Chapter 100

In the fifteenth year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, in autumn, a giant python caused chaos in the Qiantang River, resulting in over a thousand deaths and injuries on both banks. When the abbot of Jinshan Temple, Dharma Master Fahai, heard of the python's evil deeds, he was enraged and used his great supernatural powers to transform into a Vajra Dharma Body, capturing two giant pythons, one green and one white, both over ten feet long and as thick as a waist. Their flesh was consumed by the people of the time—Record of Hangzhou Prefecture.

This was the mark left by Sun Ran after he used his Dharma Body to capture the snakes. After catching them, he killed them one by one, cut out large pieces of their flesh, and took their gallbladders before quietly leaving. The other monks did not know what had happened and assumed it was their abbot who did it, and the story spread.

After returning to Hangzhou Prefecture, Sun Ran only told Xiao Qian that the snake problem was resolved. He then cooked the snake meat, and the family shared it. The snake gallbladders were soaked in medicinal wine to help his newly recovered daughter-in-law regain her strength.

Half a month later, his daughter-in-law, Lan'er, was full of energy and no longer weak, and the family's life returned to normal.

Five years later, Yang Tingyong was promoted again and went to Shuntian Prefecture (present-day Beijing), serving as a deputy cabinet minister for five years before being promoted again to become the chief cabinet minister, effectively the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty.

As his bodyguard, Sun Ran naturally followed with his entire family. After the incidents with the Poison Scorpion Mercenary Group and Hangzhou Prefecture, all the saboteurs knew that the VIP Yang Tingyong had a powerful person by his side.

For a time, wherever Yang Tingyong went, ghostly and supernatural events would automatically subside. Over time, Yang Tingyong gained a reputation for "handling the living during the day and judging the dead at night," becoming a legend among the people, with unparalleled prestige, which was an unexpected gain.

In the last year of the seventeenth year, Xiao Qian's lifespan was exhausted, and she passed away in her sleep. Sun Ran completed his first task. Six months later, Yang Tingyong, who was already over seventy, also ran out of his game time and died in his role as chief cabinet minister, earning the posthumous title of "Wenzheng." Sun Ran completed his second task.

When Yang Tingyong died, Sun Ran was sitting under a tree by the city gate, fanning himself to cool off. Upon receiving the news, he immediately ran to the city gate and tried to storm the city tower without any reason.

In ancient times, the city tower of the capital was a military stronghold, and commoners were not allowed to enter.

The guards, seeing a white-haired old man, immediately raised their weapons and kindly shouted, "Old man, don't come to seek death."

"I'm tired of living, I'm here to seek death!" Sun Ran continued to charge forward.

"Is he crazy?"

"Can't deal with it, stab him, stab him!"

The guards, losing their patience, each stabbed Sun Ran with their spears.

The moment he exited the game, Sun Ran let out a long sigh of relief: "Damn, I lived for only two people in this life, and I'm exhausted!"

He had long been tired of the tasks. Now that Xiao Qian was gone and Yang Tingyong had died, he did not want to stay a moment longer.

Everyone thought the old man was suffering from some kind of senile disorder. Xu Xuan, upon receiving the news, came to collect the body, heartbroken. He was puzzled, though: wasn't his father a high-ranking Daoist? And he had always been filial, never mistreating him. Why would he be so desperate?

The wheels of history rolled on, and this page was turned.

...

The sound of water pumping filled his ears, and Sun Ran felt the gentle touch of the nutrient solution on his body, making him feel lazy and unwilling to move.

"Sun Ran?" A mature and gentle female voice called out. It was Lan Xin.

"Are you awake?" A fresh and bright voice asked. It was Bai Tingxuan.

"Quick, wake up, we're moving." A sweet and soft voice urged. It was Ke'er.

These voices seemed to come from a distance, slowly reaching Sun Ran's ears, pulling his consciousness back from the Confucian world to the real world.

He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a few soft white lights, with black shadows flickering in them. This feeling was familiar, a side effect of long-term inactivity of the eyes, but it would soon pass.

After a few seconds, everything around him became clear. Looking at the ceiling, he was still in Lan Xin's narrow room.

In front of him were Lan Xin, Bai Tingxuan, and Ke'er, all looking at him quietly.

"I'm not wearing clothes, and you're making me very uncomfortable," Sun Ran smiled.

"We've seen everything so many times, we're used to it," Ke'er said dismissively, taking advantage of Sun Ran's distraction to boldly pinch his private parts, completely unashamed.

Lan Xin and Bai Tingxuan both smiled.

What was going on? Sun Ran instinctively covered his vital areas and looked at the three women with suspicion.

"Ha, hurry up and take a shower and change clothes, we're waiting for you," Lan Xin pressed the warm water button on the nutrient tank, looking at Sun Ran with a gentle expression. "You've worked hard these past years."

Bai Tingxuan left and returned a moment later with a new set of clothes.

"Hubby, let me help you wash," Ke'er offered, reaching out to rub his back.

The situation became even more bizarre. Sun Ran had no idea what had caused this change. He could only be sure that something had happened that he didn't know about.

"Why are you all being so nice to me?" Sun Ran asked.

At this question, Lan Xin's eyes reddened. "It's only right."

Bai Tingxuan's eyes also welled up. "We didn't realize how lonely and hard you were in the game world."

Ke'er directly laid her head on Sun Ran's shoulder and cried. "Hubby, I shouldn't have left you halfway. Leaving you alone, sniff, I'm sorry. After I left, we tried to enter the game to be with you, but those bastards at the game company wouldn't let us, even if we paid."

Hard? Lonely? A big question mark appeared in Sun Ran's mind.

He admitted that the past years were somewhat dull, but he didn't feel hard or lonely. He had a loving wife and grandchildren, and it was quite lively.

Suddenly, a memory from years ago surfaced in his mind. Right, the central AI said it would keep Xiao Qian's secret for him. It must have done something.

Sun Ran's thoughts turned, and he decided to go with the flow. He smiled and said, "It's nothing, as you can see, I'm fine. Let me tell you, I earned a lot of credit points this time!"

He didn't realize that saying this would make Lan Xin cry, wiping away tears and choking out, "Credit points can't be earned this way. We're so heartbroken."

Bai Tingxuan and Ke'er both nodded in agreement.

Sun Ran didn't know what tragic story the central AI had fabricated, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he decided to thank it properly this time.

Next, due to the three women's guilt, Sun Ran enjoyed true gentleness. They washed him, dressed him, and even offered to feed him, claiming he had been in the nutrient tank for too long.

After everything was done, the three women recovered and smiled. "Let's go to our new home."

The door opened, and outside, a colorful hovercar was suspended, far more beautiful than the public transportation hovercars.

"This is?" Sun Ran was even more surprised.

"It's a benefit of the Secret Garden community. Every household in the community is given a C-class colorful flying car by the Fulun company. This is the first time we're using it, and we've been waiting for your return."

Fulun company, one of the top five luxury hovercar manufacturers in the federation, with over 500 years of history. Their top model, the S-class Light Wheel Starship, costs 50 million credit points, a top luxury item that even the flower district couldn't afford.

In the first layer, owning a C-class colorful flying car worth 100,000 credit points was already considered wealthy. Even in the flower district, it wouldn't be embarrassing, though the car itself wasn't too expensive, its brand value was high.

Sitting in the spacious and comfortable hovercar, Ke'er sat beside him, unusually snuggling up to him, while Bai Tingxuan sat on the other side, extremely gentle.

The bizarre situation continued, and Sun Ran became increasingly curious about the fabricated images by the central AI.

What kind of tragic story did this guy fabricate to so strongly arouse the maternal instincts of the three women?