Chapter 68: Nostalgia [Third Update, Recommended Ticket]

“Isn’t it bad luck to shed blood on Bailing’s birthday tonight?” Li Chaodan said with a cold sneer. He didn’t believe that the ring in Luffy’s hand was anything special—it was just a trick, nothing more.

“That’s right, this is Bailing’s birthday banquet. How can there be blood? It’s so inauspicious,” Wang Sanshao also sneered, certain that the young man before him was only making a fool of himself.

“If you lose, you still have to eat shit,” Li Chaodan said coldly, staring at Luffy.

“Heh… Exactly, you’ll eat shit,” Wang Sanshao echoed, his tone aggressive and overbearing.

“It’s just a drop of blood. What’s the big deal?” Qin Bailing immediately bit her middle finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto the ring. A flash of red light shone, and the ring seemed to merge with her flesh, truly miraculous.

“All right, now channel your thoughts and place a plate onto the ring,” Luffy said with a smile. Only Qin Bailing was willing to cooperate with him, knowing he wasn’t joking.

“Oh,” Qin Bailing responded, and with a thought, she placed the plate onto the ring. It vanished instantly.

“How… how is this possible?!” Li Chaodan’s eyes widened in utter shock.

“Could this be the legendary spatial ring?” Old Zhang Jiu couldn’t contain his excitement as he hurried over, gazing at the ring in Qin Bailing’s hand. “May I have a look?”

“Of course,” Qin Bailing handed the ring to Old Zhang Jiu.

Old Zhang Jiu’s hands trembled as he received it. After examining it, he confirmed, “This… this is truly a spatial ring. According to legend, spatial rings are forged from a most unusual material. This is the first time I’ve ever seen it—the same as in the ancient texts. This is absolutely the finest gift, worth more than both Li Chaodan’s and Wang Sanshao’s gifts combined.”

“A plain ring is actually a spatial ring? That’s incredible! Now Li Chaodan and Wang Sanshao will have to eat shit—they’ve been utterly humiliated.”

“No one expected this young man, Luffy, to present such a wondrous thing. It’s practically a divine artifact.”

“Haha, now this is a good show!”

All at once, many people looked at Luffy with curiosity and respect instead of scorn. He had managed to defeat both Li Chaodan and the third son of the Wang family.

He’d left their faces burning from the blow.

“Damn, how could things turn out this way? Why does Old Zhang Jiu always side with that guy? It’s maddening,” Li Chaodan’s face was ashen. He never imagined that Luffy, a mere third-tier fellow, could bring out such an extraordinary treasure as a spatial ring, making everyone green with envy. His face burned with shame, and he wished he could disappear.

He had never suffered such a crushing defeat—it was worse than anything he could have imagined. He was angry and disgusted.

Unable to stand or sit, his face was the picture of humiliation.

Wang Sanshao’s expression was just as miserable. This Luffy had taken him completely by surprise, leaving him thoroughly humiliated. How could he face anyone here again? It was simply absurd that a tattered ring could turn out to be the legendary spatial ring.

If he had to choose the most unforgettable moment of his life, tonight would be it. This Luffy, in simple clothes, was more valuable than he could have guessed, and that battered ring was actually a spatial ring.

It made him sick to his stomach.

His face was an image of utter defeat.

He turned to leave, unwilling to stay a moment longer.

Likewise, Li Chaodan had no desire to linger; tonight had been a disgrace.

But just as he was about to go, Luffy called out, “Leaving so soon? Not going to eat your shit first? Are you really so untrustworthy, so ill-mannered? Didn’t your parents teach you to be honest? A bet is a bet—even if it’s shit, if you lose, you eat it. Otherwise, you’re spineless, faithless trash.”

“Damn it, are you finished yet? Haven’t you hogged enough glory already? Must you really rub it in? Do you want to die?” Wang Sanshao snapped, his fury boiling over.

“Heh… Who was it that insisted on betting? If you can’t afford to lose, don’t gamble,” Luffy shook his head.

Qin Bailing, meanwhile, was still in shock. Where had this spatial ring come from? Such a precious gift, and he’d given it so freely. She felt lost, as if Luffy was becoming more and more of a mystery.

Before, he had just quietly studied alongside her, following her lead. If she fancied someone as a reference, he’d oblige, and the two of them knew each other well. Yet after a month and a half apart in the apocalypse, such miraculous changes had come about.

Of course, she didn’t want to question Luffy. If he wanted to tell her, he would. Otherwise, she wouldn’t pry. That was trust.

“Don’t want to eat shit? Fine! Everyone has seen it—Wang Sanshao and Li Chaodan refuse to honor their bet and are trying to slip away. Now, everyone knows what kind of men they are,” Luffy said loudly.

Seeing this, Wang Sanshao and Li Chaodan bolted like dogs with their tails between their legs, unwilling to stay a second longer. They hated Luffy to the core and would surely seek revenge.

But tonight was Qin Bailing’s birthday banquet. A scene was one thing, but fighting would be disrespectful to her, so Luffy refrained from laying hands on them.

Otherwise, the two would have been forced to eat their words—literally.

Luffy turned to Qin Bailing. “Happy birthday—time to light the candles.”

“Happy birthday,” Zeng Hongseng echoed, silently marveling at his leader’s unpredictability and mystery—no one could ever know what Luffy would do next.

His admiration for Luffy was as boundless as the Yellow River in flood.

Qin Bailing’s father took out a lighter and lit the candles. Everyone began to sing the birthday song:

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
May happiness and health be yours,
May your future be bright,
Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you,
May happiness and health be yours,
May you have a warm family,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you.

Everyone joined in the singing.

Then, Qin Bailing blew out the candles, closed her eyes, and made a wish.

Everyone waited while she made her wish.

No one knew what she wished for.

Luffy did not know either; he simply watched as the lights came on and Qin Bailing opened her eyes.

“Class leader, what did you wish for?” Zeng Hongseng asked curiously.

“I can’t tell you,” Qin Bailing replied.

Then, picking up the cake knife, she cut a slice. “I’m very grateful to Luffy for giving me such a valuable gift today. This is to thank you.”

With a big smile and a slight lift at the corners of her mouth, Qin Bailing brought a large piece of cake to Luffy—and smashed it right into his face.

“Pfft…”

Luffy stood there, stunned, cake covering his face.

Everyone else was dumbfounded, at a loss for words.

Then, Zeng Hongseng rushed over with another piece of cake and hurled it at Luffy. Instantly, a cake fight broke out.

It was the madcap symphony of doomsday, a stretch of joyful days they would long cherish in memory.

(The end of this chapter)