Chapter 330: Divine Chosen, You Smell Nice

Finding a righteous excuse for his own deceitful behavior, Ji Ming planned to further deepen the impression of his theory in Ke Li Si Ting's mind.

But feeling her brain overloaded, Ke Li Si Ting, who thought continuing the chat might turn her mind to mush, could no longer bear it and, like after a long run, struggled to stand up.

In any case, I will carefully consider what you said; actually, I've been through a lot lately and am no longer the same as before.

If that's the case, then I can rest easy.

Ji Ming nodded and prepared to leave, but saw Ke Li Si Ting's expression suddenly turn subtle, rubbing her hands.

Um… you just said we're friends, right? Then I read that friends can hug each other; I'm about to leave here, can the Divine Chosen give me a blessing hug?

Hug~ hug~

Ji Ming instinctively lifted his head and glanced at Ke Li Si Ting's upper body, which, even clad in leather armor, showed clearly defined muscle lines, and immediately various WWE signature moves came to mind.

But seeing Ke Li Si Ting's eyes slightly reddened from what he had said, Ji Ming felt the atmosphere had come to this; after having lectured her from above so much, refusing now would seem hard to justify.

Tsk…

"Little boss, if she takes advantage and knocks me out, packs me up and carries me off, you must remember to call Xi Er Wei Ya to come rescue me; my constitution is frail, I couldn't bear it."

Ji Ming gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and then opened his arms.

"All right, just a hug, just…… ahhh!"

In an instant, he felt like a stuffed toy trapped in a claw machine, or like a petty boss caught by an old crab stealing the secret recipe for delicious burgers; before he could react, his feet left the ground, and then he was fiercely kneaded by a huge mass of muscle and armor.

Although his current physique wouldn't turn him into meat paste on the spot, this embrace, which could barely be described as 'steel and strength,' was certainly not a pleasant experience to savor; hearing the creaking sounds from his whole body, Ji Ming could only wish to cry but had no tears.

Damn, last time it was a flat board with a phantom limb; this time it's a monster centaur whose muscle mass exceeds even my second form by far—when will I ever be hugged by a gentle big sister?!

Moreover, Ke Li Si Ting lacks the classic 'treasure' trope seen in literary depictions of heroic characters—no fragrant hair that you need to get close to smell, no surprising allure……

Sorry, there's none; she is completely genuine, a very real woman—although as a centaur she does have substance, inside the armor it mainly serves as a ramming effect.

So if I must say something, Ji Ming could only detect a hint of horse scent mixed in with the smell of metal, leather, and sweat……

But the pain is his; if seen from Ke Li Si Ting's perspective, it would be——

"Ji Ming, you're softer than I imagined, and…… you really smell wonderful, I…… sorry, I couldn't help myself!"

"What? Wait, wait a moment!"

However, it was now too late to stop; a roar like a fan kicking off sounded in Ji Ming's ears, and he felt his neck hollow become a machine testing lung capacity, with the surrounding air being frantically sucked away.

Fortunately, Ke Li Si Ting wasn't shameless; after inhaling for about ten to twenty seconds, she let Ji Ming go and fled without looking back.

"Ji Ming, you must wait for me; I will definitely bring back an answer to find you, I've already memorized your scent!"

Ji Ming felt his soul almost being sucked away; he swayed on the spot for a moment, and through his blurred vision he vaguely saw……

"Hey! Wait a moment, that side is the courtyard……"

Boom—rumble—rumble!

"……wall."

How could a mere brick wall stop Ke Li Si Ting, who had just done something bad and wanted to flee quickly? Amid the continual crashing and dust of the collapsing wall, Ji Ming could only watch her, like a rhinoceros, forcibly carve a path through the still-uncleared rubble and disappear into the distant darkness.

【That one, Savior?】

Ji Ming stood frozen in place for a minute, looked around, found a spot covered with soft straw, walked over and collapsed like a stiff stick.

"Don't speak; I need time to digest the terrifying fact that I was almost suffocated by a human-powered range hood……"

After withdrawing for a while, feeling his mind regain clarity, Ji Ming crawled back up.

"Forget it; if I can save a poor soul's possibly bleak future, I'll accept the sacrifice—after all, it was just a hug and a breath, and I didn't suffer any major loss."

He covered his reddened shoulders and neck with his coat, and under the escort of the Guardian Knight, Ji Ming returned to the Clinic to rest and recuperate; until the next morning, he finally heard the report from Ge Rui Sen.

After adjusting his complexion and expression in the mirror, he feigned a look of unhealed severe injury and went downstairs, but before he could utter a sound, Buluowa grabbed his arm again and dragged him back to the room.

And the first thing she said upon opening her mouth was:

"Speak, was that lunatic gunman arranged by you?"

"Uh…… roughly?"

Buluowa furrowed her brows, her hazel eyes holding an unspeakable expression; her frail body trembled slightly, and finally she sighed.

"Ji Ming, why is your intuition always so strong? I thought I could sneak away unnoticed."

"Because I possess an invincible, strange fate; although ordinary skills are thus insulated, as long as I ask myself sincerely, I can always give a rough indication of fortune or misfortune."

"But this definitely can't be said, so Ji Ming merely spoke in a riddle."

"Because your life ought not to end, I might actually have a way to save you; after all, I have two Thus we will have Cultivation: Zhen Shen behind me."

However, upon hearing this, Buluowa did not show the surprise or skepticism Ji Ming expected; instead she shook her head and emitted a hoarse, unpleasant laugh.

"I never fear death, Ji Ming; as a long-lived species, when I lost my pet cat at eighty-four, I prepared myself for repeated farewells. No one in this world is immortal; even a Thus we will have Cultivation: Zhen Shen will have a day of downfall, so if you intend to go further, you ought to wake up soon, otherwise it will truly be painful."

"Moreover, I actually should have died five hundred years ago; these five hundred years of lingering agony are a torment to me each day, and I remain in this world only because I am a sinner—my kinfolk are displaced, scattered across every corner of this land—and I wish to atone as much as possible; now, I have finally arrived at the end of my punishment."

"I admit that the only thing I haven't yet finished is your matter; although I haven't had time to pass on all my knowledge, since the master has introduced the path and the mantle has already been transmitted to you, you can also master the rest through self-study; if that truly fails, there's Te Ni Si to help me assist you—she isn't as gentle as she appears on the surface, so you need not worry."

Buluowa came to the window, drew back the heavy curtains, and looked at the misty morning light in the sky.

"So please spare me, this old woman with little time left; let me die silently in some corner you don't know, and perhaps leave a thought for a future accidental encounter."

……

She closed her eyes and waited a long time, yet no sound came from behind—neither anger nor tears—and finally she couldn't help but turn her head.

"Why aren't you speaking? Won't you be secretly crying……?"

Only then did Buluowa realize that unbeknownst to her, the place she was in had shifted from a clean morning room to a vast expanse entirely constructed of steel, empty in all directions.

Ji Ming still stood not far behind her, but had now changed into a full set of battle gear, and adjusted the halo representing his status as a Holy Disciple.

"Teacher, perhaps what you say makes sense, but I don't like parting, especially……"

He had originally wanted to say especially since he had parted twice today. But recalling Ke Li Si Ting's fleeing figure, like a weasel that had stolen a chicken, waddling away, he decided not to give that image of the female hooligan.

"……especially when I have the ability to resolve this matter."

"Resolve?"

Buluowa raised the tone.

"Ji Ming, although I don't know how you brought me here, that's not something you can oppose; you have no idea who that is."

However, Ji Ming directly stated that title and produced a small crown she had never seen before.

"It's just the Forest God, right? Even if the Machinery Moon personally shows up today, I'll still beat him without fail!"

Having said that, as the headdress was placed on, thick fog almost instantly filled the surroundings. Buluowa looked around and, astonished, discovered that this heavy, viscous fog was actually brimming with the aura of deities.

Moreover, they are not a weak secondary deity lacking power, nor an unstable quasi‑god with insufficient foundation, but a true Zhen Shen who possesses a divine kingdom and wields complete power!

Could it be that so‑called Lord of All Living Beings? How close is Ji Ming's relationship with him that a single word can summon him to act, even to actively provoke another Zhen Shen?

Buluowa's mind was still pondering when a black silhouette emerged from the fog—a tall, strong man wearing a precious crown, draped in a black robe, his face concealed by a question‑mark mask.

"Are you Ji Ming's teacher, Buluowa? He said you have some grudge with the Forest God, and he wants me to come and have a brief talk with Him."

"Uh…"

I don't know why, but Buluowa keeps feeling that the person before them is Ji Ming, yet aside from the elaborate, exquisite headdress, there seems to be no similarity in aura, identity, build, or manner of speech.

But this wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts; facing a Zhen Shen, Buluowa still offered the elves' customary courtesy.

"Great deity, it probably isn't in your interest for me to feud with another Zhen Shen, and I don't know what price my student has paid; as his teacher and the party involved, I hope you will withdraw your order and not make things difficult for him."

Ji Ming: QWQ

Xiao Mi, I'm going to take your mother away!

But Lao Nv Shi is right; no matter the reason, for a deity to feud with another Zhen Shen is extremely unwise, and as the highest form of life in the Yangyue World, no deity wishes to lightly create conflict with peers—the sacrifices of divine wars are too great.

Similar events have occurred in history, with the gods locked in fierce battle, altering the terrain of many places; fortunately, the forty‑fifth‑generation Savior personally intervened, using his own life to prematurely draw the Machinery Moon's descent, forcibly reuniting the fractured Yangyue civilization, thereby preventing the Yangyue blood from running dry before the final war began.

But fearing war is useless; given Ji Ming's and the Forest God's identities and positions, if nothing unexpected happens, it's only a matter of time before I come into conflict with Him—better to settle things now than wait for that showdown.

Even better, perhaps if I flaunt my status as the world's Savior‑God personally present, He might defect like the God of Holy Light, surrendering his arms; then I could not only save my teacher's life but also gain an extra share of divine power!

Therefore, both emotionally and rationally, he must handle this matter today, so the Lord of All Living Beings gave a light smile, the earth trembled, and soil and stone were forcibly piled into a bed.

"Lie down—I've heard similar words from Ji Ming before. I trust my messenger, and I don't want him to feel cold‑hearted."

You'll regret it…

Although Buluowa still disagreed, they gritted their teeth and didn't say those words out loud—after all, they had helped this much, and continuing to refuse would really be a loss of face—so they listened to the Lord of All Living Beings and lay flat on the bed.

Ji Ming approached slowly, the two of them exchanging nervous glances, but since the name‑bearer wore a protective mask, none of it showed.

He is currently level fifty‑six, and can now view Buluowa's full status panel, discovering that at her peak she should have been level seventy, but due to the torment of curses and the decline of her lifespan, she has dropped to fifty‑three; after a skill list so long one must scroll hard to see the end, there are even more various curses than skills.

So when she puts me through intense beat‑training, is she actually enduring such severe pain herself?

Now Ji Ming understands why Buluowa can face death so calmly—for him, death holds nothing to fear; it is merely the release from this painful, cruel life.

No wonder she used to like drinking SpiritGathering Liquid so much—perhaps it's the only medicine that can ease the pain.

So today is the final day of this suffering!

Ji Ming snapped his fingers. Countless peace‑bringing talismans and warding talismans scattered forth, falling upon Buluowa like raindrops.

But unlike usual medicine that cures illness, the instant each talisman touches the old elf's body it erupts in flames, carrying away a wisp of black vapor rising from the skin before turning to ash.

—This is the curse deeply rooted in Buluowa's body.