Chapter 286: Growing Distant

The three uncles all stood up after hearing this, their eyes filled with extreme shock.

"Yang Ge... you..." Hu Shushu said in disbelief, "You could have left earlier, right?! You've been accumulating 'Dao' for us?!"

"I told you, I have no family. We've eaten at the same table, so we're family now," Bai Yang Gege said, then pulled out three sheets of paper from his pocket.

"It's just a pity that Tian Long knows that all the 'Dao' was earned by me, so he only gave two 'Shengxiao Feisheng Duidu Hetong' and one 'Mianshi Fangjian Xiezuo Hetong'," Bai Yang Gege laid the white papers on the table. "You three, pick the one you like and sign it... Whether you want to gamble to become 'Di Ji'... or be an assistant who never has to hand over 'Dao'... that's up to you..."

The three uncles looked up at the papers on the table, all feeling a bit uneasy.

"No matter which path you choose..." Bai Yang Gege continued, "I'll be here waiting for you. From now on, I'll take care of Shu. After all, there are many roads in this world, and everyone has their own to follow."

The three uncles glanced at each other, seeming to hesitate about their decision.

After a long while, Hei Yang Shushu reached out and took one of the 'Shengxiao Feisheng Duidu Hetong', signed his name on it, and then folded it up.

I knew that 'Shengxiao' could never reveal their real names.

Now, only one 'Shengxiao Feisheng Duidu Hetong' and one 'Mianshi Fangjian Xiezuo Hetong' were left.

Hu Shushu and She Shushu seemed even more hesitant.

"Little Hu Zi, you go ahead," She Shushu said after a moment of silence. "I feel pretty good staying here. I'll stick around with Yang Ge and the little one for a while."

"What the hell!" Hu Shushu cursed. "Why shouldn't you go? What about your family?"

"Ah..." She Shushu waved his hand. "I've made too many mistakes. I don't have the face to see them... Just let me live on like this."

Without waiting for Hu Shushu to respond, he grabbed the 'Mianshi Fangjian Xiezuo Hetong', bit his thumb, and pressed a bloody fingerprint on it.

"You..." Hu Shushu slowly stood up. "Who do you think you are, deciding for me?! I haven't even made up my mind yet!"

"Come on, you troublemaker, go see your daughter," She Shushu said with a smile. "No matter how many years it takes... make sure you see her."

"You..." Hu Shushu breathed heavily, looking furious.

"Oh, come on... don't get so worked up!" She Shushu said. "As long as you don't die in the 'Mianshi Fangjian', we can still meet up every evening!"

Hu Shushu slowly sat back down, his face full of dejection.

I didn't know exactly what was happening... but I felt really sad, like I was drifting away from them...

"Shu, don't make that face," Bai Yang Gege said. "It won't be long before your uncles are as strong as I am."

"Ah...? Really?" I looked at him.

"Yes, they're all outstanding," Bai Yang Gege nodded.

From that day on, the atmosphere among our group of five felt a little different.

Every time Hu Shushu and Hei Yang Shushu came back, they carried a strong smell of rust.

They seemed reluctant to talk to me... Whenever I tried to chat with them, their eyes would avoid mine.

What was wrong with them?

Luckily, She Shushu was still willing to talk to me... He told me that Hu Shushu and Hei Yang Shushu were in a bad mood because they were doing things they didn't like.

But he wouldn't tell me what those things were.

This went on for about a year.

In that year, my game didn't have a single participant.

My warehouse was small and out of the way. Even though I'd collected a lot of odds and ends from around to fill it up, no one came to play.

Thinking about it, ever since the game was set up, I hadn't hosted a single 'Canyu Zhe', which made me feel a bit down.

Hu Shushu and Hei Yang Shushu's demeanor was changing too... Their masks were starting to look more and more real.

Finally, six months later, Hei Yang Shushu transformed completely.

That day, when he returned, I noticed he was just like Bai Yang Gege... The sheep head on his face was no longer a mask but a real one.

Apparently, Hei Yang Shushu had reached this state in a very short time, breaking all 'Shengxiao' records.

A year and a half... Was that short?

That day, he came specifically to thank Bai Yang Gege and packed up his things to leave the room.

Bai Yang Gege called him back, and the two had a quiet conversation, but from their expressions, it seemed a bit unpleasant.

After that, Hei Yang Shushu never came back to the room again.

Only She Shushu and Hu Shushu returned every few days.

I felt like our "family" was slowly falling apart... I didn't know what to do, so whenever I had free time, I'd help Bai Yang Gege clean the room...

I did all the household chores I knew how to do, hoping it would make them happier.

But it seemed like everyone had their own worries, and I didn't know how to help.

Hu Shushu barely talked to me anymore... I was starting to not know how to act around him. Was he mad at me?

That day, I ran into Ruoxue Jiejie again. She came to play with me and gave me a pack of snacks.

I didn't want to eat them, so I took them to Hu Shushu after work. Even though I didn't know what I'd done to upset him, I hoped he'd stop being mad.

But he just looked at the snacks, took them quietly, and still didn't say a word to me.

I felt like crying, but then I thought about it—Hu Shushu and I aren't even related, so he doesn't have to keep looking after me...

Bai Yang Gege didn't seem quite right either. In my mind, he's always been so focused and serious.

But lately, he's been spacing out a lot.

What was he thinking about?

Then, half a year later, things changed again.

That day, we gathered in Bai Yang Gege's room for a meal, just like always.

Even though the meals had gotten quieter and quieter, I still felt safer with them.

"Hu, how many more people do you need?" Bai Yang Gege asked.

"Almost there... I only have two left in my room," Hu Shushu replied.

"Then I might not wait for you," Bai Yang Gege looked at the three of us and said meaningfully, "I'm leaving tonight."

"To... tonight?!"

We all knew this day would come, but no one could accept it when it actually arrived.

"That's right... After tonight, I'll be the Tian Yang who can freely enter and exit the 'Zhongyan Zhi Di'," Bai Yang Gege said with a bitter smile, then looked at us. "Do you... have anything you want to say to me?"