But the boy's face suddenly cringed as he shriveled his mouth, "But the big white pig will be in pain, can you not kill it?"
The burly man squatted down and said gently, "Don't worry, Daddy will not make it feel any pain."
The boy was stunned before he asked, "It won't...be in pain?"
The burly man laughed heartily and patted himself on the chest. "Our Shi family does not have ruthless butchers. Your Grandpa always says that although we kill pigs, we can never forget how to be benevolent. Never letting the white pig depart in pain is a principle we must never violate."
The boy opened his mouth and lowered his head. His eyes were filled with sadness. "But...the big white pig...it will still die, right?"
The burly man was stupefied before he let out a bitter smile. No matter how benevolent a butcher was, he was still a butcher. With a cleave of the knife, regardless of how peaceful its life was robbed away from it, it was still a death that deserved sadness.
The black-haired youth patted the burly man on his shoulder and whispered, "Dad, don't force Xiaobai any further. I know you do not wish the Shi family trade to end in your hands. I know you do not wish to let down Grandpa who is in heaven...Dad, I understand, so I will shoulder this responsibility. For me, I don't really like those complex cities. I like the air here, I like this village that has you and Xiaobai."
The burly man patted the slender hands resting on his shoulder and said gently, "Your hands were naturally born to hold a pen. How can I make you hold a knife? Forget it, forget it. The benevolent butcher. It's already enough. It’s time to end this joke with me, the joke only serves to fool ourselves. If I were to meet your Grandpa in the future and get scolded, I will just scrunch up my face and suffer the beating. Haha."
The burly man's laughter was bold and unforced. The youth widened the corners of his mouth, but he could not laugh.
The boy looked up to take a glance at the youth before he turned to glance at the burly man. Suddenly, he let go of his hands that were tugging on the youth's trousers. He ran up to the wooden platform and stared at the large white pig tied there. He said loudly, "I want to see the pig being killed. I...I'm not scared!"
His shiny black eyes were obviously welling with tears, and the way he bit his lower lips looked miserable and pitiful, but his resolute expression was moving.
The burly man's eyes turned slightly moist as he walked forward. As he walked, he said, "A long, long time ago, our Shi family ancestors pursued the ability to slice a throat in one strike. However, that would result in the pig dying in agony. So after countless years of improvement, our Shi family has now chosen—piercing of the heart!"
The burly man approached the large white pig and pointed to the pig's left chest. He said, "This is where the big white pig's heart is. However, a pig's fat is very thick, so it is rather difficult to stab straight into the heart. If you aren't careful, you will instead bring more pain to the large white pig."
"However, this is a responsibility we as men from the Shi family have to shoulder." This knife has to be accurate and without hesitation or mercy. It cannot be benevolent, because as butchers, it is the only remaining benevolence we have!"
The moment the burly man finished saying that, he suddenly lifted his hand and cleaved downwards. Instantly, he stabbed right into the white pig's left chest.
"Oink!"
The large white pig whimpered once with a twitch before it closed its eyes immediately and stopped moving. There was no time for the fresh life to even struggle before it died completely.
The strike was fast and sudden. It was so fast that the boy could not close his already widened eyes in time.
"Wa!"
The boy was dumbfounded for a moment before he pounced into the youth's embrace with a yelp. He then burst into tears.
The burly man sighed deeply.
Didn't he too cry in such a heartbreaking manner so many years ago?
The youth hugged the boy tightly, his eyes sorry for the boy.
"After I graduate next year, I will return to slaughter pigs."
"This year, when we visit the tombs, I will tell your Grandpa that we will not slaughter pigs in the future."
Despite simultaneously saying words that had different meanings, what the two people said were both equally meaningful.
...
...
In a black cupboard, a black-haired youth and a young boy were huddled together. The young boy was trembling as the black-haired youth constantly stroked the boy's back.
"Don't worry. Daddy will be fine. Those bad guys...someone will take care of them."
The youth appeared as though he was holding back something. It made his voice tremble slightly.
The boy's eyes lit up as he hurriedly said, "Hero… Brother, heroes will finish the bad guys, right?"
The youth was slightly surprised as he gave a humorless laugh. He forced an affirmative tone and said, "Of course, those heroes Xiaobai see on TV, they are the ones dedicated to finishing bad guys. Heroes will definitely save everyone. Daddy will definitely be fine."
"Yea!"
The boy nodded his head sharply as his trembling body gradually calmed down.
At this moment, the sound of footsteps was suddenly heard from outside the house.
The youth held his breath as he hurriedly gestured a "Shh" to the boy. He used a nearly inaudible voice to say, "Ke..ep..qui..et."
The boy nodded and buried his tiny head into the youth's chest. His body began shivering again.
Suddenly, a hoarse but relentless voice was heard coming from outside the house. It came through the windows, across the cracks in the cupboard, straight into the youth and boy's ears.
"You bunch of idiots. You can't even get rid of a knife-holding butcher with a gun? A rusty pig slaughtering knife has killed two people. You even have the fucking nerve to call yourselves terrorists?"
Following that, a stuttering male voice was heard.
"That butcher...was quite powerful..."
In the cupboard, the youth and young boy looked at each other in the dark when they heard this. Both of them revealed a pleased smile.
The hoarse voice was heard once again. "Even if he is powerful, can he be more powerful than a gun? All of you were just too stupid."
The stuttering voice no longer stuttered and began to speak unusually smooth, "Yes, yes, yes. Our Boss is awesome as usual. You killed the butcher in one shot!"
Upon hearing this, the youth's eyes immediately glazed over.
The young boy also reacted moments later with a yelp.
The youth was alarmed as he hurriedly covered the boy's mouth. His other hand tightly embraced the young boy as he whispered, "Shh, quiet."
However, everything was too late. The two voices outside the house was heard once again.
"Oh? Is there someone in this house?"
"Boss, I heard it too."
"Looks like someone slipped through the cracks. Perfect, I happen to not have vented all my pent-up anger. Go, let's kill!"
The footsteps gradually came from outside the house through the main door. Despite being separated by the cupboard door and the tightly shut main door, it was still extremely audible.
A look of despair flashed in the youth's eyes.
But immediately, it ignited a glimmer of hope.
He lowered his head and kissed the young boy on his forehead. He spoke extremely quickly, but in a solemn tone, "Xiaobai, remember this. You are a King of kings. You shall rule the world of justice and evil. There will be a day when the Heretic King's powers will awaken in you. You will banish all the evil in the world. You will save the world, because you are the King of this world. So, you must live on. Live on well, this world needs you."
After the youth said those words, he suddenly stretched out his hand and hit the young boy on the neck. Sensing the stiff body in his embrace turn soft, the youth gave a gentle smile, one just like a blooming daisy in the winter.
As he walked out of the cupboard,
he picked up a rusty pig slaughtering knife and charged out the door.
Moments later, numerous gunshots and invectives resounded in the world outside the window. The din continued for a moment before it reduced to the harshest silence.
And in the world of that tiny compartment, a tiny life slept peacefully.
...
...
In the virtual world, everyone was waiting for the strike's name. Be it the audience, the commentators, Princess Xiao Xiao or the Arch-Cardinal that had suddenly appeared, all of them pricked up their ears. What sort of strike was it for it to be able to easily penetrate the virus black cocoon and the darkness barrier, resulting in WindWithoutTrace's instant death?
"This strike's name is..."
Shi Xiaobai opened his mouth as two tears streamed down his cheeks.
"It's called...It's called..."
He reached out his hand to wipe his eyes, but there was no end to his tears. His throat felt choked as though he was about to suffocate.
Two voices constantly resounded in his mind.
"Xiaobai is still young."
"Xiaobai is a bit more timid."
"Dad, don't force Xiaobai any further."
"For me, I don't really like those complex cities. I like the air here, I like this village that has you and Xiaobai."
"After I graduate next year, I will return to slaughter pigs."
"So, you must live on. Live on well, this world needs you."
...
"The benevolent butcher. It's already enough. It’s time to end this joke with me, the joke only serves to fool ourselves."
"However, this is a responsibility we as men from the Shi family have to shoulder."
"This year, when we visit the tombs, I will tell your Grandpa that we will not slaughter pigs in the future."
...
Shi Xiaobai raised his short knife and looked up into the sky, allowing his tears to fall to the ground. He used the gentlest voice to say to the world.
"This knife strike is called—Pig Slaughtering Knife!"
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Chapter92 Time is a pig slaughtering knife
The strong contrast between Shi Xiaobai's flowing tears and the "Pig Slaughtering Knife" he said left people at a loss.
The strike that had easily pierced through the virus black cocoon and the Barrier of Darkness, instantly killing WindWithoutTrace should have had a cool and ostentatious name to it, but why did it have such a simple and vulgar name, "Pig Slaughtering Knife"?
The Arch-Cardinal angrily shouted, "You say this strike is called Pig Slaughtering Knife? Are you kidding me?"
Shi Xiaobai wiped the corners of his moist eyes and gradually calmed down. As he looked at the strange floating person dressed in a cassock, he curled his mouth and said, "Since you don't even know what the Pig Slaughtering Knife is, you must be a foolish mortal. You must have never seen how pigs are slaughtered."
Not only did Shi Xiaobai's look of contempt enrage the Arch-Cardinal, but it also rendered the audience speechless. Indeed, few of them had seen the slaughtering process of pigs, but who the fuck did not know what it was like?
If the Pig Slaughtering Knife was so awesome, would there still be humble butchers in this world?
"Just the Pig Slaughtering Knife alone can't penetrate the virus black cocoon and the Barrier of Darkness. Since you aren't willing to speak the truth, don't blame me for being heartless." The Arch-Cardinal laughed coldly. He had paid a certain price to forcefully intrude into this virtual world mainly to vent his anger. WindWithoutTrace should have been brainwashed into a parishioner of the Church of Virtuality, increasing his year-end evaluation numbers, but it had been completely ruined by this youth. However, asking the name of the strike was just a curiosity of his. Since the youth was unwilling to speak the truth, then he did not need to speak further.
The Arch-Cardinal secretly gathered his powers as he readied his attack.
However, what Shi Xiaobai said next stunned him completely.
"Tch, that hole-filled black cocoon and that constantly flickering barrier, how can it withstand This King's Pig Slaughtering Knife?"
Shi Xiaobai had been left quite speechless all this while. The black cocoon was clearly filled with tiny holes, yet the three-man team failed to crack it. The black barrier was constantly flickering, yet it remained impregnable under Xiao Xiao's four arrows. And all he did was stab into the black cocoon's hole. As for the black barrier, he just pierced into it when it faded. So how could such flawed defenses withstand his Pig Slaughtering Knife?
Everyone was stunned by Shi Xiaobai's words. The black cocoon's surface looked extremely smooth, so where were the holes? That black barrier lasted only temporarily, but when did it constantly flash? Either this rascal was deliberately joking, or his eyes were problematic.
"The Vision of God!?"
The Arch-Cardinal, Xiao Xiao and Biscuit said the four words in unison.
Biscuit hurriedly explained to the audience, "We all know that humans have six senses. And very few people in the world are blessed by the heavens. The six senses can reach the level reminiscent of a god. We call them the Six Senses of God. As for contestant DogLeading, he possesses the Vision of God that can see through the weaknesses of everything!"
When Biscuit said this, he suddenly fell silent because he did not know how to go on. Although the Vision of God had the ability to see through weaknesses, Shi Xiaobai had mentioned of the cocoon filled with holes or of the barrier that constantly flickered. If that was the case, how many weaknesses did he see? This was already far beyond the scope of the Vision of God. Calling it the King of Gods Sight or Vision of the King of Gods would be more appropriate?
Xiao Xiao clearly also realized this point and was so shocked that she had covered her mouth.
The Arch-Cardinal fell silent for a moment before he sneered, "What a crappy lie."
Ignoring the fact that it was almost impossible to accomplish what Shi Xiaobai had mentioned with the Vision of God, and even if he could truly see through the black cocoon and the black barrier's weaknesses, the strike that pierced through the weak spot could not be ordinary. Furthermore...
The Arch-Cardinal said coldly, "I can sense the power of time in your knife. How did you do it. How are you able to use the laws of time in this virtual world where superpowers are invalid?"
The Arch-Cardinal raised the biggest question on his mind. As the virus black cocoon and the black barrier were produced using his powers, he could intuitively sense the "aging" of the black cocoon and the black barrier at the instant Shi Xiaobai's knife stabbed into them.
It was a feeling that the power of time had "aged" the defenses, turning them weak. The Arch-Cardinal had previously had the lucky encounter of meeting supreme beings who were able to control the laws of time in the real world, so he believed he wasn't wrong.
If the virus black cocoon had not been "aged" by the knife's power of time, how could it have been shattered by the extremely weak four arrows?
This knife technique that used the laws of time definitely couldn't be a so-called pig slaughtering knife!
Shi Xiaobai was somewhat stunned listening to the Arch-Cardinal's words. Power of time? His Pig Slaughtering Knife was actually that awesome?
Shi Xiaobai could not help but sigh with mixed emotions, "Time is a pig slaughtering knife."
Upon hearing this, the Arch-Cardinal immediately became enlightened and said loudly, "I see, so this strike's name is called the Knife of Time!"
The Arch-Cardinal believed he found the answer.
Shi Xiaobai gaped, unsure of what to say next. "Time is a pig slaughtering knife" was an old meme from Earth*. He had only nonchalantly mentioned it as a form of ridicule, but who knew...Forget it. They were people from different worlds, so he couldn't be bothered to explain.
"Heh heh, Vision of God and the Knife of Time, but only at the third level of the Psionic Mortal Realm. What
a cute and pitiful worm. If I were to nip you in the bud, or even convert you into a pious devotee, the great Bishop will definitely give me his greatest favor."
The Arch-Cardinal's voice suddenly sounded somewhat crazy as a terrifying aura emanated from his body.
Shi Xiaobai's heart leaped as if he felt danger approach him. He immediately retreated at a rapid pace and only stopped when he came beside Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao had already raised her crystal bow and had aimed it at the Arch-Cardinal. She turned her head to glance at Shi Xiaobai and whispered, "Be careful. This strange person in a red cassock might be an existence that exceeds the Psionic Mortal Realm. He might be at the Psionic Soul Realm, or even the Psionic Might Realm."
Shi Xiaobai also raised his knife and nodded. "This guy is very strong."
Shi Xiaobai sensed an aura much stronger than Thomas from the Arch-Cardinal, but his eyes were burning with fighting spirit.
Xiao Xiao's eyes were also filled with fighting spirit. Although she did not know where this cassocked strange person came from and she knew that she was no match at all, defeat and death was just a change in digital numbers in the virtual world. There was nothing to worry about.
"Heh heh, are the both of you naive enough to think that there will be no substantive harm in this virtual world?"
Noticing how there was no fear in their eyes except fighting spirit, the Arch-Cardinal's eyes immediately turned cold as he sneered, "For the Church of Virtuality, the virtual world is reality. Do you understand? In this world, if you get killed by me, your consciousness will be trapped. You will not be able to leave this world for eternity, and in reality, you will become vegetables."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiao's expression immediately changed. Numerous descriptions of the Church of Virtuality flashed past her mind and instantly, she knew that what the Arch-Cardinal said wasn't false.
"Don't hope that someone will wake you up because at the very moment I appeared, this world was completely separated from reality. Of course, I definitely had to pay quite a big price to do it, but compared to kids like you, this price is negligible. So despair and tremble. Both your fates are sealed."
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