Chapter 58: Rules


Zhang Wenda, with an apologetic expression, stuffed the jar back into the Lamp Spirit's hands.


"Really sorry, she's just a child and doesn’t know any better. Don’t take it personally."


Song Jianguo had a collar around her neck—she couldn’t run far.


If Zhang Wenda wanted her to obey, it would only take a word.


The Lamp Spirit held the jar and hesitantly looked at Song Jianguo, who was glaring at him like a tiger watching its prey.


"You two… are you acting together to fool me? One plays the good cop, the other the bad?"


"How could that be? Do I seem like that kind of person?" Zhang Wenda enthusiastically pulled him forward a few steps.


"By the way, do you have any info on the Oil Tyrant?"


"If I say no, is your cat going to steal my stuff again?" the Lamp Spirit asked hesitantly.

"Of course not, absolutely not. Didn’t I say it already? We’re friends. How could I steal from a friend?"

Zhang Wenda tried to sling his arm around the other’s shoulder in a friendly gesture, but because of the height difference, it looked a bit comical.


"Uh… fine, I’ll trust you for now," the Lamp Spirit said, stuffing the flattened enamel tea jar into his pocket and stroking his chin in thought.


"Oil Tyrant, huh… let me think. That thing’s not easy to get—it can turn water into oil."


"Actually, since we’re friends, I’ll give you some useful intel. That thing you saw at the market just now was a fake."


"The real Oil Tyrant is a controlled item—even in this world, it’s illegal. No one dares to display it openly."


"Really? Anything else? Where can I get it?" Zhang Wenda asked again.


"If you really want to find it now, your only shot is trying your luck on the dark web. I heard from a friend that it was spotted there not long ago."


"The dark web? Where?" Zhang Wenda was taken aback.


The Lamp Spirit glanced around and lowered his voice.


"You really want to go there? That place isn’t like here with firewalls—it’s extremely dangerous inside."


"Kid, out here you might run into scams and thieves at most, but in there, people really die."


After a moment of serious thought, Zhang Wenda replied, "I want to give it a try."


"Seriously? What exactly are you trying to take on with those rules? Is it really worth risking your life?"


Seeing Zhang Wenda’s resolve, the Lamp Spirit’s tone, for once, carried a hint of concern.


Zhang Wenda sighed. "Right now, I have to follow those rules. If I violate them, they’ll make my life worse than death."


"Then just don’t break them, isn’t that enough? Why go against them?" the Lamp Spirit said as if it were obvious.


"If there are rules, just follow them seriously. Why insist on going against them? If you just obey them, nothing will happen, right?"


Song Jianguo also came closer.


"I’ve actually been wondering the same thing. You seem to really hate the rules, but they haven’t really interfered with you that much, have they?"


Zhang Wenda looked at the two in confusion.


"Why do you think that way? There's this bizarre rule hanging over you like a shackle, and you’re actually willing to accept it?"


The one who had been silent all along—Aunt Flo—spoke up.


"We don’t want to accept it. But compared to risking our lives in a place like the dark web, being a little restricted in our actions doesn’t seem so bad."


Zhang Wenda looked at the group suddenly standing against him in disbelief, his voice growing louder.


"Fine, I just don’t like it, okay? I just don’t like it! I don’t even know why!"


Then he turned to the Lamp Spirit.


"Tell me—where’s the entrance to that place?"


But upon seeing Zhang Wenda’s expression, the Lamp Spirit shook his head firmly.


"No. Not like this. I really can’t tell you now."


"What? Didn’t you say you were my friend? Is this how you treat friends?"


The Lamp Spirit nodded knowingly.


"It’s because I see you as a real friend now that I won’t tell you. If you were still the way you were before, I would’ve told you without hesitation and let you go get yourself killed."


Aunt Flo stepped in front of Song Jianguo, shielding her, and said seriously for once:


"Kid, Mimi is only following you because she has to. I don’t wear a collar. As her Aunt Flo, as an elder, I’m not going to let you take her to her death."


Zhang Wenda looked at the three of them in disbelief, then nodded in realization.


"Fine. Fine, fine, fine. You’re all staying, right? Then I’ll go by myself. Even without you, I can figure it out!"


With that, he shook off the others and forcefully pushed through the pedestrians ahead, heading forward.


Walking to the end of the flea market, Zhang Wenda pushed aside the thick dog fur and returned to the banyan tree.


The sound of pens scratching paper surrounded him—people were buried in their writing all around.


Just as Zhang Wenda was about to leave, Aunt Flo’s voice came from behind.


"Is it because of what happens to you in the future that you’re so resistant to being controlled?"


He turned to see Aunt Flo standing alone behind him, calmly looking at him.


"You seem to know what happens to you in the future."


"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Zhang Wenda muttered, walking toward the tree.


"Rabbit said you’re not from elementary school. And you don’t act like a kid at all. Plus, there’s something strange about your future. On top of that, the way you’re so reactive—honestly, you’re easier to read than Mimi."


Zhang Wenda stopped and spoke in a low voice.


"Looks like you’re smarter than you seem."


"Mimi’s just a child. As her elder, I have to look out for her, right?"


"I don’t know what you’ve been through, but don’t make impulsive decisions. That could make things even worse."


After a pause, Zhang Wenda spoke again, voice still low.


"I was once locked up in an internet addiction camp. That was when I tried to run away and got caught and dragged back."


"I don’t know if my reactions now are because of that experience—maybe they are, maybe they aren’t."


"Can you tell me what happened?" Aunt Flo reached out and patted his shoulder.


Zhang Wenda opened his mouth, then shut it again with a pained expression.


"Forget it. It’s all in the past. It’s nothing—just some beatings, stuff I’m used to."


"Don’t let the past affect who you are now. What’s past is past. Live well now. Don’t go to the dark web. Mimi and I don’t want to see you throw your life away there."


Aunt Flo’s words calmed Zhang Wenda down.


He began seriously reconsidering whether he had been too extreme in how he dealt with the rules—extreme enough to gamble his life.


"Should I go back? If I return and follow the rules carefully, as long as I don’t cross the line, maybe I can survive."


Zhang Wenda didn’t move.


And Aunt Flo stayed beside him, quietly keeping him company.