'So strong!'
'Tears, the streamer has too much perseverance!'
'Mada mada!'
'This is easy with hands, right?'
'Classic "easy with hands".'
'The streamer is popular, all sorts of strange people are showing up.'
'......'
As the popularity of Chun Hei's powerful confrontation with the Phantom Butterfly was amplified, coupled with the traffic from the midday guide to the Scarlet Oni video, the live stream room's popularity reached millions.
Initially, people preferred to watch the streamer have a breakdown, which was one of the reasons why soulslike games were popular among streamers and viewers.
But as this traffic secret was known by major streamers, the performative breakdowns became more frequent, and viewers grew somewhat tired of it.
This made the calm, collected, and thoughtful Chun Hei a rare breath of fresh air, further amplified by Bilibili's unintentional or intentional promotion.
As the saying goes, opportunity makes the man.
Coupled with the principle that popular games in the spiritual realm always produce popular streamers, the double Buff worked in tandem.
Chun Hei's live stream room's popularity grew.
However, Chun Hei was currently immersed in the excitement of killing the boss after being brutally tormented.
"Brothers, didn't I say it? Eagle Strike is useful, it can instantly close the distance between us and Madam Butterfly, and it's also one of the few skills we can use to counterattack."
Chun Hei explained as he cleaned up the battlefield. This battle not only earned him new cybernetic arm parts but also some items that enhanced his sword intent, which he needed time to comprehend.
"Another skill that heavily tests the player's timing is the use of hidden weapons. There are opportunities to interrupt in the first phase's backflip and the second phase's illusion casting pre-animation. Mastering these, there's still a good chance to defeat the Phantom Butterfly."
He spoke with ease, as if the one who was taunted over a hundred times before killing the Phantom Butterfly was someone else.
The audience couldn't help themselves.
'Hahaha, a good chance, big shot really thinks highly of my clumsy skills.'
'Is this the gap between me and the big shot? Not only did he defeat the enemy, but he also mastered the skills.'
'I am just an unweaned puppy.'
'Just a little dog, hahaha, the taunts every time I die really make me laugh.'
'To be fair, the streamer's heart rate is really good. Being called a little dog and a complete noob over a hundred times, with invisible mockery, I would have collapsed long ago.'
'......'
The live stream room erupted. They were shocked by Chun Hei's skill and mentality. Chun Hei, however, appeared much more humble; he didn't know he had become popular yet.
"This is my little habit. I always believe that as long as the skill..."
*Puchi—!!*
As he spoke, a five-foot-long, half-palm-wide dark gold saber pierced into him from behind, xuyên qua his chest.
The exposed blade tip was at least a foot long, stained with wolf's blood, dripping down.
*Plop!*
*Plop!*
Silence...
The sudden scene stunned everyone. After a brief silence, the bullet comments poured in like a spring rain:
'Illusion?'
'Holy shit!!'
'I feel like for a moment, the wolf's fur turned white.'
'This saber feels familiar...'
'Never expose your back—'
'The—End—'
'So... this is the fundamental reason why the wolf lost his memory three years ago, and also when he formed the undying pact with the prince?'
'......'
Generally, with such a penetrating wound, the wolf should be long dead.
But Chun Hei, whose consciousness was in the wolf's body, didn't feel any pain. He confirmed he hadn't returned to the 'god's perspective' yet.
There was only one possibility—
Plot device kill!
"Damn it, who's backstabbing me? This long saber doesn't want the wolf to leave alive at all."
After returning to the 'god's perspective', Chun Hei noticed the wolf's eyes slightly wavering in his dying moments, trying to grab the saber with his hand, but the owner of the saber was cold and directly pulled it out and fled.
The designer left a suspense here, not giving a close-up of the person who delivered the cold blow.
However, if players were impressed by the saber that the wolf's adoptive father used to scratch his face when he was taken in by Owl at the beginning, they could infer it was their adoptive father's saber.
As for whether they dared to be sure this person was their adoptive father, that was another matter, since that old owl had already gone offline.
In the great hall's Buddhist shrine, flames raged, the Buddha's head toppled, and the temple collapsed.
"Mmm..."
"Mmmgh..."
In the scene, the prince lifted a wooden board in front of a pile of ruins, looked at the wolf lying on the ground, then took his hand, "You fought bravely for me, how could I abandon you."
"Ugh..."
"Ugh ah..."
The prince seemed to be performing a ritual, and this ritual seemed to be very taxing, as the prince's spirit visibly withered.
"Wolf, live on with my blood..."
Seeing this, Chun Hei beamed with excitement, "Case solved! Because of the prince's bloodline, after forming a pact with the wolf, the wolf was resurrected. Although I expected it, the feeling of prediction being confirmed is still different."
The screen flashed.
Chun Hei stood in the dilapidated temple again, the sound of bells still echoing in his ears. Everything he had just experienced seemed like a dream.
The Buddha sculptor was carving something, but his cough seemed to have worsened.
"Cough cough cough... Cough cough cough..."
The Buddha sculptor sensed the wolf approaching and looked up without raising his head, "It seems... you have awakened your ancient memories."
"......Mm."
The wolf replied, "I saw the prince, adoptive father, and Madam Butterfly..."
"Hmph, is that so."
The Buddha sculptor snorted, "I won't ask you for the details, and you don't have to tell me. Just keep what you saw in your heart... cough cough cough."
"Master Buddha Sculptor, what did you see in that Buddha statue?" The wolf was a bit talkative today.
Hearing this, the Buddha sculptor's attitude cooled, "Didn't you hear what I just said?"
"What is it?"
"It's fire."
"Fire...?"
Facing the wolf's repeated questioning, the Buddha sculptor said helplessly, "No matter what is offered, you will only see such a scene, a whole expanse... flames that burn Ashina to ashes."
"That's..." The wolf tried to ask further, but the Buddha sculptor stopped him, "Let's end this topic... Eshin has new research on Dragon's Heritage, you can find her."
"I've brought wine," Chun Hei pulled out a bottle of wine.
"I'll accept it." The Buddha sculptor's attitude softened slightly. After taking the wine, he took a small sip, "Gulp gulp... Mmm hmm..."
"Mmm... it doesn't taste good?" Chun Hei asked.
"No... it's delicious." The Buddha sculptor drank it all in one go, "Pffft—!"
The Buddha sculptor let out a long belch, "But the wound hurts."
"Your left arm?" Chun Hei's curiosity grew. Putting aside the combat segments, he was also quite interested in the stories of these old guys in the world of Sekiro.
"Yes, it was cut off by someone who likes to drink this wine... Heh heh..."
"That is...?"
"It's Lord Isshin."
To be honest, the first thought that flashed through Chun Hei's mind upon hearing this name was that he might have to fight this gentleman in the future. He asked, "Why would Lord Isshin..."
"I asked him to cut it off..." After a pause, the Buddha sculptor explained, "To save me from being consumed..."
"Consumed by what?"
"Shura."
"......" The situation fell into silence for a moment. Then, the Buddha sculptor said, "In short, believe it or not... but be very careful, the shadow of Shura..."
"That's all for now. Come back if you want to avoid trouble."
Handing over the remaining濁酒 (zhuójiǔ - cloudy/thick wine), the wolf wisely left. The Buddha sculptor had revealed quite a few secrets today, and he needed time to digest them bit by bit.
He felt that Shura should be an experience he had to go through, and the system would provide corresponding prompts for players to choose at that time.
Or, like in Undertale, the things he was experiencing or had experienced destined the direction of his ending, but this needed more information to verify.
Chun Hei organized his thoughts, went out, and turned right to face Eshin, "Did you find anything?"
"Yes, I found the answer."
The young lady named Eshin, forever standing serenely by the bamboo forest, sincerely answered every question the wolf asked, "The reason for the Dragon's Heritage... is the turbidity of the blood."
"Those afflicted with Dragon's Heritage have their fundamental life force taken away, hence the blood becomes turbid."
"How can it be cured?"
"What was taken away must be returned to its owner." Miss Eshin handed the wolf an item, "Please accept this."
[Obtained: Dragon's Heritage Dew, which can return the stolen life force to its owner and heal those afflicted with Dragon's Heritage.]
'......'
'(Recently, a very novel theme seems to have emerged. It hasn't become popular yet, but it has great potential. I'm considering whether to write it...)'