Mingchao: The Survival Journey of a Comedian

Chapter 3 How old are you to want to start your own business?

He admitted that the moment the other person spoke, it did remind him of how his boss would scold him when he was working.

But... why does Thomas have to be reminded of those years when he was a beast of burden, since he has already traveled through time?

Not to mention that the person who made him feel this way was a child who hadn't even grown all his hair yet.

Without any hesitation, she gave him a flick on the forehead, then, amidst his incredulous gaze, took his hand and walked away into the distance.

"You're barely out of your teens and you're already acting like an adult, asking me questions... Who do you think you are?"

"This place doesn't look safe at all. Let's go outside first."

He tried to break free from the other man's grasp, but just as he was about to do so, he saw the dark-haired man look at him with a hint of helplessness, and then... he picked him up.

"???"

This was probably the most panicked moment of General Geshu's life. It was the first time in his life he had been lifted up by a complete stranger.

"Don't move around too much, your legs aren't very strong, and you're still young."

"If you dare to move around and affect my journey again... I'll spank you!"

A very useful threat. Hearing this, he could only slump against the other person, burying his head in their chest, feeling utterly humiliated.

Seeing that the person in his arms had become well-behaved, Mo Wunian nodded with satisfaction, adjusted his position, and made sure he could hold the other person more easily.

"Congratulations, host, on completing the first stage of the mission: Adoption."

Reward: Fragment of the "Basic" Lightness Skill Manual

"The full mission is now officially announced: Raise the child in front of you until they are capable of standing on their own."

Reward: The complete "Basic" swordsmanship manual

Mo Wunian, who was searching high up for a relatively safe place, was surprised to hear the system's voice and was also delighted by the reward.

(Wait... is completing a task really worth that much? It's only been a short time, and I've already received another reward!)

(It sounds like I've triggered a long-term quest... Does this mean I can keep profiting from the quest in the middle of it?)

(So... what does this "complete version of basic swordsmanship" mean?)

He was a little confused until he opened the quest rewards and looked at them carefully. Then he realized he had been misled by the name in front of him—the book was simply called Basic Swordsmanship.

That's incredible! I wonder who gave him that name.

But the thought of receiving so many potential rewards because of a little kid...

Even glancing at the child in her arms who seemed to be sulking made her feel much happier.

"This location is now roughly far from the sound-free zone."

"Can you put me down... and tell me who you are?"

The person in his arms looked at him coldly, and although their words sounded like a plea, their tone left him with no room for refusal, making his temples throb.

The more I listened, the more it sounded like his arrogant boss.

As an adult, even if that's what I think, how can I be fooled by a child?

"Kid, I'm the one who saved you, you should at least be nicer to me."

"Don't always speak in that commanding tone; it's impolite."

He put the other person down, tapped his forehead, and painstakingly gave him a piece of his mind, like a 21st-century teenager offering a gentle lesson.

Although judging from the other person's indifferent expression, it was clear they hadn't heard a word.

"Alright, alright... Seeing such a small child like you left here, you must not have had a good life before..."

"My name is Mo Wunian. You don't need to worry about where I'm from, as long as I'm not here."

"As for my purpose... do I look like I wanted to come to this godforsaken place?"

But the child in front of him was extremely wary; even with his answer, suspicion remained in the other person's eyes.

"This is Kitarokuno, a place near the battlefield."

"How you got in here is another question."

"You're not even a resonance participant."

Upon hearing the word "battlefield" from the other person, he realized that the danger he had encountered in this place was far more terrifying than he had imagined...

But how did this little brat manage to steal my initiative again?

Realizing the crux of the matter, he mercilessly ruffled the other person's hair, ignoring the murderous glare, and continued speaking to himself.

"I already said I don't know. What are you asking, you're just a kid who hasn't even grown a beard yet?"

"Since you say this is a battlefield, how did you get in?"

"At most, you're no more than ten years old."

"..."

The two struggled along the way, but after their previous fight, dusk was falling. They found a cave and, with great difficulty, managed to start a fire.

Bathed in the firelight, the two people, who had been freezing all day, felt a faint warmth. Ge Shulin sat opposite Mo Wunian, the firelight illuminating his now-childish face, and through the shadows, he was even more certain that he had returned to his six-year-old self.

He pondered for a moment, and realized that it was probably because he had entered overclocking mode, which had exhausted him, so he had returned to basics.

"We've been arguing all the way here, and you look only six years old, you must be hungry too."

"The fruit I picked along the way should be edible; have some to eat first."

He took a wild fruit from his spatial storage and handed it to the other person: Since he had recently drunk a potion, he felt nothing at all.

However, his act of casually pulling something out of thin air caught Geshulin's attention.

Where did you take that from?

Seeing that the other person had started asking questions again, he remembered the trouble he had gone through explaining to them along the way how he, although not a Resonator, possessed these abilities.

She rolled her eyes at him helplessly and forced the wild fruit into his hands.

"All you do is ask, ask, ask. Aren't you hungry after asking for so long?"

"Give me some food, don't starve to death."

Ge Shulin also pondered for a moment: he had indeed asked the other party many questions along the way, and based on what he knew so far, the other party's background was unknown, their strength was unknown, and they didn't even know where he was.

He took the wild fruit that the other person forced on him, wiped it off, and took a bite.

Then, looking up, he saw Mo Wunian staring blankly at the fire, completely motionless.

"You don't want to eat?"

Meanwhile, Mo Wunian, who was mentally reviewing what he was trying to obtain, shook his head with a hint of annoyance when he heard the other person calling him.

"No need, little brat, go eat yours, I'm not hungry."

Another wild fruit was placed in his hand by the other person, and Ge Shulin fell completely silent: the other person must have gone without eating for about the same amount of time as him, yet willingly gave him their food.

He was even more confused by the other person's actions and attitude. Seeing the other person still staring blankly at the fire, he felt a mix of emotions.

Mo Wunian didn't care about any of that, and after saying that, he continued to check his current panel.

【Mo Wunian】

【Age: 24】

[Race: Human]

[Talent: No Limit]

[Resonance: None]

[Acquired: An unnamed sword, white items: spatial storage, white items: a potion to keep you from starving, red items: I will sever my destiny... Fragment of the Basic Swordsmanship Manual (under training), Fragment of the Basic Lightness Skill Manual (not yet trained)]

[Strength Assessment: If you were still in the original world, you would probably be an excellent martial arts athlete, but unfortunately, in this other world, you're just a bot.]

While lamenting that even after transmigrating, he couldn't escape his unlucky fate, he clicked on the cultivation technique and selected to cultivate.

Before long, he felt an inexplicable warm current flowing through his body—it felt like he could fly into the sky.

The power of a Dou Zong expert is terrifying.

Although I really want to find a place to try it out right now, but...

He looked at the child in front of him with complicated emotions, then at the gourd hanging from the child's waist: a symbol of a resonance partner. He now reasonably suspected that the child had a hidden identity.

"You've asked me so many questions along the way, shouldn't it be my turn to ask them?"

"You need to tell me your name and then tell me what the situation is."

Ge Shulin lowered his head, pondering whether or not to reveal his true identity to the other party.

But right now, his strength is only that of a six-year-old, and the person in front of him is almost an unknown quantity. He has no idea whether he can trust the other party.

Just call me Xiaobai.

Looking at the name the other person gave, he couldn't help but sigh: "Is this what a stranger's name is? So perfunctory!"

"Alright, alright, Xiaobai."

"By the way, when I was right next to you, I also took the knife that was with you. Take a look and see if it's really yours."

He was already used to the other party's ability to summon things at will. Looking at the sword in the other party's hand, the red tassel on the blade stood out even more in the firelight—it was indeed his weapon.

"No...it really is yours? This knife is almost taller than you, isn't it? How did you manage to lift it?"

Seeing that the other person's gaze never left the knife in his hand, he was certain that the weapon belonged to that person. However, after weighing the knife in his hand and glancing at the other person's height, which was even shorter than the knife, he fell silent.

"...Never mind, never mind."

He rubbed his forehead: He'd already transmigrated, so encountering a kid with a big sword wouldn't be a problem, right? It's all clearly stated in the game world.

"Given the current situation, we figure we can only stick together for warmth... Call me 'Big Brother,' and I'll take you all over the world from now on!"

"..."

Then I was stared at for a while by those eyes that seemed to pity the mentally challenged.

He made me laugh.

After being stared at like he was an idiot for too long, even someone as thick-skinned as him couldn't take it anymore.

"No... I've never really seen anyone like you before."

"If you continue down this path, you'll make a big mistake later on, do you understand?!"

Big mistake...

Hearing this word, Ge Shulin was reminded of the war he had fought not long ago... Returning home at night, the ground was littered with corpses.

Blinded by prolonged victories, he ignored the warnings of the medic beside him, believing victory was assured, but in doing so, he cost countless brothers their lives.

Most of the once vibrant faces had fallen to the ground. In the last moments of his memory, he only remembered turning around and seeing the people behind him surrounded by afterimages and illusions created by the swirling rain.

But there was no other way. To make up for his previous command mistakes, he had to defeat the enemy before the Lord of the Formless Blaze absorbed more weapons to strengthen himself... Even if he couldn't eliminate him, he had to obtain more information to prepare for the Chosen One who would appear three years later.

[Hold firm and never retreat]

This order would kill even more people. After three days of fighting and forcibly interrupting the enemy's spellcasting, he seemed to see the figure of a blue dragon at the end: the dragon was the form of the Year Lord, which meant that a new guide had appeared on the other side.

His own three days of fighting might be enough to help those people break through the encirclement: he didn't blame them for disobeying orders.

Who knows what happened next without my knowledge?

From Mo Wunian's perspective, the other person seemed lost in memories, his gaze dim as he pondered for a long time, but he refused to utter another word.

If you look closely, you can see that the other person's eyes are already a little red, and they seem to be about to cry at any moment.

"...Hey...Are you alright?...I was just joking...Although sometimes the things you say can be really annoying..."

"But it's not certain... Don't cry, brother..."

Mo Wunian panicked and hurriedly crossed the fire, squatting down in front of Ge Shulin. He didn't know what to do, his hands flailing helplessly in front of Ge Shulin.

He hadn't really comforted children much in his past life; the most he'd ever said to others was, "It won't happen again."

"Big brother...you're my big brother, okay?...Don't cry..."

When Ge Shulin came back to his senses from that memory, he heard what the other person said.

"...I didn't cry."

Seeing that the child in front of him had returned to normal, he stood up, patted his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the arrogant look of the other person is more pleasing to the eye.

"Although I don't know what you've been through in the past, I have to say your personality is a bit too arrogant..."

"But to be honest, as the first living person I've met, I actually think you're quite normal."

"Besides, you definitely know this better than I do. Why don't we team up and talk about it once we get to a safe place?"

He crouched down, looked at the other person seriously, and after saying those words, he was speechless: he had never seen a transmigrator's teammate be a child.

Just when he was brimming with confidence that the other person would agree, the other person's outstretched hand grabbed his collar instead.

Give me back the knife, I'll walk alone.

"???"

He rubbed his eyes, released the hand gripping his collar, and then stared at the other person's golden eyes with a highly suspicious look—as if trying to figure out why.

Unfortunately, all he saw in the other person's eyes was calmness, indifference, and a sense of farewell.

Ge Shulin wasn't annoyed that the other person had broken free of his grasp; he simply watched them quietly.

But the next moment, the other party's actions and words made this general, who had experienced many things on the battlefield, unable to hold back once again, and he twitched the corner of his mouth.

The other person stood up, pulled him up with them, and then swept their hand across his body, reaching just up to his thighs.

"How old are you to want to start your own business?"

General Shu, whose actual age is older than the other party: ?