Scum Gong Walks the Career Line in the Crematorium

Because of Lin Hanchuan’s words, Gu Shi was full of anticipation for New Year’s Eve.

The New Year’s Eve banquet in the palace was grand, but Gu Shi couldn’t enjoy it properly; he was eagerly looking forward to spending time alone with Lin Hanchuan.

As customary, all the ministers and the emperor walked up to the palace walls to celebrate with the people. Lin Hanchuan stood by Gu Shi’s side, gesturing for him to look at the common folk.

In recent years, Lin Hanchuan’s reputation among the noble families was not great, and the common people also criticized him. However, everyone’s lives had genuinely improved. With Lin Hanchuan’s presence, external enemies no longer dared to invade, and the once turbulent country had stabilized. The common people no longer had to worry about war.

Although their lives were not affluent, they were peaceful and content.

During this special time, the curfew was lifted in the capital, and various splendid lanterns adorned the streets, attracting a large crowd of people. They looked up at the figures on the palace walls, unable to see their faces clearly but filled with excitement.

“Mom, who are they?” a child, held in the arms of a woman, pointed at the figures on the palace walls and asked.

The woman quickly pressed down the child’s finger and replied, “That’s our Emperor, the ruler above all.”

The child made a sound as if understanding, but then quickly forgot about it and instead stared at the candy sellers nearby.

Gu Shi couldn’t hear their conversation; he only saw the bustling scene below the walls and, somehow, smiled. He turned to Lin Hanchuan and said, “With peace and prosperity, it’s really good.”

Compared to the city dwellers who had only heard of war, Gu Shi, who was born on the border, had a better understanding of the horrors of war.

Previously, Gu Shi didn’t care whether he would become the emperor or not, but now, under the attention of the masses, he finally developed a sense of responsibility and felt the weight on his shoulders.

Lin Hanchuan noticed the glimmer in Gu Shi’s eyes and smiled.

After the New Year’s Eve banquet in the palace, Gu Shi couldn’t wait to drag Lin Hanchuan to change their clothes and happily immerse themselves in the lively crowd.

Lin Hanchuan was good-tempered and let Gu Shi pull him around. They almost left their guards trailing behind.

“Brother King… I mean, Brother Hanchuan, how about this one?” Gu Shi held a jade pendant, cherishing it, and asked, but his other hand was already wrapped around Lin Hanchuan’s waist. He looked left and right, extremely satisfied.

“Young master has a good eye. This is the finest Hetian jade, delicate and smooth. It’s worth three or two silver, very cost-effective.” The vendor said politely, taking out another pendant identical to the first one. “These pendants were originally a pair. If you truly want them, I’ll sell both to you for five silver.”

Standing on the side of the street selling things, the vendor didn’t have any particularly remarkable items; it was just a novelty. Gu Shi held two identical jade pendants, took out his purse, and immediately paid.

Lin Hanchuan pressed down on his hand and said, “It should be me paying.”

Gu Shi’s actions paused.

After paying, Lin Hanchuan took the jade pendant from Gu Shi and tied it around his waist. Then he smiled and said, “This is your New Year’s gift, a light gift with deep affection. I hope you won’t dislike it.”

“A New Year’s gift?” How could Gu Shi dislike it? It was his first time receiving a New Year’s gift. He looked at the pendant on Lin Hanchuan’s waist, then lowered his head and saw the pendant he just put on himself. His eyes curved into a beautiful arc, shining with joy.

Even when walking in the crowd, he carefully protected the jade pendant around his waist, fearing that it might be jostled away. In this appearance, Lin Hanchuan couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Seeing the exquisite lanterns, Lin Hanchuan had an idea and bought a fox-shaped lantern, handing it to Gu Shi.

Gu Shi, holding the jade pendant in his right hand and the lantern in his left, but with no free hand to hold Lin Hanchuan’s, stood still, looking aggrieved. “I can’t hold it.”

Pretending not to understand, Lin Hanchuan said straightforwardly, “Then let the guards hold the lantern for you.”

After hesitating for a few seconds, Gu Shi finally took off the pendant from his waist and put on the cheap jade pendant around his neck. He then smiled triumphantly and held Lin Hanchuan’s hand.

See, I found a solution. Gu Shi’s eyes sparkled as he said so.

Lin Hanchuan laughed, and Gu Shi suddenly realized that he seemed to be taken advantage of. His face looked sulky, but his hand was still holding tightly onto Lin Hanchuan’s, unwilling to let go.

The guards following them remained silent, their eyes having exchanged countless glances. If they hadn’t witnessed it with their own eyes, who would believe that the puppet emperor and the regent could get along so harmoniously, even carrying a certain ambiguous air.

While Lin Hanchuan and Gu Shi were celebrating New Year’s Eve, Zhao Yuan was sleeping in his palace.

His health was not good, and he couldn’t tolerate the cold. He didn’t even attend the New Year’s Eve banquet and rested alone in his palace.

Lin Hanchuan and Gu Shi didn’t have a good impression of him, but they didn’t treat him poorly either when it came to his daily necessities. During the winter, the palace was as warm as spring, with four corners quietly burning smokeless gold silk coal, emitting only a faint wooden fragrance.

In this fragrance, Zhao Yuan had a dream.

In the dream, he was still the emperor, but he betrayed Qi Changfeng. After Qi Changfeng returned to the capital and killed his way back, Zhao Yuan saw that he didn’t bring the young man named Gu Shi with him. Instead, he forcefully snatched him away.

They were against each other, hostile to one another, yet unable to let go. In the dream, Zhao Yuan was also poisoned, but he had Qi Changfeng by his side. With the help of a divine physician, they exchanged blood, effectively detoxifying him.

Later, Zhao Yuan felt moved and intended to reconcile with Qi Changfeng, intending to start a new life together. But then his empress became pregnant.

Zhao Yuan didn’t think there was anything wrong with him impregnating his empress, even if he wanted to accept Qi Changfeng’s affections. However, he was still the ruler of the country, and he needed an heir to inherit the throne. If it wasn’t the empress, it would be another woman. Precisely because it was the empress, the child would be legitimate.

Qi Changfeng didn’t understand the emperor’s intentions. He went to Tianmen Pass and stationed himself at the border, only returning to the capital once a year.

In the dream, Zhao Yuan knew that this should have been the best outcome. Qi Changfeng guarded the border for him, and he sat on the court, ruling the country. There were no more people trying to restrain him, and he sat beside a dignified and elegant empress, holding a clever and adorable little prince. He shouldn’t have any regrets.

But during the New Year’s Eve banquet, he looked at the snowy imperial garden and couldn’t help but think of the once violent but still unwilling to harm him even a bit, Qi Changfeng.

In the dream, Zhao Yuan felt desolate. He believed that Qi Changfeng was also in great pain, missing him every day. But then, the scene changed. Zhao Yuan’s vision expanded, encompassing the entire palace and then the entire capital, the vast territory of the Sui Kingdom, and finally falling on Tianmen Pass, where the man he thought was tormented by longing, Qi Changfeng, resided.

Qi Changfeng sat with his soldiers, wearing a radiant smile completely different from the dark and violent man Zhao Yuan remembered. Instead, he had a trace of the dashing charm that was rumored about the “Jade-Faced General.” He drank and gambled with others, laughing, scolding, and behaving just like the young general he once was.

Only when he walked could one notice that his legs seemed slightly inconvenient, a result of the injuries he sustained in the Ministry of Justice’s dungeon when Zhao Yuan ordered him tortured.

Zhao Yuan watched Qi Changfeng say goodbye to the soldiers, and with the support of his guards, he returned home swaying. All the people he passed by called him “Lord” with respect in their eyes. Some even offered him wine.

Qi Changfeng, who was imprisoned in the capital, finally dragged its injured wings and returned to its hometown.

Zhao Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, tears streaming down his face without him even realizing it. Sitting on the bed in a daze for a while, Zhao Yuan still couldn’t distinguish between the dream and reality. He felt as if he was the emperor, the one who held the world in his hands and ruled with perfection. Yet, he also felt like the frail and feeble former emperor, struggling to survive.

Somehow, Zhao Yuan couldn’t help but regret. He used to suspect and resent the Regent King, thinking that he was ambitious and wanted to kill him. But after the dream, after experiencing everything, he realized that the Regent King seemed to desire nothing more than being a general in Tianmen Pass.

In the empty palace hall, Zhao Yuan hugged himself as if he were a frightened child. In a trance, he seemed to see the Regent King walking along the busy streets of the capital city, tall and handsome, contrasting with the ordinary people who passed him by like a crane among chickens.

Zhao Yuan’s lips curved slightly, and in the next moment, another exceptionally handsome young man appeared beside the Regent King. The two held hands, and the once cold and aloof Regent King gradually softened, as if the winter snow had melted into flowing spring water, gentle and never-ending.

Closing his eyes slowly, Zhao Yuan thought that if he could start over, he would not have come to this point with the Regent King. Although he knew the Regent King first, somehow he ended up being the one who lost him.

[“Host, the protagonist is dead,”] the long-absent 001 suddenly spoke up.

Lin Hanchuan’s gaze sharpened as he looked toward the direction of the imperial palace. [“How did he die?”]

[“He was deeply poisoned, and without the original host to change his blood and save him, he let the poison attack his heart due to his constant anger,”] 001 explained.

Lin Hanchuan pondered for a moment and asked, [“Isn’t he the Son of Destiny? How could he die?”]

Most importantly, after his death, it seemed that nothing had changed in this world.

[“If the Son of Destiny dies, theoretically, the world built around him should collapse…”] 001 was also puzzled, [“Novel worlds are closely linked to the protagonist. This is the characteristic of novel worlds. Even if they deviate from the main storyline, they must have the protagonist supporting them…”]

Lin Hanchuan’s gaze flickered slightly. [“Perhaps these novel worlds are not as we imagine, just the novel worlds they were in the beginning.”]

[“It’s impossible. Novel worlds are secondary worlds, different from the third world. Their Heavenly Dao is not perfect, and they only revolve around the protagonist and the main storyline. Even if they deviate from the main storyline, they still require the protagonist’s presence…”] 001 started to become chaotic, touching its core system.

Lin Hanchuan narrowed his eyes. Looking at the young man beside him, who was exceptionally happy for the first time, he couldn’t help but examine him.

He didn’t know if it was an illusion or if it was the red lanterns around them, but Gu Shi’s appearance was radiant. After strolling for a long time, he showed no signs of fatigue. His clear eyes were filled with wisdom and composure, not the eyes of an ordinary youth.

Lin Hanchuan couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief and concern for him. However, he knew he had to leave.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Gu Shi finally couldn’t hold back, lifting his head to look at Lin Hanchuan with a gaze that seemed to be scolding him.

Lin Hanchuan suddenly couldn’t suppress his feelings anymore. He took a step forward, hugging Gu Shi across the desk. His voice was slightly hoarse, “If I leave…”

“You want me to go with you?” Gu Shi interrupted, seemingly understanding, and then smiled as he held Lin Hanchuan back. His clear and melodious voice sounded in Lin Hanchuan’s ears. “In any case, I’ve already decided to follow you. No matter what, you can’t get rid of me.”

“Not an emperor, not a younger brother or junior,” Gu Shi thought to himself.

“Do you know where I’m going?” Lin Hanchuan asked.

Gu Shi wanted to say he didn’t know, but he didn’t say it out loud. Instead, he answered in his heart, “I might know a little.”

The feeling came suddenly, yet, it was so certain. Ever since Zhao Yuan’s illness, Gu Shi had faintly known that Lin Hanchuan would eventually leave, and he himself could not stay behind and would follow closely…

With no care for the throne, Gu Shi didn’t mind. He only knew that he wouldn’t be separated from the person he cared about.

In that case, it was enough. No need to ask for a destination or a reason. As long as they were together, it was enough.

—

Before leaving, Lin Hanchuan and Gu Shi rarely rested, leaving the affairs of the court aside. Instead, they leaned on each other and spent a warm afternoon basking in the sun, not saying a word, just silently enjoying each other’s company.

This silence was not awkward but rather heartwarming, as if basking in the warmth of the sun shining above.

At night, after leaving this world, Lin Hanchuan did not see that shortly after he left, Gu Shi seemed to sense something and gazed at him before slowly closing his eyes.

001 had already fixed its bugs and cheerfully shouted in Lin Hanchuan’s mind, [“Chuanchuan, the energy you gained from the previous world was the most ever. Does that mean killing the protagonist allows you to obtain the highest energy value? This protagonist is still called a protagonist? He’s practically a big boss experience pack…”]

Lin Hanchuan interrupted, [“Don’t just be happy; what kind of world is this?”]

Lin Hanchuan felt that something was off.

Clearly, this was a modern world, possibly a futuristic one with many unheard-of structures. Most of the buildings were silver-white in appearance, not reflecting light like metal but with a matte texture, giving them a cold feeling.

Lin Hanchuan hid in a small alley next to an elliptical building resembling a giant egg, without any artificial seams, smooth and vast.

001 paused for a moment and spoke in a strange tone, [“This world is called…”]

[“«After the Rise of The Female Zerg, The Scum Zerg Cried Bitterly».”] Lian Hanchuan interrupted in disbelief. He recognized most of the characters, but how they were combined together left him puzzled. “What do you mean by female and male zerg?”

While he was doubting himself, it seemed that someone had discovered his presence.

“There’s a male zerg here!”

“Quick, come over! There’s a male zerg here!”

“D*mn, this male Zerg looks so beautiful. I’ve seen so many male Zergs these days, but this one is the most gorgeous…”

“Male zerg?” Lin Hanchuan raised an eyebrow. If it wasn’t for the fact that one of the tall and robust men had indeed looked at him, he wouldn’t have believed that this was a term used to describe humans.

Lin Hanchuan noticed that the men approaching him were tall and muscular. Although he didn’t think he was powerless, he recalled his own fist.

Fair, slender, and delicate… He possessed beautiful, artist-like hands, even the fingernails had a faint pink color and were meticulously polished, looking exquisite but lacking strength.

“[This world is called «After the Rise of The Female Zerg, The Scum Zerg Cried Bitterly». It’s a world of Zerg tribes. There are no men or women, only male Zergs, female Zergs, and androgynous Zergs. They all look similar to humans, with female Zergs resembling human females and taking charge of laying eggs and giving birth. However, female Zergs are even taller than males. Male Zergs resemble human males but with more delicate features…]” 001 explained quickly. “[The gender ratio between female and male Zergs is 100:1, so male Zergs receive higher social status.]”

“[The protagonist is a female military Zerg, and the antagonist is an arrogant and willful male Zerg. He abuses and humiliates the protagonist, but due to the high social status of male Zergs, he faces no consequences. Therefore, the protagonist undergoes a blackening transformation, overthrowing the male-Zerg-dominated world.]”

While listening to 001’s explanation, Lin Hanchuan cautiously observed the approaching male Zergs, or rather, female Zergs. He had no weapons in hand and could only strike unexpectedly.

Fortunately, these female Zergs looked down on male Zergs and didn’t take precautions. When they approached Lin Hanchuan, he suddenly spread his two fingers apart and stabbed fiercely at the leading female Zerg. He left no room for mercy, and with that strike, the female Zerg clutched their eyes and wailed in pain.

The other Zergs were startled and instinctively stopped in their tracks. At this moment, Lin Hanchuan watched as the female Zerg, who was wailing in pain, began to swell and soon lost her human form. A pair of pure black wings spread out behind her.

Her clothes were torn apart, most of them falling to the ground, leaving only a few tattered pieces still hanging on her insect body. She looked like a giant beetle, covered in a tough shell with a large spike on her head, her eyes glowing red with the agility characteristic of insects.

Lin Hanchuan had never encountered this situation before, and he took a step back. In her insect form, she was now twice as large as before, even slightly larger than Lin Hanchuan.

“[… Female Zergs can transform into Zerg forms with extremely strong combat power and aggression.]” 001 supplemented.

Lin Hanchuan found himself blocked in the narrow alley with no way out. He took a deep breath and shifted his gaze to the other Zergs.

If he could make them fight each other… Even in a desperate situation, Lin Hanchuan remained calm and calculated. If these Zergs possessed human-like thinking, according to his guess, male Zergs should be precious trophies, and they wouldn’t allow a valuable male Zerg to die.

“If you don’t make a move, she’ll kill me.” Lin Hanchuan suddenly spoke.

As the words left his mouth, he slightly froze. His voice was pleasant and moving, with a hint of sweetness and a natural charm, even if he was speaking seriously, it sounded somewhat coquettish.

What did the original host look like? Lin Hanchuan had never cared about appearances, but for the first time, he wanted to know how he looked now.

The other Zergs exchanged glances and finally stood in front of Lin Hanchuan, facing the beetle-like female Zerg. In an instant, they all transformed into their Zerg forms.

Apart from the beetle-like Zerg, there was one resembling a mantis holding a sickle, but it was even more terrifying than a mantis, with its abdomen tightly wrapped in a shell. There was even a butterfly-like Zerg, brightly colored with a glittering phosphorescence.

The small alley was instantly occupied by these large Zergs. Lin Hanchuan cautiously stepped back, afraid of getting involved. He coldly watched their intense battle and calculated how to escape.

Just as the battle was about to end, a slender humanoid creature walked in.

“[Another Zerg coveting you?]” 001 lamented.

Lin Hanchuan had already figured out the fighting style of the original few Zergs, so he focused his gaze on the humanoid creature. The creature was almost indistinguishable from humans, slightly shorter than the female Zergs Lin Hanchuan had seen, about 1.8 meters tall, with a slender build. Lin Hanchuan couldn’t tell if it was a female or a male Zerg.

The creature passed the fighting Zergs and fixed its gaze on Lin Hanchuan. Its deep and oppressive black eyes suppressed the beauty of its appearance, making people dare not approach it.

In those lifeless and profound eyes, there was a subtle flicker of emotion when it saw Lin Hanchuan.

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