Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 158: A Compensatory Feast

Top of the Disaster Relief Tower.

[I’m great. Never better. Isn’t that right, A’Shou Jie?]

A sudden jolt struck A’Shou’s mind. She pressed her hands against the table. Her elbow smeared wet ink across the half-written ritual report.

By the rules between the realms of yin and yang, sacrifices are only summoned once. In theory, it was impossible for her to have met Fang Xiu again.

She knew that Bai Shuangying had modified the karmic ties of the Immortal Encounter E, which would naturally cause fluctuations in surrounding karma. Maybe she was just hallucinating, as she had during previous karmic contamination…

…No, something still felt wrong.

If this had happened to Guan He or Cheng Songyun, she might have brushed it off. But not with Fang Xiu. Definitely not. That bastard was far too strange.

Before returning to the Tower, Fang Xiu had specifically asked her not to reveal anything about Bai Shuangying. Not that he needed to—A’Shou hadn’t planned to reveal the truth so recklessly anyway.

Sure, if she exposed Bai Shuangying according to the rules of the Underworld, no one would question her. The Guishan Sect was planning something in the mortal realm, and as one of the strongest ghost immortals, she wouldn’t suffer any consequences.

This would be a textbook move for self-preservation. If it were someone like Dian’er, it would have scrambled to file a report in a panic.

But what would happen after Bai Shuangying was exposed?

As far as the Underworld was concerned, the Disaster Relief Tower was functioning perfectly. Most people had forgotten the existence of the God of Xushan, only remembering that something extraordinarily evil was sealed beneath the Tower. Exposing Bai Shuangying to the Underworld would only cause massive panic.

The Guishan Sect would be alerted as well. Who knew what else they had set up within the Disaster Relief Tower?

On top of that, she would definitely lose Fang Xiu’s trust and push that strange human against the Underworld. The consequences would spiral, disrupting both the mortal and ghost realms, making the situation completely unmanageable.

There had been an ancient prophecy: When ■■■ returns to the world, the Gate of Hell will tremble.

Now she understood the true version: “When the God of Xushan returns to the world, the Gate of Hell will tremble.”

A’Shou clicked her tongue.

She strongly suspected Fang Xiu had seen through her personality and dragged her into this collaboration on purpose. A general must understand the battlefield, even when not under direct orders. That was basic competence.

She would work with him.

Even if, worst case, Fang Xiu truly had ulterior motives, she could still use him to deal with the Guishan Sect before reporting him afterward. It wouldn’t be too late.

A’Shou touched the blood-writing left on her arm, then stood and looked up at the towering shelf full of ritual records.

The bizarre behavior of the Corner of Heaven’s Will, the strange knocking sounds… the unsettling familiarity.

Fang Xiu had promised to tell her the truth once he recovered. But knowing how crafty that human was, he’d probably never be completely honest.

To prepare for the eighth ritual, she had to monitor the Guishan Sect followers. So if she took this opportunity to dig a little deeper… surely that wasn’t too much, right?

…

Disaster Relief Tower, Fang Xiu’s Room.

Cheng Songyun and Guan He had spent several days dealing with those cultists. Exhausted beyond words, they fell into deep sleep in their respective rooms, without the energy for questions.

Fang Xiu took a shower. One hand rubbed his damp hair, the other flipped through the Immortal Encounter E.

At his request, A’Shou hadn’t taken the item away. It now rested quietly on his desk.

Its contents had changed from “Zhuang Guiqu’s miraculous stories” to a more neutral historical record about the Xushan area. Mentions of the “Great God of Calamity” had been replaced with the “God of Xushan”. As for its taboos…

Desire a wish, and the story begins.

Speak the wish, and hardship arrives.

Fulfill the wish, and the story ends.

These were the three taboos Bai Shuangying revealed after cleansing the karma.

Honestly, they couldn’t be turned into useful skills. They weren’t particularly practical either. But Fang Xiu didn’t want skills. What he wanted was the object itself.

He examined the old book for a while, then placed it on the worn offering table by the door.

Too much had happened in this ritual, and there was even more to handle going forward. Fang Xiu was so tired he wanted to sleep for three days straight. But his mind was buzzing with excitement, singing at full volume. He couldn’t fall asleep no matter what.

No surprise there. His ghost boyfriend was still curled up inside his body.

According to Bai Shuangying, most of the karmic pollution in the Tower had been cleared out. Now wrapped in Fang Xiu’s flesh and blood, he could fully relax and feast on the yin energy that had always belonged to him.

So, Bai Shuangying was like someone who was eating while cuddling, though the cuddling posture was… a little unusual.

Busy consuming yin energy, Bai Shuangying didn’t have energy to chat. So Fang Xiu lay on his soft bed, wrapped himself in a blanket, and tried to fall asleep.

Just as his mind started to blur, he jolted awake, his body springing upright.

The strange ritual, the image of his parents, Bai Shuangying’s confession, his new plan… Had he just dreamed it all? The dream was so beautiful, he couldn’t quite trust it.

Everything felt too perfect. Fang Xiu began to suspect he was still trapped in a story carefully orchestrated by the Immortal Encounter E.

He pressed his hand against his chest. There was no bump. Bai Shuangying gently nudged his heart in reply. Fang Xiu finally exhaled—so it wasn’t a dream.

Then he lay back down again, closed his eyes… and three to five minutes later, sprang up once more.

Bai Shuangying, who was poked half a dozen times: “……”

He silently emerged, spinning inside Fang Xiu’s body and quickly phasing out through his skin. That dreamy, hazy silhouette solidified into a long white robe and flowing black hair.

Bai Shuangying boldly settled right on top of Fang Xiu, pinning his human beneath him. The soft blanket was pushed up high.

Their faces were incredibly close. Fang Xiu could see the delicate patterns in those snowy white irises.

Overwhelmed again by Bai Shuangying’s ghostly beauty, Fang Xiu let out two strangled noises.

He cupped Bai Shuangying’s cheeks with both hands, fingers gently pressing on the vivid blood-red mole.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to kick you out. Are you still hungry?”

Bai Shuangying’s voice was a bit muffled. “I’m alright.”

Without the interference of the E, Bai Shuangying’s true form had feasted freely on fresh yin energy. He wasn’t full, but he had definitely had enough to settle his stomach.

A century of torment had come to an end. He felt so light he could float. The hunger wasn’t gone, but it had returned to a manageable level.

Still, just to see his human again, he could eat later. Besides, his human was far more delicious than any yin energy.

As soon as he thought it, he acted. Fang Xiu opened his mouth to speak, and Bai Shuangying’s lips silenced him.

Unlike last time, Fang Xiu didn’t react so smoothly. His body froze for a few seconds from nerves before slowly relaxing.

The room was silent except for the soft rustle of sheets and the quiet sound of lips meeting.

Curiously, this kiss lasted much longer than before. Bai Shuangying had abandoned his usual slow and elegant approach. Instead, he grew increasingly eager, biting deeper and harder. It was so intense that Fang Xiu wondered if he was trying to crawl back inside him.

After kissing Fang Xiu until he matched the color of his T-shirt, Bai Shuangying finally let go.

“You taste much better now,” he said thoughtfully. “Odd, your karma hasn’t changed much.”

“I got tastier…” Fang Xiu wiped his slightly swollen lips, feeling a bit amused.

“Mm. Before, you were like cold food. Now you’re warm.” Bai Shuangying pointed seriously to his own chest. “It’s hot here. Maybe it’s because I like you. Passion helps with energy exchange.”

Fang Xiu’s face, which had just started to recover, turned red again to match his shirt.

Maybe it was the long kiss, but his tongue had gone numb. He couldn’t speak. Facing this ghost’s avalanche of blunt affection, he didn’t even have a chance to say anything sweet.

He simply wrapped his arms around Bai Shuangying’s neck and let out a vague grunt.

Just as he struggled to find a new topic, Bai Shuangying lay on top of him and continued without hesitation, “By the way, do you still want to die?”

Fang Xiu was speechless.

“Why ask that?”

After a pause, he offered a dry, awkward question in return. Of all the things he’d prepared to be asked after the ritual, this wasn’t one of them.

Bai Shuangying hummed. “I don’t care much about your plan or identity. After all, you said you’d tell me, and I’ll listen.”

“But from what I’ve seen, you look like someone on a mission to die. That’s what I want to know.”

“What if I say, ‘I do’?” Fang Xiu blinked, his tone free of deception.

“Then you still have to live.”

Bai Shuangying tilted his head slightly, declaring it with a kind of childlike stubbornness. “Get used to the idea. Even if you don’t want to, you have to live, because I don’t want you to die.”

It didn’t sound like a negotiation, but more like a notice. That was just Bai Shuangying’s way.

Fang Xiu once thought Bai Shuangying didn’t understand human emotions, that he could love freely without expectation. But now he saw the truth: his ghost really didn’t understand the human heart, but the emotion given to him by the Corner of Heaven’s Will was unique. It didn’t need to match human standards.

Fang Xiu smiled. “Since you put it that way, I guess I’ll try harder to stay alive.”

Bai Shuangying visibly relaxed, as if all remaining worries had vanished. He stretched his limbs, buried his nose in Fang Xiu’s neck, and let his black hair fan out in every direction.

…At last, I caught him, Bai Shuangying thought.

He had once racked his brain, wondering how to make Fang Xiu stay willingly. But now, that enormous problem was solved easily.

He only had to follow Fang Xiu wherever he went. That was all. No matter where his human’s path led, as long as Fang Xiu was alive, Bai Shuangying could stay by his side in peace.

“Love” really was a strange thing. Why hadn’t he thought of it before?

It made his mind sharper, his mood brighter, his food taste better; and it turned a fleeting human into something eternal in his eyes. Such a wonderful thing, he had to protect it carefully.

Bai Shuangying propped himself up, studying Fang Xiu’s face from lips to smiling eyes. The more he looked, the more perfect it seemed.

Yes, this was his human. Absolutely flawless.

Then his vision went dark. Fang Xiu had covered his eyes with a hand.

Bai Shuangying: “?”

He could clearly feel the touch of the hair-ring he had gifted to Fang Xiu, cool and distinct.

“Actually… I wanted to apologize just now.” Fang Xiu spoke softly. “I meant to surprise you by letting you devour the ‘God of Xushan’. But in the end, it was you who surprised me.”

It was a trivial thing, really. Bai Shuangying was about to speak when Fang Xiu continued.

“We just started dating, so I don’t want to go back on my word. Since you’re still hungry… why not eat something tastier, as a makeup feast?”

Fang Xiu lifted himself slightly, leaned close to Bai Shuangying’s ear, and slid a hand into the loose collar of his white robe.

“An all-you-can-eat. No limits. Want a taste?”

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