Chapter 002: Withering

Ringne looked at Du Fan in confusion, unsure what else he might ask.
Du Fan stared at her and sneered coldly, “Even if I, Du Fan, am a pawn that can change fate, then let me ask you… What right does your teacher have to subject me to so-called trials? Who does he think he is? Just a monster that looks neither male nor female, neither old nor young… A test of fate? It’s absurd. Does he think he’s a god? Ringne… please remember… neither you nor your teacher are gods… Even if you were gods, you couldn’t force me to do anything… Do you understand what I mean?”
“No…” Ringne said in a hoarse voice, “What the teacher says is always right… The trials he mentions… you must accept them… Otherwise…”
“Otherwise what?” Du Fan interrupted her, his voice growing colder, “Perhaps in your barbarian eyes, the words of that High Priest Ganon, that Prophet Ganon, are divine law, something that must be obeyed no matter what he says. But Miss Ringne, please remember my identity… I… Du Fan… am a white-robed priest of the Holy Church… the third son of the Green family… I, Du Fan, am a true Rolandian, not one of your so-called Karans… Do you understand? What you regard as divine prophecy is nothing but trash in my eyes… So please don’t harbor any unnecessary thoughts. I’m really afraid you might not be able to bear my anger.”
“Enough, enough nonsense… My Miss Ringne, your teacher must have told you… how to leave this so-called Sunken Valley, right? The Gate of the Abyss? It’s simply ridiculous… I don’t care what kind of existence it is in your barbarian legends, but I have no interest in it at all, understand?”
Ringne’s face paled as she forced a bitter smile. “Lord Du Fan… if you don’t listen to your teacher… you’ll surely regret it… I would never lie to you…”
By the end, Ringne’s voice trembled slightly, as if this incredibly powerful shaman priest was truly terrified.
Du Fan sneered inwardly. He didn’t know what to do with this Miss Ringne for now. This woman seemed unyielding to both force and persuasion. Killing her right away wasn’t an option either. Though Miss Ringne appeared severely injured, she could probably kill him with just a single spell.

Frowning slightly, Du Fan looked up at the sheer cliff beside him. Its surface was utterly smooth, as if carved by an axe, and there wasn’t a single plant on it. After thinking for a moment, he took out the Phantom Wand from his storage ring, cast a flight spell on himself, and slowly rose into the air. But less than ten meters up, he suddenly felt a strange tightness throughout his body. Magic surged out of him like a flood. His expression changed, and he quickly descended a few meters before the sensation gradually faded. “What a strange place,” Du Fan muttered to himself. He tried rising a few more times, only to realize that whenever he reached that height, his magic would burst out. Looking at the towering cliffs, with his current amount of magic, he likely wouldn’t even reach halfway before being drained of it and falling. Even if his combat energy protected him from death, he would surely be disabled. With no other choice, Du Fan slowly descended back to the ground. He glared fiercely at Reine, who was still lying limp on the ground, then headed toward the entrance of the valley. Moments later, he reached the banks of the Chenshui River. Frowning, he observed that the valley entrance was at least several meters wide, and though it was pitch black inside, nothing could be seen. After hesitating for a while, he picked up a rotten piece of wood from the ground and threw it into the water. It was quickly “sucked” into the water. Du Fan stared intently for a while and faintly saw piles of white bones on the riverbed. Feeling frustrated, he realized he probably couldn’t cross the Chenshui River no matter what. Surrounded by cliffs, he had no way of escaping. It was a classic situation with no way out. Du Fan smiled bitterly inwardly. He slowly walked back to Reine, who was still lying on the ground, and smiled softly. “Miss Reine, it seems your teacher really went to great lengths to test me… Look at this situation— I can’t fly or walk. It seems there’s no other option but to follow his plan and go to the so-called Abyssal Gate to face that trial.” Reine’s face lit up with joy. “Are you going in?” Her expression and tone angered Du Fan. Suddenly smiling, he crouched down, lifted Reine’s chin with his finger. She tried to dodge, but for some reason, she couldn’t muster any strength.

A flash of silver light briefly crossed Du Fan’s face. He himself wasn’t aware of it, nor was Ringo, but suddenly Ringo noticed that something seemed to have changed in Du Fan before her eyes—his strength remained the same, yet the pressure he exuded was that of a true deity. Like a sheep facing a lion, Ringo watched as Du Fan raised his index finger to his chin, unable even to tremble. Du Fan licked his dry lips; anger burned within him, making him feel as though a gap had opened in his chest, as if some demon were trying to emerge from within. A piercing pain pulled Ringo back to reality from her trembling. She moaned and tried to find the source of her agony, only to see Du Fan’s hand gripping her thigh. He was gripping so tightly, as if he wanted to break her leg apart—his fingers buried deep in her elastic muscles, his eyes filled with flames. “W-what… what do you want?” “What do I want?” Du Fan seemed to sneer. “Miss Ringo… look, there are no outsiders here, no other things, not even an ant… But here, there’s only you and me… And I’m a man… you’re a woman… Tell me, what can we do here?” Ringo screamed in terror. She suddenly understood what Du Fan wanted. She struggled desperately, forgetting everything else. She felt like she was trapped in a cage created by Du Fan, with no way to escape. “Beauty… don’t be so scared… We still have plenty of time…” Du Fan’s face slowly descended toward hers. His lips touched her cheek slightly, and a strange laugh came from deep within his throat. “Look… we can do this… we can do that… There are so many things we can do…” “No… stop…” Ringo struggled. “I’ll tell you anything… I’ll tell you everything…” Her voice was filled with tears, her mind on the verge of collapse. Du Fan released her thigh and grabbed her hair, lifting her slowly. Due to the pain and fear, Ringo’s body formed an alluring curve. Though she struggled, the overwhelming pressure from Du Fan left her unable to muster any strength, especially since her hair was held tightly, limiting her ability to resist.

Du Fan’s hand slowly slid down her forehead, pausing for a moment on her high cheekbones, where the delicate pink cherry trembled slightly—fear and excitement making it stand upright. He instinctively exhaled, then leaned in close to Ringo’s ear and whispered, “No… I don’t want to know now… Woman, I’ve said my patience is limited… So I no longer want to know. Right now… I only want you…”

Ringo trembled violently as Du Fan’s grip tightened, pulling her upper body backward and emphasizing the curves of her chest. His hand slowly moved upward, as if he had done this a thousand times before. Her loose robe fell to the ground. Her wheat-colored skin seemed to develop fine granules from fear, yet her full breasts remained firm.

Du Fan’s hand rested in the valley between her breasts; he seemed satisfied with this sensation. Ringo felt as though a cold serpent was crawling over her body, causing extreme discomfort from within. With another forceful push, everything on Ringo’s body was torn off. An unconscious sound escaped his lips—whether in awe or pity, it was unclear. Ringo had a tall figure, full breasts, and soft, plump buttocks, but her waist was shockingly thin. Her legs were long and straight, with perfect lines that ignited Du Fan’s desire even more.

He quickly bent down, already biting one of the pink cherries. He untied his belt and parted Ringo’s thighs, as if he had practiced this a thousand times—delving deep inside… Instantly, he felt the slightly dry softness… and… what seemed to be the cry of something breaking…

The moonlight around them swayed with his movements, and low moans escaped their mouths. At this moment, angels wept, demons danced wildly, and the spirits of the abyss sang mournfully…

Du Fan trembled. Hatred and anger surged through his nerves, while pleasure and excitement stimulated his senses. The darkness he had so well concealed seemed to erupt completely…

The early spring night still carried a hint of cold. By the time of the summer solstice, would the flowers have already withered?