With just a casual glance, Lu Zhi’s legs went weak, and he involuntarily knelt. The entire room was instantly isolated in a separate, independent space, allowing him to clearly feel the immense power, the wickedness, and the danger emanating from the man before him, who possessed eyes like a deity.
Tiny beads of sweat broke out on Lu Zhi’s forehead. His entire body tensed, and his heart throbbed violently, as if it would explode at any second.
The oppressive aura was like a shadow, and the condescending gaze, as if he were looking at an ant, made it impossible for Lu Zhi to breathe, let alone look up.
It was only then that he truly understood the awe-inspiring might of a god, an existence that mortals could never surpass, a terrifying presence.
He also remembered the book’s clear depiction: gods viewed humans as ants, yet they required the ants’ faith to increase their divine power. They rarely appeared before their followers.
The moment this being appeared, Lu Zhi felt a tremor in his soul, confirming that this was indeed the deity he had made a pact with.
However, the god with crimson-gold eyes was never described in the book.
As Lu Zhi’s thoughts tumbled into confusion and helplessness, his chin was seized by a force, and he was involuntarily lifted. His panicked, deer-like black eyes met the crimson-gold eyes that inspired such reverence, allowing him to clearly see the deity’s face.
It was a countenance so beautiful it could make one lose themselves in a single glance, yet also so terrifying that one dared not trespass. It was elegant, noble, and holy—an unparalleled magnificence, yet it exuded a chilling evil, a hint of madness.
Just as Lu Zhi was briefly mesmerized by the deity’s handsome features, a flash of red light streaked across his dark eyes. It was a moth, glowing red in the darkness, that fluttered past, scattering red phosphorescent powder. It gently landed on a pale, luminous hand. The deity said, "You are afraid of me."
Lu Zhi’s gaze couldn’t be pulled away from those crimson-gold eyes that saw through everything. He followed his intuition and said, "You are my deity. I revere you, believe in you, and naturally, I fear you."
The deity curved its thin lips, seemingly in good spirits, and said, "Continue."
Continue?
Continue what?
Lu Zhi felt like crying. If he had known the deity he’d made a pact with was a deranged madman, he… he still would have offered himself in exchange for his life.
He had a premonition that if he couldn’t say something to satisfy the deity, he might be killed.
Considering that gods wouldn't appear without reason, Lu Zhi’s gaze was sincere and utterly subservient as he said, "I am your most devout follower. You are my most beloved god. My life is also given by you; you are my only faith. No matter what you ask me to do, even if it means sacrificing my life, I will not hesitate."
After speaking, Lu Zhi was drenched in sweat, nervously awaiting a response.
The moth on the deity’s index finger suddenly flew towards Lu Zhi. Its red wings fluttered in the darkness, scattering luminous red phosphorescent powder that inadvertently fell deep into Lu Zhi’s dark eyes.
While Lu Zhi trembled, his mind racing with thoughts of having said the wrong thing and being killed, his mouth suddenly, uncontrollably, spoke, "Big shot, my life is already mortgaged to you. If you have any instructions, just say them. Don’t start by being so terrifying, alright?"
"How did I say all my inner thoughts out loud?! Help! Why can't I control myself?!" Lu Zhi exclaimed in alarm, realizing it was too late to cover his mouth. He looked up with despair at the crimson-gold eyes filled with amusement.
The moth fluttered back to the deity’s hand, and Lu Zhi’s urge to confess his thoughts finally vanished. However, his expression was one of utter despair, as if he were on the verge of death.
"Don't be afraid," the deity suddenly stood up and approached Lu Zhi. Its cool fingertips lifted his chin, its handsome face drawing near. The crimson-gold pupils clearly reflected Lu Zhi's fearful and cautious appearance. Its thin lips curved slightly, "I am your god, and I will naturally dote on my followers."
The deep, magnetic voice was unhurried, the trailing syllables lingering like a lover's murmur.
Lu Zhi, however, felt a chill creep down his spine.
"As my most devout follower, are you willing to let your god see your loyalty?" Its cool fingertips traced his Adam's apple, like a snake's tongue licking the delicate curve of his neck, pressing through the thin fabric, and reaching his heart with an icy chill.
Its deep voice was chillingly cold: "A new era is coming. I want you to… slay a god."
Lu Zhi's pupils contracted, his heart almost stopping.
Slay a god?
The darkness receded like a tide. Lu Zhi suddenly opened his eyes. The dim room contained only him. Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.
Lu Zhi's heart was still pounding wildly, his legs feeling weak as he slumped onto the bed. He touched his forehead, where cold sweat had broken out.
"Damn, that was too terrifying." Facing a deity directly was too much for his delicate heart.
A searing, burning sensation suddenly emanated from his chest. Lu Zhi quickly lifted his shirt. Looking down, he saw that within the white diamond embedded in his heart’s脉搏, a small red flower seedling had appeared at some point.
He reached out and touched it. It was slightly warm, as if a pulse were gently beating within it. A living diamond…
Lu Zhi shivered, recalling the first task the deity had given him: asking a mortal like him to slay a god?
What the actual f***! (He wanted to flip the table.)
What was the difference between this and being sent to his death?
Knock, knock, knock.
Lan Guoguo’s annoyed voice sounded from outside the door: "Meimei jie’s noodles are ready. She’s calling you down to eat."
"Okay, I'm coming down," Lu Zhi put his clothes down, calmed his emotions, and then walked out of the room.
Lan Guoguo was nowhere to be seen in the hallway. Lu Zhi went straight downstairs and saw Lan Guoguo lounging on the sofa with her legs crossed, glancing at him sideways and snorting.
Lu Zhi: …This child needs discipline.
"Did you take the medicine I gave you?" Mu Sen, who had been engrossed in his TV show, suddenly turned and asked him.
Lu Zhi had completely forgotten about the stomach medicine. He shook his head.
Mu Sen looked sympathetic, gently patted Lu Zhi’s shoulder with his thick palm, and then returned to watching his TV show.
The moment Lu Zhi turned away, his face contorted. Damn it, his shoulder hurt.
As he approached the dining table, Li Mei eagerly urged Lu Zhi to sit down: "The noodles are on the table. Try them quickly and tell me if they're delicious and to your liking."
Upon seeing the bowl of noodles with a bubbling, purplish-black broth, Lu Zhi fell silent.
Was this called noodles? It looked more like paste.
"This is my newly developed 'paste noodles.' They’re delicious. Try them quickly," Li Mei shoved a silver spoon into his hand.
Lu Zhi held the silver spoon, unsure of how to proceed. He felt as though the spoon might melt the moment he used it…
"Um…" He really wanted to go back to his room and take a stomach pill preemptively.
Seeing Lu Zhi’s hesitation, Li Mei’s silly smile vanished, and her expression instantly turned into a cool, commanding one. She asked coldly, "You don't want to eat the noodles I cooked?"
Lu Zhi straightened his back abruptly, forcing a stiff smile. "No, no, it's just that I've never seen such… magical cuisine before. I wanted to take a picture as a memento."
Saying this, he quickly took out his phone to take pictures and even posted them on his social media, buying time.
Li Mei’s commanding expression instantly turned into that of a sweet, naive girl. She happily said, "I’ll go call Guoguo and Mu Sen to come eat too."
While she was away, Lu Zhi quickly grabbed the bowl and rushed to the kitchen, pouring the contents down the drain. He dipped his hand in some of the purplish-black paste, smeared it on his lips, and turned on the faucet to 'dispose of the evidence.'
"What are you doing?" Li Mei's voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
Lu Zhi remained unfazed. He turned to see only Mu Sen, with a look of utter despair, following behind Li Mei. It seemed Lan Guoguo had cleverly escaped. He put on a shy smile and replied, "I finished the noodles and washed the bowl."
Li Mei saw the paste on his lips, her suspicion dispelled. She happily asked, "Really? How did they taste?"
Lu Zhi gave a thumbs-up, licked the residue he had deliberately left on his lips, and said with a smile, "Delicious." Inside, a tiny version of himself was screaming, (Help! My tongue is numb! It's completely numb!)
"I'm still feeling a bit dizzy. I'm going up to rest. Thank you for the noodles, goodnight." Lu Zhi made the decision before asking, fearing she might say, 'If it's delicious, eat more.'
Before Lu Zhi went upstairs, he caught a glimpse of Mu Sen hesitantly scooping a spoonful of the paste into his mouth. Then, Mu Sen’s eyes rolled back, and it seemed a skull was floating out of his mouth.
Startled, Lu Zhi didn’t look back and rushed into his room, locking the door.