Chapter 66 – I Just Want to Win Once, Even If Only Once

Luocheng, South City District, the dilapidated residential building where Zhao Lu lived.

Bian Shouyi walked out of the stairwell expressionlessly, carrying a box.

He stopped at the base of the building and glanced back at the advertisement-plastered walls inside the stairwell, as if reminiscing about something.

A moment later, he reached the outskirts of the residential complex and hailed a taxi.

“Where to, young man?” the taxi driver asked enthusiastically.

“The suburbs, Old Factory Street.”

“Old Factory Street? That place has been abandoned for ages.”

Bian Shouyi said nothing more and directly handed the driver a hundred-yuan bill.

Seeing this, the driver stopped pressing the matter.

Fine, you have the money, you call the shots!

The driver took the hundred-yuan note, stepped on the gas, and headed toward the Southern Suburbs.

Not long after the taxi departed, a black sedan followed from a distance.

The two vehicles drove one after another toward the long-ruined Southern Suburbs.

As the yellow taxi entered the southern outskirts of the city, a scene of dilapidated buildings and rubble unfolded before Bian Shouyi and the driver.

These ruins were the aftermath of the chaos the Black Lotus Sect had caused in Luocheng ten years ago.

If not for that turmoil, this southern area would have remained one of Luocheng’s most prosperous districts.

But the great battle a decade ago had reduced it to ruins.

Compounded by other factors later on,

Luocheng’s development focus eventually shifted to the relatively well-preserved North and East Districts.

Gradually, the southern area declined, becoming known as Luocheng’s old quarter.

The area further south became the suburbs.

And this was precisely where Bian Shouyi was headed.

After driving through a desolate stretch, the yellow taxi finally stopped at the entrance of a long-abandoned street.

“Young man, we’re here.”

Bian Shouyi nodded, stepped out of the car without waiting for change, his mind clearly preoccupied.

As soon as he entered Old Factory Street, Bian Shouyi felt as if he had Transmigrated between two eras.

From a bustling, modern city to an old alleyway steeped in the passage of time.

After several twists and turns, he finally arrived in front of a small pool hall.

Seeing the half-open rolling shutter of the pool hall, Bian Shouyi’s eyes turned cold.

Without hesitation, he bent down and entered the pool hall.

Inside the dimly lit hall, scattered pool balls and dust-covered debris littered the floor.

Bian Shouyi didn’t linger in these areas. He walked straight through the main hall to a corner deep inside that resembled a storage room.

“Shouyi, I knew you’d find your way here.”

Before Bian Shouyi could approach the storage room, a voice called out from within.

Pushing open the storage room door, Bian Shouyi was met with a small arcade.

The room housed ten old arcade machines, and Zhao Lu—who had been missing for some time—was sitting in front of one, playing a dated fighting game.

Although the pool hall had been abandoned for years, Zhao Lu had somehow procured a rust-covered generator to power the arcade machines in this room.In the dimly lit room, Zhao Lu skillfully executed various Moves while challenging the boss in the game.

He smiled and said, “I knew you’d find your way here. After all, I was the one who brought you to this place back in the day.”

As he spoke, Zhao Lu pulled over a chair, inviting Bian Shouyi to sit down and play together.

But Bian Shouyi didn’t sit. Instead, he carefully placed the bag in his hand on the arcade machine beside him.

Then he walked over to Zhao Lu, unfastening the cuff button of his suit sleeve.

Seeing Bian Shouyi’s expressionless face, Zhao Lu seemed to understand something.

But before he could react, a fist suddenly struck his face.

Bang!

Zhao Lu’s body flew backward, crashing hard into an arcade machine behind him.

The already dilapidated machine shattered instantly from the impact.

Looking down at Zhao Lu slumped against the wrecked arcade machine, Bian Shouyi said coldly, “Why didn’t you go see Auntie one last time?”

With disheveled hair, Zhao Lu forced a bitter smile. “…I didn’t dare.”

“Didn’t dare?”

Seemingly provoked by Zhao Lu’s tone, Bian Shouyi strode over, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him up.

He then pressed his arm against Zhao Lu’s throat, pinning him forcefully against the arcade machine.

“Do you know that if it weren’t for you, Auntie wouldn’t have gone out looking for you late at night, and she wouldn’t have gotten into that accident?”

“And now you tell me you didn’t dare?”

Seeing the dull look in Zhao Lu’s eyes, Bian Shouyi still wasn’t satisfied. He threw another punch.

Bang!

Zhao Lu collapsed to the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling as if his soul had left him.

Perhaps having vented his anger, or perhaps having lost all hope in Zhao Lu, Bian Shouyi simply sat down on a nearby chair and fell silent.

After what felt like an eternity, Zhao Lu finally struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He said self-mockingly, “Shouyi, have you ever experienced the despair of trying your hardest but still falling behind others, watching them drift further and further away?”

“Have you ever felt the helplessness of seeing the future clearly but being powerless to change it?”

“You haven’t, because you’ve been a Genius since you were young.”

“You’re like a mirror, reflecting my mediocrity every time you appear.”

“Shouyi, do you know what my classmates secretly called me in middle school?”

Bian Shouyi remained silent, simply watching him calmly.

Zhao Lu smiled bitterly. “They called me a parasite. My mother worked as a maid in your house, and her son followed you around like a shadow, greedily leeching off your family.”

“We never thought of you that way.”

“Yeah, precisely because I knew Uncle Bian and you never thought that way, it made me even more resentful.”

“So every single day, I wanted to prove that I wasn’t just a parasite clinging to your family.”

“…Is that why you chose to join the Demonic Path?”

“A reason? Maybe.”

Zhao Lu let out a self-deprecating laugh, then looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “But over these past few days, I’ve come to understand.”

“The real reason I desperately wanted to become stronger has always been just one thing: to surpass you.”

“Shouyi, I just want to win against you, even if it’s just once.”

“For that, I’m willing to pay any price.”

Hearing this, Bian Shouyi fell silent for a long time.

“Why do you want to win so badly?””Why…” Zhao Lu was momentarily stunned, then said with complex emotions, “Perhaps it’s because I’ve never beaten you, so I feel somewhat unwilling to accept it.”

“Or maybe it’s because if I can defeat you, everyone will look at me with newfound respect.”

“Shouyi, can I ask you for a favor?”

“Speak.”

“I hope you can fight me fairly and squarely, just like when we were children.”

“Alright.”

Hearing this, Zhao Lu stood up from the ground, his previously despondent expression gradually brightening.

Bian Shouyi rose and walked out of the arcade, entering the more spacious pool hall outside.

As Zhao Lu followed him out, he caught a glimpse of the plastic bag Bian Shouyi had left on the nearby arcade machine.

The plastic bag was neatly squared, containing what appeared to be a box.

However, Zhao Lu didn’t actually care at all about what was inside the plastic bag – his mind was completely focused on this final battle with Bian Shouyi.

After days of hiding, coupled with occasionally seeing Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators flying on Swords through the sky, Zhao Lu knew he couldn’t escape.

That’s why he had chosen to come to this dilapidated pool hall.

Rather than Bian Shouyi finding him, it would be more accurate to say he had been waiting for Bian Shouyi all along.

(End of Chapter)