity; many still hold prejudices against our faith."

"True. Out here in the Red Mist, with no villages ahead or behind, a conflict would be disastrous."

"But far from home… sigh, none of us have it easy. We should help if we can."

"Don't forget what the Hierarch taught us, don't forget what the Saint demands—we may temporarily conceal our faith to avoid conflict; the Saint will grant His blessing."

Those final words settled the Asford people's resolve.

The leader lifted his head and stepped toward Zhou Yun:

"Get on, brother. We must reach Second Fardia Town before nightfall."

"The nights in the Bahr Desert are too dangerous."

Zhou Yun nodded lightly and smiled: "Thank you. I will pay you."

The leader waved a hand gently, signaling Zhou Yun to stop.

He patted Zhou Yun's back as he guided him onto the vehicle: "We're all Asford people."

"Our homeland is gone, but home isn't. We're all one family—don't speak of such things."

As they spoke, the vehicle sputtered to life and lumbered slowly into the thinning Red Mist.

Seeing how easily these Asford people had agreed to let him ride—even offering to take no payment—

Zhou Yun couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "I offered a generous reward."

At this, the leader burst into laughter and shook his head: "No means no. Solidarity among Asford people is more precious than any reward."

Such a familiar feeling—Zhou Yun's eyelid twitched slightly.

Had these Asford people shown even a trace of mutation, Zhou Yun would have suspected them of being Jijie.

And outside the Jijie, the only group in Asford this selfless was…

Shit. Could it be Leina? Has she still not given up on religious superstition?

Zhou Yun's expression turned slightly odd.

"Danton," the leader said with a smile, introducing himself as Zhou Yun pondered.

As he spoke, the scar on his face tightened slightly, making it look even more grotesque.

"Huang Daxiong," Zhou Yun replied with a smile, changing Niouss to Huang.

In the Lower Nest, the name Niouss had become widely known through Jijie propaganda.

Zhou Yun didn't want to draw too much attention yet.

"Are you a member of the Ark Gang?" Zhou Yun asked the leader, Danton.

At this, Danton visibly froze, then immediately wore a look of pride:

"Brother, sharp eyes—I'm a former Ark Gang member. I fought alongside Lord Leina, Old One-Eye, and Lord Ryan Russ."

He pointed to his scar as if it were a medal of honor:

"This was earned defending the Ninth District's entrance in the Lower Nest. That damned knife-worm nearly killed me."

"Thankfully, Saint Gileth, the Emperor, and Saint—"

Danton's voice cut off—he suddenly remembered he was supposed to conceal his faith—and hastily corrected himself:

"Thankfully, Saint Gileth, the Emperor, and the Saint watched over me. I was lucky to survive."

"Danton, you've told this story hundreds of times already."

The driver, an Asford man, turned his head and joked:

"Brother Huang Daxiong, watch out—he'll tell you this all the way there."

"I could brag about this for life, okay!" Danton laughed heartily.

Then he offered a faint smile and shook his head: "Of course, compared to the true legends and the brothers who fell, I'm just a lowly grunt."

"I know my limits—that's why I came to Bahr Three Stars."

Came to Bahr Three Stars? Hearing this, Zhou Yun paused slightly.

But before he could think further, he saw the Asford men passing around a water jug.

After gulping down a drink, Danton handed the jug to Zhou Yun.

"Take a sip. We're about to cross the desert—it's too dry."

Zhou Yun nodded lightly. He knew every drop of water on Bahr Three Stars was precious.

"Thank you," Zhou Yun said, taking the jug and drinking. The dryness in his throat eased slightly.

"No thanks needed—just water," Danton chuckled. "Back when I fought with Leina, Ryan Russ, and Old One-Eye, I'd have given my life—"

"Look, look—he's at it again!" the driver burst out laughing.

Laughter erupted across the vehicle.

Hearing the laughter, Danton slapped his thigh: "Alright, I'll tell you something else."

"I witnessed it," Danton lowered his voice. "I saw Ryan Russ grow wings."

As he spoke, the atmosphere in the vehicle turned solemn.

"Danton," the man beside him shook his head, glancing at Zhou Yun without drawing attention.

"It's fine. Brother Huang Daxiong isn't evil."

Danton shook his head and turned to Zhou Yun:

"Brother, I'm only telling you what I saw. Don't overthink it."

"We're all faithful good people. I believe you are too." "Yes, yes," Zhou Yun nodded approvingly.

The winged figure in the white light laughed aloud, as if Zhou Yun's piety were a joke.

"I saw Ryan Russ grow wings—white, tinged with blue, so holy and majestic."

"I saw him spread his wings and soar, like Saint Gileth himself, wielding a spear of light, piercing the Brain Tyrant in an instant, slaying the Tyrant."

Danton's voice unconsciously filled with reverence:

"Brother Huang Daxiong, I knew then—Ryan Russ bore something divine."

"Angels. Archangels—they must have been with him."

As Danton spoke, the others' faces also grew reverent.

Only Zhou Yun's lips twitched with an awkward, fox-like smile.

Though Danton's words were true, hearing them spoken aloud made Zhou Yun feel uneasy.

Clearly, some Asford people had already begun worshipping him as a Saint, an Angel, even a God.

It sent chills down his spine—he was no god.

!. Read

The winged figure in the white light shook his head, as if saying something—but Zhou Yun still couldn't hear it.

His power had not yet recovered enough to pierce the barrier between reality and the Warp.

Noticing Zhou Yun's expression, Danton sighed softly and dropped the subject of Ryan Russ.

As the patched-together vehicle drove deeper into the desert, the Red Mist thickened around them.

Even Bahr's sun grew hazy and blurred, becoming a faint, faint dot in the sky.

In contrast, the crimson scar stretching across the heavens—like a wound in the fabric of the universe—became sharply clear.

Zhou Yun glanced at the crimson scar above, recalling the legend that it had been carved by the Blood God's blade.

It hung in the sky, almost dripping blood.

"Brother Huang Daxiong, don't stare too long," Danton quickly warned.

"Here, unlike in the Nest, the sky is unobstructed—the Crimson Scar is fully visible, and clearer than in the Underworld."

Danton whispered:

"Stare too long, and rage takes root in your heart. You grow agitated. You may fall into hallucinations and attack indiscriminately."

Why do I feel no effect? Zhou Yun raised an eyebrow but kept the thought to himself.

He had some resistance to psychic influence; this indirect effect from the Crimson Scar likely had little impact on him.

If it really has an effect, you could just chant the Rogedorn Clear-Mind Mantra a few more times.

The vehicle slowly halted in the desert; the driver lifted his head and looked back at the others:

"The car ran smoothly today—the engine seems happy, didn't give me any trouble at all."

"But no matter how strong the vehicle, people can't take it anymore. Let's all take a break and grab something to eat."

Zhou Yun blinked in confusion as the Asfordians beside him nodded in agreement,

unable to resist clutching their buttocks, groaning as they rose from their seats and stretched their bodies.

Danton noticed Zhou Yun's slightly bewildered expression and couldn't help but chuckle:

"Brother Huang Daxiong? Are you made of iron? How can you sit through all this bumpy riding?"

Hearing Danton's words, Zhou Yun suddenly understood.

After all, this vehicle was cobbled together—it was genuinely bumpy.

But Zhou Yun truly had an iron butt; beneath the clay-formed fake buttocks lay the shock-absorbing metal buttocks of the Ghost Thief DX suit.

Thinking of this, he grinned:

"I trained this by squatting on the toilet for years—I can now squat for ten thousand years straight."

Danton burst out laughing: "You're something else. Come on down and have some food."

Zhou Yun climbed out of the vehicle; Danton pulled several pills from his pocket and handed them out to everyone present.

These were radiation-prevention pills—essential for life on most planets of the Crimson Scar.

Without taking them, one might mutate under the Crimson Scar's dangerous radiation.

Zhou Yun picked one up and popped it into his mouth, though he didn't need it.

The Asfordians began unloading food from the vehicle; while they weren't looking, Zhou Yun pulled several portions of Fire Scorpion Meat from his fourth-dimensional pocket—items he'd taken from the Blood Scorpion Tavern—and also produced a bottle of Old One-Eye's old Crimson Wine.

Asford had been consumed by flames; Old One-Eye's whereabouts were now unknown. This wine was a bottle less with every sip.

By the time Danton and the others had brought the food down, Zhou Yun had already pried open the bottle.

Danton stared, stunned and bewildered, at the scorpion meat and the Crimson Wine in Zhou Yun's hand.

"Where did you pull all this from?" Danton couldn't help asking.

Zhou Yun smiled without answering, instead bringing Old One-Eye's Crimson Wine close to Danton's face.

"Smell it," Zhou Yun said with a grin.

Danton involuntarily sniffed—and immediately caught a sharp, familiar, sweet wine aroma.

"This… this is the smell of Asford," Danton murmured dazedly.

"I brought it out from Asford," Zhou Yun gestured for Danton to fetch some containers for the wine.

Danton nodded urgently, quickly retrieving several metal cups from the vehicle and wiping them clean.

All the Asfordians watched expectantly as Zhou Yun poured the Crimson Wine into the cups—the vivid red liquid bubbled and churned, releasing a scent utterly unlike that of Bar II.

This was wine, brewed in Asford, by Asfordians, using Asfordian methods and ingredients.

Zhou Yun handed a cup to each Asfordian present.

Danton's hand trembled as he accepted his cup.

"To Asford."

Zhou Yun lightly clinked his cup against Danton's and said:

"To you, and to all who lived and died."

"To Asford," the other Asfordians murmured, raising their cups one by one.

"To Fedia City!" "To the Underworld System!" "To Lady Leina!" "To Lord Lane Rus!" "To the warriors of Cardian and the Ark Gang!" "To the Holy Blood Angels!"

Danton downed a deep gulp of the thick, crimson wine; his eyes glistened as he raised his cup and shouted:

"To Asford! To Holy Doraemon!"

"Danton!" The Asfordians beside him gasped in shock; Danton instantly realized his mistake.

At the sound of "To Holy Doraemon," Zhou Yun's lips twitched involuntarily.

Danton's face flushed with embarrassment: "Brother Huang Daxiong, actually we—"

"Hm?" Before Danton could finish, Zhou Yun frowned.

He sharply turned his head toward the thick crimson mist behind him—his enhanced vision caught sight of:

Two figures slowly emerging from the swirling crimson mist—two towering, muscular silhouettes over two meters tall.

The winged figure in Bai Guang let out a mournful, almost agonized sigh.

Still yesterday's Gu, keep recommending.

(End of Chapter)