Chapter 273: The End of the Map Reveals the Dagger
George tightened his grip on Jima’s hand.
Jima smiled and said, “Why are you all looking at me like that? It’s not very nice. George, if you were to tell me about your experiences training in the chapel and doing good deeds to hone yourself while I looked at you with sympathy, how would you feel?”
Wanya Ping asked, “How did you live while you were constantly killing?”
“By killing.”
“Where did you eat?”
“Mom, when you’re hungry, you eat, right?”
“Yes.”
“Surviving is simple: pick up a weapon and slaughter.” Jima said, “Kill the enemies, and we will fill our bellies.”
“How do you fill your belly?”
“By killing people.”
Wanya Ping leaned slightly forward, “I still don’t quite understand.”
“It literally means killing people. After killing, you’re not hungry; sometimes you don’t need to eat for over ten days.” Jima said, “Life in the demon world is different from that of mortals; slaughter is as normal for us as eating is when mortals are hungry. I usually don’t talk to you about this… you wouldn’t understand.”
“Then… did you try to escape after joining the army?”
“No.”
“Did they chain you with iron chains? Did they keep you from leaving?”
“Not really.” Jima said, “The demon realm is so vast; where could I go? And once I showed any weakness or thought of escaping, my power would diminish, and my head would end up on the ground, offered to the throne. All I could do was keep killing, challenge the strong, and every time someone failed to kill me, I became stronger.
“I spent three years steadily advancing. I lost count of how many times I broke my arm and how many axe blows I took to my face; even when blessed and healed, deep scars remained. They branded the Blood God’s mark on my back with hot iron, and from then on, my connection with the Blood God became closer.
“A group of chosen ones in the army invited me to join them because together we could harvest more heads. There were sixty-three of us, a terrifying force on the battlefield.”
“We fought across the south and north all year long; we explosively slashed through the green pest spirits in the plague garden, flattened pink demons… and we were also burned by volcanic-like magical flames.”
“Three more years, or how many years? Our slaughter attracted the attention of the Blood God; we ascended to demonhood, and before the ascension, there were forty-six of us, but only I and about twenty others survived thereafter—the rest of my comrades could not endure the blessing and mutated into monstrous forms.
“Mom, you absolutely wouldn’t want to see them; their shapes are bizarre, with mouths, tentacles, and hands all over. We battled the monsters, killing all of them, and in the end, we were still fewer than twenty.”
“The Blood God was pleased and granted us a terrifying Steel Bull. It weighed over ten tons, made entirely of steel, stood over two meters tall, and was immensely powerful. When it ran, flames and molten iron spewed from its mouth.
“But to ride the Steel Bull, one must combat it, as is the case with all living beings bestowed by the Blood God. A whole herd of Steel Bulls charged directly at us. We were battered and bruised, standing back to back in formation. I ended up breaking both my legs but managed to kill two Steel Bulls.
“When I used my charred fingers to grab the spines of the conquered Steel Bull and climbed onto its back, I looked around and saw nothing but corpses, and only three of us were still alive.”
Jima spoke in a flat tone, as if recounting something unrelated to herself. As she spoke, she leisurely took a bite of cake. “Mom, you look unwell. Actually, I haven’t finished; I almost died again, but maybe I shouldn’t say more.”
“It’s fine.” Wanya Ping smiled, “It’s a good opportunity for you to share more.”
“The Blood God was very pleased and granted us three powerful abilities. One of my comrades couldn’t withstand such immense power and mutated right there, battling his own steed, and we seized the opportunity to kill him.
“With only the two of us left, we had to follow the ancient custom and fight to the death before the Blood God’s statue. We fought for two days and nights, and in the end, I bit through his main artery with my teeth; the spurting iron almost killed me.
“I became stronger and more powerful. When I returned to the military camp, my lord saw me from a distance and ordered the army to attack me because he feared I would kill him and take his place… Of course, I survived in the end, or else I wouldn’t be here chatting with you.
“Thanks to the rain washing away my blood and scent, I hid in a cave, strangled three snakes living inside, and rested with the corpses for a whole day without being discovered.”
Wanya Ping’s tired eyes had reddened, and she sighed, “Dear, you’ve suffered a lot.”
“That’s all in the past.” Jima said, “At least now I don’t have to live in constant fear, clutching a weapon while I sleep.”
“If only I had cared more about you back then.” Wanya Ping said, “Then you wouldn’t have gone to jump off a building to commit suicide.”
“Well, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise; look how strong I am now, living such a good life.” Jima looked around and joked, “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be living in such a nice house.”
“I’d rather live in the old house.” Wanya Ping said, “So what do you plan to do now?”
“Live on Earth.” Jima said, “I don’t want to go back to the original world; there’s only endless war there in the present and future.”
Wanya Ping breathed a sigh of relief, saying, “Staying here is great, no need to live in fear.”
“Yes, it’s very civilized and peaceful.”
The three of them slowly ate, and the previously heavy atmosphere gradually dissipated as they chatted and laughed again, but the lingering scent of blood from Jima’s story hung in the air.
Wanya Ping seized an opportunity to probe, “When do you plan to get married?”
George fell silent for a moment, thinking about how Jima wasn’t willing to go back to the original world with him.
Jima, however, was rare in her understanding; she held George’s hand on the table, leaning against his shoulder, her chest pressed to his side, and said, “Mom, you don’t need to worry. I don’t actually care about marriage. Look, I have so many lovers; am I a traditional woman? So don’t ask George; he has his own difficulties, and I don’t mind.”
Wanya Ping joked, “If that’s the case, then little George, how about calling me mother-in-law?”
George solemnly replied, “Hello, mother-in-law.”
As he spoke, he took out a red envelope from his waist and said, “I came in a hurry, so I didn’t prepare a proper gift.”
The envelope had the words “Blessings like the East Sea” written in gold, with beautiful handwriting—written by George himself.
Wanya Ping smiled and declined, “Little George, you’re too polite; bringing my daughter back is the best gift.”
“Mom, please don’t be so polite.” Jima extended her hand and pushed the envelope into Wanya Ping’s hand, saying, “Don’t you want him to recognize you as mother-in-law?”
“Then I’ll just have to accept it.” Wanya Ping said with her eyes crinkling in a smile, taking the envelope and looking at George, growing happier and saying, “Call me mother-in-law again, let me hear it.”
“Mother-in-law.”
“Ah.” Wanya Ping said, “From now on, my daughter will be entrusted to you; you must take good care of her.”
“Okay.”
Jima hugged George’s arm, happily saying, “Thank you for your blessing, Mom, I also have a gift for you.”
As she spoke, Jima opened her hand, and a bottle of light green potion appeared, which she placed on the dining table, saying, “Mom, this can restore twenty years of youth for you.”
Wanya Ping’s old hands trembled as she caressed the warm bottle and asked, “Twenty years?”
“Yes.”
Wanya Ping’s voice trembled, “Is it the kind you sell every year?”
“Yes. What I sell only extends life by five years.” Jima said, “Although it won’t extend your lifespan by much, it can give you twenty years of youth.”
Wanya Ping was a bit in disbelief. She removed the cork, and Jima smiled and said, “Drink up, Mom.”
Wanya Ping picked up the potion bottle; at first, she planned to sip slowly, but as the bottle rose higher, she drank faster until she practically gulped it down.
On her body, wrinkles visibly smoothed out, her back straightened, her eyes cleared, and the white hair that hadn’t been dyed black turned back to a shiny black.
In a matter of blinks, the younger Wanya Ping appeared before them.
She stood up in disbelief, and Jima attentively handed her a mirror.
Wanya Ping had maintained her exercise routine to delay aging, and now seeing her youthful self in the mirror, she was moved to tears.
Afterward, they continued to chat for a while, and the atmosphere was very good. The earlier traces of blood seemed to have evaporated completely.
As they talked, Wanya Ping asked, “When can I hold my grandchild?”
At this moment, George fell silent again.
“It’s a granddaughter.”
“A granddaughter?”
Jima smiled and said, “Yes, I’ve divined it.”
George looked at Jima and became excited.
“Yes, I’m pregnant.” Jima took out a pregnancy test strip, the red line clearly visible, “Your child.”
Wanya Ping laughed happily, saying, “Today is the happiest moment of my life.”
Jima looked at George, placing the pregnancy test strip on the table, and said to George, “Mom, you said the child’s father will stay on Earth to care for the child, right?”
“Of course, Little George seems very responsible.”
