Chapter 475: The Past of This Life

Inside the bookstore, Lin Chao leaned back in a recliner, reading an ancient book.

Beside him, a young man was also flipping through books.

This young man carried a dense aura of baleful energy; he did not look like someone easy to get along with.

However, when the young man read, a look of pain would occasionally appear in his eyes, and a trace of fatigue radiated from his body.

After an unknown amount of time, the young man put down his book and walked toward Lin Chao, his gaze sharp: "May I ask for your name, sir?"

The young man was named Yan Feng, a Beast Master who had just retreated from the front lines and come to the Snake Letter World to recover from his injuries.

"Surname Lin, just call me Boss Lin." Lin Chao glanced at Yan Feng and continued reading.

Yan Feng looked at Lin Chao, a look of wariness in his eyes: "Some time ago, was there a Beast Master surnamed Wang who caused trouble here, was injured by you, and in the end... was even Slayed?"

Mentioning this, a look of helplessness appeared in Yan Feng's eyes.

That Beast Master surnamed Wang was his wife's junior fellow apprentice.

His wife had died in battle on the front lines the year before last.

Among his wife's several junior fellow apprentices, that one was the most incompetent.

However, for the sake of his late wife, he had also taken good care of that person.

Now that the man was dead, he had to come and take a look no matter what.

"Hmm... I killed him." Lin Chao did not hide anything; there was no need to hide it.

Yan Feng looked at Lin Chao, not showing anger, but instead said: "He disturbed you, he was in the wrong first.

When he was alive, he failed to offer an apology; as his elder brother, I will offer an apology on his behalf!"

As Yan Feng spoke, he bowed solemnly, his attitude very sincere.

Lin Chao did, however, take an extra look at Yan Feng.

It had been a long time since he had met someone like this.

However, he still did not get up, quietly waiting for what followed.

After offering his apology, Yan Feng stood up, his tone shifting: "Yet he was, after all, my late wife's junior fellow apprentice; before my wife passed, she instructed me to take good care of her junior fellow apprentice.

Now that he has died at your hands, I should also seek an explanation for him.

You are a Cultivator, I am a Beast Master, and I will not bully you.

As long as you take one punch from me, this matter will be written off."

Yan Feng spoke, his gaze burning.

Lin Chao looked at Yan Feng; he could tell that the Pet Beast Yan Feng had contracted was very special and could strengthen his body.

That was why he dared to attack Lin Chao with his own body instead of summoning his Pet Beast.

Lin Chao looked at Yan Feng and nodded: "Very well."

In truth, he somewhat admired Yan Feng.

"Be careful, sir."

After Yan Feng finished speaking, his gaze became serious, and the fighting spirit on his body became impassioned.

Clearly, no matter what battle he faced, he was meticulous and exceptionally earnest.

A powerful aura permeated the air as Yan Feng launched a fierce punch at Lin Chao.

From this punch, Lin Chao saw many things.

It was very clear that this Yan Feng was a veteran of many military campaigns.

His punch was enough to kill a fierce beast.

To Lin Chao, however, the power was truly a bit weak.

He extended his palm and pushed forward.

Yan Feng's incomparably mighty punch was suddenly like a toothpick poking an iron plate, causing only self-injury.

"Cough." A wisp of blood spilled from the corner of Yan Feng's mouth; he looked at Lin Chao, his eyes filled with a trace of astonishment, but more so with relief: "I am defeated; from this day forward, this matter is written off!"

Lin Chao looked at Yan Feng and nodded, not dwelling on this matter.

To him, Yan Feng was merely a fleeting passerby in his life.

"However, Boss Lin, you are a Cultivator after all.

I know you live in seclusion and do not wish to be drawn into disputes.

But in this life, how can everything go as one wishes?

If you wish to continue living a peaceful life, you should still try to reveal your strength as little as possible."

After Yan Feng finished speaking, he turned and left.

Half a quarter of an hour later, a panting youth ran over; it was Zhou Sen, and as he looked at the bookstore, a look of anxiety appeared in his eyes.

When he saw that Boss Lin was safe and sound, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright?"

Lin Chao looked at Zhou Sen, a slight smile appearing in his eyes: "I am fine."

Zhou Sen had also just received the news that those loan sharks who had troubled him had found Boss Lin.

The people behind that Beast Master had come to seek revenge on Boss Lin.

The matter had started because of him, and he did not want to implicate Boss Lin.

Seeing that Boss Lin was safe and sound, the stone in his heart fell to the ground.

Spring departed and autumn arrived.

Yan Feng remained in Big Prosperity City to recover from his injuries, and he spent three years doing so.

Back then, when Yan Feng came to find Lin Chao for revenge, after the matter concluded, Yan Feng developed a new habit: coming to Lin Chao's bookstore to read books.

His father died in the jaws of a fierce beast, and his mother also perished in the belly of a fierce beast while relocating refugees.

His wife also died at the hands of Red Pupil several years ago.

He could be considered all alone in the world.

After becoming familiar with Lin Chao, he discovered that Lin Chao was just like him, with no relatives by his side.

This gave Yan Feng a greater sense of shared misfortune.

He often came to Lin Chao's shop to read, and the two gradually became well-acquainted.

"In three years, you've almost had all the books in your bookstore flipped through by me.

Why not stock some more books?" Yan Feng put the book down, his face still carrying a feeling of lingering interest.

Lin Chao looked at Yan Feng, quite helpless: "You don't pay when you read, why would I waste money stocking books?"

"I heard that you extorted five million from that loan shark, are you really short on money?"

"Money is naturally the more the better." Lin Chao smiled.

He was indeed not short on money.

These years, life had been leisurely, mostly spent slowly recovering his strength.

"Sigh, this kind of idle life, although it has a unique charm, ultimately lacks a bit of flavor; it's not as satisfying as... slaying fierce beasts."

Mentioning fierce beasts, Yan Feng's face was full of murderous intent.

Yan Feng's entire family perished at the hands of fierce beasts, and his upbringing since childhood was extremely strict; the current Yan Feng could be considered a microcosm of an Ordinary Beast Master in this era.

Confused, helpless, lonely, yet filled with murderous intent, possessing the courage of a common man, and unafraid of death.

Lin Chao looked at Yan Feng: "A leisurely life is also a happy thing."

Having experienced too many tumultuous events and witnessed the myriad phenomena of the world, what Lin Chao sought was nothing more than peace and quiet, and the stillness of time.

A look of helplessness appeared in Yan Feng's eyes: "If the fierce beasts are not removed and Red Pupil is not destroyed, how can we talk about leisure?"

With the war dragging on, Yan Feng had also experienced war-weariness, wishing only to live a life of drunken dreams in the countryside.

But he knew he could not.

His great vengeance had not yet been avenged.

Every day, brothers and compatriots died in battle.

Moreover, the strength of their Beast Masters did not rely solely on them, but also on the support of countless compatriots.

Every Beast Taming World was in a state of war.

Except for students and the elderly, the lives of other Ordinary people were even more dull and tedious.

Their entire lives, from nine to eight, were spent entirely in various military factories, working hard to manufacture various weapons to support this group of Beast Masters.

Behind him were more than just billions of compatriots.

He could not fail the expectations of those compatriots.

Lin Chao looked at Yan Feng and saw the determination in his eyes.

"I hope that in our lifetime, we can see Red Pupil destroyed and the fierce beasts completely eradicated," Lin Chao said softly.

"Haha, you dare to think even more than I do." Yan Feng felt somewhat invigorated upon hearing this.

Of course, he also knew this was just a fantasy.

Every day, worlds would fall.

The Beast Taming World would issue bulletins.

A short text message, not many words, but it represented the deaths of billions of compatriots.

These broadcasts also reminded everyone at every moment that they were in danger and at risk of annihilation at any time.

Therefore, the Human Race could twist into a single rope and stand united.

However, as a world that had once fallen, the infrastructure built in the Snake Letter World had long since been destroyed.

The population of the Snake Letter World was only a few tens of millions, and it had no ability at all to restore the Snake Letter World to its original appearance.

Therefore, Lin Chao had never heard the broadcasts.

"Alright, I won't talk to you anymore. My old captain is coming to find me today, and I'm afraid I won't be coming here again in the future," Yan Feng said casually.

War was about to break out, and he had to continue to throw himself into the war.

This kind of leisurely time would no longer be his.

In Yan Feng's eyes, there was only fighting spirit and anticipation.

Lin Chao looked at Yan Feng and said calmly: "May all your endeavors be successful."

The first year after Yan Feng left, the street began to be demolished, and Lin Chao's bookstore also moved away from there.

However, this matter continued to have no impact on Lin Chao.

He remained the same as in the past, reading books and cultivating.

After all, for this puppet clone of his, reading was of great use.

He had inherited his solidified talent, Scholar's Heart.

The more he learned, the higher his talent, and the faster his strength would grow.

Of course, he was not only increasing his strength but also laying plans in the dark.

The upcoming God Game concerned many things.

He could not fail.

"Main body."

"Butterfly Bird..."

"Red Pupil."

"Power of Reincarnation."

Lin Chao's gaze was deep.

As his strength recovered, some fragmented images also appeared in his mind.

He acted as the Heavenly Dao, manifested an avatar, opened a Pet Beast egg shop, and subsequently enlightened the world.

He took in five disciples, and all five became top-tier powerhouses of the present day.

However, he remained low-key, staying in the shadows.

Because he had met a woman, the butterfly bird that haunted his dreams.

Unfortunately, his memories were few; he only remembered that day, the sun was just right, the breeze was not harsh, a cherry hit him on the head, and he heard a voice: "Fool, you dropped your bracelet."

He looked up and saw the young girl with bright eyes and white teeth on the ancient bridge, waving his bracelet, looking smug.

As a result, she accidentally fell from the bridge, landing squarely in his arms, startling the swimming fish in the water.

Just like in the past.

Fate is truly wondrous.

Lin Chao closed his eyes and cast these thoughts aside.

He continued reading, as steady as an old man.

Before the white clouds had drifted away, black clouds occupied the entire sky, and with a clap of thunder, the heavy rain poured down.

The sound of footsteps came.

Zhou Sen was soaked all over as he entered the bookstore.

He was dripping wet and looked very disheveled, just like the first time Lin Chao saw him after waking up.

Lin Chao looked up at Zhou Sen and said casually, "You haven't come here to read for quite some time."

Over the past few years, Zhou Sen had often come to the bookstore to read, but he would usually leave after a quarter of an hour, as if he could no longer find his previous state of mind and could not settle down to read.

"I've been busy with cultivation lately, so I have indeed come less often," Zhou Sen replied, his mood appearing poor.

He found a seat and then picked up a book to read.

Two hours passed, and the rain stopped.

This time, it was rare for Zhou Sen to read for so long.

He put down the book, looked at Lin Chao, and hesitated, but in the end, he still said, "Boss, tell me... if a person's entire life is lived in deception, then what should they do?"

"Oh?" Lin Chao replied casually, acting as a listener.

A large part of the reason why Yan Feng and Zhou Sen loved coming to the bookstore was that Lin Chao was a qualified listener.

"I have a friend," Zhou Sen began, his opening leaving much to the imagination.

He continued, "When he was young, the person he admired most was his father.

He felt that his father was the second greatest hero in the world, constantly Slaying enemies and being revered by ten thousand people.

But one day, he discovered that his father was completely different from what he had imagined!

His father... was actually colluding with the enemy."

When Zhou Sen mentioned this, his expression was somewhat numb, and his tone was somewhat desperate.

"He learned of these things and collapsed for a time; even his father was colluding with the enemy—this family was ruined.

In the end, he fled the family and came to a remote small town.

Originally, he also wanted to spend his life in a daze.

But one time, he encountered an opportunity, and he tried hard to seize that opportunity.

Because he felt that the family could still be saved.

But... now he has discovered that the opportunity was not seized by him, but was given to him by others because they saw his father's power.

He does not want to live in his father's shadow, and he does not want his own life to be a scam."

Hearing this, Lin Chao smiled: "I once watched a movie called 'The Truman Show'; the protagonist, Truman, his birth, his life, were all lived entirely in a scam..."

Lin Chao adapted the movie 'The Truman Show' and explained it simply to Zhou Sen.

Sure enough, it gained Zhou Sen's sympathy.

After hearing it, Zhou Sen asked, "In the end, did Truman escape that fake world? How did he escape?"

Lin Chao smiled: "Truman contracted an ancient fierce beast, Godzilla.

This beast possessed the power to tear through the world.

In the end, relying on Godzilla, Truman defeated the director, the big villain, successfully broke the scam, and lived happily ever after with the heroine, Miss King Kong."

Hearing this, Zhou Sen showed a satisfied expression.

This ending made him very satisfied.

"So, what does this movie tell us?" Lin Chao looked at Zhou Sen expectantly.

Zhou Sen was silent upon hearing this, and after a long while, he said, "Only by mastering power can one master the right to speak.

Once power is mastered, even if the world is full of scams, so what? It cannot affect me at all!"

Zhou Sen's gaze became firm, but then it immediately became dejected again.

"I am too useless; I cannot master power at all."

He had been cultivating for almost four years, and he had only just entered the Third Tier.

The Fourth Tier was a distant prospect.

There was only a little over a year left until the agreed time with his master.

If he continued step-by-step, he would never be able to reach the Fourth Tier, nor would he be able to obtain the qualification of a Chosen One Candidate.

Only now did he realize how useless he was.

"What if I have a way to make you stronger?" Lin Chao suddenly spoke at this moment.

Zhou Sen's gaze suddenly became vigilant: "Who are you?"

"Are you one of my father's people?"

"No! Are you from the Lone Walker?"

A look of pain appeared in Zhou Sen's eyes.

"Neither," Lin Chao shook his head, "I am just an Ordinary bookstore owner."

Zhou Sen looked at Lin Chao, the wariness in his gaze not having vanished.

However, a hint of disappointment appeared in his eyes.

"What method will make me stronger?" Zhou Sen pondered for a moment, then resigned himself to his fate.

"This..." Lin Chao took out a Jade Slip and placed it into Zhou Sen's hand.

Zhou Sen took the Jade Slip and examined it carefully; his expression changed abruptly.

"Hunyuan Five Sages Art!"

"You are from the Holy Palace!"

"No, that's not right, the Holy Palace doesn't have the Five Sages Art either!"

(End of chapter)