Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 179: Wish-Making Scene

“Everyone be careful!”

In the hallway, Lu Yang shouted. He ordered the corpses to charge, relying on a very non-metaphysical form of physical assault—like football players, the corpses crashed forward and piled up, pinning the Cen Ling zombie at the bottom.

Jiao Jiao didn’t hesitate to strike again, dumping a large bag of medicinal powder onto the bodies.

With a bone-chilling sizzle, their flesh melted and then re-congealed. It turned into a massive, indescribable mountain of meat jelly, tightly binding the zombie in place.

As for those formless blood shadows…

The mushroom trio stood inside the ship, fully supporting the wooden monk’s protective spell.

With the shield in place, Yan Yan reverted to his fox form. He stood not-so-dramatically at the bow, hurling fireballs at the blood shadows who didn’t know better.

Guan He’s attacks were the most straightforward.

He took the peachwood paddle from Xiao Li and activated his wall-phasing technique to the fullest. He and the paddle phased through directly into the blood shadows, then reappeared in place. Before the blood shadows could harm him, they were pierced through by the paddle and vanished on the spot.

Even against endless waves of blood shadows, the group held their ground without faltering.

Inside the ward.

Occasionally, a few blood shadows slipped into the room, only to be ripped apart by the ghosts waiting inside.

Even so, Cheng Songyun kept the vengeful ghost shield up without pause, constantly protecting herself and Fang Xiu.

The prolonged duration took its toll. Even with the calming prayer beads she wore, under the pressure of countless horrific illusions, blood slowly trickled from her nose.

Cheng Songyun focused all her attention on Fang Xiu. Just moments ago, his physical body had been convulsing nonstop, with countless trigram symbols surfacing on his skin. Now he was back to normal, seemingly just asleep.

Only his sweat-drenched hair and messy bedsheets were proof something had happened earlier. Something must’ve happened outside, but Fang Xiu and the others had pulled things back on track.

They had agreed that if things went wrong outside, Xiao Guan would return to warn them.

Since the others were still holding on, she could too.

Cheng Songyun wiped the blood beneath her nose and took a few breaths. In a daze, she suddenly noticed a familiar golden glow lighting up around her. At the same time, the ghosts queued in the ward instinctively backed away.

…Huh?

This was clearly the effect of “protection from all evil”. Did this mean the ritual was over?

But Fang Xiu’s physical body was still here, unharmed. Could it be that Fang Xiu had become an Immortal E? She couldn’t make sense of it.

Even with the “protection from all evil” active, Cheng Songyun didn’t dare lower her guard. She kept shielding Fang Xiu’s body with the ghost shield, until—

Creak.

The door didn’t knock. It opened directly, and Fang Xiu poked his head in. “Cheng Jie, I’m back!”

Fang Xiu looked different from before. His mismatched eyes were curved with a smile, long black hair draped at his sides, and his red T-shirt had turned into a red robe identical to Bai Shuangying’s.

But it was definitely Fang Xiu.

Cheng Songyun staggered slightly, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as she retracted the ghost shield. In front of her, the fierce ghosts parted into two rows on their own, making way for Fang Xiu.

Behind him was A’Shou. Even with the veil, Cheng Songyun could still sense the oppressive aura she carried.

“What’s going on?” Cheng Songyun asked anxiously.

“The ritual is over.” A’Shou announced, “It’s just that this place is sealed by layers upon layers of divine barriers. It’ll take time to unlock them. And since this place is connected to the mortal world, some follow-up details need handling… In short, I’ll send you back to the Tower in one hour.”

When she said, “back to the Tower”, her tone was odd.

“As for the rest of it, it’s more ‘appropriate’ for this guy to tell you.”

She casually pointed at Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu let out a sheepish laugh. “It’s actually simple. I wanted everyone to hear it together…”

A short while ago.

As one of the strongest forces in the Underworld, A’Shou had perfectly demonstrated the futility of both swarming tactics and elite strategies.

Anyone with eyes could tell, if Fang Xiu and Bai Shuangying bore any ill will toward A’Shou, she wouldn’t be walking away intact.

Even with every possible advantage, the immortals still couldn’t suppress them. No matter their concern for the mortal world, the gods could only consider another path. But before they could agree on a new strategy, A’Shou brought in Fang Xiu’s proposal.

“What, they want to join us and take control of the Disaster Relief Tower?”

The Fortune Immortal frowned. “The God of Xushan’s seal is broken. The Temple of All E’s has lost all its Immortal E’s. The Tower exists in name only. What would he want it for?”

King Yan turned to A’Shou, his thunderous voice rising at the end. “You’re saying they want to pledge allegiance to the Underworld?”

“First of all, not ‘they’. Just Fang Xiu.”

A’Shou clasped her hands together and cautiously corrected, “Although the God of Xushan ascended unusually, he still doesn’t wish to be tied to Heaven or the Underworld. He just doesn’t want to be separated from Fang Xiu.”

“Second, this isn’t ‘submission’. It’s ‘cooperation’.” A’Shou continued with a bitter look, “As long as the Underworld agrees to hand over control of the Disaster Relief Tower, Fang Xiu is willing to sign a contract—ahem, a formal agreement—to ensure peace in the mortal realm.”

…Though in her opinion, this was a textbook case of getting something for nothing. Fang Xiu and Bai Shuangying hadn’t caused any destruction after ascending, clearly showing they didn’t want to harm the human world.

With that, she turned to the Fortune Immortal and bowed again, properly and respectfully.

“In my view, Fang Xiu isn’t scheming against the heavens or the Underworld. He’s simply interested in the Tower’s ritual system.”

“To keep the system running properly, it will still need the help of many Underworld agents and current support from the Underworld itself… That’s why he said he wants to ‘join’.”

She took a breath and continued slowly, “Even without suppressing the God of Xushan, there are still E’s scattered throughout the world. If left unchecked, they will continue to threaten humanity… To us, these ‘rituals’ are still necessary.”

“Besides, without the need to suppress to God of Xushan, there’s no need for the Underworld to deliberately produce more Immortal E’s. The number of sacrifices can be reduced, and karmic debts can be more precisely tracked… With these improvements, the living world won’t object.”

“In short, Fang Xiu wants the rituals to continue. It’s a win-win.”

King Yan: “Hm. I have no objection.”

Fortune Immortal: “But…”

“He said you’d probably ask, ‘But even if Fang Xiu signs a contract with us, it won’t restrict the God of Xushan,’ right?”

A’Shou’s mouth twitched. “His reply was, ‘That’s true, but you really can’t restrict him, so you’d better hope we don’t break up.’”

The immortals: “…”

A’Shou closed her eyes, recalling that annoying human smile.

Fang Xiu’s grin was dazzling. “Tell them, reality is reality. Instead of going against the tide, maybe think about peaceful coexistence.”

“At the very least, the two of us happily living together beats your cursed seal by a million times.”

“…A’Shou Jie, repeat my words to them exactly. If they agree, then we’ll talk about the details.”

……

“In short, the Disaster Relief Tower is mine now!” Fang Xiu announced to the bewildered sacrifices. “Don’t worry, even though the company changed ownership, your two wishes are still valid.”

“There’s still time before we go back, so why don’t you all think about what you want to wish for?”

Jiao Jiao, Yan Yan: “…?!?!”

Wait, what is this? Isn’t the Tower an important Underworld institution? And they’re giving it to a human???

The two of them exchanged looks and saw terror in each other’s eyes.

The non-professionals weren’t as shocked. After all, this wasn’t the first magical event they’d seen.

To them, “Fang Xiu controls the Tower” was like “commercial nuclear fusion exists”—it sounded impressive, but they had no idea how impressive.

They cared more about “going home” and “making a wish”.

Especially Lu Yang, who hadn’t yet completed eight rituals. Once he confirmed he could go home after this, his eyes instantly welled with tears.

Guan He and Cheng Songyun had the calmest reactions—for some reason, even though it sounded dreamlike, the fact that Fang Xiu had pulled it off made it feel that nothing was impossible.

The room fell into a strange silence for over ten seconds.

“I want a job that ensures I live comfortably and worry-free for the rest of my life. I’ve figured it out. I’m not cut out for riches. I can’t handle sudden wealth.” Lu Yang was the first to speak, announcing excitedly, “Then I want my whole family to be healthy and safe… Are these two wishes okay?”

Fang Xiu looked at A’Shou. She nodded. “Easily done.”

Lu Yang clenched his fists and let out a low, joyful cheer.

Xiao Tian thought it over. “First, I’ll go with everyone being healthy. For my second wish… I hope my future husband is gentle, loyal, kind, and incredibly handsome.”

A’Shou: “…”

A’Shou nodded silently.

Xiao Li: “I also want my family to be healthy.”

Then he clicked his tongue. “And I want to become ridiculously handsome.”

Xiao Tian: “Don’t stress about your appearance. That’s not good.”

Xiao Li: “Stay out of it.”

Song Zheng: “My family’s all gone. Hmm… I’ll wish for a life free of illness or disaster. As for money, I’ll take whatever comes. Riches creep me out.”

After a moment, he took a breath and looked at Fang Xiu. “Can I make a wish to you?”

Fang Xiu blinked. “Go ahead.”

“Our team got dragged into this because of an accident.” Song Zheng pressed his lips together. “I hope you can release any sacrifices with a similar background to ours.”

A’Shou: “Strictly speaking, that’s unrelated to karma. It’s a bit difficult.”

“I was planning to do that anyway,” Fang Xiu interrupted casually. “Song Ge, don’t waste your wish.”

Song Zheng froze.

After a while, he sighed. “Then I wish to keep my memories of the Disaster Relief Tower.”

Hearing this, the smiles on Xiao Li and Xiao Tian’s faces dimmed slightly, tinged with sadness.

Soon after, Jiao Jiao also requested to keep her memories. Her second wish was to become immune to all poisons.

Yan Yan’s wishes were more practical—he wished for smooth cultivation for his father’s side of the family, and he hoped his fox form could look a bit more normal.

“As for Mom, we’ll all wish her happiness and peace for a lifetime,” he said pitifully. “If I could turn into a beautiful big fox, she’d be even happier.”

These were all ordinary people, making ordinary wishes. A’Shou recorded each one.

“What about you two?”

Fang Xiu turned to his companions.

“I want to live happily ever after with my daughter,” Cheng Songyun answered without hesitation.

“I want my mom and me to live better lives, so she doesn’t have to suffer anymore,” Guan He lowered his eyes.

“That’s just one wish,” Fang Xiu scratched his face.

“Keep our memories.” “Definitely keep our memories,” they said in unison, both looking at Fang Xiu.

“You’ll return to the mortal world, right? Then we’ll see you again.”

“Yeah.” Fang Xiu’s smile softened.

“What about you?” A’Shou asked suddenly, “The Tower was part of the negotiation. It doesn’t count as a wish.”

“Even if you now own the Tower, by Underworld rules, you still have two wishes.”

She wasn’t being kind. She was worried. A’Shou didn’t believe Fang Xiu would overlook such a major windfall. He must be plotting something.

Sure enough, when Fang Xiu looked at her, his gentle smile instantly turned sly.

“Well then—”

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