Star Trace Gate

Around 22pm late at night, in the furious village.

Hundreds of small ferry boats crowded near the pier, allowing themselves to be beaten by the waves and blown by the strong wind.

The war is about to begin, and many players who have joined the Six Villages camp are nervous and excited. They cannot sleep at night and all rush here to watch the excitement.

An hour ago, the heads of the six families had already communicated with the leader of the players and finalized the detailed plan for attacking the Seven Family Town.

When the sun rises tomorrow, these densely packed ferry boats will be filled with people heading for the "final battlefield".

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night. The dock is bustling with activity, and people from the six families are preparing their own weapons for killing.

Gao Mansion, in the east room.

Gao Jiansheng was wearing a Chinese silk nightgown and had half of his hair white. He was patiently "trimming" the Nine-bend Green Cloud Bamboo inserted in the Styx Vase.

Every time the tiny bamboo leaves are cut, they do not fall to the ground, but turn into starlight and float in the air. Moreover, the cut branches and leaves will recover in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, Gao Jiansheng's behavior at this moment was more like a useless venting, trying to relieve the emotions in his heart that were difficult to express to others.

"Squeak."

The door opened, and Butler Liu walked in: "Master, I just came back from the dock. The ship is almost ready, and the personnel have been assembled. We can set off on time tomorrow morning."

Gao Jiansheng sat cross-legged on the ground, squinting his eyes to look at the Nine-bend Green Cloud Bamboo: "Yes, I understand."

Butler Liu hesitated for a moment and added, "Master...according to your instructions, the young lady's body has been buried in the mountains."

Gao Jiansheng froze for a moment when he heard this: "Thank you for your hard work. Go back and rest early."

“Master, you…!”

"I'm fine, you go." Gao Jiansheng interrupted.

Butler Liu could feel Gao Jiansheng's anxiety and even uneasiness, but he did not try to persuade him anymore. He just pushed the door and left obediently.

After the people left, the room became quiet again, with only one person and one bamboo left.

Gao Jiansheng sat under the dim light, holding a pair of scissors in his left hand, staring at the Nine-bend Blue Cloud Bamboo with his cloudy eyes, and asked anxiously: "Bamboo, Bamboo, for the past twenty years, I have been thinking about revenge all the time. In order to get you, I racked my brains and calculated... Now that this wish has been fulfilled, why do I feel so empty?"

"It is hatred that has sustained me for the past twenty years. If I die tomorrow, it would be fine, then I will be completely free. But if I, Gao Jiansheng, win this game by chance, how should I live on?" Gao Jiansheng's eyes were empty: "Thinking about it carefully, why do I feel a little scared..."

"brush!"

After the words were spoken, I don’t know whether the bamboo understood the question or it was shining itself, anyway, there was a glow flowing on the bamboo body.

After a long while, Gao Jiansheng stared at Zhuzi in a daze: "I finally understand why Shen Jishi became more ruthless after getting you. Haha, you can give people goals and ambitions... My daughter is gone, my brother is gone, and even Lao Liu beside me thinks that I have changed... Am I the one who has changed? It's just that some things, once started, can't be stopped. Well, from now on, I will be with you, and we will build a big Gao family in this Qijia Town."

He sat there alone, just grinning foolishly with empty eyes.

……

In a very large room.

Wang Shoucai sat at the table, eating three small dishes of cold dishes and drinking four pots of boiling white wine.

The past two days were undoubtedly frustrating and gloomy for him. He was completely defeated by Gao Jiansheng in terms of conspiracy and intrigue.

He brought the other four families here with great momentum to demand an explanation, but the final result was that the others all turned to Gao Jiansheng, while he behaved like a clown.

The loss of the most precious treasure, the pain of losing a daughter, the failure of the plan...

These fatal blows made Wang Shoucai, who had always been confident, suddenly have the urge to examine his previous life.

As he drank cup after cup of spicy liquor, his chest burned. What came to his mind was not the various treasures in the Dragon Vault, nor the lost Dragon Cauldron and Nine-bend Blue Cloud Bamboo, but a familiar figure...

He felt aggrieved like a child. He helplessly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, opened his wallet, and saw a group photo.

The lights flickered, and the burning sensation in my throat had not yet dissipated.

He looked at the photo and murmured to himself, "I have been greedy and stingy all my life, but in the end I realized that you... are my most important treasure."

"Li Li, even if I die, Dad will avenge you. I definitely will!"

……

Inside the Gao Mansion, there was a busy scene everywhere, except for one person sitting on the steps, so quiet that it didn't fit in with the surroundings.

Xu Bangzi held the pipe in his right hand, puffing out smoke, but his eyes were habitually looking at the night sky, at the starry sky.

He is the most special local in the entire Qijia Town.

If Gao Jiansheng, Wang Shoucai and others are puppets of fate who are blinded by the heaven, then Wang Lili, Zhou Congcong and others are children who are still in their infancy. But Xu Bangzi is different from them. He is the only truly sober person in the world of Qijia Town.

Many years ago, Xu Bangzi, who was still a young boy, got a great opportunity.

The old man who gave him the opportunity said that the sky you see is only the size of a palm. Only when you try your best to break out of this sky can you be said to be truly alive and have life.

He has been waiting for the opportunity to break out of this sky.

And this wait lasted for more than 30 years.

When you find that the world is shrouded in fog and chaos, and the people around you are all blind people and chess pieces.

Everyone else is drunk but I am sober. The past thirty years have been an extremely long time. Looking back, half of my life has passed. How lonely and helpless I feel.

Xu Bangzi looked at the night sky, smoking his pipe, his eyes shining like stars.

"Squeak."

The door opened, and Mr. Jiang walked out of the opposite wing. When he looked up and saw Xu Bangzi, he was slightly startled: "Huh? There will be a big battle tomorrow morning. Why don't you go and help Mr. Gao prepare, and still have the time to smoke here?"

"Among the six families now, the Gao family is once again the leader. There are many people rushing to do the work. I won't join in the fun." Xu Bangzi replied lightly and said nothing more.

Old Master Jiang nodded slightly, stood in the middle of the yard, also looked at the dark sky, and stretched his arms and legs.

Xu Bangzi held the pipe in his mouth, took a deep puff, and asked softly, "Are you still not asleep?"

"Haha, it's a bit stuffy, come out and get some fresh air."

Mr. Jiang replied with a smile.

After that, the two of them stopped talking and didn't even make eye contact.

……

In the early hours of the morning, in Qijia Town, at the Abstinence Center.

Compared to the Angry Village where the atmosphere was depressing as a war was imminent, the scene here was more like a psychotic carnival.

Six huge radio speakers were playing exciting music. Thousands of patients did not sleep tonight. Instead, they increased their medication dosage and danced wildly in the back square.

Originally, Tang Feng just wanted the kitchen to prepare some food for the new player teammates, and brainwash them at the same time, and talk about team spirit or something, but Lao Liu performed beyond expectations.

At the beginning, he placed ten tables in the backyard to prepare for the players to mobilize before the battle. Because he felt that these people were deceived and their fighting spirit was not very strong, so they had to be fanned.

But unexpectedly, during the meal, Huang Longjiang brought a patrol team of fellow patients to join in the fun, resulting in more and more people gathering. Many mentally ill people even ran out of the dormitory and insisted on playing with everyone.

When Old Liu saw that this atmosphere was in perfect agreement with the working philosophy of the Qingliangfu Park, he immediately arranged for everyone to have a meal together and have fun together.

Many players also took out the food, snacks, drinks, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. that they brought from the real world, and combined with the Abstinence Center's own reserves, they launched an unprecedented grand pre-war party.

Six large speakers were playing music, and the densely packed patients, wearing blue and white hospital gowns, were holding hands and swaying wildly.

At the beginning, those players with normal brains refused to go to the party with the mentally ill people, and they felt ashamed in their hearts.

But Huang Laojiang forced them to play together. If you disagree, it means you don't give face; if you don't give face, it means discrimination; if you dare to discriminate, more than 3,000 people will fight you together.

Soon, the players integrated perfectly and felt really happy.

The moon was bright in the sky, and the cold wind was blowing. In the entire Qijia Town, there was only one abstinence center with lights on. The surroundings were extremely quiet, like a ghost town.

More than 3,000 people were swaying wildly in the courtyard and shouting hysterically.

No one knows who is using this madness to shout out the truth and pain that cannot be told to others.

This kind of atmosphere, this kind of environment where they can vent freely, made the more than one hundred players forget their identities, forget the troubles in the real world and the star gate, and even forget the battle tomorrow morning.

Joy is all.

Draw a dragon with your left hand and a circle with your right hand, that's it!

On a high platform not far away, Lao Liu held a wine bottle in his left hand and swung his right hand vigorously, stretching his neck and shouting: "Don't look so gloomy! Drink today and don't worry about tomorrow! You never know which will come first, the accident or the surprise, but I can guarantee you that the atmosphere in the Angry Village right now will not be better than thousands of people going to the grave to cry together."

"I'll just say this: if I die tomorrow, then tonight will be a happy night. If Old Qu dies tomorrow, then tonight will be a big loss." Old Liu held up the wine bottle: "Come on, let me show you one!"

"666!"

"Yohoo! Let's do it!"

"Swing, swing like crazy!" A young girl in her twenties was having a great time and was keeping the atmosphere lively, like a shameless idiot.

"Brother, stop bragging! Think about tomorrow's tactics!" Someone suggested while shaking his head.

"What kind of tactics are you looking for?! With so many mysterious and unknown players and tens of thousands of people fighting, what tactics are going to work?" Old Liu waved his hand and responded, "I'll just say this: when we start fighting tomorrow, the leaders will definitely stand at the front. If we have a choice, we'll try not to let you take action."

"You're bragging again."

"But he's right. In this star gate, there is no large organization to fight against. There are only a few individual players in the team. Everyone knows very little about each other, and it's useless to discuss tactics."

"I feel that this brother is a very down-to-earth person."

"Let me tell you this. When you start to think he's real, it means you've been deceived." The middle-aged captain cursed in a low voice, "That's how I got here."

The man was stunned for a moment: "Then why don't you rebel?"

"Fuck you, look at these 1+ mentally ill people, whose physical condition isn't better than yours and mine?" The middle-aged team leader showed a wise look, "To be honest... I think 6 vs is not completely hopeless."

"Shock it, brothers! Little girl on the right, your posture is not quite standard. Come up here and I will demonstrate the movements to you myself." Lao Liu was still shouting.

Top floor of the main building.

Ren Ye sat alone on the rooftop, facing the cold wind, looking down at the scene downstairs, with a bitter smile on his face.

Lao Liu was having fun with everyone, but he was under tremendous psychological pressure.

Sitting here at this moment, he is taking stock of all his backup plans and the strongest fighting power he can unleash when the battle reaches a desperate situation.

He had never underestimated the six camps, especially after coming into contact with Lao Qu, Lao Yu, Old Man Jiang and others, he knew more clearly that the quality of the players there, as well as their cohesion, were much stronger.

But what gave him the most headache was the six family heads, the masters under their command who had a certain numerical advantage, and the treasure with unknown magical powers - the Nine-bend Green Cloud Bamboo.

Tomorrow's battle will definitely be very difficult.

"Tap!"

At this moment, a burst of footsteps sounded.

The player in black robe who was the first to join the Abstinence Center came over and said, "Everyone is playing, why are you sitting here alone? Are you under a lot of psychological pressure?"

Ren Ye looked back at him and said with a wry smile, "We are different from Lao Qu. He recruited people to improve his own strength and make his chances of winning greater."

"Aren't you?" he asked softly.

"That's right." Ren also thought about it: "But the more important purpose of us attracting players is to balance the camps. Only when both sides are balanced will they be wary of each other and other possibilities will arise. There are 112 people joining my side, and this represents 112 lives."

The black-robed man was stunned: "Are you trying to be great with me?"

"This isn't greatness, it's the most basic sense of responsibility as a human being." Ren Ye turned his head to look at him, frowning and saying, "Everyone has a different understanding of the bottom line, so let's seek common ground while reserving differences."

The man in black robe was silent for a while, then said helplessly: "I have never been to school, so I can't say what you said, but...but I agree."

"call!"

Ren Ye adjusted his breathing, slowly closed his eyes, concentrated his mind, and began to cultivate his "intention".

The man in black robe looked at him in surprise: "What are you doing? Why do I feel... your aura has become sharper?"

"I'm cultivating my sword spirit." Ren also replied.

"Fuck, the battle starts tomorrow morning, isn't it a bit hasty to sharpen the knives tonight?"

"The battle will start tomorrow morning. We are invincible tonight... Haha, there is still time." Ren Ye replied with a faint smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, he entered a state of meditation for the first time in his life. He sat cross-legged on the rooftop, calming his mind.

The shadow of the Human Emperor Sword flickered back and forth between his brows like starlight.

……

The world is quiet, and a night of frost has passed.

The next morning, birds and beasts were roaring.

Xu Qingzhao woke up from meditation, his eyes shining brightly.

A Pu summoned Thousand Machine Fluid, and his whole body was filled with fighting spirit. It was obvious that his personal combat power had also reached its peak.

In a small room in the basement of the main building, Tang Feng pushed the door open and left. Standing in the corridor, he looked back at Shen Yuan, who had been communicating with him all night, and said, "If I fight to the death, it's definitely not for the inheritance. Do you believe it?"

Shen Yuan asked back: "What is that for?"

"You are definitely a sinner, but I am willing to give you a chance to atone for your sins."

"Don't you think this is too arrogant and too empty?" Shen Yuan looked at him: "It sounds like what Buddha said."

Tang Feng shook his head and pointed to his chest: "I am not the Buddha, but I am a psychiatrist, and you are my patient...that's all."

An expression of astonishment and speechlessness appeared on Shen Yuan's horribly burned face.

Tang Feng turned and left.

"What an interesting person." Shen Yuan murmured to himself: "If you... succeed, you may go further than me."

……

In the morning, half past seven.

Hundreds of ferries roared towards us, pushing aside the calm sea.

Six forces, totaling more than 4,000 people, climbed onto the shore like ants.

After Gao Jiansheng stepped onto the land, he put his hands behind his back, closed his eyes, mobilized the power of the stars, and shouted: "Shen Yuan, I will slaughter all of your family members today. You may hear the wailing of the 1163 wronged souls of the people in the Desire Village?"

"Wow!"

The shouts were loud and the door of the abstinence center was slowly opened.