Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 167: The First Taboo

Not long ago, at the central hospital courtyard.

Uncle Hou finished his cigarette and methodically began distributing supplies. He didn’t hand out his most valuable stash right away, only providing reliable bulk goods.

Naturally, he wasn’t completely off guard either. One hand continued to fiddle with two odd red walnuts, which likely carried some sort of power.

Seeing this, Cen Ling didn’t get angry. If Uncle Hou had been careless enough to lower his defenses entirely, then Cen Ling would have questioned the man’s character.

“There’s just one thing I can’t figure out,” Uncle Hou asked kindly. “Since you all dare to go this far, you must have some assurance. What if the Underworld forcibly interrupts the ritual? What’s your plan then?”

Cen Ling smiled faintly. “They won’t notice.”

“Oh?”

“The Immortal E’s hidden inside the Disaster Relief Tower are sealed extremely tightly, with layers of protections.”

“The ritual site is linked by karmic cause to the Tower. Now that I’ve taken them out here during the ritual, it’s just a matter of ‘relocating’ them. They’re still functioning within the Tower’s system.”

Cen Ling conveniently left out how he had “borrowed” them but otherwise explained casually.

“It’s the same logic as surgery—when doctors temporarily move organs during an operation, they still keep working normally.”

This way, the Shrine of All E’s would show no anomalies, and the Underworld wouldn’t raise any alarms.

Besides, the “God of Calamity” himself had created cover via karmic pollution, which meant that even if an Immortal E got damaged or a seal was disturbed, the impact on the Underworld would be minimized.

As long as his people didn’t leave the ritual site and trigger spell failure, the Underworld would not react in time.

That said, there was no need for him to tell Uncle Hou all of this.

At present, Uncle Hou only thought they were trying to steal a few Immortal E to pull some tricks on the side, not realizing this was an all-out “rebellion”.

Cen Ling stepped back two paces and quickly tallied the Immortal E’s in his mind.

The most powerful relics needed to be bound to their first recipients. But there were over a million Immortal E’s in the Tower, and the Guishan Sect didn’t have nearly that many people.

Once the second wave arrived, the less critical relics could be packed in spatial pouches and smuggled out in batches—

The key to the whole plan was catching the underworld off guard and sweeping the Tower clean in one go. If even one person left early and alerted the Underworld, the whole thing would fall apart.

Cen Ling took a deep breath and softly chanted, “Return.”

…That was why he memorized the life histories of all the Guishan Sect believers and selected only the most devout and powerful.

His family would never betray the glory of their Divine Sect.

……

“We have to help them,” Fang Xiu said seriously, hands braced on the windowsill as he gazed down at the busy courtyard full of Guishan Sect followers.

“Help?” Bai Shuangying looked down at the cultists with disdain.

He had no affection left for humanity. If Fang Xiu hadn’t stopped him, he wouldn’t have minded squashing these mortals into meatballs and rolling them down the hallway for fun.

Besides, with the ritual site cut off from the Underworld, he didn’t understand why Fang Xiu hadn’t just let him start killing.

“Of course we’re going to help. It’s not every day someone pulls all the Immortal E’s out into the open.”

Fang Xiu kept staring down at them, smiling without warmth. “And you—don’t touch your seal just yet. In fact, you should amplify your karmic pollution.”

Looking at his expression, Bai Shuangying could tell his human was up to something again.

Bai Shuangying: “The Guishan Sect is still linked to the ‘God of Xushan’ by karmic pollution. If I amplify it, the Underworld will completely forget about me. That’s basically handing over my identity as the ‘God of Xushan’.”

“Relax. I have a plan,” Fang Xiu said confidently.

Bai Shuangying sighed. It looked like he wouldn’t get to feast on yin energy from the Tower again. Still, if Fang Xiu insisted…

He raised a hand. Pollution surged through the partially broken chains, dyeing the faint karmic threads pitch black.

The side effect hit immediately. The energy that had been steadily feeding into him stopped almost entirely. Hunger returned in full force, clawing through his body.

Bai Shuangying was just about to sigh again when Fang Xiu suddenly darted forward, practically diving into his arms.

“Hungry?” Fang Xiu grinned. “We’ve got work to do. You can’t fight on an empty stomach.”

With that, he wrapped his arms around Bai Shuangying’s waist and yanked him into the room. Fang Xiu kicked the door shut behind them.

Bai Shuangying was about to say something, but Fang Xiu kissed him instead.

His arms hugged Bai Shuangying tightly, fingers weaving into that cool, silky hair. Before Bai Shuangying could even ready his forked tongue, Fang Xiu’s slipped past his lips.

Bai Shuangying knew lovers often fed each other, but he had never been fed this fiercely before.

He placed a hand on Fang Xiu’s nape and deepened the kiss without hesitation. Fang Xiu’s essence tasted just as delicious as always; no surprise there. He was, after all, the “Fang Xiu E” in both body and soul, saturated in karmic weight.

In theory, the more aroused Fang Xiu became, the richer and sweeter the essence.

But this time, Bai Shuangying noticed a strange undertone beneath the sweetness.

Beneath the heat and affection was something faintly bitter. The taste had more depth, but it didn’t sit well with Bai Shuangying.

Because he realized Fang Xiu was trembling slightly. He still wore that calm, confident expression, but the way he clung to Bai Shuangying, the way his fingers trembled in his hair, told another story.

As if he feared Bai Shuangying would vanish.

Instinctively, Bai Shuangying softened the kiss. Ever since he began analyzing Fang Xiu’s every action, his thoughts had never stopped.

…What had Fang Xiu’s original plan been?

…If he’d never met Bai Shuangying, never encountered the Corner of Heaven’s Will—how would he have ended the eighth ritual?

…Even if he succeeded, even if he made his physical body into the strongest “E” ever created—what then? Would his soul be traded to the Underworld, trapped in the Shrine of All E’s forever?

If they had never met, and Fang Xiu had become part of the karmic chain, then his human would have been the one to bury him in the end.

They would have gone to ruin together.

Bai Shuangying suddenly broke the kiss, cupped Fang Xiu’s flushed face in both hands, and stared into his eyes.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said solemnly. “Every cause has its effect.”

“I won’t blame you for your original plan, and you don’t need to dwell on what didn’t happen. In the mortal world, only what comes to pass counts. That is the way of Heaven.”

Fang Xiu’s lips were swollen from the kiss.

He looked at the white eyes of his ghost and tried to smile habitually but failed.

“I’m just… a little nervous,” he admitted. “It only counts once the dust settles. And the dust hasn’t settled yet.”

No matter how many times he rehearsed the plan, execution always felt different.

Bai Shuangying’s brow twitched. He squeezed Fang Xiu’s cheeks gently. His human really was fascinating—so tough, yet so tender. There were so many layers to his flavor.

“Why?” Bai Shuangying asked, confused. “Aren’t I right here with you?”

“You just do your part. Even if the mortal world burns, I’ll help you slaughter the Guishan Sect. If the gods come after you, we’ll take them too. Unless…”

He faltered.

“…Unless you want to separate from me now. That I won’t allow.”

Fang Xiu stared at him in silence for a long time.

Then he let out a heavy sigh and buried his face into Bai Shuangying’s chest.

“Do you know something?” Fang Xiu mumbled. “I really like you. It’s kind of amazing. I didn’t know I could like anyone this much.”

“Mm.” Bai Shuangying found it perfectly reasonable.

“…” Fang Xiu’s face twitched, as if he was holding back a laugh, grumbled, “You’re supposed to say, ‘I like you too,’ at a time like this.”

Bai Shuangying was startled. “Of course I like you. Why else would I be here?”

“I liked that little porcelain idol for a whole century. With you, it’ll be at least a thousand years.”

Now Fang Xiu blushed slightly. “Just say ‘I like you too.’ That sounded a little intense.”

But he didn’t give Bai Shuangying another chance to speak. He raised his face and kissed him again, so fiercely and affectionately that the earlier bitterness was gone, replaced by sweetness thick as honey.

…….

“Song Ge! A monster! A crow’s carrying a red rat!”

“You’re the red rat.”

“Weren’t you two going to find a base—”

At the sound of the others arriving, Fang Xiu pulled away. He quickly tidied up his clothes and opened the door. “If they’d stayed a second longer, Cen Ling would’ve killed them.”

Bai Shuangying hadn’t eaten his fill, but he grudgingly followed. This was no time to indulge.

Outside stood six mortals, all familiar faces from earlier.

Song Zheng nodded politely. Xiao Li waved. Xiao Tian beamed. “I’m so glad to see you two again. This is exactly what I needed!”

Lu Yang nodded wildly beside her. Fang Xiu wasn’t sure they were excited for the same reason.

As expected, the non-cultists took it relatively calmly. The same couldn’t be said for the other two—

Before Jiao Jiao could speak, Yan Yan exploded.

“Dude, if you need help, we’re happy to lend a hand. A little danger for a friend, whatever.”

“But this—this is like repaying a peach with a nuclear warhead! Damn, there are Immortal E’s everywhere out there!”

His voice kept rising. He was practically squeaking in fox-voice already.

Fang Xiu didn’t reply right away. He looked at Bai Shuangying instead.

“Another group of mortals has entered,” Bai Shuangying said. “Over a hundred this time, just as you predicted. Probably here to carry the loot.”

“Any of them traveling in pairs? Draw them over. Quietly. Don’t alert the rest.”

Bai Shuangying brushed the karmic threads.

In less than five minutes, two cultists wandered toward them, appearing to have lost their way. Song Zheng’s Murder-Intent Seismoscope flared. Xiao Li leapt forward and broke their illusion spells in one swift move.

“Nice,” Song Zheng, not knowing the truth, praised Bai Shuangying.

Fang Xiu smiled at Yan Yan and approached the stunned cultists. They clutched their jade pendants, activating their defense charms.

“It’s no use. You have violated a taboo.”

Fang Xiu’s voice was calm and gentle, like a hospital nurse.

“The first taboo: I will repay all Guishan Sect followers in kind.”

He raised a finger and curled it downward.

In the next instant, blood bloomed.

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