Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 60: A Declaration of Love

Uncle Hou was all smiles, his expression surprisingly sincere.

Without the Huanxi E’s illusion to obscure things, his condition should’ve been poor. But he stowed away his hooked scythe, pulled out a pipe, and puffed at it leisurely.

Blue smoke curled around him. Uncle Hou looked as calm as could be.

“My… my magic weapon… give it back…” someone groaned in pain, crawling in Uncle Hou’s direction.

Uncle Hou ignored them entirely and turned back to Fang Xiu. “Don’t be nervous. I just wanted to chat. Get acquainted.”

Fang Xiu studied him for a while and didn’t see any signs of lying.

[How long can you hold the possession?] he asked Bai Shuangying in his mind.

Fang Xiu had begun to feel the aftereffects. His lower abdomen made suspicious sloshing sounds, and some of his organs seemed to have turned into gelatinous meat. And yet there was no pain. It was just a deeply unnatural sensation.

This “burn-it-all” fusion technique was clearly a last-resort move.

Bai Shuangying roiled in his mind: [Right now you’re protected by the Underworld’s ‘Protection From All Evil’. You’re safe… for now.]

Fang Xiu relaxed a little. He turned to Uncle Hou. “You have something to say?”

Uncle Hou wasn’t offended that Fang Xiu hadn’t approached. With two guards at his side, he puffed calmly as he strolled forward.

His eyes swept across the rotting meat disguised as food, over the bones littering the floor, but his brow didn’t so much as twitch. It was as if this place wasn’t a ruined hellhole but the same glittering Huanxi World it used to be.

Two to three hundred people had died in the hall. Most of the rest had their Achilles tendons cut and lay groveling on the floor.

Some reached for him, others cursed him. Some cursed Fang Xiu. But both “protagonists” treated the noise like background ambiance.

When he was about four or five steps away, Uncle Hou stopped. “I just want to clear up some misunderstandings,” he said. “Before, I wanted to kill you, just to keep this place from falling in chaos. The number here stays fixed at 888. Newbies always come and mess things up… Before the illusion broke, I couldn’t tell if you were wrecking things or breaking the E. So I had to act.”

“I helped fend off those trash mobs just now. Think of it as my apology. You pulled it off, broke the E. I ought to be thanking you.”

His calm was so absurd that Fang Xiu couldn’t help but ask, “Why exactly are you thanking me?”

Uncle Hou chuckled, his mummified face crinkling. “We’re in the loan business, not gambling. I didn’t exchange much karma. Kid, my life in the human world is way better than here.”

“Those fools only wanted to stay. Handed me their best magic weapons without even knowing how to hedge their bets.”

At that, a chorus of pleading rose up in the hall, begging him to return their magic weapons. But Uncle Hou kept puffing, completely deaf to them.

Fang Xiu eyed him from head to toe.

No wonder Uncle Hou’s guards weren’t panicking. They still followed his orders.

While the Huanxi E was intact, he used chips to control hearts. Now that it had collapsed, he held a pile of Underworld magic weapons. The actual hard currency.

Unlike Jia Xu, Uncle Hou was a true businessman.

He’d come to negotiate for one reason only…

“You’re good, kid. Played the ‘win by not gambling’ card right out of the gate. Come, pick a few magic weapons. Let’s be friends.”

He grinned, revealing tea-stained teeth, his face the picture of kindly sincerity.

Fang Xiu smiled politely. “No need.”

Uncle Hou didn’t seem surprised. He chuckled. “Cautious type, eh? Good, good.”

“Anyway, long as you understand where I’m coming from, we won’t end up enemies next time we meet.”

He waved and walked off with his guards.

As they left, Uncle Hou really did hand out several magic weapons to his men. They thanked him profusely, stepping over groveling sacrifices like they were kings surveying the battlefield.

Fang Xiu watched his retreating figure. Slowly, his polite smile faded.

After a moment, he sighed and told the paper men to send Cheng Songyun, Guan He, and Blondie back to the tower.

Cheng Songyun was weakened from maintaining the ghost shield. Guan He was still unconscious. Blondie had fainted, looking like a burst blood gourd. Not one of the three had a clear mind so there was no reason to keep them here.

Mei Lan, however, was still lucid. She’d hidden in a corner with the mushroom trio early on.

She’d managed to stay entirely peripheral during the ritual. Come to think of it, she hadn’t even exchanged any karma. She just used chips won with Jia Xu’s “sure-win” dice.

She nodded to Fang Xiu and requested to return to the tower. Her figure disappeared instantly.

She was joined by those who had arrived recently and still retained karma and tools.

Within minutes, only corpses and wailing “scraps” remained in the hall.

The mushroom trio stood out among them.

Uncle Hou had generously handed A’Qing one or two magic weapons. The guy trudged alone toward his former teammates. No one knew where that “negotiation enhancer” he’d taken had gone.

Fang Xiu had meant to go over, but stopped in his tracks.

He watched as Xiao Tian slapped A’Qing across the face, crying and cursing.

Xiao Li turned away to pack up the boat, pretending A’Qing didn’t exist.

Song Zheng’s eyes were red. He talked to A’Qing briefly, hesitated for a few seconds, then shook his head.

A’Qing removed his glasses with trembling hands and wiped his eyes hard. Then he wandered toward the paper men, dazed, and returned to the Tower alone.

Once the trio had calmed down, Fang Xiu approached.

Song Zheng quickly wiped his face and forced a smile. “Heh, the big boss is back! Thanks, Fang Xiu.”

Xiao Li and Xiao Tian echoed their thanks. They still looked sad, but their gratitude was genuine.

Especially Xiao Tian. Now that Fang Xiu had fully revealed his face, she stared openly at him and declared that she must heal her broken heart.

“I vow to go vegetarian for a year if you cut those bangs,” Xiao Tian said solemnly, hands clasped.

Xiao Li choked. “You just said you were too grossed out to eat meat for a year anyway.”

The two started bickering.

Fang Xiu: “…”

Honestly, these three were capable and mentally resilient. Too bad the Disaster Relief Tower didn’t allow group merges, he thought.

“Forget them,” Song Zheng tugged at his lips. “The E’s broken and we have to disperse too. Here. Free info drop, wanna hear?”

Fang Xiu nodded.

Song Zheng gave a bitter laugh and gave his “free info drop”. It was about how A’Qing managed to deceive them under the taboo of the “no scamming chip”.

“He came to us all contrite, said he wanted to rejoin the team. Asked to borrow chips to ‘buy his freedom’ from Uncle Hou. We pooled everything to help…”

A’Qing hadn’t triggered the taboo because, in that moment, his remorse was genuine.

He truly wanted to come back. He hadn’t intentionally deceived them. He just wanted to gamble a few rounds “for the team” before paying off Uncle Hou.

But the second he lost all those borrowed chips, that sincerity vanished too.

“…Fang Xiu, in a place like this, don’t trust anyone. Even if we meet again, keep your guard up.”

Song Zheng looked at the spot where A’Qing had disappeared, his expression even more bitter. “Sounds cynical, but people change.”

“Thank you.”

Fang Xiu had known this already, but still appreciated it.

Song Zheng scratched his head. “Enough gloom. Got anything you wanna ask us? Anything at all. We don’t have much to offer.”

A reward?

Fang Xiu wasn’t interested in demanding magic weapons. With “intuition boost” and “luck boost”, their experiences breaking the E weren’t that useful to him either.

He couldn’t think of anything to gain from them… no, wait.

After some thought. “I want to talk to Xiao Tian. What I want to ask is a bit personal. If you don’t mind, could you two give us some space?”

Xiao Tian agreed immediately.

They picked a corpse-strewn corner. Xiao Tian stood at attention. “Alright, what do you wanna ask?”

Fang Xiu glanced around. The paper men Dian’er and Dian Wu wore expressions like “Take your time. We’re here when you need us.” He exhaled deeply.

“Have you ever been in love?” Fang Xiu asked.

Xiao Tian: “…”

She rubbed her ears. “…???”

Xiao Tian had a sweet face and a love for pretty people, but a clear head. She never veered into “Does this hottie have a crush on me?” territory.

Which made Fang Xiu’s question even more baffling.

Still, she answered, “Yeah, twice.”

Fang Xiu: “If you met someone really, really compatible… how would you tell if it was ‘friendship’ or ‘that kind of’ love?”

Xiao Tian was stunned. “Wait, you’ve never dated? You look like that and you’ve never dated? Fang Ge, who’s your barber? I’m suing…”

“Long story. Please, just answer the question.” Fang Xiu coughed.

Xiao Tian inhaled deeply and replied with conviction: “Think about whether you wanna kiss ’em and sleep with ’em. That’s it.”

Fang Xiu was speechless.

He’d come to Xiao Tian hoping for some deep, nuanced theory of love. Instead, he got something crude… but weirdly effective.

Still silent, Fang Xiu’s brooding drew out Xiao Tian’s curiosity. “So who is it, huh? Someone from the ritual? Tell me, I swear I won’t tell!”

If she never saw Fang Xiu again, she’d die without knowing the tea!

But the cruel Mr. Fang said nothing. He drifted away with a farewell, vanishing with the paper men back to the Disaster Relief Tower.

Xiao Tian stared after him, doubting her luck. While she stood dazed, Song Zheng tapped her arm.

“I’ve got a feeling… We’ll see him again.” Song Zheng’s tone was certain.

Xiao Tian took a few deep breaths and nodded. “Yeah!”

Jokes aside, she needed something to hold onto.

After all, the three of them had agreed. They wouldn’t take A’Qing back.

As for their “negotiation enhancer”, he’d cashed out all his karma, lost all his chips, and committed suicide in despair.

…The only companions she could trust now was Song Zheng and Xiao Li.

If they saw Fang Xiu again, it meant they’d survived until then.

If they saw Fang Xiu again, with someone that strong present, the next ritual would go smoothly.

Whether it was Song Zheng’s intuition or just something he said to comfort her, Xiao Tian decided to believe it.

“To be honest, I think Fang Xiu’s kinda weird.” Xiao Tian mumbled once she calmed down.

Song Zheng and Xiao Li: “What do you mean?”

“Not a bad kind of weird. But I won’t say more. It’s private.” Xiao Tian brushed her hair.

Fang Xiu liked someone. That was a good thing.

Fang Xiu fell for someone during the ritual. She called it love developed from the suspension bridge effect; the intense kind born from shared danger.

But Fang Xiu didn’t act like someone in love. His black eye brimmed with wonder and joy, but no anticipation.

He never said who he liked. He just exhaled with relief and muttered…

“I can’t believe I’m still capable of liking someone.”

Whether it was passionate love or a secret crush, that shouldn’t have been the takeaway, right?

Xiao Tian didn’t get it.

Now, facing her confused teammates, she explained vaguely.

“I think Fang Xiu… How do I put it… There’s a strange contradiction about him. He’s really good at some things, but clueless about others.”

Xiao Li: “Don’t get it.”

Song Zheng shook his head too.

Xiao Tian dropped it. “Forget it. Let’s go…”

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

From far below, at the building’s entrance, came knocking.

Uncle Hou was long gone. The only sacrifices still standing were the mushroom trio. Xiao Tian jumped and grabbed the nearest paperman, Dian Wu. “What’s that sound?!”

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

Dian’er and Dian Wu exchanged glances. Dian’er hopped down from above, landed at the entrance, and returned ten seconds later.

“Didn’t find anything. Not even any yin energy,” it squeaked. “…Probably just the evening wind.”

With that, the paper men began teleporting all surviving sacrifices.

In a storm of light and hopeless crying, the empty building sank into the night, silent.

……

Disaster Relief Tower.

The moment they left the Underworld, Bai Shuangying promptly ended the possession. If he held on, he’d damage Fang Xiu’s soul.

Fang Xiu had taken a huge toll. Bai Shuangying expected him to collapse and sleep. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the bed, staring thoughtfully at him.

So Bai Shuangying sat on the edge too, staring thoughtfully back.

Understanding this human could loosen the seal.

Bai Shuangying’s curiosity had never been higher. It wasn’t just for the seal, but for this man himself. If he figured it out, he could reverse-engineer the Underworld’s spell and destroy the cursed seal.

Until then, nothing could be allowed to happen to Fang Xiu.

The problem was, Bai Shuangying had no idea what Fang Xiu was thinking.

Other humans sought shelter. Fang Xiu told him to stay out of it.

Other humans asked for guidance. Fang Xiu clung to control.

Other humans prayed for love. But Fang Xiu…

What even was this?

Suddenly, Fang Xiu moved.

He clumsily stretched his new limbs, crawled across the mattress, and sat in front of Bai Shuangying.

“Bai Shuangying.”

“Mm.”

“What do you think of ‘love’?” Fang Xiu stared into his eyes, speaking slowly. “It’s fine if you don’t get it. Even a bystander’s view works.”

A tough question, Bai Shuangying thought.

He knew the emotion existed and not just in humans. But he’d never thought deeply about it. No one had ever asked him either.

After a while, he mimicked Fang Xiu’s old gesture. He crossed his index fingers, making an “X” at his chest.

“That’s two lives,” he said seriously. “They could be anything—any relation, any species.”

“They know they’ll part eventually. And still, they choose to lean on each other. That’s what worldly bonds are like.”

Fang Xiu stared at him in silence.

Unable to read those eyes, Bai Shuangying added, “This is just a bystander’s view.”

“I like that perspective very much.” Fang Xiu leaned closer. “Aren’t you curious why I asked Xiao Tian about love?”

“You like someone very, very compatible.” Bai Shuangying recalled. He thought this was simple. “…Cheng Songyun or Guan He?”

Fang Xiu burst out laughing.

He buried his face in the blanket, pounded the bed a few times, then looked up, eyes bright and curved.

“Wow, you’re easy to fool. I said it was a person and you assumed it was a human?”

Bai Shuangying’s gaze gradually turned puzzled.

Fang Xiu reached out his warm hand and pressed it to Bai Shuangying’s chest.

He could feel Fang Xiu’s pulse, his human heart pounding wildly. He was far from calm.

Fang Xiu licked his chapped lips. “Don’t move.”

“Alright.”

The next second, Fang Xiu leaned in.

He paused in front of Bai Shuangying’s face, turned slightly, and kissed the blood mole on his left cheek.

It was soft and careful. His body was hotter than usual. His lips like gentle branding irons that scarred Bai Shuangying’s face.

But Bai Shuangying didn’t move at all. Fang Xiu had once chewed on him all night. Not to mention, he’d just recently slithered down Fang Xiu’s throat. It was just lips on the cheek. That was hardly a big deal.

After the kiss, Fang Xiu rubbed his lips, sighed through his fingers, and caressed Bai Shuangying’s face, then his cold neck and soft hair.

Bai Shuangying stayed still. His white eyes reflected Fang Xiu’s face.

“Xiao Tian was right.” Fang Xiu gently covered Bai Shuangying’s eyes with his palm. “Just in case, I need to give you a heads-up.”

“I’m starting to like you, Bai Shuangying.”

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The author has something to say:

Xiao Fang realized his feelings—clap clap!

Xiao Bai might be my most fundamentally non-human character to date. Give him time to learn!

Though let’s be honest, Xiao Fang isn’t that normal either, hmm (…Next chapter: reward settlement… finally _(:з」∠)

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