Linbiangui Village-Infinite Streaming Chapter 16

Infinite World

“As I said before, when multiple similar spiritual entities gather, they form an Infinite World. Multiple spiritual entities mean there might be multiple Infinite Worlds. What’s happening outside the window now is a world reshaping. You two… might be entering the second Infinite World,” Uncle A Dong said with some hesitation, afraid Chen Jin might beat him up.

Chen Jin felt all the strength drain from his body. He sank weakly to the floor, leaning his back against the bed frame, his head resting on his knees, utterly silent.

Uncle A Dong didn’t dare speak either. He just quietly fetched the small medicine box and treated Wu Zeng’s wounds.

“Brother Zeng, Brother Jin, I might be leaving soon.” Uncle A Dong secretly glanced at Chen Jin, who still hadn’t looked up. “Thank you for helping me pass the trial.”

Chen Jin found the words laughable. The one who had struggled and schemed couldn’t leave, yet the one who benefited was free to come and go. It wasn’t that he was angry Uncle A Dong could leave; Chen Jin just felt pathetic. No matter how hard he tried over the years, he could never get what he wanted.

In a daze, Chen Jin felt himself plummeting into darkness. His body felt as if it were coated in thick paste; though he could move, it was incredibly strenuous.

“Since you have come, you must understand everything before you can leave,” the low voice sounded again.

“Did you let me leave? Did you let me leave? What haven’t I figured out?!” Chen Jin roared, his voice hoarse. He had exhausted all his efforts, even nearly dying by the knife. After all that, was he still going to be trapped in this cursed place?

“Since you have figured it out, I shall give you a gift.”

A piece of alligator snapping turtle shell suddenly appeared in Chen Jin’s hand, its purpose unknown. The current Chen Jin was too consumed by the rage of being unable to leave and the anxiety of being trapped here. He flung the shell away, and it smashed into several pieces on the ground.

“Xiao Jin, Xiao Jin!” Chen Jin was roused again by Wu Zeng’s call. He was still squatting on the floor. “What are you spacing out for? Staring blankly like an idiot.”

Chen Jin ignored him, simply raising his eyes to look out the window. The sky outside was no longer chaotic; it was clear and bright, appearing peaceful and beautiful.

Wu Zeng’s hand was tightly wrapped in bandages, only a faint medicinal scent lingering. He sat by the window, looking at Chen Jin with worry.

Chen Jin felt his eyes burning and sore, probably from keeping them open too long without blinking. He reached up to rub them, only to suddenly realize he was tightly gripping a piece of alligator snapping turtle shell.

This was the gift from the Infinite World.

Chen Jin casually tossed the shell onto the table; this time, he didn’t smash it. He then got up and walked to the window. The sun was shining brightly, but the ground below was still blurry. It seemed the new Infinite World hadn’t fully formed yet.

“Where is A Dong?” The entire world was silent, as if all living things existed only within this room.

“He went to get food.” Wu Zeng stood beside him. “He said the Infinite World takes anywhere from three to five days to half a month to form. Luckily, the little fatty stocked up on food, or we’d starve here.”

Chen Jin raised his hand and saw that Uncle A Dong’s name had already vanished from his fingertips. “Anyone can leave.”

“We can too,” Wu Zeng said in a low voice.

“Do you know something?” Chen Jin was utterly exhausted. He felt he didn’t have the strength to show any emotion. Tears spilled from his eyes and hung on his expressionless face. Chen Jin mechanically wiped them away, wetting his arm. “I never get what I want. I wanted to study computer science, but I studied oral ancient texts to get free tuition. I got first place in the exam, and I wanted to share it, but not a single uncle or aunt would pay attention to me. I want to go home for dinner, but I don’t have a home. I want my parents to come back, but they can’t…”

Wu Zeng didn’t reply, only stroking his hair repeatedly. Perhaps the physical touch was comforting; Chen Jin gradually began to sob quietly, his body trembling slightly.

Slowly, Chen Jin’s cries grew louder, eventually turning into a full-blown wail. Wu Zeng pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly, his hand continuously stroking his hair.

“I know,” was the only sentence Wu Zeng spoke the entire time.

After an unknown duration, a thumping sound came from the stairwell. Uncle A Dong came up, carrying instant noodles.

Chen Jin jumped away from Wu Zeng as if he were an electrocuted rabbit, putting three meters between them instantly.

“Come, come, there are three flavors, guaranteed to satisfy everyone…” Uncle A Dong stopped mid-sentence, sensing the wrong atmosphere. The entire room felt thick with warm ambiguity.

Chen Jin’s face was streaked with unshed tears, and he turned his head, avoiding eye contact. Wu Zeng’s shoulder was soaked, and he was glaring at Uncle A Dong with annoyance.

Uncle A Dong’s small eyes darted around twice. He quickly placed the instant noodles in front of Wu Zeng and bolted away with unusual speed.

The room fell silent again.

Wu Zeng raised an eyebrow, breaking the quiet first. “Ahem, I’ll give you the pickled pepper flavor.”

Chen Jin wiped the moisture from his face, snatched the instant noodles, and began eating ravenously.

The whole ordeal had been exhausting, and crying had drained all his energy. Chen Jin finished the noodles in just a few bites, still feeling unsatisfied. He looked up at Wu Zeng, who had just picked up his first mouthful with his chopsticks but hadn’t put it in his mouth yet.

“Here…” Wu Zeng silently put down his chopsticks and offered the entire container.

Chen Jin accepted it without ceremony, finishing the second container in a few more bites. Finally full, Chen Jin contentedly sat back down by the bed, rubbing his stomach repeatedly, his eyes comfortably squinted in a lazy, satisfied manner.

“Isn’t this nice?” Wu Zeng spoke, a smile in his voice. “Why be so perpetually miserable? If you want something, just ask, and I’ll give it to you.”

Chen Jin heard the double meaning in his words. The air in the room thickened again, as if something unresolvable was filling the entire space, making it hard for him to breathe.

Chen Jin stopped looking at him, turning his back and lying down, believing that out of sight was out of mind.

But Wu Zeng behind him didn’t intend to let him off the hook. He approached step by step. His steps were small, and the short distance took him a long time to cross. Each footstep was like a tiny thorn, lightly pricking Chen Jin’s back, making him itch. When Wu Zeng stopped by the bed, Chen Jin’s entire body went rigid.

Wu Zeng reached out toward the bed, and just as his hand was about to land—

“I’ll leave the medicine box here. I won’t come up later, so handle things yourselves, okay…” Uncle A Dong burst in again, holding the old, broken medicine box, freezing awkwardly at the doorway. The room was instantly cleared of all the thick, heavy air, as if a powerful exhaust fan had been turned on.

Wu Zeng smiled and shook his head. When he looked up again, his eyes were bloodshot, and he chased Uncle A Dong down the stairs.

Chen Jin breathed a sigh of relief. He felt the atmosphere just now was too strange. Wu Zeng was good to him, yes, but the communication between them was overly ambiguous, and that shouldn’t be happening.

Chen Jin vigorously shook his head, throwing all the messy thoughts out of his mind.

Lying on the bed, Chen Jin’s mind wandered, thinking about the next world. Would it still be Mengle Village? If not, where would they go? Would Wu Zeng appear with him again?

As he pondered, his stomach began to itch again. Chen Jin sat up, lifted his shirt, and the cocooned area was the same as the day before, unchanged. However, he couldn’t stop recalling Sister A Ping’s words: “In this world, you only have seven chances to cross the boundary. If you try more than seven times, you will cocoon and stay here with me forever~”

Did Wu Zeng have this thing on him too?

Three days passed quickly. The world outside the window gradually took shape, though it still looked like Mengle Village. Uncle A Dong’s figure had become increasingly translucent over the past two days, indicating that the day of departure was near.

“Once this world forms, will you…” Chen Jin looked Uncle A Dong’s increasingly transparent body up and down.

“Soon, soon. When the time comes, I will transform into a delicate, light spiritual entity, and then I can freely travel between the various Infinite Worlds.” Uncle A Dong’s voice was full of endless joy and excitement.

“Can’t you find a better world to go to? Why insist on coming to these cursed places of drug trafficking and dismemberment?”

Uncle A Dong pouted. “I didn’t know it was like this before I came in… Once you’re in, it’s too late to leave.”

“With such mixed blessings, why are you still so excited?” Chen Jin didn’t understand.

“It’s better than the real world, anyway. In the Infinite World, everyone serves the strongest obsession, so naturally, no one will pay attention to me. That way, no one will bully…” A flash of self-mockery crossed Uncle A Dong’s face, before he reverted to his usual carefree, joyful demeanor. “Besides, in the Infinite World, I don’t have to go to work, I don’t worry about getting sick, and I don’t worry about retirement. What’s not comfortable, hehe.”

Chen Jin patted his pants and stood up, leaving a remark as he headed downstairs. “I’ll cook instant noodles for everyone. I’ve been eating them since I was a kid; my cooking is superb.”

“Hey, hey, Brother Zeng, why do I feel like Brother Jin seems much cheerier? He was sulking all the time the past few days. I thought he got dumped?”

“How could he get dumped? Once he’s involved, he can’t run away…” Wu Zeng said meaningfully.

Uncle A Dong was confused. “What are you talking about? Are you even listening to me?”

Wu Zeng ignored him, merely pressing lightly on his wound.

Chen Jin quickly finished cooking the instant noodles. When he brought them out, they were indeed different. The heat was perfectly controlled; an egg had been beaten and stirred in thirty seconds before serving, making the entire soup thick and rich.

“Not bad, right?” Chen Jin’s tone was upbeat, a hint of smugness in his expression.

Wu Zeng looked at his slightly proud demeanor and found him incredibly cute, his lips curving upward involuntarily. “Looks like you’ll have to do all the cooking from now on.”

“Wishful thinking.” Chen Jin paused, about to say something else, but noticed that Uncle A Dong’s hand, reaching for the instant noodles, passed directly through the container.

“A Dong?” Chen Jin called tentatively.

Uncle A Dong looked at his hand. He couldn’t make any sound, only nodding at the two of them with a smile.

Soon, Uncle A Dong began to shrink slowly until he became a single point of light, which vanished with a whoosh.