1 Li Chen's Death

A lanky youth garbed in a white t-shirt, grey pants, and a pair of slippers walked through a wide, brightly lit corridor. 

He cradled a glass cup, took a sip of the golden liquid within and licked his upper lip while nodding like an idea just popped into his head.

'I'm definitely going with this whiskey brand,' he thought.

Despite being one of the renowned cartoonists in China, he was no different from roadside beggars due to his unhealthy drinking habits and poor hygiene.

The orange light illuminated the beautiful corridor adorned with the head sculptures of ancient Chinese heroes and some heroines whom he found appealing to spend minutes staring at.

CREAK—!

Wrapping his fingers around the doorknob of the exquisite wooden door at the end of the corridor, he twisted it and pushed it open. 

As it creaked open, he walked into a dark room and easily made his way to his chair. Although the room was dark, his right hand accurately switched on the tablet and grabbed his mechanical pencil with his left. 

At that moment, the lights came on, dispersing the darkness and illuminating the clustered room. Li Chen sat before an L-shaped desk and a shelf filled with files about his ongoing top seller, Calamity Rise.

After sketching the image of a ruined ancestral palace in an underground terrain with boulders and fallen pillars littered everywhere, he dropped his pencil.

'Tsk! Now, I have to draw Xiu Ying. I hate it that my readers are simping over this cold, bipolar bitch and not the sweet female lead I created for my protagonist. Ridiculous!' He scowled inwardly.

Lifting his head, he gazed at the human-sized pictures of the protagonist, whom he made to be a haven-chosen prodigy.

His eyes moved to the protagonist's elegant fiancée, and lastly, a woman with short curly hair, ice-cold golden eyes, and a slender figure. 

With squinted eyes, he looked at her bosom and leaned back. 'Could it be because of her bosom size?' 

Averting his gaze, Li Chen picked up his mechanical pencil and continued sketching until a buzz broke his focus. 

Casually, he picked up his phone and looked at the message. However, what he saw wasn't a message but a photo of a masked man garbed in a grand cloak, pointing at the screen.

'Good drawing,' Li Chen commented when he saw the comic character and scrolled down. 

[The adjudicator has declared you guilty.] [Penalty: Death!] 

Li Chen's brows arched. "What's this? Are these ones working with actual voodoo magic because this message doesn't have a sender?" 

Scratching his unkept beard, he tossed the phone aside, grabbed his glass cup and gulped the remaining content.

As the cold liquid ran down his throat, he closed his eyes for a brief moment and resumed drawing. This time, he drew Villainess Xiu Ying and her group at the entrance of the ruined palace. 

After making some finishing touches, he shut down the monitor, turned to his phone and logged into the last chapter of his comic.

[Ah! Xiu Ying will definitely obtain a relic.]

[Thanks for the chapter. Don't stress yourself and stay healthy, Mr. Author!]

[Author San, please make Xiu Ying a love interest; she's so beautiful!!]

[I hate this author for his cliffhangers but I really want to see what will happen in the next chapter. Keep up the good work!]

[I hope the protagonist kills everyone in the underworld and takes Xiu Ying as his prize!]

Pftt…!

Li Chen's eyes went wide as he read the debauched replies to that comment; luckily, Xiu Ying fans fought back. 

Shaking his head, he left the room, washed up, and went to the kitchen. His kitchen was spacious and luxurious yet not once had he cooked proper food. 

Li Chen took a quick glance around and once again decided to order his meal. Unbeknownst to him, a faint golden glow transferred from his phone into his body.

****

After a few minutes, he collected his delivered meal, tipped the delivery man and prepared the meal on the dining table.

'Ah! It smells nice.' 

He took a bite and his eyes twinkled. 'Tastes super!' 

Suddenly, his eyes widened in the next second as an excruciating pain surged from his heart to his head, causing his eyes to bulge.

'W… What's going on?!' 

Veins popped on the sides of his temples and his face became red as he ignored the whisky and rushed to the kitchen. 

Li Chen took a chilled bottle of water from the refrigerator and kept pouring it into his mouth while some drenched his top. 

However, his situation became worse, causing him to rush to the dustbin. He found the wrapper for the meal and a yellow piece of paper attached to the end.

Punishment: Death!

"W... what is this? What in the world is going on?" He clutched his chest and fell to his knees. Warm liquid gushed from his nostrils and when he saw it, Li Chen felt the world spin.

'Am I going to die?! It can't be!' 

At the last moment, Li Chen's eyes grew wide as he saw writing appear on the ceiling. 

DO NOT WORRY; YOU WILL NOT DIE JUST YET.

Darkness consumed Li Chen and at the last moment, the only thing that flashed through his eyes was Xiu Ying's bosom.

'Ah! Maybe I was also charmed by her assets.' His inner voice faded into oblivion. 

****

BOOM—!!

In a cavern, an old structure made of marble and ancient stones rumbled. Debris fell from the ceiling and a woman who had short, curly hair and glowing golden eyes quickly retreated.

The rumbling increased, boulders fell from the ceiling and a harsh gust of wind pushed everyone to the exit, but the woman remained in her position.

A barrier with the symbol of a petal formed around her, protecting her white garment from dust.

As the structure crumbled, a dusty fog covered the hall. A pair of pure white eyes snapped open and the first thing that entered his vision was a gorgeous beauty.

'She looks so familiar...'