Half Prince

Extra Chapter: Companions for Eternity – translated by Samuki

“This time, Dàgē will surely regret it, right?” Lü Jing smiled bitterly.

“We hinted at it to him before,” Yun Fei retorted half-heartedly.

“Yeah, we did hint at it, but he still chose to believe in us…” Lü Jing suddenly turned to yell into the abyss beyond the cliff, “Dàgē, why are you such an idiot?!”

Yun Fei, too, couldn’t hold his feelings in any longer and yelled angrily into the pitch-black darkness beneath. “You’re a complete idiot! You didn’t even realize that we’d set everything up right from the start. We’d noticed you fighting mobs on your own for a few days, saw that you were a strong player and wanted you to power-level us, so we deliberately aggroed the Flaming Skeletons and got them to chase after us. How could you not have figured it out? How could you not have realized that it’s impossible that Jing, who only knows True Thrice-Concealed Flames, would attack mobs of the same element like the Flaming Skeletons?”

“It should have been obvious that I held a grudge against the owner of Oriental House, so why did we still deliberately choose to go there to eat? You don’t need a brain to know that I wanted you to deal with that bastard Huang Wei for me.” Jing’s expression was fierce.

“We knew full well that no one has ever managed to complete this quest for the hair tie. In fact, that no one has even survived it, but seeing that the reward money was ten thousand crystal coins, we still brought you here on a suicide mission, just to try our luck. And you just followed us like this, without even bothering to ask us about the quest details?” Contempt was evident on Yun’s face.

“You saw for yourself how strong the Demon King was, but you still didn’t suspect us, and even entrusted the hair tie to Yun so easily? And you walked to the edge of the cliff? Even when Yun grabbed you by the ankles, you still managed to look so puzzled.” Jing began to laugh wildly. “How could anyone on Earth be this naïve, this foolish?”

The two of them finished yelling, their chests heaving with the effort, as though they had screamed out all of the frustrations weighing on their minds. Their expressions were identical – identically lost and numbed.

After a long while, Jing said quietly, “Let’s go. The Central Continent awaits us. Don’t forget, Xiao Lan is there as well.”

“Yeah,” Yun said, casting one last look back at the cliff, his emotions so complicated that even he himself couldn’t tell what they were.

“Now that we’ve got the tickets, let’s get something to eat while we wait for the ship.” Lü Jing’s face was still as hard as stone.

“Yeah,” Yun Fei answered, and then frowned. “Though do we have to leave so soon? I wish we could stay on the Eastern Continent a little longer.”

“Don’t be silly,” Lü Jing said fiercely. “Don’t forget, Dàgē will surely return to White Tiger City. It’ll be a blessing enough if we don’t bump into him while we’re waiting for the ship, and here you are, thinking of staying a little longer?”

Yun Fei didn’t reply and merely followed Jing into a nondescript inn silently.

“Owner, two plates of fried noodles, a plate of green vegetables, and a bowl of fish soup,” Yun said as he looked at the menu, ordering Jing’s – who wasn’t a picky eater – share in addition to his own as per usual.

“Yes, sir, coming right up,” said an NPC dressed as a waiter with a smile. He left to give the cook their orders.

Yun Fei suddenly remembered something and hurriedly shouted, “Ah, right, I forgot the wontons in chili oil – Waiter! We also want a plate of…” Yun Fei’s face went white mid-yell.

“And a plate of?” The waiter returned and asked dutifully.

Lü Jing looked at Yun Fei, who had fallen silent, but she merely said indifferently, “And a plate stir-fried shredded meat.”

“Sure, coming right up.”

Yun Fei remained silent until the food arrived, but when he raised his chopsticks, he discovered that he had no appetite at all. His stomach felt heavy, as though a rock had been stuffed into it, and his heart was filled with a myriad of nameless emotions. Finally, he sighed, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Lü Jing, who was eating the fried noodles at a steady pace. “Jing, I don’t like the way things are.”

“You think that I like it any better?” Lü Jing, too, put down her chopsticks, a stiff look on her face. “Besides, wasn’t it you who planned this entire thing, right from the beginning to the end?”

“But I didn’t think that all of those schemes would be used on the same person; I thought that no one would help us twice,” Yun Fei said, frustrated. “How on Earth does a Dàgē who’s dumb to such an extreme even exist?”

“It’s precisely because he was so dumb that he was tricked by us. It’s a good thing, in a way; let this be a lesson to him, so that he won’t be tricked again,” Lü Jing said quietly, and then she quickly began to eat again, making it clear that she wasn’t in the mood to discuss the matter any further.

Yun Fei could only sigh as he gazed out of the restaurant, as though he fervently hoped that someone would suddenly barge in.

A figure really appeared in the doorway. Yun Fei was startled, but also a tad worried, and he wondered if Dàgē would forgive them this time. In his heart, he secretly wished that Dàgē would be so foolish that he would continue to forgive them.

“I’ve finally found you two adulterers! This time, that cloaked fellow won’t be around to get in my way!” the person said as he came through the doorway, and Yun Fei and Lü Jing recognized Huang Wei’s venomous tone as well.

“Huang Wei.” Lü Jing blanched.

“Yes, it’s me, your most beloved husband, Jing-Jing, my sweetie-pie,” Huang Wei said, leering at Lü Jing.

There was no way Yun Fei could simply watch idly as his best friend was being harassed. “Huang Wei, don’t think that we’re still newbies. It’s not going to be so easy for you to bully us now.”

“And just what exactly can a barrier master do, going up against my lackeys?” Huang Wei looked coldly at Yun Fei. “To think that you’re actually stupid enough to choose to be a barrier master, a rubbish class.”

“What did you say?!” Yun Fei was enraged. What he hated more than anything else was other people belittling the barrier master class; these people didn’t even have the faintest clue as to how useful a barrier master could be in defending a city. He just hadn’t managed to find anyone wise enough to appreciate his decision yet.

“I said, you piece of trash, stay the hell away from my wife,” Huang Wei drew his shiny gold dao, and swung it at Yun Fei mercilessly.

“Yun!” Lü Jing shoved Yun Fei aside and the gold dao bit into Jing’s body brutally. Biting back a cry of pain, she glared at Huang Wei, then turned into a pillar of white light and shot into the sky.

“Jing…!” Yun Fei yelled, watching as the white light disappeared.

“Damn it, I got the wrong person,” Huang Wei said, regarding Yun with spite. “You piece of shit, I know that you guys intend to run away. I also know that you’ve bought ship tickets, but I’m warning you, if you intend to run away, do so alone. Lü Jing will never be able to escape from the Eastern Continent and from my control.”

“Hmph, the tickets are valid forever. Even if we can’t take this ship, we can always take the next one,” Yun Fei retorted, looking at Huang Wei coldly. “I don’t believe that you have the ability to change Second Life’s rules.”

Huang Wei began to laugh loudly, however. “I might not be able to change the rules, but I can arrange for my people to stand guard at the docks around the clock and kill you guys each time they catch sight of you. Let’s see just how many levels you two have for my boys to rid you of.”

Yun’s face was white as a sheet. “You…”

“Listen, kid, I’m warning you, don’t think about running away with Lü Jing. Don’t even think about getting close to her again. If you do, I’ll make you pay.” Huang Wei turned around to his lackeys and commanded, “Give this kid a sound beating. Heal him up whenever he’s about to die and then continue to beat him, and don’t let him use death to escape. Beat him until he’ll never dare to get close to Lü Jing again.”

“Huang Wei, I’m telling you, I’ll definitely bring Jing to the Central Continent, I definitely will!” Yun Fei bellowed. Unfortunately, facing several warriors, there was really nothing a barrier master could do…

“God damn it!” Gu Yun Fei fled offline in a pathetic manner, only to find that the phone was ringing off the hook.

As soon as he pressed the “Answer” button, Lü Jing’s frantic face instantly appeared on the screen. “Yun, are you alright? Why didn’t you return to the rebirth point after so long?”

“Isn’t it obvious? That bastard Huang Wei beat me up into a pulp and even got a priest to heal me, so that I couldn’t just die. Finally, when I couldn’t take it any longer, I logged off,” Yun Fei replied. He couldn’t resist touching his face; just a short while ago, his face had been left swollen by the beating he’d received in-game.

Lü Jing looked pale. “Why didn’t you log off sooner, and instead let him continue to beat you up, you- you idiot?!”

“I have my pride!” Yun Fei muttered sullenly.

“Forget Huang Wei, we’ll just rush to the docks tomorrow immediately after logging on. Otherwise, if we really run into Dàgē… The consequences won’t be any better,” Lü Jing said, distressed.

“Huang Wei said that he’s going to get his people to stand guard at the docks around the clock.” Yun Fei sighed.

“What?” Lü Jing’s face grew even paler.

“What should we do now?” Yun Fei was deeply worried.

Lü Jing took a deep breath, and then calmed down. “Let’s wait a few days before logging on. Huang Wei can’t possibly have people standing guard there forever!”

“I hope so,” Yun replied, although he still felt that Huang Wei seemed to be pretty deeply obsessed with Lü Jing.

“Huang Wei, what on earth do you want?” Lü Jing was infuriated; she wanted to know how much longer this person intended to keep causing trouble. He had, true to his word, really kept a look-out for them at the docks for so many days.

“I want you to be my wife,” Huang Wei replied, smirking.

“Stop dreaming,” Yun Fei bellowed. “Jing wouldn’t fall for a douche-bag like you, so save it!”

Contempt spread across Huang Wei’s face, and he looked at Yun as though he had just seen a pile of dung. “You’re really asking for it, and you even dare to be with my Jing. Boys, let him have it.”

“Huang Wei, stop it!” Lü Jing turned pale with fright.

“Sure – if you agree to be my wife, Lü Jing.” There was a cold look on Huang Wei’s face. “Don’t choose the hard way, Jing. I’ve gone soft on you for too long already.”

“Jing, don’t agree to it!” Yun Fei was being restrained by a few players. Even when faced with the prospect of being beaten up yet again, he still tried to stop Jing.

Seeing that Yun Fei was being restrained, doubt appeared on Lü Jing’s face. Biting back tears, she looked utterly miserable and pitiful as she said, “Why must you coerce me like this? How can something like love be forced?”

Huang Wei stiffened. “If I say it can, it can. What’s so bad about marrying me? I’ll provide food, clothes, and lots of spending money. What more can you ask for?”

Lü Jing’s suffering was clear on her face, and her tears finally began to fall. “Is giving me lots of spending money the same as love? That’s not what I want!”

By this point, a crowd had gathered on the docks. There were, of course, plenty of onlookers, and when they saw such a lovely girl weeping from being forced into a marriage, many of them began to voice their disapproval, and other onlookers – who could not stand by idly – began to clench their fists and crack their knuckles. The atmosphere was increasingly volatile.

Huang Wei turned toward the crowd with an ominous look in his eyes. “Damn it, shut the hell up! Make any more noise and I’ll bloody well chop you all up too.”

Upon hearing that, the noise only grew louder and people began yelling angrily.

“Damn you! Being that cocky even though you’re snatching someone’s bride?”

“Chop me up? I’ll chop you guys up first!”

“He’s too much, how could he coerce a girl like that!”

“Poor thing; the girl’s already crying.”

Huang Wei didn’t back down in the face of the crowd’s anger; in fact, he became even more arrogant. “Damn it, you people think you can get away with it just because there’re more of you? Don’t think that I, Huang Wei, only have so few men. Just wait till I call for ten of my boys to come and take care of you guys; we’ll see if you dare to make a peep then.”

“Mob boss Huang Wei?” someone in the crowd exclaimed. Anyone who had stayed in White Tiger City for any period of time would probably have heard of White Tiger City’s tyrant, Huang Wei, who would – with the support of his eight lackeys – bully others, use money to suppress his dissenters, kill players whom he didn’t like, and flirt shamelessly with any pretty girl who caught his eye. Huang Wei had uncountable crimes listed against his name, but for the sake of money, there were still a huge number of people willing to work for him. No one dared to do anything to Huang Wei as long as all those warriors continued to work for him.

Those among the crowd who were about to intervene began to hesitate upon realizing that the cruel person in front of them was actually Huang Wei. After all, Huang Wei’s power within White Tiger City was something they were all deeply familiar with. No one wanted to make things awkward for themselves, not if they wanted to remain in White Tiger City…

Yun Fei and Lü Jing had originally pinned their hopes on the indignant audience coming to their aid; they had not expected that Huang Wei’s name alone could scare the crowd like this. Their spirits sank.

“As expected, only an idiot like Dàgē would do something foolish like upholding justice,” Yun Fei said with a bitter laugh before he lapsed back into silence. It seemed to him that it would be a very, very long time before he and Jing would be able to go to the Central Continent to look for Xiao Lan.

“…” Lü Jing’s tears had long since stopped. She could only sigh in resignation as she looked at the crowd of people, none of whom dared to step up in their defense.  It looked like she and Yun would have to go missing from Second Life for a period of time.

Huang Wei looked satisfactorily at the now-silent audience, before turning to Yun Fei and Lü Jing. “Lü Jing, are you going to be my wife or not? I’m telling you, I’ve already positioned men at all the rebirth points. If you say no, I’ll definitely have this kid killed over and over again until he hits level one.”

Yun Fei’s and Lü Jing’s faces were both bone-white. Lü Jing opened her mouth, but the words refused to leave her mouth…

“If she’ll marry you, I’ll swallow my dao whole,” a familiar voice said. Yun’s and Jing’s hearts skipped a beat as they thought, Dàgē?

Yun looked ecstatically toward the source of the voice. At that moment, the person had also walked out from the crowd – it was a masked white-haired elf. In an emotional voice, Yun exclaimed, “Elf? Dàgē is an elf alright. Is that you, Dàgē?”

The elf smiled slightly. “Aside from me, which other elf would be sightseeing here on the Eastern Continent?” True, only an elf like him with his level 100 “ability” to get lost would be wandering around here…

“Dàgē…” Jing’s expression was beyond complicated.

The elf looked toward Huang Wei and said softly in a voice laced with the threat of an imminent storm. “Huang Wei, right? Looks like the lesson I gave you the last time around wasn’t enough.”

“You…!” Although he was livid with rage, Huang Wei had not forgotten the fright he’d received from the elf during their last encounter. It was precisely because he knew that Yun Fei and Lü Jing were no longer traveling with that person that he had dared to stall the duo, but now he’d bumped into this formidable elf, whom he had no intention of riling, yet again.

“God damn it, don’t think that I’m really scared of you. Last time you snuck up on me, but it won’t be that easy this time. Boys, get him! Whoever kills him will be heavily rewarded!” In front of a crowd, there was no way Huang Wei would willingly back down and lose face. Besides, the elf only managed to win the last time around by using a sneak attack; this time, he – Huang Wei – would be well-prepared. He would have his revenge!

“The fight’s started, Kenshin,” the elf remarked smilingly to the red-haired warrior next to him, who looked like a newbie. The red-haired warrior only nodded, his face an icy mask.

Two figures streaked toward Huang Wei and his men at lightning speed…

“Dàgē…” Yun Fei was astonished; he’d never thought that Dàgē would once again help them without another word. Why did Dàgē treat them so well? Even after he and Jing had pushed him off a cliff, snatched the hair tie from him, and were planning to run away, Dàgē would still help them unconditionally. This Dàgē is really such a fool, Yun thought, but in spite of his words, he was deeply touched, and warmth enveloped his heart.

“Jing, let’s accompany Dàgē to the Central Continent, okay?” Yun said calmly to Jing, but while it was phrased as a question, he stated it like it was a matter of course. “After we look up Xiao Lan in the Central Continent, I want to follow Dàgē. I don’t want to look for the professor and Prince anymore.”

“Yeah,” Jing replied without hesitation as she looked at the two figures engaging Huang Wei in combat. She, too, knew that they would be the real idiots not to follow someone like Dàgē.

After the elf and the red-haired warrior had thoroughly taken care of the eight thugs and Huang Wei, the elf threw back his head and laughed for a long time, clearly astonishing the surrounding crowd with his arrogant demeanor.

“Dàgē, we’re definitely following you.” Yun Fei’s and Lü Jing’s eyes glittered with determination and there were broad smiles on their faces.