Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 182: Between Family
Yuan Ye staggered into a noodle shop near the hospital, ordering a large bowl of fried noodles and a chilled soda.
After Fang Xiu woke up, Yuan left the hospital immediately without even saying goodbye. It wasn’t out of fear. Rather, he worried that his emotions were too unstable, that he might be mentally unwell. If he stayed, he feared he might hurt Fang Xiu.
As a police officer, Yuan Ye didn’t believe in the supernatural. His superstitions were limited to not drinking Wangzai soda or eating mangoes.
When he investigated the Guishan Sect, he had heard plenty of ghost stories, but he believed those were just tricks used by the sect leaders to fool the public. There were so many sleight-of-hand tricks that looked like magic, and many he couldn’t see through.
Over the years, Yuan had cracked countless gruesome cases. He had never encountered anything truly supernatural, let alone seen a ghost.
…Could he have contracted some bacteria at the hospital that messed with his brain?
He decided he should get a checkup. Fang Xiu had just woken up and needed care. If Yuan collapsed now, it would truly be right before the dawn.
He took a few gulps of soda and distractedly slurped some noodles.
No, he needed to think of something cheerful. Fang Xiu had always refused to call him “Dad”, and now, the first thing he did upon waking was to call him that. He was practically…
“I won’t call you ‘Dad’,” a voice said.
Yuan Ye looked up with noodles in his mouth and saw the man in white robes sitting across from him. The shock nearly sent the noodles down the wrong pipe.
In the down-to-earth setting of a small noodle shop, that face looked even more unreal.
Yet the sunlight fell directly on the figure, casting a long shadow. This entity seemed to have a physical body, yet the other diners paid it no mind, as if they couldn’t see him.
“I’ll be following you for the next few days.” Bai Shuangying did his best to sound less cold. “Fang Xiu said you’re too stubborn to handle being forced into anything, so I should let you adjust at your own pace.”
Yuan Ye swallowed the noodles in his mouth with a gulp. “Xiao Fang, he…”
“He knows you don’t believe in ghosts and gods,” Bai Shuangying said calmly. “But you’re a good officer. You’ve surely noticed the changes in his behavior. These aren’t things that can be explained by common sense. If he tried to brush it all off, it would only make you worry more. It’s better to tell you the ‘most reasonable truth’.”
“…That’s what he said.”
It sounded reasonable. Too reasonable to be a hallucination.
To be honest, every time Yuan Ye saw Bai Shuangying, he questioned whether he was imagining things. But he didn’t think he was capable of imagining a face like that, nor did he believe any human could look like that.
At this point, Yuan Ye didn’t know what to be shocked by anymore. He numbly picked up a few strands of noodles and chewed them slowly.
What if… What if all this was real?
Then his mentally thirteen-year-old son had suddenly become a stranger.
Fang Xiu had experienced soul separation and ended up in some unknown place.
This person across from him might be a real immortal and had even married Fang Xiu… and he was a man, at that.
……
It was too much. This had to be a hallucination.
Yuan Ye lost his appetite. He put down his chopsticks, paid the bill like a walking corpse, and left the shop.
Bai Shuangying followed him out, never more than a step behind.
In the past week, the immortals had been busy fulfilling Fang Xiu’s wishes and negotiating with gods from other realms. The Disaster Relief Tower was also adjusting its processes and dealing with Guishan Sect believers who had barged into the hospital.
Once things settled, Fang Xiu would need to return to take charge again. The sooner Yuan Ye accepted reality, the sooner he could take Fang Xiu home. Then they could enjoy their time together.
On the first day after leaving the hospital, Yuan Ye got himself some psychiatric medication, but he still kept running into Bai Shuangying.
On the second day, he went to the largest temple in the city to pray, only to see Bai Shuangying casually walking into the main hall and fiddling with the incense.
……
On the seventh day, Yuan Ye got the address of a supposedly very reputable Taoist temple from an old colleague and drove straight up the mountain.
“Lately I keep seeing strange things. Please take a look.”
Officer Yuan found an esteem Taoist priest. He spoke to him with a tone of resignation.
The priest had white hair and a long beard, looking like an immortal. He studied Officer Yuan for a long time. “You have strong fortune and righteous energy. There is no evil aura around you.”
So even this priest couldn’t see “Bai Shuangying”?
Officer Yuan’s heart sank. But then Bai Shuangying stepped forward and waved his hand in front of the priest.
In the next instant, the priest’s eyes sharpened. He didn’t panic like Yuan Ye had. Instead, he grew serious.
Over the past few days, Bai Shuangying had been having sporadic conversations with him. Officer Yuan had been respectful and even seemed to appreciate Bai Shuangying’s bluntness. But he kept struggling to accept the “reality”, which wore down Bai Shuangying’s patience.
Yuan Ye wasn’t blood-related to Fang Xiu, but his stubbornness was just as fierce. If Yuan Ye weren’t so important to Fang Xiu, Bai Shuangying would have already altered his cognition and ended it.
He had endured this long. Finally, Officer Yuan had sought help from the metaphysical world.
Bai Shuangying said coldly, “No matter how busy the gods are, they still know how to communicate with the human world. Judging by your cultivation, you are more or less a person of importance, so you should have heard about us.”
“You’re no longer young. There’s no need to kneel. Just explain things to him clearly.”
The old Taoist respectfully adjusted his robe, lowered his gaze, and gave a deep bow.
“Greetings, God of Xushan,” the old man said with utmost reverence. “I will explain everything properly.”
Bai Shuangying gave a nonchalant hum and leaned against the wall in disinterest.
Mortals were as boring as he remembered. Fang Xiu was far more interesting. No matter who he faced, his human always met their eyes directly, as if the words “deference” didn’t exist in his dictionary.
In the past, seven days would barely be a nap to him. Now, being away from Fang Xiu for seven days felt like seven centuries.
A few steps away, Yuan Ye held his head. “What is all this? No matter what you say, I…”
The priest looked at the gray-haired Officer Yuan and said earnestly, “I understand. I’ve seen many cases like yours. I won’t preach to you.”
“You’re a police officer, right? My people will contact your superiors. Soon, you’ll receive official documents identifying the God of Xushan… uh, Mr. Bai.”
“Once Mr. Bai takes on a physical form, your colleagues will also come into contact with this case. Your superiors will have a private conversation with you. With all that evidence, you can judge for yourself whether this is a hallucination.”
Yuan Ye: “…”
This was really happening?
He glanced at Bai Shuangying, who looked a little impatient, and lowered his voice. “What exactly does this God of Xushan govern? I’ve never heard of such a god.”
The priest’s beard trembled as he replied in a similarly low voice, “No one is entirely sure what powers he holds, but the gods have certain speculations.”
“It’s probably… involves the karmic laws of the heavens and all worldly phenomena.”
He tactfully omitted the part about the “worldly phenomena” referring specifically to Fang Xiu.
Officer Yuan gave a vague hum of understanding. He didn’t understand the esoteric terms, but he did understand one thing clearly: ghosts and gods existed, and Bai Shuangying was real.
After leaving the Taoist temple, Officer Yuan drove in silence.
He gripped on the steering wheel tightly as the car drove on quietly. Through the rearview mirror, he saw Bai Shuangying reclining in the back seat, lazily watching the scenery outside.
“Can I ask you something?” After a while, Officer Yuan took the initiative to speak.
Bai Shuangying: “Go ahead.”
Yuan Ye thought for a long time before voicing the question he considered most important.
“Did Xiao Fang suffer a lot?” Officer Yuan asked hesitantly. “That’s the look of someone who’s been through hardship. I can see it.”
Bai Shuangying was surprised. He had imagined many kinds of interrogation, but not this one.
For some reason, the stubborn mortal in front of him suddenly seemed more agreeable.
“In a thousand years, he is the most tormented mortal I have ever met,” Bai Shuangying answered honestly. “But he is also the most brilliant persuader, the most persistent warrior. If not for him, I would not be here.”
“Tormented?”
Bai Shuangying: “Fang Xiu doesn’t want me to tell you. He only wants to say that it’s all over.”
Clearly, his child had suffered greatly.
Yuan Ye tightened his grip on the steering wheel and let out a long sigh.
Halfway through, he realized something felt very wrong. His eyes widened as he looked at Bai Shuangying in disbelief.
“A thousand years… You’re over a thousand years old?”
Bai Shuangying was nonchalant. “More than ten thousand, probably. I’ve lost track,”
Ever since the Xushan ranges were formed, he had possessed some form of awareness. But there was no human civilization then to keep records, and he often slept for decades at a time. It was hard to keep count.
Yuan Ye “……………………”
More than ten thousand years? Fang Xiu wasn’t even thirty!
He silently pulled out a heart pill from the glovebox and took one.
“Thank you,” after calming down for a few seconds, Yuan Ye replied.
Bai Shuangying blinked.
“Ever since… everything, Xiao Fang has been distant and slow to trust. But I know that deep down, he can’t stand being alone. Thank you for staying with him.”
“He really likes you. As an elder, I can see that.”
“Indeed. And I like him very much too,” Bai Shuangying replied with satisfaction.
Yuan Ye nodded but didn’t turn around.
“I don’t know what you are, and I don’t care. As long as you keep him safe and happy, I could thank you a thousand times and it still wouldn’t be enough.”
Bai Shuangying couldn’t help but laugh.
“What?”
“Fang Xiu also loves to say thank you all the time. You really are alike.”
“He is my son.”
“I won’t call you ‘Dad’.”
“……”
The author has something to say:
This round: Xiao Bai vs. Officer Yuan.
Officer Yuan, it’s time to accept reality…
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