After finishing the grilled meat, night fell without anyone noticing. Everyone returned to the RV, ready to camp for the night.
The mountain wilderness was pitch black, with not a single light in sight except for the RV. Even the moon was hidden behind clouds, casting the entire world into murky darkness.
The wind rustled the trees, making their shadows twist and claw like monsters. Lu Chen shut the window, thinking, This really is the middle of nowhere. Anyone without guts would probably be scared to death out here at night.
But inside the RV, the atmosphere was completely different.
Warm, cozy light filled the space. Some people were chatting and playing cards, while others enjoyed dessert.
Qiqi sat with a remote, flipping through glitchy internet programs thanks to the poor signal.
Miko lounged in a chair by the window, fingers sliding gently across her tablet. It looked like she was reading a novel—but not one of her usual paperbacks. She always read those in print.
Lu Chen leaned in to check. Turned out it was his own work, Liyue's Floating World Amid a Thousand Rocks.
Miko looked up at him.
"Your readers are all tearing you apart. Why aren't you even fazed?"
"Huh?" Lu Chen casually took the tablet and glanced at it.
"Oh..."
He hadn't updated in two days because he'd been out having fun. The review section was already boiling over with rage.
Even the editors had lost patience. While they were eating barbecue that afternoon, five messages came in a row.
Lu Chen only replied with three words:
"Writer's block."
He didn't dare pick up the follow-up calls and had put his phone on silent.
He wasn't lying—he really was stuck. It wasn't because he'd been too busy playing around to write.
Lu Chen pulled out his phone and checked the stats. Liyue's Floating World Amid a Thousand Rocks was still steadily gaining views—almost hitting two million.
No wonder the editors were panicking. Their year-end bonus depended on this book. If the author just stopped writing, how would that work?
Still, Lu Chen understood the frustration from those cranky fans. The story was at a critical point.
In once-prosperous Guili Plains, war had broken out. Dust filled the skies, boulders shattered, and gods, immortals, and mortals bled together on the battlefield.
That long Archon War held countless stories of sacrifice and valor.
The first soldiers to follow the Geo Archon had formed the Millelith of their own accord, rallying under the banner of Liyue and the Rock God. They fought as one, never breaking ranks.
"The Millelith stand firm, the mountains unmoved."
Every soldier of the Millelith lived by that creed—shielding their homeland with their own lives, never regretting death.
During Morax's fierce battle against an enemy god, the adeptus known as Cloud Retainer saw Tianheng Mountain crumbling. To stop it from collapsing and destroying the port below, she used a broken antler to prop it up.
She fought on until her last drop of blood was spilled.
Today, Tianheng Mountain still stands. The river that flows beneath it runs clear with the blood she shed.
And still, the war trudged on.
Pushed by his impatient readers, Lu Chen finally sat down on the couch and prepared to write the next chapter.
He sighed softly. The time for parting had come.
Unnoticed, Miko had appeared behind him.
"When the Archons fought for power, chaos broke out. Though the immortals fought to protect the land, the war grew ever more tangled."
"Guili fell to the chaos. Dust God Guizhong perished in the turmoil."
Guizhong died on the field of Glaze Lilies.
Before passing, she entrusted her people to the Geo Archon.
"Those little ones... they're so tiny, so fragile, like dust."
"Because they're small, they never know when disaster will strike. So they're always afraid."
"Because they're afraid, they strive to be better. To grow wiser. I understand that."
"So I thought, since I can't match your strength, I'll rely on technology and wisdom instead."
"If we combined your power with my mind… this city could become something amazing."
"Looks like I won't be walking beside you after all. Forget about the lock."
She gave one last wistful smile—and faded into fine dust.
Morax stood silently in the empty field, lost in thought.
He remembered their first meeting—the girl with oversized sleeves had handed over a token with mock solemnity, visibly excited.
"This is a symbol of our pact. And my challenge to you."
"All my wisdom is sealed within this stone lock."
Lu Chen typed the final sentence, set the tablet down, and spaced out for a while.
Until Miko spoke behind him.
"Once you post this, those cranky readers are going to go ballistic."
Lu Chen looked back, met her eyes, and gave a helpless smile.
"Yeah... probably."
Yae Miko, the editor-in-chief who always read his drafts before anyone else, nodded in satisfaction—already picturing the chaos in the comment section.
"But..." She looked at Zhongli thoughtfully. "So Guizhong gave the Geo Archon a lock? Is that thing still around?"
Lu Chen snatched the tablet back. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"Never mind..." Miko rarely teased Zhongli. "It's a sad story. No need to rub salt in the wound..."
"You're underestimating him." Lu Chen shook his head with a laugh. The Morax in the book and the real one were completely different people.
Old man Zhongli, currently being dragged into a poker game by Venti, was as solid as stone in his heart.
"What are you talking about?" Ei walked over, handing each of them a cup of black tea.
"Gossip about the Geo Archon," Miko replied, elegantly blowing on her tea.
"Oh?" Miko sat next to Lu Chen, clearly wanting to hear more.
Just then, Zhongli finally looked over.
"See? Caught red-handed." Lu Chen tried to dodge his stare, desperate to change the topic.
But Zhongli kept staring—and his expression was growing stranger.
"Uh..." Lu Chen muttered. "Lord Morax, I swear I didn't write anything bad about you in the novel. Don't look at me like that..."
Zhongli shook his head. "It's not that."
"Then what?"
Zhongli slowly rose from his seat, glanced around, and fixed his eyes on the window.
"Do you feel that? A strange disturbance deep underground."
"A disturbance?"
Everyone was stunned. Ei and Lu Chen exchanged looks. Lu Chen quickly got up and opened the window.
A swarm of mosquitoes rushed in. Lu Chen waved them away and looked toward the quiet, moonless Mt. Maojun.
"I don't hear anything underground..." he said slowly. After all, he wasn't as attuned as the Geo Archon.
"But I definitely heard something outside, and..."
Ei frowned. "It's getting closer."
...
Bonus Short Story
Can Ei really not cook?
Lu Chen wasn't superstitious. Maybe she couldn't handle complicated dishes, but boiling noodles had to be doable, right?
One day, after much internal debate, he finally handed over full control of the kitchen to Ei.
She blankly picked up a spoon, staring at everyone from ten meters away.
Even Lu Chen ducked behind the sofa.
No cookbook, no assistance—this was her first true attempt at cooking, start to finish.
"Wait!"
Venti cracked the door open. "Let me add some wind!"
A breeze gently surrounded the kitchen.
"Please wait a moment."
Zhongli added, and a shield of golden energy formed around the kitchen's perimeter.
Lu Chen also got ready, prepping healing tools in case of kitchen disaster.
Miko quietly pulled Qiqi away. The whole place went into high alert.
Ei's trembling hands reached for the utensils.
Water.
Fire.
Noodles.
Wait...
Seconds dragged by. Lu Chen wiped away cold sweat. It felt like a ticking time bomb.
Finally, a bowl of hot noodles was ready.
With equally shaky hands, Ei offered them to Lu Chen.
"Lu Chen... dinner's ready."
"Oh... alright. I'll try it first."
Before tasting, he looked back at everyone.
Venti saw it—resolve in his eyes, and a subtle farewell to life.
"We'll miss you."
"Same here."
Under Ei's hopeful gaze, Lu Chen took the first bite.
"Huh?"
"Not bad," he said, turning around.
"Really?" Venti jumped forward.
"Unbelievable! She actually did it!"
Everyone looked visibly relieved.
"For real!" Lu Chen handed him the bowl.
"Let me try!" Venti snatched it eagerly.
Lu Chen slipped quietly into the bathroom and closed the door.
The expression in the mirror twisted in pain—so different from the calm face earlier.
From the living room came a wail of betrayal.
"LU CHEN! YOU SET ME UP AGAIN!!"
"AAAAAAHHH!"
"Wait—Venti's breathing fire?!"
[Achievement Unlocked: Living with Death]