Chapter 2298: No One Is Perfect! Change Your Way of Life
Looking at the forced smile on Jiangnan's face and Mila's pale little face...
Zhong Yingxue's expression also froze. Things were probably not as simple as they seemed on the surface!
How could Xiao Nan have set up a series of attack plans in advance as if he had foreseen everything?
And how did all the preparations happen to come in handy at just the right moment?
The answer was almost obvious!
"Mila... you..."
Xia Yao and Wu Liang, who had been celebrating, also realized something was wrong!
The Fairy Spirit Chrysalis Shell had indeed been obtained, but a price had been paid!
That price, it seemed, was not being paid by little Mila!
Jiangnan looked serious, gently stroking the top of Mila's head.
"Just once? Or did you rewind many times? Don't lie to big brother, tell the truth..."
Mila's eyes darted a little.
(๑◔₃◔ิ๑) "I only used it once. Jiangnan Gege was very impressive. It worked on the first try!"
Jiangnan's heart clenched painfully. As he suspected!
"Here... drink this and say it again."
He pulled out a Large Green Stick as he spoke.
Mila pushed his hand away lightly.
(๑◔﹏◔ิ) "Huh? Minors can't drink alcohol. I'm still a kid, you know~"
Even now, Mila was still trying to make Jiangnan laugh and brush things off, not wanting to worry him.
But Jiangnan didn't smile. His expression grew even more serious.
This wasn't something to take lightly. Otherwise, Jiangnan would have no idea what he was dealing with.
Even if Mila had used it a hundred times, he would never know.
Seeing that Jiangnan was determined not to let it go, Mila reluctantly tilted her head back and drank the Large Green Stick, letting out a small burp.
(*¯ㅿ¯*;) Burp~
"I really only used it once. Mila isn't lying!"
Jiangnan's tense heart relaxed slightly. "And the cost? How much lifespan did it consume? What about the telomerase?"
Mila had drunk the Large Green Stick, so she couldn't lie even if she wanted to.
"Time reversal can rewind reality over a large area. And the time that everyone in the area is rewound gets multiplied and added onto me."
"This time... about... about three years. But it's okay. Mila is still young. I can still stay with Jiangnan Gege for a long time~"
"In a world with Mila in it, Jiangnan Gege will always be there. Don't worry about Mila. I can eat Incense Beads later to make up for it. I'll be fine. I'm not hurt too badly."
Jiangnan's gaze at Mila was filled with complexity.
"Mila! I'm sorry..."
Before he could finish, Mila threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.
(｡≥～≤(･ˇ_ˇ･｡) "Don't say it! Don't apologize, don't feel guilty. I used it on my own. Jiangnan Gege didn't do anything wrong. No one can always make the most correct choice!"
"Jiangnan Gege has to be happy! Has to smile! Otherwise, Mila will be sad too."
She held on tightly, not letting go, pressing her little face against his chest, listening to the strong and steady heartbeat.
It was very reassuring...
Jiangnan's expression was complicated. How could he not love a Mila like this?
But... he couldn't let her be hurt anymore.
He forced a smile back onto his face. "I'll have to eat a few pounds of Incense Beads to make up for it, and let Sister Li Bing give you a thorough check-up."
Mila pouted reluctantly.
O(⸝⸝ᵒ̴̶̷᷄～ᵒ̴̶̷᷅⸝⸝)O "Huh? A few pounds? If I make up that much, won't my nose bleed? And Cheng Bao'er will be jealous of me!"
Ever since she learned that Incense Beads were Xing Cheng's "Baba beans," Mila had become resistant and didn't like eating them much.
Every time she ate one, it felt like swallowing a pill. It was torture!
Everyone looked at Mila with heartache, while Jiu Lan was completely confused.
What were they talking about? Hadn't things gone smoothly just now? What happened?
"Let's go. Time to get out."
...
As Chong Bishi's domain dissipated, the pressure on Yakeli eased, allowing him to catch his breath.
Seeing the Star Source Planet appear and the Two-Dimensional Fragment expand wildly, filling their entire field of vision, even swallowing the figures of Jiangnan and the others, everyone's hearts were in their throats.
But before long, a Warp Bubble shot out of a Space Wormhole, heading straight for them.
In that moment, all members of the Bully Gang's eyes lit up!
Chong Feiyu screamed with excitement.
(งᵒ̌ꇴᵒ̌)ง "Ahhh! Nan Shen is amazing!"
Ta Luo pounded his chest and roared. "Holy shit! To take the Heart of the Insect Emperor from amidst ten thousand generals? Did Nan Shen really win the bet? The Fairy Spirit Chrysalis Shell is in hand?"
Suo Na's eyes sparkled.
(♪͡°͜ʖ͡°)✧ "We're rising up, baby! We're about to have a Star Devourer-level big shot backing us up!"
Sheng Yi and Sheng Cai's faces flushed with excitement.
(◦˙ᴗ˙◦)(◦˙ᴗ˙◦) "Nan Shen really has the heavens on his side! Chong Bishi couldn't even handle him?"
"She must have died in that Two-Dimensional expansion just now, right? Otherwise, why would her domain disappear?"
Everyone was cheering, celebrating this stage victory.
The Fairy Spirit Chrysalis Shell, which they had been coveting all along, had been forcefully snatched after all!
Only Wang Youzhi stared blankly at the scene before him.
He had seen the same event happen twice, but with completely different results.
The first time, Jiangnan had given the wrong answer and lost completely. The second time, he handed in a perfect score.
Mila's time reversal had indeed affected Wang Youzhi, but it couldn't affect the Black God's true body in the Dimensional Gap.
So besides Mila and Jiangnan, he was the only one who knew exactly what had just happened.
The corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.
"A gambler who never loses? No wonder."
Most of the time, Jiangnan won. Strength, courage, calculation, even luck—various factors had brought him this far.
But that wasn't the root cause. Jiangnan wasn't perfect. He had lost before, but when he lost, Mila had his back.
Bartering for a winning outcome.
In fact, when they first met, the Black God had been curious. How had an Era Lord who loved taking risks, walking the edge, and constantly finding himself in danger managed to survive and come this far?
And now, the Black God knew the answer.
Jiangnan shot back in a Warp Bubble. Chong Feiyu excitedly pounced on him, ignoring the jealous looks from the girls nearby, and peppered his cheeks with kisses.
(ʃƪ⁰̷̴³⁰̷̴) "You actually kept your promise from back then. You're amazing!"
But her action made Jiangnan quickly raise his hands in surrender.
ฅ(￢﹏￢٥)ฅ
"Look, I didn't do anything, okay? Feiyu kissed me herself. I had nothing to do with it!"
Zhong Yingxue pouted. (◦`~´◦) "Mm-hmm, we saw that~"
Wang Youzhi grinned. "How does it feel to lose the bet?"
The words stunned the Bully Gang.
Lose? They had clearly won!
And they had won beautifully. Where was the loss?
Even Chong Feiyu looked at Wang Youzhi in confusion.
Jiangnan was taken aback by the question, then smiled bitterly. The Black God had seen everything, huh?
The miserable failure hidden beneath the glorious victory.
His eyes dimmed, and he said hoarsely, "It feels terrible..."
Wang Youzhi asked calmly, "Still want to gamble?"
Jiangnan lowered his head, staring at his hands, his thoughts drifting.
"Back when humanity hadn't yet joined the Starry Sky Sequence and stepped onto the starry stage, I had no choice. I could only be a gambler, betting again and again, risking my life."
"I won many times. I lost sometimes too, but not often. And most of the losses were acceptable."
"You know? Winning continuously... it's addictive."
That was the truth from Jiangnan's heart.
"But I knew that one day, I would lose once. Lose everything. Everything I had fought tooth and nail for would vanish like smoke."
"Before, I had no choice. Now that humanity has joined the Sequence and stepped onto the starry stage, no longer worrying about survival, there are more options."
"But I still instinctively gambled. I couldn't break away from my old mindset. I always thought I could keep winning. This time will work out. It's fine. I'll get through it. Over and over..."
"That's how I always comforted myself."
As he spoke, Jiangnan slowly clenched his fist and raised his head, his eyes filled with determination.
"It's time to change paths. Change my way of life. I don't want to wait until I can't afford to lose, until I've lost everything, to regret it."
This time, Jiangnan had indeed lost once. The cost was bearable. But only for now!
What about later? The enemies would only grow stronger. Could such a gambler's mentality really allow him to climb to the top and make it to the end?
The answer was no.
When your own principles no longer support your ambition to go further, it means you need to change.
Losing... can't be for nothing.
Wang Youzhi patted Jiangnan on the back without saying anything, but there was a hint of approval in his eyes.
He felt like he was playing a raising simulation game.
Jiangnan didn't become arrogant or discouraged because of what he had accomplished or failed to accomplish. Instead, he learned from his mistakes, reflected on himself, and figured out what to do right.
The Black God could feel that the Jiangnan of now had grown a lot compared to the one who first met him.
No one is perfect. As long as you're human, you have strengths and weaknesses. Jiangnan's willingness to take risks and go all out was a strength, but also a fatal weakness.
A man willing to risk his life for those he cares about would one day cherish his life for those same people.
What's scary is not not knowing where you're wrong. What's truly scary is knowing where you're wrong and not changing.
The Black God knew Jiangnan's problem, but he didn't say it. Because this kind of thing isn't a matter of advice or not.
Only when you suffer a loss yourself and realize something is wrong do you wake up and change.
You have to hit the south wall before you turn back.
Fortunately, Jiangnan lost early, realized early, and grew early.
Otherwise, if one day everything was beyond recovery, that would be too late.
Is suffering a loss a blessing? That was probably the meaning.
Wang Youzhi grinned. "Still dare to fight?"
Jiangnan twisted his neck and grinned back. "Hey! Not being a gambler doesn't mean being timid or scared."
"Do you think there's anything in this world I don't dare to do?"
Wang Youzhi laughed helplessly and elbowed him in the ribs.
But their conversation left Chong Feiyu completely confused.
What kind of cryptic talk were these two having again?
Were they talking about the poker game they played back in the treasure vault?