Chapter 48: The Twilight Law

My name is Zhang Deshuai. My name was given to me by my father, and according to him, his name was given to him by my grandfather.

When I was still young, I was often mocked by my classmates because of my name.

Every time I was made fun of by them, I would run home crying and ask my father why the names of our father and son were so obscure and unpleasant.

My father would always gently stroke my head and tell me that this was the family love passed down through generations.

Family? But I had never seen any other family members; the only person who stayed by my side was my father.

Occasionally, when I asked my father about other family members, he would always reply indifferently:

"Dead, all dead."

Now I finally understand why my father gave me such a name, and I even blame the name for being far too proper.

My change of perception regarding my name began with my father leaving home one year ago.

As far back as I could remember, I had never seen my mother.

Occasionally overhearing the neighbors downstairs talking about my mother, they all said she was driven away by my father's uselessness.

At first, I didn't quite believe this statement. Although my father never disclosed his work to me, he did provide me with a relatively affluent life, supporting this small family with his own shoulders.

Most importantly, in my eyes, my father was a very clean and respectable man. In elementary school, every day when I walked out of the school gate with my schoolbag on my back, I could see him waiting for me in a suit and leather shoes.

Now that I was in high school, when I returned home at night, my father would still be wearing decent clothes and keeping the house meticulously clean.

How could such a father be called useless?

Until one day, because the school was used as a backup examination site and gave us a day off early, I didn't tell my father, and instead went to an internet café with my childhood friend and best friend, Xiao Ting.

Fearing that my father would find out, we chose an internet café far away from home.

Just as Xiao Ting and I were walking happily on our way to the internet café, discussing the newly launched heroes, I witnessed a scene I would never forget in my life.

My father, the father who wore a suit and leather shoes every day, was kneeling on the roadside begging!

He was wearing an old, tattered gown covered in patches, a foolish smile on his face, tightly holding an iron box filled with sparse coins.

Whenever someone threw a coin into his iron box, my father would beam with joy, opening his mouth wide and clapping his hands with a smile. I could even clearly see the saliva dripping from the corner of my father's mouth.

I stood frozen in place. Seeing this, Xiao Ting poked me hard:

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't he just a fool? What's so interesting to look at? If we don't hurry over, there won't be any computers left. What, do you know him?"

It was originally meant as a joke, but I felt as if my heart had been pierced by a needle, and I hurriedly denied it:

"No... no, I don't know him. I... my stomach hurts, I need to go to the bathroom. You go ahead and reserve a computer, I'll come find you later."

With that, I ran off without looking back and hid in a corner.

"Such a weirdo..."

Xiao Ting cursed with a laugh and hurriedly walked toward the internet café.

He didn't recognize what my father looked like now, but that was my father whom I had lived with day and night for over ten years; how could I not recognize him?

After Xiao Ting's figure completely disappeared down the street, I hurriedly stood up and looked in the direction of my father.

I saw that he seemed unsatisfied with kneeling and begging, and actually stood straight up, carrying the iron box into the middle of the road.

The red light shining at the intersection today was exceptionally glaring, yet it had undoubtedly become my father's capable assistant in begging.

Taking advantage of the red light, he walked over tremblingly, knocking on the car windows one by one.

"Where did this lunatic come from, get the hell out of here!"

"Just give him a couple of bucks to make him leave, it'll turn green soon."

"Unlucky piece of shit, I'll fucking run you over!"

A mouthful of thick phlegm flew out from a car window, hitting my father squarely in the face.

And this glob of phlegm was like a fuse, instantly igniting the drivers' anger.

For a moment, cursing mixed with the sound of car horns echoed endlessly, pouring into my father's ears and stabbing into my heart.

Yet my father acted as if nothing had happened, simply wiping away the phlegm with his filthy, large hand.

Even though the countdown for the red light had already begun, he still shook the iron box in his hand, standing in front of a car whose driver refused to roll down the window, smiling foolishly as if he had long since cast aside all dignity.

"Damn it, you're asking for death!"

This driver was clearly also a man of violent temper; with an angry curse, he slammed his foot on the accelerator and drove straight toward my father.

Given such a close distance, coupled with the sudden acceleration, the front of the car was practically touching my father's body, and I let out an involuntary scream of terror.

The car smoothly drove past the green light, and my father staggered across to the other side of the street.

Father... wasn't injured?

Yet I clearly saw that at the very instant the car was about to hit my father, the space around my father distorted.

Then the entire street seemed to freeze in time, with only my father walking forward. With another blink, my father had already passed the car.

What... is going on?

Cold sweat broke out all over my body, sliding down my skin like crawling worms.

I looked in astonishment at my father across the street, only to see that he had also put away his demented smile, looking at me with a solemn expression before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

After that, my father vanished, leaving behind only a note and a yellowed old book.

"My dear son, when you read this note, I will already be gone. There is no need to look for me; when the right time comes, father and son will naturally meet again."

"What I am about to say next might subvert your understanding of this world. You must take a deep breath before continuing to read."

"Our family carries the hereditary Twilight Bloodline, belonging to the Twilight Cult, and what flows in your veins is the purest Twilight Blood of all."

"The ultimate principle of our cult consists of only two words: Making a fool of oneself!"

"Different cults have different ways of improving their cultivation; some focus on tempering the body, some on cultivating the mind, while the way our cult improves cultivation requires making a fool of oneself. The more thoroughly you lose face, and the larger the spectacle you make, the deeper your power will become."

"I originally wanted to let you live as an ordinary person for the rest of your life, but since you have discovered this matter, I can no longer keep it a secret."

"I have left you the secret manual of our cult. You possess the purest bloodline, and I believe that the next time I see you, you will surely amaze me."

"With love, Father."

The next time I saw my father was three years later.

He was dead.

The last time I saw him, his entire body was engulfed in unquenchable crimson flames as he smiled gently at me.

Immediately afterward, he was burned to ashes.

I knew that in matters of cultivation, forcing things to grow by pulling them upward was the greatest taboo, but I had no choice; I had to improve myself rapidly.

However, how could I improve myself faster?

My name is Zhang Deshuai. I killed myself and entered the Dream Realm.

I am going to avenge my father!

Zhang Deshuai lay on the bed, slowly closing his eyes, his mind filled entirely with those burning crimson flames.