Forbidden Item ACE-019, Marionette Strings.

Qing Chen dazedly stared at the tiny ball of transparent string that weighed next to nothing in his hand.

It was like a cloud of mist, incessantly swaying in the center of his palm.

This was not a metaphor, he really couldn’t feel the weight of the Forbidden Item.

Qing Chen looked up at the giant in front of him, “Is this for me?”

Ding Dong nodded with an honest smile before pointing at the depths of the Forbidden Land, as if saying, ‘Those old guys want to give it to you, go ahead and take it.’

The giant’s expression was very gentle and kind, but he seemed to know that his appearance could easily frighten people. So, after putting the Forbidden Item in Qing Chen’s hand, he cautiously took several steps back.

He was afraid of scaring off the boy in front of him.

Because he was too tall, the back of his head brushed against the crown of a tree when he stepped back, making him look awkward yet somehow cute.

Standing in the outskirts of the Forbidden Land, this huge giant could only bend down carefully.

Qing Chen took another glance at his teacher, “Teacher, can I accept this?”

“Of course!” Li Shutong raised his eyebrows, “They’re giving it for free, why shouldn’t you take it? Those old men are flaunting their wealth, you’d be trampling on their faces if you refuse to accept it!”

Li Shutong, who had just been coldly scowling, unexpectedly changed his tune and said to the depths of the Forbidden Land, “Let’s take this as your meeting gift, but there are so many of you, why are you giving him so little? Don’t you think it’s shabby? I know the Forbidden Item ACE-003 ‘Snake of Deceit’ is also hidden in this place!”

Qing Chen dumbfoundedly stared at Li Shutong. Wasn’t he still angry just now? Why did he suddenly start name dropping things and asking for them?

But the wills of the seniors seemed to think it was beneath them to dispute with Li Shutong over this matter, so there was no more movement coming from the Forbidden Land.

Ding Dong smiled at Li Shutong in greeting, then turned around and walked towards the depths of the Forbidden Land.

Seeing his retreating figure, Qing Chen quickly said to him, “Thank you. My name is Qing Chen, it’s nice to meet you.”

The giant was taken aback. Immediately, he stopped to happily wave at Qing Chen before continuing to move forward.

Starting with a slow walk, he gradually broke out into a sprint.

The thumps of his footsteps were loud and heavy, feet as huge as truck tires mighty and powerful.

“Teacher, that Ding Dong is…?” Qing Chen curiously trailed.

He had never seen such a gigantic person before. Could Ding Dong perhaps no longer be categorized as a human being?

Li Shutong explained, “His mother lived in the wilderness. When she was pregnant with him, she inadvertently strayed into this Forbidden Land in order to escape from the pursuit of the Federal Army. Later on, by chance, she ate some things from the hinterland and gave birth to Ding Dong in this place. Like all the other ‘natives’ of the Forbidden Land, Ding Dong was born with a miraculous mutation.”

As Qing Chen gazed at Ding Dong’s back, a thought abruptly popped up in his mind. Unless one was a superhuman, the skeleton of a normal person wouldn’t be able to support such an enormous body.

But Ding Dong didn’t seem to suffer from such a problem. His sturdy figure was freely running forward, reminding Qing Chen of the fable of ‘Kuafu chasing the sun’! 1https://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/article/47ON6Q1bHQg

The more he knew, the more Qing Chen felt that should the Forbidden Lands continue to spread, they might eventually truly bring forth the birth of a new mythical world.

A mythical world that used to only exist in human fantasy.

“Teacher, since Ding Dong is a native of this Forbidden Land, is he exempt from its rules?” Qing Chen asked.

“Not only is he not bound by the rules of Forbidden Land No. 002, he can go through all the other Forbidden Lands without any obstruction,” replied Li Shutong. “But Ding Dong rarely has the chance to interact with anyone in this place, so his character is rather introverted. He’s unwilling to explore the world outside of this Forbidden Land.”

“I saw the double pupils in his eyes. In the Outer World, this phenomenon only exists in mythological or historical tales,” Qing Chen wondered, “Does it have some kind of function?”

There were two famous figures who were said to have double pupils — Emperor Shun and Xiang Yu.2https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiang_Yu#Family_background

Li Shutong answered, “Ding Dong can see through people’s hearts. Perhaps, it’s precisely because of this that he doesn’t want to go out of the Forbidden Land. Instead of facing other humans, he prefers to get along with the animals. Those old guys likely asked him to pass on the Forbidden Item because they wanted to borrow the double pupils’ ability to judge your character. Since Ding Dong is obviously delighted to be friends with you, they shouldn’t have any more qualms now.”

“So that’s how it is.” Recalling the big and kind giant he met just now, Qing Chen then looked at the Forbidden Item in his hand. “Teacher, what are the containment conditions for this item?”

Without a word, Li Shutong simply picked up a leaf and used it to make a small cut on Qing Chen’s wrist.

Blood soon began to trickle out of the open wound.

As Qing Chen quietly watched, he saw a string unravelling from the nearly transparent ball of silk, lifting up its ‘head’ as though it was a small snake.

The next moment, the string plunged into his wound. At a speed visible to the naked eye, the originally transparent ball of string was dyed a bloody red color.

When every inch of the string had turned red, ACE-019 contentedly left his wound and lightly coiled itself around Qing Chen’s wrist, looking like a red wristband.

Astonishingly, the cut on Qing Chen’s wrist was now completely healed.

Li Shutong cautioned Qing Chen, “Starting from now on, within every two quarter moon phases, you have to kill five people and sacrifice their souls to the Marionette Strings. Should you happen to miss the quota, you would have to sacrifice twice the amount of people if you wish to use it again.”

In the lunar calendar, the quarter moon phases generally fell on the 7th and 22nd of each month. A time period of two quarter moons meant that if Qing Chen wanted to use this item, he would have to kill at least five people every month in the future.

Qing Chen’s expression turned grave, “Teacher, why does this Forbidden Item have such a sinister containment condition?”

Li Shutong sighed and said, “The superhuman from whom this Forbidden Item was formed was a particularly vile person when he was alive. Later on, the people who got their hands on it also used it to commit a lot of evil deeds. In the end, it was confiscated by a senior Knight and contained in Forbidden Land No. 002.”

“Then why did the seniors give it to me?” Qing Chen felt puzzled, “Although I do want to have a Forbidden Item, aren’t they afraid I’ll go astray because of this?”

Li Shutong shook his head, “That’s why they asked Ding Dong to take a look at you. Since they’ve already handed over ACE-019 to you, it means that they trust you. Its containment condition is something that can’t be changed. Whatever purpose it will be used for depends entirely on you.”

Qing Chen sank in thoughts, “How do I start using this?”

“After you meet the first containment condition, you can tie one end of the string around your wrist and tie the other end around somebody else’s wrist. As long as the two of you are connected with this string, anyone whose level isn’t higher than yours will become your marionette. Although you can’t control their mind, you’ll have complete control of their body and can make them do whatever you want them to do,” Li Shutong expounded.

He added, “But naturally, there’s a precondition you must fulfill before you’ll be able to do this. In order to put the target under your control, you need to know what their real name is.”

Qing Chen nodded, “I got it.”

Li Shutong then told him, “I’m very glad that you’ve successfully passed the first Life and Death Stage, but I can only accompany you up to here. As for the road that comes after, you’ll have to move forward on your own.”

Qing Chen asked, “Teacher, who engraved the words ‘forever young’ on top of the cliff?”

“It’s Ren He, the founder of the Knights,” Li Shutong answered, “You should’ve also seen the writing left by Ren Xiaosu — he is Ren He’s son.”

Qing Chen nodded. On the entire precipice, the phrase engraved by Ren Xiaosu was the one that had left the biggest impact on him.

‘Live like a candle that keeps on shining brightly as it burns from the beginning to the end.’

If he hadn’t seen that sentence, perhaps he wouldn’t have had courage to take the leap.

Li Shutong looked at him with a smile, “What’s next on the plan? Killing Qing Huai?”

“Yes. If I want to fulfill the containment condition of the Marionette Strings, I have to do it during his transmigration because once I return to the Outer World, there won’t be any people for me to kill,” said Qing Chen.

Li Shutong stared at his own student and probed, “Are you sure? They probably won’t give you anymore chances to exploit the rules. You’ve also run out of landmines to use.”

Qing Chen thought for a moment before replying, “I actually think otherwise. What I’m going to do next will probably be much easier than taking down Cao Wei.”

“Oh?” Li Shutong inquisitively glanced at him. “Why so?”

Qing Chen answered, “When I was facing Cao Wei, he had been seriously injured and completely exhausted after the long chase. But even until the last moment, his fighting spirit was still as fierce as a tiger. Compared to him, the remaining people are merely jackals who have been scared out of their wits.”

Once he finished speaking, Qing Chen slumped back down onto the ground. It really had been too long since the last time he slept.

When he was pursuing Cao Wei, in order to prevent him from getting any rest, he also had to sacrifice his own rest.

Now that the most troublesome opponent had been dealt with and his teacher was back to his side, Qing Chen’s immediate priority was to replenish his energy.

Li Shutong asked, “Going to knock yourself out? Aren’t you worried that you won’t have enough time to fulfill Marionette Strings’ containment condition?”

Qing Chen formulated his reply after some thoughts, “Teacher, you’re the one who taught me to be patient during a hunt. Even if I had plenty of energy right now, the sun is going to rise soon. It’s not easy to hunt a group of people during the day, might as well wait for the next night.”

Li Shutong brought up another point, “Then are you not worried about Qing Huai seizing this time to escape from the Forbidden Land?”

“No,” Qing Chen shook his head, “The seniors know I want to kill him, they won’t let him leave.”

Li Shutong exasperatedly huffed, “What did I say? I told them they’d spoil you rotten!”

Qing Chen smiled as he lay down on his back, sleeping on a bed of earth under a blanket of sky.

Li Shutong sat cross-legged beside him, his expression easing in the blink of an eye. Looking at his student who was sleeping like a log, a burst of pride rose forth in his heart.

Countdown 22:00:00.

Translator: Zee