Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 104: Secret Dealings
Breaking dozens of seal chains felt like regaining feeling in one’s fingers. Bai Shuangying could sense the changes in human karma.
Breaking hundreds of chains was like being able to move a pinky. Bai Shuangying could tug at karmic threads on human bodies and observe or disturb them individually.
Breaking thousands was like freeing a whole hand. Maybe then, he could part the mists of the Heavens and glimpse the full scope of karma.
He pressed the increasingly feverish human onto his thigh, channeling all his power into his eyes.
Good.
The power sealed for a thousand years began to flow, sluggish but steady. Fang Xiu’s karmic threads shimmered and warped like summer heat waves, starting to take shape. If he just pushed a little harder, focused a little more…
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed the blood-colored mole on Bai Shuangying’s left cheek.
He flinched so hard he nearly lost his human form. The energy he’d just gathered dispersed instantly.
Something warm and damp touched the mole. It was Fang Xiu’s fingertip. He gently rubbed the mark, and the lingering pain vanished completely.
To be honest, Fang Xiu almost burst out laughing at how shameless this was.
As soon as the chains broke, his ghost had opened his eyes wide and leaned in like he meant to chew him up with his gaze.
Then the ghost contract between them got in the way, and Bai Shuangying reeled back with a sour face, like someone had poured lemon juice in his eyes. But he still kept holding tightly onto him.
It was so straightforward that it was kind of cute.
Fang Xiu couldn’t be bothered to hide his metaphysical knowledge anymore. “We have a ghost contract. Our karmas are linked. Even Jiao Jiao couldn’t divine Yan Yan’s fate, right? What’s that phrase again…”
Bai Shuangying drooped his head. “Heaven’s will must not be revealed*.”
*(天机不可泄漏) It’s a saying referring to confidential matters cannot be disclosed in advance before the time comes… but in this case, it also applies literally.
How frustrating. He had never been karmically bound to anyone before. In the excitement of regaining power, Bai Shuangying had completely forgotten about that.
Looks like the best he could do now was pluck a single karmic thread and glimpse bits of Fang Xiu’s past.
Unless the ritual ended and the ghost contract was lifted. Or he is fully liberated and forced his way past the rules… But by then, they would already be parting ways. There would be no point in probing further.
Bai Shuangying looked up. With nearly five thousand chains broken, the “cage of chains” around him had visibly changed. Where once a dense wall had encased him, now broken links jutted out like a frayed cloth.
The thrill of unsealing had faded. He was left with the quiet satisfaction of progress. But more than that, he was focused on something else—the deepening “understanding” between him and Fang Xiu.
Was Fang Xiu on the verge of collapse? …Then why couldn’t he tell?
He had seen countless humans break down before, and none of them looked this calm.
“Still playing?” Bai Shuangying asked dully.
The dare round was over. It was Fang Xiu’s turn to ask a question. As Bai Shuangying absently toyed with his human’s soft body, he felt an odd restlessness. This position was quite nice, and he didn’t want to let go just yet.
Fang Xiu didn’t move either. He sat on Bai Shuangying’s thigh, fingers idly twirling his ghost’s hair.
“What’s the first thing you want to do after unsealing?”
Bai Shuangying almost said “kill you”, but found that thought had quietly vanished. His human was far too unique to waste.
“Destroy the human world”? But then he thought of the billions of people and all the cities he hadn’t yet seen… and suddenly felt unmotivated.
Maybe something less drastic, something fun, like…
“Reduce the Disaster Relief Tower to ashes,” Bai Shuangying compromised.
Then he could settle some scores with the disciples of Zhuang Guiqu. After that, depending on his mood… As he made mental plans, his hand gently stroked Fang Xiu’s back.
Fang Xiu wrapped an arm around Bai Shuangying’s neck and chuckled lowly.
The tone Bai Shuangying used sounded like someone casually rearranging travel plans. If this ghost had any sense of subtlety, their relationship would be something entirely different.
“What are you laughing at?” Bai Shuangying stopped moving.
“Was that really a truth-or-dare question?”
“Mm.” Bai Shuangying was afraid Fang Xiu might dodge it.
Fang Xiu pinched his ear. “I was just thinking… Turns out you’re a powerful ghost half step away from being a ghost immortal. That’s reassuring. When we part ways, I won’t have to worry about you getting bullied by other ghosts.”
Half-truth, half-lie.
In his mind, his ghost had gone from a lazy, evil spirit slacker to a determined prison-breaker. That might explain the string of “death” words that appeared when Bai Shuangying was summoned—maybe it really was pure, honest rage.
Luckily, after all Fang Xiu had seen, Bai Shuangying’s nuclear-level hostility wasn’t at the detonation point just yet.
He’d keep an eye on the human world. As for fate in the Underworld… well that’s up to them to decide.
On the topic of being evaluated as a “half-step ghost immortal”, Bai Shuangying only frowned slightly, not denying it. The powerful evil spirit pricked his ears, waiting quietly for Fang Xiu’s next question.
Fang Xiu smiled with relief and shook his head lightly. “That’s all. I don’t have anything else I want to ask.”
At those words, a flicker of disappointment passed through Bai Shuangying’s eyes.
This was unfair. He still had so many questions. For a moment, he even wanted to reveal his true identity, just to spark Fang Xiu’s curiosity.
But not yet.
Fang Xiu’s morals had only degraded 99%. If that remaining 1% kicked in and made him act on behalf of humanity, Bai Shuangying’s only hope for unsealing would be gone.
No matter how poorly he understood the human heart, Bai Shuangying wasn’t going to trip over the same trap twice.
What a shame. When would Fang Xiu next open up like that?
He patted Fang Xiu’s soft, fluffy hair with a quiet sigh.
…Fang Xiu didn’t notice Bai Shuangying’s small frustration.
He rested his chin on the ghost’s shoulder, forcefully tamping down the heat in his body.
Then, with a pleased wiggle, he kissed Bai Shuangying on the lips. A warm feeling bubbled up, softening the glacier-like exhaustion in his chest.
“Want some snacks?” His breath was warm against Bai Shuangying’s skin.
Bai Shuangying cupped Fang Xiu’s cheek in response.
As the sound of kissing filled the room, broken chains clinked softly.
The little black dog watched as the kiss went from seated to lying down and pouted with a yawn. It bit on a chain angrily. With four hands in the room, why wasn’t even one used to pet it? They only know how to touch each other!
……
“Are you saying the Disaster Relief Tower is extremely dangerous?”
Beneath her hood, A’Shou raised a brow. “Girl, do you know what you’re saying?”
Mei Lan kept her head lowered. “Yes.”
“I’ve heard plenty of nonsense from sacrificial offerings. If I haven’t heard a thousand tall tales, I’ve heard at least eight hundred.”
A’Shou remained impassive.
“They say the Disaster Relief Tower harbors a shocking conspiracy, that the Underworld is in grave danger, or that they’re immortals sent down to undergo tribulations—all just to win special treatment and survive the ritual.”
“I’m not trying to convince you. I know the Underworld won’t mobilize over the words of a mere offering.”
Mei Lan respectfully bowed, giving a formal and old-fashioned salute. “I just want to ask if you know someone named ‘Cen Ling’.” She followed up by reciting his birth details from memory.
A’Shou waved at Dian’er, who hurriedly brought over a scroll thick as a log. A’Shou hooked her finger, and the scroll rapidly unfurled on both ends, revealing lines of wild cursive calligraphy.
“There is such a person.” A’Shou tapped a patch of ink. “And quite a capable Disaster Resolver at that.”
Mei Lan licked her dry lips, her breath trembling slightly.
“In the next ritual, please assign us to the same trial.” She spoke gently. “In exchange, I can offer a target. I’ll tell you the location of the ‘Grave-Sealing E’. It’s also an Immortal E. The Underworld likely hasn’t noticed it yet.”
“He’s a high-ranking member of the Guishan Sect. If you send someone to quietly tail him, you’ll soon see the truth.”
“The Underworld will verify the ‘Grave-Sealing E’. If what you say is true, I’ll agree to this exchange.”
A’Shou rubbed the dried characters. “But you bypassed your team leader and came directly to me? Girl, this could stir up trouble.”
“Whatever he says, I’ll still go through with it. Once you’ve confirmed it, I’ll explain it to them.” A hint of weariness showed in Mei Lan’s eyes.
“…And I’ll offer compensation.”
“Very well.” A’Shou waved her hand, her tone softening.
An undiscovered Immortal E was like a bomb hidden underground or a sealing opportunity served on a silver platter. The Underworld couldn’t refuse such terms.
Meng Xiaomeng turned her head slightly, listening in a haze.
She had only truthfully confessed to stealing the Yellow Millet E from her dad. The rest of the discussion was out of her depth.
But she did recognize the name “Guishan Sect”.
That sect had been hugely popular once, before the government cracked down on it over several years. Even her not-so-great school had taught about it in class.
Whether her dad had ties to Guishan, though, she really didn’t know. She had no memories of him. Her mother never spoke of him, and didn’t want her to meet him.
Thinking of her mother, Meng Xiaomeng swayed slightly, her soul energy suddenly thrown into disarray.
“You.”
A’Shou pointed at her. “Your soul is far too damaged. You’ll need to rest in a place of extreme yin for a while. For the next forty-nine days, you’ll serve as a wandering soul courier, running errands between yin and yang on my behalf.”
With that, she opened a drawer and took out a stack of fine xuan paper and an old pair of iron scissors.
The scissors snipped through the paper with a crisp sound. The cut pieces floated up on their own, pasting themselves over the gaps in Meng Xiaomeng’s soul.
After a short while, her limbs were whole again, and her head was restored. Only one side of her face was now drawn in ink lines, giving her a slight resemblance to a paper figure.
Meng Xiaomeng’s eyes regained some clarity. “Thank you…”
“You’re thanking me too early. I didn’t save you out of kindness.”
A’Shou put away the scissors without emotion. “You’re carrying the karmic debt of a Disaster Resolver. If your soul had scattered just like that, who would the Underworld go after to collect?”
Meng Xiaomeng: “…”
In an instant, her expression became a tangled mix of despair, regret, and a hint of grievance. She had no memory of what happened in the dream.
“Go see your mother.” Mei Lan suddenly interjected. “No matter how bad your relationship is, you still have a future together.”
“But my mom—” Meng Xiaomeng started to protest, then abruptly stopped, as if her mouth had a mind of its own.
Under A’Shou’s curious gaze, Mei Lan stepped forward and smoothed out Meng Xiaomeng’s hair.
“I hated my parents too, at your age. I carried a blood debt. But you still have a chance to atone for your sins. You’re still worth saving.”
“I’m not.”
She smiled faintly. “Turn back while you still can. Don’t become like me.”
“Goodbye, Meng Xiaomeng.”
The author has something to say:
Xiao Fang: I’m such a bad guy. What if he still has a conscience and reports me?
Xiao Bai: I’m such a bad guy. What if he still has a conscience and reports me?
How is this not a perfect match (?
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