185: I won...

its body was twitching violently.

Its eight hideous long legs

were kicking and thrashing wildly,

slamming against the simple wooden stage with loud "thuds."

But, it was all in vain.

It could clearly feel

the "life force" (spiritual energy) within its body

being devoured and plundered in an unreasonable manner

by the tiny existence that had pierced its body!

Its body was rapidly shriveling.

Its aura was weakening at a breakneck pace.

Within its eight compound eyes,

all the resentment and fury were gradually

replaced by a gray color called "despair."

Finally.

Accompanied by a silent, resentful wail.

Its massive frame collapsed with a crash!

Then, under everyone's gaze,

it shattered inch by inch like weathered rock,

turning into a sky full of black specks of light.

They dissipated into the air.

It was dead.

That Spider Spirit, which had held the absolute upper hand since the beginning,

had died just like that.

And that tiny Mosquito, which had achieved the final victory.

Its body, which had become nearly transparent,

finally could no longer hold up.

From mid-air, it slowly fell.

Its fire of life had been completely burned out.

Its consciousness was also about to dissipate entirely.

But, at the very last moment before it fell onto the cold stage

and vanished into nothingness.

It still exhausted its last shred of strength.

To difficultly lift

its head, which had long since lost all its luster.

It looked at the sky that had become incredibly clean because of it.

It looked at the Mortals below the stage, cheering and jumping for joy over its victory.

A childish voice, filled with exhaustion yet incredibly satisfied,

rang softly in everyone's ears through the sound-amplifying formation.

That voice was very, very soft.

So soft that it seemed it could drift away with the wind at any moment.

Yet, in the ears of the crowd,

it was more shocking than any grand declaration!

"I... won..."

As the voice faded.

That tiny Mosquito's nearly transparent body

finally could no longer maintain its form.

With a "pop,"

it turned into specks of fluorescent light filling the sky.

Like fireflies on a summer night,

they slowly drifted away in this dim alleyway.

It was as beautiful as a dream... the play had ended.

After a brief dead silence.

The entire small square erupted in a burst of

unprecedented, thunderous applause and cheers!

"Great! That was amazing!"

"It won! The little Mosquito won!"

"Wuwuwu... so touching! I'm crying!"

Those simply dressed Mortal spectators

were all flushed with excitement,

clapping their hands forcefully,

as if they were going to clap their palms raw.

From this simple yet incredibly pure play,

they saw themselves.

They saw their tiny selves,

struggling under the heavy pressure of life but never giving up hope.

And Qin Feng, too, finally

slowly snapped out of his extreme immersion.

He exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

He won.

No matter how difficult the process, no matter how heavy the price.

As long as he could win in the end.

That would be enough.

The corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled into

a bright, heartfelt smile.

And just then.

A crisp voice, full of teasing and laughter,

rang in his ear.

Pulling him from that chuunibyou-esque hot-blooded fantasy,

completely back to reality.

"Senior Brother."

Lin Yao's charming and moving little face,

which was currently written all over with "you're so silly,"

leaned in front of him.

She looked at Qin Feng's silly appearance,

still deeply immersed in the plot and unable to pull himself out.

Finally, she couldn't help but "pfft" and burst out laughing.

"This play is really good."

While laughing, she reached out her small hand

and punched his arm, mimicking Qin Feng's earlier behavior.

"Mosquito vs. Spider."

"Senior Brother, you were watching so intently just now that your tears were almost falling."

Lin Yao's teasing words

were like a bucket of cold water poured over Qin Feng's still hot-blooded heart.

The smile on his face instantly froze.

Te... tears?

Was I that exaggerated just now?

Qin Feng subconsciously touched the corners of his eyes;

fortunately, they were dry.

He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

But his chuunibyou-bursting, hot-blooded silly look from just now

must have been seen completely by his three precious wives.

Now, his tall, imposing, wise, and martial image of the "Bad Husband"

was probably completely ruined.

"*Cough, cough!*"

Qin Feng coughed heavily twice,

trying to hide his embarrassment this way.

He turned his head, not daring to look at Lin Yao's beautiful large eyes,

which were full of "mischief" and "playfulness."

Instead, he turned his gaze to the side,

toward Ye Nianxin, who was looking at him with a gaze as gentle as water.

"Nianxin Little Sweetheart, do... do you also think it's good?"

He tried to find a bit of validation from this most gentle and understanding Fairy Senior Sister.

found a sense of recognition.

However.

Ye Nianxin only gave him a smile

that was incredibly gentle yet full of "I can't help you."

She didn't speak.

But her eyes clearly said:

Junior Brother, the way you looked just now was really funny.

Qin Feng's heart turned half-cold.

His last hope was shattered.

He could only turn his pleading gaze toward

that Queen Revered Master who had maintained a cool and aloof posture from start to finish.

"Xueer Wife..."

His voice carried a hint of a small, imperceptible grievance.

Zhao Muxue looked at his cute, frustrated appearance,

and within those ice-and-fire phoenix eyes,

that smile she couldn't hide grew even more intense.

She didn't mock him directly like Lin Yao.

Nor did she comfort him with her gaze like Ye Nianxin.

She simply reached out her soft, warm hand, which he had been holding all along,

and lightly scratched his palm.

The action was full of an intimacy and reassurance that only the two of them understood.

As if saying: Alright, alright, I won't laugh at you.

At this moment, Qin Feng's heart finally found a bit of solace.

His own Xueer Wife was indeed the one who loved him most.

"Hmph, Senior Brother, don't think you can change the subject!"

Lin Yao, who was beside them, didn't plan to let him off so easily.

She hugged Qin Feng's arm and shook it stubbornly,

her watery big eyes blinking curiously.

"Hurry up and confess!"

"What exactly happened to you just now?

Why were you more excited watching a shadow Puppet play than when you were undergoing your Soul Transformation Tribulation?"

"You even said 'Holy crap' and 'My fate is my own, not heaven's'!"

"Senior Brother, do you have something on your mind?"

Her words went straight to the heart of the matter.

This caused both Zhao Muxue and Ye Nianxin to simultaneously

turn their curious gazes toward Qin Feng.

Indeed.

His reaction just now was truly too abnormal.

There must be some reason behind it that they didn't know.

Qin Feng's heart skipped a beat!

Does this Little Vixen's intuition have to be so sharp?!

He couldn't possibly tell them that he was because... Qin Feng's brain worked at high speed.

Almost instantly, he thought of a perfect excuse.

"Sigh."

He sighed heavily.

On his face, he wore a melancholy expression full of "vicissitudes" and "reminiscence,"

looking up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.

"You don't understand."

His voice became deep and full of narrative weight.

"The reason I was so excited"

"wasn't because of how wonderful the play was."

"But because, from that tiny Mosquito,

I saw my own shadow."

"..."