Chapter Ninety-Four: I Never Considered You a Friend

An unbelievable suspicion flashed through Xu Nuo’s mind.

After that conversation with Luo Guo, Luo Guo’s attitude towards Xu Nuo had softened considerably, though only towards Xu Nuo.

“Hey, have you heard? That group of stinking cultivators from the Immortal Realm are coming again.”

Everywhere on the streets, people were discussing the day’s sensational rumors. After the mysterious bloodbath at the Enraptured Pavilion, word had spread that the cultivators planned to declare war on the Demon Realm. Yet, just like before, the demons were not fearful in the least; instead, they were energized, as if injected with adrenaline.

The difficulty of Xu Nuo’s challenge had just risen several more notches.

“Hiss…” Xu Nuo bit down on a bandage and winced as she accidentally brushed her wound.

007 complained sorrowfully: “I remember promising you before that this world would be simple and easy to complete.”

“Mm, so?” Xu Nuo struggled to apply medicine to her injury.

“I’m realizing that no matter what I say beforehand, everything becomes invalid later,” 007 lamented. Just like the plot—completely uncontrollable.

Xu Nuo asked calmly, “Are you blaming me?”

“Um…” 007 hesitated, then decided to be honest, “A little.”

“But this time, the bug isn’t entirely your fault. If I hadn’t taken the liberty of assigning you to this kind of world, we wouldn’t have encountered these accidents. Host, do you blame me?”

“No, I don’t,” Xu Nuo replied. “Actually, I find it quite interesting.”

007 felt it was difficult to understand this host’s way of thinking. “Because of the plot changes, the original mid-to-late Immortal-Demon war is happening much earlier.”

In the original story, Lu Ciyuan, leading the demons, fought a cataclysmic war against the cultivators—and won, without suspense. But Lu Ciyuan had yet to reach his full strength, and with the plot so derailed, not even the algorithm could predict what would happen next.

After 007 finished outlining the seriousness of the situation, Xu Nuo asked about what truly concerned her. “Can’t we leave early?”

007 was silent for a moment. “In theory, yes, but actually, I can’t do that. Forcibly leaving a world where the script has collapsed so badly would put that world at great risk of collapse.”

“So your ‘in theory’ means hacking the system?” Xu Nuo pressed.

Annoyed, 007 admitted, “If I did that again, I’d be permanently deleted.”

Suddenly, Xu Nuo inquired, “I’m curious—could you, in theory, extract an NPC’s data from the game and bring it into the real world?”

“Uh?” 007 was stunned for several seconds. “Why would you think of that?”

“In reality, plenty of people treat two-dimensional characters as their spouses. Why not a data husband?” Xu Nuo replied.

“In theory…” 007 answered with some difficulty, “It’s similar to data transfer, but the data is incompatible with your real-world devices.”

007’s mind shifted, as if discovering a new world. “Do you have a favorite character you’d like to bring into reality?” So, the host had also been conquered by these romance games!

“Something like that. I have quite a few I like,” Xu Nuo recited a long string of names, seemingly offhand, “If I could turn them all into little elves on my phone or computer, could your technology manage it?”

007 was speechless. Most of these names were unfamiliar, and some were even women’s names—yet not a single one was a romance target.

“Don’t you like any of the main romance targets?” 007 couldn’t help but ask.

Xu Nuo retorted, “Could you bring them to the real world?”

“I’ve never tried,” 007 replied truthfully. “If you really like them, why not enjoy their love for you in the game world?” In other words, please stop with these wild ideas, will you?

Xu Nuo didn’t answer, distracted by voices from the nearby table.

“What? Those stinking cultivators are already at the Abyss?”

“They want us to hand over some hostage, claiming the demons kidnapped one of their sect’s descendants—how ridiculous.”

“If I catch that so-called descendant, I’ll finish her off myself. The nerve to threaten us—it’s laughable.”

“Don’t kill her. The city lord’s orders are to capture her alive.”

“Eh, are you really afraid of those stinking cultivators?”

“It’s not about fear. The city lord is much smarter than you. A live captive is more valuable than a dead one—she can be used to threaten them.”

“Always learning these tricks from the humans…”

Since being favored by a powerful benefactor, Fang Yu and Luo Guo, the two sisters, could come and go freely. As usual, Xu Nuo sat drinking and chatting with them, but today her spirits were low, and she barely touched her wine.

Fang Yu looked at her, concerned. “Young master, what’s wrong today?”

Xu Nuo shook her head. “Nothing, just a bit tired.” In truth, she was injured and shouldn’t drink, but a few sips wouldn’t hurt, so she refilled her cup.

While the Demon Realm was a wasteland for cuisine and most foods were scarce, there was no shortage of alcohol, thanks to a special plant that grew there—perfect for brewing a uniquely pure-tasting wine. Xu Nuo mixed some from her own pack, balancing the flavor so it was fragrant but not overly sweet or harsh. She quickly grew fond of the taste.

“No more,” Luo Guo said, catching Xu Nuo’s hand as she reached for another pour.

“Hmm?” Xu Nuo’s vision was already blurry; she could barely make out Luo Guo’s disapproving expression.

“You really can’t drink any more.” Luo Guo took the jug away with an air of authority that brooked no refusal.

Xu Nuo’s rebellious streak flared, fueled by the alcohol. “Gu Xingze, why are you meddling? What’s wrong with a few drinks?”

Luo Guo’s eyes darkened. “Gu Xingze?”

“No matter where I go, you still have to control me,” Xu Nuo muttered. Gu Xingze had been in charge of meals before—there was always delicious food, but he strictly forbade junk food, spicy snacks, even canned fruit. Xu Nuo had been annoyed yet powerless, since he controlled the kitchen.

“Who is that?” Luo Guo pressed.

“He’s…” Xu Nuo, grossly underestimating the strength of demon-brewed liquor, struggled to think clearly. “He’s very…”

“Very what? Who is he to you?” Luo Guo demanded.

“He’s very quiet, and very nagging. He’s my most…”

“Host, wake up!” 007 urged.

“Ah?” Xu Nuo slurred.

“You lost the challenge!” 007 announced.

“What?!” Xu Nuo snapped awake.

She forced her eyes open, and Luo Guo’s face was close, her eyes as deep and eerie as a bottomless pool.

“Guo’er…” Xu Nuo hastily put some space between them. “Sorry, I was drunk and talking nonsense.”

Luo Guo’s lips curled with a smile. “Is that so? You still haven’t told me—what is he the most of to you?”

Xu Nuo’s head ached. This felt suspiciously like being caught in an affair. “He’s the best cook.”

“A cook? Was he always with you?” Luo Guo pressed.

“It’s all in the past, not important,” Xu Nuo waved her hand dismissively, stuffing the last piece of sour jujube cake into Luo Guo’s open mouth before she could speak.

“Mmm,” Luo Guo replied.

“Is it good? I have more. If you like it, you can have them all,” Xu Nuo offered.

Luo Guo chewed thoughtfully, tasting the sweet and sour flavor. “Did the cook make these too?”

A flush from the wine colored Xu Nuo’s cheeks, but she answered with confidence, “I made them myself.” Her cooking skills were average, but she had learned how to make these snacks from Gu Xingze.

Luo Guo nodded enthusiastically. “Delicious! You’re so skillful, young master. Even our best chefs back home can’t manage such good pastries.”

Few had ever praised Xu Nuo’s culinary abilities, and her vanity was satisfied. “I’ll make them for you again next time, how about that?”

Luo Guo nodded eagerly. “Alright.”

[Affection value +15.]

The system’s notification popped up.

Xu Nuo said to 007, “How interesting. I can’t heal the main romance targets, but I can heal other NPCs.”

007 wasn’t surprised and even began to analyze seriously, “If this world hadn’t collapsed, it might have been recycled and rewritten as another genre of game.”

Xu Nuo looked at the joyful girl before her and wondered, if this game were rewritten, what role would Luo Guo play? And could Lu Ciyuan still be the vengeful male lead?

As she watched, things blurred again, her eyelids grew heavy, and before she realized it, she’d fallen into a deep, dark sleep.

When she woke, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted her. A gentle breeze carried the freshness of morning in through the window, along with the scent of familiar food.

“You’re awake?”

At first, Xu Nuo didn’t respond to the voice, but then a slender hand pushed open the wooden door, revealing the face of Sister Yan.

“It’s you?” Xu Nuo glanced around. The architecture was still clearly Demon Realm style. Memories returned—she had drunk too much the night before, with Luo Guo for company. But where was she now? And why was Sister Yan here?

Worry clouded Sister Yan’s face, but she said nothing, merely urging Xu Nuo to eat first. Only after they finished did she speak her purpose.

“The sect wants to take you back.”

“I figured as much,” Xu Nuo replied.

“Whatever you do, don’t go with them,” Sister Yan said, gripping Xu Nuo’s hand, her eyes full of emotion. “They sent me to kill you.”

Xu Nuo was calm. “Oh? Why?”

“Because you have the Heluo Jade Book. They can’t let you take it away. To retrieve it, they must kill you.”

“I see.” Xu Nuo looked at Sister Yan with interest, then grabbed her wrist and yanked her close. “You’re telling me the truth—aren’t you afraid of betraying your sect?”

Sister Yan shook her head resolutely. “You’re my friend. I’m not afraid.”

“But I never considered you my friend,” Xu Nuo replied.

Sister Yan froze.