Universe Infinite Canteen-Chapter 621: Creating Sin

"It was shattered by Shangguan Jiyuan."

"Hm?"

Pretty Boy sighed, "You read the original text when you came in, right?"

"Uh, I did read a bit of the recent chapter."

"—Then do you remember a line in the original text, 'Shangguan Jiyuan's rampant laughter pierced through the night sky,'" said Zhu Jiu, "That missing piece above us, that's how it came to be."

"Ah?"

"It's not just at night, the day is even more of a disaster zone, because the Big Writer really likes to use such descriptions, so during the day, there are no less than nine holes above our heads, all poked through by the laughter of different people."

As if a floodgate of complaints had opened, Zhu Jiu couldn't help but grumble, "Look at the hemp sacks everyone's carrying behind them."

"That really is strange. I get beggars carrying hemp sacks, but why does the whole city, regardless of gender, age, or social status, even the merchants and nobles, all have sacks?"

"Because those are their wallets."

"Wallets?"

"Inflation hit rock bottom. Around the 400,000-word mark, a steamed bun started costing two hundred Gold Coins, so now, when people shop, they have to lug around those sacks, don't they?" murmured Zhu Jiu sorrowfully.

"Okay, and what about those colorful lights above our heads?"

"Fate and luck. The Big Writer saw how popular that setting was and stitched it right into our universe."

"Um, I also saw quite a few mournful processions in the city."

"They're all victims of Yun Potian, that killing machine. He's like a keg of gunpowder; ignite him with a glance, and he thinks you're out to get him.

"Then he decides to strike first. We can see the original text and stay away from him, which works out fine, but the locals here don't know the danger, or even if they do, they can't dodge the sudden drop in IQ that plot dictates.

"The Tuoba Family had it the worst. Because one of their youngsters quarreled with someone surnamed Yun over a Red Youth Grass, and as a result, all one hundred and twenty-four members of their household, including maids, servants, and nearby tenant farmers, were all flattened by a sweep of his Heaven Measuring Ruler. Oh, what misery."

"The key point is that the Red Youth Grass was originally in the Tuoba Family's valley. Yun Potian stole their Spirit Grass, then killed people, and afterwards, shamelessly claimed he was ridding the world of evil, hey, no matter how you spin it, he's always in the right, eh?"

Zhu Jiu shook his head helplessly, "There's no helping it, who asked him to be the protagonist? The Qianlong Continent was thriving and prosperous, and along comes Yun Potian, bringing disaster wherever he goes, a walking natural disaster.

"I'm telling you, the only reason the Shangguan Family hasn't been annihilated is that Shangguan Xiaoxiao has a good relationship with him, being the book's heroine. Otherwise, by my estimate, the Shangguan Family would have been doomed by now.

"Everyone's just hoping that after he gets married, he'll lessen his thirst for blood and fewer people will die, so we can live our lives in peace—hey, what's with that look?"

"No worries," Ma Lu said, "I just remembered, I think I forgot to turn off the stove when I left, there's still something stewing on it."

"Oh, what are we going to do about that? Why don't you head back first? We can arrange to meet up another time. Let's not have a fire hazard on our hands," Zhu Jiu expressed concern.

"No, no, it's fine, my girlfriend is at home. She should take care of it," Ma Lu quickly glossed over it, definitely not admitting that the upcoming calamity of the Shangguan Family and him were related.

It would be for the best if Zheng Qian, in the midst of writing, changed his mind and decided to make peace between Yun Potian and the Shangguan Family.

Although Ma Lu felt the chances were slim.

However, Zheng Qian had after all hit a dead end, so it wasn't surprising that he conjured up something toxic.

Just as he was thinking, a figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the street—it was Old Wang, yet the hospital gown he had worn before was gone. In its place, he now donned a monk's robe and wore a conical hat on his head.

"Old Wang!" Ma Lu called out to him with a wave.

Old Wang saw him and moved this way.

After the two men joined up, Ma Lu was about to introduce Zhu Jiu to Old Wang when he turned his head, only to find that the latter had disappeared.

Suddenly, a huge and terrifying Heaven Measuring Ruler appeared in the sky above the Shangguan Family's residence.

At the same time, Ma Lu suddenly realized he was frozen in place. The next moment, the eyeball that loomed over the Shangguan Family's sky vanished and relocated above the heads of Ma Lu and Old Wang.

Their necks seemed twisted by an invisible force to face in the direction of the Shangguan Family's residence, and immediately afterward, looks of fear spread across their faces.

Fortunately, this process was brief. As that eyeball returned to the Shangguan Family, they regained control of their bodies.

Zhu Jiu also emerged from a nearby shadow. He looked in the direction of the Shangguan Family, his expression fluctuating. A moment later, he stamped his foot and said,

"Beasts, real beasts, this murderer! How could he have wiped out the Shangguan Family as well! Shangguan Xiaoxiao was even detained at home by her father for his sake, and now with his mighty move, everything's gone!"

The instigator, Ma Lu, was extremely embarrassed and dared not make a sound.

Fortunately, Zhu Jiu seemed to realize it was useless to keep cursing and stopped after a while. He then clasped his hands toward Ma Lu and Old Wang, saying, "I have caused you to see a farce."

"No derision, no derision at all," Ma Lu hurriedly waved his hand, paused, and then tentatively added, "This... now that the Shangguan Family is gone, does it affect you all?"

"Certainly it does, because we were their trading partners. However, there are many similar families in the Qianlong Continent; it's just going to mean traveling farther.

"Sigh, let it be. Everyone has been killed by someone with the surname Yun; the clan leader will worry about what's to follow. Distinguished guests, please come back with me to our clan," Zhu Jiu said, sounding disheartened.

"Alright."

The distance of fifty li was not short, and Ma Lu thought they would need a horse carriage for an hour or two. But Zhu Jiu waved his hand and summoned an Undying Divine Crane.

That crane, it was unclear what it fed on, looked incredibly majestic. It spread its wings, which spanned seven to eight meters wide, and even with three people sitting on its back, it didn't seem to struggle at all.

"This is the Undying Divine Crane," Zhu Jiu explained. "A Sixth-Order Mutant Beast capable of traveling thousands of li in a day."

"Typical of a fantasy novel to have such flashy mounts," Ma Lu remarked.

On the way back, Ma Lu asked Zhu Jiu several more questions, including why they lived inside books, what the deal was with Zheng Qian, and how to get out of the books.

Zhu Jiu answered each question: The true identity of the Candle Clan people was as characters from a book, confined to living within the literary world, unable to come into reality.

However, they could migrate from one book to another through certain methods, though not just any book would suffice—they could only reside within the works of a Big Writer.

Big Writer was not a race but a profession. Novelists across the Multiverse had the opportunity to unlock this secret career, although the writer themselves might not be aware of it.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

Ma Lu asked Zhu Jiu, "Did Zheng Qian end up in a mental institution because he became a Big Writer?"

"No," Zhu Jiu said. "His coming here was his own issue. Being a Big Writer has nothing to do with writing ability, nor does it affect his earnings. His failure is purely because... he wrote poorly."