Chapter 37: Walking and Eating All the Way

Su Lin used to love the Dragon Clan, not just him but several of his friends too.

In high school, every night after self-study, on the way home from school, they often discussed what plot developments the Dragon Clan would have next and how long the author, who loved delaying updates, would drag it out this time.

The funniest part was when the character Li Yi from Dragon Clan III appeared; one friend thought the protagonist would finally get a girlfriend.

During class breaks, he’d excitedly recount it like he himself was about to get a girlfriend.

Then, when he sneaked a peek at the ending in class and got caught by the teacher, tears were still on his face.

“Wanting to become extraordinary is a fantasy common among teenagers and even adults.”

Stepping on white jade steps, the two walked along another path toward the peak.

Occasionally they’d encounter a spirit fruit tree, and Su Lin would ask for a few fruits to share with Lu Mingfei.

Sweet, refreshing juice gushed from the bitten fruit, and Lu Mingfei swore he’d never eaten anything so delicious.

“Munch munch.” Lu Mingfei didn’t spit out the seed—he swallowed the whole fruit: “But I’ve long passed that phase. If I could, I’d just want a quiet, stable life.”

“Really? I’m still in that phase.”

Su Lin spat out a seed the size of a jujube pit, then plucked a sprig of spirit grass from the ground, its surface thick with glistening translucent fruits, bit into it, and left behind a slender, soft stem.

“Because if you become extraordinary, life won’t be so hard—you won’t have to be exploited by capitalists just to make money.”

Lu Mingfei, who had been mimicking Su Lin’s motions, searching the roadside for the same spirit plant, froze at these words.

“That reason’s… kind of real, huh.”

Su Lin smiled helplessly.

“What else? You think it’s to save the world or to be the center of attention?”

“Or to satisfy some other desire.”

Watching Lu Mingfei struggle for ages to find Dingdong grass among the weeds, Su Lin pointed to a tree not far off.

“So you’ve already fulfilled your wish?”

“Yeah.” Su Lin stretched lazily: “You have no idea how great my life is now.”

“I train when I feel like it, stop training and watch anime, play games, read novels when I’m bored, then go back to training. Occasionally I go out to interact with society so I don’t get out of touch.”

“When I’m thirsty, I drink from spirit springs; when I’m hungry, I munch spirit fruits. Of course, I can also order takeout for cola and fried chicken.”

“When I don’t have to worry about lifespan, illness, housing, or any of the daily grind, every day feels like living life to the fullest.”

Lu Mingfei imagined it—yes, that life did sound great, but wasn’t our idea of “extraordinary” wildly different?

He thought of his own extraordinary life: a pesky little brother always watching his soul, a bunch of warrior classmates who turned red-eyed at the mention of Dragon Clan, and an equipment department obsessed with adding alchemy to missiles…

“Oh my god, I, Lu Mingfei, swear on the two pieces of fried chicken Fenger hid under my bed—I never want to pick up a knife and dance the waltz with Dragon Clan ladies. This kind of extraordinary life is awful, I promise.”

“So my story is just that of a loser kid becoming extraordinary.” Lu Mingfei pulled up a few Dingdong grasses and stuffed them into his mouth, sucking the sweet juice from the tiny fruits.

“But this path to extraordinariness is just too painful.”

“Nothing ever goes smoothly. When you’re young, you think gaining things is normal, but as you grow older, loss becomes part of life.” Su Lin kept walking.

“The girl you secretly loved, the dreams you held as a child, friendship, love, family—even your worldview, your values—all of these can vanish suddenly. Most people are lucky to keep one or two; very few keep them all.”

“Resources are limited. To possess something, you need enough resources.”

“Where do resources come from? Either you’re good enough, or your parents are.”

“But most of us are ordinary people, just like you, Lu Mingfei—even many are worse off than you.”

“You want to possess, to prove yourself, to change—but how many opportunities are there in this world?”

Lu Mingfei suddenly felt Su Lin was starting to resemble his brother who’d slipped into philosophical mode—Little Devil Lu Mingze.

But also not quite the same.

“Not everyone, but quite a few readers really like you. Your popularity vote is even higher than your handsome senior brother’s.”

“Really?!” Lu Mingfei widened his eyes, disbelieving.

“Yeah. Because deep down, many people carry a loser kid inside them—a kid who sometimes tries hard, sometimes gets results, but more often than not, tries hard and gets nothing.”

“But life has to go on, doesn’t it? Whether you feel lonely or isolated, you still have to keep going.”

“Master, I get it! You mean no matter what difficulties I face, I must keep pushing forward—they’ll pass eventually.” Lu Mingfei looked as if he’d just had a revelation.

“No. I mean your story became popular because, aside from being able to cheat with Lu Mingze, you’re no different from us ordinary people.”

“...”

“...”

People like Chu Zihang, Ye Fan, Xiao Yan—even without special powers—could live comfortably in ordinary human society because they were already outstanding.

But he and Lu Mingfei were more like the green leaves and roots that frame the flowers.

Su Lin grabbed Lu Mingfei’s collar and leapt onto a massive tree, where plump crimson mulberries now exuded a rich fragrance.

Su Lin formed his hand into a blade and slashed through the air—cutting right through the bark, from which thick, sweet sap oozed out.

The crimson mulberries coated in the sap made one forget all worldly troubles.

“Among today’s readers, some hope to see you mature, some hope to see you cheat with power, and others hope to see you build a harem,” Su Lin wiped his mouth.

“Ugh, burp—” Lu Mingfei belched: “The Lu family practices monogamy.”

“They want you to take in Nuonuo, Li Yi, and Ling.”

Hearing this, Lu Mingfei’s eyes widened, his expression froze, and he swallowed hard.

“That’s really… I mean… well, you’re overestimating me, Lu Mingfei.”

He couldn’t even imagine such fortune.

Lu Mingfei fell silent for a moment, then asked: “Su Lin, what kind of person do you want to see me become?”

“Huh?” Su Lin tilted his head, thought carefully, then said: “Actually, I don’t have any expectations for you.”

“Just be yourself. How you turn out is up to you.”

“Is that so…”

“Exactly. So don’t overthink it—eat more fruit.” Su Lin shoved a few more into Lu Mingfei’s hands.