Chapter 3: Confession

Listening to the Red-Crested Goose-person girl, Li Mingxing realized that his plan to delay the mission was no longer feasible; if he did not complete it quickly, he would suffer a massive loss of faith.

However, the task before him was a severe challenge, as Li Mingxing had to find substitutes in the real world for the materials needed to build a temple. In truth, all three missions were similar, only requiring different materials. For the temple, the materials needed to not only absorb spiritual energy and faith but also possess the property of anchoring significant divine magic without collapsing. An altar would have been easier, requiring only the ability to communicate with spatial planes in addition to absorbing spiritual energy and faith. The simplest was the shrine, which only needed to absorb and store spiritual energy and faith. It was clear that Li Mingxing had chosen the most difficult task of them all.

Yet, Li Mingxing understood that the hardest tasks yielded the greatest rewards. Completing this early would be highly beneficial for his future growth. While studying the material samples provided by Raymond, Li Mingxing found himself outside the residential complex where Zheng rented an apartment. Just then, Zheng finished work and saw him from afar. Regardless of the people watching, she dashed over and threw herself into his arms.

Li Mingxing only reacted when he felt her gentle embrace. He tucked away the materials and hugged her, stroking her hair. "It’s been hard on you while I was gone."

Zheng shook her head repeatedly, the distress of Li Mingxing’s forty-day disappearance vanishing. She pressed her belongings into his hands and said, "Go home and wait for me; I’m going to buy some groceries and make you something delicious."

As she ran off, Li Mingxing watched her retreating figure with a smile. An elderly neighbor approached him and said, "You must be that girl’s boyfriend. You’re a lucky man. Do you know she waits at the gate for an hour every morning and evening? We see it every day. You’d better cherish such a good girl, young man."

Li Mingxing was struck by how much Zheng had done for him. A wave of tenderness washed over him, and instead of going to her place as she suggested, he waited for her outside the gate. Soon, Zheng returned with a bag full of groceries. Seeing him waiting, a hint of joy lit up her face, though she remarked, "Why are you still standing here? I told you to go inside. It’s embarrassing to be seen like this."

Li Mingxing took the groceries from her and teased, "Since when were you so shy? This doesn't sound like the Senior Zheng I used to know."

Zheng blushed deeply. "You brat, don't you dare talk like that. You were so obedient before, and now you disappear for a month and a half. Tell me, where have you been?"

"My dear senior, this isn't the place to talk. Let’s go inside." Seeing her expression, Li Mingxing’s smile deepened. He held her warm hand and they returned to her room.

Once inside, Li Mingxing closed the doors and drew the curtains. Seeing his actions, Zheng lowered her head, blushing as she whispered, "You dead man, couldn't you wait until after we ate..."

"Wait for what?" Li Mingxing looked back, puzzled.

"You're laughing at me again! I'm not talking to you." Zheng acted with a girlish bashfulness he had never seen before, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Ignoring the distraction, he pulled her into his arms and whispered into her ear, "You’ve always wanted to know where I went and what I was doing. I can tell you now."

At these words, Zheng’s body stiffened. She looked up, staring intently into his eyes with a mix of anxiety and affection. "Did you do something bad?"

"No, I just joined a game—a game of life and death." Li Mingxing calmly recounted everything from the moment he received the business card to his current reality, including his missions in both the Inner World and the real world, hiding nothing.

As he spoke, he felt her body grow cold and rigid. When he finished, he said softly, "Now you know. Being with me means living a life of constant fear. You should leave me."

No sooner had he finished than Zheng snapped angrily, "You big idiot! Why didn't you tell me sooner? What do you take me for?"

Her reaction caught him off guard. She continued, "Do you have any idea how much I want to be by your side and help you with everything? Let's go—take me with you. I want to become your follower."

"No," Li Mingxing shook his head. "I told you all this so you would understand my situation and stay safely at home waiting for me. I don't want you risking your life too."

"I'm going," Zheng said with firm resolve. "I want to be by your side when you are in the greatest danger. I want to be with you always."

Seeing her determination, Li Mingxing regretted his impulsive honesty; he knew he couldn't change her mind. Eventually, he agreed to let her become his follower, but with conditions: for now, she would only serve him in the real world. If necessary, she could help manage his city, but she could only enter the Inner World once he became a Hero and she had leveled one of her skills to level 2.

After all, Zheng was different from his other followers; she was his girlfriend. Her love for him, and his for her, made it impossible for him to let her venture into the most dangerous places. This was his only non-negotiable requirement.

Fortunately, hearing that Li Mingxing would be handling real-world missions for a while, she agreed. She insisted on being taken to the Demon-Transformation Pool to convert into a phantom entity so she could assist him during his real-world missions. Even if she couldn't help directly, she wanted to level up her skill as quickly as possible so she could join him in battle in the Inner World.

Unable to argue with her resolve, Li Mingxing spent the night with her before taking her to the Mysterious Bar. Despite his descriptions, Zheng was shocked by the reality of the place. Li Mingxing smiled, gave her a tour, and brought her to Midaling.

Upon seeing them, Midaling stood up and asked, "Master, is this another one of your harem members?"

Li Mingxing felt awkward, but Zheng didn't seem to mind. She reached out and pinched Midaling’s cheek. "A cute girl indeed. But I’m curious, why would he put you here to sell goods? If it were me, I would have carried you to bed long ago."

"Master has his own arrangements," Midaling replied. "Perhaps he just values my business skills."

Just then, Ayesha, another of Li Mingxing’s subordinates, approached. "Master, after you left, that person named Lava met with four apprentice heroes. Judging by their expressions, three of them have reached some kind of alliance with him."

As Li Mingxing pondered this, he felt a sharp pain at his waist. He turned to find Zheng glaring at him with resentment. He sighed, knowing the cause, and offered a helpless smile. "It’s an accident."

"I know," she said. "But I'll let these two slide. If I catch you flirting again, just wait and see how I deal with you."

Watching her fierce expression, Li Mingxing could only laugh helplessly. After a brief word with Midaling and Ayesha, he dragged Zheng toward the Demon-Transformation Pool.