Chapter 023: "Living Too Long Is Meaningless"
Home.
Tang Mubai was still browsing the Martial Arts Network forum.
He finished reading the thread titled “How Can Drinking Poison Not Kill You,” then moved on to other posts. After flipping through several pages, he felt the later threads lacked substance. Upon returning to the homepage, a newly posted thread suddenly caught his eye.
He hadn’t even read the content, but the title alone was enough to grab anyone’s attention.
“Half-Beastmen Sighted in Maple Leaf City!!!”
Yes, the thread contained a shocking piece of news that had happened in Maple Leaf City.
The poster claimed to have witnessed it firsthand—a half-beastman, transformed into a beast, running swiftly through a small alley in the northern district of Maple Leaf City.
Not only did he see it, he managed to snap a photo!
However, the photo wasn’t uploaded.
As expected, this “no picture, no truth” story irritated those who entered the thread.
[Blade Cuts All Directions]: “Poster, you have to upload the photo. Otherwise, how do we know you’re not just making things up? If half-beastmen really appeared inside the domain wall, the ‘Flying Deer Army’ would lose all credibility!”
[I’m Really Not Rich]: “I support the above. Poster, show us the picture!”
[Dancing Flame]: “Poster, are you a shill for the Maple Leaf City government? If half-beastmen really showed up in Maple Leaf City, if this news is true, wouldn’t everyone rush there immediately? With so many people, the income from eating, drinking, and living would make the city’s governor laugh in his sleep!”
[Legendary Presence]: “You’re overthinking it. Maple Leaf City has over six million people; a fluctuation of a few dozen or hundred wouldn’t matter.”
[Flowing Clouds and Water]: “You’ve been fooled by the guy above you. The one two posts up was just joking with the poster. You took it seriously, too honest.”
[Horse Gallops Across the Land]: “Haha, that’s hilarious.”
[Weapons Can Talk]: “Actually, there really are half-beastmen active in Maple Leaf City. I’m from there. The night before last, when I was heading home, I saw a tall figure suddenly dart into a dark alley. That figure was very much like a half-beastman, carrying a fierce, violent aura. Even though it was just a flash, it scared me.”
[I’m Really Not Rich]: “Is that true? Are there really half-beastmen in Maple Leaf City? If this turns out to be real, that’s a big problem.”
[Soaring Bird]: “Whether it’s a big problem depends on the number of half-beastmen. If there aren’t many, it won’t have much impact. If there are lots, the Martial Security Bureau will have their hands full.”
…
In less than a minute, a flood of replies appeared.
These people were scattered across the seven cities of Domain Thirty-Eight.
Some were skeptical, some gloating, others eager to try their luck.
A group of martial artists were having a great time in the thread.
Tang Mubai watched for a while and couldn’t resist wanting to reply himself. But after typing his response, he realized he needed to change his nickname—it defaulted to his real name.
Of course, it’s best not to expose real names online, especially on the Martial Arts Network.
After considering, Tang Mubai entered a nickname: “Living Too Long Is No Fun!”
Yes, the system’s recycling ability was too strong. If he couldn’t use it up, life was indeed dull…
After finishing, he clicked to post.
Whoosh!
The page displayed a 404 error.
“The thread was deleted?”
Tang Mubai was speechless. Clearly, even in this new world, the mythical ‘404 river crab’ exists—too powerful.
Returning to the forum homepage, he saw a bunch of people cursing the moderators, accusing them of being clueless, trying to cover things up, or exposing themselves.
With the thread deleted, whether they believed it or not, everyone now did.
Half-beastmen had appeared in Maple Leaf City!
And judging by how quickly the thread was deleted, the situation was serious; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been removed.
Tang Mubai watched a while longer, shook his head, and exited the website.
Half-beastmen appearing in Maple Leaf City would have an impact, but for now, things were still under control. How they’d be dealt with depended on the Martial Security Bureau’s actions.
With a Sixth Sense attribute of 5, Tang Mubai felt the half-beastmen entering Maple Leaf City had a very clear purpose!
It didn’t seem to be destruction for destruction’s sake, or killing for killing’s sake.
What exactly their goal was, Tang Mubai couldn’t sense yet.
This was already bordering on true precognition and prophecy—one Sixth Sense alone wasn’t enough.
Of course, as for the matter of half-beastmen, Tang Mubai wasn’t involved, nor did he want to be.
He’d knocked out the buzz-cut youth at noon only to avoid implicating the Miracle Restaurant.
If this had happened elsewhere, Tang Mubai wouldn’t have intervened.
…
Wandering aimlessly online, time flew by.
Before he knew it, night had deepened outside the window. As he picked up his cup for a drink, Tang Mubai heard Xu Dalu’s voice from the neighboring room, and a thought struck him.
He now had a professional martial artist certificate, and could try treating Xu Dalu’s leg!
Earlier that afternoon at the slaughterhouse, he’d gained more than forty years of lifespan. Together with what he had left, his total lifespan was now 66.7 years.
Over sixty years—surely enough to heal Xu Dalu’s right leg?
Thinking of this, Tang Mubai opened the system panel and focused his mind on the word “Retainer.”
Whoosh!
The panel flickered and changed.
Retainer—
Xu Dalu (Heal +, Strengthen +, Energize +), Affection Level 99/100
…
The display was still as usual.
Tang Mubai was about to try pressing the “+” when his Sixth Sense suddenly halted him.
“Wait! If I heal him now and succeed, Grandpa Xu will definitely notice!”
“A leg that’s been lame for decades suddenly gets better—he’s bound to be shocked!”
“If I wait until he’s asleep, and heal him in his dreams, perhaps he’ll accept it more easily.”
With this in mind, Tang Mubai exited the system panel, listened carefully to the sounds next door for a while, then continued surfing the web.
An hour later, he shut down his computer, stepped outside, and stood by Xu Dalu’s door, listening intently to the sounds inside, confirming that Xu Dalu was asleep and breathing steadily.
Only then did he return to his own room, open the system panel, and select “Retainer.”
He focused on the “Heal +” option beside Xu Dalu’s name and tried pressing “+.”
Whoosh!
The panel flickered—the font and symbol for “Heal +” suddenly became lighter.
Examining closely, the words “Heal” and the “+” had faded by a third!
“So that means it succeeded? But it needs three rounds?”
Tang Mubai pondered.
Returning to the system panel, he saw the lifespan bar had changed from 66.7 years to 56.7—ten years less!
“Healing once costs ten years of lifespan? Not too much!”
Tang Mubai grinned and refrained from continuing.
It wasn’t that he was unwilling to spend 20 years, but dividing the treatment into three stages suited his intentions more.
If Xu Dalu’s leg was restored all at once, however miraculous, he’d still be somewhat suspicious.
Three stages, each better than the last—Xu Dalu would surely accept it more easily.
Having made up his mind, Tang Mubai exited the system and went to sleep.
Before dawn, he suddenly woke to sounds outside his door.
Lying in bed, he listened closely for a while and exhaled in relief, not getting up.
Someone had indeed entered the room, but it was a familiar face!