Chapter 478: Extra 17: "Chen Universe" (Complete)
"If there's too much water, add more flour; if there's too much flour, add water."
"..."
Elder Bai muttered this phrase to himself, and after a moment, he looked at Wang Jili with a complex expression, "Suddenly I feel like that's the ultimate truth, it seems there is no simpler solution."
"Of course."
Wang Jili couldn't help but laugh, "Otherwise, did you think there would be some profound solution?"
"However..."
Elder Bai hesitated for a while before saying, "Wouldn't this mean that in the end, all races become extremely overpowered? It was supposed to be just one race that was overpowered but with this cycle of adding water when there's too much flour and adding flour when there's too much water, it feels like all races would eventually become like bugs."
"Of course, they will."
Wang Jili nodded as if it were only natural, "Isn't that the conclusion that's obvious from the beginning?"
"What can we do about this then?"
"There's nothing we can do. Find Miao or Jiang, give White Continent a reboot, and then just create some new races again. No big deal, just enjoy yourself. After all, no matter what happens, Jiang and the others will surely have your back, so what's there to fear?"
"Not to say anything unpleasant."
Wang Jili couldn't help but grin, "Given the strength of those races on your White Continent, even if there were tens of thousands more continents like this, with one shot from Jiang, they'd all be obliterated without a trace left."
"The concept of a cannon with a caliber of several million light-years is beyond what you can imagine."
"If one day there arises a rebellion in the universe so large that Jiang has to take action, it might be an occasion for you to truly witness it."
"It's just that..."
"Such opportunities are almost nonexistent."
...
After Chen Ping returned, life resumed its tranquility, and the core team that had always been with Chen Miao slowly found their places in this world.
"Master."
Black Doctor looked at Doctor Gou, who was lying on a rocking chair in front of the clinic with a complex expression, and hesitated, "Hungry Monkey and the others have already squeezed into the Chen Family's inner circle, and even Elder Bai is now mingling with Wang Jili and the others. Don't you have any other thoughts, Master?"
"No."
Doctor Gou, quite contented, swayed in his rocking chair with drooping eyelids and nonchalantly waved his hand with a sunshade fan, "If you have ambitions, go for it. I still have some influence with Miao. I'll introduce you."
"He will definitely honor my request, especially since you were once a confidant by Miao's side and you have a good relationship with him. As long as you approach Miao, he will certainly not mind giving you a hand."
"Don't worry about me." Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
"I think my life is quite good as it is."
"I've had enough in my lifetime, I'm quite happy now. Why would I need to squeeze into a more central circle? After squeezing in, what would it change? I don't need anything."
Behind Doctor Gou at this moment, there was a clinic that wasn't very big.
The Little Sunflower Andrology Clinic.
The décor was quite retro, and the customers coming and going didn't even give the clinic a glance, but Doctor Gou didn't mind; he seemed quite pleased to keep swaying on his rocking chair.
After all, he wasn't short of money. Miao had given him enough Star Coins to last him more than a dozen lifetimes in this world.
His clinic used to be called the Big Sunflower Andrology Clinic.
But that was a name he changed later. In his parent's generation, it was called the Little Sunflower Andrology Clinic; however, after his parents passed away and he took over, he found that there was no business and had no choice but to change it to the Big Sunflower Clinic.
Now he no longer cared about business.
He naturally wanted to continue the name given by his parents, so the layout and décor of the shop were a one-to-one restoration of the clinic that his parents left him in Fengtian City.
Once he had never understood.
People were always talking about secret realms, always discussing levels.
Why his father never cared about these things, just liking the peace and quiet of swaying on a rocking chair, as if he was unaffected by all the strife in the world. Now, he was slowly beginning to understand how his father felt back then.
Perhaps this was the feeling.
To live without contention.
To be quite satisfied.
"..."
Seeing Doctor Gou like this, Black Doctor didn't say anything, just sat next to him quietly on a small stool with a complex expression on his face. He wasn't concerned about any social circles; he only felt that it was a bit of a pity for Doctor Gou.
Doctor Gou was, after all, the person who guided Miao in the early days.
Even Elder Bai, who joined the Tomb Guardian halfway, now held a position of power, while Doctor Gou, as Miao's guide, had always remained in front of a small clinic.
It really was a bit of a waste.
Just then—
A voice sounded beside the two men.
"Long time no see."
Chen Miao and Lord Miao, carrying several boxes of zongzi gift sets, stood to one side looking at Doctor Gou lying on the rocking chair and Black Doctor next to him and couldn't help but laugh, "The two of you sitting together really do look like a pair of grandfather and grandson."
"Are you starting to enjoy your twilight years?"
"Miao?"
Surprise flashed in Doctor Gou's eyes. He quickly got up and threw off the blanket covering him, taking the zongzi gift boxes from Chen Miao with some excitement, "Why did you come? And you brought your sister-in-law too; are you passing by, or..."
"We came especially to see you."
Chen Miao patted Doctor Gou on the shoulder with a resigned smile, "We wanted to bring Ping along too, but he ran into a fight on the way, saw blood, and fainted, had to be carried back to the Chen Residence."
"You know, he's always had a severe case of hemophobia since he was little."
"I thought he would improve significantly after some adventuring, but there's been no change at all; his hemophobia is as severe as ever. He's actually a good fit to hang out with his Uncle Jiang, who apparently never spills blood when he kills."
"Never mind, let's not talk about him."
"We came here specifically to see how you are doing, as the Dragon Boat Festival is upon us, and we brought you some boxes of zongzi. Seeing as you're one of the senior members of the Tomb Guardian, and that clinic of yours helped me out quite a bit back then."
"As long as you speak up, Chen Residence will definitely reserve a position for you with considerable power."
"Even if you don't care, you should at least think about your future offspring, right? Just imagine, one day you get married and have kids, and when your child is born, they find that, although everyone else who once risked their lives for me holds high positions, their own father just runs a small clinic. How sad would that make them, right?"
"I've given you this advice many times already."
"You've always brushed it aside before, but this time, you really need to consider it."
"..."
Doctor Gou smiled wryly and shook his head in resignation: "Miao, you're joking. I'm already too old to marry and have children. I've decided not to marry or have kids in this lifetime; my parents' death was too big a blow to me."
"I don't want my children to witness the death of their own parents."
"That would be too traumatic for them."
Chen Miao rolled his eyes at Doctor Gou, not impressed: "Then just have your children die in front of you, that would solve it. When you feel you're about to die, just kill your kids first, and then they won't be able to witness your death."
"What kind of messed-up thought is that?"
"So because you're worried about choking on your food, you just stop eating altogether?"
"Forget it, I'm not going to argue with you."
"I left the zongzi here for you, make sure to eat it. Someone will come to pick you up for the Chen Residence tomorrow. I'll have you bound and taken to the Chen Residence this time if I must, really, these days it's nothing but crooked logic."
"I'm off, see you tomorrow."
"And Black Doctor, don't ignore the advice, okay? I've invited you so many times, and you haven't come. If you don't come this time, I'll have you tied up too."
...
Standing in his original spot, Doctor Gou looked at the receding figures of Chen Miao with a complex expression. He really preferred to stay in this small clinic, but he also knew that Miao was looking out for his best interest, and he couldn't refuse that kindness.
"So Miao had already invited you before, huh?"
Black Doctor, looking somewhat lost, said: "And when did Miao invite me? I never received any message."
"I intercepted them."
"And then?"
"I declined."
"What the heck?"
Unable to believe it, Black Doctor exclaimed: "I thought Miao had abandoned me, and you were the one refusing on my behalf? Why?"
"Because I want to stay with the clinic."
"What does that have to do with you declining for me?"
"How boring would it be if I'm alone there?"
"..."
After a long while, the Black Doctor spoke unemotionally, word by word: "And to think, all these years I thought you were a good guy. I've been calling you master all this time, but you are still as much an animal as ever."
"Thank you."
Doctor Gou, smiling, opened the zongzi gift box, ready to take one out to eat. But when he saw the nine glowing vials inside the box, he froze.
He recognized this stuff.
It was the latest life-extending medicine researched by the Chen Residence, incredibly expensive.
And there were nine of them here.
They must have been prepared for him and Black Doctor, and for their possible future wives and children. With these nine vials, his descendants would never be poor. After all, even if you were a fool, living for tens of thousands of years would allow you to accumulate enough wealth to squander indefinitely.
...
The next day.
Chen Miao, leaning on a cane, stood at the entrance of the Chen Residence, looking at the punctual arrival of Doctor Gou and Black Doctor, and said with a smile: "Not bad, finally saw sense, didn't make me send someone to get you."
"Don't worry, Doctor Gou, you can still go back to your clinic on your days off."
"Just remember to stay in touch with the brothers, don't lock yourself up in your clinic."
"Here, the brothers are all waiting for you."
He stepped aside.
Hungry Monkey, Zhou Shen, and the others came forward with big grins: "Have you noticed we haven't come to catch up with you lately? It's because Miao told us not to go, said to leave you alone for a while, to save us from your foul temper."
"It's so boring alone."
Elder Bai put an arm around Doctor Gou's shoulder: "Next time, I'll take you to play in my White Continent, it's really fun."
"Don't kill Doctor Gou with your idea of fun."
"What are you saying, how could I? Doctor Gou is strong, right, Doctor Gou?"
The crowd began to make a noisy fuss, chatting and laughing with each other.
And Chen Miao, leaning on a cane beside Lord Miao, looked at this scene before him and chuckled without saying anything.
As the camera began to rise slowly.
The morning sun fell on the skies above the Chen Residence.
The figures below gradually blurred, their voices also fading into an echo.
The story of Chen Miao and the others had reached a temporary pause.
But the story of the Chen Residence...
Continued to unfold in various universes.
The curtain falling on one drama simply means the rise of another.
...
(The Grand Finale).