CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 74: NINE O’CLOCK FAMILY-FRIENDLY TV DRAMA (TWO-IN-ONE)

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

As the bell for the end of the fourth period in the afternoon rang, Ren Qingqing stuffed her textbooks and pens into her bag and practically dashed out of the classroom building.

Her roommate almost had to jog to keep up with her, complaining, "Silly Qing, why are you walking so fast?"

"If I don’t walk fast, all the others getting out of class will rush to the cafeteria, and then we’ll have to wait in a long line," Ren Qingqing said while walking. "I need to hurry and get takeaway to bring back to the dorm."

"Weren’t you always so laid-back?" her roommate laughed. "Before, even if people urged you to run, you were too lazy to move, preferring to queue and eat leftovers. What’s changed now? You’re even getting takeaway?"

Her roommate grabbed Ren Qingqing’s hand and swung it back and forth, giggling, "Hehe, is it because you want to catch up on the series?"

"Yes, it’s already six o’clock, and Ren Naiser should have updated it by now," Ren Qingqing said. "I don’t have much mobile data; I can’t possibly watch it in the cafeteria, right?"

"Okay, then I’ll get takeaway too and mooch off our Qingqing’s 24-inch monitor to watch the show," her roommate said with a chuckle.

As a freshman, Ren Qingqing had spent a few hundred yuan on Taobao for a second-hand monitor. It was extremely cost-effective, making her the only girl in the dormitory with a gaming addiction to own one.

The two girls got their takeaway from the cafeteria and returned to their dormitory, which was, unsurprisingly, empty. The other roommates were probably still eating at their leisure.

They pulled up stools and squeezed in front of Ren Qingqing’s desk. Their school’s dormitories featured loft beds with desks underneath. The desk was quite large; after moving the pile of books to one side, there was more than enough room for two people to eat.

Currently, Ren Naiser released an episode of Over My Dead Body at 3:00, 9:00, 15:00, and 21:00. Just that afternoon at 15:00, he had uploaded another new one, Episode 14.

Over My Dead Body had only surfaced four days prior but instantly became the top traffic generator on various video sites. It began updating on Saturday morning. After being forcibly embedded on various video portals, its click and view counts started climbing exponentially.

Besides its extremely rapid updates, the drama captivated audiences. It told a legendary tale of Cultivators, spirits, and ghosts during the Late Eastern Han Dynasty’s Three Kingdoms period, impressing viewers with its special effects, actors, details, and plot. Many didn’t understand why Ren Naiser, known for ’documenting modern legendary videos,’ had suddenly released such a drama series. However, given his fame and formidable hacking skills (which allowed him to forcibly embed the videos on any website), his new series still attracted many viewers. Eventually, the drama’s own charm attracted countless more.

Clicking on the video, they saw the barrage of comments growing at a visible rate. The length of this episode also pleasantly surprised Ren Qingqing and her roommate—a full 46 minutes!

Even excluding the opening and ending themes, that was at least 40 minutes of content!

For some reason, each episode of this drama series varied in length. Some were over 120 minutes, almost like a movie, while others might only be 20 minutes.

However, as the series progressed, the audience quickly noticed a pattern: each episode hinted at its time frame, and these time frames progressed chronologically, with events usually happening within the same year!

Thus, this drama was actually divided into episodes based on the in-show timeline, with each episode roughly corresponding to one year of plot development!

This unheard-of method of episode division stunned everyone.

But this also made it easy for viewers to follow the timeline. They only needed to know that the first episode was set in the First Year of Chuping of the Eastern Han Dynasty (A.D. 190). Then, based on the episode number, they could deduce which year that episode’s story covered.

Episode 14, therefore, covered the events of A.D. 203.

Recalling the previous episode’s content, Ren Qingqing and her roommate shared a knowing smile.

Over My Dead Body primarily followed the rise and fall of the Ren Family Cultivators. The story began with the sudden annihilation of the entire Ren clan, leaving only the three Ren brothers alive.

The first episode laid out the secrets of the Ren Family’s bloodline and the resurgent Spirit Vein of the Central Plains. This fresh perspective and novel setting filled the fantasy story with suspense: Would the Ren Family Cultivators ultimately break free from their bloodline and lift the Guangwu Shackles from their descendants? And what roles would they play in the turbulent Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty?

While Ren Qingqing’s roommate was more casual, Ren Qingqing herself, an experienced gamer, had played many Three Kingdoms-themed games. Although not a hardcore aficionado, she was familiar with the specific anecdotes, major battles, and famous figures.

Just when Ren Qingqing thought it was purely a ghost story, she was quickly proven wrong.

Not to mention, from the very beginning, the Ren Family Cultivators had to exorcise the Ghost Soldiers who died at Hulao Pass. Then, in the fifth episode (A.D. 194), the brothers traveled to Xuzhou to slay Demons and exorcise evil spirits. The scene that unfolded before them was utterly shocking: nine out of ten houses were empty, corpses littered the ground, and Demons roamed freely—it was like a living purgatory.

After the Ren Family Brothers had cleared out most of the Demons and Ghosts and were escorting a group of refugees back to Ren Family Village, the Second Elder of the Ren Family remained remarkably silent the entire journey.

Only a day’s journey from Ren Family Village, the Second Elder suddenly left the group and headed straight for Yanzhou!

He was actually planning to assassinate the tyrannical warlord Cao Cao!

The Second Elder of the Ren Family attempted to assassinate Cao Cao only once. At that time, Cao Cao was contending with Lv Bu. The Second Elder hid outside the military camp, first carefully observing Cao Cao’s appearance. After locating Cao Cao’s tent, he slipped into the camp on a dark, windy night, transformed into a ghostly shadow.

The Second Elder of the Ren Family, whose entire Cultivation was focused in his sword, unleashed his Sword Qi; Demons and Monsters could not withstand a single blow from him. The Ren Family Cultivators possessed potent bloodlines and the Guangwu Inheritance. Their combat power was such that they feared no living person, and even against powerful monsters, one of them could fight a hundred alone!

Arriving at Cao Cao’s tent, the Second Elder remained undetected. However, just as he drew his blade, his temples visibly whitened in an instant.

Therefore, he could only manage one strike.

After that single sword strike, his hair turned completely white.

The sword’s light flashed downwards, cleaving the tent in two. Before the guards on duty could even realize what had happened, the Second Elder transformed into a streak of lightning and fled the camp.

He only had time for a fleeting glance back, only to see that Cao Cao, incredibly, was still alive. In the very instant he had swung his sword, Cao Cao had sat up from his reclining position as if sleepwalking, narrowly avoiding the decapitating strike!

The Second Elder of the Ren Family returned unsuccessful. The effort, however, caused him to vomit blood profusely, and he collapsed sick by the roadside during his escape. He had merely brushed against the edge of the Guangwu Shackles, yet it had triggered a tremendous backlash.

Later, he was saved by Zhang Liao, a subordinate of Lv Bu, but that is another story.

In just thirteen episodes, the Ren Family Cultivators became entangled with many historical figures. They influenced these figures’ paths to some extent and were, in turn, influenced by them. However, none of this hindered the Ren Family Cultivators’ objective: to slay all Demons in the world and break free from their bloodline’s shackles.

Just as everyone was caught up in the thrilling developments, the three Ren brothers died one after another.

The curse of dying at twenty-four hung over them like the Sword of Damocles; when the time came, it was their moment to depart.

In A.D. 198, Ren Woxing, the first Family Head of the Ren Family, followed his two younger brothers to the grave. On his deathbed, he passed on his entire Cultivation and the position of Family Head to Ren Nu, who was merely eight years old.

Ren Nu was the son of Ren Woxing and the Taibai Plains Spirit. He became Family Head at eight, with six younger siblings. Fortunately, while the previous generation of Ren Family Cultivators slayed Demons, they had also gathered many people to Ren Family Village, providing them shelter and a place to live and recuperate.

With no adults left in the Ren Family, the villagers, whom the Ren Family had helped, spontaneously took on the task of raising the children. Furthermore, a Steward appointed by Ren Woxing managed the Ren Family’s daily affairs, so Ren Nu didn’t actually need to make many decisions.

Thus, Ren Nu embarked on a journey of study and Cultivation.

Ren Family Cultivators were forbidden from attacking Demon strongholds before the age of fourteen, but this didn’t mean they couldn’t leave home.

In truth, Ren Family Cultivators didn’t need to actively cultivate; their strength grew naturally with age. What they needed to learn were Spells.

Though just a child, Ren Nu, who was cultivating these Spells, possessed nearly unstoppable strength.

And so, he traveled the world alone, casually testing his Spells on hungry ghosts and roadside bandits.

During his travels, Ren Nu encountered a group of cousins who, to his surprise, were all Cultivators possessing ’Innate Spells.’

These cousins aimed to use their power to punish the wicked and eliminate corruption. Ren Nu, feeling that a child traveling alone was too conspicuous, decided to hide his true strength and accompany them to learn more about the ways of the world.

Ren Nu teamed up with his cousins, and together they roamed the land. Episodes nine through thirteen chronicled Ren Nu’s adventures.

Compared to the older Ren Family Cultivators, who carried the heavy burden of their destiny, Ren Nu’s travel stories were often amusing and heartwarming. The trio quickly made a name for themselves in the Central Plains, naturally making many enemies in the process.

This fourteenth episode continued Ren Nu’s travel adventures, and it had Ren Qingqing and her roommate roaring with laughter—

After a fierce battle, the girl was poisoned. The boy, recognizing the toxin, paled in shock. "Isn’t this the infamous ’Joyful Powder’?! If you don’t... copulate within a quarter of an hour, you’ll die! There’s no other way! Little Nu, as your older cousin, this is my responsibility. You... uh... go take a dump first..."

Just then, Ren Nu plucked a blade of grass from the ground. Using his ’Third-level Healing Spell’ ability, he imbued the grass with a Detoxification Effect. "Don’t worry, I have an antidote!"

The boy: "..."

Later, they came across a Demon Tiger fighting a venomous snake. The three watched from the sidelines, but somehow the snake spotted them, so they joined forces and killed it.

However, the Demon Tiger was also mortally wounded. Before dying, it limped back to its lair, cradled its cub, and stared intently at the three of them.

The boy understood. "You’re afraid that after you die, no one will look after your child, so you want me to take care of it?"

The Demon Tiger nodded. The boy immediately puffed out his chest. "No problem! I’ll definitely raise your cub well..."

At that moment, Ren Nu casually plucked another blade of grass. "Don’t worry, I can heal it!"

The boy: "..."

Further on, they encountered a Great Cultivator robbing civilians. The boy immediately rushed forward but was swatted down by a single slap from the Great Cultivator.

The Great Cultivator sneered, "Hmph, you’ve angered me. But seeing as you have some Talent, if you willingly become my disciple, I’ll spare your friends and these people."

The boy looked conflicted. "I will not yield... but for my friends..."

Just then, Ren Nu flicked his finger, sending out a blade aura that instantly killed the Great Cultivator. He then exclaimed, "Wow, this talisman I picked up on the road is surprisingly powerful!"

The boy: "..."

The 40 minutes flew by. At the end of the episode, while they were spending the night in a dilapidated hut, Ren Nu suddenly said to his two companions, "I’m leaving."

"And I won’t be coming back."

The other two were stunned. After trying to persuade him to stay, they realized Ren Nu was serious.

The boy abruptly stood up. "I need to take a dump. You two talk..."

Only Ren Nu and the girl remained in the dilapidated hut. Though it was rundown, so many had perished in the Central Plains over the years that finding such a salvageable shelter was easy. The roof was intact, and the flickering light of the firewood cast a warm glow on the two young people’s flushed faces.

Seeing this, Ren Qingqing and her roommate held their breath, their anticipation mounting.

During their journey in these past few episodes, although there had initially been a hint of ambiguity between the two cousins, it had vanished completely after Ren Nu’s appearance.

Conversely, Ren Nu had grown remarkably fast in the past two years. He was now fourteen but looked as tall and mature as an eighteen-year-old.

Throughout their time together, there had been frequent, subtle moments of attraction between Ren Nu and the girl, along with interactions so sweet they could make your teeth ache. They were close in age and seemed a good match.

"Actually, you’ve always been helping us," the girl said suddenly. "Compared to us... self-taught practitioners, you’re incredibly skilled, aren’t you?"

Ren Nu nodded.

"Is there nothing you want to say to me?"

Ren Nu hesitated for a moment, then gently shook his head.

"What if I said..." The girl looked at Ren Nu, her clear eyes shining brighter than the moon. "...I want to go back with you?"

"Where I live, there’s a village nearby," Ren Nu said calmly. "It’s a very safe, peaceful place... You could live there."

The girl: "You know... you know what I mean. You know I’m hoping for a joyful answer."

"I know. I just don’t want your joy today to curdle into sorrow ten years from now. You... deserve greater happiness."

"I must return and shoulder my family’s responsibilities. This is the duty entrusted by our ancestors and the hope of my younger siblings. I cannot fulfill your expectations, because I cannot promise to grow old with you, with children and grandchildren playing at our knees..."

When the boy returned, only the girl remained in the dilapidated hut.

"He’s gone...?" The boy sighed. "I really thought you, Sister, could have helped the Bu Family recruit a formidable son-in-law. A Cultivator that powerful... not even the Little Overlord back in his day was that formidable."

The girl was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly. "What Little Overlord? Even the unparalleled Lv Bu wasn’t as formidable as him!"

The boy looked at her, stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, alright... whatever you say. I can’t win against him, and I can’t win against you."

"Let’s go home," the girl said suddenly. "Brother Zhi, let’s go home too."

"Alright, whatever you say," the boy replied. "But Sun Ce died three years ago, and Sun Quan became the General Who Conquers Barbarians and concurrently the Governor of Kuaiji. If you go back... the family definitely won’t refuse a marriage proposal from General Sun, unless you take your mother and leave Jiangdong."

"You’ve been on the run for so long. Are you really willing to go back?"

The girl asked, "If I marry General Sun, will I be happy?"

The boy replied, "That’s like drinking water—only you will know if it’s cold or warm. You have to find out for yourself. But in these chaotic times, to be a wife or concubine to the young General, to have a safe haven, warm meals, and no fear of war or disaster... that should be the greatest happiness, shouldn’t it...?"

"In that case," the girl said, her gaze clear and resolute, "Bu Lianshi is willing to bear the family’s expectations."

Ren Qingqing and her roommate etched this scene into their memories.

When this scene reappeared, it was eight episodes later.

In Episode 22 of Over My Dead Body, A.D. 211, a white-haired Ren Nu, on his deathbed, reminisced about the girl’s eyes.

Two lines of narration appeared on screen:

’In the autumn of A.D. 211, Ren Nu passed away at the age of 22. Battle Record: Annihilation of the two great demonic realms of Guan Du and Red Cliff.’

’In the spring of A.D. 238, Bu Lianshi, wife of Emperor Sun Quan of Wu, died. In February of the same year, she was posthumously honored as Queen. Empress Bu, throughout her life, bore two daughters, was deeply loved by Sun Quan, possessed an unjealous nature, and was respected by all.’