Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 58: Like a Moth to Flame

Jia Xu liked Qin Wangshu’s “well-bred lady” temperament the most.

She spoke softly, never made a fuss. As long as he acted a little more forcefully, Qin Wangshu would obediently apologize.

This time was no different.

Jia Xu knew…. Half of it was her lingering affection, and the other half was fear. Fear that he really would expose their private matters online. Fear that he really wouldn’t pay her back.

To be honest, Jia Xu quite liked this kind of “fear”. After this argument, Qin Wangshu became much more obedient, cautious in both words and actions, afraid he’d refuse to repay her if upset.

So Jia Xu kept playing the game of “pushing Qin Wangshu to the brink before paying her back.”

…You’re supporting my business. You’ve been to my company. Would I lie to you?

…I’m even paying you interest. It’s just that the timing’s a bit off. Why are you freaking out?

So others wouldn’t notice, Jia Xu never gambled, whether at work or at the apartment they shared.

He’d pretend to work overtime, then drive to his private house to gamble, often inviting a gang of shady friends for gambling parties.

But one day, Qin Wangshu secretly went to Jia Xu’s company to ask the other co-founders about the business. She found there was no crisis at all. In fact, the other partners had plenty of complaints about Jia Xu’s work ethic.

Realizing he couldn’t hide it, Jia Xu simply admitted to gambling.

…So what? We went to that resort together. When I won big, you didn’t say a thing.

…We’re supposed to be future spouses, and you can’t even stick with me through thick and thin?

Qin Wangshu had no words.

More than a year passed in this cycle of borrowing and repaying, and Jia Xu still owed Qin Wangshu around 4 million yuan.

She became increasingly withdrawn, no longer traveled or socialized with friends. In her spare time, she’d just sit in silence, holding her cat while staring blankly at nothing.

Jia Xu was very satisfied with her state.

Whenever Qin Wangshu upset him, he’d bring up breaking up. “Go ahead, sue me.” Those words worked every time.

He knew she wouldn’t break up, wouldn’t sue, wouldn’t tell her parents…

In their eyes, he was warm, considerate, and professionally successful. They were about to get married, and her parents were very proud.

On the other hand, all of Jia Xu’s assets were already mortgaged. Even if she took him to court, she wouldn’t recover the money immediately. Worse, it would become a public scandal plundering her into utter humiliation.

Day by day, he watched as Qin Wangshu’s hair fell out in clumps, as she relied on psychiatric meds, her whole being like an empty shell.

…And then, his lucky day came again.

That day, their shared apartment was burglarized.

The thief stole everything valuable and killed the cat Qin Wangshu had raised for eight years.

She sat there holding the corpse for a long time, then frantically called Jia Xu again and again.

Listening to her sobs and manic rambling on the phone, Jia Xu only felt annoyed.

“God let you meet me, God let your cat die. That means God doesn’t like you. If you can’t handle it, go die with your cat. Stop taking it out on me.”

He said indifferently, then hung up the phone.

A little over ten minutes later, Qin Wangshu jumped off the rooftop and died on the spot.

Jia Xu rushed home immediately, wiped all chat history from her phone, and destroyed the IOUs. In front of her parents, he wept bitterly, putting on a show of utter grief.

He said he hadn’t taken proper care of her, didn’t know she had taken out so many loans.

His transaction records? “Qin Wangshu claimed she was broke, so I transferred money to help cover her loans.”

Her transfers to him? “Qin Wangshu was prideful, insisted on paying me back.”

As for the initial massive transfer she made to him. He claimed she had borrowed money from him in Country A to buy luxury goods. That was her repayment.

Qin Wangshu’s parents weren’t fully convinced.

But unfortunately, Jia Xu had a glamorous job and behaved impeccably. And yes, technically, it was Qin Wangshu who took the loans and jumped herself.

Maybe it was grief, or maybe they didn’t want to face the full truth, but in the end, the old couple didn’t pursue it further.

Just like that, the 4 million yuan debt vanished into thin air.

Perfect. I really am lucky, Jia Xu thought.

……

After watching that blood debt broadcast, Guan He’s vision darkened with nausea.

Even Song Zheng and Xiao Li couldn’t stand it, especially Xiao Li. Having once been owed money himself, he nearly reverted out of his mushroom state from sheer outrage.

But Jia Xu didn’t react at all. He collected his 2,024 exchanged chips, added them to make 4,000+, and headed straight to the slot machines.

He quickly found his target…

A slot machine with an 80,000-to-1 jackpot, nearly identical to the one he’d played in the resort.

He stood before it and pulled out the Luck Borrowing Dice, scanning the crowd challengingly.

So you want to tail my bets? Let’s see you follow me on a slot machine.

Over 4,000 chips, 80,000x payout. One win, and he’d have over 300,000 chips.

He could become a loan shark, earning endless interest. Even on a bad luck day, he could buy human flesh to handle the taboo consequences.

With something like the Luck Borrowing Dice, it was better to use it sooner than later.

He’d have to control himself strictly after this, saving it for emergencies only.

This was his third consecutive day using the die, meaning the three days before his death would all be severely unlucky. But just a few days of bad luck before death—Jia Xu could accept that.

Huanxi World had no betting limits.

Amid jealous and eager eyes, Jia Xu placed all 4,000+ chips on the machine at once.

The die shifted in his palm, becoming as cold as ice.

Something seemed to drain from his body, and Jia Xu shivered.

But it didn’t matter.

He stared eagerly at the slot machine. The reels spun smoothly and stopped, one by one, on “7-7-7.”

Cheerful music blasted through the floor. Golden confetti exploded. The flashing lights nearly blinded him.

…Over 300,000 chips!

The crowd screamed in awe, whistles pierced the air. Jia Xu exhaled deeply. For a moment, he felt like he was back in the resort town.

So today’s bad luck really was just normal misfortune. He could still use the Luck Borrowing Dice. He still had luck left!

That meant, at the very least, he would survive until tomorrow!

Jia Xu turned and raised a triumphant fist at the crowd.

Blondie ran up howling, slapping his back hard.

“Three hundred grand! Jia Ge, I’m with you for life!” Blondie shouted, his voice nearly cracking.

When Jia Xu didn’t pay much attention, Blondie spoke louder: “Jia Ge, we’re fated, you and I!”

“Heh, you don’t know this, but I’m the one who killed that cat! I helped solve a huge problem for you…”

Jia Xu whipped around to stare at Blondie’s grinning face.

The joy drained away in an instant. For a brief moment, he felt a chill in his bones.

…No. Something’s not right, he thought.

“Help! Help me…!”

The next instant, a scream rang out from the service counter.

A ball of crimson fire descended from the ceiling, setting ablaze the staff member who had just processed Jia Xu’s exchange.

She went up in flames, shrieking in agony. The crowd fell silent, staring at the counter. Huanxi World had always meant absolute safety. Nothing like this had ever happened.

“What are you all standing around for? Put it out!” Uncle Hou bellowed.

His men grabbed nearby flower vases and drinks to douse the flames. But the fire wouldn’t die. It only spread. The staffer collapsed, convulsing on the burning carpet.

Water couldn’t put out red ghostfire.

It’s Fang Xiu, Jia Xu thought numbly. Fang Xiu is here.

But he wasn’t supposed to be. Fang Xiu hadn’t entered Huanxi World tonight. He didn’t have clearance!

…Could Fang Xiu have found a way to break the E?

…Now? Just after he’d exchanged all his chips?

No. Absolutely not.

He had to protect Huanxi World. It was his future. His 300,000+ chips weren’t even cashed in yet. The service desk couldn’t fall…

“Don’t use water!” Jia Xu shouted hoarsely. “Cut off the air. Figure out how to cut off the air…”

As he spoke, he looked up toward the domed ceiling, but the dazzling lights of the casino blinded him. He couldn’t see a thing.

Damn it. Jia Xu gritted his teeth and rushed toward the service desk.

He had barely moved when he was tripped by a masked woman.

His face smashed into the floor and blood gushed from his nose.

It hurt. It felt broken.

But that didn’t matter now. Jia Xu staggered to his feet and continued his charge, pushing past the crowd trying to put out the fire.

The flames had reached the counter. Jia Xu tore off his jacket and beat at the ghostfire desperately. But for some reason, every swing missed the mark. The fire only grew fiercer.

Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed the back of his collar and threw him aside.

“Jia Xu’s luck is too bad. Get him away from here,” Uncle Hou said coldly. “Especially away from us.”

Jia Xu crashed into a heap of tables and chairs, rolling across the carpet, picking up more bruises.

“This-This is just coincidence!” Jia Xu wiped the blood from his face and rasped. “The odds aren’t zero! A’Qing, say something!”

But A’Qing stood Uncle Hou and only looked at him with something like pity.

Uncle Hou turned to the crowd. “Get up there and smother it with your bodies! Those who work hard will be paid with chips. I’ll handle all the treatment!”

The Bankrupt Alliance perked up. They charged the burning counter, using their bodies to extinguish the flames.

One person stacked atop another, forming a human mountain. Amid sizzling flesh, the fire began to recede. The handsome staff huddled together in tears.

Above the hall, beyond the skylight…

Fang Xiu looked down, eyeing the smoke-belching server.

Moments ago, after watching the blood debt projection, he’d calmly lit a peachwood piece and tossed a fireball down.

The fire ignited the machine, but didn’t last long. People scrambled up the server and smothered it with their bodies, screaming like corpses as they rolled in the burning brain matter. It was a grotesque scene.

Fang Xiu squinted, estimating the burn time.

Seeing the flames snuffed out, Cheng Songyun grew anxious. “Xiao Fang, did we fail?”

She said nothing about Jia Xu’s injury, clearly enraged by the blood debt.

Fang Xiu didn’t answer. He pulled out all the jade Buddhas, smeared them with blood, and carefully put one around his neck. “Cheng Jie, you wear one too.”

Cheng Songyun obeyed, still confused.

Once he confirmed her Buddha was activated, Fang Xiu pulled out Shang Debao’s corpse. Grabbing it by the hair, he slammed the head into the skylight…

With a dull thud, chunks of cement fell, hitting the service desk.

No way a human skull could break the skylight. Bai Shuangying reached for his Peach Bone Evil, but Fang Xiu shook his head.

That human wore a strange smile as he kept bashing the narrow skylight with the dead man’s head.

Reality struck illusion.

Down below, Jia Xu heard the distant, strange thumping. He saw dust falling from above.

He grabbed Blondie. “It’s Fang Xiu! It has to be Fang Xiu! That’s his ghostfire. He’s up there doing something…”

Blondie: “What’s there to worry about? In his condition, what could he possibly do?”

Jia Xu was terrified. “He might’ve found a way to break the E! Something’s wrong… What if he smashes the ceiling…”

Bang!!!

Before he could finish, a huge slab of cement fell from above, instantly crushing a staffer at the service counter.

Blondie gaped and gave Jia Xu a side-eye. “Your jinx mouth is ridiculously accurate.”

Jia Xu struggled to his feet. “We can’t let him destroy this place. I need to see Uncle Hou!”

Uncle Hou didn’t know how insane Fang Xiu was, or that he had a jade Buddha. Jia Xu should’ve warned them earlier.

They didn’t have enough defenses. They had to act now!

Overhead.

Cheng Songyun stared dumbly at the shattered skylight.

Whether due to disrepair or clever force, Fang Xiu had really cracked the cement with a human skull. The bloodied hole wasn’t huge, but just wide enough for the two of them to slip through.

The casino ceiling wasn’t six stories high, just about six meters. A careful jump wouldn’t be fatal.

Cheng Songyun: “How did you—”

“Thank Jia Xu. Overdrafting extreme luck means you pay back misfortune with interest,” Fang Xiu shrugged.

Catastrophic bad luck meant every awful prediction could come true. Everything you try to protect would be lost.

Just like “ally luck”, the enemy’s misfortune was also a potent weapon.

“Cheng Jie, when we jump, activate the Resentful Ghost Shield right away,” Fang Xiu said.

Cheng Songyun fretted. “That shield only blocks magic. It won’t stop this many people!”

“It’s fine. Trust me.”

Bai Shuangying, having watched enough, twirled his Peach Bone Evil. “I can help destroy that thing.”

Fang Xiu simply said, “No need. I’ll handle it.”

Then, dragging his broken body, he dove through the hole.

Cheng Songyun followed, and after a moment’s hesitation, Bai Shuangying joined.

……

A sudden fire had thrown the casino into chaos.

Xiao Tian tied up her hair, wiped off her lipstick, tossed her mask, and rejoined the mushroom squad. The four watched in shock as Uncle Hou charged to fight the fire.

Jia Xu ignored the guards and squeezed toward Uncle Hou, trying to say something.

Xiao Tian turned to Guan He. “Hey, was this your team’s doing? Shame it didn’t burn through. We could’ve used another fire.”

She had just finished speaking when a red-clad figure dropped from the dazzling lights above.

Fang Xiu cushioned his fall with a corpse, managing a semi-soft landing on the ring-shaped service platform’s light rack, two meters above the ground.

Then came Cheng Songyun. Fang Xiu caught her with his arm. She wasn’t badly hurt.

As soon as she hit the ground, she activated the Resentful Ghost Shield.

At the same time, the lights of Huanxi World turned blood-red. The music stopped and in its place came a looping alert…

“Attention! Two unauthorized intruders detected. Eliminate the threats. Reward: 10,000 chips per person.”

“Attention! Two unauthorized intruders detected. Eliminate the threats. Reward: 10,000 chips per person.”

“Attention! Two unauthorized intruders detected. Eliminate the threats. Reward: 10,000 chips per person.”

Uncle Hou’s voice cut through. “I’ll double that reward! Get them!”

Guan He was about to charge in, but Song Zheng held him back. “Don’t go. They’ll be fine.”

“Your job is to stay safe and protect yourself.”

Amid the chaos, Fang Xiu smiled.

So entering through the Emergency Exit still revealed reality. He saw countless sacrificial players stampeding toward them, climbing over each other like ants, scaling the brain-smeared server.

Fang Xiu pressed one hand to the machine and reignited the ghostfire.

Cheng Songyun’s shield protected them from the flames and heat.

Bai Shuangying floated silently above, observing.

In an instant, the fire spread. Evil spirits on the server and nearby sacrificial players all ignited.

Flesh sizzled and popped. The stench of char filled the air. Yet these people, as if immune to pain, kept piling forward.

Farther away, countless spells rained down like arrows, battering the shield.

The server looked like a square black candle, and Fang Xiu, its inextinguishable flame.

Mad human moths flew at him, burned, and fell.

Thick black smoke billowed. The massive server warped. Half its red lights died. Even the glowing infinity symbol atop began to dim.

Even the brain matter worked with the humans, trying to put out the fire. But against Fang Xiu’s relentless ignition, they could only scream and vanish.

In the blazing chaos, Jia Xu finally reached Uncle Hou. His broken nose had swelled grotesquely, and he spoke in a muffled voice.

“That’s the Resentful Ghost Shield. It blocks magic! We need physical attacks—”

Seeing the service counter half-destroyed, he flailed in desperation.

Uncle Hou shot him a sideways glance and barked, “Stop the spells. Use arrows and guns!”

People grabbed weapons: arrows flew, guns fired, someone even tossed throwing knives.

Jia Xu craned his neck to watch. But for some reason, every attack hit an ally scrambling up the counter and never the eerie shield.

Uncle Hou’s look toward Jia Xu turned increasingly cold. He eyed Jia Xu’s Luck Borrowing Dice and signaled one of his men.

The henchman crept closer and reached for Jia Xu’s neck.

Jia Xu bolted.

“It’s not my fault! I borrowed luck today. I can’t die today!”

He shoved through the crowd toward the counter, blood in his voice.

“I’ll stop him. Just you wait!”

The smoke thickened. The stench of burning flesh was unbearable.

Several people had already burned to death, their charred corpses forming steps that made it easier to climb.

Jia Xu stumbled to the top, just in time to see someone smashing the Resentful Ghost Shield with a metal rod.

Cheng Songyun’s arm was broken. Her consciousness wavered. The shield flickered translucent. Fang Xiu dragged his body over her protectively.

The attacker felt no pain. Half his body was charred, yet he stood firm. His bloodshot eyes locked on, his rod striking Fang Xiu’s head and spine with precision.

Fang Xiu’s head was soaked in blood. His back was a pulpy mess.

In the chaos, Jia Xu heard the crack of a jade Buddha shattering.

Though Fang Xiu tried to maintain the fire, the maniacs kept coming, wielding magic tools, pummeling the red-shirted figure.

“Yes, yes, keep hitting! Don’t stop!”

Jia Xu coughed from the smoke, hoarse as he half-staggered, half-crawled forward. Blisters bubbled on his skin from the heat, but he didn’t seem to feel the pain.

His eyes locked onto Fang Xiu’s wounds.

As long as Fang Xiu’s jade Buddhas were used up, everything would be fine. This place wasn’t big. Fang Xiu was broken and couldn’t hide.

He was still lucky. Fang Xiu was about to lose another life, while he—he’d made it here unscathed!

Damn it. Just when he needed Blondie’s combat power the most, the guy didn’t come. When this is over, he’ll never forgive that kid.

“Keep hitting!”

Jia Xu roared, charging forward.

He stepped over fire, corpses, and over Bai Shuangying’s hidden form.

Bai Shuangying ignored the shrieking insect. Still floating, silently observing.

Fang Xiu truly didn’t need help to destroy the Huanxi E. At this rate, the E would be burned away before the Buddha gave out.

But it was still a gamble.

Once the E was broken, reality would be exposed. And based on what Bai Shuangying knew of humans, they wouldn’t be grateful. They’d try to kill Fang Xiu out of spite. Even if he could return to the Tower, he risked severe injury…

Bai Shuangying stared at Fang Xiu.

Under blood-soaked bangs, he saw those eyes arched slightly amid fire and pain.

Fang Xiu was smiling. Bright and sharp, like blades.

Looking at the blood and smoke, Bai Shuangying remembered.

He had seen eyes like that before… but not on Fang Xiu.

That person had also been thin, bloodied, clothes soaked red. Carrying a strange firearm, he had burst into Bai Shuangying’s sealed domain.

Bai Shuangying knew the man was dying, but he was smiling, eyes bright.

“■■■, my grandma told me about you…” He staggered forward, rasping, “You grant wishes depending on your mood, and ask for lives in return… Pretty ruthless…”

Ah, another human who remembered him. Another karmic link to sever.

Bai Shuangying gave no response. He simply listened.

The man trudged deeper, each step leaving bloody prints. He was talking to himself, less of a prayer than a muttered self-consolation.

“■■■, if you’re really here, trap the people I lured in. Don’t let them escape…” he muttered in a daze. “They’re all evil, with blood on their hands… Grandma said you like those kinds…”

At last, he collapsed beneath a tree, blood loss making his breaths shallow.

Not far behind him came a group of foreign soldiers, by their look and language.

Bai Shuangying found it a worthwhile trade. Though sealed and immobile, these people had come to him. The underworld wouldn’t notice a little nibble.

So he answered the man’s request.

As the soldiers charged, the ground softened and a swamp swallowed them whole.

The man hadn’t lied. Their souls were soaked in blood—absolutely delicious.

By then, the man was barely alive. Even witnessing such a miracle, he just flicked his eyes up, coughing out a laugh.

Bai Shuangying watched from the seal, then sent a thought: [Why not let me save you?]

“What’s the point? I can’t kill so many by myself…” the man mumbled, his consciousness fading fast. “One life for that many beasts… Worth it… heh…”

He touched his rough rifle, unfocused eyes still shining.

“So this… is what it means to win…”

That man’s final gaze was exactly the same as Fang Xiu’s now.

But unlike with Fang Xiu, that man’s soul was too luminous with merit. So Bai Shuangying didn’t touch it and only watched him go.

Back then, Bai Shuangying hadn’t understood what that look meant.

Even now, he didn’t. But one thing he did understand:

Fang Xiu might not be just a profit-seeking underworld killer, he thought.

…Because that wasn’t a gaze of a killer. It was a warrior’s.

Amid the roaring flames, came the sound of something bursting…

Sixty-four chains snapped in unison.

---

The author has something to say:

Next chapter: power couple team-up! Someone gets a glorious funeral, hehe.

Saw some readers say the anti-drugs and anti-gambling themes felt too preachy… hahaha.

Drugs are totally separate! The gambling arc is tied to the main plot. It can’t be skipped _(:з」∠)

After this, it’s just regular story stuff again~

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Oh, so I wasn’t the only one thinking it’s been a bit too preachy too. I understand the cultural differences, especially in China—after all, I grew up in a very anti-drug household myself—but it feels rather cringey reading a novel for entertainment only to have it constantly hammer that message to you.

It also makes for very one-dimensional characters. Nian Zhong’s novels often have morally grey characters, including the “villains”. In some ways, their actions could be justifiable (take the Mainbrain for instance in Happy Doomsday), and that develops a deeper characterization and makes them multi-facet. Though in this case, it seems the MCs are more the morally gray characters than anyone else.

However, when you have clear black and white characters, it becomes quite dry. Clearly these characters are purely set up to be cannon fodder with no nuances and the only goal of why they are included in the novel at all is to raise up the MC(s). It’s boring and bland, and not what I expected from Nian Zhong, given her previous works. In a way I feel like I’m just reading a well-written face-slapping novel, which, honestly, I have grown out of.

Anyways, I’m not advocating for porn, drugs, or gambling. Gambling certainly can ruin lives and can definitely change people. It’s why casinos have a 1-800 number posted in their establishment to help gambling addicts. But I know many who just gamble for fun from time to time and don’t get addicted. Personally I’ve tried it and don’t get the appeal but you do you.

That aside, I find it quite ironic about the anti-sex, drugs, gambling message, considering Fang Xiu isn’t exactly your shining beacon of an upstanding citizen… I mean committing murders in his vigilantism, no matter if the victims truly deserve it or not, isn’t something I can rally behind. 

But I digress.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>