Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 983: Chapter 27: The Scales of Fate

“It seems you’ve heard of me, little brother?”

Lord Longyang’s question was quite direct, as if he wanted to know whether he was indeed recognized… maybe.

“I did read about it in historical books.”

Luo Qiu thought for a moment and said, mainly because — Lord Longyang did not intend to move forward, and this distance was just outside Luo Qiu’s guarded range.

Lord Longyang nodded, melancholically, “The last time I left the crack for the outside world, it was during the Zhenguan era. I wonder, little brother, what year is it now?”

“Zhenguan?” Luo Qiu was slightly taken aback.

“Indeed.” Lord Longyang nodded, and then asked with interest, “Have you ever heard the name Li Taibai?”

“Li… what?” Luo Qiu blinked his eyes.

Lord Longyang said nostalgically, “Li Taibai, also known as ‘Green Lotus Immortal,’ was one of the most talented people I’ve ever met in my life. ‘Magnificent horses and thousand gold fur coats, call the child to bring fine wine, and together we’ll drink away all eternal sorrows.’ ”

He seemed to be chanting, his gaze gradually softening, “Drinking under the moonlight with Brother Taibai was truly one of life’s greatest pleasures. At that time… oh, how beautiful the moonlight was.”

What the heck is “the moonlight was so beautiful”…

What is your relationship…

Don’t put on that bashful face…

I feel like if this goes on, all modern literature textbooks will be torn apart…

“Sorry, I’ve only read about it in historical books.” Luo Qiu said calmly, “The era I am in is more than a thousand years after ‘Zhenguan.’

Lord Longyang slowly sighed, suddenly showing a hint of shimmering tears, revealing a lingering grief, as if having a thousand knots in his heart… and yet, he’s a man!

But Lord Longyang’s sorrow quickly disappeared, and he replaced it with a bright smile, “The past has let little brother laugh at me… but it’s probably time. Let’s take a look at the situation with this Void Primordial Demon.”

“Void Primordial Demon?” Luo Qiu was startled, subconsciously turning around to look at the deep pit left by the strange creature after burrowing into the wilderness, “That thing?”

“Indeed.” Lord Longyang nodded, then said seriously, “These are unique creatures of this place, the Void Primordial Demons. But do you know how they are formed?”

“I would like to hear more.”

Lord Longyang said, “They are the obsession of all living beings after death, transformed. After becoming Void Primordial Demons, they no longer have their original thoughts and emotions. Although they have already transformed into another type of individual, their former obsessions still linger. It’s as if a void appears in their hearts. They desperately need to devour something to fill this void. However, this void does not belong to the Void Primordial Demons but to their former selves; hence, this emptiness exists and yet does not exist. So, no matter how much they devour, they cannot fill this ‘void.’ They can only repeat their instinctual needs and continue their activities.”

When Lord Longyang finished saying this, a slight trembling suddenly emerged from the deep pit in front, as if something was surging from below.

A bulky body, just like that giant strange creature Luo Qiu had seen not long ago—yet, this thing’s body was covered in dense scales… it no longer resembled a bug.

It looked like a snake.

Yet more bizarrely, the snake’s head had transformed into Qiao An’s face—her body almost seamlessly connected to the original Void Primordial Demon.

Or it should be said, the lower half of Sweater Qiao An’s body had completely turned into a huge, thick serpentine form—simultaneously, her arms and torso were also covered in those dense scales.

“Such filthy True Souls.” Lord Longyang at this moment raised his head to take a look, “It has unexpectedly turned around to become the dominant force. Little brother, is this the person you came to look for?”

Luo Qiu, staring at Sweater Qiao An and the new form merged with the Void Primordial Demon, suddenly asked, “Is it possible for devoured True Souls to also take over the original Void Primordial Demon’s control?”

Lord Longyang nodded, “It happens, but such cases are generally rare. After all, the formation of a Void Primordial Demon is not an overnight process. A newcomer taking over something that originally exists is no easy feat… hmm, judging by the fluctuation of the aura, this new Void Primordial Demon is likely mutating towards the mature stage of an Ancestral Void Demon… having just merged and yet rapidly growing to such a degree, it seems its growth potential is quite impressive.”

Having transformed into a Void Primordial Demon, Sweater Qiao An’s eyes had changed into those of a snake. Her fingers became sharp short blades, and beneath her lips, long sharp fangs protruded.

“Little brother, could this demon be left to me?” Lord Longyang suddenly asked.

Luo Qiu cast a curious glance.

Lord Longyang calmly unsheathed his Sword and pointed it at the humanoid serpent Void Primordial Demon, smiling, “Just a small task, it is. We all need to bring back some Void Primordial Demons and Ancestral Void Demons… and this mutation can match up to many ordinary Void Primordial Demons, thus saving a lot of trouble.”

“Oh?”

Lord Longyang again chuckled lightly, charmingly saying, “Little brother is new to this place, and it’s not surprising to not be aware of many things… once this is over, you’re welcome to my abode, where I shall clarify the doubts for you, and I would love to have a heart-to-heart talk, understanding the customs of the present world!”

“…Let’s handle this first.” Luo Qiu vaguely eyed the current Void Primordial Demon.

Lord Longyang eyed Luo Qiu with a slight smile, then gracefully leaped forward, his bright red robe like a blooming red flower, with the grace of the sword flourishing in that instant as well.

It is said that Lord Longyang of the Wei Kingdom was a prodigious Swordsman with transcendental swordsmanship… hmm, Luo Qiu did not know swordsmanship, but he did take a few more glances.

At this moment, Lord Longyang landed on the enormous stone stalagmite, standing with his sword, facing the humanoid serpent Void Primordial Demon that was dozens of times larger than him, without fear.

In an instant, the Longsword moved, and on the body of the enormous humanoid serpent Void Primordial Demon, hundreds of sword marks exploded dramatically.

A piercing scream emitted from the mouth of this humanoid serpent Void Primordial Demon.

Luo Qiu could no longer find the face of Sweater Qiao An he remembered in the current Void Primordial Demon’s features. He merely watched the Void Primordial Demon quietly under Lord Longyang’s swordsmanship—but it wasn’t completely killed.

It seemed that Lord Longyang’s claim of catching it alive was indeed true.

The dimensional crack should be the base camp for those Transcendents… Lord Longyang was probably one of them too.

Though curious about what these Transcendents were doing capturing these Void Primordial Demons—Luo Qiu didn’t plan to keep Song Haoran and Song Ying, who were still in the Mirror World, waiting too long.

There was always a feeling that with Song Haoran’s temperament, some trouble would occur.

…

Rumblings—!!

As the enormous humanoid serpent Void Primordial Demon finally fell weakly to the ground, ceaselessly wailing, Lord Longyang swiftly sheathed the Longsword he held in his hand into the Scabbard.

He flicked the drooping fringe of his hair, chuckled lightly, and then spread out his fingers, and a black hole suddenly absorbed the fallen Void Primordial Demon.

Lord Longyang smiled contentedly, leaping down from the stone stalagmite, “Little brother, sorry to keep you waiting… where is he?”

When he landed, he could no longer see any trace of Luo Qiu?

Lord Longyang looked around in surprise, finding no trace at all… he didn’t even notice when this little brother left.

“It seems this little brother indeed has exceptional capabilities.” Lord Longyang smiled, muttering to himself, “I am truly looking forward to the next encounter; it’s been a long time since I’ve met such an intriguing gentleman.”

Saying so, Lord Longyang suddenly slapped his forehead with regret, “Oh dear, I forgot to ask his name!”

…

…

After quietly leaving, Luo Qiu quickly moved to another massive floating piece of wasteland.

He used some tricks when leaving, probably Lord Longyang would not be able to find him.

Even so, Luo Qiu still felt somewhat uneasy.

If the tendency to attract incidents was activated after becoming the club owner, then what the heck was this recent tendency of encountering males with a particular interest in men…

However, Luo Qiu soon found White-clad Qiao An, who had fallen from the Mirror World on this new wasteland.

Luckier than Sweater Qiao An, she apparently hadn’t encountered any Void Primordial Demons after her fall.

When Luo Qiu found her, White-clad Qiao An was wandering alone on this wasteland—she hadn’t given up searching for Paul, and she perhaps himself was unaware that Paul was also eventually thrown into the dimensional crack.

This determination probably exceeded what she could achieve through normal reasoning.

Luo Qiu followed behind Qiao An in white like this, watching her wander for a long distance. Later on, Qiao An suddenly stopped and found a place to sit down.

She buried her face in her knees, hugging her legs tightly.

Everything around was gray, without day or night, and she was alone.

Later, she seemed to hear some footsteps, and slowly lifted her head, eagerly calling out, “Paul… is that you!”

To her surprise, the one she encountered was the mysterious young man who saw through her true self, “How did you also…”

“I think I didn’t wake you, did I?” Luo Qiu approached Qiao An in white, looking down at her.

Her face was somewhat dusty, probably stained from this desolate land, and the gritty mud had further smeared this pretty face into a mess due to tears, like melted makeup.

Qiao An was indeed a delicate beauty, no matter which dimension she was in.

“You… were you also thrown down here?”

Luo Qiu looked at Qiao An in white in some amazement… If his memory wasn’t wrong, then the conversation between him and A Lai Ye should have been heard by her too.

So, as long as she understood the meaning of his conversation with A Lai Ye, Qiao An in white should have definitely known one thing: it was impossible for A Lai Ye to actively throw Luo Qiu down.

Seeing Luo Qiu’s expression, Qiao An in white had to apologize, “I’m sorry, actually, I didn’t pay attention to you at that time. Paul looked so scared, I was only thinking about how to calm him down.”

Which means, she didn’t listen at all or care.

In her world, under such sudden changes, she focused only on Paul.

Luo Qiu slowly squatted down, pulling out a clean white handkerchief from his body, and under Qiao An’s astonished gaze, he wiped the dirt off her face with his own hands, “Do you have an answer now?”

Qiao An was stunned.

She didn’t know how long she had been wandering in this wilderness, only feeling exhausted in both body and mind, barely forcing herself to sit down and rest.

Luo Qiu began to wipe her other cheek, and Qiao An in white moved her lips, appearing somewhat dazed.

“It’s okay.” Luo Qiu said softly, “It’s pretty quiet here, quiet enough to calm someone… The answer doesn’t necessarily have to be known.”

“What about Paul…” She vaguely hoped for something.

“When I came down, I didn’t see the child.” Luo Qiu said.

Qiao An in white let out a breath of relief and curled up again. Although the dirt on her face had been wiped clean, it also revealed her fatigue, and she said faintly, “I don’t know how Paul is doing now, if she’ll treat him well…”

“Do you… think she won’t treat him well?” Luo Qiu suddenly asked.

Qiao An in white shook her head, “I don’t know, just, if it were me…”

She shook her head again, then looked at Luo Qiu, showing a bitter smile, “Actually, I’ve seen quite a few Pauls already.”

Luo Qiu showed a listening expression.

Qiao An in white whispered, “They… some of them had just been born, that small, not even opening their eyes. And some had already learned to walk, jumping around…”

She instinctively grabbed Luo Qiu’s arm, her eyes shining with pride, “They are all excellent, some love drawing, some love singing.”

She smiled, “And some are as big as Paul, can smile, can walk, very mischievous, and will laugh at me! When they laugh at me…”

As if realizing all these were long gone, Qiao An in white quickly fell silent.

She still shook her head, “But, they’re actually not my Paul. I know it, I’m very clear, they… they are not, they… they all have their own mothers.”

Luo Qiu sat down.

“Do you know? When you asked me if I really was this child’s mother… I was really scared.” Qiao An in white rested her chin on her knees, just looking ahead, “I was afraid… afraid I couldn’t find him again.”

“So you appeared in front of Paul at the airport?” Luo Qiu looked at this Qiao An, “Because you knew, his real mother wasn’t there.”

“It wasn’t on purpose.” She looked at Luo Qiu, wanting to say something but stopping, “I just… I just… just… I really didn’t intend to take away someone else’s child. Because I know the pain of losing a child. I… I just wanted to see him again, I always felt, I thought, if on the day of the accident, Paul also, like me… also jumped. I’ve always told myself, can only tell myself this…”

She was already speaking in grief, even somewhat choked, as if a lump was in her throat, “I… I can find him, I will find him… he… he’s always been waiting for me.”

“Please give me an answer, okay.” Luo Qiu suddenly asked softly.

In a daze, Qiao An in white moved her lips, “If… if possible, I would rather keep jumping in different dimensions until… until the day I find him. I think, maybe I will go crazy? Am I… is it silly of me?”

Luo Qiu looked at her, turned the handkerchief to a clean place, and gently wiped the tear marks on her face, “You’ve jumped among many different dimensions, seen many children, undoubtedly, if you were like her and willing to replace one in so many dimensions, perhaps, you would have been happy already, right?”

Qiao An in white’s lips slightly folded, trembling.

Luo Qiu’s voice got lighter, “But you’ve never done that, have you? Even if the child means more than your life to you, yet you still don’t want to take someone else’s child.”

Luo Qiu raised his hand, a glimmer of light flickering within his palm, gradually expanding.

Within that faint white holy light was the initial form of a life… Although it wasn’t yet clear to see all the features, nor were the limbs fully defined, it was undoubtedly a complete life.”

Qiao An in white trembled as she reached out, wanting to touch this tiny, independent life, yet hesitated and withdrew before touching.

Suddenly, she heard the heartbeat of this little life, a sound seemingly in complete sync with her own heartbeat.

Her tears continued to fall, yet she stood there dazed.

“He is also Paul, just never truly glimpsed the world, only considered ever having arrived.”

Luo Qiu looked at Qiao An at this moment, “Time and space are relative, for how many dimensions you are blessed and favored in, there will be as many where misfortune surrounds you. Perhaps you belong to the unfortunate side, but even so, you never thought of taking another fortunate Qiao An’s life to rewrite something. You… for someone like you, even though destiny has subjected you to all this, but at least…”

Luo Qiu smiled and said, “At least here with me, there’s a share of fortune that belongs to you… So, are you willing to accept it?”

“Why…” She stared blankly at this mysterious young man.

“Perhaps I’m feeling a little freer right now.”

Saying so, Luo Qiu gently pressed the light sphere containing that initial life into Qiao An’s abdomen.

It slowly integrated into Qiao An’s body.

Qiao An suddenly embraced her abdomen tightly, lost in thought.

“Go on.” Luo Qiu waved his hand at this moment, “Rebalance the scales of fortune and misfortune… The fortunate side has been too ruined, so let the unfortunate side make amends… The world, the world won’t do anything to you.”

…

Within the interdimensional crevice, the gray tones receded from Qiao An’s eyes at this instant.

Like a projection, the barren land instantly turned lush and verdant, and when she came to her senses, she was already in a peaceful park.

She was seated on a park bench.

But she suddenly saw a girl with blue hair and blue eyes before her… A Lai Ye.

This was a world that had once had Qiao An, but didn’t anymore… a world among many dimensions belonging to a fortunate Qiao An.

[Intelligent Universal Administrator A Lai Ye, number 041, at your service.]

A dream…?

She thought.

So she gently touched her abdomen, tears falling in big drops, “Really… really thank you so much.”