Chapter 1104: Story Protagonist

Chapter 1104: The Protagonist of the Story

"Xiaotao! Xiaotao!!"

A figure rushed into the dormitory, shaking the unconscious girl lying on the top bunk. Xiaotao seemed to be in a deep sleep, not stirring even after two shakes. As the shaking intensified, she finally mumbled, "What is it, Sister Miao...? I've only slept for three hours... My head hurts so much..."

"Only three hours? It's almost noon! How late did you stay up last night??"

"I don't remember... By the time I went to bed, it seemed like the sky was already bright... That novel last night was just too captivating."

Seeing Xiaotao roll over to continue sleeping, Sister Miao couldn't hold back and immediately blurted out, "Chen Ling is awake!"

"Oh... huh?!" Xiaotao's eyes suddenly widened. She shot up from the bed, "Hasn't he been asleep for three days...? He's finally awake?"

"Yes, he's eating in the cafeteria right now, and so many people are surrounding him, I couldn't even squeeze in!"

"Damn it!" Without a word, Xiaotao immediately began getting dressed with incredible speed. In just one minute, she was ready, even managing to put a cute animal hair clip on her beast ears before leaving.

She dragged Sister Miao, sprinting down the wooden corridor, their shoes making rapid tapping sounds on the floor. With Xiaotao's swift maneuvering, they quickly reached the cafeteria. Pushing open the door, they saw over a dozen figures huddled together, craning their necks and peering inside, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"Move aside! Move aside! Move aside!!" Xiaotao gritted her teeth and pushed her way into the crowd headfirst. Her small body seemed to contain immense strength, as she managed to forcefully create a path for herself, reaching the front row with a red forehead.

"Brother Chen Ling, the Saint Son said you two teamed up to defeat the Silver King!! Is that true?!"

"Brother Chen Ling! Did you really pin Xizai to the ground with one hand and hammer him back then?!"

"The Saint Son said that all four Judgment Proxies were so terrified by your aura that they knelt on the spot and even recognized the Saint Son as their godfather?? That's incredible! They're Rank Eight!"

"Brother Chen Ling, are you still taking on followers? How about me??"

A chorus of chattering voices rose from all around. A group of young boys and girls, their eyes reflecting the large red opera robe, looked incredibly excited... Meanwhile, Chen Ling silently sipped a bowl of hot porridge, occasionally twitching at the corner of his mouth, nearly choking on a grain of rice.

At that moment, Chen Ling finally realized why Zhao Yi had kept saying they would be eagerly awaiting his arrival... He could easily guess how much this guy had boasted within the Integration Faction lately. Holding a tattered newspaper from who-knew-where, he had started making up stories: claiming that the person depicted stepping on starlight and dominating the entire Tianshu Realm was his childhood friend, a truly impressive figure who could make the whole realm kneel with a single glance, capable of thrashing the Silver King with his left hand and pummeling Xizai with his right—essentially a new-age Qin Shi Huang.

Then, he began to brag about their past in District Three, how he and Chen Ling grew up together wearing the same split pants, their close bond, how they teamed up to raid bird nests, and eventually even worked together to defeat the Silver King... portraying them as an inseparable, golden duo, like the Black and White Guards.

The crucial point was that these young members of the Integration Faction, who were still young and hadn't experienced much of society, genuinely believed everything Zhao Yi told them... Ever since he walked in and 'Xiaobai' initiated the kneeling, Chen Ling had vaguely sensed that these children were looking at him strangely... Two of them even seemed ready to bow their heads and call him 'Big Brother.'

As for the slightly older ones, like Old Wolf, they sat quietly to the side, looking as if they were enjoying the spectacle and not minding the commotion.

"What's all this noise?!" Xiaotao suddenly burst out from the crowd, shielding Chen Ling. She glared at the surrounding people with wide eyes, "Brother Chen Ling... Brother Chen Ling needs to eat properly! How can he eat with all this noise?!"

"Xiaotao, we're talking to Brother Chen Ling. What's it to you?" another teenager retorted.

"Why wouldn't it be? The Saint Son told me to take good care of Brother Chen Ling! If you don't let him eat, of course I'm going to interfere!"

"You..."

Seeing this, Chen Ling put down his bowl of porridge. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to clarify, "I think there might be some misunderstanding here... I actually didn't do any of those things you mentioned..."

"Chen Ling!! You're finally awake!" A familiar voice came from nearby. Zhao Yi quickly squeezed through the crowd and threw an arm around Chen Ling's shoulder. "Do you know you've been asleep for three days! When you didn't get up on the second day, I thought you'd died in your room, so I specifically rushed in to check... How do you feel now? Are you feeling better?"

"Much better," Chen Ling nodded slightly. "Just a bit hungry."

"Come on, I brought you some steamed buns, and I'll show you around the Mother Tree while we're at it..."

Before Chen Ling could say anything more, Zhao Yi pulled him out of the cafeteria. Seeing this, the others felt awkward following and reluctantly gave up... Only Xiaotao hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and followed them.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sister Miao pulled her back.

"The Saint Son told me to take care of Brother Chen Ling, so I need to follow him closely."

"Chen Ling already left with the Saint Son, why are you still following?"

"Well, I still need to follow... What if they need something? Like water or clothes..." Xiaotao's voice grew quieter, then she gritted her teeth, "Oh, just don't worry about it, I'm following them, that's all."

"Well... then..." Sister Miao hesitated for a moment before quietly asking, "Can you do me a favor?"

"What favor?"

"Could you ask him for an autograph...?"

"...Fine!"

"Zhao Yi..." Chen Ling said, walking along the tree-hollow corridor and subtly glancing at Zhao Yi. "Don't you have anything to say?"

"Huh... huh??" Zhao Yi blinked, his expression visibly flustered. Then he chuckled awkwardly, "Oh, you know, kids this age love listening to adults tell stories... They kept pestering me, and I had no choice but to tell them a bit of a half-fabricated, half-true tale... I thought they'd just listen to it as a story, who knew they'd take it seriously?"

"If you're telling them stories, why do I have to be the protagonist?" Chen Ling was somewhat speechless.

"Because if I made myself the protagonist, they wouldn't believe it!" Zhao Yi retorted righteously. "You're different. They haven't met you, but the newspapers are full of news about you... Plus, we really are childhood friends, so I just... adapted it a little, hahaha, you know."

Chen Ling: ...

"But they really believed it."

"I know, that's why I'm hoping you won't expose me..." Zhao Yi leaned in and whispered, "Living in the Gray Realm for so long is quite a monotonous existence. Your story is their spiritual support. They all look up to you, admire you, and believe you can make this world a better place... If you tell them the truth now, they'll completely lose faith in this era."