Chapter 26: Shadows of the Primordial

It sounds very high-end,

but he really isn’t!

He’s just an ordinary beast tamer who has just been promoted to the Red Copper rank and is still being hunted by the Nightmare Beast.

However, it seems like it could also be…

Lu Yu suddenly thought of something.

He had once witnessed the forbidden sun without any issues, and the Eye of Truth had emphasized that there were no anomalies in his experience; even the forbidden memories just attracted monsters instead of eroding his soul.

Does this mean that as the “Master of the Door”, he also possesses a part of the forbidden status,

though it’s a super low-end, Pinduoduo version? The only effect is that he won’t be overwhelmed by high-dimensional information pollution of the same forbidden kind, but the related memories will still turn into a curse.

As for the ability to backlash, he had just tested it and still couldn’t use it actively.

Unless the other party is directly exploring the Key of Truth, even direct divination of him would not trigger the backlash of the Key of Truth.

There’s quite a feeling of “the weak are not worthy to be my master.”

This age’s arrogant and outdated version needs to go offline—bring me an overpowered protagonist for free!

Lu Yu complains in his heart, not disappointed, but at least now he knows one way to use the “Key of Truth.”

He doesn’t want to awaken those strange shadows unless necessary, as even a fleeting glimpse of them just now made him feel danger.

Because these guys…

Don’t follow his control at all.

Just like a scumbag, they only care about leaving offspring, not about raising them.

And to wear the crown, one must bear its weight.

The power of the forbidden will also come with a corresponding price, but if there’s indeed a life-and-death crisis, he wouldn’t hesitate to become a kamikaze and perish together with the opponent.

Although this brainstorm might seem like a battle of wits with the air, at least the result is somewhat correct.

Lu Yu kindly says, “In that case, senior sister, you should use this ability less…”

This time, they encountered his counterfeit version, next time against the real deal and it would be all over.

“Why not use it?”

Luo Qingyue’s ahoge sways excitably as she says, “The more the forbidden dependents and minions wander, the greater the secrets hidden in ancient history, with endless potential for excavation.”

No, there are no secrets—

Woman, don’t get so excited!

Because I did it!

Lu Yu is stunned, then he hears Luo Qingyue continue:

“But what you said is correct, we can’t just barge in recklessly; that would be granting ourselves death. So we need to take the time to improve our strength and find or study some methods to resist Them. Maybe we can bypass these twisted shadows, bypass that forbidden existence, the ‘Shadows of the Primordial,’ and uncover the secrets hidden in the past years.

As your senior, I must tell you, once you start pursuing knowledge, it’s not that you are seeking it or that the knowledge is seeking you, it’s chasing after you. As merciless as a hawk chasing a rabbit, once it starts, it cannot stop—I am now also eroded by the mysterious.

Moreover, the Ancient Bookworm can provoke that forbidden being’s anomalies, perhaps it’s related to the river of history. If we can thoroughly research it, maybe we can find the correct evolutionary path for the Ancient Bookworm…”

It’s me who is eroding you!

Although he doesn’t know what to say, this theory of ‘knowledge chasing after people’ makes Lu Yu quite agreeable, very aptly illustrating the nature of this strange world of beast tamers.

Like a forbidden curse, even if one survives, one will always bear the malice of fate. Once one touches the mysterious, there is no qualification to retreat or else one will be mercilessly devoured.

What makes him awkward and socially “dead” is

how Luo Qingyue even came up with a nickname for it?

The so-called Shadows of the Primordial!

The great existence that cut off ancient history and buried everything under its shadows.

Though it’s a bit embarrassing, my pseudonym is much cooler than me…

Luo Qingyue’s speech also leaves him utterly speechless. Although the reasoning process is highly exaggerated and ridiculous, the final conclusion is actually all correct!

The information hinted at by the Eye of Truth did mention that reckless exploration and changes to history would attract the pursuit of mysterious beings.

He is just a fake, so weird shadows will not appear again in the future. This crisis directly prepared Luo Qingyue in advance, making future explorations more steady. To some extent, it avoided many death crises.

The evolution of the Ancient Bookworm is indeed related to the river of history. If the torn pages that gave birth to the Ancient Bookworm can wash through the river of history, then other pages from the book are likely also in a segment of that history.

If Luo Qingyue finds them, there will be a chance to evolve into an ancient scholar butterfly and summon historical projections to serve her.

Hey, is this woman really not the embodiment of destiny or the child of the world or something?

Wrestling with the air and still obtaining a wealth of correct knowledge.

Almost like a carbon copy of my pondering power!

Is it still not too late to flatter her now?

Lu Yu feels like a side character, and by convention, he should shout, “How terrifying, this woman has a way of seeking death.”

“That’s right, studying history is indeed the way to go!”

Luo Qingyue is like a traveler who has found a lighthouse in the dark, her bright eyes revealing an expression of an excited scientific researcher.

By coincidence, she found a new direction in historical research, which made Luo Qingyue unable to stay still for a moment. She turned over onto her deer and, without looking back, said:

“Junior brother, I’ve already recorded the video. After editing out the polluted part, I will hand it over to the school for you. The credits will then automatically be transferred to your account. I need to go now!”

At this moment, the massive lion-faced deer also recovered from the oppression of the eerie shadows, regaining the dominating aura it should have as a creature of its rank. Its huge figure suddenly leapt up, leaving this place that caused it mental shadows.

Watching her departing figure, Lu Yu shakes his head and mutters, “What a strange senior sister…”

Although the process was odd, in the end, he still managed to conceal his secret.

However, this incident served as a reminder to him not to underestimate anyone. Before finding a time-related or fate-related pet, he would need to cover his tracks with the power of space.

Since everything is dealt with, Lu Yu naturally didn’t have a reason to stay and went straight home with Little Spider.

On the way, unlike the earlier ignored and disdainful gazes, most people now looked at him with fear and curiosity. Some even took the initiative to greet him; obviously, the news of the earlier battle had spread within the school.

Mr. Yang Jiang said that when you reach a certain height, the whole world treats you with courtesy.

Lu Yu nods at this and does not become arrogant nor shows intimacy, his expression neither joyful nor sad.

This calm attitude made many people regret not getting closer to him earlier.

But Lu Yu doesn’t care what they think.

To be born amidst dust and drown in a sea of people is the fate of most, and it was his mindset in his previous life too.

But in this world, with a fist you hold power, and the mighty come to oneself.

An individual can surpass the collective!

Therefore, he doesn’t need to wear a mask and can fully pursue the life he wants, exploring this magnificent world, and even gamble with those forbidden beings that use common men as fodder and heroes as pawns, to attain true freedom.

Even if, in the end…

he dies upon the high pedestal of his ideals, it is still a kind of romance.

Passing by the guard room, Lu Yu slows his pace, not to see Grandpa Qin’s shocked expression, but just because he finds the sunset too beautiful and wants to take his time enjoying it.

As a result, he went back and forth three times but saw no one come out. On peeking in, he found that Grandpa Qin was about to dine with his four-eared dog, Tang Baihu.

A plate of pickled cabbage and bamboo shoots, a plate of fried peanuts, two braised chicken drumsticks, two bowls of fragrant white rice, poured two shots of liquor, and listened to the radio music—this simple life sure is moist!

Seeing it makes him want to become a guard and skip forty years of detours.

Grandpa Qin glances at Lu Yu outside the window, pretending not to see, while Tang Baihu eagerly waits to eat. Seemingly, the four ears do not hear the world’s affairs.

Lu Yu strongly condemns Grandpa Qin’s deliberate choice to ignore him and leaves furiously.

Grandpa Qin sips a little liquor, squints one eye, showing a sly smile, with wrinkles squeezing together like a blossoming chrysanthemum.

This kid wants to show off in front of him?

Too green!

Having been a gatekeeper for so many years and seen countless geniuses, none of them could show off in front of him.

He is known in the martial world as the “Old Sixth Gatekeeper.”

Moreover, Grandpa Qin, well-versed in the art of war, is ready to turn the tables and make Lu Yu question his life!

“This kid probably won’t be able to sleep tonight!”

Grandpa Qin smiles amiably, ready to start eating, but then freezes.

“Woof woof woof!”

The impatient four-eared dog jumps onto the chair, ready to enjoy its reward for a day of hard patrolling, but when it sees the empty plates, it is dumbfounded!

“That scoundrel!”

“WOOF‼”

Rushing outside, they discover that Lu Yu and Little Spider have already boarded a bus, eating chicken drumsticks and waving goodbye to them.

“Grandpa Qin is as enthusiastic as ever!”

Lu Yu says with a smile. On the bus, amidst the roar of the engine, it’s impossible to hear what they’re saying, but from their looks, their eyes seem quite excited.

Admittedly, Grandpa Qin’s cooking skills aren’t bad, and Lu Yu vaguely remembers that the guy has a secret little vegetable garden.

Grandpa Lu’s kindness can’t bear to see the vegetables wilt and die from the upcoming heat, so he thinks of a solution—to eat them ahead of time.

So he happily decides to dig up some vegetables next time and drop by for another taste of Grandpa Qin’s culinary skills.

“Ying ying!”

Little Spider holds a drumstick almost as large as itself and carefully nibbles at it, then nods vigorously.

Chicken drumsticks are delicious!

“What a cunning move of stealing under one’s nose…”

In front of the guard room, a man and a dog watch the departing bus, their shadows elongated by the setting sun.

It feels like…

they won’t be able to sleep tonight!