Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 61: Double Rewards

Upon hearing those words, Bai Shuangying remained remarkably calm.

At the moment, he was in human form. Fang Xiu was merely infatuated with his appearance, just like a scholar seduced by a fox spirit or a seductive ghost. As long as Bai Shuangying returned to his true form, Fang Xiu would snap out of it.

The next second, Bai Shuangying’s body began to melt. His facial features distorted and merged together, dripping wetly downward like a wax statue placed in an oven.

His eyes turned to fluid and slipped through Fang Xiu’s fingers, streaming down the back of his hand. In less than ten seconds, all that remained was a dreamlike “liquid mass” hovering in front of Fang Xiu.

Bai Shuangying squirmed slightly, calmly “gazing” at Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu caressed the floating creature before him. “…This is just right.”

Then he leaned in again and kissed the blood mole that hadn’t disappeared.

This time, the kiss wasn’t so light. Fang Xiu slightly opened his mouth and gently bit into Bai Shuangying’s core. His tongue brushed over the soft fluid as his heartbeat grew so loud it was almost noisy.

“Looks like I really do like you.” Fang Xiu casually thumped his chest.

Bai Shuangying: “……”

Bai Shuangying: “?”

He could no longer understand this human.

Seeing Bai Shuangying freeze midair like an ice sculpture, Fang Xiu slowly crawled back onto the bed. “I just wanted to tell you. You don’t have to respond.”

Bai Shuangying remained frozen in the air.

“From now on, I’ll probably want to get close to you. I just didn’t want to do it without your knowledge.” Fang Xiu slid under the covers again. “If it bothers you, you can stay away.”

Without the pain or bodily damage, Fang Xiu rolled around beneath the blanket, soon wrapping himself into a soft cocoon.

Bai Shuangying dropped onto the mattress with a splat, flowing mechanically.

Humans had once offered him countless prayers, but even back then, none had dared say they “liked” him.

Fang Xiu clearly believed evil spirits didn’t care about humans. He’d even said they were only crossing paths temporarily and would eventually part ways. Fang Xiu had called him a “perfect friend”… Humans changed too fast!

[Why?] Bai Shuangying couldn’t hold back the question.

Fang Xiu poked his head out of the blanket, leaving just his eyes exposed. “Because it makes me happy.”

[I can’t marry you.] Bai Shuangying stated bluntly.

“I know, of course.” Fang Xiu let out a half-laugh, half-sigh.

Three of the eight rituals had passed; their journey was nearly halfway through. Fang Xiu knew he’d stick firmly to his life plan, and everything else was just an “experience”.

Liking Bai Shuangying was an enriching, novel experience. It even improved his overall condition.

Fang Xiu believed in expression over suppression. If he liked someone, he’d embrace it boldly. Besides, Bai Shuangying wouldn’t reciprocate, which suited him just fine.

Yet, hearing Bai Shuangying say the truth aloud still tugged at something inside him.

It was a sour, itchy feeling that was hard to describe. He savored it quietly before curling completely under the blanket.

“I’m not placing emotional bets. I won’t be obsessing about ‘winning back principal and interest’.”

He mumbled softly. His heart thumped uncontrollably, a numbness spreading from the nape of his neck to his eyes.

Outside the blanket, Bai Shuangying remained silent for a while before slowly returning to human form. The mattress dipped under his weight. He patted the blanket bulge that was Fang Xiu and eventually peeled back a corner to peek inside.

“Since you like me, I should be allowed on the bed too.” Bai Shuangying considered the request very reasonable.

Fang Xiu let out a couple of nervous grunts under the blanket, then wore a serious expression like negotiating terms. “Can I hold you while we sleep? I promise I won’t do anything else.”

“Mm, sharing a bed is enough. No need to invite me to dinner.” Bai Shuangying responded with understanding.

Fang Xiu: “……”

He slowly sealed off the blanket gap, releasing a puff of hot air.

In the end, Bai Shuangying got his wish and lay on the bed.

Compared to the bathtub and the rock-hard ceiling of the Huanxi E, the mattress was far more comfortable, and Fang Xiu was too.

To prevent Fang Xiu from gnawing on him in the middle of the night, Bai Shuangying decided to rest in human form. Fang Xiu kept his promise, curling up like a baby and pressing his forehead against Bai Shuangying’s chest, sleeping soundly while clinging to him.

It wasn’t an intimate gesture.

Bai Shuangying didn’t need sleep.

He quietly observed Fang Xiu in the dark, fingers playing with the other’s hair. Fang Xiu’s hair was very soft, like the winter coat of a wild animal.

The toll of the third ritual finally showed. Fang Xiu was sleeping deeply. His hands clung tightly to Bai Shuangying’s sleeve, and his heartbeat was half a beat faster than usual.

His relaxed yet heightened expression resembled a young beast settling into a new den or embarking on its first hunt.

Each time Bai Shuangying learned more about Fang Xiu, Fang Xiu presented new puzzles.

Strangely, this never irritated or bored him.

Imagining “understanding Blondie to lift the seal”, Bai Shuangying would rather smear his body on a wall like wallpaper than share a bed with that guy.

Not that there was anything to understand. Blondie was just a transparent vulgar thing from the start.

As he mulled it over, Bai Shuangying’s fingers casually pried open Fang Xiu’s lips, feeling the softness of his mouth and the firmness of his teeth.

Fang Xiu mumbled in his sleep but didn’t resist; he just buried his face deeper into Bai Shuangying’s chest, growing even more relaxed.

His human really was different. Though Bai Shuangying couldn’t pinpoint exactly how.

……

In the morning, Fang Xiu nuzzled into his ghost’s chest. “Good morning.”

He spent half a minute marveling at the joy of being alive, basking in a refreshingly pleasant morning.

Compared to several days of constant agony, he felt like the Underworld had turned into paradise.

If it weren’t for the reward collection, he would’ve happily cuddled his ghost all morning. After lazing around for a while, he finally got up to tally the ritual loot.

This time, Fang Xiu’s gains were far less than before…

They only brought back that bonus chip.

The chip was the same as ever, its eyeballs spinning around rapidly, scanning its surroundings.

According to Bai Shuangying, it didn’t even count as a proper magic weapon.

It was just a leftover soul scrap from the Huanxi E’s “parasitic brain matter”, fused with human bone to create the object.

“A specialty souvenir, I guess.” Fang Xiu stared at it for a few seconds, then placed it next to the Mid-Autumn E group photo.

As for new magic weapons, he got none. Worse yet, he’d lost a jade Buddha. At this point, he only had one left.

Shrugging, Fang Xiu packed away the jade Buddha, pulled out Lao Jin’s demon mirror, and loaded up his food card on the spot.

Bai Shuangying: “!”

Fang Xiu explained, “Without Lao Jin’s special skill, this thing’s just dead weight.”

It could detect hostile intent? Whatever. He already assumed everyone was hostile by default.

A headless evil spirit suddenly appeared, and Fang Xiu shoved it toward Bai Shuangying with the nagging tone of Cheng Songyun. “You’ve gone three days without eating. If I take you to eat and you just sit and watch, I’ll lose my appetite.”

Bai Shuangying nodded and prepared to feed, but then noticed Fang Xiu staring at him intently.

Bai Shuangying: “……”

He suddenly realized the side effect of the confession. He now couldn’t help noticing everything Fang Xiu did, trying to figure out what exactly this human’s “love” entailed.

Caught up in it, he forgot how he normally consumed evil spirits.

In the end, Bai Shuangying sulkily reverted to his true form, enveloped the headless evil spirit, and swallowed it whole.

As for the taste, he honestly couldn’t tell.

Fang Xiu looked heartbroken, as if thinking, “Oh no, my ghost was starving that badly”, leaving Bai Shuangying speechless.

Then came breakfast time, and the atmosphere turned even stranger.

Cheng Songyun and Guan He sat at their usual spot, warmly greeting Fang Xiu.

With Jia Xu gone, the other table now only had Blondie and Mei Lan. The courtyard felt empty and quiet.

Blondie peeked at Fang Xiu several times before awkwardly asking, “Fang Ge, where’s J-Jia Xu?”

Other than Cheng Songyun, the other three hadn’t seen the moment Fang Xiu killed Jia Xu.

So Fang Xiu replied, “There was an accident.”

His tone was calm. Guan He immediately believed him.

Blondie’s eyes darted around. “Makes sense, makes sense. He spent all his karma, didn’t even leave a way out. Nothing to be done.”

He didn’t even offer a moment of silence for Jia Xu and just kept glancing at Fang Xiu while speaking, his tone dripping with flattery like a mangy dog showing its belly.

Mei Lan, as always, was silent. She nodded at Fang Xiu and quietly ate breakfast.

Though no one said it aloud, everyone had already come to the same conclusion: Fang Xiu was now, without question, the group’s leader.

“The Huanxi E is gone. Those who removed it shall receive bonus rewards—”

“Fang Xiu removed the E. Many rewards shall be granted—”

The paper figure Dian’er cheerfully hopped onto the incense burner, clearly in high spirits.

“The Huanxi E was a great scourge in the Underworld. Fang Xiu’s efforts benefitted both realms, so an extra reward is added this time!”

Fang Xiu paused, midway through grabbing a tea egg. “An extra reward?”

Even Bai Shuangying turned his head. It was rare for the Underworld to be this generous. Clearly they’d suffered greatly. Two rewards? Missing an extra magic weapon wasn’t such a loss after all.

The paper figure nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly! That Huanxi E was beyond repair! Its karma was rolled up like a snowball. You can choose two anomaly skills, no limit!”

Blondie didn’t dare cheer. He seemed to have lost his appetite, eyes glued to the scene.

Fang Xiu had no interest in the Huanxi E’s gambling taboo.

He’d originally been torn between two anomalies. Now, given another shot, of course he wanted both. A responsible adult takes it all.

“For the first skill, I want the Huanxi E’s innate power supply.” Fang Xiu decisively named his choice.

In a horror environment, the scarce essentials were always the same. He now had unlimited food and a nuclear-powered lighter. Next practical necessity: electricity.

The paper figure had long grown used to Fang Xiu’s whimsical requests and looked serene. “Mm-hmm, go on.”

“For the second, I want basic illusion creation.”

He didn’t expect to create a vast illusion like Huanxi world. Just being able to project a phantom was enough. It could be very useful in a pinch.

“Oh wow, excellent choices!” the paper figure said enthusiastically.

“About that ‘power supply’… You can’t use it to zap people or ghosts, but basic charging’s fine.”

“As for ‘illusion creation’, you’ll be able to create untouchable phantoms. They can follow simple commands, make noise, basic actions… That’s about it. Confirm?”

Fang Xiu: “…Confirm.”

He extended his left arm for the skill engraving. This time, the trigrams “Zhen” and “Dui” surfaced together, then sank into his skin.

“The Huanxi E belongs to thunder. Zhen and Dui restrain and harmonize. Same rule applies: these skills only work until all rituals are complete.”

The paper figure rubbed its hands together, its grotesque eyes nearly disappearing in glee. “Three rituals, four trigrams… This is unprecedented! Boundless future awaits—!”

“You flatter me.” Fang Xiu scratched his cheek.

He didn’t care for any “bright future”. He was just assembling the most efficient horror survival loadout.

The way Dian’er fawned was starting to creep him out. Clearly, breaking the Huanxi E had earned the paper figure its own hefty reward.

Seeing Dian’er about to launch into another wave of praise, Fang Xiu hurriedly finished his breakfast and shot to his feet.

Faced with one pair of ghost and four pairs of human eyes, he swallowed his food with difficulty and puffed out his cheeks. “Let’s rest for now. We’ll talk more at dinner.”

Then he dashed back to his room.

First, he pulled out his speaker and charged it, confirming that he really had become a human power bank. Goodbye, battery anxiety.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he summoned another “Fang Xiu”.

The illusion looked perfectly real, identical to the real Fang Xiu. It blinked playfully and smiled. “Bai Shuangying.”

Bai Shuangying stepped forward and grabbed at it. The illusion dispersed like mist.

“Realistic enough but collapses with a touch. It’s a good decoy,” Bai Shuangying concluded.

“That’s exactly what I wanted,” Fang Xiu replied cheerfully. He waved again and summoned a phantom of Bai Shuangying.

“…Fang Xiu.”

“Bai Shuangying” stood with black hair draped down, blank expression, and snowy white eyes devoid of emotion.

Bai Shuangying found it remarkably accurate. Its appearance and voice were exactly the same as his. It felt like looking in a mirror. But Fang Xiu’s smile slowly faded, and his brows knit.

“Why doesn’t it look right?” he muttered.

Bai Shuangying asked, “What’s wrong with it?”

“I don’t know. Just looks fake.” Fang Xiu dismissed the illusion with a sigh. “Forget it. Mine’s flashier making it a better decoy.”

Bai Shuangying found that reasonable and casually changed the subject. “So, what’s your plan for today?”

He wanted to study Fang Xiu further.

Caught off guard, Fang Xiu’s lips curled slightly. “We’ve got nothing to do. How about we go exploring?”

“Exploring?”

“Yeah, we’ve been here so long and never really looked around the Tower.”

He used to avoid unnecessary outings because Jia Xu would always drag him into meetings.

But things were different now. After three rituals, he’d basically united the group.

Guan He and Cheng Songyun were dependable allies. Blondie was the typical bully that would cower to the strong, so he was unlikely to stir trouble anytime soon.

The only uncertain one was Mei Lan.

She barely had a presence—quiet, ordinary, a distant “accessory”-type. And somehow, across three rituals, she’d come out completely unscathed.

Once or twice could be luck, but three times? Fang Xiu was starting to notice.

Especially since, back when confessing their blood debts, Mei Lan hadn’t fully come clean.

Still, she hadn’t done anything to hinder him. Fang Xiu decided to keep observing.

He put the thought aside and returned to the “exploration” topic. “…Since the paper figure’s in a good mood, we might as well learn more about the Underworld.”

Bai Shuangying pondered for a few seconds, then nodded in agreement.

……

Mei Lan’s Room.

After bathing in the soul-nourishing spring, Mei Lan dressed as usual. She wore a fashionable green blouse that was elegant yet practical, dark culottes, and a matching silk scarf.

She loosely tied up her hair with a ribbon, then gently picked up a pendant.

The pendant was made of green jade, carved into a strange shape. At its center were two seal script characters, nearly joined together…

[Guishan*]

*Clarity: (归山). It translates to Return (to the) Mountain.

She put it around her neck, tucked it beneath her scarf, then under her clothes.

With everything in place, Mei Lan knelt before an old altar table. Hands clasped, eyes shut, face blank.

A stream of low chanting spilled from her lips.

Whether it was a prayer or a curse, it was impossible to say.

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